Liverpool duo Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho could make an impact under Arne Slot after failing to win the trust of Jurgen Klopp. Both players spent the German’s final season at Anfield out on loan after struggling to convince the Reds icon that they deserved to be part of his first team.
However, Van den Berg and Carvalho have both played key roles in pre-season, benefiting from more senior players returning late from international duty. New head coach Slot has hinted that there will be few major signings arriving at Anfield this summer, potentially opening the pathway for several young players.
Liverpool have been widely linked with a new defender this summer but Van den Berg’s emergence makes him a perfectly suitable back-up to the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez. The Dutchman can use Jarell Quansah’s breakthrough last season as motivation to make his own impact at Anfield.
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Van den Berg, a versatile defender who can play as a centre-back, right-back or wing-back, spent last season on loan at Mainz and recently complained about a lack of opportunities under Klopp. But the 22-year-old might be able to convince Slot to avoid signing another defender and saving funds.
The same can be said of Carvalho, who can make use of Slot potentially not signing a new attacking midfielder. There was huge expectation when the Portugal U21 international signed from Fulham in 2022, but he was loaned out to RB Leipzig and then Hull City last term.
Slot will be keen to give chances to the next generation at Liverpool. The core of Klopp’s Premier League and Champions League-winning team are entering their mid-30s, with younger players needed to take on the mantle.
Those youngsters could come from the academy after Slot ruled out huge swathes of business this summer. He said: “The bar is really high for new signings because we have so many good players so it is not so easy to first find a player to meet those standards and then is he available?
“Then we have to find an agreement with them, so it is not always easy to find a player who can help us but Richard is working hard on it and let's see what comes from this.”
Van den Berg and Carvalho will surely benefit from that policy, should they be kept at Anfield this season. Both players could prove Klopp wrong for not integrating them in the last few years of his tenure.
