Alisson Becker discusses Liverpool’s significant squad overhaul during the summer transfer window

Alisson Becker has acknowledged that Liverpool are facing a major challenge as they adapt to a summer of considerable change, with eight new signings and seven departures reshaping the squad.

The Premier League champions began their title defence on Friday night with a 4-2 win over Bournemouth, a match that featured four debut starters in Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike.

Liverpool also announced the £26m arrival of Giovanni Leoni before kick-off, while £29m goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was named on the bench. Arne Slot has added further depth in goal with the signings of Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman during the current window.

Negotiations have started with Crystal Palace for captain Marc Guehi, while Liverpool are prepared to pursue a potential record-breaking deal for Alexander Isak if Newcastle United show willingness to negotiate.

On the outgoing front, Luis Diaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Darwin Nunez have all departed, along with Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Tyler Morton, and Nat Phillips in what’s been a busy summer.

Ben Doak is also expected to leave soon, with his £25m transfer to Bournemouth nearing completion. Speaking after Friday’s hard-fought win, Alisson stressed that the scale of changes should not be overlooked when judging the team’s early performances.

“It’s difficult,” Alisson told NBC. “People don’t really mention how much the squad has changed.

“Everyone is praising how strong our team looks with the new arrivals, but no one talks about the challenge that comes with that. It’s a big adjustment.

“Last season we had the challenge of a new manager, but the players were mostly the same, so we already had familiarity and just had to maintain our playing style.

“The manager handled it very well, blending new ideas with the existing structure, which made things easier to grasp.

“But now with all the new players, it’s a bigger change. Today we didn’t even have Ryan (Gravenberch), who’s very important for us, and he didn’t feature. Still, the team performed really well.

“For new players like Jeremie, Flo (Wirtz), and Hugo, it was their first Premier League match, and they had to deal with a different level of intensity and physicality.

“But they really stepped up, played excellently. Of course, they had our support, but they proved their quality is at the level expected at Liverpool FC.”

The champions will next be in action on August 25 when they travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United.