Liverpool are in the market for a wide attacker – so who could they target?

With the outcome of Liverpool’s season all but sealed, thoughts have drifted towards what lies ahead.

A new senior structure is in place and Arne Slot is all but confirmed as their new head coach – so next on the agenda is the summer transfer window, and what business the club may or may not complete during it.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein recently revealed Liverpool are in the market for a wide player, despite the fact Slot will have five quality forward options already at his disposal when he joins from outgoing Dutch champions Feyenoord.

There are, however, decisions to be made. Mohamed Salah is set to enter the final 12 months of his contract this summer, shortly after he also turns 32; while Liverpool are planning for him to stay, beyond that his future is unknown.

Slot loves wingers. They are key to his attacking game plan, which involves overloading central areas of the pitch to isolate his wide players.

Depending on the opponents, Slot can ask one of his wingers to invert, creating space for the full-back on that flank to maintain the team’s width. Ideally, he wants his wingers to be strong in one-on-one situations, dynamic, quick and direct in possession.

It sounds like the perfect role for Luis Diaz, but his future has also been up for debate. Diaz, 27, is under contract until summer 2027; if he is a key part of Liverpool’s future, an extension of that deal should be a consideration; if not, his value will start to decrease.

So who could Liverpool look at to replace Salah – either immediately or in the future – or to take over Diaz’s left-wing role if they decide to cash in?

The Athletic looked at multiple options, using the profiles of Slot’s two primary wingers at Feyenoord, Igor Paixao and Yankuba Minteh, as a guide. Both are progressive wide men, the former through passing and the latter via dribbling, and hard-working out of possession.

The Premier League options

Michael Olise

The Crystal Palace player’s two-goal performance against Manchester United on Monday has kick-started a discussion about his future. Chelsea tried and failed to get him last summer, with Olise choosing to sign a new contract. But that new deal contains a release clause, higher than the £35million one Chelsea believed they had activated in 2023, and the list of suitors will have only grown.

The left-footed right-winger is a different profile to Salah, but he is an extremely impressive ball carrier and creator. Only six Premier League midfielders have a higher expected assists from open play per 90 minutes figure this season than Olise’s 0.27, which is particularly impressive considering Palace are far from a ball-dominant team.

Across the board, his numbers are impressive. The 22-year-old is a progressive player through carries (5.1 per 90) and passes (5.1 per 90), while he is willing to attack his opponent, registering 2.8 successful take-ons per 90.

Olise believes he has the ability to play in the Champions League and for France’s national team, and his output of nine goals and four assists in 17 Premier League appearances during an injury-hit 2023-24 season suggests that confidence is well-founded.

The recurring hamstring problems Olise has had this season may be a concern, and there would be others keen to sign him, but there is little doubting his quality.

Jarrod Bowen

When considering a new addition to Liverpool’s forward line, West Ham’s Bowen is never far from the conversation. The club have tracked the England international for some time, and his development and output continue to rise.

He is a dynamic forward who has adapted his game in recent seasons to become more of a goalscoring threat than the creator of old. The graphic below shows how Bowen has evolved into playing a more central role, a significant reason why he is getting more shots off between the width of the posts.

West Ham’s counter-attacking approach makes his return of 20 goals and 10 assists in 43 appearances this season all the more impressive, and are the sort of numbers that would be required if he came to Anfield.

He is not a defined progressive ball-carrying creator, as others are, but at 27 he is probably the most sure bet in this list because of his proven track record.

The problem would be the price, given the seven-year contract he signed last year has no release clause.

Pedro Neto

Had Neto not spent so much time on the treatment table, it is likely the 24-year-old would already be playing for one of the Premier League’s top clubs.

The Portugal international is an exceptional talent. When firing, he is the focal point of Wolves’ attack – and very difficult to stop. In 19 league appearances this season, he has two goals and nine assists.

His standout attribute is his ability to drive his team forward. His 5.7 progressive carries per 90 this season is in the top seven per cent among Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers. Neto creates chances for others by attracting defenders to him as well as shooting opportunities for himself.

The big asterisk next to Neto is an unfortunate injury record. Liverpool’s recruitment last season marked availability as a crucial trait, but fitness problems have still dogged their squad this term.

If Neto was brought in to eventually succeed Salah, it would mean replacing one of the most durable players in the league with one of the least durable.

Liverpool are close to appointing Arne Slot as their new head coach — and The Athletic has every angle covered.

What other options does the data suggest?

Johan Bakayoko

Bakayoko has played a key role in denying Slot a second successive Eredivisie success as part of the PSV Eindhoven attack that stormed to the title (they are nine points clear and have lost one of their 32 league matches, winning 32).

The 21-year-old – another left-footed right-winger – has been one of the best players in Dutch football this season, and his 12 goals and nine assists in 31 league appearances only tell some of the story as to how effective he has been.

Only Feyenoord’s Quinten Timber and PSV team-mate Joey Veerman have logged more “shot creating actions” (which denote the two offensive actions directly leading to a shot) than Bakayoko (5.1 per 90) in the 2023-24 Eredivisie.

A healthy amount of those actions have come via dribbling, one of his strengths. His 3.2 successful take-ons and 7.3 progressive carries per 90 rank him in the top four per cent of all attacking midfielders and top one per cent of wingers. Crucially, Bakayoko has found the sweet spot between the volume and success of those take-ons – and is close to Feyenoord’s Minteh on the graphic below.

In recent seasons, Slot has been able to watch Bakayoko up close. He has repeatedly been linked to top clubs in the past 12 months but the record of success for players arriving in the Premier League from the Netherlands is patchy. Cody Gakpo, who joined Liverpool from PSV in last season’s winter window, at least offers a guide on how to step up.

Francisco Conceicao

What better way to find a new winger than to return to Porto to pick up their next exciting wide man?

Conceicao is three years younger than Diaz was when he arrived from that Portuguese club in January 2022, and is another player Slot should be well aware of — the now 21-year-old spent 2022-23 on loan in the Netherlands at Ajax and featured twice for them against Feyenoord. As that fact implies, he has only truly established himself as a first-team regular in Portugal this season.

The diminutive winger is left-footed but has predominantly operated on the right for Porto and is a relentless dribbler. His figure of 6.4 take-ons per 90 is among the top five per cent for attacking midfielders and wingers in the Primeira Liga this season and his 3.1 successful take-ons per 90 is in the top six per cent.

Conceicao is consistently looking to move into advanced areas, through progressive carries – 6.0 per 90, which is in the 99th percentile, meaning only one per cent of players do better – and by receiving progressive passes (12.2 per 90). He is a presence in the box, too, averaging 7.7 touches in the opposition area, another high number.

Despite the positions Conceicao finds himself in, his output would need to improve. He averages around a goal in every four games and an assist in every seven. This season, he has eight goals and seven assists in 40 appearances.

He is still in the early years of his development, but signing him this summer to be Salah’s understudy for at least a year could be a sensible plan.

Edon Zhegrova

The Lille winger is another who fits the left-footed right-winger profile and, at 25, sits in Liverpool’s ideal age bracket.

It would be a big jump for Zhegrova to make. This is his first season in Ligue 1 as a consistent first-teamer, where he has started 23 of Lille’s 31 matches. In his 45 appearances in all competitions, he has 12 goals and nine assists for 2023-24 and has clearly developed physically and tactically, making better decisions in possession.

The Kosovo international is a direct winger, constantly attempting to beat his man. He sits in the top three per cent for successful take-ons (3.8 per 90) among attacking midfielders and wingers in Ligue 1 and, similarly to Conceicao, receives the ball in advanced areas, with 12.7 progressive passes received per 90.

He is more than just a dribbler, though. Zhegrova is logging five shot-creating actions per 90 at Lille and is not afraid to take a shot on himself either, recording 3.4 efforts on goal per 90 — among the highest in his position in the French top flight.

Zhegrova would be reasonably priced, but while he fits stylistically, whether he can become a top-level Champions League player is a different question.

Nico Williams

Inaki Williams has been sporadically linked with Liverpool, and other top Premier League clubs, for several years, but it is his 19-year-old brother and Athletic Bilbao team-mate who could be a perfect fit.

Nico, a left-winger, has pace to burn and loves to dribble. Only Ilias Akhomach and Vinicius Junior average more attempted take-ons than his eight per 90 in La Liga this season. He is another player who can carry the ball into advanced areas, but is happy to be given it in the final third, too, as his progressive passes received per 90 (11.4) is in the top 10 per cent of La Liga attacking midfielders and wingers.

Williams can operate on both flanks but has done the majority of his damage as a right-footed left-winger. As shown below, he has provided plenty of width for his club, and is willing to take opponents on in those areas.

His 16 assists, alongside seven goals, in 34 games in all competitions this season highlights his creativity. He likes to run into half-spaces and cut balls back across goal – a key feature of Slot’s attacking football.

Williams is settled at Athletic and recently helped them win the Copa del Rey (Spain’s FA Cup) — their first major trophy for 40 years. There has been previous interest from Aston Villa and Chelsea and, while he signed a new three-year contract in December, it has a €50million (£43.1m/$53.8m) release clause – a price which may appeal to Liverpool.

(Top photos: Olise, Williams and Bowen; Getty Images)