'Liverpool need signings with Chelsea kicking at their heels' - Heskey 'worried' by lack of spending at Anfield

Liverpool need to make some signings with Chelsea "kicking at their heels" according to Emile Heskey, who has admitted to being a "little bit worried" about the lack of summer spending at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp guided Liverpool to their first league title in three decades last season, while also delivering the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

The Reds finished 18 points clear at the top of the league after being crowned champions with a record-breaking seven games left to spare, but their biggest test is yet to come.

Only three teams have successfully defended the Premier League title in the modern era, and the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United are expected to mount strong challenges in 2020-21.

Frank Lampard has turned more than a few heads with the way he's gone about his business in the transfer market, adding the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva to his ranks at Stamford Bridge.

Goal has reported that Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz will be the next through the door at Chelsea, who are already being tipped to fight for major honours across all competitions with a new-look squad.

City have made three signings of their own, and United are on the verge of striking a deal for Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek, while Liverpool remain inactive in the summer market.

Heskey thinks his old club will need greater strength in depth to maintain their recent success, especially given the short turnaround between seasons amid the coronavirus crisis.

“When you watch other teams buying players in the manner they are buying players, you’re always a little bit worried,” the former Reds striker told talkSPORT.

“When you’re looking at Liverpool fans and Klopp, they have so much trust in him and understand where he’s going with it, but then again, I do think back-up wise Liverpool need two or three players.

“When you lose the likes of Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino - Firmino makes a lot of it tick and when you lose that how do you replace him? I don’t think they’ve got that as of yet.

“It’s difficult to judge the Community Shield game, especially with the pre-season the lads have had. The season has ended and they haven’t really had a break, they’ve had to come straight back.

“You look at Liverpool and what Klopp can get out his players and you always put them up there alongside Man City, so it’ll be interesting to see who hits the ground running first - but obviously you have Chelsea kicking at their heels now, they’ve bought some outstanding players.”