Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez has opened up on the whirlwind summer at Anfield that saw Andoni Iraola replaced Arne Slot in the dugout. The Hungarian international, who previously excelled under the Spaniard at Bournemouth, believes the new coaching regime is exactly what the Reds need to return to their best.
As the 2025-26 Premier League season draws to a close, it's time to look back on what has been a campaign full of twists and turns. Arsenal eventually saw off the challenge of Manchester City to secure the title, but European places and the final berth in the relegation zone are still to be decided into the final day.
Michael Owen has launched a scathing assessment of Milos Kerkez following Liverpool's disappointing 2-1 defeat at Wolves, claiming the defender is struggling to handle the pressure of life at Anfield. The former Reds striker suggested the £40 million ($53m) summer signing from Bournemouth appears overwhelmed by his surroundings and urged Arne Slot to restore veteran Andy Robertson to the starting line-up. The Merseyside giants' hopes of finishing in the top four suffered a significant setback at Molineux.
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has a very cold, analytical approach to his role - so much so, in fact, that he was once described as "robot" by an agent who had dealt with him. Of course, being devoid of emotion probably wouldn't be such a bad thing for Hughes, given the nature of his job and the potential for being adversely affected by the wildly differing views on the work he's doing at Anfield.
Premier League clubs splashed out £3 billion ($4bn) on transfers in a record-breaking summer window, more than those in the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A combined, with Liverpool accounting for £415m ($561m) of that eye-watering amount on the back of their 2024-25 title success under Arne Slot. Mega-money was also spent by the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, with Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Fulham the only three clubs to invest less than £50m ($67m) in strengthening their respective squads.
Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has named a key area that the Reds "got wrong" during their massive summer transfer window outlay. The Premier League champions spent more than any club in world football during the 2025 window with an unprecedented outlay of £446 million ($598m) on seven new signings. Yet, almost halfway through the season, the squad appears disjointed, the performances inconsistent and some new signings are already under the scanner.
As Curtis Jones admitted on Wednesday, Liverpool are "in the sh*t" right now. The humiliating 4-1 Champions League defeat at home to PSV means the ragged Reds have now lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions and the common consensus is that Arne Slot is only still in a job because he won the Premier League last season. But how have Liverpool gone from champs to chumps in just six months?
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has thrown his support behind his new signing Milos Kerkez after the Hungarian left-back's difficult start to life at the Premier League champions. Kerkez joined the club with high expectations, having excelled at Bournemouth last campaign, and was seen as the natural heir to the ageing Andy Robertson, but things have not quite clicked yet.
Milos Kerkez stands accused of being unable to withstand the demands at Liverpool, with the left-back told that he even brought down Virgil van Dijk during the Reds' 2-1 loss to rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday. Kerkez, who was one of the Premier League's best full-backs in 2024-25 season while at Bournemouth, is yet to live up to the expectations on Merseyside.
Manchester United legend and pundit Gary Neville savaged Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez for his "naive" performance against Chelsea. Liverpool suffered their third consecutive loss across all competitions as they went down 2-1 against the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Kerkez featured in Arne Slot's starting lineup but was subbed off in the 55th minute.
Alan Shearer has claimed that a Liverpool star is "not the same player" he was last season, pointing out at a worrying theme under Arne Slot. The Reds have made a perfect start to their Premier League title defence with five successive wins and also opened their Champions League campaign with a win over Atletico Madrid, but one player is struggling for rhythm.
Andy Robertson has leapt to Milos Kerkez's defence after the new Liverpool left-back was taken off early in their 1-0 win at Burnley. The 21-year-old has taken the Scot's place in the Reds' starting lineup but the experienced defender is still backing the Hungarian to the hilt.
That first international break of the season always comes at just the wrong time. With teams starting to get into the groove as they switch from pre-season to competitive action, and with the final new signings of the summer arriving on deadline day, that Premier League fans had to wait two weeks to see their teams in action was almost a travesty. Fortunately, that wait is now over.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted he could not fully trust Milos Kerkez to avoid a red card after the Hungarian’s early dive against Burnley. The left-back was hooked in the 38th minute following a yellow card, with Andy Robertson replacing him. The switch paid off as Liverpool held firm before sealing a 1-0 win thanks to Mohamed Salah’s late penalty.
Milos Kerkez has been branded a “muppet” and told he has “mashed potato for brains” following a calamitous outing for Liverpool at Burnley. The energetic left-back, who joined the Reds from Bournemouth in the summer transfer window of 2025, was hooked after just 38 minutes at Turf Moor as he found himself walking an unnecessary disciplinary tightrope.
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