Carragher Rips Into Liverpool's £320m Summer Signings After PSG Humbling

Liverpool's European campaign took a battering in Paris on Tuesday evening, with PSG running rings around Arne Slot's men to secure a commanding 2-0 victory in their Champions League quarter-final. Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia got on the scoresheet as the Ligue 1 outfit thoroughly outclassed their visitors, leaving the Reds with a mountain to climb when the sides meet again at Anfield.

The performance has prompted some stern words from pundit Jamie Carragher, who has turned his fire on three key figures in Liverpool's summer recruitment drive. The CBS Sports analyst pulled no punches in assessing Ekitike, Wirtz, and Isak—who collectively cost £320m when they arrived last summer—insisting they are simply not working hard enough away from the ball.

Carragher's broader thesis centres on Liverpool's ageing spine. Goalkeeper Alisson, he notes, is increasingly troubled by injuries and no longer operates at his previous standard. Van Dijk, now 34, has lost some of his commanding presence, particularly since Slot deployed him in the centre of a three-man defence. And Salah, at 33, is not quite the force he once was in attacking areas. Yet these three remain Liverpool's best players by a considerable margin.

The fundamental problem, according to Carragher, is that the new arrivals haven't stepped up to fill the void. "They're not humble off the ball," he declared, elaborating on what separates elite performers at Anfield from the merely competent. Top attacking players for Liverpool, he insisted, must combine arrogance in possession with humility without it—a balance these three signings have patently failed to strike.

Ekitike drew particular ire for his display against PSG, though Carragher's criticism extends across the trio. Isak, who came off the bench, fared little better in the pundit's assessment. But it is Wirtz who received perhaps the most cutting assessment: at £125m, the German winger is, in Carragher's estimation, merely "neat and tidy"—damning praise indeed for a player of his price tag and billing.

The underlying message is clear. Van Dijk and Salah carried Liverpool to the title last season, but they cannot do so indefinitely. The new signings must learn what it takes to perform at this level, and quickly. Right now, they are not providing the platform for their ageing stars to maintain their dominance.