Eight days after Liverpool clinched the Premier League title, Trent Alexander-Arnold confirmed the worst-kept secret in football. The right-back will be departing Anfield at the end of the season and is expected to join Real Madrid. This news had been anticipated for months, but it thrust into sharp focus the work Liverpool have ahead of them this summer.

Of course, the situation regarding out-of-contract players could have been much worse. Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk were also set to become free agents at the end of the season. Along with Alexander-Arnold, they are Liverpool’s best three players, and so there was a nightmare scenario in which the trio would have bid farewell to Merseyside.

As it materialised, Salah and van Dijk signed new deals to stay, as it materialised, but this must only be the start of Liverpool’s preparations for next season. The Premier League champions can’t afford to rest on their laurels, particularly because it seems likely Arsenal and Manchester City, and possibly some other rivals, will be stronger after the summer.

The most obvious need is at right back, where Liverpool must replace Alexander-Arnold. It could be that Conor Bradley is promoted into the starting lineup, having been an understudy for the last two seasons, but even if that proves to be the case, Arne Slot will need additional depth on the right side of his defence.

There could be a need for a new centre back, too. Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have forged a strong understanding this season as Slot’s first-choice pairing, but Jarell Quansah could be on his way out of the club if recent reports are to be believed. Indeed, Newcastle United have a long-standing interest in the 22-year-old.

A new left-back could also be on the shopping list. Andy Robertson remains an important member of Slot’s team and is one of Liverpool’s most experienced dressing room figures, but the Scotland international has looked vulnerable at times this season. Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez and Fulham’s Antonee Robinson have both been linked.

Some fans also argue Liverpool could use a different dimension in the centre of the pitch. As good as Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have been as a pairing under Slot, the Reds lack a creative midfielder higher up the pitch. Dominik Szoboszlai operates in a more advanced role, but he isn’t a number 10 in the traditional sense.

Slot also has a decision to make on Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan hasn’t developed in the way Liverpool had hoped when they spent £85m to sign him from Benfica three years ago, and Nunez is still too unreliable in front of goal. Liverpool needs a more clinical centre forward to take some of the goalscoring burden off Salah.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United could all be in the market for a new striker this summer. Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Liam Delap have been linked with several clubs, but there isn’t a sense of what Liverpool will do to find the sort of centre forward they believed Nunez would become not so long ago.

Liverpool’s title triumph this season proved they are the best-run club in the Premier League. They could have crumbled after Jurgen Klopp’s departure. Instead, the Reds found a manager willing and able to build on the German’s legacy at Anfield and make the best use of the squad he’d been left behind.

Now, though, Slot will be expected to introduce more of his own ideas and that will require reconstruction of certain parts of the squad. Liverpool can rebuild from a position of strength, particularly with Salah and van Dijk staying. This summer presents an opportunity for the champions to get even better.

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