Liverpool's Transfer Wishlist: Fikayo Tomori and the Need for Experience
Andoni Iraola has not been in the Liverpool job long, but his transfer wishlist is already taking shape – and it has a clear theme. Experience. Authority. A centre-back who can walk straight into the Anfield dressing room and look the likes of Virgil van Dijk in the eye.
Fikayo Tomori ticks a lot of those boxes.
Iraola’s step up – and Liverpool’s reset
This is a club in transition, and not just in the dugout. Iraola, fresh from his work at Bournemouth, has spoken openly about the scale of the challenge now facing him.
“I want to think now I am better than I was last year, one more year of experience in the Premier League,” he told reporters on Thursday, before acknowledging the shift in expectations and the need to adapt tactically to “new scenarios.”
The early signs on the club’s pre-season tour of the United States have pleased him. The tour is going well, integration of senior players is “quite progressive,” and in his words, Liverpool are “in a good direction.”
But the squad sheet tells its own story.
Jeremy Jacquet has arrived from Rennes. Victor Munoz has come in from Osasuna. Just under £95m spent on a new centre-half and a winger, a clear investment in the future. At the same time, Ibrahima Konate and Andrew Robertson have walked away on free transfers, while Mohamed Salah’s contract has been cut short a year early.
That is not just turnover. That is the ripping out of pillars. The need for proven quality is obvious.
Tomori on the radar
Against that backdrop, Liverpool’s interest in Tomori makes perfect sense. According to reports in Italy, the club have made initial contact with AC Milan over the England international, who is now into the final 12 months of his contract at San Siro.
For Iraola, strengthening the heart of his defence is described as one of the club’s main priorities. He wants an “experienced and reliable” centre-back. Tomori, 28, fits that brief: old enough to have seen most of what elite football can throw at him, young enough to anchor a back line for several more seasons.
At this stage, talks are described as early. Tomori’s name is firmly on Liverpool’s shortlist, but the club still need to understand the financial landscape before deciding whether to turn interest into a formal bid. How much will Milan demand for a player with a year left on his deal? How hard will they push to keep him?
Those are the questions now being asked at Anfield.
Milan hold the cards – for now
For the moment, Milan are calm. The Italian club are seen as having “full control of the situation” and are not inclined to let a 6ft 1in mainstay of their defence leave cheaply. If they cannot agree an extension, the equation changes. Until then, Liverpool and any other suitors must wait.
Tomori’s journey has earned him that leverage. Raised in Chelsea’s academy, he took the leap to Milan five years ago and has since carved out a prominent role at one of Europe’s most demanding clubs. More than 200 appearances. A Serie A title. A Supercoppa Italiana. Consistency, minutes, medals.
Juventus have also been linked, a reminder that this is a defender in demand in Serie A and beyond. Milan know that, and they are acting like a club in no rush.
The Anfield question
If Liverpool do manage to prise Tomori away, the next debate will start immediately: where does he fit?
Van Dijk remains the reference point, the captain and defensive leader. Slot Tomori alongside him and Liverpool suddenly have a pairing rich in experience, reading of the game, and recovery pace. But the competition will be fierce.
Jacquet has not been signed to watch from the bench. Joe Gomez, so often the utility man, will expect to fight for a central role. Giovanni Leoni, once fit again, adds another option and another profile to Iraola’s defensive mix.
That is exactly the kind of headache top managers welcome. Iraola has spoken about adapting to new scenarios. A back line reshaped around Van Dijk and a new partner like Tomori would be one of the biggest tactical calls of his early Liverpool reign.
Liverpool’s pre-season optimism is real. Their rebuild is underway. Whether Tomori becomes the next cornerstone of that project now depends on how hard they are willing to push – and how long Milan are prepared to hold their nerve.
