As Liverpool’s pre-season kicks into gear, plenty of players will be looking to impress Arne Slot ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
The Reds’ first friendly of the summer takes place at Preston on Sunday (3pm BST), which promises to be an emotional occasion after the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.
New signings such as Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez will be hoping to impress, while others also need to catch the eye.
Here are eight Liverpool players who have a point to prove this pre-season.
Giorgi Mamardashvili
Giorgi Mamardashvili has now arrived from Valencia, making it clear that he intends to push Alisson hard to be Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper.
“They are looking at me as the Liverpool goalkeeper for the next 10 years,” the Georgia international has said.
Mamardashvili has his work cut out when it comes to ousting Alisson, but healthy competition can only be a positive for Slot.
A strong pre-season will help keep Liverpool’s current No. 1 on his toes, not to mention showing that he can be his long-term successor.
Alisson only has two years remaining on his current Reds deal, and if he does leave next summer Mamardashvili will hopefully be primed to fill the void seamlessly.
Conor Bradley
The departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold led some to wonder if Conor Bradley would be Liverpool’s go-to right-back next season.
The arrival of Frimpong means that is no longer a guarantee, but that’s not to say that the Northern Irishman doesn’t have a huge role to play.
Bradley will know that Frimpong could take time to adjust to his new surroundings, so some convincing pre-season performances could lead to the former starting against Bournemouth next month.
It isn’t going to be easy for the 22-year-old to nail down a place in Slot’s strongest XI, but he is maturing rapidly as a player and has shown he is now a reliable option.
He should be using pre-season as an opportunity to showcase his talent.
Andy Robertson
By his world-class standards, Andy Robertson‘s form dipped last season, and the need for a younger left-back to come in became clear.
Kerkez has arrived and Robertson now faces one of the biggest challenges of his career.
While the Scot had considered a move to Atletico Madrid amid interest from the Spanish club, he now appears resolved to stay and fight for his place.
“I’m not getting any younger. I can’t change my age, but I still believe I’ve got a lot to give and that’s what I focus on,” Robertson said on Liverpool’s pursuit of Kerkez last month.
“I focus on myself – you can’t focus on other people or who you’re competing with.”
It would be just like Robertson to up his game and keep out the impressive Kerkez, but he will need to find an improved level in pre-season to do so.
Wataru Endo
Wataru Endo has earned his cult hero status, but the Japanese is still fighting to keep his place in Liverpool’s squad.
The midfielder has confirmed his plan to stay this summer, insisting he wouldn’t end his Reds career “just to go somewhere else,” showing that he is happy to remain a squad player.
Truthfully, it would be strange if Slot saw Endo as dispensible, with the Dutchman no doubt valuing his experience and team ethic.
That said, pre-season is an important period for the Japan captain, mainly in terms of proving that he has more to offer than he was afforded last season.
Dominik Szoboszlai
The signing of Wirtz is hugely significant for Liverpool, but Dominik Szoboszlai may have reacted differently than others to his arrival.
The German is at his best in the No. 10 position that Szoboszlai has taken up at Anfield, with the Hungarian still dividing opinion in the role.
His work rate is astonishing, but a lack of end product has been aimed at him, with six goals and assists apiece in the league last season far fewer than Wirtz’s tally of 10 and 12 respectively for Bayer Leverkusen.
Slot may plan to use Szoboszlai more as a No. 8, which the midfielder sees as his best position, so it will be interesting to see the plan for him in pre-season.
Wherever he plays, though, he may need to produce an eye-catching summer to keep his place in the team as Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister seem surefire starters.
Harvey Elliott
It feels like Harvey Elliott‘s Liverpool career is nearing its end, with Slot unable to promise him regular football.
After a triumphant star turn for England’s U21s at the Euros this summer, there is plenty of interest in the 22-year-old.
If Liverpool don’t consider him an important player, cashing in on him would be the right call, but having one last look in pre-season makes sense.
Elliott is such a gifted footballer but he lacks the dynamism of the other midfielders, and Wirtz’s arrival further pushes him down the pecking order.
Slot’s decision may already be made up when it comes the boyhood Liverpool fan, but a statement pre-season would do him no harm.
Ben Doak
Ben Doak‘s future continues to be a key talking point at Liverpool, following a season out on loan at Middlesbrough.
The 19-year-old has even been linked with a shock move to Everton, but now is an opportunity for him to show that he can be a reliable squad player for the Reds.
Doak was working hard on his fitness before pre-season even got underway, following an injury-hit spell in 2025.
The jury is out on whether the winger has enough to make the grade at Liverpool, but now is the time for him to prove himself.
It is easy to envisage Liverpool accepting a bid for Doak, but equally, impressing in pre-season – both in games and in training – may persuade Slot to keep him on as a backup option to Mohamed Salah.
Jayden Danns
Much like Doak, injuries have hampered Jayden Danns, with a loan move to Sunderland ruined by a back issue that prevented him from playing a single minute.
Back at the AXA Training Centre, the young striker will look to capitalise on interest from elsewhere in Darwin Nunez, potentially becoming a squad player next season.
The heartbreaking passing of Jota is also a factor for Liverpool to contend with in attacking areas.
Danns is such a talented prospect, and it may be that another loan move is more suitable, but he has shown in the past that he can hold his own at first-team level.
Three goals in nine appearances for Liverpool are a testament to that, and it will be exciting to see what he can offer in the coming weeks.
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