Liverpool Are on the Verge of Premier League Glory—but What Happens Next?

Liverpool are on the verge of becoming Premier League champions for the first time, and once that achievement is unlocked, discussion will inevitably turn to whether they can hang on to their crown in 2021.

The days of enjoying success in football are pretty short-lived anyway, but this is going to be a particularly brief celebration. There will be no fans in the stadium to enjoy a first league title since 1990, and there will be no parade around the streets of Liverpool to embrace thousands of adoring supporters. 

So once that trophy is won—be it against Crystal Palace on Wednesday or a game very soon afterwards—a major question asked of manager Jurgen Klopp will be how he plans to move on to the next step. How do Liverpool begin to dominate English football for a long period?

Everything about the end of this season is looking different to how all of us imagined. Potential signings,  player sales and new contracts are all up in the air, even at Liverpool.

And their top target, Timo Werner, has just signed for Chelsea.

Bleacher Report sources are indicating it is likely the club let another transfer window pass by without a major signing coming through the door.

They did not make a significant signing in 2019, and it says everything about Jurgen Klopp's belief in this current Liverpool team that those same sources suggest the manager is prepared to accept the situation yet still believes he can win the league again next time around.

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Liverpool have had close-call experiences with big signings before. 

First, there was Alex Teixeira, the then-Shakhtar Donetsk player, who was expected to join in 2016, but Klopp agreed to pull the plug on the deal when the financial terms became too elaborate. 

Two years ago, there was the case of Thomas Lemar, who looked set to join from AS Monaco until Arsenal's interest sparked a bidding war that Liverpool did not want to be a part of.

And in the summer of 2018, there was also the disappointment of not bringing in Nabil Fekir, who was targeted to transform their attacking identity. Past problems with his knee caused concern, and Liverpool backpedalled from the deal at the 11th hour.

Liverpool are disappointed that Werner chose to join Chelsea—Klopp had put in plenty of groundwork to build a connection—but they decided not to meet his release clause, so this is not viewed as a disaster.

The first step to preparing for the 2020/21 season will be the experimentation that can take place before the end of this season. Liverpool have a perfect opportunity to test the depth of their talent pool. 

In light of Werner not arriving, there will be chances for Takumi Minamino and Harvey Elliott to prove their first-team credentials, along with Curtis Jones. Klopp has always been willing to give youth a chance, and all indications from around the club are that that will continue across the squad, no matter how much success Liverpool enjoy. Rhian Brewster can hope for an opportunity after his Swansea loan too.

Of course, Liverpool still want to have star quality backing up Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino—that's why Werner had been targeted.

But there is less urgency on that front right now. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Liverpool had big concerns about the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament to which they were likely to lose both Salah and Mane at a key time in the campaign.

There is an expectation the tournament will now be postponed from January to a later date, though, and if that's the case, there is no reason to believe the Mane, Salah, Firmino trident can not continue to thrive.

There are inevitably going to be high-profile rumours. But it would take an extremely good opportunity to land at their feet for them to suddenly consider a name not already being pursued.

For example, Philippe Coutinho is linked with a return on loan, but this is a deal that is very unlikely. It is being driven by the player's representatives but does not make much sense.

He left in less than ideal circumstances, and his behaviour at that time has not been forgotten by some at the club. Klopp still rates him, but he has also evolved this side in a way that would not have been possible while the Brazil international was at the club.

Coutinho's form and high wages at Barcelona do not make him an attractive asset right now, so a return would only have a chance of happening if Barca were to cover a massive chunk of his salary. And even then, it probably wouldn't go ahead.

It is a similar case with Barca's Ousmane Dembele, who is available for sale or loan, although he is viewed as the most likely big-name arrival if Liverpool do opt for a Werner alternative.

Liverpool's approach to transfers is always careful and sensible. They keep plans close to their chest and often set out to sign players two windows in advance.

In an ideal world, Liverpool would find replacements for Adam Lallana, Xherdan Shaqiri and Dejan Lovren. 

It's not that the club have no money at all to spend, so they may still invest, but big-fee additions are not on the agenda. 

Liverpool accelerated spending in 2017 and 2018 to bring in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Alisson Becker in a bid to close the gap on Manchester City.

That decision paid off even quicker than hoped, and Alisson's arrival in July 2018 for £56.25 million was the last big signing made.

City had already set the bar in terms of what was needed to win the Premier League, and while they are likely to spend again this summer, Liverpool have a potential different advantage that means they could stay ahead of them without adding to the squad.

They were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in March, so they will not play in the end-of-season UCL tournament in Lisbon. It means Klopp's players will have the luxury of a proper break in August before the new season is due to begin in September.

City are still in it, though, and fighting to win it as a main priority for the season. And then at the beginning of September there are international fixtures to consider.

Liverpool can wrap up this league title and then use the next two months as the beginning of a 2020/21 pre-season campaign that City might just not have the time for.

One other big thing for Liverpool to remain positive about is the age of their squad. Their recent recruitment strategy has targeted players of a certain age bracket.

Sources at Liverpool say there is a feeling that because of the age of star players—Van Dijk, Salah, Mane and Firmino are all 28—there is no rush to worry about replacing them. Scarily, those four might not yet have peaked.

Liverpool's first Premier League title-winning campaign might not be ending the way they would have imagined, but that does not mean the hunger and desire for more is going to fade. In fact, the strange circumstances surrounding this title win might just make them stronger.