Arne Slot’s first game, USA friendlies & tournament finals – Liverpool FC in July

We are one month closer to the start of the new Premier League season, but first, July sees Liverpool get their pre-season underway and Arne Slot get to work his squad for the first time.

It was a quiet June concerning any transfer activity at the club following the transition from the old to the new.

Arne Slot is now in position and will be keeping a close eye on his international players as he works with the first wave of players and gets ready to head to the United States.

Players will be returning at different times this month, making every day of pre-season a valuable one for the new head coach.

Here are the key dates for your diary in July.

July 1-5 – Pre-season starts

Liverpool’s first wave of players will return for pre-season in the first week of July, this will be those who were not involved in international tournaments this summer.

The likes of Mohamed Salah, Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Caoimhin Kelleher, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, Kostas Tsimikas, Bobby Clark and Fabio Carvalho are expected to report.

Despite the change in personnel, the players will be expected to undergo fitness testing with the medical staff before moving on to what Slot has planned.

July 14 – Euros and Copa America conclude

The club saw 14 players called up to take part in one of the competitions this summer, and the final for both takes place on this day.

The majority of Reds will be on holiday at this stage, but it indicates when we could expect players to return from their break with up to three weeks off expected.

If a player was to be involved in either the Euro or Copa America final, for example, they may not return until August 4.

July 23 – Fly to the US

The squad will face three friendlies in the United States this summer in their first visit since 2019 – they play in three different cities.

Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai will likely be on the plane after Scotland and Hungary’s early exit from the Euros, but other internationals will meet the squad over there later.

July 26 – Real Betis (Pittsburgh)

Slot’s first Game in charge, albeit a friendly, sees the Reds meet La Liga’s Real Betis at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Kickoff is at 12.30AM BST on July 27 (7.30pm local time on July 26).

Liverpool last met Betis in a comPetitive fixture in 2005, when they faced off in the group stages of the Champions League, they have a familiar face in their ranks in Nabil Fekir.

July 31 – Arsenal (Philadelphia)

A few days later, it is then time to meet Arsenal at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

It will be another early morning for those of us in the UK wanting to catch the match, with kickoff at 12.30AM BST on August 1 (7.30pm local time on July 31).

The first of two Premier League meetings this summer but at this stage, the focus will remain on fitness and continuing to learn and implement Slot’s tactical demands.

Other key dates – Returnees, a new kit and transfers?

The month of July still has plenty of other things to keep an eye out for, and that could include the launch of the 2024/25 away kit – which is to be black and dark grey, with turquoise and white for the detailing.

There will be a trickle of players returning to the squad after their involvement in international tournaments, a delayed start that is not ideal when Slot has less than 50 days to prepare his team.

And we ought to see some transfers, at least on the outgoing front as loans are lined up for youngsters and decisions are made on the direction the club want to take in the post-Jurgen Klopp era.

We would not say no to a few first-team additions, though! A big month ahead.