Robbie Fowler has delivered a stark assessment of Liverpool's transfer needs, calling for a minimum of five new signings to salvage the club's £200m investment in strikers Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike.

The Reds legend didn't mince words when discussing a campaign that saw Liverpool lose 19 matches across all competitions under Arne Slot. It's been a sobering introduction to life at Anfield for the big-money duo, and Fowler believes the solution lies in completely reshaping the squad around them.

"I think we probably need about five or six players as a minimum," Fowler told the Liverpool Echo. "If you look at some of the benches we've had this season, they've been quite weak compared to the first team."

The numbers tell a brutal story. Liverpool made Isak the most expensive player in British football history when they signed him from Newcastle United for £125m last September, following his controversial exit that saw him effectively go on strike to force the move. That came after the £79m capture of Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in July.

Yet for all that investment, the partnership has failed to click. Ekitike managed 17 goals as the club's top scorer but suffered an Achilles rupture in April that will keep him sidelined for months into the new campaign. Isak endured an even more miserable debut season, arriving unfit after his messy Newcastle departure before a leg break in December cost him four months.

Fowler's diagnosis cuts straight to the tactical heart of the problem. He believes Liverpool's current wide players are failing to provide the service that strikers worth £200m demand.

"If you are spending £200m upwards on strikers then you've got to have the players who can supply them," Fowler explained. "Now if you have a team plan or formation that indicates that wide players will cut inside all the time then that is not conducive to spending £200m on strikers."

The former striker's frustration is palpable when discussing Liverpool's approach in wide areas. "So it seems crazy that you're picking those players and you haven't got someone there who can get to the byline and put balls into the box for these strikers to attack."

This tactical mismatch has left both forwards "feeding off scraps" according to Fowler, who sees Mohamed Salah's departure as a free agent as further evidence that a complete overhaul is needed in the final third.

Fowler's assessment extends beyond just the forwards. He believes Liverpool are back where they were "a couple of years ago" in terms of squad depth, with weak benches exposing the lack of quality options.

"The players coming in, they have been here a year now and they will know what is expected and they will probably understand what Liverpool is all about," Fowler noted, referencing not just Isak and Ekitike but also Florian Wirtz in his analysis.

The timing couldn't be more critical for Isak, who will represent Sweden at the World Cup next month whilst Ekitike recovers from his long-term injury. Fowler sees this as potentially crucial for the striker's confidence after such a difficult debut campaign.

"The pressure of the signing will obviously play on him a little bit," Fowler acknowledged. "I think he got injured at the wrong time for him because it did look like he was getting a little bit of form."

The concern now is whether Isak can finally get the proper pre-season preparation he's lacked since arriving at Liverpool. "He hasn't done that, has he?" Fowler said about hitting the ground running. "The World Cup is big for him, it could prove to be a confidence-booster for him, depending on how well Sweden do."

Fowler's message to the Liverpool hierarchy is clear: the current squad construction makes no tactical sense given the investment made. Wide players who can stretch defences and deliver crosses are non-negotiable if this expensive experiment is to work.

With the summer window approaching, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes face their biggest test yet in justifying those record-breaking signings.