Liverpool have been eliminated from the Champions League after falling short against PSG over both matches, but clinching the Premier League still marks a fantastic debut season for Arne Slot.
Achieving such brilliance by adding merely one player (who has contributed little) to his team makes their seemingly smooth journey to success even more remarkable; however, regardless of whether the out-of-contract players stay or go, Richard Hughes must take action in the transfer market this summer.
In fact, if you look beyond the first team, as demonstrated by their performance against Plymouth, Liverpool isn't that impressive. The absence of injuries – despite being a characteristic of Slot's teams at Feyenoord and currently on Merseyside – has significantly contributed to their steady excellence this season.
In order to enhance their depth this summer, we've identified eight players (indeed, as many as eight) they might consider releasing and upgrading.
Andy Robertson
We suspect he has, but we can't recall Robertson reaching the byline and putting in a cross at any time this season. The times when he and Trent Alexander-Arnold competed for the Liverpool assist-maker title are far behind.
The 30-year-old has registered one assist in 38 matches this season, having only achieved two in 30 games last year, with a tactical change first under Jurgen Klopp and now under Slot designed to extract more creativity from the Liverpool midfield not enough to account for the significant decline in his performance. He averaged more than 11 assists in the last five seasons.
One could argue that Liverpool ought to move Kostas Tsimikas on instead, and it’s somewhat of a coin toss, yet the Greek international is two years younger and is more familiar with sitting on the bench, which he will keep doing when Antonee Robinson, Milos Kerkez or an undisclosed substitute comes in.
Harvey Elliott
There were indications that Borussia Dortmund and Brighton were monitoring the situation in January due to Elliott's minimal playing time under Arne Slot, where he has played only 567 minutes in total across all competitions, with his 11 Premier League appearances as a substitute totaling about two hours of playing time.
His fourth appearance of the season occurred against Plymouth in the FA Cup, having played from the beginning in the earlier match against Accrington Stanley, the Carabao Cup encounter with Southampton, and the Champions League meaningless match against PSV Eindhoven.
He netted the (first-leg) decisive goal in Paris, yet notably this did not secure him a Premier League starting spot against Southampton, and he only featured for 15 minutes in the Champions League second leg at Anfield. If he isn't on the field, he could be utilized in trade agreements for La Liga objectives or as a PSR support this summer.
Federico Chiesa
We predicted this when he signed and now feel annoyingly pleased at just how futile Chiesa's signing has turned out to be. He has only begun in three matches this season, and two of Liverpool's five losses occurred in those outings.
Chiesa's inclusion indicates the absence of Mohamed Salah, and this might be more significant than the summer acquisition’s involvement. However, we would argue that a 51-cap Italy international, previously associated with £100m moves, should be capable of giving the Premier League’s top player a break against a team at the bottom of the Championship. If not, then what is his purpose? And there we go.
Diogo Jota
We find Jamie Carragher’s persistently repeated assertion that Diogo Jota is Liverpool’s “best finisher” rather odd when Salah is present, and while he’s certainly composed in front of goal, he’s far too often unfit to make the needed impact. It might not be surprising to witness a footballer engaged in football, but that has been the case with Jota for the majority of his time at Liverpool.
During his four complete Premier League seasons with Liverpool, he started only 65 matches out of a maximum of 152, and although his scoring rate is reasonable, 64 goals over four-and-a-half seasons isn't particularly impressive. Manchester United disappointment Marcus Rashford has achieved 71 during that period.
Reports indicate that Slot has grown 'frustrated' with Jota and plans to put him up for transfer; tricking Arsenal or another potential buyer into paying £40m for the constantly injured winger seems like smart business.
Alisson
It’s hard to believe that Caoimhin Kelleher would be very excited about staying at Liverpool as the backup goalkeeper, but he might be soothed by the prospect of a real competition with Giorgi Mamardashvili for a starting spot instead of being obviously the second option.
Kelleher aimed to depart last summer and reportedly doesn’t wish to extend his contract, which ends in 2026. However, it is more logical for Liverpool to permit Alisson to leave (despite his performance in Paris) with the Saudi Pro League teams pursuing the Brazilian in the summer, presumably still eager to offer substantial amounts to him and the club.
The most undesirable outcome would be if Mamardashvili fails to meet expectations; however, the slight decline in quality from Alisson to Kelleher makes that a gamble worth considering, provided they can convince the Republic of Ireland international to remain.
Joe Gomez
This concerns PSR and the satisfaction of the player more than anything else. We’re quite certain that any Premier League team would be eager to have Gomez at their disposal. He’s incredibly adaptable and among the most reliable players out there. However, Gomez doesn't wish to be that person.
He sought a move in the summer, with Chelsea and Newcastle being among the clubs interested, and he will likely end up being a minor detail in Liverpool’s season, just like in every season since his remarkable partnership with Virgil van Dijk during the 2019/2020 title triumph.
At 27 years old, he has faced injury issues but has also been fit and on the bench for a significant amount of time. He likely wonders, as we do, how many more caps than his current 15 for England he might have earned had he played more frequently.
Darwin Núñez
It speaks volumes about Liverpool’s overall superb recruitment that their club-record acquisition can be somewhat underwhelming, yet they remain comfortably ahead at the Premier League summit.
Had the £85m invested in a central striker been deemed worth the expense, we could be savoring the greatest Premier League team ever right now. Darwin Nunez has не demonstrated great value for the investment.
Although we will always cherish his chaotic antics for the sake of pure entertainment, we have now reached a stage where uncertainty about his potential success has transformed into a strong belief that he will not succeed.
Luis Díaz
It would be irrational to adopt a No Smoke Without Fire perspective towards a single transfer rumor or even a few, but when it becomes difficult to discern through the haze of transfer gossip, it suggests that someone has ignited the tinderbox, probably an agent.
Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Chelsea have been associated to different extents over the past year, as reports suggest Diaz is seeking a significant salary boost to remain in Merseyside, which Liverpool might find hard to rationalize given his tally of 13 goals and five assists in 41 matches this season.
That’s not ideal, Slot is ‘disappointed’, and we sense that Liverpool would be open to substantial bids for the Colombian.
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