Examining the Squad
ANOTHER ARTICLE FROM MATTY
<International break is upon us, Liverpool are out of contention for trophies, the best we can hope for is a possible run to the Champions League. Things aren’t exactly great. But things could always be worse. We could be Oldham Athletic or Scunthorpe United. At least we still have Klopp, we still have loads of quality players, and perhaps we’ll have some money to properly renovate the team and get us back to the top of the football world. Looking at the squad right now, I can definitely see a few ways to get some money off the wage bill.
Alisson: Keep him. Enough said.
Kelleher: Would love to keep him, but if he wants more game time I can’t blame him. Our recent links to young keepers suggest he’s already made his decision to leave, so goodbye my sweet Irishman. We will never forget that Carabao Cup final.
Adrian: Contract’s up, he’s 36 now, probably off to retirement. We’ve got guys like Harvey Davies and Marcelo Pitaluga who could step up and be the third string keeper. Goodbye Adrian, your UEFA Super Cup heroics made you look better than you really ever were.
Virgil: Keep. Even if his play hasn’t been excellent, he’s still a leader in the locker room, still should have some strong years ahead, and he looks great when he’s got the right partner in defense (KONATE). Give him a chance to get right.
Matip: Year left on his deal, unlikely to renew, getting up there in age. Rumors suggest we’re going to sell and I get it, but I kinda want to keep him. We do need a new CB, though, and nobody would want Gomez so….goodbye, beautiful giraffe. End of an era truly.
Konate: Present and future of the defense if he can get over the damn injury bug. Gvardiol would look awfully good next to him, just saying. Keep at all costs.
Gomez: I’m gonna get a lot of heat for this, but with Gomez signed until 2027, coming off a horrendous season, I really don’t think we’ll look to sell him, nor should we. Let him be cheap homegrown depth for the cup games until someone’s impressed enough to pay a decent fee.
Big Nat: Old school defender and Ian’s man crush (just get a room, you guys, seriously), Nat has struggled to get game time the previous two seasons and had a deal with Bournemouth collapse in the summer. I like him but it doesn’t seem like Klopp will ever give him consistent opportunities unless every other guy in front of him gets injured. With a heavy heart, might as well sell Nat so he can get the game time he deserves.
Trent: I could be very spicy and say we should sell Trent to the highest bidder, considering he’s heading into the last two years of his deal and has looked awful as we’ve changed his role about five times this season. However, he has youth on his side here, still only 23. Like Virgil, give him a chance to play back into form. But Ramsay better be ready if Trent falters again. I wonder if Inter would sell Denzel Dumfries…
Ramsay: Season was an injury write-off but he’s still way too young to give up on. Conor Bradley possibly coming into the first team after his loan spell could mean Ramsay gets a season on loan, we’ll see.
Robbo: One of our best performers this season, still in his prime, nothing else to really be said other than keep him for a long time to come
Tsimikas: Love him but, like Kelleher, rumors have been leaking about Kostas possibly leaving to get more game time elsewhere. My answer will be similar to the answer I had for Kelleher: love to keep you, but I can definitely see you leaving of your own accord.
Fabinho: As much as I could see him being sold, I think Fab’s another one that will be given another chance by Klopp to get himself right. If he doesn’t, I shudder to think of what the plan is behind him at CDM. However, if I were in charge, I would consider selling Fab as a shock factor, to send a message to the squad that nobody is safe from the axe if you can’t perform.
Thiago: Once again, for shock factor I’d consider selling Thiago, who’s got one year left on his deal at season’s end and has his best days likely behind him. Not to mention that despite some great performances, the team has never really been elevated the way I thought it would have been by his arrival back in 2020. However, as a mentor for players like Bajcetic and Elliott, he would be very valuable to keep around and let him leave for free at the end of next season. Not to mention that while his best days are behind him, he’s still got loads of value as a situational player.
Henderson: While our captain’s best days are certainly behind him, he is still the captain and still holds value in a depth role. He’s staying for sure, I just hope Klopp has the balls to play him less to keep him fresh and give some younger players a chance.
Milner: If Milner wants to stay another year, he’s been one of our best performers this season. If he wants to retire, Godspeed to one of my favorite players to ever wear Liverpool red.
Bajcetic: Arguably the future of the midfield, he’s burst onto the scene as a perfect 8 in Klopp’s system. Extend him at all costs ASAP. I’d even consider him as a nailed on starter next season regardless of who we sign.
Elliott: For a while I was very concerned that we were screwing up his development by playing Elliott as a midfielder. He wasn’t tall or physical enough for the role, I thought. But he’s done quite well recently, rates alongside the likes of De Bruyne in numerous creative passing metrics, and has gained a bit of muscle to throw himself around and dictate the game a bit more. Excited to see how he continues to grow.
Jones: Like Gomez, I wouldn’t mind selling Curtis but at the same time he’s still got youth on his side and no one would pay a serious amount of money for him with how bad of a season he’s had. He’s also signed until 2027 so it’s not like we’re pressured to think about selling him either. Give Curtis some cup games next season to try and recuperate his value. I still think there’s a player in here.
Keita and Ox: I’ll put the chuckle brothers together and offer up one simple message for them: GET THE FUCK OUT
Salah: I’m genuinely stunned at the amount of hate this man is getting, how many people are so alright with the idea of selling him. “Go ahead, he’s overrated and shite anyways, we’d make a killing by selling him”. Or “we should’ve kept Mane and sold Salah, selfish greedy bastard”. He’s still our lead goal scorer on the season, still our best forward by a good distance, still world class on his day. Keep him unless he wants to go, then consider selling him. The Islamophobia is real in a way I’ve never seen before.
Firmino: Liverpool legend, Godspeed my dear Bobby. Incredibly sad to see you go, thank you for all the amazing memories.
Diaz: I’m so pissed that we didn’t get to see much of him this season. I get a feeling he’s gonna go up a level, extremely motivated by missing so much time. He’s gonna be amazing.
Jota: I’ve seen people want to see Jota gone, and I can understand it. If we were to sell a player of medium importance to fund more signings, Jota probably would make the most sense considering the injury problems and the depth we have in the attack. I really don’t want to see him go though. He’s a prick, a guy you’d love to have on your team and would hate to play against. He’s a brilliant striker on his day, extremely capable of scoring with both feet and with his head, versatile and doesn’t complain about playing time. If someone comes in with an offer you can’t refuse, then yeah, sell him. But unless you get that offer, keep him and see what happens.
Nunez: Whether on the left wing or at striker, Darwin has found more and more success as the season has gone on. As much as people bitch about Gakpo and Nunez being played “out of position”, clearly both players have started to thrive in their respective roles. I’m very interested to see how Nunez looks after another preseason with us. Fully integrated, in a side that should look better designed than the one we’ve seen this season, Nunez could be an absolute terror of a striker next season.
Gakpo: Extremely prolific as a left winger at PSV, Gakpo has emerged as the perfect successor for Firmino in the false nine role. I’m excited to see how Cody ends the season and how he will be used moving forward. I love that we have both a legitimate striker and a false nine that are very strong options, gives us flexibility with tactics. Next Divock Origi my ass. We can only hope Gakpo scores as many important goals as Lord Divock
Carvalho: Man scored that stoppage time winner against Newcastle then disappeared from the face of the Earth. And with Gakpo taking what I considered Carvalho’s future role in the team, I must admit I don’t see a clear path for where Fabio fits. Firmino leaving will open up some game time, but at best he’s our sixth forward next season. And with players like Ben Doak getting another preseason at the club, who knows how long Fabio even has that role locked up? If you ask me, I’d consider sending him out on loan for a season to bulk up and get some minutes.
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