Jurgen Klopp has been admirably loyal to his squad of players, perhaps overly so at times, but the manager has steadily built the team he wants, replacing familiar faces along the way.
Every player is given ample chance to impress, but if they don’t perform the job precisely as the boss wants, he looks elsewhere to those who can—and will wait and bide his time to get the exact right replacement, if need be. With the likes of Virgil van Dijk joining in January and Naby Keita already due in over the summer, it’s natural that some current Reds will have to depart to allow the evolution of the side to continue.
Some, like Emre Can, may well choose their own destiny, exiting Anfield despite a wish to retain them. Others, however, will be told by the manager there is no longer a place for them in the team and encouraged to depart.
Here’s a look at the most likely players to be offloaded by the Premier League club this coming summer. From the back…
A three-way fight for the No. 1 goalkeeper spot seemed well-intentioned but arguably hasn’t worked this season. Simon Mignolet had the jersey and lost it, and he has never been shy about voicing displeasure at being backup. It’s not hard to envisage a summer departure for him, and despite having been at the club for nearly five years now, he has never been an absolute fan favourite. Similarly, Adam Bogdan—still with a year left on his contract, unbelievably—will simply be offloaded wherever he has the option to go.
Jon Flanagan has no first-team future at the club after two dismal years in both football and, recently, off-field terms. The best he can hope for is to regularly play for Bolton on loan until the end of the season, then move to a club more suited to his level.
Centrally in the back line, a decision will have to be made. Virgil van Dijk is obviously first choice, but Dejan Lovren is currently winning the battle to partner him. Most Liverpool supporters will still demand another centre-back to come in during the summer, meaning one has to depart to make space.
As a backup Ragnar Klavan has the age and experience to warrant keeping, but if Lovren is ahead of Joel Matip, the Cameroonian would almost surely depart. He’s a good defender, but has had both fitness and form issues which make him unreliable as a regular starter, and having him as third- or fourth-choice throughout the campaign wouldn’t make much sense for club or player.
Into midfield, there’s a controversial decision to make, but the numbers simply don’t add up. There are currently six players vying for the three starting spots—sometimes only two—and Keita will be added to the ranks in summer. It’s also entirely probable that another new face comes in for the same area of the pitch, with Thomas Lemar among those frequently linked and able to play both wide and centrally.
Even if Emre Can leaves, another departure is near-inevitable, and the disappointment of being sidelined for weeks on end has only been spared one of the current faces because of injuries: Adam Lallana has missed almost the whole season and Jordan Henderson has similarly missed a chunk.
It could go either way, but it may well be that either of James Milner or Gini Wijnaldum are offloaded to make space for the new faces. It would be a surprise if the Dutchman left, but reduced to a squad support role would represent a comedown given he was a Klopp signing and cost an enormous amount. Milner, versatile and hard-working though he is, may well desire more first-team football than he currently gets, making him perhaps the stand-out candidate.
Lazar Markovic, like Flanagan and Bogdan, simply has no future at the club. Summer should finally see him depart permanently while the club can at least regain some resale value for him.
Then in attack, there are two final names, both capable of being starters at the top level but neither quite showing enough to do so with Liverpool under Klopp: Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi.
Both out on loan, they’ll hope to impress enough in the next five months to earn a place at the World Cup with their respective nations, but assuming there are willing buyers who match the Reds’ prices for each, it’s likely they’ll be allowed to leave.
Liverpool need a new forward option, a backup for Roberto Firmino who can be a reliable source of goals, but neither Sturridge nor Origi quite managed to take their chance—and after being first choice at their loan clubs, neither are likely to want to return to a bit-part role next season.
