Official Liverpool FC Thread @ The Phins

As we wind down the 2024 / 2025 fantastic season. These last few games are important, to a degree. To get a feel for who may be here next season and who may not be. Here's a look at my thoughts on the subject.

Core players (13) (I'm not expecting them to go anywhere)
GK = 3 / 3
Alisson Becker. There's some talk he may be headed out, but I just can't see it. With Mamardashvili signed last summer, the thought was perhaps you'd see Kelleher and Giorgi battle it out, competitively, and that Alisson just couldn't stay health and that he was the one that would go. But Alisson proved himself over and over again. He's the #1 and if there's any injury to him, you have a capable backup behind him. Ally is signed thru two more seasons.
Giorgi Mamardashvili. He is the heir apparent. The next alpha, once Alisson hangs it up. He's proven himself this last season again. He's been a solid investment.
Vitezslav Jaros. Barely used 3rd GK. He's signed thru 2026.

D = 4 / 7
Virgil Van Dyk. Signed now thru 6/30/27. Captain of the team. The foundation of the defense, he and Allison. Where would we be without them.
Conor Bradley. Expected to be at least in the running as the next starting right back. Will he be challenged for that spot? Or do they just give it to him now that Trent has gone? Only signed thru 2027.
Andrew Robertson. Signed for one more year. I think it will be him that stays over Tskimikas. We'll need his veteran leadership to see this transition thru.
Ibrahima Konate. He is only signed for one more year, so it's imperative that we avoid another Trent saga and get him signed this summer. Or else, he should be sold. We can't be giving any more players away on a free.

MF = 3 / 7
Ryan Gravenberch - what a player he has turned out to be. For the first of this season, he was mostly dominant and our best midfielder. He wore down during the stretch run a little bit. But he's only 22, turning 23 in a couple of weeks. And now that he's proven he can do it, I'm expecting him to take that next step in his career. Signed thru 2028.
Alexis Mac Allister - the most underrated player in the league. He should be the next vice captain. So critical to everything we do. Two way player. Offensive player. He can do it all. And I'm thankful he's signed thru 2028 and not going anywhere! Turns 27 later this year.
Dominik Szoboszlai - Has an amazing work rate. These three midfielders, from a group positional standpoint, the reason why we won the league this season. The heart and sould of the team. True, Szobo struggled at times offensively. He wore down a little as well. But he's only 24. I think the retooling that Klopp oversaw before he left with this group of midfielders was massive.

F = 3 / 6
Mo Salah - He's the big star on the team. Now that he's signed for 2 more seasons, I just hope that Slot can bring his game time down a little to preserve him longer thru the season. Like most older players, you can be the healthiest of your life, but as you age, the season will wear on you more than a younger player. Slot has not been willing to reduce his work load.
Luis Diaz - I don't see him going anywhere. he's the best forward on our team from a one on one stand point. Even better than Mo. He's got 2 years left on his contract. There's been talk he could be leaving. He's 28. So his contract runs thru his 30th birthday.
Cody Gakpo - Signed thru 2028, he's turning 26 tomorrow actually! I think he's a very important piece to this transitional phase.

You'll notice that's only 13 players!! We'll end up rostering between 23 and 25 players depending on the homegrown numbers. The summer will play a role in filling out a couple of spots too. But I'm breaking this down by Core vs Bubble vs Out, so you can see the changes needed this transfer window and how many new players could potentially be signing, insane for a team that just won the premier league.

Bubble players (7) - on the bubble... I'll give a # out of 10 in terms of them leaving or not.
Kostas Tsimikas - I think it's 8/10 that he goes. To be a full time starter at Left Back, he's just not dependable enough on a defensive ability standpoint. Great crosser of the ball. Great teammate. Two more seasons he's signed for and he's 28. We're going to be upgrading at left back, so one of he or Andy doesn't stay. My guess is that it's the Greek Scouse on our team.
Wataru Endo - 8/10 he goes. probably deserves more playing time than he's getting. It's a testament to the players we have ahead of him. He's got 2 more seasons left. Such a great squad player though for us, this season especially.
Tyler Morton - 5/10. I hesitate mentioning him because he's barely played or been named on the bench even. Only 22. He could be used to fill a homegrown spot (same for James McConnell)
Curtis Jones - 6/10. Tough call here. Personally, I don't like him as a fit for us. I don't know what he is, honestly. He's not a forward. He's not really a midfielder. He doesn't possess the ball in his own half well enough for me. And when he does manage to get forward, too often is he looking to pull the ball back. His work rate is not good enough. Not compared to Szobo. He's a local player, so this is a tough call because of that.
Harvey Elliott - 3/10. I think the odds are likely that he stays. But there are teams interested in adding him. He's young enough and has two years left. He's more dynamic than Jones. And I don't think we end up moving both Jones and Elliott. One of them will stay, and my money is on Elliott.
Federico Chiesa - 7/10. He's signed thru 2029, which is worth mentioning. Barely used in the PL this season (just got his 5th app this past weekend, so he can get a medal now!). Slot talked about how this season was such a transition for him, in terms of his body and how its different, the rigors of the league vs where he came from. He's a quality player. I still believe that. But he needs a run of form. And I don't know where that opportunity will come from.
Diogo Jota - 5/10. Two years left for our # 20. One of the better songs in recent memory. I'll be sad to see him go. It might happen this summer. Really on the fence with this one. Has such a hard time staying healthy. But since the beginning of January, he's been very quiet, even though he's started most of the games. Really struggling.

Out (4) - I've already made up my mind that these players won't be back.
Caoimhin Kelleher - he deserves to start. He's been immense as a 2nd goalie. Wish him nothing but the best. But he's only got one season left on his contract, and you know how that goes. I think when we signed Giorgi, we didn't expect Alisson to have as great of a season as he's had. We thought he'd miss time and it would be him that could be leaving. But you can't make that move now. I just hope Kelleher doesn't go to a rival team. You should get at least 30m for him.
Joe Gomez - Signed for 2 more seasons. A bit of a jack of all trades as a defender. So he'll be missed from that standpoint. If Slot had switched to a back 3, he would have been a perfect fit (like Kyle Walker at Man City). His speed is superb. But he has a major problem staying healthy. I reckon you can get 25m for him
Jarell Quansah - Ugh. I am probably wrong on this. He can play so well for 85 minutes, and then totally screw up at the end of the game (see the last match vs Chelsea). SO there's a chance he stays, given his age (22) and contract term remaining (4 years!). But I think you can get 30m for him. The homegrown thing makes this a tougher call.
Darwin Nunez - well, what can you say? turning 26 next month. 3 more years left on his contract. He'll net a nice return from some Saudi team potentiallly... close to 80m? That's hard to say no to at this stage. Such a polarizing figure. It's all in his head though. He has the talent. Just a broken player.

For the sake of argument, if we assume 3 out 4 of these players are moved and 2 out of the 7 bubble players are moved... that's 5 players plus Trent leaving is now 6 players that will need replacing. What positions are we definitely adding? what traits are we looking for?

For me, the six potential signings need to be these positions... Left Back / Right Back / 3rd Central Defender / Midfielder / Speedy Winger / a True #9

If that happens in one summer, I'll be doing cartwheels! For this team, it's unlikely that we'll do all that business in one offseason. I hope we do.

I like that we're linked with Kerkez. He'd be a great fit. As would Huijsen. I could see him being the heir apparent to Virgil. You definitely need speed on the flanks and on the breakaway. We haven't had enough of that this season. We're not a perfect team, but we did win the league. So for ownership, it's going to be hard convincing them to spend the resources necessary to take the next step. But this is a very important summer window as I think we're a team in transition, sort of retooling. Do the right things and you could build a dynasty here again. Screw it up, and you won't win any hardware for several years. One thing is for sure, this will be an exciting window!

 

SCENES... amazing day yesterday, even better today. ABSOLUTE SCENES