Arne Slot doesn\u2019t think there will be \u201cdrastic\u201d change at Liverpool this summer but we call the proverbial after Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson both confirmed their departures and with six more \u2013 for our money \u2013 following them out the Anfield exit.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alisson \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n
Arne Slot recently admitted there will be a \u201clittle transition\u201d at the end of the season but \u201cprobably not as drastic as last summer\u201d.<\/p>\n
We would suggest replacing your long-term left-back who\u2019s made nearly 400 appearances for the club, the third highest-scoring player in the club\u2019s history and one of the best goalkeepers ever to grace the English top flight is one of the most significant transitions in Premier League history; Slot should be doing everything possible to stop Alisson following Salah and Robertson.<\/p>\n
Reports suggest he\u2019s now in \u2018advanced talks\u2019 with Juventus<\/a> and there will be a temptation to get a few quid for him with just one year left to run on his contract as Giorgi Mamardashvili waits very patiently in the wings for his No.1 chance.<\/p>\n But we worry for what would be a sudden dearth of experience and leadership in the Liverpool squad, and they risk descending into a Chelsea-like mess for the sake of \u00a310m-odd.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Giorgi Mamardashvili \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n Big gloves to fill but he\u2019s looked capable having joined at least a year too early.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Freddie Woodman \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n A Man of the Match display against Crystal Palace<\/a> and didn\u2019t embarrass himself in the defeat to Manchester United either. Evidently not all that comfortable with the ball at his feet but a perfectly decent third \u2018keeper.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Jeremie Frimpong \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n A really, really odd signing for a football club that\u2019s never played with wing-backs, currently led by a manager that\u2019s never played with wing-backs.<\/p>\n We can\u2019t see Frimpong ever nailing down a starting spot but he\u2019s a useful squad player, particularly given he can be used on the right wing as Liverpool face the daunting task of replacing Mohamed Salah this summer.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Conor Bradley \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n After that memorable crunching tackle on Kylian Mbappe in November 2024<\/a> he put Vinicius Junior in his pocket a year later<\/a> \u2013 he loves playing against Real Madrid.<\/p>\n Consistent performances anywhere close to that level will see Bradley play hundreds of games for Liverpool as their first-choice right-back.<\/p>\n But he has looked on the brink of a sending-off whenever he takes to the field in what feels like a rather desperate bid to secure his spot on the team. Liverpool will hope that youthful exuberance will be corrected through experience.<\/p>\n The problem for Bradley is the Reds chiefs may well look at the risks he poses through his selection, along with Frimpong\u2019s unsuitability for the role, and think they need to source a new right-back option this summer.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ibrahima Konate \u2013 ALLOW TO LEAVE<\/p>\n An unfair scapegoat for a lot of this season while the man alongside him skirts blame thanks to reputation and a stunning ability to pass the buck, but Konate has admittedly suffered quite the slump following his imperious performances in Liverpool\u2019s title-winning campaign which caught the eyes of the Real Madrid skinflints.<\/p>\n Los Blancos chiefs were whispering sweet nothings in the Frenchman\u2019s ears in a bid to sign him on a free transfer when his contract comes to an end \u2013 a la Trent Alexander-Arnold \u2013 at the end of this season.<\/p>\n Quite how the supposed excellent directors at Liverpool keep letting their players get to the end of their deals isn\u2019t clear, but with Konate now bending them over a barrel and making what are sure to be grossly over-inflated contract demands, they have little choice but to let him go.<\/p>\n READ MORE: The 20 best footballers out of contract and available for free this summer<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Virgil van Dijk \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n The absurd serenity which has defined his Liverpool career and previously saw everyone heralding him as a chilled out entertainer is now coming at a cost to his side<\/a> as he flouts responsibility before throwing his arms up in frustration at teammates cast as ill-defined sacrificial lambs.<\/p>\n But as with Alisson \u2013 more so given he\u2019s the\u00a0leader of this team \u2013 Liverpool simply can\u2019t do without his experience, even if in a bit-part role should his downturn continue next season to make him a genuine hindrance to their progression.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Giovanni Leoni \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n Cruelly denied what may well have been significant game time in his debut season after suffering a cruciate ligament tear 81 minutes into his Liverpool career. Promising minutes they were, too.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Joe Gomez \u2013 SELL<\/p>\n Should have left two years ago and definitely should have left last summer.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Milos Kerkez \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t say much for his debut season at Anfield that the widely held view is that Liverpool need to a sign a first-choice left-back<\/a> this summer to replace Andy Robertson. After a terrible start Kerkez has peaked at mediocrity for the second half of the season.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a very good chance that Kerkez was brilliant for Bournemouth last term thanks to his brilliant manager, Andoni Iraola. While we\u2019re not suggesting the Spaniard should be brought to Anfield for the specific purpose of improving the left-back, you\u2019ve got to wonder how many stuttering Reds would excel under a boss renowned for getting the very best from his players.<\/p>\n We digress; it\u2019s not worth selling Kerkez for a loss this summer no matter who\u2019s in charge.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Wataru Endo \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n Why not? They\u2019re not about to get anything much for the 33-year-old so can afford to retain a useful utility player who\u2019s happy enough not to be playing while maintaining training standards until the end of his contract in the summer of 2027.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ryan Gravenberch \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n The Dutchman has managed to skilfully dodge condemnation that\u2019s been consistently aimed at an often-absent Liverpool midfield this season, and while we\u2019re happy to run with the pack in that regard, we do also wonder if the Reds might benefit from more of a destroyer at the base of midfield.<\/p>\n Perhaps to play alongside Gravenberch, who excelled as the deepest midfielder last season, but has the requisite quality to play as more of a No.8, as he showed with his fine strike in the draw with Chelsea<\/a> to take him to six goals in all competitions this season, along with six assists.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Alexis Mac Allister \u2013 SELL<\/p>\n After swanning through games last season as a midfielder with all the time in the world to pick and play beautiful passes it now looks as though he\u2019s permanently at the point of exhaustion<\/a> when attempting those key passes or, frankly, anything he\u2019s tasked with doing on a football field.<\/p>\n Liverpool are going to have to fund a rebuild somehow and should be able to get a very decent fee<\/a> for a 27-year-old World Cup winner with two years left on his deal. He looks like he wants out, too, not least so he can enjoy a more leisurely league.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Curtis Jones \u2013 SELL<\/p>\n We\u2019ve never been convinced<\/a> by a footballer whose ego far outstrips his quality, as evidenced by just 21 goals and 25 assists in 226 appearances for Liverpool.<\/p>\n There\u2019s mutual respect between Jones and Inter Milan<\/a> and Liverpool should bite hands off for \u00a340m-odd of sweet, sweet pure profit for a guy who\u2019s proven time and again that he\u2019s not\u00a0quite\u00a0good enough for a regular first-team spot.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Florian Wirtz \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n The now very real fear is that Wirtz has everything but the character required to succeed in the Premier League; you can\u2019t really coach that.<\/p>\n Far too many games pass him by<\/a> and the ball falling to him now serves as a reminder that he\u2019s still on the pitch rather than engendering genuine hope that he\u2019s about to do something special.<\/p>\n We\u2019r absolutely convinced that Liverpool wouldn\u2019t have bought him if they knew how this first season would have gone, but for now they\u2019ve got to stick to the \u2018time to adapt\u2019 party line that more often than not ends in flops fading into insignificance before being sold for a massive loss two or three years down the line.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Man Utd trio in top five as Wirtz reverts in ranking of 20 biggest summer signings<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Dominik Szoboszlai \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n We\u2019re not sure what we\u2019ve enjoyed more: Szoboszlai\u2019s<\/a> excellent performances this season or his increasing frustration at the displays of those around him. Future captain.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Federico Chiesa \u2013 SELL<\/p>\n Never plays and consistently snubbing Italy calls<\/a> suggests he doesn\u2019t want to anyway.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hugo Ekitike \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n 17 goals and six assists is a decent for a debut season and maybe better than expected for a striker bought as a second fiddle to Alexander Isak. It\u2019s worth remembering that although relatively cheap, Ekitike still cost \u00a369m, rising to \u00a379m.<\/p>\n But he\u2019s a talented guy and will presumably improve when he\u2019s not ploughing a lone furrow, as he was doing for much of this season.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Alexander Isak \u2013 KEEP<\/p>\n Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. He\u2019s been injured for most of the season and Slot has excused Isak\u2019s horrible form when he has been available, claiming he wasn\u2019t match fit or needed time to adapt.<\/p>\n We wonder what fee Liverpool would accept to sell him this summer. His market value has dropped from \u00a3120m to under \u00a390m. But no club is paying that for someone who can\u2019t remain fit for longer than a month.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Cody Gakpo \u2013 SELL<\/p>\n The only logical conclusion to being told that selling Luis D\u00edaz to Bayern Munich was \u2018in line with the FSG model\u2019 is that the Liverpool owners\u2019 model is a load of balls after the Colombian\u2019s 57 goal contributions in 49 games this season.<\/p>\n The fear will be that Gakpo, who could join Diaz at Bayern<\/a>, will enjoy a similar uptick after leaving Anfield. But the fans are fed up with a forward who has admittedly become something of a one-trick pony, to such an extent that pretty much every time he cuts inside his efforts on goal are easily blocked by the fully aware opposition defenders.<\/p>\n An offer over \u00a340m would see his sale fit into the Liverpool model; this time it would absolutely make sense.<\/p>\n