Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool (Photo by Max Maiwald/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp’s team is the best in the world right now…
This is a fact.
You cannot deny it given that this squad are European and World champions at club level, whilst being 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Does this mean that every player is perfect? Of course not.
For any team to remain not just competitive, but successful, it’s vital to assess the players you have. Some may be worth loaning out so that they can develop, whilst others perform wonderfully as substitutes.
Sometimes, an offer comes in for a player that’s simply too good to refuse. Other times, no matter how low the offer, you simply cannot offload the player you have and so you’re resigned to pay their wages until their contract expires.
This Liverpool squad are no exception to these rules.
That said, here are five players that need to move on for the squad to continue in their success…
5. Loris Karius
Was he at fault for Liverpool’s Champions League final loss against Real Madrid 2 seasons ago? Yes. Absolutely.
Had he suffered a concussion in the lead-up to his mistakes that went undiagnosed? As it turns out, yes, he did.
Prior to that final, though, had Loris Karius done enough to show he was a trustworthy player?
Let’s consider the facts.
Liverpool had attempted to replace the £15 million, somewhat mistake-prone goalkeeper in Simon Mignolet with Karius – a less than £5 million keeper who, prior to his arrival, no one had ever heard of.
Now I don’t agree with the idea that you always have to spend big money to acquire high-calibre players, but in this instance, Karius was never the goalkeeper Liverpool had been looking for.
That’s why, after the aforementioned cup final, Karius was immediately replaced with £80 million Alisson Becker.
Since his arrival, Alisson has gone on to make amends for Karius’ errors by winning the Champions League and leaving Liverpool as Premier League champions-elect.
Perhaps, then, there’s room for Karius on Liverpool’s bench?
Unlikely.
You need only to consider the impact made by free signing Adrian to see that he’s the back-up Liverpool can rely on for the next few seasons.
During his albeit brief tenure in the EPL, Karius played 29, made 13 clean sheets, won 7, lost 4. An Impressive record.
By comparison, Adrian has played far fewer games for Liverpool, but the weight of expectation and the circumstances surrounding his introduction were far more difficult.
Adrian had been a very average goalkeeper whilst at West Ham before his contract expired and he made the free switch to Liverpool.
In the season’s first game Alisson pulled his calf muscle and had to be substituted. Disaster had struck the Liverpool team odds-on to win the title this season.
Enter Adrian, a player most Liverpool fans were very nervous about. Still, he received a very warm and encouraging Anfield welcome.
Whilst Adrian went on to make just 2 clean sheets in his 11 game run in the Premier League, Liverpool went on to win all of those 11 games.
Couple this with his sublime performance in the UEFA Super Cup final, in which he saved the winning penalty in the shootout against Chelsea and Liverpool fans and players undoubtedly feel more comfortable with Adrian in goal.
More so than they ever did, or will again, with Karius.
Loris Karius</a> done enough to show he was a trustworthy player?</p>
<p>Let’s consider the facts.</p>
<p>Liverpool had attempted to replace the £15 million, somewhat mistake-prone goalkeeper in <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://fbref.com/en/players/d436eb94/Simon-Mignolet?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Simon Mignolet</a> with Karius – a less than £5 million keeper who, prior to his arrival, no one had ever heard of.</p>
<p>Now I don’t agree with the idea that you always have to spend big money to acquire high-calibre players, but in this instance, Karius was never the goalkeeper Liverpool had been looking for.</p>
<p>That’s why, after the aforementioned cup final, Karius was immediately replaced with £80 million Alisson Becker.</p>
<p>Since his arrival, Alisson has gone on to make amends for Karius’ errors by winning the Champions League and leaving Liverpool as Premier League champions-elect.</p>
<p>Perhaps, then, there’s room for Karius on Liverpool’s bench?</p>
<p>Unlikely.</p>
<p>You need only to consider the impact made by free signing Adrian to see that he’s the back-up Liverpool can rely on for the next few seasons.</p>
<p>During his albeit brief tenure in the EPL, Karius played 29, made 13 clean sheets, won 7, lost 4. An Impressive record.</p>
<p>By comparison, Adrian has played far fewer games for Liverpool, but the weight of expectation and the circumstances surrounding his introduction were far more difficult.</p>
<p>Adrian had been a very average goalkeeper whilst at West Ham before his contract expired and he made the free switch to Liverpool.</p>
<p>In the season’s first game Alisson pulled his calf muscle and had to be substituted. Disaster had struck the Liverpool team odds-on to win the title this season.</p>
<p>Enter Adrian, a player most Liverpool fans were very nervous about. Still, he received a very warm and encouraging Anfield welcome.</p>
<p>Whilst Adrian went on to make just 2 clean sheets in his 11 game run in the Premier League, Liverpool went on to win all of those 11 games.</p>
<p>Couple this with his sublime performance in the UEFA Super Cup final, in which he saved the winning penalty in the shootout against Chelsea and Liverpool fans and players undoubtedly feel more comfortable with Adrian in goal.</p>
<p>More so than they ever did, or will again, with Karius.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Dejan Lovren </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="850" height="560" class="wp-image-480148 size-large" src=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_560,w_850/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F1188125688-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal target, <a rel="></p>
<h3>4. Dejan Lovren</h3>
<p>With Liverpool having apparently rejected a bid last summer from AS Roma in the hopes of securing a higher transfer fee, it appears Lovren’s departure is more a case of when not if.</p>
<p>Having paid £20m for “one of the best defenders in the world,” back in 2014, Lovren has endured a mixture of highs and lows.</p>
<p>A particular high of note includes scoring the winning goal in a 4-3 Europa League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund.</p>
<p>Also, over the past two seasons, Lovren has moved to appear most frequently as a substitute. His ability to effectively fill in for the likes of Matip and Gomez, whilst they were sidelined with injuries, cannot be understated.</p>
<p>However, Lovren is often made the scape-goat amongst Liverpool fans for any defensive frailties since his arrival – hence why he’s gone from starting every game to appearing as a sub.</p>
<p>Having scored just 5 in 130 league appearances, he failed to become the commanding centre-back he was touted to be when he joined Liverpool all those years ago.</p>
<p>However, despite his harshest critics, he has in fact managed to garner a 56% win ratio (W:104 D:41 L:39). Compare him side-by-side with Van Dijk, though, and the sheer gulf in class and stature become apparent – a win ratio of 73% (W:83 D:13 L:17).</p>
<p>On the other hand, “the game isn’t played on paper,” as the saying goes and it’s the intangible factors that often determine a player’s ability more than their statistics.</p>
<p>As Lovren paired with Van Dijk still leaves Liverpool fans concerned about potential defensive frailties, the crowd at the game will always remain uneasy.</p>
<p>It’s in these instances that the hush tones and concerned shouts from the stands can take a negative toll on a player’s in-game performance – having witnessed this first-hand myself at Anfield.</p>
<p>Therefore, it seems apparent that the Croatian’s time at Anfield is well and truly up, 6 years on from his arrival.</p>
<p>The fact that Liverpool stand firm in their belief that they can recoup every penny from their initial investment, however, says a lot about Lovren’s actual ability, even if he doesn’t quite fit into Klopp’s specific plans.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Nathaniel Clyne </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_480798" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-480798 size-large" src=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F943032374-850x560.jpeg" alt="Liverpool" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Nathaniel Clyne, Liverpool (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>3. Nathaniel Clyne</h3>
<p>Now upon first thought, I would’ve gone on to talk about Shaqiri here.</p>
<p>However, I believe the topic of the Swiss winger has been thoroughly covered by Kian Long, whose article you can read, <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://playingfor90.com/2020/03/29/liverpool-right-failed-xherdan-shaqiri/">here.
<p>Instead, let’s discuss <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://fbref.com/en/players/0442183b/Nathaniel-Clyne?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22>Nathaniel Clyne</a>. Another player subject to Liverpool’s raid of Southampton, signed in the summer of 2015 on a 5 year deal for around £12.5m.</p>
<p>His first season at Anfield coincided with Klopp’s and he seemed to have impressed his new boss as we went on to make 52 appearances in all competitions that season.</p>
<p>His impressive form continued on to the next season – which proved crucial for Klopp’s revolution as Liverpool secured qualification for the Champion’s League once again.</p>
<p>These 2 seasons, however, were Clyne’s only real contribution to Liverpool as injury after injury persistently kept him out of action thereafter.</p>
<p>Last season he was able to return to fitness in order to make his 100th appearance for Liverpool in a 3-1 win over Manchester United.</p>
<p>From then, he went on to see out the rest of the season on loan at AFC Bournemouth – who then declined to sign him permanently over concerns for his fitness.</p>
<p>Whilst it appears Clyne’s Liverpool tenure will end upon his contract expiry at the end of the current season, there’s no doubt in the mind of Liverpool supporters that he played an integral role in returning Liverpool to a position of strength under Jurgen Klopp.</p>
<p>103 appearances and 2 goals go far to illuminate Clyne’s capabilities as a traditional right-back that places defence at the top of their agenda.</p>
<p>Were it not for the meteoric rise of Trent Alexander Arnold and the surprising rise of such youth players as Neco Williams (a fellow right-back), Clyne would likely be offered another deal to see his career out on Merseyside.</p>
<p>Instead, it appears ever more likely that he will move on. But whilst the player may leave Liverpool, the connection to Liverpool may not leave the player.</p>
<p>It’s been suggested that <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://fbref.com/en/players/caeb5442/Steven-Gerrard?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Steven Gerrard</a> (former Liverpool captain turned manager of Rangers, Scotland) would be interested in securing the services of the former England full-back.</p>
<p>If Clyne can keep fit, he could make a huge success of a career north of the border, perhaps even aiding Gerrard in his pursuit of returning the SPL to the Ibrox.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Marko Grujic </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-480801 size-large" src=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F821068016-850x560.jpeg" alt="Liverpool" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Marko Grujic, Liverpool (Photo by Victor Fraile/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>2. Marko Grujic</h3>
<p>This 23-year-old defensive midfielder was Klopp’s first Liverpool signing for an undisclosed fee.</p>
<p>His first season was marred by injury, limiting him to just 8 appearances. In the seasons since then, he has been out on loan, honing his craft.</p>
<p>Still, fans were shown glimpses of his potential both offensively and defensively.</p>
<p>But what does the future hold for <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://fbref.com/en/players/8b8e759d/Marko-Grujic?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22>Marko Grujic</a>? To make a conclusion, we need to consider Liverpool’s squad depth.</p>
<p>Liverpool have a plethora of options in attacking midfield, but less so defensively.</p>
<p>Aside from Fabinho, Liverpool have been seen to rotate Henderson, Wijnaldum and Milner at CDM.</p>
<p>However, Henderson and Wijnaldum seem far more effective when positioned less defensively in centre-midfield. Meanwhile, it’s no secret that Milner is aging and beginning to lack the pace to play effectively in CDM, game after game, for the full 90 minutes.</p>
<p>Given Grujic has been sent out on loan, supposedly earning the game time he’s needed to develop, now appears to be the perfect time to integrate him into a recurring substitute’s role.</p>
<p>Players tend to find their peak sometime between the ages of 25-31 years old (Henderson began to peak around 28/29) and given the rather extensive injury Fabinho suffered with earlier this season, I can see a role for Grujic in Liverpool’s future.</p>
<p>Whether Klopp agrees or not is another matter.</p>
<p>Thus far, it’s been challenging enough to find a successful way to rotate Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita and up-and-comer <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://fbref.com/en/players/4fb9c88f/Curtis-Jones?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Curtis Jones</a> (who you may remember for scoring a rather stunning winner against Everton in the FA Cup 3rd round to seal the 1-0 win).</p>
<p>If Klopp cannot find room for Grujic in the Liverpool squad this year he’s left with an ultimatum, given the player’s age and how soon his abilities could peak.</p>
<p>Either Grujic goes out on loan next season for one final time before another attempt to integrate him into the squad is made.</p>
<p>Or, Liverpool tactfully hint at the player’s availability and see if any big footballing powerhouses come calling (such as Bayern Munich, Juventus and Real Madrid).</p>
<p>With just the right amount of praise from Klopp over Grujic’s potential as well as impressive pre-season performances, a big side could be tempted into a rather high bid for the player.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t be the first time Liverpool secured a surprisingly high fee for one of their players. Recent examples include Coutinho (£140m), <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://fbref.com/en/players/e77dc3b2/Dominic-Solanke?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Dominic Solanke</a> (signed for free but sold for £19m) and <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://fbref.com/en/players/07802f7f/Danny-Ings?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Danny Ings</a> (also signed for free but sold for £20m).</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Naby Keita </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_480803" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-480803 size-large" src=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1195127944-850x560.jpeg" alt="Liverpool" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Naby Keita, Liverpool (Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>1. Naby Keita</h3>
<p><a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://fbref.com/en/players/f25c8e3a/Naby-Keita?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22>Naby Keita</a>. Now here’s a player that has been the centre of many a debate between Liverpool fans.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>Throughout the course of this season, some fans have suggested Keita may not be the player we were promised and for a fee of around £60m you can see their point.</p>
<p>As an attacking midfielder he’s had a couple of games at best in which he’s provided sparks of his potential, but nothing of real note thus far.</p>
<p>This is especially apparent when compared to the performances, the heart, the drive and the desire displayed by Alex Oxlade Chamberlain in the same on-field position.</p>
<p>The Ox, in comparison, cost around half the price of Keita but has won over Liverpool fans already by providing assists and goals alike in every competition in which he’s partaken, displaying his passion for the club in conjunction.</p>
<p>This has led to the somewhat ambitious suggestion that Keita should go and Liverpool should make a move to buy back Phillipe Coutinho, whom they sold to Barcelona in January 2018 for around £140m.</p>
<p>This would be a colossal mistake.</p>
<p>We know what we get with Coutinho at Liverpool and since his departure Liverpool have won the Champions League (whilst knocking Coutinho’s Barcelona out in the process) as well as positioning themselves some 25 points clear at the top of the EPL.</p>
<p>Safe to say that Coutinho no longer fits in at Liverpool.</p>
<p>With Keita, though, the jury’s still out.</p>
<p>Whilst Klopp has suggested, but not undeniably confirmed that Keita will be afforded another season to prove his worth, a far more suitable replacement for Keita would be that of Curtis Jones.</p>
<p>That’s why Klopp should consider the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Give Keita one more season to come good</li>
<li>If he does, great. But bear in mind how you might replace him if a high transfer bid were made for him in the future…</li>
<li>If he doesn’t perform, don’t hesitate any longer. Sell him immediately in order to recoup as much of the £60m you paid for him</li>
</ul>
<p>That last point is especially important. Not only from a financial point of view as I said. But also from the point of view of the likes of Curtis Jones.</p>
<p>The more game time he gets now, the more likely he is to fulfil is potential as a future midfield leader.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Liverpool: Klopp makes a revolutionary phone call with Kylian Mbappe" data-url="https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/26/liverpool-klopp-revolutionary-mbappe/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/27/liverpool-5-players-jurgen-klopp-sell/"https://playingfor90.com/2020/04/26/liverpool-klopp-revolutionary-mbappe/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Liverpool: Klopp makes a revolutionary phone call with Kylian Mbappe </a> </div>
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<p>After all, wasn’t there another midfielder some years ago that was born and raised in Liverpool that went on to be rather successful for the club? Steven something-or-other, right?</p><!—pageview_candidate—></p>">