Liverpool are set for a crucial summer transfer window with quality additions needed to get the squad ready to fight on all fronts ahead of a new campaign. Mohamed Salah has started the trend, making the move from AS Roma in a £36.9million deal.
The ex-Chelsea man’s high-profile move sees him as the club’s new record transfer, replacing Andy Carroll, much to the delight of the fan base. Plenty more players are expected to pose for the infamous Melwood lean, but where does that leave Liverpool’s current young and fringe, players?
A spell away from Merseyside this summer could be the perfect chance for some to continue their progression and begin to force their way into Klopp’s future plans.
Here’s some of the players who would benefit the most from such a move.
Joe Gomez
Joe Gomez has a lot of potential in his boots but harnessing it has proved to be another matter entirely. The 20-year-old has struggled for game time at Liverpool having returned from a lengthy spell on the side-lines after tearing his ACL.
Prior to that, there was a genuine belief Gomez could battle Dejan Lovren to be part of the first-team picture and had he not needed time to rehabilitate, the young Englishman would certainly have surpassed Ragnar Klavan in the pecking order this season.
Naturally, things will become a lot harder next season.
With Liverpool set to bring in a centre-half – hopefully Van Dijk – he’d become the starting defender alongside Joel Matip. That would leave Lovren as the third choice with suitable experience under his belt making him a good option.
Gomez therefore, seems destined for a move away from Anfield for the coming season. He’s at the stage where he needs consistent game time for the first-team and with that unlikely to happen at Liverpool for the moment, a move to one of the weaker Premier League sides would make a lot of sense.
Building his experience and helping to further his rehabilitation from injury, the 20-year-old would learn a lot from back to back action, particularly if it were to come in England’s top tier. Brighton have shown interest in the centre-back, and it’s well worth considering.
Failing that, a loan to the Championship would be an alternative option.
Ovie Ejaria
With Liverpool making their intentions to sign another midfielder abundantly clear, there’ll be an almighty scrap for places next season. £50-70million is the reported fee for Naby Keita, who would be the lynchpin in the middle leaving Jordan Henderson, Emre Can, Georginio Wijnaldum, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana to fight for two places.
Add Marko Grujic into the mix and there will be very few opportunities for Ovie Ejaria to catch the eye. Thus, he would do better to show his skills at pastures new for a season.
Featuring sporadically for the first-team in domestic cup games will do little in the way of propel him into the picture while remaining in the Under-23 ranks would stall his current development.
Impressing for England in their World Cup campaign, Ejaria clearly has a lot to offer. Right now however, there are simply too many top-class players competing in his position. To aid and continue his progression, he needs to make a move.
Sheyi Ojo
A hard call, but the arrival of Mohamed Salah will have dented Sheyi Ojo’s chances ahead of a new campaign. The Egyptian will bring much needed quality out wide, with Sadio Mane likely to switch to the opposite flank.
That will give Liverpool some serious pace on both sides, making them a real handful. While there remains a distinct lack of depth in said positions, The Reds continue to be linked to other wingers leaving Ojo in a rather precarious position.
The 20-year-old is a natural wide player and showed during the Under 20’s World Cup what he can offer, but we’re far from the point where he can be fielded in the Premier League on a regular basis.
I’m confident Ojo will have a bright future at the club, but factoring in Ben Woodburn’s rise to fame as well, he’s currently lower in the pecking order than he’d like. As such, a move to a lower tier league would help improve his all-round game.
Harry Wilson
This is a tricky one. Wilson has impressed for the Under-23’s having scored and assisted over 30 goals during the 2016/17 campaign. However, despite captaining the side towards a second placed finish, the Welshman only made one first-team appearance under Jurgen Klopp.
Catching the eye at the Under-23’s level means nothing if you can’t back it up with performances on the main stage and questions have therefore come about as to whether he will ever make the grade under the German.
It would be naïve to discount him at present, with a loan move for the upcoming season providing us with a much better idea over his future on Merseyside.
Like Gomez, any move would do better to be in the top flight, giving him first-hand experience of the rigour of the Premier League. However, the competitive nature of the Championship would also serve him well.
He’s got bags of potential, but can he show the consistency needed to make a name for himself and stake a claim in the first-team? Only time will tell.
Danny Ings
The 25-year-old has had some seriously bad luck over the past few years. Having joined Liverpool there was lots of optimism over what Ings had to offer. That was only emphasised by Jurgen Klopp’s arrival, with the German’s energetic and hard-working style of play suited to the Englishman.
His determination to recover from two serious injuries is beyond admirable, but Danny Ings needs to use next season to put all that behind him. For the sake of his career, he needs to be looking elsewhere to enhance his progression.
Roberto Firmino leads the way in terms of forward options while Daniel Sturridge provides a world-class alternative. Add to that Divock Origi who, despite a frustrating season, has registered seven goals and three assists in 14 starts, and Ings is going to find a run of games hard to come by.
Everyone wants to see the 25-year-old succeed at Anfield but he’s not getting any younger and if he’s to make the break through it needs to be soon. A season away from Liverpool could reignite Ings’ spark and allow him to put his hard luck behind him and get back to where he should be.
A Premier League move would be optimal, with West Ham making it clear they’re looking to strengthen in attack. Likewise, Brighton or Newcastle will be in need of more fire power, thereby giving Ings plenty of potential options.
He needs back to dealing with the physicality and rigour of the top flight and even a powerful pre-season would leave him in a precarious position.
Consensus
That’s just five peripheral players that should be looking for a temporary move away from Liverpool this summer.
Divock Origi is another player that comes to mind, with the 22-year-old yet to unlock his potential at Anfield. Having made 20 appearances from the substitutes bench, the Belgian should have some optimism ahead of a new campaign regardless. Klopp clearly sees something in him and if he can make the most of such chances, he’ll continue to be part of the picture.
Futhermore, given Ings’ injury setbacks and age, he’s in bigger need of consistent game time.
Any outgoings, permanent or otherwise, will hinder entirely on Liverpool’s summer business. The more that come in, the fewer the chances for those currently at the club. A loan move aids their progression, while staying on Merseyside could well stunt it.
What if we fell into a situation again like last season where injuries almost crippled most of our plans and almost the entry to UCL ?
I think we should hold on to the likes of Ojo and Ings