As Jurgen Klopp looks to clear out the deadwood at Liverpool in a bid to prepare the side to challenge for silverware next season, TheHardTackle takes a look at 5 players who could see their Anfield careers come to an end this summer.
2015/16 marked a season of change and transition for Liverpool as the Reds moved forward from the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers to that of Jurgen Klopp. The dull nature of Liverpool’s football under Rodgers and a failure to secure results forced the sacking of the former Swansea manager, who only two seasons ago led the Merseysiders in a heart-breaking title challenge. However, the arrival of Klopp has seen the club acquire a sense of direction to their football and a fighting spirit that was seemingly absent early on in the season.
The German managed to turn a depleted side into a team that made its way to two cup finals by the end of the campaign. While the run to the finals of the Capital One Cup and Europa League has indicated an exciting future for Liverpool, it was their league run that drew much concern for the fans and even Klopp himself. The Reds’ ridiculous level of inconsistency could see them touch the heights of a 4-1 demolition of Manchester City one day while plummeting to a 3-0 capitulation at newly promoted Watford on another.
Jurgen Klopp’s high-pressing football, which he implemented to great success at Borussia Dortmund, demands concentration, energy and immense stamina. Replicating that in the physical environment of the Premier League with an increased number of games compared to the Bundesliga is a Herculean task in itself, let alone doing it with a squad that Klopp inherited from Rodgers.
Despite the progress his side has made through the course of the 2015/16 campaign, the German will have identified players he’d like to sell as he makes way for new arrivals. With the summer transfer window finally here, Klopp will look to bring in some new signings as he begins to assemble a squad worthy of delivering on the Reds’ Premier League dream. TheHardTackle takes a look at five players who could face the axe this summer.
1. Christian Benteke
Benteke was another one of the strikers signed by Rodgers and was supposed to have been the replacement for Luis Suarez, who left the club for Barcelona in the summer of 2014. The £32.5 million acquisition from Aston Villa failed to impress in the opening few games of the season under Rodgers, and barring a few bright performances, the Belgian has continued to flounder under Klopp as well.
The 25-year-old netted just 10 goals from 42 appearances in the recently concluded campaign. Benteke’s poor finishing and a lack of adaptability to Klopp’s style of football are the main reasons for his disappointing season with Liverpool, and his recent outings with Belgium in the international friendlies only justify the club’s intentions to sell the striker in the summer window.
It could simply be a matter of extracting as much money as possible from their £32.5 million investment for Liverpool as the likes of West Ham, Chelsea and Juventus line up to sign the forward.
2. Adam Bogdan
In the 2014/15 season, Bolton managed to hold the Reds to a draw at Anfield in the FA Cup and force a decider at the Macron Stadium. Bolton’s goalkeeper Adam Bogdan had, in Brendan Rodgers’ mind, done enough that evening to earn a move to a Premier League side of Liverpool’s stature in the transfer window that summer.
The Hungarian made his debut in a penalty shoot-out victory over Carlisle United in the League Cup where he made two penalty saves to send the Reds through to the next round. However, Bogdan has failed to impress ever since, and a disastrous Premier League debut against Watford in a 3-0 loss at Vicarage Road did not help his cause either. With Simon Mignolet extending his stay at Anfield, the arrival of Loris Karius from Mainz and Welshman Danny Ward sitting higher in the pecking order, Adam Bogdan’s short stay at Liverpool is well and truly over.
3. Martin Skrtel
Slovakia international Martin Skrtel is among the most experienced campaigners for the Reds, having made over 320 appearances for the club since his arrival from Zenit St. Petersburg in 2008. . However, with the presence of Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren, new signing Joel Matip and youngster Joe Gomez, the chances of Skrtel making his way into Klopp’s plans for next season look bleak.
The 31-year-old suffered injuries through the course of the 2015/16 campaign that resulted in a major dip in his performance levels. On quite a few occasions this season, the defence has been in shambles under his command as opposed to the control established by the likes of Sakho and Lovren. A case in point is Liverpool’s 2nd half capitulation against Southampton at St.Mary’s, where Skrtel was at the centre of a horror defensive display that saw the Reds throw away a two-goal cushion to hand a 3-2 victory to Ronald Koeman’s side.
Although Skrtel has been a loyal servant for Liverpool over the years, the past season was evidence that the Slovak’s best years are behind him and an exit would be in the best interests of both parties. Turkish champions Besiktas are being linked with a £7 million move for the centre-back.
4. Joe Allen
The Welsh midfielder arguably had his best season in a Reds’ shirt in 2015/16, playing a big role in Liverpool’s progress in the Capital One Cup and also filling in as a capable replacement in midfield for Jordan Henderson. However, Joe Allen’s time at Anfield has been marred by injuries and the presence of better players in midfield has meant that the 26-year-old has largely had to play second fiddle to the likes of Henderson and Emre Can.
Liverpool’s interest in midfielders in the transfer market has fuelled speculation that Allen could return to Swansea this summer. The Wales international, who is with the national squad preparing for the Euros, has featured in 132 games for the Reds since moving to Merseyside along with former manager Brendan Rodgers in 2012.
5. Mario Balotelli
There was a time when Mario Balotelli’s name was mentioned every time the topic of Europe’s most promising young talents came up. He single-handedly destroyed the mighty Germans in the semi-final of the European Championships in 2012 and was unequivocally deemed by many back home as the future of the Italian strike force. Four years on, the 26-year-old hasn’t reached anywhere near the heights he was supposedly destined to reach.
Having endured a poor campaign in his debut 2014/15 season for Liverpool, the Italian was jetted back to A.C Milan last summer in a loan move in the hope that he could find his feet again. 12 months later, Balotelli returns to Merseyside with little to show for his year’s worth of experience, with his attitude inviting the ire of the A.C Milan hierarchy as well.
Jurgen Klopp’s attacking system, as he has admitted before, is founded on commitment and work-ethic and players unable to guarantee that have no place at the club. Could Klopp’s man-management skills help Balotelli mend his ways? Possibly. But even if he does stay, the Italian is set to be fifth-choice striker behind Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi, Danny Ings and Roberto Firmino. Hence, it seems unlikely that Balotelli will have any future at Anfield and he could be sold by the club in the summer.
Liverpool set for summer overhaul?
Having refused to alter his squad too much in the January transfer window, Jurgen Klopp finally has pre-season and an entire summer to make the wholesale changes he’d like to see in his squad. The on-going transfer window is likely to be the most exciting one in years for the Reds’ supporters, with a lot of incoming traffic expected at the big clubs, many of whom have new managers.
The Premier League is set to be graced by the presence of big names like Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Klopp himself among others in the upcoming season. Hence, the German will know he has to be shrewd with his signings if his side are to have any chance of challenging for silverware in a campaign where his side will have no European football to look forward to.
The Reds have already snapped up Loris Karius from Mainz in addition to the singing of Joel Matip and Marko Grujic for a combined investment of £9.8 million. With many more linked with a move to Anfield, Liverpool have yet another summer shuffle-up ahead of them as Jurgen Klopp’s side look to take on the league in 2016/17.
