Keep, sell, or loan? Evaluating Liverpool’s squad this transfer window

Midfielders

Fabinho

The only mark on an otherwise flawless campaign was his midseason injury. Keep.

Naby Keita

He desperately needs to stamp his authority in the center of the pitch over an extended period. Thankfully, he achieved something close to that at the end of the campaign. Here’s hoping it’s a sign of more good things to come. Keep.

Curtis Jones

Unlike Neco, he has a real shot of breaking into the midfield as a substitute semi-regularly. While he’s unlikely to supplant Wijanldum, Keita, Fabinho, or Henderson in any starting capacity, he should see plenty of game time from the bench. Keep.

Georginio Wijnaldum

Arguably the most consistent performer for Liverpool outside of Virgil van Dijk. However, he’s stalling on a new deal and has only a year remaining on his contract. Signs are he plans to sign an extension but Liverpool has to sell if he refuses to do so. They simply can’t afford to allow him to leave on a free transfer.

Keep and extend his contract; sell if he won’t sign.

Jordan Henderson

End-of-season injury aside, this was Henderson’s best-ever campaign in Liverpool red. You don’t sell your captain.

James Milner

Notes: Mr. Utility. He’s already signed an extension keeping him through 2022 and I’m not sure you want to keep him past that season, in which he’ll be 35 years old. Immense locker-room presence and leader.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Notes: Undoubtedly staying given his injury history. Under better circumstances, it might behoove him to leave. Klopp doesn’t trust him enough defensively to regularly play him in his preferred central role and instead places him on the wing where he is far less effective. Getting rid of him would open up a clearer path into the first team for Curtis Jones.

Keep, but in a perfect world, sell.