Firstly I want to begin this opinion piece with a disclaimer. This is purely speculative and opinionated from the writer’s viewpoint and no one else’s. These are player I personally believe Liverpool could live without (i.e. replaceable) and will likely be doing so over the next 2 summer windows (2016 & 2017). Each player has their own reasons varying between expiring contracts (15 players), their wages don’t represent their value or simply not being good enough and we should get rid.
I have a feeling by the time some have looked over this list, many will be furiously typing away angry tweets at me for listing player(s) they disagree with, yet I repeat, this is of my opinion. I believe all of the listed players hold no true irreplaceable values with the club and could be replaced easily with someone overall better. I also believe there are unlisted players who will likely join them but were left out for a multitude of factors considered too complicated. Further reasoning is provided afterwards, though not specific to any player.
Players Liverpool Could Live Without Table
Grand Total: 41 Players
£125m+ rough estimate of transfer fee income w/ future revenue from sell-on clauses
£56.1m in wages per year saved
Brief Reasoning for Listed Players
Expiring Contract:
Enrique, Kolo, Sinclair, Hart, Brimmer, Madger Gomes, Marsh, Trickett-Smith, Virtue, Polgar, O’Hanlon, Griffin, Lewis, Dobie, Firth
Young Youth Incapable of Stepping Up/Wasted At Liverpool
Brewitt, Maguire, Cleary, Randall, Williams, Jones
Too Old With Little Experience: Expiring Talent Not Good Enough & Wasted at Liverpool:
Joao (23), Stewart (23), Smith (22), McLaughlin (22), Yesil (22), Vigouroux (23), Dunn (22)
Talented Youth Who Likely Won’t Meet Expectations/Replaceable/Sold For Large Profit:
Kent, Wilson
Senior Players on High Wages Good Enough for Backup/Cup Matches, Yet Replaceable:
Skrtel, Lovren, Mignolet, Lallana, Milner, Allen, Lucas, Ilori, Luis Alberto, Wisdom
Simply Not Good Enough or Not Our Style of Play:
Bogdan, Benteke, Balotelli
Players In Danger of Being Sold If They Don’t Step Up or Progress In Near Future:
Ibe, Moreno, Markovic, Brannagan, Rossiter, Chirivella, Canos, Ward, Ojo, Fulton, Awoniyi, Phillips, Whelan, Ejaria, Paulo Alves
When I made this list it was on the basis of a very specific and brutal subject which most fans couldn’t stomach. I had a thought to myself which was, “If I examined the first team and reserves right now, how many players could I find at Liverpool that we could live without or those that simply won’t make it”. I had to remove emotional attachment from all of our players and examine them individually, which lead to a very daunting task. One of the key statements I’ve made several times over the years was that Rodgers was making mid-table signings for top class money and fans were beginning to overrate mediocre talent. This task gave an unwelcomed confirmation to that previous statement and gave that realization to a more horrifying extent.
Being able to comfortably say that roughly 20 first team registered players shouldn’t be at the club is one of the worst feelings as a Liverpool fan I think I’ve ever felt. Much less being able to list 43 overall and knowing it could’ve been more. Never have I seen the club in such a mediocre state yet with the costs at such outrageous levels. During Rafa’s tenure you could probably name 6 to 8 players the club could do without on a season-to-season basis but since Hodgson, Kenny and finally Rodgers, our clubs level of talent and expectations have drastically reduced to mid-table levels. Our fans have grown so use to mediocre talent on outrageous wages that many of which will defend many of the players I’ve listed who are simply not good enough. If you would’ve told me Skrtel was going to be our most mainstay defender and Lucas our most mainstay defensive midfielder in 2009 I would’ve laughed in your face till I was red.
Many will object to some of the players listed, varying from the senior level or “hot prospects” trying to break through. All of which I can already predict the protests for every single one, some of which I experienced from myself, but all of which are not good enough reasons to keep any of those players. Many will also neglect to mention some of the “hot prospects” are approaching their mid-20’s and still haven’t even gained regular first team football. All of the players listed, at the end of the day, wouldn’t make it into a top 4/title challenging team – and the few that would are still replaceable by cheaper, younger, better talent. Our team is the most mediocre, leaderless and cowardly teams I’ve ever seen at the club, yet they’re probably the best paid I’ve ever seen at the club. Liverpool will never win anything with the majority of our players because none can perform when it matters most when high stakes are on the line. It’s as simple as that. That being said, the existing funds for the upcoming transfer window and the potential funds their departures would provide would give Liverpool an extraordinary opportunity to rebuild quickly.
In summary, us as Liverpool fans have honestly failed ourselves and our club. We’ve grown so use to the mediocrity of talent, the outrageous fees and wages spent on said talent, the dampened atmosphere at Anfield and the inability to achieve top 4 and compete for silverware on a regular basis. Mainly because we were fed bullshit by Rodgers for so long we grew numb to it. We know deep down that this group of players isn’t good enough. We know deep down that there are plenty of players we like at the club that will likely not make it and leave whether we agree with it or not. But this is Liverpool, and no player is bigger than the club, especially from our current lot. It’s time for Liverpool to cash in, rebuild and rise like a phoenix from the ashes. A new boss, a new team, a new Liverpool.
Merseyside Fischer
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I have 1 question. Which 41 supposed better players are we going to replace them with?