Before last season, Sadio Mane left the team, and former Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino left the team at the end of last season. Only Mohamed Salah remains in the strongest front three, and the Egyptian winger is increasingly likely to move to Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, a generational change is finally underway for the second regime, with James Milner, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho, all former midfielders under Klopp, leaving in the summer, and new midfielders in their early 20s joining the team.
While players around 30 years old, such as Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, and Alisson Becker, are in the starting lineup, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip are among the candidates for release. They are expected to leave next summer on free transfers as their current contracts expire in June 2024.
However, that information may be incorrect. According to Caught Offside, Jurgen Klopp values both veteran players, and Liverpool may begin negotiating contract extensions for them to stay beyond 2024.
The former Spain midfielder received interest from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, but decided to stay at Anfield instead of shaking his head at the offers. He is expected to be a leader in midfield, but since joining Liverpool, repeated injuries have prevented him from playing a full season.
Joel Matip, although injury-prone, has also been instrumental in winning a number of titles in partnership with Virgil van Dijk, but has dropped down the pecking order with the addition of Ibrahima Konate. Furthermore, the club is targeting a left-handed center back, and a new defender could join the club as early as this winter.
Both have been relegated from their absolute positions and are now in a position to play as third or fourth choice when needed. In Liverpool, which is undergoing a generational change, there is not much reason to keep both 32-year-old players, but the choice to keep them to allow their experience and leadership to permeate the team cannot be dismissed.
What plans does Liverpool have for next season?