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Liverpool have transformed themselves into worthy title challengers in recent seasons and only missed out on being crowned champions last season by one single point, beaten to the post by Manchester City who accumulated a whopping 98 in total.
Their squad improves significantly before every new campaign, but they struggle to get rid of the deadwood that hides behind the rest of the team, collecting their pay cheques silently, trying not to be noticed.
Well, in this list, I'm going to share with you five players that the Reds should ensure are shipped out by the end of this summer transfer window if they really want to make space for the big new signings. The deadwood was always going to hold them back, and it'll continue to do so as long as they keep these sorts of players. They simply have to go.
#4 Nathaniel Clyne
Nathaniel Clyne spent the second half of last season out on loan with Bournemouth to try and get him some much-needed game time, which he was deprived of at Liverpool and has been for quite a while. This isn't necessarily Liverpool leaving him out of the squad for the sake of it; Clyne simply doesn't meet the standards required for the first team anymore.
And now at right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold has entered the fray and pretty much made the position his own. It'll be near impossible for the ageing Clyne to find his way back into the role, so would be better off looking elsewhere for game time.
He played well for Bournemouth, so the Cherries could very well snap him up this summer, though they'd be likely set to face competition for him as he would be up for sale at an affordable price if the Reds really do want him gone this summer.
#3 Adam Lallana
Perhaps one of the easiest cups Lallana has won in his career would be the Champions League trophy; he hardly participated, spending most of his time on the bench, yet was there with the squad to lift the cup by the end of it all. Remarkable!
Lallana hasn't been above average since 2016 if we're going to be honest here. England also stopped calling him up to the first team after a spate of average performances. He has been on a steep decline since then, thanks to spells out with injury and poor fitness. With only 13 appearances for the Reds last season, you could definitely argue that Lallana is stealing a living at the club right now.
There are much better options out there in the midfield, and Klopp probably knows this better than anyone, so it would be best if he was cleared out to make space for any new signings this summer.
#2 Simon Mignolet
An obvious choice for this list, Simon Mignolet failed to even appear in one single Premier League game last season. I get that he serves as the back-up keeper to Alisson, but there are much cheaper options out there who would demand far less in wages per week. Mignolet, like Lallana, is robbing a living at Anfield right now.
Really, his role should be taken up with a hot young prospect who could learn a lot by watching from the bench. Mignolet is 31 years old now and rapidly heading towards his final years in the sport; a youngster in his seat would be more valuable and also show fans that the club is looking towards the future as well.
And surely Mignolet would be after a first-team spot anyway, and not be simply content with a position on the bench for every single match. Where's the ambition there?
#1 Dejan Lovren
Dejan Lovren is another one of the hangers-on in the Liverpool squad right now. Having only featured in 13 Premier League matches this season, with only 29% of those with him in the starting eleven, it's clear that Lovren has fallen down the pecking order in recent times.
Like with the others on this list, there are many better options out there that could take Lovren's place at the back. He simply isn't good enough to make it into the squad anymore, let alone be considered for the first team.
Lovren is set to turn 30 next month, so it would probably be the best time to sell him on, while he still has a relatively high market value. It's unlikely he'd return to the Premier League after departing, being better suited to the slower-paced leagues like Serie A or Ligue 1.
