Jurgen Klopp's 10-man Liverpool clearout - and who managed to avoid the axe
As Jurgen Klopp prepares to make significant summer changes to his squad, Liverpool fans will know major changes can reap rewards.
The Reds are expected to chop and change at the end of this season, though much will depend on their league finish. Sunday's 2-2 draw against Arsenal left Klopp's men further adrift of the top four, thanks to wins for Man Utd, Newcastle and Tottenham on Saturday, but all is not lost.
Regardless of which European competition they end up in - and there's a chance it will be none at all - Klopp will let some members of his squad go. He has made big tweaks before, though, not least in the summer before the Reds' famous run to the league title in 2019-20.
This time around, the identity of some of the leavers appears clear. Naby Keita may well have played his final game for the club, while it would be a surprise to see Arthur Melo's loan turned into a permanent switch with the Brazilian still waiting for his first minutes since September.
Back in the spring of 2019, plenty had theories about who would be on the move, with Mirror Football looking at 10 likely leavers at the time. Three of them did indeed leave permanently that summer, with two loaned out, but five were still under contract at the time of the title win and one of those still at Anfield today.
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All of this is to say a lot can change, even between now and the end of the season. Here's what happened to those 10 men earmarked for an exit.
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Daniel Sturridge was among those to leave Liverpool in 2019 (Getty Images)Daniel Sturridge
A big part of Liverpool's title bid in 2013-14, Sturridge didn't stick around long enough to win the trophy with the Reds. The striker returned from loan to feature in another run to second in 2019, while also taking his place on the bench for the Champions League final victory over Tottenham, but that's where it ended.
Sturridge had already had plenty of injury woes before leaving Anfield, and little in his post-Liverpool career suggests he was let go too early. Spells in Turkey and Australia brought a small handful of goals, a ban for breaching betting rules, and not much football all things considered.
Alberto Moreno
Like Sturridge, Moreno was part of Liverpool's squad for their Europa League final loss as well as their victory in Madrid. He was also on the bench in Kyiv in 2018, when his colleague was completing a loan at West Brom.
Alberto Moreno became a Europa League champion with Villarreal (Getty Images)The Spaniard moved to Villarreal, and after a long-term injury has been building his way back up. He won the Europa League under Unai Emery in 2021, but injury prevented him from featuring in last season's Champions League semi-final against Liverpool.
Simon Mignolet
Mignolet had done battle with Loris Karius for a starting spot in the 2017-18 season, but Alisson's arrival saw him fall down the pecking order. The Belgian returned to Club Brugge in 2019, and is still there today.
He has been a near ever-present in four years back in his homeland, winning three straight league titles. A fourth on the spin looks to be beyond the reigning champions, but Mignolet played his part in a run to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Marko Grujic
Marko Grujic has been playing Champions League football for Porto (AFP via Getty Images)Klopp's first signing never managed to establish himself as a regular under the German. Impressive spells on loan had some calling for the Serbian to be given a chance for his parent club, but only half of his 16 Liverpool games came in the league.
After thriving for Hertha Berlin in 2019, the midfielder was given a second season with the German club, though he did score his one and only Reds goal early in the 2020-21 season after making a brief return. A permanent switch to Porto followed, though, and he won the Primeira Liga with Sergio Conceicao's side last season.
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Ovie Ejaria
Ejaria showed promise early in his Liverpool career, but the midfielder was unable to keep pace as Klopp strengthened his squad. A 2019-20 loan at Reading followed temporary stints at Sunderland and Rangers, and he would follow that with a permanent switch to the Royals.
The Londoner, now 25, featured regularly in his first season with the Berkshire club. However, after struggling to recover his form after injuries, things have been tougher of late.
Pedro Chirivella
Pedro Chirivella has continued his career in France (AFP via Getty Images)Chirivella was given chances in Klopp's first season, but never added to his one Premier League outing. The Spanish midfielder stuck around for the 2019-20 season, but all six of his outings that season came in the domestic cups.
The Valencia-born talent moved to Nantes in the summer of 2020, and has been more at home in France. He started last season's cup final win, and has played in the Europa League under Antoine Kombouare this term.
Nathaniel Clyne
Clyne remained on Liverpool's books for the 2019-20 season, but didn't play a minute in the title win. The right-back had ended the previous season on loan at Bournemouth, but a cruciate ligament injury kept him on the sidelines after returning to Anfield.
The England international's injury hell finally ended back at Crystal Palace, the club where he began his career. Clyne hasn't always been first choice since returning to Selhurst Park in 2020, but has made 50 appearances after being restricted to just 21 in the previous three seasons.
Adam Lallana
Three years after leaving Liverpool, Adam Lallana is still a Premier League midfielder (Getty Images)A team-mate of Clyne's at Southampton as well as Liverpool, Lallana was no longer a starter at Anfield by 2019. He was still a useful squad presence, though, prompting Klopp to keep him around.
The England international only scored one league goal in his final three Liverpool seasons, but it was a big one - a late equaliser against Man Utd en route to the 2019-20 title win. He joined Brighton at the end of that campaign and has made an important impact on the south coast.
Divock Origi
Origi built a reputation as a scorer of big goals in the 2018-19 season, delivering plenty of late winners before clinching victory in the Champions League final. That was enough to earn him a stay of execution and then some.
The Belgian made 28 league appearances in 2019-20 - only in one campaign did he play more times - and contributed in fits and starts in the following two seasons even when forced to do so from the bench. He joined AC Milan in 2022, and has a chance to add another Champions League title with the Rossoneri despite struggling for goals on a personal leve.
Joel Matip
Joel Matip is in his seventh season as a Liverpool player (Frank Augstein/AP/REX/Shutterstock)The one survivor. Matip has struggled with various injuries during his time at Anfield, prompting suggestions of a 2019 exit, but is now one of the Reds' longest-serving players and has made nearly 200 senior appearances.
Questions were asked of the Cameroonian's ability to keep a starting spot with Joe Gomez returning for the 2019-20 campaign, and sure enough the Englishman was the more regular starter. Matip has stuck around, though, and played 43 times in all competitions last term as Klopp's team came close to a quadruple.
This season has been tougher, though, with the humbling defeat at Wolves a prime example. The former Schalke man has been linked with a summer exit, but - as we know - he's survived this kind of speculation before.
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