The £35m signing Klopp is Liverpool’s biggest loan since Nunez

It wouldn’t be entirely true to say that Liverpool’s season hinges on their success in the Champions League, but Galatasaray’s exit next week will add to the growing pressure on Arne Slot’s back.

There is no great confidence in the Reds’ ability to go all the way in continental Europe, even with Liverpool’s rich history and the unpredictability that football brings.

Furthermore, Liverpool travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup after the international break in March, and that will be a tough challenge as well.

While Slot has a job on his hands for the business months of the campaign, FSG are definitely looking ahead to the summer, with Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes hoping to bring in new stars but also clear out some of the dead wood.

Who do Liverpool need to sell this summer?

Liverpool need a reset this summer. Many players did not cut the mustard in Slot’s team this season, and peripheral players like Federico Chiesa are in danger of leaving.

What that will mean for Mohamed Salah, who has been denied on the right this season, remains to be seen, especially given the need for a left-footed player.

However, the future of Alexis Mac Allister is likely to be a big talking point. Almost three years into his Liverpool career, the third most recent has been removed from the world class first and second seasons so much that it beggars belief.

The 27-year-old was widely hailed as a “master” by the likes of professor Joe Cole for his role as Slot’s trusted lieutenant, but Mac Allister has been among the most disappointing parts of the Reds’ moving machine this term, falling short on every physical, technical and creative metric.

Whether the Argentine will be a Liverpool player next season remains to be seen, but he is out of contract in 2027 and has already said he is in no rush to extend his time on Merseyside.

A few months ago, losing Mac Allister at the start of his career would have been unthinkable, but a lot has changed since Liverpool lifted the Premier League title.

Liverpool know when to cut big names – take Darwin Nunez, who left last summer to make way for Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike – and one of Slot’s mainstays is in danger of moving on in a few months.

Liverpool must sign new Darwin Nunez

In 2022, Nunez joined Liverpool from Benfica for an initial fee of £64m, coming under Jurgen Klopp’s wing with the weight of expectation, who was said to succeed Roberto Firmino later on.

It didn’t work out, and now he’s trading in Saudi Arabia. Nunez missed a lot of chances and often looked at problems from Klopp and then Slot’s attacking structure. £35m Iraima Konate is unlikely to meet the same fate, but the centre-half will leave Liverpool this summer with many upset by his performance in the Slot system.

Nunez and Konate are very different players, but Konate is one of the most talented members of Liverpool’s first team, as was the Uruguayan striker, and his inability to eliminate mistakes in his game could spell the end of his Liverpool career.

The French defender is out of contract at the end of the season, and while FSG have been pushing for an extension, they have been unsuccessful, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among the interested parties.

Liverpool need defenders, but even so, letting the 26-year-old leave might not be the worst thing in the world. After all, he has been one of the worst performers at Anfield this season, making a number of mistakes throughout the campaign. This time, he was “Liverpool’s most feared fault line”, according to Reds columnist Eddie Gibbs.

A recent purple patch has helped right the ship, but old habits die hard and Konate reverted to his old flawed ways in the Champions League defeat to Galatasaray.

With Giovanni Leoni looking to return from an ACL injury at the start of the new season and Liverpool having agreed a £60m deal with Rennes for talented defender Jeremy Jacquet, who arrives this summer, the prospect of Konate leaving (rather than signing a new contract) doesn’t seem that risky.

Konate’s foul-strewn fouls equaled Nunez’s misbehavior in the final third. They’re not that different, these two. Konate has given a lot to Liverpool, but it may be time to wipe the slate clean and bring in a new crop.

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