Arne Slot has been urged to get rid of some ‘deadwood’ from his Liverpool squad as a priority for his first transfer window at Anfield.
The 45-year-old will officially take over as the Reds’ new head coach on 1 June, a fortnight before the market for buying and selling players reopens, and one former LFC defender insists that the first order of business is to cull the current group.
When asked by Squawka what the Dutchman’s priority for the transfer window should be, Glen Johnson replied: “It will probably be working out the so-called deadwood. At the end of the season, every team has deadwood, whether that’s people coming to the end of their contracts or people not wanting to be there.
“I think he needs to work out the players that are not going to fit into his regime or the way he wants to do things. Once he’s worked that out, depending on what types of players are going to be leaving, then obviously he needs to replace those players if that’s what they need.”
While obviously there are certain players who are on the periphery of the Liverpool squad (and have been for quite some time, in a few cases), it seems a tad harsh from Johnson to label them ‘deadwood’.
The Reds don’t have anyone that they glaringly need to get rid of, but rather a handful of individuals who realistically will struggle for first-team minutes and may feel that their career would benefit from a move elsewhere.
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Prior to the transfer window opening on 14 June, Slot will surely carry out his own audit of the squad that he inherits, in conjunction with Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, and he may have some players in mind who’d be considered disposable.
We wouldn’t want to second-guess the club’s stance on any specific individual and will duly refrain from naming anyone explicitly, although supporters will probably be able to take an informed guess at who might be first for the chop if Liverpool are to trim the roster.
Whether that’s in the form of a loan move or a permanent sale remains to be seen and will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Either way, we should have a clearer picture by the end of August as to which players the new man in charge perceives as central figures to his plans at Anfield, and who he doesn’t.
The post Ex-Liverpool player tells Arne Slot there’s ‘deadwood’ at Anfield that he ‘needs to’ clear out appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
