One aspect of improving your squad is trimming the fat. Players that just aren’t at the right level need to be cut loose. It’s not just these kimd of players who are let go though, as those footballers looking for a better deal and/or more playing time might also fall into this category.
Divcock Origi is the headline name on Liverpool FC’s official release list. Let’s look at which Reds will join him in seeking a new club during this transfer window.
LIVERPOOL RELEASE SEVEN
Divock Origi
Divock Origi leaves Liverpool as a legend. The Belgian striker made 175 appearances for the Reds, scoring 41 goals. Whilst that is not a tremendous goal scoring ratio, he always seemed to pop up at the right time.
His goals in the 2018/19 Champions League semi-final comeback were probably the highlight of his career on Merseyside.
One side that will be happy to see him leave England will be Everton. Origi scored 6 goals in ten appearances against Liverpool’s cross-town rivals. We expect him to sign for AC Milan in the coming days.
Loris Karius
Loris Karius finally leaves Liverpool after not making a senior appearance for the club in the last three seasons. His position in the squad became untenable after a nightmare performance in the Champions League final against Real Madrid in the 17/18 season.
He finishes up at Anfield having made 49 first team appearances and keeping 22 clean sheets.
Ben Woodburn
Ben Woodburn might leave the club, but his name remains on the records list as the club’s youngest ever goal scorer. He netted against Leeds United in the 2016 League Cup, just a few weeks after his seventeenth birthday. He was frequently injured after that and could never get his Liverpool career going.
The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Scottish club Hearts, where he was a first team regular across their front three.
Sheyi Ojo
Winger Sheyi Ojo will leave the club after making 13 first team appearances and scoring a solitary goal for the Reds. Although he made 13 appearances for Liverpool, he hasn’t played for the Reds in five years.
Since his last run in the Reds first team, he has had loan spells at Fulham, Stade de Reims, Rangers, Cardiff City and Millwall.
Elijah Dixon Bonner & Luis Longstaff
Dixon-Bonner managed three appearances for the Liverpool first team. Luis Longstaff made 11. Both have had runs in the domestic cup squads over the last couple of years.
Both players were part of the young squad that played the League Cup quarter final against Aston Villa in the 2019/20 season.
Liverpool also included academy product and right back Sean Wilson on the list of released players. Wilson never made a first team appearance for Liverpool.
Stuart Kavanagh is a sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.