Liverpool could lose 10 players this summer as Arne Slot decision made | Football | Sport

Barring any boardroom intervention, Arne Slot will still be Liverpool’s head coach come the start of the 2026-27 season. The Dutchman has one year remaining on his three-year contract and unless the reigning Premier League champions fail to secure Champions League qualification in the coming week, he expects to be given the opportunity to correct the shortcomings of what has been a deeply disappointing campaign.

Slot acknowledged as much in his press conference on Thursday morning: “I don’t think I am deciding that alone by myself, but I have every reason to believe I am the Liverpool manager next season,” he said. “First of all, I am contracted to this club and second of all, from all the talks we are having. That is my take on it.”

Whether Slot continues in his role or the responsibility is handed to another man remains to be seen, but what is absolutely certain is that Liverpool will need to be busy in the transfer market again this summer if they are to assemble a squad with the depth and balance required to challenge for honours both domestically and in Europe.

The Reds splashed a club-record £448m on new signings last summer yet still possess a squad that requires considerable reshaping to return to the heights of the previous title-winning campaign.

In order to accomplish that goal, a number of current players will need to move on and, remarkably, the departures could run into double figures. At least two players are already set to leave, but here is a rundown of the 10 first-team stars who could be heading out of Anfield for good before the end of the month…

Club icon Salah will bid farewell to his remarkable nine-year Liverpool career against Brentford at Anfield a week on Sunday. The Egyptian only penned a fresh two-year contract 12 months ago, yet a dip in form and productivity has led to the club and player mutually agreeing to an early termination of his deal.

Salah will be virtually impossible to replace, but time spares nobody.

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Vice-captain Robertson is another decorated Anfield stalwart, having been at the club just as long as Salah. Yet he has been forced to share left-back duties with summer acquisition Milos Kerkez this season and flirted with a potential switch to Tottenham in January.

The Scotland skipper is out of contract next month and, at 32, is ready to embrace a fresh challenge elsewhere.

Much like Salah and Robertson, Alisson is a double Premier League winner and Champions League hero. He is also widely considered to be Liverpool’s finest goalkeeper in the last 50 years. However, injuries have hampered his appearances and, although he very much remains the first-choice shot-stopper, reports suggest the Brazilian international is edging closer to a summer switch to Juventus.

He is yet another player who would prove enormously difficult to replace.

Currently the only senior Scouser in the Liverpool squad, Jones is now 25, yet despite featuring in 32 Premier League matches this season, he has still to truly establish himself as a permanent fixture in the Reds’ midfield. Recently utilised by Slot as a makeshift right-back, Jones is likely to favour playing in his natural role and, consequently, could contemplate departing at the end of the campaign.

The Academy graduate will have 12 months remaining on his deal at the end of the season and has been linked with a switch to Inter Milan. He also represents a saleable asset, meaning any move could help generate funds to reinvest in fresh recruits.

Gomez is Liverpool’s longest-serving player, having arrived at Anfield from Charlton in 2015. Yet despite being a stalwart of the 2019-29 Premier League title-winning squad, he has frequently been the Reds’ utility man, rather than a guaranteed first-team regular.

A devoted servant for over a decade, Gomez could have departed the club at the start of the season before a transfer for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi fell through on deadline day. And with only 12 months remaining on his existing contract, the 28-year-old recently acknowledged that his future remains uncertain.

“I don’t know is the honest answer. I’ve only got a year left on my contract, so I don’t know,” he told the Liverpool Echo after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea. “Whatever’s meant to be will be, but I’m so grateful to have had this time here at this club. I always will be grateful to have had 11 years at a place like this. All I can do is be thankful and we’ll see.”

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At 27, Mac Allister has already accomplished more throughout his career than most footballers could ever dream of, yet that doesn’t render him untouchable.

A World Cup winner with Argentina and a Premier League champion with Liverpool, the midfielder was frequently the driving force in the Reds’ engine room during their title triumph, but his performances have fallen off dramatically this season. With Liverpool regularly being outpaced in midfield, this is one area where strengthening will surely be a priority next summer, and should a high-profile signing arrive, it could be Mac Allister who finds himself shown the door.

Much like Jones, he represents a valuable commodity, meaning a summer departure cannot be discounted.

Japanese midfielder Endo was 30 when he arrived at the club, and that was nearly three years ago. He was unfortunate to sustain a serious ankle ligament injury against Sunderland that necessitated surgery, cutting his season short, but the question remains — has he already pulled on a Liverpool shirt for the final time? Endo will be aiming for a return in time for this summer’s World Cup, but with his playing time at Liverpool consistently restricted, it may be the moment to pursue a fresh challenge elsewhere. His existing contract extends until 2027.

Considerable anticipation accompanied the acquisition of Juventus star Chiesa in August 2024, yet despite becoming somewhat of a Kop cult hero, in truth, he has joined the modest collection of Italian footballers who have all struggled to leave a genuine mark in the red jersey of Liverpool.

Evidently not favoured by Slot, a move back to Italy this summer appears extremely probable.

Had matters proceeded according to plan, Elliott’s official designation as no longer a Liverpool player would by now be virtually confirmed. His loan switch to Aston Villa at the beginning of the campaign was intended to see the Europa League finalists fulfil an obligation to purchase him for £35m. Yet for some reason, Unai Emery has opted not to deploy Elliott sufficiently to activate the arrangement, and he will head back to Liverpool at the conclusion of the season, having squandered 12 months of his career at Villa Park.

The notion that his Anfield journey will be revived appears somewhat far-fetched, though, considering that Slot was content to loan him out initially, so a summer departure elsewhere remains very much on the cards.

The ‘Greek Scouser’ etched his name into Liverpool folklore by netting the decisive penalty in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea in 2022 and was a Premier League champion last season, yet he has consistently been an understudy to Robertson, and when Kerkez arrived for £40m in the summer, a loan switch to AS Roma was arranged.

With Robertson poised to leave, Tsimikas could make a return as cover for Kerkez, but would the 30-year-old be satisfied with that role and more crucially, do Liverpool require a superior alternative who can apply greater pressure on the Hungarian to deliver at the elite level? Much may hinge on what transfer activity the Reds conduct at the beginning of the campaign.

He could prove a cost-effective squad solution in an unexpected return.