How Liverpool could make £115m in January from selling back-up stars

26 Oct 2021 21:55 BST
4 min read

How Naby Keita went from world-beater to flop following £54m transfer to Liverpool — © ProShots

Unlike their main rivals in the Premier League, Liverpool know that they have to make money before they can spend it in the transfer window.

Sometimes that income can come from winning competitions, but it more often than not comes from selling players before buying new ones.

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As such, if Jurgen Klopp hopes to make any additions to his squad in January he’ll most likely have to sell a number of fringe players.

Fortunately for the Anfield side, their back-up stars are indeed still stars and can command sizable sums of money in transfer fees.

Using our player values for the Liverpool squad, we've broke down the kind of fees Liverpool could demand in the January window.

Divock Origi - €12m/£10m

Although he may be something of a cult hero at Liverpool due to his ability to score important goals, Divock Origi’s time at the club has surely reached an end and with no signs of him pushing for a starting role in Klopp’s side he should be sold at the right price.

Origi’s goal scoring record has never been great at Anfield, but at 26 he’s still an exceptionally useful Premier League striker that could be of plenty of use to another English side or a team pushing for a Champions League spot in another top division. Especially if Liverpool are willing to part with him for £10m.

© ProShots - Thiago has struggled to replicate his Bayern form at Liverpool

Thiago - €29m/£25m

Thiago Alcantara was supposed to be the final piece to Klopp’s midfield puzzle, but the Spaniard has been dogged by injury and even when he has got back to full fitness the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich man just hasn’t looked the part.

Perhaps not industrious enough or simply more accustomed to a different style of football, Thiago is still an exceptional footballer but just one that doesn’t seem to work at Liverpool. If the club were smart, they’d sell him this January before his value begins to plummet.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - €18m/£15m

Another perfectly good midfielder that is unlikely to get too much game time at Anfield in the second half of the season is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Heavily linked with a return to Arsenal by the English press, the attacking midfielder isn’t quite good enough for Klopp’s starting XI but is probably too good to sit on the bench. Selling him in January and using the money elsewhere would make a lot more sense.

Nathaniel Phillips - €10m/£9m

Nathaniel Phillips has, at times, looked like a decent defender but the 24-year-old youth product of the Anfield club has never looked good enough for Klopp’s first team.

Rather than linger on the Liverpool bench until his contract runs down in 2025, Liverpool would do well to sell the young defender to a willing Premier League or Championship club that would be willing to pay a decent fee for the young talent.

© ProShots - Keita has blown hot and cold since joining Liverpool from RB Leipzig

Joe Gomez - €31m/£26m

Another defender that could perhaps be moved on in January is Joe Gomez. Although the English talent has proved extremely useful at centre back or at right back, he’s never truly impressed enough to suggest he could be a starter in either position.

Equally, with the arrival of Ibrahima Konate in the summer, Gomez may now have to settle for the role of back-up right-back unless he could be tempted into moving to another Premier League club to nail down a starting role. A move that would not only suit the defender but also allow Liverpool to raise some serious cash.

Naby Keita - €24m/£20m

While few would doubt that Naby Keita is capable of wonderful performances from time to time, the Liverpool midfielder has struggled to shake off the reputation of being an inconsistent performer for Klopp’s side.

Although the former RB Leipzig midfielder has looked better this season, he does have a contract that will expire in 2023. Which means the club may soon run out of patience or opportunities to sell him before he runs down his contract. A move in January to sign a more dependable midfielder makes a lot of sense.