Liverpool was the most spending team in the Premier League last summer, but that does not mean January will pass peacefully under Arne Slot.
Despite a very impressive start to the season, the defending champion is still facing the risk of missing out on a Champions League spot. This forces the coaching staff to carefully calculate personnel options for the second half of the season.
Mohamed Salah is on duty at the African Cup, while his future after the tournament is still questionable.
In the opposite direction, Alexander Isak is predicted to be out for at least 2 months after surgery to break his leg. Antoine Semenyo was once mentioned as a potential option, but the Bournemouth star has a price of 65 million pounds and is said to be leaning towards Manchester City.
At the end of the summer transfer window, Marc Guehi was very close to Anfield before deciding to stay at Crystal Palace. The possibility of moving to Liverpool is still there, but it is likely that it will only be more suitable at the end of the season when the England international's contract expires.
In that context, the focus may shift to leaving more than coming. However, Harvey Elliott is not in the group that can move. This is a player being loaned to Aston Villa, but he cannot also play for another big club in Europe this season. The reason is that Elliott came on as a substitute late in the Liverpool vs Newcastle match in August.
According to British media, the most feasible option is to handle this group of players on loan, with a maximum of 7 names allowed to find new destinations in the second half of the season. However, even this scenario also poses no few obstacles in the implementation process.
This group of players includes Nyoni - an 18-year-old player who has shown no less ability to play football than his more experienced teammates in the pre-season period. This young midfielder also just experienced the Premier League atmosphere for the first time, coming on in the victory against Tottenham last weekend, after only being on the bench seven times since the beginning of the season.
Nyoni was also given the opportunity to start both of Liverpool's matches in the Carabao Cup, playing 90 minutes against Southampton and Crystal Palace. Slot may consider using him in the confrontation with Barnsley in the third round of the FA Cup as a final "test" before making a loan decision. However, it is also possible that he will keep the 18-year-old midfielder to continue developing.
This club is famous for that. These players train with us every day and it's great to see that they have proven they can play at this level. The next step is to be able to play regularly for Liverpool" - Slot said after giving Nyoni the opportunity to start for the first time.
In addition, the list of players who may leave Anfield soon includes notable names such as Calvin Ramsay, Jayden Danns, Stefan Bajcetic and Will Wright.
