RANKING THE 16 LIVERPOOL PLAYERS OUT ON LOAN BY HOW LIKELY THEY ARE TO BREAK INTO THE FIRST XI UNDER ARNE SLOT

The Liverpool XI is set to be shaken up next season with incoming boss Arne Slot at the helm, but which loanees have the greatest chance of breaking into the first team under the new manager?

As of writing, 16 Liverpool players are currently out on loan. The majority of those loanees have come through the Reds academy, although there are some notable exceptions.

We’ve taken a closer look at every player that’s currently out on loan and have ranked them by how likely they are to break into the first team under Slot.

16. Anderson Arroyo

It seems more than likely that this is the end of the road for Arroyo at Liverpool. The defender is set to turn 25 later this year and he’s yet to make a senior appearance for the Reds.

Following seven separate loan spells away from the club, he’s currently playing for Burgos in the Spanish second tier.

15. Adam Lewis

Lewis has already stated that he “would love” to make his loan move to Newport County permanent which would rule out his chances of featuring under Slot.

14. James Balagizi

The 20-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan with Wigan Athletic, but after struggling to make an impact, he then joined Kilmarnock on loan in January.

Across both loan spells, Balagizi has only racked up 484 minutes of action and at this stage, he seems a long way away from the Liverpool XI.

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13. James Norris

With one year remaining on his Liverpool contract, this summer could be make or break for Norris. The 21-year-old has spent the campaign on loan with Tranmere but hasn’t been a regular starter.

12. Jakub Ojrzynski

Following loan spells with Caernarfon Town and Radomiak Radom, the Polish goalkeeper has spent this season developing with Dutch second-division side Den Bosch.

Having spent a large chunk of the season on the bench, another loan spell next season is probably on the agenda for Ojrzynski.

11. Billy Koumetio

From the outside looking in, it’s tough to gauge where Koumetio is in his development right now. He only featured sparingly for Dunkerque in the first half of the season and he’s barely featured for Blackburn in the second half of the campaign.

Since moving to Ewood Park on loan, he’s only played 48 minutes of football and he spent the majority of the loan spell sat on the bench. Another loan spell next season could be his best bet.

10. Dominic Corness

The England U20 international has spent the 2023/24 campaign playing for Swiss Super League outfit Yverdon-Sport. He’s predominately been used as an impact substitute, having racked up 22 appearances in total.

9. Calvin Ramsay

The Scottish full-back hasn’t had much luck with injuries over these last few years. Following his £4.2m transfer from Aberdeen in 2022, he’s spent a worrying amount of time on the treatment table.

Ramsey spent the first half of the season on loan with Championship outfit Preston North End, but only managed two appearances before he was re-called in January.

He’s since been sent out to Bolton Wanderers but hasn’t played much there either. Across both loan spells, the Scottish defender has only played 260 minutes of football this season.

While this season has been a struggle for Ramsay, there’s clearly a lot of untapped potential in the youngster. Perhaps Slot is the right man to bring that out of him.

8. Harvey Davies

Alright, we can’t see Davies replacing Alisson any time soon, but with the long-term future of Caoimhin Kelleher up in the air, the Crewe loanee could be eyeing up the number two spot in due course.

In League Two this season, the goalkeeper has made 27 appearances and has kept seven clean sheets. The 20-year-old probably isn’t ready to be thrown into the first team for next season, but he’s someone worth keeping your eye on.

7. Luca Stephenson

Stephenson got his first taste of senior football this season with Barrow and on the whole, the Liverpool loanee impressed.

After proving he can cut the mustard in League Two, the next stage of his development will likely be a loan move to League One or the Championship. If he impresses in his next loan spell, the Liverpool first team could be his next destination.

6. Nathaniel Phillips

Having already made 29 senior appearances for Liverpool, there’s a chance that Slot will want to keep him around for next season.

After struggling to make an impact at Celtic, the defender spent the second half of the season on loan with Cardiff where he impressed.

Leeds United are said to be interested in a permanent move for Phillips if they aren’t able to prize Joe Rodon out of Tottenham this summer. Watch this space.

5. Luke Chambers

Following a spell with Kilmarnock last season, Chambers has continued his development with Wigan Athletic this season. He’s racked up 31 appearances in total, producing five goal contributions from left-back in that time.

Having already made four senior appearances at Liverpool under Klopp, we wouldn’t be surprised if the 19-year-old was in Slot’s long-term plans for the future.

4. Owen Beck

With Andy Robertson not getting any younger, the club could turn towards Beck as a younger alternative. He was briefly re-called from his loan spell with Dundee in January following Liverpool’s injury crisis before he was then sent back out on loan.

On the whole, Beck has impressed in Scotland, although it remains to be seen if he has the ability to make the jump up to Premier League football.

No doubt he’ll be closely monitored over pre-season.

3. Tyler Morton

On the back of an impressive loan spell with Hull City, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Morton in and around the first team in the near future.

Playing at the base of midfield for Liam Rosenior’s side, Morton has already proven himself as good enough for the Championship and he seems ready for the next step in his career.

2. Sepp van den Berg

The defender is enjoying a stellar loan spell in the Bundesliga with Mainz and with fellow Dutchman Slot coming in as the new boss, next season could be the ideal time for Van den Berg to break through.

Having spent the last three and a half seasons out on loan, next season under Slot could be a now or never moment for the Dutch defender.

“If I go back to Liverpool, they might want me to stay,” Van den Berg told Voetbal Nieuws. “If I see that I won’t get much game time, then I might choose to leave. It’s really important to me that I play.

“In previous years, I didn’t feel like I would be starting next to Virgil [van Dijk}. I don’t know yet what my chances will be like next summer.

“I think I’m doing well. I can handle playing at Liverpool. I can compete. But being a starter is different. Virgil and [Ibrahima] Konate are not easy to beat. I know it will be hard.”

1. Fabio Carvalho

Liverpool splashed around £7.7m on the Portuguese midfielder back in 2022 and they won’t want to see that money going to waste.

Carvalho never really got much of a chance under Klopp, but following an impressive loan spell with Hull City, next season under Slot could be a fresh start for the 21-year-old.

According to Football Insider, Carvalho is set to ‘play in the first XI next season’ as the youngster is keen to have the opportunity to impress the new manager.

“It’ll be a fresh start for me, and for the likes of Tyler [Morton] as well,” Carvalho told the Liverpool ECHO.

“We’ve just got to take the chances that come. Really grasp it and take it with both hands. Tyler and I have spoken (about the summer). Especially after the news came out about Jurgen. We just spoke about what could potentially change at the club.

“Obviously I want to break into the Liverpool first-team squad, into the starting XI as well. I’m going to see how pre-season turns out and then we’ll make a decision (on my future) after that.”

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2024-05-06T20:04:33Z dg43tfdfdgfd