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Liverpool ended one of the most frustrating campaigns that the team had in their history. They came close to winning four trophies but missed out on the most important two. Liverpool lost the English Premier League to Manchester City by a point, and the Champions League final by a single goal to Real Madrid.
Now, there will be a summer of uncertainty, as some pieces of the roster might be leaving. Still, even with the changes that could be coming, there are some pieces that just need to stay on Merseyside. Thus, here are three players Liverpool can't afford to lose in the summer transfer window.
Players Liverpool cannot lose in the summer
3. Roberto Firmino
It is understandable if Roberto Firmino approaches the board and states that he wants to leave. He has a year left on his deal with Liverpool, Darwin Nunez might be on his way to England, and he has generally lost his place in the lineup.
However, with Sadio Mane leaving, there will be space for Firmino and we saw in the Champions League final how Firmino can change games. Liverpool should not entertain any offers for the Brazilian, as having a Roberto Firmino on the bench is a true privilege for a team, but one that Liverpool needs.
Again, it is understandable if he wants to leave and seek regular football, but it would hurt the rotational capacity of Liverpool to lose him.
If they were to sell Firmino, his incredible ability to hold down play and distribute the ball to the wings cannot be replicated. There are only two truly great center-forwards with those abilities, and the other is Karim Benzema. Nunez is a different player and he might be the starting man in the middle, but having Firmino as an option, to change up the play and seek to exploit deficiencies of the opposition defense, could be game-changing in some matches that determine important titles.
Liverpool should even extend Firmino and look to keep him past June 2023 when his deal is up. He is just too good of a player for that bench role, so they must do everything they can to keep him.
2. Joel Matip
Now, there have not been any discussions about Matip leaving, but still, it is worth mentioning that he should remain a Liverpool player, regardless of circumstance. The reason why Matip is included here is the fact that Ibrahima Konate was so good for Liverpool as the year went on.
Konate has been one of the best Liverpool players and played some huge games like he is an experienced player, rather than a 23-year-old who has only played 11 Premier League games. There will be a lot of people calling on Jurgen Klopp to start Konate next to Virgil van Dijk next season, and Matip might be looking to leave.
Here is why that should not happen.
Konate is great, there is no doubt about that. However, he is just 23, and a few good games do not mean that can translate to the entire year. Matip is ahead of Konate in relevant experience and should still be the starter, as the French center-back is slowly included into the lineup, step by step. By potentially letting Matip go, Liverpool would be making the same mistake they did in the 2020-21 season, where the lack of center-back options cost them a spot in the UCL semis and true competitiveness in the EPL.
Thus, Matip should remain an integral part of the Liverpool squad for next season and should slowly allow his place to be taken over by Konate.
Even though Mohamed Salah did say that he is staying next season, there are still so many rumors about Liverpool's best player and one of the best players in the world. There is talk about Chelsea or Real Madrid offering tons of money to bring the Egyptian to their respective clubs.
Salah stating he is staying is one thing, but Liverpool might look to sell him, due to the stoppage in his contract negotiation. If he ends up staying but not extending his deal, there is every risk that Salah will leave for free next summer.
Thus, Liverpool's board might look to cash in on the hype around the player right now, given the fact he has possibly had the best individual season in his career. However, they should not … and here is why.
It is entirely true that Salah has the option of leaving next summer, without Liverpool cashing in. However, Liverpool are such a great club and should be competitive on all sides and in all competitions next season, that it is worth the risk. Salah is a huge part of that competitiveness, that is true, and that is a part of the reason why they should not be giving him up.
Even if he does leave for free, at least it is one more season of Salah and due to his fairly small wages and a very small transfer fee, it would not even be a loss for Liverpool, at least financially. Thus, they should not look to sell him this summer, not for any price, not even if Salah does not want to extend his deal.
