Defending Premier League champions Liverpool have begun the 2020-21 campaign like they mean business with successive league wins to kickstart their campaign. The reigning champions are once again favourites to clinch England’s top division title and have strengthened their squad with the addition of quality players like Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota. With plenty of depth in the squad now, it’s highly likely that the Reds may look to offload a few players from their wage bill before the transfer window shuts on October 5. Here’s a look at a few potential departures from Liverpool before deadline day.
Harry Wilson
Harry Wilson first signed for Liverpool as part of their U-9s squad and became a full-time member of their academy aged 15. The youngest player to ever represent Wales, at the age of 16 years and 207 days, Wilson is a talented player who is technically gifted and deadly from set-piece situations. He has experience of playing in the Premier League after spending a season on loan with Bournemouth and will be on the lookout for more game time on a regular basis. With Liverpool now spoilt for riches as far as their creative players go, Wilson’s future looks like it lies away from Anfield. At 23 years of age, Wilson is sure to attract plenty of interest from other clubs. Burnley, in particular, seem keen on signing him and are reportedly preparing a 20 million bid for the Welshman.
Rhian Brewster
After joining the Liverpool academy from Chelsea’s in 2015, a lot was expected from the highly-rated English youngster. Talisman of the English U-17 squads that was victorious in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and finished runner-up in the 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Brewster won the World Cup Golden Ball courtesy of stunning performances. He netted hat-tricks against USA and Brazil in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively en-route to bagging the opening goal in the final as England overcame Spain to lift the trophy. Capped at the England U-21 level as well, Brewster spent last season on loan in the Championship at Swansea City and found the net regularly for them. However, the intense competition for places doesn’t guarantee him much game time with Liverpool at the moment, making a permanent move away from Anfield a possibility he can explore, with clubs like Aston Villa and Sheffield United reportedly keen on adding him to their squad.
Divock Origi
Divock Origi has been with Liverpool since 2014 but hasn’t managed to nail down a first-team spot with the Reds. That said, he has become a cult hero of sort for the club having made crucial contributions at pivotal times. He was on the scoresheet during their epic semi-final second leg clash against Barcelona in Liverpool’s Champions League winning campaign and also won the Premier League with the Merseysiders last season. Used mostly as a substitute by Liverpool, Origi has demonstrated his knack for scoring from the bench and has proven his worth to the club numerous times. However, at 25 years of age, the Belgium international will be eager for more time on the pitch and with Liverpool’s frontline stacked for options, it looks like a move away from Merseyside is needed.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Paul Ellis
