As the dust begins to settle on Liverpool’s acquisition of Darwin Nunez, focus will shift towards what other transfer business the club will complete this summer. Supporters will naturally be hoping for more signings, but they will also have to be braced for further exits.
Divock Origi has already left, Sadio Mane looks set to join him and the pruning of Jurgen Klopp’s squad does not look likely to end there. Takumi Minamino might have been the Reds’ top scorer in both cup competitions this season but that doesn’t appear to have secured his spot in the squad, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is rumoured to be on Manchester United’s radar.
As much as it’s impossible to see that move coming to pass, it’s certainly feasible to imagine the former Arsenal man moving on this summer. But it’s also fair to ask if Liverpool would be leaving themselves a little short if they were to sell both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Minamino ahead of 2022/23.
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Considering they made 17 and nine starts respectively this term, the initial assumption is that their presence would not be overly missed by the Reds next season. Following the FA Cup victory over Norwich in which they both played 90 minutes, each player only made one further start across the final 21 games of the campaign. Neither was in the match day squad more than 11 times in that period either.
If they can’t even make the bench every week then how will they possibly be missed if they leave? The answer to this question lies in two aspects of players which can be underrated but should not be automatically undervalued.
In baseball, they have the concept of an innings eating pitcher. In their 162-game season – and you thought Liverpool played a lot of matches – teams can’t always use their best pitchers throughout. With over 1,400 innings to cover, managers will turn to less heralded names to pitch through less important moments.
The Reds played 63 matches in 2021/22 and will be looking to do the same next season while providing adequate rest to their superstars. Both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Minamino were unavailable for selection on just three occasions this season and featured heavily in many of the less important (a.k.a. domestic cup) games.
The club could justifiably think they will have these ‘innings’ covered though. Fabio Carvalho has been added to the roster, while Harvey Elliott, Kaide Gordon and Tyler Morton (among other young players) will aspire to feature more frequently next season. The potential exits of Taki and ‘Ox’ can only heighten their hopes of further playing opportunities.
But the potentially departing duo provided Klopp with flexibility to an extent that only two other members of his squad did in 2021/22, as along with Curtis Jones and James Milner, they started in four different positions within the team. It’s remarkable that Minamino managed this when he was only included in the XI for nine matches. Yet the Japanese international found time to start in all three positions within the front line and on the left of the midfield for the Champions League win at AC Milan.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s versatility was arguably more impressive. While playing on either side of the defensive midfielder may not have been a stretch, the 28-year-old also started at centre-forward for the 1-0 victory against Aston Villa and played two matches on the right of the attack while Mohamed Salah was away on AFCON duty. What’s more, he scored in both of those games, wins over Brentford and Crystal Palace.
He and Minamino likely feel they deserve to play regularly and may prefer to do so for a club at a slightly lower level. They may be able to hold down a regular position rather than being shifted around to meet line up requirements with another team too.
If they leave, few people would begrudge them a fresh start. There’s a very real chance Klopp and Liverpool might feel their loss more keenly than they assume if they move on though.
