Liverpool could lose up to four of their homegrown players from last season’s Premier League squad, but eight more players are now eligible.
Last season, Jurgen Klopp only registered 24 players for the Premier League, with seven out of eight possible homegrown slots denying him a full squad.
Now, two of those homegrown players – James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – have left the club and two others – Caoimhin Kelleher and Nat Phillips – are expected to move on this summer.
That only leaves Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Jordan Henderson from the existing homegrown group.
To qualify as homegrown, a player must have been registered to an English or Welsh club for a period of three seasons (or years) before his 21st birthday, with a maximum of 17 non-homegrown players permitted in the Premier League.
Therefore, for Klopp to name more than 20 senior players for next season’s Premier League, Liverpool are in need of new solutions.
Beyond the transfer market, which has already seen Mason Mount emerge as a homegrown target, there are a number of new possibilities within the club.
Curtis Jones will take one of next season’s homegrown slots having turned 22 in January, meaning he can no longer be included as an under-21 player.
Also now eligible are centre-backs Sepp van den Berg and Rhys Williams, midfielder Leighton Clarkson and goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros.
Further down the ranks, strikers Paul Glatzel and Jack Bearne also now qualify as homegrown along with defender Oludare Olufunwa.
While it is unlikely that most of those players will be considered first-team candidates, Klopp could turn to Van den Berg or Williams as replacements for Phillips as fifth-choice centre-back.
Similarly, Jaros could be retained as part of the goalkeeper group, though the 21-year-old Czech spent last season as second choice on loan with League Two side Stockport.
It should be understood that those registered as homegrown would still need to possess the quality required to be part of Liverpool’s first team.
That may see many of these new options deemed unviable by Klopp and his staff – but there are at least two more-than-useful additions in the form of Jones and Van den Berg.
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