Liverpool face their own Palmer disaster with “magic” ace

Liverpool Countries have their eyes on their spending in 2025, as the dark clouds of contractual uncertainty begin to become very real.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is probably the hottest name and most likely member to leave this year, as his contract will expire at the end of the campaign and Real Madrid have every interest in his prized signature. They are doing everything to bring him to the Spanish capital.

It’s almost unbelievable that Arne Slot took the Anfield main chair so easily, with such confidence, after Jürgen KloppThe shocking decision to step down at the end of the 2023/24 term.

But then, Slot’s keen tactical mind and interpersonal skills lend themselves to success at a high-achieving club like Liverpool, who sit quite high at the top of the league and European rankings.

No matter which way you look at it, it’s already been quite a journey. However, FSG knows that action needs to be taken in both directions this year, and that more than just the big three, without commitment, could be heading for pastures new.

Liverpool facing exodus in 2025

Besides Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah continue to discuss contract extensions with Liverpool. The latter two are viewed with more optimism, but we are well into January and there has still been no breakthrough.

Caught offside confirmed that discussions have taken place between Slot and Darwin Nunez to inform the Uruguayan striker that his form must improve or he will find his place in jeopardy, with a £60m price tag having already been put on his name .

Federico Chiesa only signed this summer but maybe already in danger of the cup, with injuries limiting him to just four appearances so far. Paris Saint-Germain is lobby to sign Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Napoli view the versatile Liverpool striker as the ideal replacement.

There is Harvey Elliott. The midfielder has had a difficult season under Slot’s wing and is on the radar of Brighton & Hove Albion and Borussia Dortmund due to a lack of playing time, according to Sky Sports.

Frustratingly, the first knocks of the season kept Elliott sidelined after fracturing his foot on international duty with the England U21s. with Slot calling a “big disappointment” given that he would have gained many opportunities over the coming months.

Well, the 21-year-old has been in form for over a month now, but he’s still limited to the most minimal of roles, seemingly giving rise to rumors that he’s headed for the door this year.

If Liverpool were to consider this idea it would be a big mistake. In fact, Slot may be in danger of creating its own Cole Palmer disaster with this talented playmaker.

Slot’s Cole Palmer Disaster

We all know the story. In August 2023, Manchester City sold their homegrown talent, Palmer, to Chelsea. in deal worth £42.5m after playing 41 times for the senior team and notched eight goal contributions.

Such a high figure for such a young and untested player on the major stage has raised many eyebrows, but Chelsea are pleased with the retrospective consensus, with Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher hailing the 22-year-old as “the best player in the Premier League” in October.

With Mohamed Salah dominating the headlines this season, it might seem that Palmer has stagnated, a victim of that ‘one-season wonder’ syndrome that is associated with any rising sensation on English shores, but Palmer is always producing at the top of his game, a true superstar in the making.

There is no doubt he made the right choice in 2023, instantly becoming Chelsea’s main man after struggling to break into Pep Guardiola’s elite unit. How the Spanish manager must regret his decision now.

This could have been the right move for Palmer, and there is every chance that Elliott will develop his qualities with teams like Brighton and Dortmund, but he can also make a marked difference to Liverpool’s growing project over the next years.

According to FBrefThe England ace ranks in the top 1% of peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and shot-creating actions and in the top 6% for progressive passes and carries, demonstrating age-defying skills when it comes to his playmaking ability.

However, there is no doubt that Elliott needs more action, otherwise he will be pushing for a transfer himself. Although he was out for the first few months of the season, talent at £40,000 a week has only managed to feature on the Premier League bench since, with his six appearances totaling just 36 minutes of action plus downtime.

Elliott is still so young; it’s easy to forget that this is a player who hasn’t even scratched the outer margins of his ‘prime years’ yet. Liverpool could still regret not having played him. He was not called to the bench as Liverpool lost to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, a game that yearned for a creative spark.

Last season, Elliott struggled for minutes until the end of business. Ah, but then he showed his skills and style, totaling one goal and four assists in the last six Premier League matches of Klopp’s dynasty.

Just over a year ago, the former Fulham youngster admitted he did not want to be known as a “super-sub”, believing his qualities demanded a bigger role. So we can hardly expect him to be happy with his current situation, can we?

Ancient Neil Critchley, Liverpool U18s head coach Elliott once praised Elliott for producing “real pieces of magic on the ball” and he translated that deep-rooted talent to the major stage.

Perhaps Elliott watched Palmer’s rise at Stamford Bridge and wondered whether he should follow suit. You don’t have to. Liverpool’s tactical team must simply recognize the dire situation they would allow to develop.

The diminutive left-hander spoke about adapting to Slot football, and while he admitted it’s been “very intense,” he spoke about the wide-beam style, eager to progress to the top-ranked team from England.

FSG has an important decision to make this month. They must make the right decision. Elliott can’t being allowed to venture out when he has shown so much promise throughout his young career thus far, marking 25 goal contributions across 125 senior appearances for the Reds, starting just 54 of those matches.

Let’s take a step back and remember a comment Klopp made as he approached the final moments of his distinguished tenure on Merseyside. Klopp admitted his big regret at Liverpool was not playing Elliott more often.

Could Slot harbor similar regrets, should this marvelous midfield force take his craft elsewhere next season? Liverpool may well find themselves regretting their own mistake in the Cole Palmer mould.

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