Liverpool: 5 players for Jurgen Klopp to sell this summer
2. Marko Grujic
This 23-year-old defensive midfielder was Klopp’s first Liverpool signing for an undisclosed fee.
His first season was marred by injury, limiting him to just 8 appearances. In the seasons since then, he has been out on loan, honing his craft.
Still, fans were shown glimpses of his potential both offensively and defensively.
But what does the future hold for Marko Grujic? To make a conclusion, we need to consider Liverpool’s squad depth.
Liverpool have a plethora of options in attacking midfield, but less so defensively.
Aside from Fabinho, Liverpool have been seen to rotate Henderson, Wijnaldum and Milner at CDM.
However, Henderson and Wijnaldum seem far more effective when positioned less defensively in centre-midfield. Meanwhile, it’s no secret that Milner is aging and beginning to lack the pace to play effectively in CDM, game after game, for the full 90 minutes.
Given Grujic has been sent out on loan, supposedly earning the game time he’s needed to develop, now appears to be the perfect time to integrate him into a recurring substitute’s role.
Players tend to find their peak sometime between the ages of 25-31 years old (Henderson began to peak around 28/29) and given the rather extensive injury Fabinho suffered with earlier this season, I can see a role for Grujic in Liverpool’s future.
Whether Klopp agrees or not is another matter.
Thus far, it’s been challenging enough to find a successful way to rotate Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita and up-and-comer Curtis Jones (who you may remember for scoring a rather stunning winner against Everton in the FA Cup 3rd round to seal the 1-0 win).
If Klopp cannot find room for Grujic in the Liverpool squad this year he’s left with an ultimatum, given the player’s age and how soon his abilities could peak.
Either Grujic goes out on loan next season for one final time before another attempt to integrate him into the squad is made.
Or, Liverpool tactfully hint at the player’s availability and see if any big footballing powerhouses come calling (such as Bayern Munich, Juventus and Real Madrid).
With just the right amount of praise from Klopp over Grujic’s potential as well as impressive pre-season performances, a big side could be tempted into a rather high bid for the player.
It wouldn’t be the first time Liverpool secured a surprisingly high fee for one of their players. Recent examples include Coutinho (£140m), Dominic Solanke (signed for free but sold for £19m) and Danny Ings (also signed for free but sold for £20m).