Liverpool's Midfield Trim: No Replacement for Jones

Liverpool are preparing to trim their midfield yet again – and this time it’s without the safety net of a replacement signing.

Curtis Jones has already gone, completing a £30m move to Inter Milan, and that alone felt like a trigger for Liverpool to dive back into the market for a defensive midfielder. On paper, they look light. On the pitch, Wataru Endo is the only natural holding player in the squad.

But Liverpool are going the other way.

Faith in Nyoni, not the market

Endo, the experienced anchor, is not expected to jump ahead of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai or Alexis Mac Allister in the pecking order. The plan is clear: the attacking, ball-playing trio will scrap for the two central starting roles, with the club leaning heavily into mobility and creativity rather than a traditional destroyer.

The exit of Jones seemed to open the door for a specialist holding midfielder. Instead, Liverpool have shut it.

As revealed by Graeme Bailey earlier in the week, the club have decided against signing another midfielder. That stance has now been reinforced by The Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce, who reports that the decision is firm.

Pearce wrote that, despite the noise around midfield reinforcements – noise that grew louder after the dramatic 2-2 draw with Newcastle – senior figures at the club insist the priority lies elsewhere: wide attacking options. Jones will not be replaced like-for-like. The club see teenager Trey Nyoni as ready to step up and play a more significant role.

The new hierarchy is blunt. Szoboszlai, Gravenberch and Mac Allister for two starting spots. Nyoni as fourth choice. Endo as additional cover, the fifth man.

No new holding midfielder. No late scramble. Just a bet on youth and versatility.

Bajcetic next out the door

And still, the exits keep coming.

With no midfield signing on the horizon, Liverpool are set to lose another option in the engine room: Stefan Bajcetic. On profile alone, he is exactly what many supporters want to keep – a genuine defensive-minded midfielder with composure on the ball. But injuries have shredded his rhythm and stalled his progress in England.

Now, at 21 and entering the final year of his contract, Bajcetic is on the verge of heading back to where it all began. Trusted reporter Matteo Moretto says the Spaniard will return to former club Celta Vigo on a permanent deal.

The fee will be modest, a nominal sum rather than a major payday. Liverpool’s real play is in the sell-on clause attached to the move, a long-term chip that could pay out if Bajcetic rebuilds his career in La Liga and attracts bigger bids down the line.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Celta and Bajcetic are close to agreeing personal terms as well, which leaves the deal on the brink of completion.

So Liverpool stand on the edge of a season with Jones gone, Bajcetic likely to follow, no new holding midfielder coming in, and a teenager, Trey Nyoni, pushed into the spotlight.

It is a bold call. Soon enough, we will find out whether it is visionary – or reckless.