Liverpool star’s fate sealed, as Luis Diaz transfer forces Klopp to trim Premier League squad
Loris Karius will be the man Jurgen Klopp cuts from his Liverpool squad for the Premier League following the arrival of Luis Diaz, according to a report.
As regards the quantity of signings, the Reds had a quiet transfer window. Indeed, former Porto winger Diaz was their only addition. The Reds initially wanted him in the summer but sprang into action after interest from Tottenham.
However, as for the quality of January arrivals, Liverpool have earned praise from many pundits.
Diaz, 25, will likely compete with Sadio Mane for a spot on the left of manager Klopp’s attack. That will spur Senegal international Mane on while he is still at Liverpool.
However, the Colombian will also represent the long-term future of Liverpool’s attack alongside Diogo Jota. The futures of Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino all remain uncertain.
The only niggling issue with Diaz’s arrival is the fact that it took Liverpool over their 17-player limit for overseas players in their Premier League squad.
But the Daily Mirror claims that Klopp will resolve the problem by axing Karius from his ranks.
The German goalkeeper has not played a professional match for the Reds since the 2018 Champions League final. He had been a regular before two crucial errors cost the Reds against Real Madrid in Kyiv.
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Not long after, Liverpool signed Alisson Becker as their commanding first-choice goalkeeper. More recently, meanwhile, 23-year-old Caoimhin Kelleher has established himself as Klopp’s No. 2.
Karius’ contract expires in the summer and Liverpool have tried to find him a move away in recent windows.
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Talk of interest in him in January was sparse amid his impending move into free agency. Last summer, though, talks over his transfer to Swiss side Basel broke down.
As such, he has remained in Liverpool’s ranks but has also been behind third-choice Adrian in the pecking order.
Karius one of three Liverpool stars out
The Daily Mirror also notes that Liverpool will remove Neco Williams and Nat Phillips from their Premier League squad.
The pair sealed deadline-day loan moves to Fulham and Bournemouth, respectively.
Premier League teams are allowed eight homegrown players in their squad and Phillips, 24, counted as one of them. As a result, the Reds will have a 23-man squad for the rest of the season.
However, registered Under-21 players do not count as part of the 25-man squad so Williams, 20, has not explicitly dropped out of the ranks.
On the flipside, though, Klopp can reap the rewards of that rule. Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Kaide Gordon and Tyler Morton all fall into the Under-21 category.
Liverpool return to action on Sunday when facing Cardiff in the FA Cup fourth round at Anfield.
