Liverpool resume Premier League duty this weekend under more pressure than most, knowing a defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates will all but end their hopes of a top four finish.
Brendan Rodgers side suffered a bitterly disappointing 2-1 defeat to Manchester United last time out, in a result that saw a gap of five points created between them and their bitter rivals in the race for that final Champions League spot.
Defeat at the Emirates could see the gap widened to eight points with just six games to play after this weekend, and Rodgers side will have to get a result without both Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel – both of whom start their three match bans following their respective disciplinary issues last time out.
Prior to the United defeat, Liverpool had been the countries form side. Yet their woeful start to the season has seen them continuously playing catch up, and another summer of change beckons.
Steven Gerrard has already confirmed he will be on his way out of Anfield at the end of the season, and another experienced former England international in Glen Johnson looks set to follow him, with his contract up shortly.
Here we have identified five more players set to leave Anfield this summer.
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Click on Glen Johnson to reveal five players to follow him out of Anfield.
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Rickie Lambert
Rickie Lambert only completed his dream move to Liverpool last summer, yet looks set to be on his way at the end of the season after a nightmare 10 months at his boyhood club.
Lambert was an early symbol of Liverpool’s nightmare start to the season, struggling to do the impossible and replace the goals of the injured Daniel Sturridge and the departed Luis Suarez.
Lambert has fired just three goals in all competitions this term, and is now struggling for any sort of regular first team football, in a new 3-4-2-1 system designed for a pacy front man.
Liverpool accepted an offer from Aston Villa in January, but Lambert opted to stay and fight for a first team place. We do not expect him to do the same in the summer when the likes of Villa, Crystal Palace and West Brom come calling.
Fabio Borini
The Italian striker is another player Liverpool have accepted an offer for in the past 12 months, but opted to stay and fight for his future at Anfield.
Borini’s passion and work-rate makes him popular amongst Reds supporters, but his lack of goals are where he lets himself down.
Borini has just one goal to his name this season – the same as the number of red cards he has picked up – and is another one who is now struggling to make the first team squad, let alone the team.
If Sunderland or QPR come calling with an offer this summer, surely Borini won’t reject it again – that is if he fancies playing first team football ever again.
Mario Balotelli
A signing that simply has not worked out.
Balotelli has started just one match since November (the Europa League loss to Besiktas) and has managed a total of four goals in all competitons this season.
Brendan Rodgers is understood to be keen to offload at the first opportunity, with the Northern Irishman making it clear in not so subtle terms the Italian was not his first choice signing last summer.
Liverpool fans on the whole would like to see more of a fair opportunity afforded to a player that has proved himself a decent goalscorer at the highest level, yet the feeling is he is a player that simply does not fit the mould at Anfield.
Javier Manquillo
The young Spaniard only signed last summer on a two year loan move from Atletico Madrid. Yet he has made little to no impression at Anfield, managing just two appearances since January – in the FA Cup at AFC Wimbledon and as a substitute in the Europa League defeat to Besiktas.
The 3-4-2-1 system Brendan Rodgers is currently favouring does not suit Manquillo, and with Jon Flanagan set to return from injury shortly, and Andre Wisdom set to be recalled from a loan spell at West Brom, it would not be a surprise if Manquillo’s loan spell at Anfield was cut short by a year.
Raheem Sterling
Contract negotiations with the 20-year-old have been going on all season, and the fact nothing has been signed and Sterling has put talks on hold until the end of the campaign has got the alarm bells ringing around Anfield.
Fresh doubt was cast yesterday, as Sterling made a PR own goal by arranging an interview with the BBC in which he claimed he was ‘not a money grabbing 20-year-old’, moments after revealing he had indeed turned down a contract offer of £100,000 a week.
Arsenal have been linked, and Sterling angered Reds supporters further with the claim the stories were ‘quite flattering.’
Expect this to be one of the transfer sagas of the summer.
