With a number of high-profile exits anticipated for the second successive summer, Liverpool could be sleepwalking into something of a homegrown headache.
The Reds are set for another summer of upheaval following a title defence that never truly got off the ground, with multiple senior figures heading for pastures new and gaping holes in the squad still to be addressed.
Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez are likely to attract interest from elsewhere, among others. Given that the club have sailed close to the wind on the homegrown quota front for a number of years, it may focus the minds of the decision makers when navigating the market this summer.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some potential options that could simultaneously bolster the squad and help alleviate such issues in future windows – some more ambitious than others!
Elliot Anderson
Elliot Anderson, Nottingham Forest at the City Ground (Martin Rickett/PA)
Player Profile: Elliot Anderson
Full Name: Elliot Junior AndersonAge: 23 (Nov 6, 2002)Height: 5’10” (179cm)Birthplace: Whitley Bay, England
Club: Nottingham ForestPosition: Defensive MidfielderFoot: RightMarket Value: £46m (€53m)
While evidently different types of players in more than one regard, you could quite easily copy and paste the list of Adam Wharton pros and not stray too far away from those of Elliot Anderson.
One suspects the Reds would have to fend off interest from both sides of Manchester should they wish to pursue the England international, but the impressive season he is enjoying means we wouldn’t be doing our jobs properly if we weren’t keeping tabs.
Michael Olise
LIMASSOL, CYPRUS - SEPTEMBER 30: Michael Olise of Bayern Munich celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Pafos FC and FC Bayern München at Limassol Stadium on September 30, 2025 in Limassol, Cyprus. (Photo by George Wood - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Player Profile: Michael Olise
Full Name: Michael Akpovie OliseAge: 24 (Dec 12, 2001)Height: 6’0″ (184cm)Birthplace: London, England
Club: Bayern MunichPosition: Right WingerFoot: LeftMarket Value: £121m (€140m)
Perhaps the most fanciful of the lot, but almost certainly the most glamorous. Despite choosing to represent France on the international stage, Olise qualifies as homegrown and would add a level of star quality almost impossible to find elsewhere.
Setting aside the inevitably extortionate cost, Liverpool’s unforeseen 2025/26 slide makes a deal more difficult to envisage than it might otherwise have been.
But if the club are serious about filling the boots of one of Anfield’s greatest-ever, this is quite simply as good as it could conceivably get. In this case, the homegrown element is merely an added bonus.
Adam Wharton
England’s Adam Wharton during a press conference (Adam Davy/PA)
Player Profile: Adam Wharton
Full Name: Adam James WhartonAge: 22 (February 6, 2004)Height: 6’0″ (182cm)Birthplace: Blackburn, England
Club: Crystal PalacePosition: Defensive MidfielderFoot: LeftMarket Value: £57m (€66.8m)
Should the club decide to visit the midfield market ahead of 2026/27, they’ll struggle to find a player who ticks more boxes than Wharton.
In many ways, Liverpool are still to replace the deep midfield quality lost in Fabinho’s 2023 departure, and Wharton would undoubtedly be capable of putting his own creative spin on the role with the very line-breaking passes that have hurt us in recent times.
There are players on this list worth considering on the basis of homegrown status alone, but Crystal Palace’s No. 20 is unquestionably a catch.
Jarrod Bowen
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Wednesday, September 22, 2021: West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen during the Football League Cup 3rd Round match between Manchester United FC and West Ham United FC at Old Trafford. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: Jarrod Bowen
Full Name: Jarrod BowenAge: 29 (Dec 20, 1996)Height: 5’9″ (175cm)Birthplace: Leominster, England
Club: West HamPosition: Right WingerFoot: LeftMarket Value: £40m (€46.m)
Premier League-proven and relentlessly productive, Jarrod Bowen could provide welcome firepower to a forward line still firmly mid-transition.
The combination of West Ham’s current predicament and Liverpool’s long-standing reported interest makes this one to keep an eye on, but it would need to be supplemented by further attacking reinforcement.
Archie Gray
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Thursday, February 6, 2025: Tottenham Hotspur's Archie Gray (L) and Liverpool's Curtis Jones during the Football League Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: Archie Gray
Full Name: Archie James Francis GrayAge: 20 (Mar 12, 2006)Height: 6’1″ (187cm)Birthplace: Durham, England
Club: TottenhamPosition: Defensive MidfielderFoot: RightMarket Value: £51m (€59m)
On the other side of the relegation coin, Archie Gray has been a shining light in an otherwise dismal Tottenham campaign and the versatile 20-year-old’s trajectory can only realistically be an upwards one.
His ability to plug multiple gaps across midfield and a back four makes this a pretty unique market proposition.
Survival or not, you’d imagine he will find himself at the centre of bigger and better conversations sooner rather than later.
Harry Wilson
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 11, 2026: Fulham's Harry Wilson during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 2-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: Harry Wilson
Full Name: Harry WilsonAge: 29 (Mar 22, 1997)Height: 5’8″ (173cm)Birthplace: Wrexham, Wales
Club: FulhamPosition: Right WingerFoot: LeftMarket Value: £30m (€35m)
Liverpool have typically been proficient modern-era sellers and the £12 million recouped in the sale of Harry Wilson to Fulham back in 2021 felt like good business for a winger with just two senior outings to his name.
The Welsh international has since fulfilled his early promise at Craven Cottage, becoming a key figure in a side showing no danger of returning to the Championship since promotion as champions in 2022.
It was a rare deal in that it worked out swimmingly for all parties and the path for a return is by no means a clear one, but with the Reds light on attacking options heading into 2026/27, it would certainly represent an upgrade on some of the current fringe alternatives.
Morgan Rogers
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, January 15, 2025: Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers (L) is challenged by Everton's Vitaliy Mykolenko during the FA Premier League match between Everton FC and Aston Villa FC at Goodison Park. Aston Villa won 1-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: Morgan Rogers
Full Name: Morgan Elliot RogersAge: 23 (July 26, 2002)Height: 6’2″ (187cm)Birthplace: Birmingham, England
Club: Aston VillaPosition: Attacking MidfielderFoot: RightMarket Value: £80m (€92.8m)
Once credibly linked with a move to Merseyside, murmurings of a deal have eased somewhat since, but Morgan Rogers unquestionably remains one of the most exciting young talents to have emerged from these shores in recent seasons.
Aston Villa will be braced for interest across the continent following this summer’s World Cup – with Man City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and PSG deemed to be among those willing to come to the table.
Given the current make-up of the squad, Rogers’ positional versatility could be an invaluable asset in Liverpool’s quest to reverse fortunes next season, but it wouldn’t come cheap or easy.
Anthony Gordon
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, January 31, 2026: Newcastle United's goalscorer Anthony Gordon during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Newcastle United FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 4-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: Anthony Gordon
Full Name: Anthony Michael GordonAge: 25 (Feb 24, 2001)Height: 6’0″ (183cm)Birthplace: Liverpool, England
Club: NewcastlePosition: Left WingerFoot: RightMarket Value: £80m (€92.8m)
It’s the one that won’t seem to go away, no matter how many roadblocks are placed in front of it.
Anthony Gordon is another homegrown forward capable of operating across the front line and has previously made no secret of his willingness to burn blue bridges to return to a club at which he once worked his way through academy ranks.
He is, of course, a boyhood Liverpool fan and given the likelihood of a Curtis Jones exit this summer, this would be one way to keep the Scouse heartbeat of the side beating.
James Trafford
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, March 22, 2026: Manchester City's goalkeeper James Trafford celebrates with the trophy after the Football League Cup Final match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC at Wembley Stadium. Man City won 2-0. (Photo by Josh Le Feuvre/Propaganda)
Player Profile: James Trafford
Full Name: James Harrington TraffordAge: 23 (Oct 10, 2002)Height: 6’5″ (197cm)Birthplace: Cockermouth, England
Club: Man CityPosition: GoalkeeperFoot: RightMarket Value: £42m (€48.5m)
While it is another far-fetched one for obvious reasons, the goalkeeping situations at both Liverpool and Man City provide a layer of mystique this summer in a number of respects.
It is frankly a non-starter unless an Alisson departure materialises, but James Trafford will no doubt want to ensure he is playing regular first-team football, having been somewhat blindsided when Gianluigi Donnarumma walked through the door eight months ago.
John Stones
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 6, 2023: Manchester City's John Stones during the FA Community Shield match between Manchester City FC and Arsenal FC at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: John Stones
Full Name: John StonesAge: 31 (May 28, 1994)Height: 6’2″ (188cm)Birthplace: Barnsley, England
Club: Man CityPosition: Centre-BackFoot: RightMarket Value: Free
At the more speculative end of the scale and another that would certainly ruffle feathers, John Stones will be looking for a new club upon the expiry of his contract this summer.
An Everton homecoming feels a lot more feasible, but with Ibrahima Konate’s future still not formally resolved and two of his understudies yet to turn 21, Liverpool may be tempted to add another experienced head in defensive areas before the summer is out and there haven’t been many better in the last decade.