Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones
Now that the extended autumn international break is finally over, Liverpool supporters can look forward to the next phase under Andoni Iraola.
There were always going to be teething problems at the start of the season. Last year, Arne Slot's side fell by the wayside, and the Reds barely scraped their way into the Champions League after pipping Iraola's impressive Bournemouth.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot-1
The summer transfer window was supposed to put things right. Liverpool are in better nick, but this remains an imbalanced squad, choppy in attack and short of depth in the centre.
Midfield was neglected, and it does raise the question: why exactly was Curtis Jones sold to Inter Milan?
Why Liverpool sold Curtis Jones to Inter Milan
First and foremost, Jones was frustrated at Liverpool. Iraola led the squad over the pond for a pre-season campaign which was tainted by Jones' fallout with Dominik Szoboszlai, who frustrated boyhood fan Jones after handing the captain's armband to Kostas Tsimikas when withdrawn against Wrexham.
But if Jones had hoped for a role of greater importance under Iraola, such an emotional outburst was hardly going to help his case. In truth, the six-time England international probably had his eye on the exit for a number of months.
Jones, 25, joined Inter Milan for £35m, with his technicality and composure on the ball seemingly perfect for the slower pace of Serie A.
He'll have to work to cement himself as a mainstay at San Siro, though. Jones has started only one of four league appearances this season.
||
Jones' Premier League Playing Time
Season
25/26
24/25
23/24
22/23
21/22
20/21
19/20
At Liverpool, his frustrations were understandable - but then, perhaps he needed to offer more. The homegrown talent has a range of progressive and technical qualities, but he never played with enough initiative to cement himself as a mainstay.
Sometimes, tough decisions have to be made. Are Liverpool sapped from selling Jones? Perhaps, but Iraola has enough to endure for now - before eventually signing a big and exciting upgrade.
Liverpool's Curtis Jones during the warm up before the match
Jones has gone, having played a big role for his boyhood club over a number of years. In the end, he needed to leave to try and progress his career - and the same could be said for a remaining member of the Jurgen Klopp era.
Liverpool's new Curtis Jones is finished
Jones might have played a role for Liverpool in the Premier League this season, but he wanted to leave, and Iraola was happy to part with a midfielder who wanted more than he could be rewarded with.
Unfortunately for Harvey Elliott, he would love nothing more than to reclaim a role in the Reds first-team squad, but it's beginning to look like his Liverpool career is over, with his loan spell at Valencia thus far not going to plan.
Harvey Elliott Graphic
Sadly, it's fair to say that Elliott's Liverpool career is just about finished. Before he drew down the curtain on his tenure at the outfit in 2024, Klopp admitted he 'regretted' not giving Elliott a more prominent role, but the England U21 international has yet to raise his game in the two years since then.
He became embroiled in an unsavoury situation at Aston Villa last year, reduced to a nominal role under Unai Emery, who had no intention of paying Liverpool's conditional purchase option after early-season assessments.
This cut Elliott adrift, and now, having relocated to Valencia, the 23-year-old finds himself in another tough environment. Valencia are fighting off early fears of relegation from La Liga, 19th after seven games, and the playmaker has only made three substitute appearances so far.
At Liverpool, the stocky attacking midfielder enjoyed some success. He won titles and drew plaudits for his creativity and ability to score a sweet goal. But he never established himself as a starter, and in that, he is bound to follow Jones out of the door on a permanent deal, sooner rather than later.
Elliott was always a talented playmaker, but he still hasn't made the kind of progress as a mobile, robust athlete that would see him cement a role in Liverpool's starting 11.
harvey-elliott-aston-villa
After such a disappointing loan spell in the Midlands with Villa, Elliott can ill-afford to languish for another year. His case for success in Valencia hasn't been helped by the early-season sacking of Carlos Corberan, instrumental in convincing him to join the project.
In any case, with Wirtz having been signed and Liverpool searching for more creativity in midfield, it's not likely that Elliott will resurrect his career on Merseyside.