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Ibrahima Konate exit, Mohamed Salah replacement and Arne Slot future - Liverpool questions…

We asked for your burning questions on the goings on at Anfield, and our Chief Liverpool Correspondent Ian Doyle provided the answers

Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool

Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool(Image: Ryan Crockett/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

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The season is about to enter the final straight. And while it hasn't panned out quite as supporters would have hoped so far, Arne Slot's side still have plenty to play for between now and the end of May.

Champions League qualification may be the priority but the Reds will be keen on making inroads in this campaign's competition while also progressing in the FA Cup, with a mouth-watering quarter-final at Manchester City to come on Saturday lunchtime.

We have been asking for your questions on the current state of play at Anfield, and here we take a punt at providing some answers...

Harry T asks: If you could sign one winger to replace Mo Salah, who would it be?

Tough one. There's no point in attempting to find a like-for-like replacement as there isn't one. Liverpool are therefore going to assess what is needed to bring the best out of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike up top while dovetailing with Florian Wirtz inside.

Ideally, it will be someone who is a bit versatile and could do a job on either flank and has a bit of pace, but still has room to grow and won't cost an absolute fortune. The pool therefore isn't the biggest, especially with so many of their rivals at home and abroad having already snapped up a lot of the best such talent.

All of which is a very roundabout way of saying I don't know which winger I'd sign. Just as well I'm not on the recruitment team, really. It isn't going to be easy for them.

Won It Six Times asks: Do you think Ibou Konate could end up staying now? Those comments this week seemed to suggest he could.

Ibrahima Konate could end up staying, of course. But that it's now got into April indicates it's becoming less and less likely.

The intriguing thing for me is Real Madrid. They were adamant earlier this season they weren't interested in signing Konate, but things change in football and now, surprise surprise, reports out of Spain indicate they are considering the France international.

If he heads to the World Cup without having agreed a new deal, we can more or less take it that he's on his way if it hasn't been announced already. Liverpool would much prefer to keep Konate and there's no doubt the player is enjoying his time at Anfield and was recently talking as though he is planning on being around to help a new-look team progress. But not if the terms of a new contract aren't to his requirements.

Irawo asks: Who are the players that’ll definitely get sold this summer and who are their realistic replacements?

You'd be surprised if Harvey Elliott and Kostas Tsimikas are still around next season, and Federico Chiesa will surely consider leaving in pursuit of regular minutes. As for other potential exits, most would be on free transfers (Salah is definitely going, Konate and Andy Robertson could also). After that, it would probably depend on the direction Liverpool want to go in terms of style of play and, of course, whether any individuals decide they want to seek pastures new.

That, though, will only happen if the right price is met by any potential suitors and replacements have been sourced. For me, Liverpool have been three players short all season - a wide forward, a defensive midfielder and a centre-back - and they cannot allow that to happen again. They need numbers on top of replacing anyone sold.

Mick C asks: Slot will prove he is a decent manager given time to allow new players to fully adapt and settle in.

Well, that's more of a statement than a question. But it will be interesting to see what happens with Slot during the summer.

Unless matters go horribly, horribly wrong, I actually doubt the next eight weeks are going to have much bearing on what Liverpool may or may not decide to do. The many issues of this season aren't going to be solved in that time for the long-term, even if the Reds end up winning the Champions League and FA Cup and finish inside the top five.

The squad is about to change significantly again, and I agree the likes of Wirtz, Isak, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Ekitike are going to be better next season. Liverpool's owners haven't shown any sign of wavering in their support of Slot. But it may ultimately come down to whether they believe he has the right plan to oversee what is becoming a new Liverpool team in the post-Jurgen Klopp era.

Scouse Helen asks: Seeing the amount of players with long-term injuries this season, do you now think too many backup players were moved on at the start of this season?

I've always said Liverpool shouldn't have sold so many players in the summer even if, judging them as individual cases, you can see why they were each allowed to leave. The Reds probably paid for being not hard-nosed and selfish enough with some of the squad members, and that the struggles in the first half of the season meant youngsters such as Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha were not given as much game time as would have been ideal.

In fairness, Liverpool have been unlucky with the wrong players - in terms of position - being injured at the wrong time. No amount of signings can legislate for that.

Jake asks: Do you think Andy Robertson will leave? Would Liverpool get a better replacement if he did?

Liverpool no doubt want Robertson to stay but ultimately it will come down to what the player desires given he will be second-choice to Kerkez again next season. A replacement would perhaps be in the mould of what Tsimikas was when he joined six years ago - a decent player with good experience that wouldn't cost big money and would be capable of stepping in whenever required.

Whether any new left-back is better than Robertson depends on which one we're talking about - if they are better than Robertson at their peak, they are probably going to be in ahead of Kerkez. In a perfect world, Liverpool would want a player who is going to give Kerkez something to think about.

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