Liverpool transfer plan given clear target after…

Liverpool transfer plan given clear target after Champions League squad absences

Anyone wanting a glimpse of the challenges facing Liverpool at present and in the future need only look at their squad for the Champions League group stage.

The absence of both Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain instantly garnered attention when the list emerged on Sunday.

But that Liverpool were unable to name a full 25-man senior squad also pointed at a long-term issue of which Jurgen Klopp and his recruitment team will be all too aware.

First, the missing duo. Both Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain have perhaps been hampered by the unusual nature of this season, which pauses for six weeks in November due to the World Cup being held in Qatar. As a consequence, the Champions League group games start a week earlier than usual and are completed by November 2 - a full month before the scheduled final match is normally played.

That combination has influenced the decision to omit the pair which in turn dropped a significant hint over the extent of their injuries. Oxlade-Chamberlain has been out since mid-July with a hamstring problem, while Keita pulled out the day before the visit to Manchester United last month with a muscle injury that has required specialist assessment.

It seems neither is likely to be close to first-team inclusion for the next six weeks at the very least. And it's perhaps appropriate they are in a similar situation given their Anfield careers are following the same trajectory this season.

Both are out of contract at the end of the campaign and, with neither seemingly expected to return ahead of the World Cup, there's every chance they could be available for only a few more games at most before being able to talk to clubs from abroad when the transfer window opens in January.

Had Liverpool succeeded in persuading Aurelien Tchouameni to resist Real Madrid earlier this year, it's possible one of Keita or more likely Oxlade-Chamberlain would have been sold this summer. Indeed, there was concrete interest in the latter from other Premier League clubs.

But with main target Tchouameni heading elsewhere, the Reds clearly ultimately decided to stick with the pair and have been keen to offer Keita a new contract. Whether the latest injury setback - and the claimed unhappiness of the player at his game time reported in Germany last month - now impacts that remains to be seen.

Beyond dispute, though, is the duo, similar to fellow midfielder James Milner, are at present scheduled to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, leaving a significant hole in the engine room that will need filling.

And the Champions League squad underlines the midfield refit over the next 12 months will be undoubtedly influenced by the need for more of what UEFA loosely regard as homegrown talent, with Liverpool not having enough such players - eight - to fill their full complement, hence having a 24-man 'A list' squad for the group stage instead of the full 25.

Yes, both Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones are part of the 'B list' as qualified players aged 21 or under, and the latter will move on to the 'A list' next season should Liverpool qualify. But that will be offset by the impending exits of Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The latter and Keita, though, are the more immediate concern. Klopp has demonstrated in the past with the likes of Emre Can and Gini Wijnaldum he has no qualms in using players heading out of contract should he deem them beneficial to Liverpool's cause.

If those predicting the end for Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain may be a tad premature, the clock is surely ticking. And where Liverpool go after that will already be occupying the thoughts of the recruitment team.

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