23 Feb 2026 11:33:11
Hello all,
I fully anticipate Curtis Jones to depart the club this summer. He has a number of suitors around Europe and England. Inter and Atletico both hold a strong interest in particular.
We have been scouting a number of potential replacements to prepare for this move.
23 Feb 2026 12:27:22
If he wants more first-team football than we can offer him, I can understand why he would want to leave. From a fan and club standpoint, it would be a shame to lose the last Scouser in our first-team squad.
23 Feb 2026 12:29:44
We will miss him when he's gone. Interesting and big summer ahead. Ar, Konate (maybe), Salah, Jones, Gakpo (?), Endo (?), Mac Allister, maybe others - all to go. At least 2 (3?) CBs needed as well. Another striker?
23 Feb 2026 12:35:38
Jurg, we have Leoni and Jacquet to come in at cb, so with Gomez, Vvd and Konate, that should be enough without departures. This has to be the end for Salah. His output and general play have fallen off the cliff, legend no doubt, but time has caught him up. Same for Robbo.
23 Feb 2026 12:36:01
Is this from a credible source?
23 Feb 2026 12:44:38
Yeah, forgot Jaquet, tbh, but VVD (age), Gomez (love him, but injuries), and Konate (contract) make for a very shaky future.
23 Feb 2026 13:15:11
We need a mid-20s starter at CB, someone that can come in, ready to go. Buying up young talent is great, but that is for the future. Cheers.
23 Feb 2026 13:16:35
Virg has years left in him. Think striker is one position we're sorted in.
23 Feb 2026 13:30:23
I would be absolutely gutted if that happens with Curtis. What a complete waste. Hoping a new manager in the summer would be busy, use the time to get the pathway back in place for the other younger players, too.
23 Feb 2026 13:52:42
Sad, he might not be the best, but it should be mandatory to have at least 5 locals in your squad.
23 Feb 2026 14:13:50
Hmmm. Unsure about his pending departure, tbh. CJ is a player that's never going to set the PL on fire, nor be a first-choice regular in a top-level team, but he has commitment, especially as he is LFC born and bred. He is able to fill in different roles as required, he's a good age, experienced, has a good appearance record, and is not injury prone, so he's more than likely always available.
He reminds me a bit of John O'Shea at United, a kind of multi-purpose player. We can't, nor will we, have 6 top-class midfielders vying for 3 starting places, and we need the CJ-type players in the squad. He has his frailties, as everyone has, but he also has attributes, and I believe he still has a role in the squad. Just my opinion.
23 Feb 2026 14:18:11
It's a shame that 'a local lad' will be leaving. But I can't remember too many games where my mates and I were talking about how well he played. He takes too long on the ball. I do think he played better under Klopp, but I don't think we will miss him too much. £35 million ish, I reckon.
23 Feb 2026 14:25:30
Victor, would this suggest Arne is here to stay, as it seems like he may be the issue following some other comments, or is this purely financial, with the club requiring pure profit for PSR, which, as we've seen throughout the league, comes from homegrown sales?
23 Feb 2026 14:43:20
Just my opinion, but I would be really surprised if Arne Slot does not leave at the end of the season, if not before. Seems to me that he has not impressed after a great first season. He will no doubt get another coaching job. Maybe in Europe rather than the EPL. Very few could take on the Liverpool job and do what Klopp did.
Enrique, Xabi, and maybe, in time, Iraola. As a really left-field alternative, Pep. Pretty sure he would love the opportunity, though he might be nearing the point of being burnt out. Anyway, it's Xabi for me. The prospect of that excites me in the same way I was relishing Klopp coming to Anfield.
23 Feb 2026 15:17:34
If Jones wasn't from Liverpool, no one would care, as he is at best an above-average player. He is not a leader like Gerard; there is no call for him to be captain or even to be a regular starter. So, if LFC can get a good fee, I'd like to see it reinvested in a better player.
23 Feb 2026 15:28:43
That would be a Curtis blow. He needs the breaks anyways.
23 Feb 2026 15:34:43
Alex4, Arne here or not, the plan was always to let him go in the summer. There's no desire to offer a new contract on the club's end, at least one that's worth the player considering. It's not just related to on the pitch issues either, though. There have been off-the-pitch issues arising, too.
23 Feb 2026 16:01:16
Good squad player, no more, too inconsistent. When he heads on, moves the ball quickly, outstanding. I feel he gets overconfident and dwells on it then. I personally would love him to stay.
23 Feb 2026 16:07:35
Cheers, Victor. You don't need to go into detail, but when you say off the field issues, would these off the field issues be separate from him apparently having some bust-up with Arne Slot?
23 Feb 2026 16:21:47
Shame, Victor, as he did have some form early in the season. I suspect his interviews during our poor form probably came from his frustrations with whatever is going on behind the scenes. Whilst I do think we can certainly improve, it will be a shame to see another local lad gone.
23 Feb 2026 16:52:46
I hope he stays. When was the last time a scouser wasn't in the team?
23 Feb 2026 17:13:56
Alonso1786, no, these other issues are totally separate from the rumoured bust up with Slot. Senior figures in the dressing room aren't all too impressed, from what I know.
23 Feb 2026 17:19:57
I'm easy either way on Jones. Happy with him being a squad player, but if he wants to be a starter, then it's never going to be at Liverpool, so good luck to him.
23 Feb 2026 17:20:41
Why do people hold the view that the starting 11 is all we need? We need players in a squad that can step up and do a job in the case of injury, suspension, or loss of form on the part of regular starters. Curtis, Chiesa, Endo, etc.
don't start every or even many games, but they are just as important as regular starters for us having a strong squad overall. With 60+ games a season, it would be ridiculous to imagine we only need 11 starters.
23 Feb 2026 18:52:25
Never Jones's biggest fan, I'll admit that, but as a squad player he's of decent quality. Still don't know his preference on position. Certainly likes to pass the ball backwards and overplay. If he wants regular game time, he'll have to go, and I hope the club don't overprice him either.
He's never going to be a full-time 1st-team starter, though. Very surprised the club would look to get rid of him now, though. A few years too late for me. Good luck to the lad. He's a mid Premier League player at best. Maybe Leeds would suit him.
23 Feb 2026 18:57:14
After watching Curtis's first-half performance, I think in his head he has already gone.
23 Feb 2026 19:09:39
From Curtis's point of view, a move to Italy would be good for him. I believe a slower tempo league would be much better suited to his style of play, and it would probably suit our current manager to move to Italy, when I think about it.
23 Feb 2026 19:23:31
Does he like Italy as a place to live then? Given he'll be playing football for @3 hours a week?
23 Feb 2026 21:27:49
Although I like having a Scouser in the squad, and we need HG players in the squad, too, the ludicrous thing about FFP rules is that financially it makes more sense to sell players who have come through the academy. Whatever we receive for CJ would be pure profit. If it meant we could get Wharton from Palace, I'd do it.
23 Feb 2026 22:31:26
Curtis Jones is Liverpool's worst player in the first team squad, and I'll take him to whatever club wants him. I think he relies on being Scouse and takes it because he thinks he deserves to be in the squad/team. I would rather academy players were given minutes over Jones.
23 Feb 2026 23:40:51
I really hope that's not the case. I think it would be a massive blunder by the club. Either way, it looks like significant churn is almost guaranteed again this summer. I just hope we've got the proverbial paddle for Champions League football when we have to navigate it.
24 Feb 2026 01:45:50
Jones is average. He is very inconsistent, too, and doesn't score nearly enough goals for me. He would be suited to Spain or Italy in my opinion. Nice lad, but not LFC quality, and I would snap ya hand off for £45-50m.
24 Feb 2026 08:07:57
I don't think Jones does enough defensively for me. He's always a liability when we're out of possession, as his positional sense is non-existent. He's not alert to what's going on around him, and has a tendency to switch off. He gets caught ball watching rather than tracking runners, so, to me, he's not really much of a centre midfielder, as he can't do the basics when we're being pressured or if we're up against a more physical opponent.
If the rumour is true about him wanting £200k a week and being a more regular starter, then I'd sell. With due respect, he's not good enough to warrant that kind of wages or be an automatic starter.
24 Feb 2026 09:32:58
Robbo, Gomez, Jones, Nyoni, etc. Next season, it is seriously looking like the only British/Irish players we'll have left in the first team will be Woodman (3rd keeper), Bradley (injured), and Ngumoha (17 years old).
Is it any wonder we get bullied when we come up against the likes of Newcastle, Forest and Palace, who are packed full of British/Irish players who get stuck into our foreign contingent?
24 Feb 2026 09:48:16
He lasted as long as he did, and has never been good enough, nor been any coach's love boy. It is quite amazing. He is a nice person to have around in the team, but he is never going to become good enough.
I wish him luck if that happens. Would we miss him? I had felt that we would not miss TAA, but, looking back, that was foolish, as we clearly do. But with Jones, I am more certain we will not.
24 Feb 2026 10:10:40
I don't see Jones going anywhere. He has a young family, is from the city, and loves the club. Those who don't rate him don't seem to realise a squad isn't made up of world beaters. He's home-grown too. I'd be more worried about keeping him than Macca, that's for sure.
24 Feb 2026 10:45:11
He used to bang on about more playing time under Klopp. This has not changed under Slot. I assume, like Harvey, he wants to play more, so let him leave, but again, like Harvey, the grass is not always greener on the other side, and no doubt he will be benched a lot at a lesser club.
I would much rather be a cameo player at my boyhood club than among average players at a team like Spursy.
24 Feb 2026 13:14:15
Does the hierarchy have any sort of plan to have the designated amount of HG players in the squad.
24 Feb 2026 13:32:25
This is why we don't want to wait until the summer for a new manager. Slot is killing morale at all levels.
24 Feb 2026 14:00:16
The thing is, Jerry, it's not about wanting "world class performers" throughout the squad. It's about having players who can be competent and step up every time they're called upon, and be 6 or 7 out of 10, like how Milner used to be.
I'm afraid Jones just isn't that guy. He has more poor games than good ones, and I'm sure there are others in the u23's who could be more effective at giving squad depth (Luca Stephenson, for example).