Liverpool Midfield Gamble: Bajcetic Exit and No Replacement

Liverpool are stripping back their midfield again – and this time, there is no plan to replace what’s going out.

Curtis Jones has already gone, completing a £30m move to Inter Milan, and another midfielder is heading for the exit. Yet the message from inside Anfield is blunt: no new holding player is coming in.

Midfield, the area that once defined Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool, is suddenly the thinnest part of the pitch. Wataru Endo is the only recognised defensive midfielder in the squad. He is also, at this stage, not first choice.

The engine room now revolves around Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. They are expected to contest the two starting roles, with the club reshaping the balance of the side around their energy and creativity rather than a traditional destroyer.

Behind them, Liverpool are making a bold call.

Teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni has effectively been promoted to fourth in the pecking order. Endo, once the obvious safety net, is now seen as the fifth option – cover rather than cornerstone.

No replacement for Curtis Jones

The sale of Jones looked, from the outside, like the trigger for a defensive midfield signing. A homegrown player, a trusted squad option, gone for significant money. The gap seemed obvious.

Inside the club, they see it very differently.

TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey reported earlier this week that Liverpool had decided against moving for another midfielder, backing their internal options instead. That stance has now been echoed by The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce, who says the decision is firm.

Pearce reports that senior club figures remain focused on strengthening the forward line, specifically out wide, despite the noise around midfield after the dramatic 2-2 draw with Newcastle. The clamour for a holding player has grown; Liverpool’s hierarchy have not budged.

They do not intend to replace Jones. The belief is that Nyoni is ready to step up and take on a bigger role this season, rather than blocking his pathway with a new signing. Unless there is a late change of heart, only the attack will be reinforced.

Another exit: Bajcetic set for Celta Vigo return

That conviction is about to be tested even more.

Liverpool are not just one midfielder down. They are on the verge of losing another defensive-minded option in Stefan Bajcetic.

The Spaniard’s emergence once looked like the long-term answer at the base of midfield. Injuries changed everything. His progress has stalled badly, his time in England disrupted by repeated setbacks at the very moment he was breaking through.

Now, with just a year left on his contract, Bajcetic is set to return to familiar ground.

Respected journalist Matteo Moretto reports that Liverpool have agreed a deal with Celta Vigo for a permanent transfer. The fee will be small, described as a nominal sum, but that is not where Liverpool see the real value.

The key element is a sell-on clause. If Bajcetic rebuilds his career back in Spain and earns a big move later, Liverpool will share in the upside. For a player whose development has been derailed but whose talent is still widely recognised, that clause could become significant.

Fabrizio Romano has added that Celta and Bajcetic are now close to agreeing personal terms, clearing the final major hurdle. Once that is done, Liverpool will have allowed two midfielders to leave in quick succession, without bringing one in.

It leaves a squad built on attacking intent, faith in a teenager, and a single veteran holding midfielder as insurance. For a club with Liverpool’s ambitions, it is a calculated risk. The coming months will reveal whether it is inspired trust in their talent pathway – or a gamble that drags the season off course.