Will signing Arthur Melo force Liverpool to axe Naby Keita from their UEFA Champions League squad?
Following Arthur Melo’s loan transfer from Juventus on deadline day, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are in a dilemma with the UEFA Champions League squad rules. The rulebook states that a team has to name a squad of 25 players, with eight homegrown players.
Currently, Liverpool have a squad of only seven homegrown players, so the Reds can only name a 24-man squad at best. Fortunately, the limit does not include U-21 players, so the likes of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay need not be on the tenterhooks pertaining to their selection for Europe’s most elite club competition.
But on the other hand, even with the signing of Melo, Liverpool’s squad will have 16 overseas members, meaning a 23-man squadron at best. That is why Liverpool will have to forego one of their senior squad members for the competition. (h/t Liverpool Echo)
Who Could Be Missing Out?
Kaide Gordon, Bobby Clark, Ramsay, Carvalho and Stefan Bajcetic are all classed as Under-21s players in the Premier League, but none of them qualify for the UEFA equivalent (List B). Hence, most realistically, Bajcetic, Gordon and Clark might be left out of the squad, and they could play the UEFA Youth League instead.
The deadline for the squad submission to UEFA is 24:00 CET on Friday 2 September. Liverpool begin their European campaign this season on 7th September against Napoli. And with the World Cup slated for later this year in November, each group game ends before the month’s first week. Usually, it would end in December.
Liverpool could either see Ibrahima Konate or Naby Keita sit out of the UCL squads owing to their long-term injuries, but the fact that they have been an integral part of the club’s squads earlier, this possibility is bleak.
Liverpool would look to better their European campaign from last season, wherein they faltered at the last hurdle, losing to Real Madrid 1-0 in the final. This season though, the Reds would love to revamp the Champions Wall in the AXA Training Centre.
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Of the two, one could argue that axing Keita makes the most sense. The Guinean is yet to feature for the club this season and in Klopp’s words is some way away from a return. Dropping Konate will rob us of an excellent defender and given Joe Gomez and Joel Matip’s injury records, it is a massive gamble.
Melo can step in for Keita and offer an option in the middle of the park. Also, the Brazilian has experience of playing in the competition and this could prove to be a valuable asset. Given his unavailability for the near future, it makes sense for the Reds to drop Keita to accommodate Melo.
