Curtis Jones has officially completed his move from Liverpool to Inter Milan, bringing an end to a 16-year association with his boyhood club.
The 25-year-old has joined Inter in a deal worth £30m, with Liverpool also reportedly retaining a 10 per cent sell-on clause. Jones made 228 appearances for Liverpool after joining the academy at the age of nine.
It’s a sad moment to see a Scouser leave Anfield.
But from a footballing perspective, I think Liverpool have created a major problem for themselves.
Liverpool’s midfield suddenly looks very thin
The obvious concern is what happens when Liverpool need to rotate.
The established central midfield options are now essentially:
● Alexis Mac Allister
● Ryan Gravenberch
● Dominik Szoboszlai
Then you have Trey Nyoni, who is still only 19 and has very limited Premier League experience.
Wataru Endo can provide cover, but he isn’t the same type of player as Jones and is also 33.
That’s not an enormous amount of depth for a club expecting to compete across multiple competitions.
And that’s before injuries and suspensions inevitably arrive.
Jones wasn’t just another squad player
It’s easy to look at Jones’ starting statistics and conclude that Liverpool can cope without him.
But that’s not really the point.
Jones made 49 appearances in all competitions last season, even though he wasn’t always a starter.
He provided another technically gifted option who understood the Premier League, had Champions League experience and knew exactly what was expected at Liverpool.
Replacing that experience isn’t straightforward.
The Nyoni opportunity
There is a positive.
Jones’ departure could open the door for Trey Nyoni.
Liverpool clearly rate the youngster highly, and his development has reportedly contributed to the club’s belief that a direct replacement for Jones may not be necessary.
And honestly, I’d love to see Nyoni get opportunities.
But there’s a big difference between giving Nyoni opportunities and expecting him to carry the midfield through a season.
He shouldn’t have that pressure placed on him.
Liverpool need experience too
This is the part that concerns me most.
Liverpool aren’t simply competing in the Premier League.
They want to challenge on four fronts.
Premier League.
Champions League.
FA Cup.
League Cup.
That means there will be periods where Liverpool play twice a week for months at a time.
You need depth.
You need players who can come into the team without dramatically changing the level of performance.
And you need experienced players who can handle the pressure when the games really matter.
Jones provided some of that.
Now he’s gone.
And Iraola’s football makes this even more important
Iraola wants Liverpool to press aggressively and defend collectively.
That requires enormous physical output from his midfielders.
It’s one thing to do it for 20 games.
It’s another to do it for an entire season while playing Champions League football.
If Mac Allister, Gravenberch or Szoboszlai pick up an injury, Liverpool suddenly have a very different problem.
And if two of them are unavailable at the same time?
The depth becomes extremely concerning.
£30m doesn’t solve the sporting problem
Liverpool have received a decent fee for a player entering the final year of his contract.
From a financial perspective, you can understand the decision.
Losing Jones for free next summer would have been a risk, particularly if he had no intention of signing a new contract.
But the money only matters if Liverpool use it wisely.
Selling a midfielder for £30m and then deciding not to strengthen the position could leave Liverpool weaker.
That’s the issue.
Liverpool still have time to act
The transfer window isn’t closed yet.
And there have already been reports linking Liverpool with midfielders including Adam Wharton, Angelo Stiller and Tyler Adams.
Whether any of those deals happen remains to be seen.
But personally, I think Liverpool should be looking.
Not necessarily for another Fabinho.
Not necessarily for a specialist No.6.
Just another experienced midfielder capable of contributing immediately.
Liverpool have made their decision on Curtis Jones.
Now they need to make the next one.
Was selling him for £30m the right decision?
Financially, I can understand it.
Sportingly, I’m much less convinced.
Because Liverpool have just lost a 25-year-old midfielder with 228 appearances for the club, Premier League experience and Champions League experience.
And they’ve replaced him — at least for now — with a much thinner midfield group.
Trey Nyoni could be the surprise beneficiary.
Maybe he takes his opportunity and becomes a star.
I hope he does.
But Liverpool shouldn’t gamble an entire season on it.
Jones has gone to Inter.
Now Liverpool need another midfielder.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
Happy days. Him leaving fills me with joy