Curtis Jones should be sold. Liverpool are right to back their judgement and avoid sleepwalking towards another player leaving for nothing next summer. In truth, this decision should have come a year ago, when two years remained on his contract and Liverpool held far greater leverage.
That is why the Alexis Mac Allister situation matters so much. Either secure him on a new deal now or make a hard decision while the club still controls the terms. Liverpool have been too passive in these situations, and it remains one of the strongest reasons I have so little faith in Richard Hughes.
Too often, Liverpool allow the calendar to become their enemy. Contracts run down, leverage disappears and suddenly a decision that should have been straightforward becomes complicated. Jones may still bring in a respectable fee, but the optimal moment to sell was last summer.
Trey Nyoni is a different conversation, and an exciting one.
The idea that he must somehow replace Curtis Jones’ entire workload is misleading. Jones played around 2,850 minutes last season, but 824 came outside midfield and 71 in the Community Shield. The relevant midfield figure is closer to 1,955 minutes.
Liverpool’s thinking appears to be far more measured, around 1,000 of those minutes could fall to Nyoni, with James McConnell taking roughly 500 and Wataru Endo helping more in the cups.
That is a sensible development pathway for a 19 year old who has looked composed, progressive and fearless in possession.
Nyoni has something Liverpool’s midfield can use. He wants the ball under pressure, trusts his technique and looks capable of moving possession through lines rather than simply circulating it safely. Iraola has already spoken positively about that quality, and this summer has offered genuine evidence that Nyoni is becoming ready for a larger role.
There should still be some restraint. A thousand minutes is one thing. Asking him to become a pillar of the midfield because the recruitment department failed to act is another entirely.
Liverpool still need more.
A defensively minded midfielder in the Lamine Camara mould remains necessary. Liverpool lack a player whose instincts naturally lean towards protecting space, winning duels and giving the midfield a stronger defensive platform.
I will also keep championing Adam Wharton because Liverpool still lack an elite progressive passer from deeper areas. Wharton sees passes early, breaks lines and gives a midfield structure from possession that Liverpool do not currently possess in abundance.
Chema Andrés would also be intelligent recruitment, even if Liverpool secured him now and loaned him back to Stuttgart for the season. That is the sort of forward planning elite clubs should be pursuing, identifying the player before the market becomes crowded and the price becomes prohibitive.
Liverpool can believe in Nyoni while still strengthening the midfield around him. Those ideas belong together.
Doing nothing in midfield this summer would leave Liverpool wide open and Iraola short. For Hughes, that would rank among the most negligent decisions of his Liverpool tenure.