Liverpool legends Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah top the list to leave Anfield this summer
(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool have announced that 12 players will leave the club, including first-team stars Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate.
Defender Rhys Williams will play a central role as defensive cover under manager Jurgen Klopp during the 2021-21 season, leaving the club after 15 years at the club. A number of promising academy players are also leaving, including James Balajiji and Oakley Cannonier, the ball boy who handed Trent Alexander-Arnold the winning goal in the famous 2019 Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.
Kyle Kelly, son of Premier League cult heroes Djibril Cissé and Maynor Figueroa, Afolami Onanuga, Oliver O’Connor, Lucas Pitt, Ben Trueman, Matthew Wright, Prince Cissé and Keylor Figueroa have been offered new contracts.
Robertson and Salah bid farewell to Anfield with emotional send-offs on the final day of the draw with Brentford. Both Scotland and Egypt players were sent off as temporary honor guards were assigned to each side by then head coach Arn Slott.
However, Konate was unable to reach an agreement with Liverpool’s leaders and realized his time on Merseyside was coming to an end. The stopper hinted he was close to extending his contract after the win over Everton in April, but the two sides were unable to agree terms for the 27-year-old to leave on a free transfer.
Robertson was confirmed as a Tottenham Hotspur player on Friday. The north London club announced the full-back’s contract expires this month and he will move to the capital after racking up trophies at Anfield.
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The 32-year-old will link up with Roberto de Zerbi after the World Cup and will captain Scotland in a major tournament for the first time since 1998.
Manager Andoni Iraola will be in charge of his new players for the first time when they return for pre-season next month, but will be without three key players as they head off to pastures new under Klopp and Slott.
The Spaniard revealed in his first interview with the club’s in-house media team that young players will be given a chance during pre-season, giving new confidence to the up-and-coming talent at Kirkby’s AXA training center.
“I think for me right now, it’s not just talking to the players. Some of them will be taking well-deserved time off, some of them will be joining the national team. I want to talk to the staff and the guys who are here every day and know the players well so that they arrive as prepared as possible on the first day of preseason.”
“We’re thinking a lot about the organization, about the staff, about how to create the best atmosphere, the best environment, especially with the many young players who will be playing preseason with us. When they arrive on the first day, everyone feels like everything is in place and we can go through the process of adaptation, but it will take time as soon as possible.”
Oakley Cannonier may have never played a first-team game for Liverpool, but he made a huge impact. (Image: Liverpool FC, Getty Images)
Kareem Ahmed heads the list of young players to leave the club, with Emmanuel Iloboma, DJ Bernard, Josh Davidson, Terrence Miles and Jacob Poytress set to leave the club.
Balagizi appeared on the first-team bench twice during his Liverpool career, coming off the bench in the Reds’ domestic cup wins over Shrewsbury and Norwich in 2022.
Cannonier has brought his Liverpool career to an end, five years after signing his first professional contract with the club. The attacker went on trial with Leeds United in January 2025, but a move failed to materialize.
Manager Jose Mourinho paid tribute to the then 14-year-old after his heroics in the famous come-from-behind victory over Lionel Messi and co. He previously said, “You want a quick throw-in, the ball boys need to know you want a quick throw-in.”
“The ball has to come fast. In this game, this kid was very smart, very intelligent. I don’t know if he’s an academy player or not, but this kid knew what he was going to do.”
