Agreement REACHED for Liverpool deadline day midfielder arrival | OneFootball

Liverpool’s current midfield options are showing signs of wear and tear.

Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo were the backbone behind the 2024/25 Premier League title victory.

But Arne Slot is not getting the same kind of performances out of that quintet this season as the Anfield side struggles in the top flight go on.

Each of those midfielders has suffered a certain degree of injury disruption this season - while only Szoboszlai and Jones are regularly hitting their best form.

Accordingly it has been suggested that Liverpool could be tempted into the market for a new midfielder in order to give their season a boost.

With next summer also shaping up to be a crucial one for the futures of Jones and Mac Allister adding numbers and quality to the midfield ranks could prove to be pivotal for sporting director Richard Hughes.

James McConnell returns to Liverpool

One player who can help with all of this - immediately and in the longer term - is James McConnell. The 21-year-old made his Liverpool senior debut back in 2023 under Jurgen Klopp and established himself as a favourite of Arne Slot last season too.

It was decided over the summer that the former Sunderland academy prospect would move to Ajax on a one-season loan deal - joining Vitezslav Jaros and John Heitinga in Amsterdam.

Heitinga left his role as Liverpool assistant coach in order to take up the head coach’s position at the Johan Cruyff Arena. But he lasted only 15 matches - and after his departure McConnell’s future was plunged into doubt.

Without an Eredivisie appearance since October it was widely expected that the two clubs would terminate McConnell’s loan deal - thereby allowing him to rejoin Arne Slot’s squad for the second half of the season.

Ajax announce McConnell deal cut short

Currently recovering from injury, the midfielder has been back on Merseyside since early January working on his fitness. And transfer deadline day brought official confirmation that his loan spell had indeed been cut short.

“Ajax, James McConnell and Liverpool FC have reached agreement on the formal termination of the player’s loan agreement,” an announcement by Ajax reads on X. “All the best, James!”