The 12 Liverpool players let go by Arne Slot – & how they’re faring in 2025-26 | OneFootball

Much has been made of Liverpool‘s transfer business under Arne Slot, with Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike dominating the headlines while the Dutch coach struggles with his rebuild.

But what about the players let go by Slot? Will Liverpool harbour any regrets over waving goodbye to players who played a big role in their recent successes?

We’ve checked in on the 12 players who have left Liverpool since Slot took over and assessed how they’re faring this season.

Luis Diaz

The Colombian has been an absolute revelation for Vincent Kompany’s Bayern, a key part in the Bundesliga giants taking a major step forward and looking like genuine Champions League contenders.

His tireless pressing and energy has been a major boost to that attack. A bit of that is arguably what Liverpool have lacked this season.

Diaz has become far more clinical in the final third, too. With 12 goals and six assists already, he’s not far off matching his tally of 25 goal contributions from the entirety of last season.

He’s playing the best football of his career right now.

Jarell Quansah

Liverpool’s lack of defensive depth has brought added scrutiny on the decision to dispense with top prospect Quansah, but making regular starts in the Bundesliga is surely best for the 22-year-old’s long-term prospects.

It was a bumpy start to the campaign for Leverkusen, who sacked Erik ten Hag as early as August, but there are signs of promise for this young, new-look side.

Quansah, meanwhile, started England’s 2-0 victory over Albania last month and looks a safe bet to be a relatively dependable option in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad next summer.

Darwin Nunez

Ah, Darwin. The Premier League isn’t the same without you.

The Uruguayan striker has notched five goals and two assists in 11 outings for Saudi outfit Al Hilal, where he shares a dressing room with Kalidou Koulibaly, Theo Hernandez, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Al-Hilal remain unbeaten, but they’re four points behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr at this early stage of the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League campaign.

However, they’re are reports he’s not settled to life in the Middle East and is already being linked with a move away. Fenerbahce and River Plate are said to be among his suitors.

Ben Gannon-Doak

Like Quansah, Gannon-Doak was always going to find more regular playing opportunities away from Merseyside.

Unfortunately things haven’t quite gone to plan for the diminutive winger, who was integrated slowly by Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth. His only start for the Cherries has come in the League Cup and he’s played less than 100 minutes in all competitions.

The 20-year-old showed a flash of his dazzling talent with the assist for Scott McTominay’s acrobatic opener in Scotland’s unforgettable 4-2 victory over Denmark, but a short while later he suffered a nasty hamstring injury.

Gannon-Doak has recently undergone surgery and isn’t expected back on the pitch until 2026. We hope to see him back to his best for the World Cup.

Caoimhim Kelleher

The jury remains out on whether Giorgi Mamardashvili has been an upgrade or a downgrade as Alisson’s back-up – but, as Kelleher has stated himself, it was time for him to go and start regular matches.

Republic of Ireland’s No.1 will cherish the memories of the trophies he helped deliver for the Reds, but he was ultimately far too good of a goalkeeper to sit warming the bench most weeks.

He’s demonstrated that at Brentford. He’s already made some of his trademark spectacular saves and continues to show he’s a more than capable Premier League ‘keeper.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

It’s been far from plain sailing for Alexander-Arnold following his controversial, somewhat ignominious Anfield exit.

His early months with Los Blancos have been hampered by regular injury issues, while slotting in his particularly unique skillset has been far from plug-in-and-play for Xabi Alonso.

You get the sense that the legendary former Liverpool midfielder favours the experience and defensive stability that Dani Carvajal, a considerably more conventional right-back, offers.

Alexander-Arnold just produced his best performance yet, featuring a jay-dropping assist for Kylian Mbappe, before sustaining a hamstring strain that’ll likely keep him sidelined ’til February. No luck.

Tyler Morton

It might not be too long before we see Morton back in the Premier League.

The midfielder has earned rave reviews during his debut season with Lyon. Tottenham and Nottingham Forest are reportedly weighing up bids in the region of £30million.

Watch this space. Will he prove one that got away?

Nat Phillips

The role he played in Liverpool’s last disappointing title defence, in which they secured Champions League football after an unprecedented defensive injury crisis, have long secured Phillips’ status as a Kop cult hero. That and the Cruyff turn he pulled off at the San Siro.

While his commitment could never be questioned, Phillips’ fairly obvious limitations always meant he was never going to become a mainstay of Liverpool’s backline.

A permanent departure, after six loans away, made sense for all parties. And he’s doing alright for playoff-chasing West Brom, a frequent fixture.

Harvey Elliott

We haven’t included loanees like Vitezslav Jaros and Konstantinos Tsimikas in this list, but we have included Elliott as it felt like there was a degree of finality about his late-window departure to Aston Villa.

Initially a loan, yes, but with an obligatory clause that’ll kick in after he makes a certain number of appearances. Just a formality. A book-balancing exercise, kicking the transfer fee down the road ’til next summer.

…Or so we thought. The playmaker has a grand total of 167 minutes and just two starts in all competitions. He hasn’t been seen since early October.

For whatever reason, Unai Emery doesn’t seem to fancy the playmaker. Villa seem determined for him not to trigger the obligatory purchase clause. So we’re approaching a January impasse.

An unlikely way back at the club he’s grown up supporting? Or somewhere else entirely? Whatever happens, his future doesn’t look like it’s at Villa Park.

Marcelo Pitaluga

*Carlo Ancelotti face* Who?

The Brazilian ‘keeper did all the glamour stops out on loan – Macclesfield, St. Patrick’s Athletic, Livingston – before his return to Fluminense in January.

To this day, the 22-year-old’s only senior appearances have come in said loans. He’s yet to make his debut for Fluminense, while he notched zero games for Liverpool’s first team.

Fabio Carvalho

The Portuguese midfielder might’ve hoped for a fresh start at Liverpool following Jurgen Klopp’s departure, but it wasn’t to be.

Slot wasn’t especially fussed about keeping him around and he was sold to Brentford after some brief pre-season opportunities.

Carvalho hasn’t pulled up any trees at Brentford. He only made three Premier League starts last season and it’s been just one under Keith Andrews in 2025-26 so far.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see him move on again in the next window or two. Maybe a move back to Portugal?

Sepp van den Berg

“He was open, easy to speak to. We’re both Dutch, so we are very direct. I like that,” Van den Berg told The Guardian of his relationship with Slot, who he’d previously trained under at PEC Zwolle.

“He told me: ‘You’re not going to start but I believe if you stay you will get a chance in the future to start.’”

Things didn’t quite work out that way, and instead the defender decided to take on a new challenge and the promise of more regular minutes at Brentford.

Another one of Brentford’s ex-Liverpool contingent, Van den Berg has shown he’s a perfectly competent Premier League centre-back after never really getting a look in at Liverpool.

The Dutchman has played every minute of the Bees’ respectably midtable 2025-26 campaign so far.

Surprisingly enough, he’s yet to play for the Netherlands. But keep going like this and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make a late push for their World Cup squad.