Arne Slot had two main reasons for allowing so many Liverpool players to leave on loan – report

A new report has outlined why Arne Slot was content to facilitate the vast number of Liverpool loan exits that we witnessed during the summer transfer window.

Between the Reds’ senior and under-21 squads, no fewer than 14 players have departed on a temporary basis – and that doesn’t include Giorgi Mamardashvili, who signed for the club in late August and was immediately loaned back to Valencia for this season.

Some fans have questioned why there was a large culling of the squad, especially after the frightening volume of injuries last term which led to teenagers being thrown into the first-team ranks and learning on the job, but the Dutchman has seemingly been happy with the club’s loan strategy.

A comprehensive insight from The Athletic into his first 100 days as Liverpool head coach explained that Slot is ‘happy to work with a small squad’, and also that he’s ‘comfortable allowing young players to leave on loan to either develop or increase in value’.

By allowing so many youngsters to depart on loan, Slot made it clear that there more than likely wouldn’t have been a pathway to regular first-team minutes at Anfield this season, and that their interests would be best served by getting plenty of game-time elsewhere.

Most of the temporary departures had been expected, although there was some surprise that Stefan Bajcetic was allowed to leave for Red Bull Salzburg on deadline day, considering how he’s proven capable of playing for our senior side and that a new defensive midfielder wasn’t brought in over the summer.

On the one hand, we can see why the head coach would prefer to have a relatively small group with which to work, so that every player has a realistic chance of enjoying a decent amount of game-time, in stark contrast to the bloated squad that Enzo Maresca has at Chelsea.

On the other, Liverpool could be taking a risk by sanctioning so many loan exits, especially if Slot’s first-team roster is decimated by injuries to the same extent that Jurgen Klopp’s was last season.

It’s a double-edged sword, for sure, but if the man in charge is happy to have a trimmed-down squad and let those who’d have been on the periphery depart temporarily for their long-term benefit, we can see why the club adopted the strategy which unfolded during the summer.