123 games later, Liverpool star's time is up and Fabrizio Romano update confirms it

One Liverpool star's time at Anfield is up. The Reds have a replacement lined up and there's surely no way back from here.

Liverpool will continue to reshape their squad in 2027. That much is for sure. We imagine they were always going to do that but Richard Hughes leaving the sporting director role just confirms it.

The Reds did make a sensible move of promoting Julian Ward into the position, making sure there's continuity there with the long-term planning. But at the same time, this squad build hasn't been a good one and work has to be done in order to balance things.

That's the case all over the squad, honestly. Liverpool look imbalanced in defence, midfield and attack - and that's before considering the fact that half the squad face uncertain long-term future because of their contracts.

Some players look absolutely certain to leave, in fact, and one of those will likely bring an end to his time at Anfield after over 100 appearances. We don't see any realistic way back.

Kostas Tsimikas's uncertain future

Liverpool were completely open to selling Kostas Tsimikas in 2025 but a solution couldn't be found that suited all parties. As it turns out, the Reds were fortunate that a deal didn't go through because Andy Robertson's departure created a place they needed to fill.

Having Tsimikas backup Milos Kerkez was the best solution. Buying someone would have created a further complication in what was already a complicated summer.

But it looks absolutely certain that this will be Tsimikas's final season. After 123 matches and counting, the scene is set for his departure once his contract expires at the end of the campaign.

We do expect that to be the case anyway but it looks even more certain now that Alejandro Balde is available from Barcelona. That's the line from Fabrizio Romano, anyway, who claims the left-back is considering his future after limited appearances this term.

Liverpool were interested in a deal back in the summer and journalist Juan Jesus claims that interest remains. All that was missing was Balde actively wanting to depart Barcelona - and the tide has turned there, it seems.

Which effectively calls time on Tsimikas's Anfield career. Balde would be an ideal replacement as a young defender with top-level experience and a playing style that Liverpool actively want.

It's difficult to see any way back for the Greek Scouser. Perhaps a fantastic second half of the season changes things but even then, we expect Liverpool will look to invest in Balde.