Liverpool face RECKONING over disastrous loan deals

Liverpool could be forgiven for having other priorities on their plate right now other than the performance of their loan players.

But it is an elephant in the room that is going to need addressing in January. The club completed £450m worth of spending in the summer transfer window.

And several players were cleared out in order to make way for the new arrivals. Among the departures were James McConnell, Lewis Koumas, Kostas Tsimikas and Harvey Elliott.

All moved on loan - with Elliott initially expected to complete a permanent deal to Aston Villa at the end of his temporary spell. But these deals have all gone wrong and there is a chance that we see all make their way back to base with their deals cut short.

Liverpool's loan army have got their futures in doubt

McConnell moved to Ajax as part of John Heitinga’s revolution in Amsterdam. But Arne Slot’s Premier League title-winning assistant only lasted 15 matches before he was sacked as head coach.

Question marks were raised straight away over McConnell’s arrival - with many wondering why one of Liverpool’s young players was blocking the pathway of several young Ajax talents.

Once Heitinga left, the 21-year-old’s future was plunged into doubt - and he did not even travel for the Champions League fixture against Qarabag in midweek.

The midfielder hasn’t yet been able to establish himself under temporary boss Fred Grim and it looks like his Ajax career is practically over already.

Reds tipped to return from loan early

Then there’s Koumas. Following a spell at Stoke in the Championship last season it was decided that another loan would benefit the 19-year-old Wales international.

A deal was set up with ambitious promoted side Birmingham City but their manager Chris Davies has already floated the possibility of the versatile attacker returning to the Reds ahead of schedule.

Koumas has been in plenty of matchday squads - but has barely played 400 minutes in the second tier. The loan spell looks wholly unsuitable for homegrown Koumas - who has got Demarai Gray and Patrick Roberts to compete with among others.

He will need another loan spell in the second half of the season elsewhere if Liverpool’s development goals are to be met.

Liverpool loans not working out

There is plenty to be said about Elliott’s loan meanwhile. Clearly Liverpool are not seeking a “development” loan for the 22-year-old - they wanted him off the books.

A hastily arranged loan deal saw him join Aston Villa with an obligation to buy should certain conditions be met.

Right now it looks beyond the realms of possibility that Elliott will reach the 10-game threshold required to trigger a £35m permanent switch the Villa Park.

He will return to Anfield - perhaps as soon as January - and by the time next summer rolls around he will only have a year left on his contract. Good luck finding a buyer at £35m with those conditions attached.

Right now there are several Liverpool players not getting what they need from these loan spells. You can add Tsimikas to the list - although there are no conditions attached to his Roma deal.

He is playing precious little football in the Italian capital - and like Elliott he is out of contract in 2027. If Liverpool were hoping to keep his value high in this temporary spell then that too has been a failure.

Let’s hope the club learns their lessons and these players can be fixed up with more suitable deals in January or beyond.

In the case of Elliott the best-case scenario is if he can be reintegrated to the Liverpool first-team squad for the second half of the season.

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