The relegation fight has concluded and the season is ended. Leeds United and Leicester City will join Southampton in the Championship, but many players from those three teams may stay in the Premier League.
Roméo Lavia and Kamaldeen Sulemana are two further players who should generate attention. James Maddison and Harvey Barnes are nearly set to return to the top division. However, Liverpool has another player that merits consideration.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will play a different position for the Reds next season, while Liverpool’s personnel will undoubtedly change as a result of James Milner leaving (most likely for Brighton).
It remains to be seen if Jürgen Klopp will continue to play Alexander-Arnold in the hybrid position, but given how well the shift has worked out thus far, there must be a good chance that he will.
A name that was recently connected with a transfer to Liverpool makes more sense from the outside when keeping in mind both that switch and the requirement to locate new midfield replacements.
Of course, Liverpool has a history of acquiring players from lower-tier Premier League teams and turning them into world-class stars. If the Reds get their way this summer, Mason Mount of Chelsea, who is now in 12th place, might be the next.
In the past, Gini Wijnaldum and Andy Robertson have been picked up from relegated sides and have proven to be bargains, while Xherdan Shaqiri was another who represented a cut-price move to bolster Liverpool’s squad.
James Ward-Prowse is expected to rise to the status of a highly sought-after player now that Southampton will play in the Championship.
The best player for Southampton is an England international, and the Premier League will be very interested in him. Additionally, although Mount, Alexis Mac Allister, and other players should be of particular interest to Liverpool, a transfer for Ward-Prowse also seems to make sense.
In fact, Goal listed Ward-Prowse as a player that had been considered in 2021, while Football Insider said back in March that Ward-Prowse was intriguing Liverpool (albeit a sum as high as $50m/£40m/€44m, as was suggested in the report, might turn off bidders).
It makes more sense than ever right now. Ward-Prowse, to start, would be the kind of dependable and adaptable midfielder that Liverpool is losing in Milner. He would also fulfil the requirement for homegrown players.
At 28, he still has a lot of his career ahead of him. His set-pieces, from both corners and direct free-kicks, are worth a few goals per season alone.
Furthermore, given that Milner has experience playing right-back and that Liverpool does not have much backup for Alexander-Arnold, it is not out of the question for Ward-Prowse to fill in there in the hybrid role.
Given that Ward-Prowse and Alexander-Arnold have skills that are not all that dissimilar, he would be at ease roaming and taking charge of the action in the centre. He also has a comparable passing style.
Although he is a very talented player, Calvin Ramsay may not be able to play regular senior football in a complex role when he returns due to injury, which kept him out of action for the majority of his first season at Anfield.
In summary, Ward-Prowse would be a perfect fit to take the role of Milner and cover for Alexander-Arnold.