The summer transfer window saw Liverpool deliver very little in regards to new additions to the squad.
Liverpool completed the signing of Ibrahima Konaté early on in the window, with no more activity following.
Despite a number of players leaving the club, almost all of their roles have not been filled.
With the Premier League season already underway, the Reds have gotten off to a positive start.
From their first three games, they have managed two wins and most recently a 1-1 draw against Chelsea.
However, even with their positive start, the club’s lack of transfer activity may come back to bite them.
According to Elliott Bretland of the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool are unable to name a full 25-man squad.
This is due to the number of players they allowed to leave, with Sheyi Ojo’s departure on deadline the final straw.
The 24-year-old left the club on a season-long loan at Championship club Millwall.
Following his departure, the Reds have now been left with just seven homegrown players over the age of 21.
The Premier League allows no more than 17 players that do not meet the ‘homegrown criteria’.
What is the homegrown criteria?
A “Home-Grown Player” means a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).
Homegrown criteria as cited by the Liverpool Echo
The remainder of the squad has to be made up of homegrown players to make a squad of no more than 25 players.
Due to the club’s transfer activity this summer in regards to incoming’s and outgoing’s, they cannot do so.
Luckily, the Reds do have a slight loophole, with a number of current first-team youngsters that do not need to be registered.
The likes of Curtis Jones, Neco Williams, and Harvey Elliot do not need to be registered in the 25-man squad.
Whether Liverpool chooses to address this issue in the winter window is unknown.
One thing for sure, however, is that the club has plenty of room for new additions in the upcoming winter and summer windows next year.
