Liverpool's Anfield Farewell: A Dozen Players Depart
June 30 is always a hard line in the football calendar. Contracts roll on, or they stop. At Liverpool, this year, it feels like a page being ripped out rather than gently turned.
Twelve players, from senior figures to academy hopefuls, officially reach the end of their time on the club’s books today. Some have already packed for new homes. Others are still waiting to see where the game takes them next. All of them close the door on Anfield.
Iraola’s new era begins with exits
The backdrop is clear: a summer of change under new head coach Andoni Iraola. The Spaniard walks into a dressing room that is being reshaped in real time, with the first-team squad and the academy both undergoing a refresh.
Liverpool have already moved decisively in the market. Spain winger Victor Munoz became the first signing of the Iraola era when the club triggered his £34.5 million release clause at Osasuna earlier this month. Centre-back Jeremy Jacquet will follow from Rennes, a £60m deal agreed back in January now edging towards completion as he prepares to link up with his new teammates.
Those arrivals underline what today’s departures really are: the formal start of a rebuild.
Robertson and Konate headline the departures
At the top of the list stand two players who have been central to Liverpool’s recent years: Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate.
Both men will officially become former Liverpool players when their contracts expire, and both already know their next destination. Robertson heads to Tottenham Hotspur, taking his relentless energy and left-footed delivery to north London. Konate, meanwhile, steps into the white of Real Madrid, a move that underlines the regard in which the French defender is held across Europe.
They leave behind medals, memories and a back line that will look very different by the time the new season kicks off.
Salah’s future on hold
Mohamed Salah is also on his way out, but his next move will not be decided just yet. The forward will park any decision on his future until after Egypt complete their World Cup campaign.
One club waits in the wings. Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are believed to hold a strong interest in the 34-year-old, and the prospect of one of Liverpool’s modern greats making the switch to the Gulf adds another layer of intrigue to a summer already heavy with change.
Rhys Williams moves on
For Rhys Williams, today closes a chapter that briefly burned very brightly.
The centre-back made 19 appearances in the 2020/21 season, stepping into a defensive crisis and helping Liverpool navigate a chaotic campaign. He has not featured for the first team since, and his journey now looks set to cross the Atlantic. Williams has already been on trial with MLS side New York Red Bulls as he searches for a fresh start and regular football.
Academy clear-out signals fresh cycle
Beneath the first team, the academy also turns over a new leaf.
- Defenders Josh Davidson, Terence Miles and Emmanuel Airoboma all depart, along with goalkeepers DJ Bernard and Jacob Poytress.
- Midfielder James Balagizi, who twice made the senior bench in the 2021/22 season, also leaves in search of a pathway that Liverpool can no longer offer.
- Up front, striker Kareem Ahmed exits, as does Oakley Cannonier – a name that will always carry a unique footnote in Liverpool’s modern history.
Cannonier never became a regular at Anfield, but he etched himself into club folklore as a teenager in 2019. It was his quick thinking as a ball boy, firing the ball to Trent Alexander-Arnold at a corner, that helped create one of the most famous goals the stadium has ever seen: Alexander-Arnold’s lightning delivery, Divock Origi’s finish, Barcelona stunned, Liverpool on their way to the Champions League final.
That moment belongs to him as much as anyone. Today, he walks away from the club where that story began.
Contracts end. Players move on. The Kop stays. As Iraola reshapes a squad that has carried Liverpool through one of the club’s most successful eras, the question now is simple: who will write the next set of Anfield memories?
