Branthwaite and Kudus considered among ten replacements for past-it pair

Having watched the previously indomitable Virgil van Dijk bumble his way through 90 minutes and Mohamed Salah do nothing again for Liverpool in their defeat to Fulham on Sunday, having thought for a long time that it was pure madness for the club to be allowing arguably the two best players in the Premier League this season to be running down their contracts, we now wonder whether their exits may in fact be perfectly timed.

It’s possible they’ve simply had a couple of off games after a long season with no real reason to exert themselves remaining, but they are far more likely entirely past-it and should be lowballed in contract negotiations to the point of insult in a bid to send them packing and bring in replacements who we have no doubt whatsoever will at least match and probably surpass the achievements of the now obsolete duo.

But which players are in the running to replace them? We’ve come up with the top ten options from the Premier League – five right wingers and five centre-backs – Liverpool could sign this summer.

Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)

That guttural sound you hear is several million Liverpool fans groaning. We’re pretty convinced Bowen would get a bundle of goals and assists for them but there’s a You Know What You’re Going To Get-ness about him that managers love but fans tend not to. We don’t want a six to seven out often week in, week out from a winger.

It says something about Bowen (and admittedly our coverage of West Ham) that we’ve tagged him in just six stories since he was last linked with Liverpool in March 2024. He was hailed in winners and losers shortly after that, there were two stories on interest from Newcastle in the summer, one focused on how terrible he was for England, a mailbox on how terrible he was for England and a mailbox feeling bad about people piling on over how terrible he was for England.

Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)

16 goals for Brentford this season makes him the Premier League’s fifth-highest goalscorer, with fellow Bees forward Yoane Wissa just behind him on 14. That partnership is both the reason big clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle have shown an interest in Mbeumo but may also turn out to be the reason they end up signing someone else.

It’s impossible to know whether it works so well because they’ve got such a deep connection or if it’s because they’re simply both very good footballers. The latter would suggest Mbeumo would thrive at Liverpool of course, but Arne Slot will also be concerned over his quality when faced with the packed defences and limited space he rarely comes across for Brentford but will more often than not be faced with at Liverpool.

Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest)

Liverpool may also have the same ‘reservations’ over Elanga that Manchester United had before they sold a guy who’s got more Premier League assists (8) and as many goals (6) as any Red Devils player this season other than Bruno Fernandes (8 goals; 9 assists) for £15m.

Shortly after Elanga ran the length of the field to condemn his former side to their 13th Premier League defeat of the season and solidify his current side’s place in the Champions League qualification spots, it was revealed that United had ‘an appreciation for his phenomenal physical talents but reservations over how he would parlay those skills into breaking down stubborn defences’.

And while Elanga is definitely good enough to be playing for United right now amid nothing but reservations over failing forwards, that will also be a concern for Liverpool, whether fair or not.

READ MORE: Five ex-Man Utd stars for INEOS to target this summer with David De Gea return ‘seriously considered’

Mohammed Kudus (West Ham)

We’re guessing West Ham would be delighted if Liverpool stumped up the £80m release clause for Kudus after a season which has seen rumours of big-club interest dry up almost entirely with the Ghana international managing just three goals and two assists in the Premier League.

They will hope Richard Hughes is like the rest of us and has actively avoided watching West Ham this term as the most humdrum team in the Premier League, and decides whether or not to sign Kudus on the basis of what he did last season, which was rather more eye-catching.

Amad Diallo (Manchester United)

We’re still not sure if Diallo is actually really good or just the least sh*t thing about Manchester United, and his place on this list definitely tells you something about the current dearth of quality right wingers in the Premier League, but the thought of United’s shining light being torn away from Old Trafford by their bitter rivals was too beautiful a thought not to include him.

Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth)

We were both very wrong but also sort of right about Huijsen. Naming him as one of ten flop of the season contenders is cause for shame but we also did say Bournemouth would be a ‘stepping stone’ to bigger things after a difficult first campaign. We’ve essentially seen a condensed version of that, with his adaptation to the Premier League happening in overdrive to the point where he’s now starting games and assisting goals as a full Spain international under the watchful eyes of several European giants.

In just eight months the 19-year-old has become the hottest centre-back property in European football and his signing would be a huge coup for Liverpool amid interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)

There’s a tiny bit of the Jarrod Bowens to Guehi in that he’s a safe if uninspiring option, maybe because he’s the oldest of the five here and perhaps the easy option given he’s out of contract at the end of next season and would definitely jump at the chance to move to Liverpool having come close to leaving for Newcastle last summer.

We’re not trying to damn by faint praise when we say he’s England’s best centre-back – he’s one of three included here – and we also reckon he’s got the closest temperament to Van Dijk in that nothing seems to ruffle him, while being the outstanding leader of these five options.

Levi Colwill (Chelsea)

It doesn’t say much for Colwill’s contributions at Chelsea that he felt a more likely and viable option when he was heavily linked with Liverpool after his loan spell at Brighton than he does now. The stuff about him that does remind us of Van Dijk – the poise in possession, the passing into midfield – is far outweighed (excuse the pun) by his inferior physicality and the way in which he’s bullied by opposition strikers.

We’re a bit confused as to why Liverpool supposedly remain so keen.

Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)

He’s one of those centre-backs we’re drawn to as it never feels like he’s too far away from doing something outstanding – a body-on-the-line block, an unlikely clearance, a pass few others would attempt – while also doing the standard stuff required of a Premier League defender.

Everton will likely welcome a pure profit-delivering bid of £70m even if it came from Liverpool and the more we see of Branthwaite the more we think he’s worthy of that outlay.

Micky van de Ven (Tottenham)

He’s had a rotten injury-ravaged season which has cost Tottenham and their miserable Australian dear, and those missed games may well rule him out of a move to Liverpool given their focus on fitness records when signing players and indeed hiring managers, with the availability of players under Arne Slot at Feyenoord supposedly key to his appointment at Anfield.

But Postecoglou infamously works his players like dogs and Van de Ven won’t need to use his searing pace and test the elastic limit of his hamstrings anywhere near as much under Slot.

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