Liverpool can fill 4 iconic Jersey numbers as exciting new transfer stars join the Reds

Liverpool are set to shake up the squad this summer with a slew of likely new signings, and there will be some pretty big boots – and shirts – to fill at Anfield

Liverpool are about to get busy on the transfer market, but not before saying goodbye to some familiar faces.

James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave the club this summer, along with goalkeeper Adrian and little-seen loan midfielder Arthur Melo.

And in the case of the former trio, their departure will see three of Liverpool’s – and indeed football’s – most iconic shirt numbers available this summer, while the Reds are still yet to fill the number 10 shirt following Sadio’s departure Mane last year .

So what’s the story of those shirts at Liverpool and who might wear them next?

We see. No. 7

The past

Certainly the most iconic number in Liverpool history. The likes of Billy Liddell and Ian Callaghan wore number 7 before it passed to Kevin Keegan in 1971 and Kenny Dalglish six years later.

Photos of Dalglish wearing the shirt still adorn the Kop today and while more recently the number was in danger of being seen as a bit of a tough cross to take, Vladimir Smicer went from No 7 to No 11 for the season due to the pressure of jerseys, then won the champions. League – the two men who have worn it for the last decade and a while, Luis Suarez and Milner, have done quite well.

The future?

Mason Mount has been strongly linked to Liverpool for quite some time now, and he’d surely be seen as someone who could carry on Milner’s good work in the No.7 should he arrive and take it.

Intriguingly though, the Chelsea man has favoured the No.19 for both club and country pretty much ever since he burst onto the scene, and so should he request that shirt than its current occupier, Harvey Elliott, surely wouldn’t mind the seven either.

Luis Diaz would be another option having worn the No.7 at Porto.

No.8

The past

Roger Hunt, Liverpool’s second highest goalscorer of all-time, used to wear the No.8 shirt, while Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes, Jimmy Case, Terry McDermott and John Aldridge also donned it with varying levels of frequency during the pre-squad number age.

Stan Collymore and Emile Heskey then took the shirt into the new millennium, but it became truly iconic when Steven Gerrard took it over in 2004. Indeed, Liverpool enlisted Gerrard to present the shirt to Keita when he arrived in the summer of 2018, three years after it was last worn.

The future?

With midfield such an obvious area of improvement for Liverpool this summer, it seems as though Keita’s shirt won’t be vacant for long.

Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch emerged as a firm Reds target in the wake of ending interest in Jude Bellingham, and the Dutchman wore the No.8 at Ajax while it also features on his kit in Germany.

Thomas Tuchel is said to want to hold on to Gravenberch this summer though and so a deal is starting to look a little complicated, with Mount another option to take the No.8.

No.9

The past

No-one has scored more goals for Liverpool than Ian Rush, who made the No.9 shirt his own across two spells at the club after it was previously worn to great effect by Ian St John and Steve Heighway.

After Rush it was passed on to Robbie Fowler who kept the goalscoring tradition of the shirt alive, but then after Fernando Torres the number became somewhat cursed as it was sported by Andy Carroll, Iago Aspas, Rickie Lambert and Christian Benteke, before Firmino switched from the No.11 he wore in his first two seasons to take it in 2017.

The future?

This one looks fairly simple to predict.

Darwin Nunez has had his up and down moments in his first season with the Reds, but perhaps a new number for next season could help him unlock the huge potential he clearly has?

The Uruguayan wore the No.9 at previous club Benfica, and as the closest thing Liverpool have to pure forward in the squad, something Klopp will hope to see more of next season, he seems a shoo-in for the shirt.

No.10

The past

Liverpool’s No.10 shirt has remained untouched since Sadio Mane departed last summer, with the Senegalese doing so as a Reds legend and a player who, like Firmino, came to define much of what the modern Liverpool was about.

Mane had taken the shirt in the summer of 2018, six months after Philippe Coutinho had vacated it, with the Brazilian joining the likes of Luis Garcia, Michael Owen, Josh Toshack and most notably John Barnes in being fondly remembered No.10s.

The future?

The No.10 shirt has a certain glamour of course, and while Mane was a player who frequently made a difference to Liverpool where it mattered. The Reds will hope whoever takes the shirt on can do just that.

One likely candidate could be Alexis Mac Allister, Brighton’s No.10, as he continues to be linked with a switch from the south coast.

Internal candidates include the likes of Elliott and maybe Curtis Jones, but Mac Allister could just have his eye on following in Mane’s footsteps.

Also.. 

Liverpool Champions League hope boosted again after Leeds 2 : 2 Newcastle 

Liverpool could only watch and hope Leeds United would do something for them against Newcastle United. Weston McKennie and company did their best on Elland Road.

The problem with chasing the first four races is that you keep praying for others to slip. The downside for Liverpool is that not too long ago it looked like the Reds would watch the Champions League run without actually getting involved.

However, that is certainly not the case anymore. Instead, Liverpool need Newcastle or Manchester United to drop more points while Jurgen Klopp’s side need to win each of their remaining games. Liverpool are still very active on the approach.

With a tie against defensively struggling Leeds United, Newcastle still need a win and two draws in their last three games – provided there isn’t a crazy goal difference – to finish ahead of the Reds. . The fight seems to be going all the way.

Newcastle’s next two games will be against Brighton and Leicester City – both at home – before their final day at Chelsea, which admittedly looks much easier than it did a few months ago. USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie and former MLS star Jack Harrison did their best to help Liverpool out, but in the end Leeds didn’t have enough quality to secure a home win.

Two completely unnecessary errors in defense gave Newcastle easy chances to score from the penalty spot, allowing Callum Wilson to score a brace. Without those mistakes, a point could easily have been more for Leeds.

First, Maximilian Wöber got nowhere near the ball but took out Alexander Isak inside the box, and then Junior Firpo — once a Liverpool transfer target — touched the ball with his fingers while trying to exaggerate how hard he has been pushed in the back.

Leeds, to its credit, did try and fight back. Rasmus Christiansen crashed a shot in to make it 2-2, before Firpo was sent off and a chaotic end to the clash ensued, including an intruder getting close enough to Eddie Howe to tap the Newcastle boss on the shoulder.

Sam Allardyce’s side tried and tried, but there is a reason that they are one the teams to look in danger of the drop. Liverpool hoped for a Leeds victory, but got the next best thing.

Liverpool.com says: Liverpool still has to do its own job, of course, but Patrick Bamford’s missed penalty kick feels like a big moment. Had the Leeds forward scored, Newcastle would have been two down; instead, it went up the other end and equalized. That’s what relying on a team as defensively weak as Leeds to do you a favor leads to.

Importantly, though, while Newcastle looked ready to scrap, it also showed weakness of its own. Other than the penalties, it did not create loads of chances, and managed to concede twice. It was fortunate that Bamford did not convert under pressure and there were glimmers of hope to cling to. McKennie, for instance, largely did well against Bruno Guimarães and co in the center with an impressive showing.

Newcastle did well to come back having gone a goal down, but was far from perfect. Brighton on Thursday will give them much more of a challenge. The top four spots still are a way off for Liverpool in terms of what needs to happen, but it can only do its own job. The percentage chance of it happening — as has been happening for a weeks — has just slightly increased again. Liverpool.com says: Liverpool still have their work to do, of course, but Patrick Bamford’s missed penalty looks like a big moment. Had the Leeds forward scored, Newcastle would have lost two; instead he went up the other side and equalized. This is where it leads to relying on a weak side defensively like Leeds to please you.

Importantly, while Newcastle looked set to be demolished, they also showed their weakness. Aside from penalties, he didn’t create many chances and conceded twice. Thankfully, Bamford didn’t budge under pressure and there were glimmers of hope to hold on to. For example, McKennie did largely well against Bruno Guimarães and company in center with an impressive performance.

Newcastle did well to come back from a goal down, but it was far from perfect. Brighton will offer them a much bigger challenge on Thursday. The top four is still a long way off for Liverpool in terms of what needs to be done, but they can only do their job. The percentage chance of that happening has – as it has for weeks – just increased slightly again.