Liverpool's Midfield Restructuring: Bajcetic Exits, Nyoni Promoted

Liverpool’s summer surgery in midfield has taken another sharp turn. Another central option is heading for the exit, and the club have made a firm call: no replacement is coming.

Curtis Jones has already gone, swapped Anfield for the San Siro in a £30m move to Inter Milan. Now Stefan Bajcetic, once viewed as a long-term holding midfielder for Liverpool, is set to follow him out of the door.

Bajcetic back to Celta Vigo

Stefan Bajcetic is on his way back to where it all began. According to Matteo Moretto, Liverpool and Celta Vigo have reached a club-to-club agreement for the 21-year-old to return to Galicia on a permanent deal.

As translated by AnfieldSector from Moretto’s comments on DAZN_ES, the move is structured to minimise Celta’s immediate outlay. The Spanish club will pay virtually nothing up front, with the package built around bonuses and a sell-on clause. Liverpool will retain a percentage of any future sale, a safety net in case Bajcetic finally gets a clear run at his potential.

The midfielder is expected to undergo his Celta Vigo medical soon.

Bajcetic is into the final year of his Liverpool contract and has played fewer than 60 matches over the last four years, his progress repeatedly derailed by injuries. Given that backdrop, it is no surprise Liverpool are accepting only a nominal fee and banking instead on the sell-on clause to protect the upside if his career takes off back in Spain.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has also reported that Celta Vigo are closing in on an agreement over personal terms with the player, underlining how advanced the move now is.

A thinning engine room – by design

Strip Bajcetic from the list and Liverpool’s central midfield group suddenly looks lighter, and more attacking. Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Trey Nyoni, Wataru Endo and Bajcetic were the six options in the middle of the park. Only Endo and Bajcetic are natural defensive midfielders, and neither sits near the top of the pecking order.

Now one of those two specialists is going. The obvious question follows: will Liverpool bring in another midfielder to cover the double loss of Jones and Bajcetic?

The answer from inside the club is blunt. No.

Liverpool have opted to turn inward instead. As reported earlier this week by TEAMtalk, the club have decided to promote teenager Trey Nyoni, elevating him to fourth choice in the midfield hierarchy.

Szoboszlai, Gravenberch and Mac Allister will battle for the two starting roles. Behind them, Nyoni is now viewed as the next in line, with Endo pushed down to fifth choice.

The stance has been reinforced by The Athletic. Their Liverpool reporter James Pearce detailed how, despite growing noise from supporters calling for midfield reinforcements – noise that only grew louder after the dramatic 2-2 draw with Newcastle – senior club figures insist their priority lies elsewhere.

Liverpool’s focus, Pearce reported, remains on strengthening the wide attacking positions. They do not intend to directly replace Jones. Internally, the belief is that Nyoni is ready to step up and take on a bigger role this season. Unless something changes at the top of the club, only the forward line will be bolstered.

So Liverpool head into the new campaign with a leaner, more attacking midfield, a teenager thrust up the ladder, and a former prospect sent home to rebuild. Bold, or reckless, for a side with ambitions of chasing major trophies? The season will deliver the verdict.