Liverpool Explains Omission of Young Players from Premier League Squad

Liverpool’s official 25-man Premier League squad for the 2026-27 season dropped on Thursday – and immediately sparked confusion. Three highly rated youngsters, Jeremy Jacquet, Rio Ngumoha, and Giovanni Leoni, were nowhere to be seen.

They have not vanished. They simply don’t need to be there.

With the transfer window closed and Bradley Barcola the final arrival after a $166 million move from Paris Saint-Germain, attention quickly shifted from deals to details. Barcola could make his debut as early as Friday night at Ipswich Town, but it was the names missing, not the new one, that lit up social media.

Liverpool’s registered squad reads: Ronald Araujo, Bradley Barcola, Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, Luke Chambers, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Wataru Endo, Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo, Joe Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak, Vitezslav Jaros, Milos Kerkez, Isaac Mabaya, Alexis Mac Allister, Giorgi Mamardashvili, James McConnell, Victor Munoz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Kostas Tsimikas, Virgil van Dijk, Florian Wirtz, Freddie Woodman.

No Jacquet. No Ngumoha. No Leoni.

For some supporters, that immediately raised red flags. Were they injured? Had something gone wrong late in the window? The reality is far more straightforward and, for Liverpool, rather convenient.

Under Premier League rules, clubs can register a maximum of 25 players, with no more than 17 who do not meet the ‘homegrown’ criteria. Anyone outside that group must be homegrown, defined as having been registered with any club in England or Wales for three full seasons, or 36 months, before their 21st birthday – or from the season they turn 21.

Crucially, U21 players do not have to be included in that 25-man list at all. They can still feature freely in league games as long as they were born on or after January 1, 2005.

That is where Jacquet, Ngumoha, and Leoni come in.

Jacquet, the eldest of the trio, was born on July 13, 2005, so he comfortably falls into the U21 category. Ngumoha and Leoni are both teenagers as well, which means they are automatically eligible to play without taking up a senior squad slot.

It explains why Liverpool could leave them off the official list without limiting Andoni Iraola’s options. Jacquet and Ngumoha have already been used this season, a clear sign of the club’s faith in their readiness, while Leoni’s absence from recent matchday squads has nothing to do with paperwork and everything to do with fitness.

Leoni is currently one of three Liverpool players sidelined, alongside Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa. Iraola, speaking before the trip to Ipswich, outlined where each of them stands.

“The closest one is Joe,” he said when asked about the injured trio. “Joe will probably start training with us next week.

“He’s had a normal recovery from a muscle injury, more or less. We were expecting the time on this. I hope we can have him before the break, let’s say.

“The next one probably should be Giovanni Leoni. I think the plan is also to start training during the break, with the group, I think even Fede should be around those dates.”

So while the senior squad is effectively locked in until January, the picture underneath it is far more fluid. Liverpool have trimmed numbers, leaned into younger depth, and used the regulations to keep space clear in the 25 while still having emerging talent at Iraola’s disposal.

The paperwork says 25 names. The reality for opponents is that there are more threats coming, and some of them are still only just getting started.