Liverpool Midfield Overhaul: Bajcetic Leaves as Nyoni Steps Up

Liverpool’s summer reshuffle has claimed another midfielder – and the club have made a firm call on whether anyone new is coming in to replace him.

Curtis Jones has already gone, heading to Inter Milan in a deal worth £30m. Now Stefan Bajcetic is following him out of Anfield, with Liverpool agreeing to sell the 21-year-old back to his former club Celta Vigo.

The focus around Anfield has largely been on wide forwards and how to freshen up the flanks. Quietly, though, central midfield has been stripped back and rebuilt on the fly.

Bajcetic returns to Celta

Bajcetic’s time in England never really caught fire. Injuries stalked him, limiting him to fewer than 60 appearances across four years and stalling what had once looked like a rapid rise.

According to Matteo Moretto, speaking on DAZN_ES and translated by AnfieldSector, Liverpool and Celta have reached a club-to-club agreement for a permanent transfer. The structure of the deal is unusual but telling.

Celta will pay virtually nothing up front. The package is built around bonuses and a sell-on percentage, with Liverpool retaining a slice of any future sale. Bajcetic is expected to undergo his medical at Celta Vigo soon.

With the Spaniard in the final year of his contract and his availability constantly undermined by fitness problems, Liverpool’s decision to accept a nominal fee and protect themselves via a sell-on clause fits the reality of the situation. If Bajcetic can finally stay fit and rebuild in La Liga, the Reds will at least be positioned to benefit down the line.

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

A thin defensive core – and no replacement

Strip the midfield down and the picture looks stark. Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Trey Nyoni, Wataru Endo and Bajcetic were the recognised central options. Only two of them – Endo and Bajcetic – are naturally defensive-minded, and neither has been anywhere near the top of the pecking order.

Now one of that pair is leaving.

Logic would suggest a replacement. Liverpool disagree.

The club have decided not to move for another midfielder despite the exits of Jones and Bajcetic. Instead, they are turning inwards.

Earlier this week, TEAMtalk revealed that Liverpool had chosen to promote teenager Trey Nyoni to fourth in the midfield hierarchy. Szoboszlai, Gravenberch and Mac Allister will scrap for the two starting roles, with Nyoni next in line and Endo behind him.

The Athletic have since echoed that stance. Their reporter James Pearce wrote that, despite rising noise around the need for midfield reinforcements – noise that grew louder after the dramatic 2-2 draw with Newcastle – senior figures at the club insist the priority remains adding attacking options out wide.

“They don’t intend to replace Jones, as they see teenager Trey Nyoni as ready to step up and play a bigger part this season,” Pearce reported. Unless something changes internally, only the forward line will be strengthened.

So Liverpool walk into the new campaign with a streamlined, attack-minded midfield and a teenager pushed into a prominent role. The question now is simple: will that bold gamble hold when the season’s intensity starts to bite?