Liverpool's loanees: How have they performed and what comes next?
Analysing the progress of the 10 players the club sent out on temporary moves in the summer
Liverpool will continue to assess their loan players next month as they look to recoup some of the money spent during a record-breaking summer.
Under the ownership of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the club have used the loan market to increase player value and stay in line with profit and sustainability rules — and 2026 will be no different.
Liverpool sent 10 players out on loan in the summer and are expecting to send out more this month. The Athletic takes a closer look at the progress of those who have already moved and what could happen next.
Harvey Elliott (Aston Villa)
The most pressing concern for Liverpool is what to do next with a player who is almost certain to be heading back to Anfield, either this month or later in the year when his loan at Villa officially expires.
Elliott is nowhere near Unai Emery’s matchday squad and, having made just five appearances this season, is unlikely to make the 10 that trigger a permanent £35million signing.
Emery does not believe Elliott fits into his system: he favours players who are able to mix attack and defence in a more cohesive way. It was also the former sporting director, Monchi, who pushed to sign Elliott late into the last transfer window, at a time when his relationship with Emery was starting to break down.
Liverpool have no recall clause, so it will be down to Villa to decide whether to pay a fixed price to terminate early or keep the 22-year-old until the initial agreement ends. Either way, a permanent move is no longer expected and that could leave Elliott in limbo until the summer, as he cannot fix up a move elsewhere after representing two clubs already this season.
Kostas Tsimikas (Roma)
Tsimikas, nicknamed the “Greek Scouser”, is still finding his feet in Serie A and has started just three games since joining Roma.
Like Evan Ferguson and Leon Bailey — the other summer arrivals from the Premier League — Tsimikas has struggled to settle and has found it tough working for the demanding manager Gian Piero Gasperini, who doesn’t speak English.
Gasperini also favours a 3-4-3 formation, so Tsimikas has been battling not only with the other left-back, Angelino, for minutes but also the centre-backs and wingers. He was the man-of-the-match in a Europa League win at Nice in September but has failed to build on that.
There’s no early recall option for Liverpool but he can return with Roma’s blessing, and at this stage, it appears unlikely unless there’s strong interest from another club.
If Tsimikas sticks around in Italy for the season, he will still have a year left on his Liverpool contract and has not yet fully drawn a line through his time on Merseyside.
Vitezslav Jaros (Ajax)
The 24-year-old goalkeeper had to take one for the team during the 2024-25 season as he was denied the guarantee of regular minutes and forced to stick around as third in command.
In return, though, he landed an exciting move to Ajax and, judging by his recent comments, it was well worth the wait. Speaking to De Telegraaf, Jaros said he was “having a great time in Amsterdam” and focused on the long-term aim of pushing to become the No 1 at Anfield.
Vitezslav Jaros is on loan at Ajax (Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP via Getty Images)
“When I’m ready to become Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper, especially with two formidable competitors like Alisson and Giorgi Mamardashvili, is difficult to say because taking their place isn’t easy,” he added. “But that’s ultimately the goal and once I succeed, I want to win the Champions League.”
That certainly won’t be happening this year, given Ajax sit 34th out of 36 teams in the league phase. Ajax have picked up in the Eredivisie since the sacking of John Heitinga, the former Liverpool assistant manager who pushed to sign Jaros, but are still third and 16 points behind leaders PSV.
Jaros is back in the team and performing well after losing his place during the team’s poor run of form and he is expected to see out the season.
James McConnell (Ajax)
It did not go as well for Liverpool’s other loanee in Amsterdam.
McConnell also moved to Ajax in the summer, with Heitinga admiring the player from his time working with him at Anfield. But the 21-year-old has now been recalled after only making seven appearances — four in the Eredivisie and three in the Champions League, and none since the 3-0 defeat against Galatasaray on November 5 that cost Heitinga his job.
McConnell signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool in the summer and Slot spoke positively about him last season. But remaining at Ajax for the rest of the campaign was considered unlikely to help his development and there should be no shortage of suitors now he is back on Merseyside.
Given Slot’s lack of options, it may be tempting to pick him in the FA Cup tie against Barnsley on January 12. However, playing in that game would eliminate the option of him moving out on loan again, as he would have already played for two clubs this season.
Lewis Koumas (Birmingham City)
Koumas found starts hard to come by at Birmingham. He came off the bench in Monday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton, the 14th time he has done so since securing a season-long loan towards the end of the summer window. In total, the 20-year-old has made just five starts, including a Carabao Cup second-round defeat to Port Vale in September.
Koumas enjoyed a positive loan move to Stoke City last season, but he has been unable to break into a Birmingham side that is pushing for the play-offs.
Lewis Koumas has struggled for starts at Birmingham City (Jess Hornby/Getty Images)
At this stage last season, the Wales forward had clocked up 1,465 minutes in 23 appearances in the Championship, scoring three times and providing one assist. This season, he has only managed 520, with no goals or assists.
A recall clause was included in the agreement and Liverpool will be weighing up whether Koumas would be better off elsewhere, given the lack of game time.
Lewis Koumas
(Derby County)
Beck’s impressive loan spell at Championship side Blackburn Rovers last season was cut short by a hamstring injury and, unfortunately for the left-back, a similar injury has overshadowed this term.
After signing a new contract with Liverpool, the 23-year-old joined Derby in July, where he linked up with John Eustace, his old manager at Blackburn. But another hamstring injury ruled him out for the opening months of the campaign and then, just when he looked ready to return, he suffered another setback in an under-21 game against Blackburn in November. This time, a hamstring tear required surgery and Beck returned to Liverpool for his rehabilitation, and has now had his loan formally ended.
The best-case scenario would be for Beck to feature for the under-21s towards the end of the season, with Liverpool hopeful he could be fit by April. But his primary focus will be getting back on track ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Luca Stephenson (Dundee United)
Stephenson is Liverpool’s best-performing loan player and is growing in value during a second season in Scotland.
Liverpool extended the 22-year-old right-back’s contract by a further 12 months before he rejoined Dundee United and he’s transformed from the young player of the season to the best player of the season so far.
Stephenson scored in an impressive 1-1 draw at leaders Hearts, helped his side to a memorable win at Celtic and was particularly impressive in two draws against Rangers. He is also top for goal contributions.
Stephenson is expected to see out the campaign at Tannadice but is attracting interest from Championship clubs and is expected to leave Liverpool on a permanent deal in the summer.
Luca Stephenson has impressed at Dundee United (WM Sport Media/Getty Images)
Harvey Davies (Crawley Town)
Harvey Davies is another player who penned a new Liverpool deal before moving out on a season-long loan.
The 22-year-old began the season as the League Two club’s No 1 before a finger injury suffered in a 2-1 defeat by Barrow at the end of September — he still managed to finish the match — ruled him out for a number of games.
Davies returned in mid-November in a Vertu Trophy game against Peterborough United. It was a mixed evening as the goalkeeper made a significant error leading to the opposition’s opener, but then produced a handful of excellent saves.
It was not until mid-December, though, that he made his next performance in the league, and he has retained his place, starting four matches in a row.
It has been a difficult season for Crawley, who are 20th in the league. Davies has managed to keep only two clean sheets in his 14 league appearances, but that is not a huge surprise in a struggling side.
James Norris (Shelbourne)
James Norris was a surprise face in Liverpool’s open training session ahead of their Champions League tie against PSV.
That was at the end of November, shortly after the end of the defender’s season-long loan with League of Ireland’s Shelbourne. That had ended on a sour note — a red card in the Conference League against Kosovan side Drita after 16 minutes, ruling him out of the rest of Shelbourne’s group-stage fixtures.
Despite that, Norris’ loan spell in Ireland was a success. While Shelbourne failed to defend their league title, finishing third, he made 45 appearances in all competitions, featuring mainly at left-back. His performances saw him pick up the Young Player of the Season award and he is now in discussions about a permanent move to the Dublin club.
James Norris (left) is in talks over a permanent move to Shelbourne (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
James Balagizi (Forest Green Rovers)
The midfielder started well at the National League club under Robbie Savage until sustaining a serious hamstring problem that forced him to return to Liverpool for rehabilitation ahead of a possible return towards the end of January.
Balagizi, 22, is in the final year of his contract, and is hoping to play as many games as possible. He will be a free agent in the summer, looking for a move.
Isaac Mabaya (Wigan Athletic)
Isaac Mabaya’s loan move to Wigan was over almost as soon as it began.
The 21-year-old defender, who made his debut for Liverpool at right-back in the FA Cup defeat by Plymouth Argyle last season, came on as a substitute in the League One club’s opening two league fixtures.
He also started the Carabao Cup game against Notts County in August but suffered a serious Achilles injury and was taken off after 29 minutes. Mabaya returned to Liverpool for rehabilitation and is now focusing on his recovery.