Fabio Carvalho, Nat Phillips, Rhys Williams, Calvin Ramsay, Owen Beck and Billy Koumetio have been recalled from their loans in the January transfer window. Carvalho and Williams have already been sent out on new loans.
Out of the aforementioned six players, only Beck had a successful loan. The Welshman made 20 appearances for Dundee but was brought back to Liverpool amid a shortage of players in the left-back position.
The other loans ranged from disappointment to disaster. Carvalho made 15 appearances for Leipzig with no goals or assists, Phillips played just eight games for Celtic, Ramsay featured only twice for Preston, Koumetio played nine times for Dunkerque and Williams failed to make a single appearance for Aberdeen.
It hasn't always been this way though. Last season, Liverpool sent Conor Bradley on a highly successful loan to League One side Bolton, where he played 52 games, recording seven goals and five assists. Harvey Elliott spent the 2020/21 campaign with Blackburn in the Championship, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists in 41 appearances. Both players broke into the Reds' first team after their loans.
Remember Marko Grujic? Liverpool made a £5.4m profit on the midfielder after Porto bought him in 2021 following a successful year on loan at Estadio do Dragao. Rhian Brewster scored 11 goals in 22 appearances for Swansea on loan in the 2019/20 season, leading to Sheffield United splashing £23.5m on the striker. Neco Williams was sold to Forest on a £17m deal after impressing the scouts in his six months on loan with Fulham.
Liverpool have proven over time that they can pick excellent loans for their players, finding a place where they fully develop. Unfortunately, it hasn't been the case this season.
