Regarding the Exodus there's only Coutinho who would interest so called big clubs and I don't think he'd want to leave.
Most of what is going on is Agent inspired to try and get the best deal out of LFC and test the market in case there is something better elsewhere.
The players it's crucial to keep are Sakho, Hendo, Coutinho. Adding a reliable striker, a fullback and a midfielder would give us a solid spine. Around that spine the like of Mignolet, Moreno, Skrtel, Can, Sterling and Sturridge (just too injury prone) will all improve. The likes of Lucas, Allen, Ibe etc are good enough for the bench/rotation but we should aspire for better and allow young players like Ibe to grow naturally. Really we need to sell the deadwood and buy a couple of strategic signings in key positions. Considering the players at the edges of the squad - Jones, Jose, Kolo, Glen, Borini, Lambert - we should be encouraging an 'exodus' on our terms. On Coutinho, Hendo and Sterling... Where would they go? Only Sterling to Arsenal seems plausible - but it's still against the grain. He's nowhere near Suarez, a player any club would bend for.
One thing is for sure - we need to add first team players in the summer. Players who can actually come into the first team and improve us. This in turn means that some of our first teamers from this season become squad players, thus resulting in a stronger squad.
That's always the ideal... buy first team players and last years players become squad players. You therefor improve the first team and squad all together. 1 problem with that which is wages... Replace Mignolet with another keeper, you have a sub keeper earning 80k a week. Replace Skrtel and you have a sub CB earning 90k a week. Replace Lucas and you have him earning £90k a week and so on.... That was the reason we couldn't keep Reina... the reason he left clearly wasn't first team football given where he is and how often he's played so he surely would have stayed if we could have afforded to keep him. With Gerrard and possibly (hopefully) Johnson leaving, it should free up around £300k a week in wages which will defeinitely be very useful. That's in theory £100k in wages and £10.5m transfer budget added
Agreed - that is why we need to move players like Lucas, Skrtel and Enrique on. Using DM as an example, I would prefer to sign a quality DM with someone like Can on the bench, rather than Lucas. And if we bought a quality centre back, I'd keep Ilori and Wisdom as the back ups rather than Skrtel/Lovren. It's about being smarter with our resources. Compare a back 4 of Johnson, Skrtel, Lovren and Enrique which is on around £300-400k with Manquillo, Ilori (or WIsdom), Sakho and Moreno which would be on a fraction in comparison but arguably far better.
