Steve Sidwell believes Liverpool could be hit by the losses of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, calling Jurgen Klopp 'too honest' in his handling of his midfield rebuild.
Midfield issues at Anfield have been well-documented over the course of the last year.
The exits of midfielders did free up a large portion of the club's wage bill though, so Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were quickly introduced
Fabinho and Henderson are now expected to leave for a combined £52 million in the near future, and while this places a massive strain on Klopp's summer strategy in terms of midfielders, it also drives down the number experienced leaders within the dressing room.
Sidwell said:
"The departures this season will have a big impact for Liverpool. If you look at Klopp, he was probably too honest and too loyal for a couple of years.
"Some players probably needed to be in and around the dressing room because they're so valuable and important – not when they are on the pitch but day to day driving, training, being right around the training ground – showing players and new signings that come in the culture, the environment, and the way things are done at the football club.
"Losing those players is a huge loss because they control the dressing room. When we've got a manager that knows that he's got three or four players that can police the dressing room, they can nip things in the bud, and he doesn't have to pick up meetings or pick out one or two players to do that. The fact that they can just do that, off their own back, that's huge.
"Getting players in to replace them is key, especially in that midfield area for Liverpool. Last season was a bad season [for Liverpool] – they finished very strongly, but they're there to win titles and to challenge the Manchester City's, the Arsenal's. They’ll be in the fold next season for a top four finish."
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