Liverpool's midfield looks… different. Last season, the Reds endured a dreadful campaign that wreaked devastation on Jurgen Klopp's hopes of bettering the 2021/22 season's enthralling pursuit of a historic quadruple, though only the FA Cup and Carabao Cup would be clinched that year.
After finishing fifth in the Premier League and looking pretty substandard in doing it, Klopp justly decided that change was needed, and allowed James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to depart in June upon the expiry of their contracts.
But the roots of the taint delved deeper still, and captain Jordan Henderson and holding midfielder Fabinho – who were at the crux of the issues last season – were both sold to Saudi Arabian sides for a combined fee of £52m.
Alexis Mac Allister
£35m
Dominik Szoboszlai
£60m
Wataru Endo
£16m
Ryan Gravenberch
£34m
All fees sourced via Sky Sports
Taking their place, a fresh, exciting new crop of talent, with the four midfield additions already proving to be worthwhile investments.
In particular, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have been crucial to the revitalisation, both starring in the centre as Liverpool's impressive start to the term has left them with 13 points from 15 in the Premier League.
So many salient names on Merseyside departed this summer, but not all were pushed to the exit, with prodigious talents Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic still plying their trade at Anfield, while distinguished maestro Thiago Alcantara also remains, albeit yet to feature due to a lengthy injury.
Curtis Jones has not always been deemed apt for a prominent role at Liverpool, but the dynamic centre-midfielder has been making the increments to his game of late and is now thriving under Klopp's wing.
When did Curtis Jones make his Liverpool debut?
Jones, aged 22, is a Liverpool-born talent and a growing presence in Klopp's squad, having not always found a role on the pitch with the regularity he might have liked.
Making his debut for Liverpool in the League Cup against MK Dons in September 2019, Jones would soon after receive his Premier League debut against Bournemouth.
Despite scarcely playing that breakout year, Jones would score twice in the FA Cup and once in the league across just 12 appearances, also bagging an assist in the League Cup.
How much is Curtis Jones worth now?
The £15k-per-week ace has been making waves of late, and while he has endured a stop-start career on Merseyside, now appears to have reached a level that he can maintain, an integral member of the Liverpool squad.
Indeed, according to CIES Football Observatory, Jones is worth around £26m at present, having impressed over the past several years.
Considering the fact that he rose through the club's academy ranks and, as such, cost absolutely nothing, this could well prove to be a most auspicious career for both the player and his club.
Football Transfers also notes that Jones has seen a depreciation of his market value over the past year, though this is largely due to his past injury concerns and failure to properly break into the first-team.
That has now changed, and Jones looks set for a rise to true prominence on the major stage.
How good is Curtis Jones?
Liverpool's industrious midfield has been the engine that doesn't stop purring for much of Klopp's tenure at Anfield, and the sustained success of stars such as Henderson, Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum has meant that starlets of Jones' ilk have not quite cemented a starting berth.
But, Jones has also been hindered by his woes on the injury front, having missed 26 matches of competitive action since the summer of 2021.
This season, while he had a slight issue to deal with in the maiden stage, the Englishman has now started Liverpool's past two Premier League matches, particularly impressing last time out against Wolverhampton Wanderers, completing 95% of his 75 attempted passes and winning five of his nine ground duels, as per Sofascore.
As per FBref, the 6 foot dynamo ranks among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 8% for goals, the top 17% for progressive carries and the top 18% for tackles per 90, illustrating his refined, rounded skill set that has left him in such good favour with a world-class manager such as Klopp.
Dubbed the "complete #8" by one analyst & scout, Jones is proving that with fitness levels on his side, he boasts the talent and tenacity to thrive at the heart of Liverpool's midfield, having played an instrumental role in the club's late-season revival last term.
Having fallen by the wayside for most of the campaign, a few tactical tweaks and a rekindled verve prompted the Reds to construct a rich vein of form to challenge for an unlikely spot in the Champions League.
Ultimately, this proved fruitless despite an impressive seven-match winning run, which wasn't enough as Newcastle United and Manchester United both held on to their positions in the top four.
Jones, though, was immense during this period, starting the final 11 matches in the Premier League and posting three goals and one assist, praised for his "sensational" performances at the time by journalist Josh Bunting.
Once said to be "not good enough" by pundit Gabby Agbonlahor, Jones is looking good for a consistent role in this burgeoning Liverpool side, and while he will not start every match, his dynamism and technical prowess sets him in good stead.
His CIES valuation of £26m might not appear the most staggering of fees at present, but the way things are going this will only balloon for the 22-year-old, who is poised for a successful career on the biggest stage. Liverpool supporters will just hope that remains at Anfield.
