Liverpool have confirmed the names of a dozen players who’ll leave Anfield this month upon expiry of their contracts, including an unlikely hero from one of the club’s greatest night of modern times.
We already knew that the first-team quartet of Mo Salah, Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Rhys Williams were leaving on free transfers this summer, and on Tuesday it was announced that eight players from the academy setup have also been released.
LFC published the names on their official website this afternoon, with Kareem Ahmed, Emmanuel Airoboma, James Balagizi, DJ Bernard, Oakley Cannonier, Josh Davidson, Terence Miles and Jacob Poytress all departing the Merseyside club, who thanked each of them for their contributions in L4.
Liverpool also confirmed that contract offers have been made to Prince Cisse, Keyrol Figueroa, Kyle Kelly, Afolami Onanuga, Oliver O’Connor, Lucas Pitt, Ben Trueman and Matthew Wright.
Of the eight academy players to have been released, one name in particular stands out – that of Cannonier.
He shot to overnight fame the day after his 15th birthday in May 2019 when quickly throwing the ball to Trent Alexander-Arnold for the legendary corner kick from which Divock Origi scored to complete the epic Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona at Anfield.
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The striker was sensational at under-18 level on Merseyside, scoring 33 goals in 37 appearances, but wasn’t as prolific once he entered the under-21 grade, and he never played for the Reds in a senior competitive fixture (Transfermarkt).
Now 22, Cannonier’s progress has been hindered by persistent hamstring injuries, and in February he confirmed his intentions to leave Liverpool this summer in search of more regular game-time elsewhere.
He had a trial with Leeds in early 2025 and provided two assists in one match as part of that, but a proposed move to Elland Road fell through when the Whites were unable to secure their primary first-team transfer target and opted out of signing the Yorkshire native (The Athletic).
It’ll be compelling to see where the unlikely hero of that night against Barcelona will end up next. Wherever that may be, we wish him and the other players released by the Reds the very best with the remainder of their careers.
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