Selling a CM

[fm20]

After another successful season I've brought in some more players and need to do some more squad reshaping. I'm playing as Liverpool and it's July 2017 (after season 3).

I think I'm a little heavy on the more attacking midfielders and need advice on who should potentially go.

My primary formation is a 4-4-2 diamond.

At the base of the midfield is a DLP/D - after Gerrard's retirement I have Lucas and Ruben Neves here. I've just sold Gil Romero for about £30m to Real Madrid (who had already bought Tielemans).

The RCM is a box to box midfielder - Jordan Henderson with no specific backup at the moment.

AM is either a shadow striker (Sterling - my key player), or an AP (Coutinho or newly signed Denis Suarez). I sold Harry Wilson for just under £10m.

LCM is a roaming playmaker - Joe Allen has done really well in the first couple of seasons, but suffered with injuries last term. Coutinho often plays here (depending on choice of AM and how attacking I want the team to be), but I also have James Ward-Prowse and Dele Alli. One of these four may be for the chop, I think.

Allen is a good all rounder and can back up Henderson in the RCM role as well - the only one of these four I trust in a more defensive role. His workrate and stamina are great assets and has good passing and tackling. Aged 27 and valued at £26m.
Coutinho is a world class player and star, but valued at over £40m. I could get a lot for him, assuming one of the top clubs wants him.
Ward-Prowse is young and English, a good leader and set piece taker, which I need. He's better than Allen in an attacking sense but suffers in comparison on the mental side. Did well in his first season. Valued at £21m. Unlikely to improve further.
Dele Alli has better reported potential than Ward-Prowse, is only a year younger and is better physically and at dribbling and finishing. He spent last year on loan and has played in the premier league, but not at this level. I suspect he's better in an advanced role as an attacking midfielder. Without one of Coutinho, Suarez or Sterling he'd be a good choice in the AM position. Valued at £7m.

I'm under no real pressure to sell. My concern is that with the other players, Alli won't get enough game time to develop into a good player. A loan deal may be an option, but the market is not really there at a high enough level to make it worthwhile.

Any thoughts on who should go, if anyone?

 

[vjcsmoke]

If you are looking to win now, it's probably better to loan out Alli. Unless you can give him some reps at AMC where you suspect that he plays better. But if you run a 4-4-2 diamond that means that you need 4 midfielders anyway or at least 3 MC + 1 AMC. Which means that you need all of them, and should rotate them to keep them fresh.

You don't want to play your top players against weak sides, that's when you throw in the youngsters or your second team. There will be parts of the season where you play 2 games per week, that's when you rotate to avoid injuries and jaded players.

 

[fm20]

Decided to loan Alli out. He's gone to Swansea for the season so will get a lot more games in the PL than I can offer him.

I tend to make heavy use of rotation to keep the team fresh - but I didn't see Alli getting too many games when there are at two or three players ahead of him for either of the positions I'd use him for. I suspect that ultimately he won't become part of my first team plans - the older players still have a long time to go and there are regens who are better long term prospects in my U18 team at the moment (plus Ould-Chikh and Alper Ademoglu who are also both out on loan).

Alli probably going to great for profit however - I bought him for £4.9m, his loan spell last year brought in £2m plus 100% of his wage; this year it's £1m plus 100% and he's now valued at £7.5m, another season in the PL should bring that up nicely. Kerching!