‘Unlucky’—Arne Slot Reveals Why Liverpool Blocked Star’s January Exit Request

The Reds still have plenty to play for this season across multiple competitions.

Arne Slot’s squad avoided a big shake-up. | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

Arne Slot admitted Liverpool’s injury crisis prevented Curtis Jones from leaving the club in order to join Inter Milan.

The two sides engaged in talks in the final few days of the window, with reports suggesting Jones had specifically requested an exit after struggling for prominence at Anfield during the first half of the season. Ultimately, nothing came of the negotiations, with Slot standing firm and keeping hold of the midfielder.

“He’s played a lot of minutes, not all of them, but I think he’s also unlucky in the sense that it’s probably the only line where we haven’t had injuries,” Slot told his latest news conference. “But still he’s played a lot of minutes.

“That’s of course why we kept him as well, because we have in that line a lot of players, but we need these midfielders in different positions as well. And the moment you start to need midfielders in different positions then the line in midfield gets smaller and smaller.

“So yeah, of course we kept him. His situation hasn’t changed, to us. He’s one of the 16 outfield players we have available for the long term now, and also this moment in time with two really young players in Trey [Nyoni] and Rio [Ngumoha] included.

“So it would be a bit strange if we would let anyone go if you only have 16 available.”

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Jones Facing Unfortunate Reality of Liverpool Struggles

Curtis Jones still has an important role to play. | MB Media/Getty Images

Jones has every right to be disappointed by his role this season. Now 25 and no longer a youngster, he has started just 10 Premier League games this season and is clearly viewed as a rotational player under Slot.

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Curtis Jones’s Appearances This Season

Competition	Appearances (Starts)
Premier League	21 (10)
Champions League	6 (4)
FA Cup	1 (1)
Carabao Cup	1 (1)
Community Shield	1 (1)

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There’s nothing wrong with that in isolation—not everybody can start every game and he does have 30 appearances in all competitions—but having entered the final 18 months of his contract, Jones must now decide whether he is happy in such a role or if he believes he can improve his fortunes elsewhere.

That being said, while Jones must look after his own interests, Slot and Liverpool cannot overlook theirs. As the Dutchman points out, Liverpool have been plagued by injuries all season and cannot afford to weaken their squad at such a late point in the window, when finding a suitable replacement would have been nearly impossible.

Jones has been called upon in a whole host of positions, from right back to left wing, but it is in central midfield where his misfortunes lie. Slot relies upon Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch as his preferred pivot and those two are among the very few Liverpool players to have avoided any major injury issues.

If either Mac Allister or Gravenberch are hurt between now and the end of the season, Jones will be first reserve and that is simply too valuable for Liverpool at a time in which fans are growing frustrated by the team’s on-field results.

Liverpool have to do what is best for the club and, unfortunately for Jones, clubs tend to have the power in these situations. As Alexander Isak showed during the summer, the only way for Jones to force through an exit would be to go on strike and blatantly disrespect his beloved boyhood side. There is no middle ground.

The situation will be revisited during the summer, when Jones will have just 12 months left on his contract, but for now he must wipe away his frustrations and continue to support those above him in the pecking order.

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