In his column for the Liverpool Echo this week, former Liverpool striker John Aldridge highlighted a number of players that he termed as “dead wood” who needed to be sold in the summer months so that the Reds could begin to build a stronger squad:

“The defeat at West Ham was a reminder of just how big the job is at Liverpool. Kenny Dalglish has transformed the side’s fortunes in two months. We were never going to go eight games unbeaten under Roy Hodgson but it’s clear the squad really needs strengthening this summer. We’ve still got players like Philipp Degen, Emiliano Insua, Nabil El Zhar and Alberto Aquilani on the payroll. Plus there’s other dead wood at Anfield which needs to be moved on. Dalglish is going to have to deal with that. They need to be cleared out to boost the pot he’s got to bring players in.”

With Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group stating from the outset that they had concerns over Liverpool’s sizeable wage bill, the removal of a number of substandard players from the team’s squad will surely be given equal priority to making acquisitions to improve the squad this summer. I have listed below the first five players I would like to see leave the Reds this summer.

Christian Poulsen – Brought in to replace Javier Mascherano last summer, the Dane has absolutely failed to impress during his number of starts under both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish. He fundamentally looks a few yards too slow for the Premier League and his distribution of the ball has been horrendous on occasions this season. Although the fact his wife had given birth to new born baby the night before, his display against Sparta Prague last Thursday was nothing short of abject. He gave the ball away on a number of occasions and it was a relief when he was substituted for Jay Spearing. Poulsen himself is uncertain whether he will be at Liverpool next season:

“At the end of the season, I will evaluate what to do about my future. There are many factors to take into consideration.”

Udinese are said to be interested in Poulsen and a suggestion has been made today that he could be used as a makeweight in a deal for Alexis Sanchez.

Paul Konchesky – Not much needs to be said about the former Fulham left back. His move to the Reds in the summer was much criticised and after a number of below par performances, the scepticism over his ability to play for a club like Liverpool looked to be justified. Once Kenny Dalglish took over from Roy Hodgson, Konchesky wasn’t even given a game before he was loaned out to Championship side Notts Forest. Due to Premier League rules, he wasn’t allowed to play for a third top flight club in a single season but teams such as Mick McCarthy’s Wolves were interested in the player back in January, and the player is expected to leave Anfield in the summer.

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