Against many fans' and pundits' pre-season expectations, Liverpool are flying high at the top of the Premier League table, opening up a five-point gap over Manchester City by beating Aston Villa 2-0 at the weekend.
Arne Slot had possibly the biggest Anfield boots to fill in the shape of Jurgen Klopp, and the Reds' summer transfer activity was quiet to put it kindly, but the cheery and charismatic Dutchman has got the best out of the resources available to him.
There were some players who did not fit into Slot's plans over the summer, though, and a total of 14 senior squad members went out on loan; some youngsters simply needing game time, and other more experienced players looking for a permanent way out.
Heading into the November international break, Sports Mole takes a look at how all of Liverpool's players out on loan have performed to this point in the season.
Giorgi Mamardashvili | Valencia
© Imago
Appearances: 11
Clean sheets: 3
Goals conceded: 17
Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was immediately loaned back out to Valencia after completing his £24.8m switch to Anfield, and the 6ft 6in shot-stopper has continued to act as their number one.
Mamardashvili has only been able to register three clean sheets in his opening 11 La Liga games of the season as Valencia sit bottom of the table, although their last two fixtures have been postponed in the wake of the devastating floods in the region.
Stefan Bajcetic | Red Bull Salzburg
© Imago
Appearances: 11
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Linking up with former assistant boss Pep Lijnders at Red Bull Salzburg, Stefan Bajcetic has sought to put his injury troubles behind him and reignite his career in Austria, where he has made 11 appearances in all tournaments.
The midfielder is yet to truly explode under Lijnders, though, failing to directly contribute to a goal and only starting one of their four Champions League games, missing their only European win so far over Feyenoord with an illness.
Ben Doak | Middlesbrough
© Imago
Appearances: 10
Goals: 1
Assists: 3
The heir to the Mohamed Salah throne? Still just 19 years of age, Scottish winger Ben Doak has quickly adapted to life in the Championship with Middlesbrough and scored his first goal for the club against Stoke City in September.
Doak has since found a midas touch in the playmaking sense, setting up three goals in two games before the international break, including two assists in Saturday's 5-1 thrashing of Luton Town.
Calvin Ramsay | Wigan Athletic
© Imago
Appearances: 10
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Another Liverpool youngster whose fledgling Reds career has been dealt numerous injury setbacks, Calvin Ramsay has struggled for consistency at Wigan Athletic too, despite already hitting double figures for appearances.
The Scottish defender has only started three League One games for the Latics, although he is still gaining useful experience on both sides of the backline.
Nat Phillips | Derby County
© Imago
Appearances: 10
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Somehow yet to leave Liverpool on a permanent basis, 27-year-old defender Nat Phillips has also started just three matches for Derby County in this season's Championship, a fall from grace after his heroics in 2020-21.
However, two of the Englishman's starts for Derby have come in their last two Championship games, and he played the full 90 for the Rams for the first time in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Plymouth Atgyle.
Rhys Williams | Morecambe
© Imago
Appearances: 14
Goals: 2
Assists: 0
The second central defensive hero of Liverpool's 2020-21 season alongside Phillips, Rhys Williams has been bedevilled by fitness issues ever since that breakthrough campaign, but he is enjoying life in League Two with Morecambe.
The 23-year-old is a regular fixture in the first XI and has now scored in back-to-back matches, firstly netting against Worthing in the FA Cup before repeating his trick in Saturday's fourth-tier win over Harrogate Town.
Lewis Koumas | Stoke City
© Imago
Appearances: 18
Goals: 3
Assists: 2
Just like Doak, another teenage Liverpool winger by the name of Lewis Koumas has quickly adapted to life in the second tier with Stoke City, having a direct hand in five goals in 18 games.
The 2005-born attacker scored one and set up another in a 5-0 EFL Cup second-round thrashing of Middlesbrough in August, before providing another crucial goal and assist in October's 2-2 Championship draw against Bristol City.
Owen Beck | Blackburn Rovers
© Imago
Appearances: 7
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
When available, 22-year-old Owen Beck has been Blackburn Rovers' first-choice left-back in the Championship, but he has made headlines for disciplinary incidents rather than on-field exploits at Ewood Park.
Beck was sent off on his third appearance for Rovers against Preston North End after suggesting that he had been bitten by Milutin Osmajic, who was subsequently banned for eight matches after video evidence backed up Beck's version of events.
Kaide Gordon | Norwich City
© Imago
Appearances: 8
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
A forgotten name on Merseyside as Trey Nyoni steals the academy thunder, Kaide Gordon has experienced an indifferent start to life on loan at Norwich City, only playing eight times in the Championship.
Gordon has one goal to his name - which came off the bench in a 4-0 win over Hull City last month - and his first start against Sheffield Wednesday on November 5 saw him withdrawn before the hour mark.
Calum Scanlon | Millwall
© Imago
Appearances: 1
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Nineteen-year-old left-back Calum Scanlon made his debut for Millwall off the bench against Luton Town on September 14, but he has not played a single minute since due to a back injury.
Scanlon briefly went back to Liverpool to undergo treatment for his stress fracture, and he is fighting an uphill battle to play again before 2024.
Luke Chambers | Wigan Athletic
© Imago
Appearances: 11
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Luke Chambers enjoyed a terrific run of form with Wigan from September 14 to October 5, helping the Latics keep a remarkable six straight clean sheets in League One while also coming up with one goal and one assist in that time.
However, the defender is also on the sidelines at the moment with a back problem, and since he entered the treatment room, Wigan have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last four League One matches.
Luca Stephenson | Dundee United
© Imago
Appearances: 12
Goals: 3
Assists: 2
After failing to register a single goal or assist in 34 games for Barrow last season, 21-year-old midfielder Luca Stephenson has enjoyed a highly productive start to the season with Dundee United.
Mainly playing off the right, Stephenson has registered three goals and two assists from 12 games in all tournaments, and he has made the first XI in all of Dundee United's Scottish Premiership games so far in 2024-25.
Marcelo Pitaluga | Livingston
© Imago
Appearances: 1
Clean sheets: 0
Goals conceded: 3
Also heading north to Scotland over the summer, Brazilian goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga is yet to oust Jerome Prior as Livingston's number one and has been an unused substitute throughout the Scottish Premiership season so far.
The 21-year-old's sole appearance came in a League Cup fourth-round clash with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in October, but it was a forgettable debut as he shipped three goals in a 3-2 loss.
Fabian Mrozek | Brommapojkarna
© Imago
Appearances: 5
Clean sheets: 0
Goals conceded: 12
Upon his arrival in Sweden to play for Brommapojkarna, Fabian Mrozek immediately stole the number one jersey, but he failed to keep a clean sheet in any of his first five games, conceding 12 goals.
Ever since that sloppy start, the Poland youth international has been confined to the bench and has not played a senior match at club level since August.
