Liverpool's English midfielder Jordan Henderson (R) passes the captain's armband to Liverpool's ... [+]
Jordan Henderson’s departure to Saudi Professional League side Al-Ettifaq leaves Liverpool FC looking for a new captain.
The club’s vice-captain, James Milner, also left in the summer, joining Brighton & Hove Albion after his contract expired.
Liverpool now needs to rearrange its leadership group and appoint new players to the two main captaincy roles.
The club already has a number of leaders in its ranks, with many players serving as captain of their national teams.
Left-back Andy Robertson leads a buoyant Scotland national team under the management of Steve Clark.
Star player Mohamed Salah captains Egypt, while Virgil van Dijk leads a Netherlands team, albeit one that has underwhelmed in recent years.
There would be a good argument for Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson being the best person to captain Liverpool.
But a goalkeeper's lack of involvement across the field, and the fact they could probably do without any additional pressure on top of what is already a high-pressure job, means Alisson’s leadership skills might be best left to his defensive organisation and his big presence at the back.
“We have an amazing captain, but we have a lot of leaders on the team who are not wearing the band on the arm,” Alisson said after captaining the team in a Champions League win against Porto at Anfield in 2021.
“It’s really important to have all these players on the team who can make a leadership and push the players forward when it’s needed.”
Another player whose name will be put forward to wear the captain’s armband is Liverpool-born academy product Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The right-back has played an increasingly important role at the club and his hybrid positional assignment, drifting from right-back into midfield, means he is a key player in manager Jürgen Klopp’s tactical setup.
Like Alisson, his high level of responsibility in the team in a football sense might be enough for him to lead by example, rather than have the added weight of the official role at this stage.
Elsewhere, Curtis Jones played an increasingly active role in the team during the 2022/23 season and was one of the few bright spots for Liverpool last season.
He previously captained a youthful Liverpool team to a 1-0 victory against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup in 2020 having just turned 19, becoming the youngest player to ever captain Liverpool.
This summer, the 22-year-old Jones was an obvious leader on the pitch as England U21s won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Jones may not be ready to be the captain or vice-captain, but he has shown qualities to warrant being part of a new leadership group.
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 13: Jordan Henderson captain of Liverpool Neco Williams of Liverpool and ... [+]
New signing Dominik Szoboszlai captains Hungary at senior international level, and though a new face in the team will not be handed the armband straight away, his previous experience in a leadership role is encouraging.
The most obvious candidates for individual roles would be Van Dijk, Robertson, and Salah.
Being captain involves much more than just wearing the armband on the field. It involves added media duties and off-field responsibility, so players would need to be able to take this in their stride without it affecting their performances.
In Henderson and Milner, Liverpool has lost two players who wore the captain’s armband and were a big presence in the locker room, but they do not leave a leadership void.
Rather, they leave the question of which of the many different types of leaders in the team will be given official roles. Of how Klopp will form a new leadership group that will help Liverpool improve and recover from last season’s disappointment.
Given the extent of that disappointment under the previous leadership structure, a refresh in this area of the team can only be a good thing.
