4) Mamadou Sakho
The giant Frenchman had the first half of his season curtailed with injury, and when he returned, fans were bemoaning the fact Brendan Rodgers was automatically picking Dejan Lovren instead.
The Croat picked up an injury of his own though, and Sakho has taken advantage…
Due to his left-footedness, the back-three suits him perfectly, as he can always turn towards the touchline and pick a forward pass in the left-hand berth. His passes, despite their unnerving aesthetics, are very accurate. Physically, he’s a wonderful defender, and is ability both aerially and at shielding the ball is as good as anything in the top flight.
It seems he never really needed replacing in the summer after all.