Liverpool have confirmed Kostas Tsimikas has joined Serie A giants AS Roma on a season-long loan, bringing an end — at least temporarily — to his five-year stay at Anfield.
The 29-year-old defender has not featured for the Reds so far this season and was left out of all of Arne Slot’s matchday squads following the summer arrival of Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth. With Andy Robertson appointed vice captain confirming he is still considered an important part of the squad, Liverpool have been carrying three specialist left-backs, leaving Tsimikas the odd man out.
The Greece international had been attracting strong interest from a number of clubs throughout the window, including Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, but Roma emerged as frontrunners earlier in the week. Negotiations gathered pace and the deal was confirmed by both clubs late on Sunday evening after Liverpool’s 1-0 victory against Arsenal at Anfield.
Although Liverpool had initially been open to a permanent sale, no agreement was reached with the Italians. Instead, Roma will cover Tsimikas’s wages for the duration of the campaign, with no option to buy included in the deal.
Tsimikas joined Liverpool from Olympiakos in the summer of 2020 for a fee in the region of £12 million and went on to make 115 appearances across all competitions. While often used as back-up to Robertson, he earned cult hero status among supporters after scoring the winning penalty in the 2022 FA Cup final shootout against Chelsea.
However, his minutes dwindled over the past 18 months, and Slot’s preference for 21-year-old Kerkez in the early weeks of the new campaign signalled a new direction. Robertson, who had attracted strong interest from Atletico Madrid earlier this summer, remains at Anfield and is expected to rotate with the Hungarian international in the months ahead.
The decision to sanction Tsimikas’s loan reflects Liverpool’s determination to streamline the squad as Slot looks to mould the team in his own image.
Attention now turns to the final 24 hours of the transfer window. Liverpool remain active in the market, with talks ongoing with Crystal Palace over defender Marc Guehi, who is inside the final year of his deal at Selhurst Park. Joe Gomez has been mentioned during those discussions, but the club are adamant he will not be allowed to leave on loan, despite reported interest from AC Milan.
For Tsimikas, the move to Roma represents a fresh start. The Giallorossi, managed by Daniele De Rossi, are pushing to return to the Champions League and see the Greek full-back as valuable depth on the left flank.
Liverpool are not back in action until their trip to Burnley in two weeks’ time, with players now dispersing for international duty. By then, the transfer window will have closed and Slot will know exactly what resources he has at his disposal as he continues his first season in charge.
