Liverpool's 25-Man Premier League Squad Explained: Missing Trio Clarified
Liverpool’s 25-man Premier League squad for the 2026-27 season is locked in – and it immediately sparked a ripple of confusion.
Jeremy Jacquet, Rio Ngumoha, and Giovanni Leoni were nowhere to be seen on the official list released on Thursday, prompting questions from supporters who feared injuries, omissions, or worse. The reality is far calmer: all three are classed as U21 players and do not need to be registered to feature this season.
Barcola headlines after busy window
The announcement came at the end of a summer in which Liverpool trimmed more than they added, easing head coach Andoni Iraola’s selection headache when it came to finalizing the squad. The club’s major late move was a blockbuster: Bradley Barcola arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in a $166 million deal.
The French winger is expected to be thrown straight into the spotlight. He could make his debut on Friday night away to Ipswich Town, the first chance for Iraola to showcase a squad that is now fixed until the January window opens.
Liverpool’s 25-man list reads:
Ronald Araujo, Bradley Barcola, Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, Luke Chambers, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Wataru Endo, Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo, Joe Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak, Vitezslav Jaros, Milos Kerkez, Isaac Mabaya, Alexis Mac Allister, Giorgi Mamardashvili, James McConnell, Victor Munoz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Kostas Tsimikas, Virgil van Dijk, Florian Wirtz, Freddie Woodman.
For some fans, the immediate reaction was to scan the names again, searching for Jacquet, Ngumoha, and Leoni. Nothing. That silence on the page did the damage.
Why the missing names still matter
The explanation lies in Premier League regulations rather than in any dramatic selection call.
Each club can register a maximum of 25 players, and of those, no more than 17 can be classed as non-homegrown. The rest must meet the homegrown criteria: registered with a club affiliated to the FA or Welsh FA for at least three full seasons, or 36 months, before their 21st birthday, or during the season in which they turn 21.
On top of that, U21 players are not required to be named in the 25-man squad at all. They can still play in the league as long as they meet the age cut-off: born on or after January 1, 2005.
That is where Liverpool’s missing trio come in.
Jacquet, the eldest of the three, was born on July 13, 2005, which keeps him firmly in the U21 bracket. Ngumoha and Leoni are both teenagers, and also qualify as U21 players under the rules. All three are therefore eligible to play in the Premier League this season without taking up a registered squad slot.
Jacquet and Ngumoha have already appeared for Liverpool this campaign, underlining their place in Iraola’s plans despite their absence from the formal list. Leoni’s situation is different for now: he is one of three players currently sidelined with injury.
Injury picture and Iraola’s timeline
Leoni joins Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa on the treatment table, but Iraola offered a relatively upbeat update ahead of the trip to Ipswich.
“The closest one is Joe,” Iraola said when asked about the trio. “Joe will probably start training with us next week.
“He’s had a normal recovery from a muscle injury, more or less. We were expecting the time on this. I hope we can have him before the break, let’s say.
“The next one probably should be Giovanni Leoni. I think the plan is also to start training during the break, with the group, I think even Fede should be around those dates.”
So while the paperwork paints a streamlined, 25-man picture, the reality is a deeper, more flexible squad. Senior stars, big-money arrivals, and a clutch of hungry youngsters who do not even need their names on the list to make an impact.
The question now is simple: with the squad set and the pathway clear for U21 talent, how far can Iraola push this Liverpool side before January offers him another chance to reshape it?
