Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insists his squad will undergo a “little transition” this summer but nothing as “drastic” as 12 months ago.
However, he denied more experienced players were needed to improve the mentality of the personnel at his disposal.
Last week Mohamed Salah, one of two confirmed senior departures alongside Andy Robertson, said “the bond of the team is changing so I really hope the guys hold it together”.
Slot argued the unity between the players was different to their character and mental strength.
“Indeed it will be another little transition, probably not as drastic as it was last summer, but we have to change a bit of personnel because of the players who are leaving,” said the Dutchman, who has had to integrate £450million-worth of talent with a much younger age profile.
“There is a difference between bonding and mentality.
“When it comes to bonding, it makes complete sense that players who have played six, seven, eight, nine years together have more bonding than when there are a group of players that are new with each other.
“When it comes to mentality, I think this team has shown many times this season that when we were in difficult circumstances – even last week at (Manchester) United being 2-0 down at half-time.
“Again they showed the mentality to come back into the game and when we were back in the game at 2-2 we probably deserved to get the third goal, which we didn’t get, which has happened also many times this season.”
Liverpool’s average age this season is 26, but that is set to fall.
There are currently nine players over that age – one is third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, Salah and Robertson are leaving and the futures of Alisson Becker, Federico Chiesa, Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister are all up for debate.
Last summer’s signings were a conscious attempt to lower the age profile and, with owners Fenway Sports Group having a policy of generally trying to buy players before their peak years of 27 to 29 and not more established ones, the experience within the squad is set to diminish.
“For me mentality has nothing to do with age and I think you know, because when Mo was 26 and these players were all in their prime they were able to win the Champions League, to win the Premier League, to pick up 99 points, so you don’t have to be 32 to know what standards means,” added Slot.
“Recently we have quite a good example of players that are not that old, the ones of Paris St Germain who definitely have the standards, what it takes to win a game of football in terms of attacking with 11 and defending with 11.
“For me mentality has absolutely nothing to do with age, but more with the character and personality of a player.
“Of course you can inject this in the transfer market, but we also have a lot of players, maybe all of them, that have the right mentality to play for this club.”
Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to return after a knee injury to face Chelsea, but first-choice Alisson remains out with a hamstring injury.
Striker Alexander Isak trained on Thursday after a minor groin problem forced him to miss last weekend and looks set to return to the squad.
