A former Liverpool midfielder, now in Germany, has recently put pen to paper on a loan deal which will see him spend the rest of the season in Hungary.
Before departing in the summer of 2023, he’d lifted the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Super Cup and League Cup with the Reds: more successful on paper than many of the greats that have graced the club.
Fast forward a few years, before the former Merseyside midfielder’s 30th birthday, and he’s building towards his OTP Bank Liga debut.
Ex-Liverpool man Naby Keita makes shock move to Hungary
Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita
Naby Keita made 129 appearances for Liverpool during his five-year stay
Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros recently announced their signing of ex-Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita on a loan deal lasting for the whole of 2025.
The 29-year-old had moved to German team Werder Bremen following the conclusion of his contract at Anfield in 2023 but has not appeared once for the Bundesliga side this term.
Naby Keita of SV Werder Bremen looks dejected during the Bundesliga match between SV Werder Bremen and 1. FC Köln at Wohninvest Weserstadion on September 23, 2023 in Bremen, Germany.
The Guinean moved to Werder Bremen following his Liverpool exit(Image credit: Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Keita arrived in Liverpool in 2018 from RB Leipzig, the Premier League side having agreed to pay his £48million release clause a year earlier: a club record at the time.
Due to other clauses, the deal eventually rose to £52.75m, acknowledging the strong promise the Guinea international had shown for both Leipzig and sister side RB Salzburg before making the switch.
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He made 25 Premier League appearances for Liverpool in his first season with the club, the most he would ever make in a single campaign as the Jurgen Klopp-driven side came to terms with the fact he was not quite the player they thought they’d signed.
Reports suggested that Keita had been frozen out by Bremen because he failed to turn up for a matchday in April, an accusation the player refutes.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Keita’s move to Ferencvaros, before he’s even turned 30, serves as a stark reminder of just how wrong this transfer went for Liverpool.
While he did make consistent appearances in each season before he left, he never lived up to the hype his substantial fee placed on him, and the fact that the reigning Hungarian champions presented the best option for a player of Keita’s age, who has reached the levels he has, speaks volumes.