NEAR-MISS: Davis Keillor-Dunn heads against a post (Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)placeholder image
NEAR-MISS: Davis Keillor-Dunn heads against a post (Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Liverpool will continue their transition in the summer and one decision should be to sell a player who nearly left last season.
Nobody expected the summer clear-out that Liverpool went through after winning the Premier League and yet there could have been more bodies leave.
One of those was the longest-serving current player in Joe Gomez whose current contract runs until the summer of 2027. As with Luis Diaz, with no new deal likely to be offered, Richard Hughes made the right decision to sell the versatile defender only for the collapse of Marc Guehi’s transfer from Crystal Palace to have a knock-on effect. With only Virgil van Dijk, Giovanni Leoni and Ibrahima Konate, Gomez was told to stay put.
Liverpool need to make Joe Gomez decision
It is a decision that Liverpool should already be preparing to make amends for this summer and sell Gomez before they lose him for nothing next year. Not being able to rely on the England international for more than two games in a row isn’t sensible squad building, especially when he is supposed to be keeping Konate on his toes and providing a consistent backup option. With Konate himself struggling for fitness, the last thing Arne Slot needs is a defender who can’t stay fit being the player who is required to step up.
Unfortunately, this is the situation that Liverpool find themselves in ahead of a crucial Champions League knock-out tie with Galatasaray with Slot confirming that Gomez might not be fit, via the club’s website: "Joe, we will decide tomorrow (Wednesday)," the Liverpool head coach explained. "He wasn't available for training today. He had too much issues after our last game, although he had these issues already after the Galatasaray game. "Wasn't planned to play against Tottenham, but, unfortunately, Ibou [Konate] got discomfort in his hamstrings, so we couldn't take the risk of playing him.
"That's why Joe had to play, and it has built up so much he is now a doubt for tomorrow. He is going to try tomorrow to see if he is available." Sentiment shouldn’t come into any plan that Liverpool have for the summer, Gomez should be thanked for his loyalty and service, but enough, is enough.
How close Gomez came to AC Milan move
Gomez should be an AC Milan player with Sky Sports’ Luca Bendoni telling Liverpool World in the summer just how close he came to leaving Anfield: “Milan had a full agreement in place for Joe Gomez. All set to be signed, player supposed to travel, flight booked. They had an internal deadline around 1pm because they wanted to check him with medicals so they (Milan) needed the green light on time.
‘The green light could only come if Liverpool signed (Marc) Guehi, but it had to be before 1pm because they had to fly him (Gomez) to Italy. (In the end) They had no time.” All because Liverpool left it late to go for Guehi, a mistake that shouldn’t be repeated when the bids are made this year.
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