Joe Gomez was an unlikely candidate on the market heading into this primary summer season of Liverpool’s new period, however now there are worrying query marks over his future.
Because the likes of Everton, Aston Villa and Chelsea frantically traded gamers for inflated charges to keep away from sanctions earlier than the Premier League‘s PSR deadline, it was a marker of Liverpool’s self-sustaining mannequin that they weren’t concerned.
Solely, when it emerged that Newcastle might be pressured to promote one among their main abilities earlier than June 30, they did enter the fray.
Because the Magpies desperately pushed for offers to steadiness the books and navigate a possible factors deduction, the trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon have been made obtainable.
It was Gordon who piqued Liverpool’s curiosity, and although Newcastle ultimately solved their points by promoting Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh as a substitute, it has since come to gentle {that a} deal had been agreed.
That’s extensively reported to have included Gordon heading to Anfield for £75 million and – after a failed enquiry over Jarell Quansah – Gomez going to different manner for £45 million.
Successfully, the Reds would signal Gordon for £30 million plus Gomez; a deal Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes would have been pleased with.
The breakdown of that deal has triggered a difficulty for Liverpool, nevertheless, with their No. 2 now reportedly contemplating his future having been overtly touted on the market by his present membership and supplied a distinguished function beneath Eddie Howe.
It’s not precisely a great look, and Gomez might be forgiven for feeling undervalued – even when it has been maintained that the Reds could be completely satisfied for him to remain.
Whether or not a brand new purchaser will emerge – notably on the £45 million price ticket – stays to be seen, however with the switch window closing in lower than 4 weeks, it guarantees to be a worrying subplot as Liverpool get right down to enterprise.
Liverpool’s utility man
Gomez, it has been claimed, had been supplied an everyday beginning function in his favoured function of centre-back at St James’ Park, which is unlikely to be on supply at Anfield.
Quansah and Ibrahima Konate are forward of him within the pecking order as companions to Virgil van Dijk, which explains why Liverpool have been open to a sale.
In Sepp van den Berg there’s a readymade alternative, too, with the 22-year-old Dutchman impressing all through pre-season after mortgage spells with Preston, Schalke and Mainz.
Promoting Gomez for £45 million and integrating a participant already signed for a tenth of that definitely makes sound enterprise sense.
However his worth to Liverpool extends past pitching in as a backup centre-back, with the England worldwide proving more and more key resulting from his versatility.
Gomez heads into his first pre-season with Arne Slot on the again of his most prolific marketing campaign but by way of appearances, that includes 51 instances for Liverpool in 2023/24.
Nonetheless, solely 5 of these video games got here at centre-back, with 25 at right-back, 19 at left-back and even two as a defensive midfielder.
Nearly all of his minutes have been at left-back, with 1,429, and such was the extent of his efficiency in that unnatural function that he saved Kostas Tsimikas on the bench.
If Liverpool have been to promote Gomez, then, they’d be dropping an impressive choice at centre-back, right-back and now left-back, which makes the state of affairs muddier because the switch deadline approaches.
The left-back state of affairs
It can’t be forgotten that he was solely referred to as upon for the function of stand-in left-back resulting from harm Andy Robertson after which Tsimikas.
And whereas Gomez himself has been absent for the whole lot of Slot’s first pre-season thus far resulting from his involvement with England on the Euros, Robertson has been unable to function in friendlies in opposition to Actual Betis, Arsenal and Man United resulting from one other harm.
“He’s not absolutely match but,” Slot advised reporters earlier than the conflict with Betis in Pittsburgh.
“However we expect him in the long run of the tour – perhaps simply after the tour – to be absolutely match once more.
“He took a small harm into the Euros and afterwards he needed to get better from that after enjoying these video games. However we are going to count on him again after our tour – however he joined us already.”
Robertson captained Scotland of their irritating marketing campaign on the Euros, however revealed even earlier than their 5-1 thrashing by the hands of Germany to kick off Group A that he had been carrying an ankle downside since March.
4 months later and, regardless of enjoying on, the 30-year-old has been pressured to sit down out of a lot of Liverpool’s preparations for a primary marketing campaign beneath their new head coach.
There was no trigger to rebuke Robertson, in fact, and it was his prerogative to symbolize Scotland at one other main event regardless of any threat to his personal health.
But it surely serves to spotlight {that a} participant famend for his consistency on the left flank is turning into more and more vulnerable to harm.
Add into that the rising curiosity in Owen Beck, who is anticipated to go away this summer season with QPR and Celtic amongst his suitors, and a deal already tied up with Wigan to ship Luke Chambers out on mortgage, and the state of affairs appears stark.
An pointless gamble?
Tsimikas has been Slot’s de facto first selection at left-back all through pre-season, however there are comprehensible query marks over his capability at elite degree.
Now, Gomez shouldn’t be thought of a candidate to develop into Liverpool’s beginning left-back, however permitting his head to show may necessitate a brand new addition on that aspect of the defence.
The perfect situation could be to herald a left-sided centre-back additionally able to filling in out large – Riccardo Calafiori, topic of an enquiry from Anfield earlier than becoming a member of Arsenal, would have been a main candidate.
Piero Hincapie of Bayer Leverkusen and David Hancko of Slot’s former aspect Feyenoord are different apparent selections, although the latter has already seemingly dominated out a transfer to England.
Whoever the goal could also be, the purpose stands that promoting Gomez with out figuring out a alternative of comparable versatility could be of venture for Liverpool.
And whereas it might have been definitely worth the threat in pushing for a signing like Gordon, maybe providing their longest-serving participant out so freely might come again to chunk them come August 30.
