At no point since arriving at Liverpool in 2020 has Kostas Tsimikas been a fixed starter for the Reds, but barring a drastic and unforeseen turn of events, he seems assured of ‘cult hero’ status among Kopites for years to come.
The ‘Greek Scouser‘ has made no secret of his love for the club and the city, and he wrote his name into Anfield folklore by scoring the penalty which secured victory in the 2022 FA Cup final against Chelsea.
However, after five years of playing second fiddle to Andy Robertson, the 28-year-old’s future has come under the spotlight ahead of the summer transfer window, particularly with the abundance of rumours surrounding prospective left-back additions (most notably Milos Kerkez).
Tsimikas ‘expected to be moved on’ by Liverpool this summer
Lyall Thomas, news editor with Sky Sports News, has shared a comprehensive update on Liverpool’s plans for incomings and outgoings from when the market opens in a month’s time to when it shuts at the end of August for the remainder of the year.
The journalist mentions that the Anfield hierarchy are seeking a new left-back who can initially ‘share the workload’ with Robertson before eventually succeeding the long-serving Scot as a fixed starter.
Bournemouth defender Kerkez is cited as someone who LFC particularly like in that position, with Antonee Robinson and Rayan Ait-Nouri also namechecked as ‘the type of attacking left-backs Liverpool are looking for’.
On Tsimikas, Thomas wrote that the Reds’ number 21 ‘is expected to be moved on’ this summer in order for a new signing to come in.
If Tsimikas goes this summer, he’d do so as a fans’ favourite
The Greece international has never reached double figures for Premier League starts in any of his five seasons at Liverpool, and he’d need three from the next four games if he’s to break that unenviable sequence (WhoScored).
Even with Robertson’s performances coming in for voluble criticism at times over the past few months, his understudy hasn’t been able to nail down a starting berth under Arne Slot, who like Jurgen Klopp has demonstrably regarded him as the Scotland captain’s backup.
Tsimikas will turn 29 in the next fortnight and couldn’t be blamed for wanting a fresh challenge at this stage in his career after half a decade on the fringes at Anfield, but to his credit, there haven’t been any public ‘come and get me’ pleas from him.
If Liverpool were to sign a new left-back in the summer – especially a much younger alternative such as Kerkez – then it seems quite plausible that the Reds’ number 21 could move on to pastures new given the increased competition for a place in the starting XI.
Should that happen, the ‘Greek Scouser’ would depart with his head held high and the affection of the Kop, who’d undoubtedly give him a rousing reception whenever he returns to L4 after he’s left the club.
