Should Liverpool move for the out-of-form German star?
Kevin Großkreutz has been talking about his former Borussia Dortmund teammate Mario Gotze recently and believes the 26-year-old may have to leave Germany.
Großkreutz played 176 Bundesliga games for Borussia Dortmund between 2009 and 2016, winning the title in both 2011 and 2012 as Gotze was blossoming into a star.
After a disappointing three-year spell with Bayern, Gotze moved back to Dortmund in 2016. Since then, Gotze has had two years of struggling with form, his fitness and a metabolic disorder, and Großkreutz believes he may have to rediscover his best away from the spotlight in Germany.
“I’m very sorry for Mario Gotze at the moment, because stuff is written about him – and only him – every day,” Großkreutz told Sky Sports Germany. “[Against Club Brugge in the Champions League], for example, the whole team didn’t play well.
“Maybe it would be good for him to go abroad in the winter to find a bit more peace and bring his career back on track.”
As for where that may be, Großkreutz believes the obvious option is to reunite with his former Dortmund coach.
“[Jurgen] Klopp knows him quite well, he would be a good fit for Liverpool,” he said.
The German almost certainly knows what is best for Gotze – although he may have the last part backwards; Liverpool would be a brilliant fit for Gotze but maybe not the other way around.
There is no denying that a fully fit and firing Gotze is an incredible player but we have not seen the best of him for quite some time. That Gotze would certainly be of use to Liverpool and Klopp but, on his current form, would they want to devote time to his rehabilitation?
Although Liverpool were looking at Gotze’s position with their pursuit of Nabil Fekir, it seems unlikely that Gotze is what they need right now – as nice as a Gotze/Klopp reunion would be.
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