There was once a time when Liverpool’s recruitment department was the envy of the entire Premier League. And most of Europe for that matter.
A midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Naby Keita during Saturday’s 0-0 bore draw with Crystal Palace, however, felt symbolic of the rapid and remarkable decline of one of the finest teams of the modern era. A harsh reminder of what can happen when you fail to strengthen from a position of strength.
Put the ages of Henderson and Milner together, and you’d be in line for a free bus pass. Keita’s inclusion, meanwhile, was arguably even more damning. Yes, Jurgen Klopp’s hand was forced slightly by the absence of Thiago Alcantara, his midfield depth strangled by a lack of investment from above.
But it’s hard to imagine that, say, Manchester City would have persisted so long with a player who is quite clearly not up to the task of running the show for a side of Liverpool’s ambitions and expectations. Klopp has often come under fire for showing too much loyalty to underperforming players. Keita is perhaps the greatest example of exactly that.
Naby Keita will leave Liverpool for free this summer
Keita, a £53 million signing from RB Leipzig back in 2018, will be a free-agent in the summer. According to reports, the chances of him signing a new one look slim. And history is unlikely to look back too fondly on Keita’s Anfield career. Only the odd long-range wondergoal and an enviable trophy collection – regardless of how much he contributed to those Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup triumphs – have arguably overshadowed just how disastrous Keita has been when you factor in his eye-watering price-tag and his ever-waning influence.
“Jurgen has to take Keita off asap. He’s a liability!,” Liverpool legend John Aldridge fumed on Twitter during that Selhurst Park stalemate. “Does nothing for the team.”
Klopp obliged, too. The increasingly-embattled former Borussia Dortmund boss insisted that Keita’s yellow card was the reason for his half-time hooking but you could be forgiven for wondering if that was merely a handy excuse for a coach who has form when it comes to dragging Keita before the second ‘45. Real Madrid 2021, anyone?
“I think that area of the pitch is going to need a bit of surgery and I think it’s going to happen in the summer – everyone can see it,” Michael Owen tells Premier League Productions. “Jurgen Klopp can see it.
“Naby Keita is just not good enough for a midfielder, in my opinion, for Liverpool.”
‘Just not good enough’
According to 90Min, Tottenham Hotspur are ‘considering’ a move that would see Keita join Antonio Conte’s side for free over the summer. The contrast between his performance and that of Oliver Skipp, six years Keita’s junior, could hardly have been more stark, however; the former rattling home a thumping volley during Sunday’s 2-0 win over Chelsea. The sort of goal that Keita once made his party piece on Merseyside. Fellow youngster Pape Matar Sarr has come on leaps and bounds too of late. Spurs fans can still hope to see the best of Yves Bissouma too.
Keita, reports from Italy say, wants £125,000-a-week at his next club. That would make him one of Spurs’ highest earners. At a time in which Tottenham appear to be at a crossroads – wedged between mediocrity and the glass ceiling – the pressure is on to get the summer right. Failure to do so and Spurs may slip even further behind Arsenal, City and Man United. Overtaken, perhaps, by Newcastle United and Chelsea.
Signing the injury-prone and underperforming Keita, while offering him a contract far larger than many already at Spurs, would send the wrong message.
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