Mark Lawrenson feels Liverpool are now showing why boss Jurgen Klopp was wrong to let Georginio Wijnaldum leave. The midfielder signed for Paris Saint-Germain for free in 2021.
Anfield chiefs allowed Wijnaldum to depart at the end of his contract after five seasons on Merseyside. The Dutchman had joined Liverpool from Newcastle United in 2017 for £25m. He would also go on to make 237 appearances while with the Reds across all competitions.
Paris Saint-Germain capitalised on Wijnaldum leaving Liverpool as a free agent and handed the 32-year-old a £182k-a-week contract until 2024. But he would only spend the first year of his deal in France. Roma hired the 86-cap international on loan for the 2022/23 season.
Wijnaldum struggled to establish himself at Le Parc des Princes under Mauricio Pochettino last term. He featured 38 times for the Ligue 1 team across all competitions. Yet he started in just 22 games. While an injury has held the midfielder to just four appearances at Roma.
Jose Mourinho lost Wijnaldum for six months after he fractured his leg way back in August. The Dutchman finally made his long-awaited return to action earlier on this month. He has since enjoyed three cameo outings to take his Giallorossi tally to a mere 39 minutes so far.
Lawrenson feels Klopp will now regret letting Wijnaldum leave Liverpool in 2021
While Wijnaldum has not hit great heights away from Anfield, Lawrenson feels Liverpool will now regret letting him leave. The former Reds defender senses the club’s troubles so far this term show why Klopp was wrong to let the midfielder go having been so important for him.
“A few years ago, I could close my eyes and know exactly where all 11 players would be – especially in midfield,” Lawrenson said in a column for the Daily Mail. “Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum. Now, I can’t do that.
“People used to ask what Wijnaldum did. Now we know. He was utterly dependable. How many of this team can we say that about right now?”
Wijnaldum recorded 179 of his 237 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League as an instrumental part of Klopp’s plans. The Dutchman never featured in fewer than 33 fixtures in a single season. He also played in all 38 of the Reds’ fixtures over his final term in 2020/21.
This season, Harvey Elliott has featured the most often among Liverpool’s midfielders during a frustrating top-flight campaign. The 19-year-old has started in 13 of his 22 outings over a potential 22 matches. Liverpool also sit eighth in the table with 35 points from 66 on offer.
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