Ibrahima Konate’s tremendous showing against Tottenham Hotspur in Liverpool’s latest 2-1 win exemplified his enviable calibre as a centre-back.
Despite being injured for a chunk of the ongoing season, the Frenchman picked up exactly where he left off from the previous campaign to put in a masterclass of a display on Sunday night.
So much so that many have put forth the 23-year old as the Reds’ standout performer at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, this is far from a rarity for the former RB Leipzig defender, who has been a revelation ever since his arrival.
Despite Joel Matip having the season of his life in the previous term, the Paris-born centre-half managed to displace him in the side, to the extent that Jurgen Klopp picked him ahead of the Cameroonian as Virgil van Dijk’s partner in the Champions League final.
While the highly-rated defender is only expected to go from strength to strength at Anfield, a fresh revelation suggests that the Meryseyside-based side could have signed three centre-backs instead of him last summer.
As per the latest information provided by the Athletic, as relayed by Anfield Watch, Liverpool also had the likes of Villareal’s Pau Torres, Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile and now-Barcelona star Jules Kounde on the same shortlist that included Ibrahima Konate.
Since Konate’s arrival for £36 million last term, it is believed that the Reds have had no reason to regret their decision to sign him.
It seems like those within Liverpool’s camp hold the FA Cup winner in extremely high regard as well, as Trent Alexander-Arnold went as far as to say that his teammate has the potential to become a “once-in-a-generation player”, as previously reported by HITC.
While only time will tell how history remembers Ibrahima Konate, there are plenty of reasons for Liverpool to be optimistic about the gem at their disposal.
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