Paul Gorst of the Liverpool Echo believes the club’s first order of business this summer should be to deal with Georginio Wijnaldum’s future.
The Dutch midfielder’s current contract is due to expire at the end of next season and the 29-year-old is yet to agree an extension with the Premier League champions. Wijnaldum was a key player for Jurgen Klopp’s side during the 2019/20 season and played a pivotal role in their march towards their first league title in 30 years, by starting in 92% of their top-flight fixtures during the most recent campaign (as per Transfermarkt.co.uk).
The Anfield club signed the Rotterdam-born player from Newcastle United back in July 2016 in a deal reportedly worth £24.75m (via Transfermarkt.co.uk) and he has gone on to taste European and domestic glory with the Merseyside giants.
Speaking on a recent edition of the Blood Red podcast, Gorst highlighted the importance of tying down Wijnaldum. He said:
“That should be the first order of business once the doors reopen, to get Wijnaldum tied down. He’s so important, so valuable to this Liverpool team, he is a Swiss army knife of a midfielder really, he can do everything, can’t he? He can do the defensive role, he can play the number ten if needed, box to box. I guarantee if you played him as a number ten he’d start chipping in with goals and assists, no problem – he’s just not in the team to do that. He is so valuable to this Liverpool team.”
TIF Thoughts…
Wijnaldum’s average performance rating in the Premier League last season according to WhoScored.com was a solid 6.81/10, while in the UEFA Champions League, he scored a 6.92/10 rating.
Given he has played such a big part in the club’s recent success, you can understand why Gorst is keen to see the club extend Wijnaldum’s stay on Merseyside beyond next summer, but if there is no breakthrough with regards to the negotiations and a sizeable offer comes in, it could be argued that it would make business sense for Liverpool to cash in on the Dutch international.