LFC Daytrippers contributor Sean Lawson has been discussing Joe Gomez’s recent form and has claimed that one of Liverpool’s reported transfer targets would walk into the team ahead of him if the club were to land him.
Gomez started in the recent friendly between Jurgen Klopp’s side and Takumi Minamino’s former club Red Bull Salzburg, a game in which Rhian Brewster bagged a brace for the Premier League champions.
According to WhoScored.com, the 23-year-old defender’s average performance rating in the Premier League last season was 6.78/10. However, in the fixtures against Burnley, Arsenal and Chelsea towards the end of the campaign, his rating was significantly lower.
Liverpool have been linked with a move for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ben White after he impressed on loan at Leeds United last season and when discussing Gomez, Lawson made a bold claim with regards to which of the two would start alongside Virgil van Dijk.
Here is what he had to say:
“I think [Joe] Gomez has struggled recently. I wouldn’t judge him based on the back of the Premier League season because the league was wrapped up and he just went into cruise control.
“The thing is, maybe if [Joel] Matip is fit he probably just goes in there and you take Gomez out of the firing line for a couple of weeks but we can’t really rely on Matip again this year.
“We need somebody to keep him [Gomez] on his toes.
“People are looking for a fourth choice centre-back, maybe we should be looking to get someone in to go in beside Virgil and push the other two on.
“That’s why I love the idea of Ben White because I think he goes in there.”
Would Ben White start ahead of Joe Gomez in this current Liverpool side?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
As evidenced above, it’s clear that the former Charlton Athletic defender hasn’t been at the top of his game of late, however, given White is yet to make an appearance in the English top-flight, we believe it is somewhat premature to suggest he would displace Gomez from the Liverpool defence. It therefore seems a pretty bold claim from Lawson, though he can only be proven right if the Reds can lure White to Anfield this summer.