Liverpool journalist Matt Addison has been sharing his thoughts on Reds midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and his current contract situation at the Merseyside club.
This comes after Addison recently made an appearance on the Liverpool Echo’s Blood Red Podcast where he spoke about the biggest news stories concerning Jurgen Klopp’s side at the moment.
After Wijnaldum was named as Netherlands captain for their midweek clash against Spain, Addison had this to say on the midfielder regarding his future at Anfield.
He said: “It’s a very strange situation with his contract because the captain of the Netherlands, for me, shouldn’t be leaving on a free transfer at the end of this season but that looks like it could well be the case and I’m sure there’ll be a very, very long queue of clubs very, very interested in signing him up and not just because of his footballing talent, but [he is] clearly a captain in the making as well.”
Back in September, Football Insider reported that Wijnaldum had rejected a new deal at Liverpool, while his current contract is set to expire at the end of June 2021.
Also, the Dutchman, who is currently valued at £36 million, was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona throughout the previous summer transfer window.
Liverpool signed the midfielder back in 2016 from fellow Premier League side Newcastle United for a fee of £24.75 million.
Overall, the 30-year-old has made 199 appearances for the Reds, in which he has managed to score 19 goals and provide 16 assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Matt Addison’s comments on Wijnaldum…
Given how Wijnaldum has made eight Premier League appearances for the Reds so far this season and earned himself an uninspiring season rating of 6.54/10 – less than the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago – it may be the best move for the club to allow Wijnaldum to leave in the summer.
Would you be disappointed if Wijnaldum left Liverpool in the summer?
Yes, he'd be a big miss
No, he can leave
In our view, if Wijnaldum isn’t performing to a high level on the pitch and has no intention of signing a new deal, then Liverpool shouldn’t stand in his way of a move away from Anfield.