Liverpool journalist James Pearce has been sharing his thoughts on the possibility of the Merseyside club selling Reds midfielder Naby Keita in the near future.
This comes after Pearce recently made an appearance on The Athletic’s Liverpool-themed podcast The Red Agenda where he spoke about a variety of subjects relating to Jurgen Klopp’s side.
On the subject of Naby Keita, who hasn’t made an appearance for Liverpool in the Premier League since their 7-0 win over Crystal Palace back in December due to an ankle injury, Pearce had this to say on the midfield man. (32.01)
He said: “A number of people say to me, ‘they need to just get rid of Keita, forget it, it’s not going to happen for him.’
“But, that’s easier said than done because how much of a financial hit are you going to take then, because, he’s the one major signing of Klopp’s reign, that arguably isn’t worth now anywhere near what Liverpool actually paid for him, you know, [£54 million as per Transfermarkt], you know, I think you’d be lucky to get half that if you were trying to cash in your chips.
“So, more than anything Liverpool, they don’t need to get rid of Keita, they need Keita to get back to where he was, which convinced Liverpool to sign him in the first place.”
As Pearce mentioned in the podcast, Liverpool signed Keita back in the 2018 summer transfer window from German club RB Leipzig for a fee of £54 million.
Since then, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £36 million, has made 71 appearances for the Reds in which he has managed to score seven goals and provide four assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
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TIF Thoughts on James Pearce’s comments on Keita…
Given how Keita has struggled with injuries since he arrived at Anfield, it’s understandable why Pearce has revealed that some Liverpool fans have suggested to him that the club should look to get rid of the midfielder.
However, in our view, it would be better if the club kept hold of him and help him with his injury issues so he can provide an extra option for Klopp when he’s fit and available to play.