Former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that Liverpool should let Naby Keita leave the club once his contract expires at the end of the season rather than offering him a new deal.
The midfielder has not featured for Liverpool since picking up an injury in the Community Shield and has struggled for fitness for during his spell at the club following his arrival from RB Leipzig in 2018.
Although he has shown flashes of quality, his tenure has been disappointing considering his talent, and with his contract up at the end of the season, Liverpool have a decision to make.
There was initially talk that the 27-year-old would be offered a new deal, but they seem to have made a U-turn and decided to let him leave for free.
Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor has backed this decision as the correct one given his injury record.
He said: “I think the U-turn on Naby Keita’s contract is fair.
“When you have a contract and you haven’t performed and been injured a lot, you can’t expect the same money, he doesn’t deserve it.
“If I was Liverpool, I wouldn’t even offer him another contract with less money, I’d just let him go.”
TIF Thoughts on Naby Keita…
Although a top player on his day, we think Liverpool simply need to be ruthless in their squad building, particularly when it comes to the midfield, and Keita will, unfortunately, have to be sacrificed to make space for a rebuild.
The club’s top target is reportedly Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, and with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner both seeing their deals end in the summer, they will finally have the squad space to complete a long-awaited revamp of the midfield.
Keita may not have his pick of top clubs to join, as teams may not want to take a risk on a player who has missed so much football in recent years. But if he finds his fitness again, he could prove to be a useful asset for whichever club picks him up.
However, we think it seems clear that a departure would be best for all parties.