Liverpool currently have a number of players in their senior squad that have contracts expiring at the end of their season.
One player, in particular, that we feel the Reds shouldn’t be thinking about offering a new deal to is Naby Keita.
Having splurged a then-club record fee of £48m to sign him in 2017, Liverpool have only seen the midfielder make 127 appearances for them across all competitions since his arrival in 2018.
Numerous injury issues, however, have significantly impacted Keita’s playing time at the Merseyside club, which have undoubtedly played a big part in why he hasn’t been more prominent in the team given his lengthy spell with them.
However, his efforts on the pitch this season haven’t done much to convince the club he deserves a new contract.
Indeed, reports in recent days have suggested Keita is ‘on the verge‘ of leaving Anfield after five years on Merseyside.
Specifically, even though he’s only made six appearances in the Premier League, the Guinea international’s performances have earned him a rather uninspiring overall season rating of 6.15/10 from WhoScored, making him the lowest-rated player in Jurgen Klopp’s squad that has started at least one game.
Should the 27-year-old find himself looking for a new club in the summer, one other player that the Reds have been linked with recently that we feel would be a suitable replacement for Keita is Wolves’ Matheus Nunes.
In the midst of his debut season with the Old Gold after arriving from Sporting CP in the summer, Nunes recently showed his quality to Liverpool as he was part of the Wolves team that beat the Reds 3-0 at Molineux.
Should Liverpool get rid of Naby Keita this summer?
Yes
No
Not only did this game see the Portuguese international show his own individual quality, particularly from a defensive point of view, it also exposed Keita’s inability to be an effective midfield option.
For example, with the full 90 minutes under his belt, the 24-year-old managed to win six of the seven duels he was involved in, as well as making three tackles and two interceptions, which is more than the Liverpool figure racked up.
Bearing in mind how Klopp’s side have conceded the same amount of goals (28) as Everton and Brentford this season with one game fewer played, it’s clear that they could do with some defensive minded players in their squad, such as the Wolves star.
Described as an “unbelievable” player by ex-teammate Goncalo Santos, Nunes would certainly be a suitable replacement for Keita if he were to end his time at Liverpool this summer.