19 Jun 2022 07:34:31
I would want us to move for Ndidi from LFC to LFC offer them Keita and monies in return.

Or I Gueye from PSG if they want to sell him.

But would either of them be happy to be a backup for most port of campaign.

19 Jun 2022 09:12:45
I think fans might need to get used to the fact that Naby is staying this season. There’s even talk of him being offered a new contract.

How much he gets used will be up to Klopp and how the other midfielders who are currently behind him in the pecking order perform.

Naby gets blamed for playing ahead of Jones and Elliot and holding up their development, but he doesn’t pick himself. It’s up to these youngsters to show Klopp that they should be getting the game time.

19 Jun 2022 09:28:12
Klopp wouldn’t want to look like a fool after splashing £60 mill on a player and he becomes a flop.

19 Jun 2022 10:14:29
Harry I (personal opinion) don’t think Klopp cares about that mate. If we sell Naby for 30 mill then it’s not more of a flop than him staying here as 4th choice (how it looks) .

I actually think Klopp rates him. Otherwise he looks far more like a fool self sabotaging his teams chances of a quadruple by playing a player he doesn’t rate over 40
Times a season.

{Ed001's Note - he played him for the same reason he did Wijnaldum - injuries and fitness ruling out other options. If he loved them as much as some posters make out, he wouldn't have constantly bought replacements. Keita was meant to replace Wijnaldum and he then bought Thiago to replace them both because Keita disappointed so much.}

19 Jun 2022 10:16:59
It’s nothing to do with Klopp wanting to look like a fool

He will pick the best team he has available to him - based on fitness, form, ability, what he sees in training, any injuries, etc

That’s what good managers do.

People need to get used to the fact that Klopp plays Naby Kieta because he rates him as a good player.

If Jones and Elliot can stay fitter this year, and kick on maybe he will play them more.

19 Jun 2022 10:57:03
Ed001 if that’s the case then mate as I mentioned earlier it’s up to the younger lads to also then hopefully remain fit long enough to dislodge him.

I’m no big Naby fan and it doesn’t really bother me if he starts or doesn’t or if he stays or goes. If the only reason he plays is because he’s the only one of 3 available then moving him on for whatever we can get would probably be the best option.

{Ed001's Note - but, as I was explaining to Bazza the other day, there is no option to offload him to. He has a criminal record, which makes it difficult to get a visa and work permit in many countries. He has a high wage, which means that it is likely that if he did leave we would end up having to top up any wage he gets in order to get rid of him (as Leeds did when they sold Fowler). So he is not a good sale option to get funds from, whereas someone like Ox and Taki will bring in money and won't require us to subsidise them leaving. That is if there was anyone who even wanted him.}

19 Jun 2022 11:29:49
If Jones and Elliot are fit this season and Carvalho is considered ready I suspect Naby won’t start anything like 40 games in the coming season.

19 Jun 2022 11:20:19
Ed001 cheers for the reply mate. I have no idea what his criminal record is for (I know it’s poss driving offences from what Ed002 has said previously) but no need to get into that if you don’t wish. In this case then we would be silly to offer him a new contract as that’s simply just kicking the can down the road. If we can’t get any money for him then we just have to let him leave on a free next season over spending more money on more wages on a new contract.

{Ed001's Note - rather than just learning to drive and passing his test, or paying someone to drive him, he was caught driving on a fake driving license. While it is not a violent offence, it still limits the number of countries that are available to him, which is a huge issue for us obviously! I agree, we should just let his contract run down and let him go. With a bit of luck he will up his levels in order to earn a move elsewhere on decent money and we will get some benefit out of it. The worry is then that there will be a call to give him a new contract from his fanboys!}

19 Jun 2022 11:25:31
I can indeed confirm that that is exactly what Ed001 said to me word for word??.

{Ed001's Note - except I had to speak slower so you could understand it Bazza.... ;-)

19 Jun 2022 11:27:29
Wouldn't want to subsidise his wages to get rid, but wouldn't be offering him a new contract either. Let him continue to be 4th or 5th choice and run down his contract

Tbh I'd be happy with a sale but wouldn't want us to have to foot the bill re wages - would still love a midfielder in, ideally one who could cover the 6 and 8 but if we get a good midfielder in who is s great number 8, perhaps Henderson could cover Fab in the 6 and the new signing take his place as the 8?

19 Jun 2022 11:58:21
Is there an element of financial pragmatism here too Ed001?
Chelsea have been very clever with their transfer dealings and they continually make *book* profits on players that have not necessarily been successful with them.
We may say Keita has been a £65m odd flop but, once his contract is over, that money has been written off.
By giving him a contract now, there is some value to the club if he were to be sold afterwards and he’d make a book profit.
And, of course, he has contributed though not as much as everyone wanted.
But, ultimately, financial pragmatism?

{Ed001's Note - if we give him a new deal then it is a mistake as we would struggle to sell him still. Chelsea make a profit on cheap youngsters they develop, that is a totally different thing. All we will do by giving him a contract is get stuck with his wages for a few more years.}

19 Jun 2022 12:46:51
Honestly, when you look at it in the cold light of day, the next season will be Naby Keita's 5th season with us. Yes, last season he was finally available for the most of it, but other than a solid display at St James' Park and the great job he did in the first 45 mins vs Bernardo Silva at Wembley, was there much to write about?

I would be looking to move him and Ox on and bring in a new body.

btw Ox would be going into his 6th season with us.

19 Jun 2022 13:06:48
We should absolutely not be giving Keita a new contract - sell or allow him to leave when contract expires. Far too inconsistent, never shown enough quality, he has been the standout transfer flop in what has been a pretty good transfer record from Klopp.

19 Jun 2022 12:57:23
And yes Ed001 had to speak exceptionally slow for me?.

19 Jun 2022 15:34:43
Pelican, imo Keita played very well in 3 games: Man U away (admittedly the oppo were terrible, but he can only play against what's on the pitch against him), Man C in the FA Cup and one of the Benfica matches (can't remember which one) . Vast majority of his remaining performances weren't good enough. And it was probably his best season at the club too - so what does that say about his career generally at Liverpool to date?

And the fact that he did turn it on a few times just makes me more frustrated with him, cos there's no reason he can't play as well as he did against Man U and Man City at least semi regularly. But he just hasn't done that at any point in the last 4 years.

There's arguments for and against needing a midfielder this season, but the fact that, for various reasons, we ended up using Keita regularly in the second half of the season is an argument for imo.

I'm in the camp who thinks Jones would benefit from a loan so he can play every week and get used to releasing the ball a touch earlier (cos he's not missing much more than that) . I'd keep Keita to cover that as squad depth and let him run down his deal. But I don't think he has a long term future here.

19 Jun 2022 18:39:40
Naby is a flop and I’ve said this for the past 18 months now. Nothing he did this season will change my opinion cos he was so for season’s prior that he is now being graded on a massive curve. The fact that Klopp signed Thiago to replace him (and Gini) shows that Klopp thinks he has flopped as well.

He gets nothing from me cos with the way he has conducted himself since he signed, we should have gotten rid way earlier but ED01 has given the reasons why. If he gets a new deal then we are screwed cos he will b taking up a place in the squad that he dies not deserve.

19 Jun 2022 17:20:19
Ed, I may be completely wrong on this one, but wouldn't we only have to top up his wages for the remainder of his contract (1 year) if we sold him on now? I know it's not ideal, but a transfer fee and perhaps having to pay £30-50k a week would still be financially better than having to pay the £100+k a week he's on for a year. I support the last because he plays for us, but I don't think he'd be missed so I'd be trying to punt him this season, even if he's not replaced.

{Ed001's Note - no mate, that is the point. To get a player out early you are looking at topping up his next contract, so that he will go. That is my point, it ends up more costly than just waiting out the year and letting him go for free. You are agreeing a new contract with him, in essence. Obviously he could be happy to take the pay cut and there be no need of any of this, but if he was happy to do so I am sure he would already be gone.}

19 Jun 2022 21:37:11
Even if he played 20 games well, instead of the few cited above, it wouldn't be enough in my book, given that we played 63 games the entire season, the colossal amount paid for him and the generous wage package he is on. We had huge expectations when we bought him. Imagine if he had turned out to be a David Silva-esque or Bernardo Silva-esque player for us; no doubt we would have had a couple more trophies in the cabinet and less talk of this "ManCity era". What kind of moron, having signed a 31 Millon contract to join us, drives around with a fake licence and thinks he will get away with it? Low IQ, for sure.

I'm hoping the new contract noises are just a ploy to set him up as attractively as possible in case someone does come in for him this summer. Or what happened with Lovren, where he signed a new contract but was sold at the first opportunity. Ideal situation is to let him ride out his contract and move on next summer.

(Why I love this site. Yesterday the Keita "fanboys" were out in full force. Today the Keita "haters" are pushing back, LOL) .