Liverpool has been urged to replace Naby Keita rather than renew his contract.
Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged Liverpool to replace Naby Keita with a new midfielder. The 27-year-old has yet to appear in the Premier League this season and is unlikely to do so before the international break.
The Reds’ midfield woes were temporarily alleviated when Liverpool signed Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus. Midfielders injured at the moment include Keita, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabio Carvalho, and Curtis Jones.
Last season was Keita’s best in Liverpool colors, scoring four goals and securing three assists from 40 appearances across all competitions. But even in what was his best season, he missed out on eight games due to injury. To put that in perspective, he has already missed eight games of this season.
In an interview with Football Insider (via the Express), Agbonlahor questioned Keita’s fitness and urged the Reds to sign better players who can stay fit.
“I don’t think he’s [Keita] got a long-term future at Liverpool. He doesn’t have long left on his contract, and he doesn’t do enough on the pitch, for me. He’s not going to take Liverpool to Premier League or Champions League glory.”
“He has had his chance – but now they need to build that midfield and bring in better players. Injury has been a problem for him, so I don’t know why you would offer an injury-prone player a new contract.”
What now for Naby?
Keita moved to Liverpool in 2018 surrounded by a lot of hype and expectations. His injuries have prevented him from getting a successful run of games. When given an opportunity, a string of inconsistencies followed. Hence, one can argue that he has not particularly been up to the hype.
Moreover, Keita is absent from Liverpool’s squad for the UCL group stage fixtures. But the actual surprising thing is the former RB Leipzig midfielder has been named in Guinea’s squad for the upcoming international friendlies reportedly during a time he is nursing an injury.
It is claimed that the Reds could offer the Guinea international a new deal despite his recent injury struggles. But from a fan’s perspective, the midfielder’s time at the club has been turbulent and at times frustrating.
Hence, the club should look to offload the player, and maybe potentially upgrade on the midfielder. That would be the last chance to cash in on the Guinean given his contract expires in 2023.
With a lot of speculation surrounding Naby and his situation, it will be interesting to see how gaffer Jurgen Klopp tackles this situation in the best interests of the club and the player.
