A move for a new, high-profile defense in 2024 is being pushed by Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool board, who has made it clear that he no longer believes in Joe Gomez and wants to sign an upgrade.
The 26-year-old defender joined Liverpool in the summer of 2015 after leaving Charlton, having been paid an incredible £3.5 million by the Merseysiders for his services. Gomez, who is currently in his seventh season at Anfield, has made appearances in 182 Reds games but has surprisingly never scored a goal.
Naturally, Gomez excels in the center of defense, however when called upon, the adaptable player can also play right back.
His best years on Merseyside were likely between 2019 and 2020, when he and Virgil van Dijk’s relationship helped Liverpool win the Champions League the year before and end a 30-year wait to become English champions.
Unfortunately, Gomez missed 39 Liverpool games and was sidelined for 231 days due to a nasty knee injury he had while playing for England. He never quite lived up to the same expectations after his return, and he has struggled with consistency ever since.
In fact, Gomez has occasionally been moved to right back to cover Trent Alexander-Arnold, but he frequently appears vulnerable in that position. Additionally, Gomez has discovered that Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate are chosen over him as Van Dijk’s teammate, which has left him seeming overly eager to contribute when given a rare start at center midfield.
It is therefore surprising to discover that, despite spending eight complete seasons at Anfield, Gomez has completely fallen out of Klopp’s favor.
Joe Gomez is no longer trusted by Klopp.
And although if Klopp probably no longer considers Gomez to be his first choice, he will probably still stay at Anfield given that Matip is probably going to depart on a free agent.
Journalist Toby Cudworth stated as much on the Talking Transfers podcast, predicting that Liverpool will sign an improvement in the upcoming months.
“I believe that at this point, Liverpool needs a center back badly. Even though he is not at his best, Van Dijk is still their best choice, the man stated.
“Konate has had trouble with wounds. When it comes to performance constancy, Matip is pretty up and down.
Additionally, Joe Gomez is a backup who occasionally comes in at right back, but I don’t think Klopp has faith in him.
“Unfortunately, I don’t believe he possesses the skills Liverpool needs to stay in the running for the title.”
Cudworth said, evaluating Liverpool’s chances of winning the championship: “Liverpool thinks they can be in the mix for the title.”
Therefore, I would anticipate that they would try to sign a defensive midfielder, a center back, and possibly another player in January.
Liverpool is considering a transfer for Goncalo Inacio.
Liverpool is reportedly pursuing Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio, a 22-year-old who has made 132 appearances for his team, many of them in European play.
Inacio, a fixture in the center of the Portugal back line, has frequently been compared to fellow countryman and Manchester City player Ruben Dias.
Furthermore, Liverpool can easily afford his fee because he has a €45 million (£39 million) release clause.
Liverpool reportedly increased their interest in Inacio by watching him in action during Portugal’s 5-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday night.
Van Dijk may be able to go to the right side of defense because Inacio is one of the more uncommon breeds of left-footed center halves, which is another plus for Klopp. The seasoned Dutchman frequently plays on the left side of Liverpool’s center-half lineups, and his quickness frequently allows him to escape problems. But as Van Dijk approaches the fall of his career, there’s a growing opinion these days that he would be better off taking a small step to the right.
