Liverpool have made a decision regarding the future of a “special” player when the January transfer window arrives, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.
The Reds have lost three games in a row, and there is an element of panic in the air, with Arne Slot enduring his toughest period as manager to date.
If Slot wants to add to his squad, January will be the next available chance to, but it is also important to keep hold of certain players, in terms of squad depth.
Speaking to Football Insider, O’Rourke claimed that Liverpool won’t be letting Joe Gomez go midway through the season, despite the centre-back being linked with a move away.
“Yeah, it would be highly unlikely that Liverpool would consider letting Joe Gomez go, especially with their current centre-back issues,” O’Rourke said.
“After failing to bring in Guehi, the injury to Leoni was a big blow as well, so Gomez is the only other senior centre-back option available to Slot. The thing about Gomez as well is that he’s so versatile, he can play at right-back, left-back, even in defensive midfield which he did under Jurgen Klopp.
“There was obviously interest from AC Milan in the summer window. I’m sure there’s still interest from some foreign clubs in Gomez as well, but Liverpool’s current plight means that they can’t even consider letting Gomez go. They’re probably looking to bring in another centre-back, not lose a centre-back in January. So I think that’ll be the current situation.”
The right decision for Liverpool to keep Gomez?
Frankly, selling Gomez in January would feel like a bizarre decision by Liverpool, considering Giovanni Leoni is already out for the season with an ACL injury.
Not only that, but Ibrahima Konate’s form has been poor, Virgil van Dijk needs to be managed carefully and Marc Guehi failed to join the Reds from Crystal Palace on deadline day.
Gomez can continue to be an important squad player, with Slot describing him as “special’ last season, and if Konate doesn’t improve after the international break, he could even stake a claim for partnering Van Dijk for a period.
