Slot’s ‘precious’ Liverpool star must be sold now

Liverpool’s much-lauded transfer strategy took a bit of a hit last summer, with FSG’s big-ticket purchase failing to yield immediate results on the pitch.

Frankly speaking, Arne Slott and his Premier League champions have been in poor form this season and after 26 games in the top flight find themselves embroiled in a dogfight for Champions League qualification.

Since losing to Bournemouth in the Premier League, Liverpool have won four of their five games in all competitions, with their only defeat coming against Manchester City at Anfield. Although profits have been made, Slott himself has addressed the potential consequences of missing out on a spot at Europe’s elite table.

The Anfield side will need to be as close to perfect as possible but will have to contend with an avalanche of injuries that threaten to derail their season.

Liverpool’s injury record under slot

Slot arrives on Merseyside with a reputation for professional player management. This was one of the main reasons for his appointment, as Jurgen Klopp’s high-flying squad is prone to many setbacks.

And last year this proved to be true for the former Feyenoord manager, who was well on his way to the Premier League title. But 2025-2026 is a very different story.

Many of the Reds’ first-team players have been sidelined at some stage. Alexander Isak has been sidelined since December after breaking his foot while scoring against West Ham United and will be out for at least another month.

It was especially frustrating on defense. Giovanni Leoni ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament on his debut in September, keeping the £27m summer signing from Parma sidelined until the second half of the calendar year. This is a staggering blow considering Liverpool missed out on Marc Guehi last summer, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate having been outclassed on numerous occasions this season.

Jeremy Frimpong and Conor Bradley have both endured tough periods fitness-wise, but right-back is probably the most pressured position in the squad.

However, that being said, there is still one player who needs to leave the team, as he finds himself following a similar path to Naby Keita, who has been injury-prone in recent seasons.

Liverpool need to sell new Naby Keita

Keita is undoubtedly one of Liverpool’s most naturally gifted players of the past decade. However, the Guinean midfielder’s natural ability was sapped by his alarming physical fragility, preventing him from fulfilling his potential in Klopp’s system.

Sadly, Joe Gomez suffered a similar fate fitness-wise, never reaching his full potential due to numerous setbacks over the years.

Still, he is one of the best members of Anfield’s senior team. In fact, Gomez is the club’s longest-serving player, having joined from Charlton Athletic in 2015 for a hefty £3.5 million.

Although he famously never scored in professional football, the versatile defender has been an integral part of Liverpool for many years, playing in a huge number of different positions.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Liverpool made a bigger deal with the 28-year-old than the 28-year-old, who arrived from RB Leipzig for £52m carrying the weight of expectations but ultimately failed to sustain any on-field minutes.

Of course, Gomez doesn’t quite belong in the same category, but there’s little guarantee that Liverpool will reap big rewards if they stick with him over the next few years. In fact, injuries to Frimpong and Bradley this season have highlighted his challenges staying healthy.

The England international is a top player and has been praised for his long and distinguished career at the club, but Newcastle United got wind of that last year and appeared willing to pay the equivalent of £45m for a deal that could see Anthony Gordon go the other way. It failed.

He is a unique player, but Liverpool may still want to consider signing him this summer. Sadly, while Gomez is still capable of producing strong performances, the wear and tear of an unfortunate career on his fitness has taken its toll and he is bound to miss a significant portion of any campaign.

Gomez is a Liverpool legend, with pundit Steve McManaman hailing him as an “absolutely valuable” asset for his ability to play in any defensive position and even in midfield if needed, but he is in the penultimate year of his contract and locking him into his 30s may not be the wisest move.

FSG knew they would have to let Keita go when his contract expired, but Gomez is still worth every penny and could be worth cashing in while you can.

Gomez has been a stalwart for Liverpool for years, but all good things must come to an end. There are so many changes going on at the back in the Anfield squad at the moment that it might not be a bad idea to let him leave and reset at the back.