Transfer News: Aston Villa target Joe Gomez expected to sign new Liverpool contract
According to the Telegraph (Subscription Required) [h/t Liverpool Echo], Joe Gomez is expected to renew his Liverpool contract despite interest from Premier League side Aston Villa.
The Englishman has been on the radar of Steven Gerrard’s side, but he could now extend his stay at Anfield beyond 2024. And that would come as good news for the Reds.
Liverpool lost Dejan Lovren to Zenit St Petersburg in the summer of 2020. They did not sign a senior centre-back to replace him and started the season without a dependable fourth-choice centre-back.
What happened midway through the season was chaos. After Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip’s injuries, the Reds were completely at a loss for options.
Fabinho and even Jordan Henderson were seen in defence at times, while Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies were signed frantically in January 2021. Those two signings proved to be two of Jurgen Klopp’s worst buys during his time at LFC.
Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips got their time out in the sun, and the duo did a decent job to guide us to a third-place finish. But it was clear as daylight that the pair wasn’t quite there when it came to being regular first-team players.
The right call by Gomez?
Lesson learnt. Ibrahima Konate came in last summer and quickly became van Dijk’s preferred partner in defence in cup games. It is important that such a trend continues.
While it is unlikely that a widespread defensive injury crisis repeats itself to the extent it did some 18 months back, it is always important to have at least four quality centre-backs in your ranks.
The Reds could only challenge for the unprecedented quadruple in the latest season because of their depth. Gomez will not be banished from the first team because his quality is clear.
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It is best if he stays at LFC and makes a name for himself. van Dijk and Joel Matip cannot keep playing forever. His chance will come. But if staying at Anfield this season is something that costs him a place in England’s World Cup squad in Qatar is something that only time can tell.
