Liverpool duo Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could leave the club for free in 2023
According to Fabrizio Romano‘s column on Caught Offside, Liverpool’s midfield duo could leave the club for a free come to the summer window of 2023. Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain‘s contracts at Merseyside end next year and there have been minimal talks of a contract extension for either one.
The pair have been quite injury-prone during their time in the Red half of Liverpool and have been more or less inconsistent when given a run of games. Notably, both of them have been left out of Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League squad for the group stages. The Englishman and the Guinean have been on the sidelines owing to injury.
Speaking about their injury situation, gaffer Jurgen Klopp summed up their situation quite shortly.
“It’s a muscle injury. For him [Keita] a muscle injury, Ox is a muscle injury and they will be out for a while.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain showed promise during his time at Arsenal. But during his time at The Emirates, the Englishman could not cement a starting spot. Hence, the move to Liverpool. The Englishman arrived at the club from Arsenal in 2017 for a fee of £35m. He showed glimpses of brilliance at Anfield as well, but injuries proved to be a big hurdle for the former Southampton midfielder.
What next for the duo
Naby Keita on the other hand has been very inconsistent with his performances. He joined in 2018 from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig for a fee of £48m and one can argue that he did not live up to the price tag.
Leaving the duo out of the squads for the UCL might have not been a shocker since both of them are suffering from long-term injuries and might not feature a lot before the international break in November.
Ox has been a fan favourite despite his fitness issues and it would cause mixed feelings to see him depart the club. Keita’s time has been dissatisfactory on the contrary. The Guinean has not lived up to his hype and certainly not up to his price tag.
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It will be a shocker to see either player wear Liverpool colours next season, but the fact of the matter is that both players have been fairly inconsistent and a future at the club seems bleak.
