Newsnow Liverpool brings the latest Liverpool FCnews as former Reds likened to Steven Gerrard while at the club, has now become a liability and a big flop. The midfielder spent five years at Anfield after signing for a club-record fee.
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Liverpool’s 2022–23 season was disappointing since it was the first time in seven years that they did not make the Champions League. Jurgen Klopp’s team underwent a substantial summer overhaul as a result.
After a disappointing season, some of Liverpool’s most notable players from the Jurgen Klopp era departed the club; Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino, and Fabinho all left for the Saudi Pro League.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita left the country for overseas teams Besiktas and Werder Bremen, respectively, while James Milner, an experienced player, joined the neighboring Brighton & Hove Albion in the Europa League.
Who Left Liverpool in The Summer Transfer Window?
Naby Keita, a Guinean midfielder, cannot be seen as having a beneficial influence despite the fact that the bulk of the players that left the team did so.
Liverpool announced in August 2017 that they have acquired Keita from RB Leipzig for a club-record signing fee of £48 million.
Due to the move that was made, the 22-year-old was given the chance to join the club in July 2018.
Jurgen Klopp made the midfielder one of his primary targets to bring to Anfield, and when Leipzig initially resisted selling their star player, Liverpool eventually paid his release clause in his contract.
According to The Times, Keita was one of Liverpool’s highest-paid players at the time, earning close to £120,000 per week.
Although it was a large expenditure, many people justified it since they believed Keita was one of the future stars of European football.
The fanbase’s reaction to the move, especially on social media, was obviously positive.
According to a Twitter user: “Naby Keita may be an even more significant signing than Mo Salah. His arrival should be quite thrilling for us.”
He was likened to Steven Gerrard by legendary club member and former Reds manager Gerard Houllier.
Houllier saw Keita when he was playing for Istres in the French second division and said, “Like when I watched Gerrard; he was everywhere.”
No matter how enthusiastic the gathering was, they would quickly recognize that the signing had not gone as planned.
Keita had some promise as a player at Anfield, but his reputation with the squad suffered greatly due to his persistent injury issues and inconsistent availability.
In only his debut season, he missed 89 days of activity and a total of 15 games across all leagues. This was, regrettably, a sign of things to come for Keita and Liverpool.
Keita would remarkably miss 107 games over the course of the next four seasons due to injury, shocking Klopp and his club.
Despite the fact that his recurring injury concerns didn’t help his case much, Keita never really managed to stand out even when he was available and would often find himself being utilized as more of a rotation player than the excellent player he was expected to be.
Keita only played the entire 90 minutes in 12 of his 84 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, according to Transfermarkt, with the majority of those matches seeing him come on or off the bench.
In 129 appearances for the club in all competitions during his five-year spell, the midfielder only managed 11 goals and 7 assists, which works out to one goal assist per seven games. This is quite disheartening, particularly in light of his achievements in Germany, where he played 81 games for Leipzig and averaged one goal per two games while scoring 20 goals and dishing out 11 assists for a goal every other game.
The Guinea international does not benefit from a deeper look at his statistics.
His completed tackle success rate was only 47.2%, according to the Premier League’s official website, although he played in the top division of English football. He had only one significant opportunity every nine games, or little more than 0.1 opportunities per game.
Keita won over fans long before he even kicked a ball for the squad, but as the years went by, they became used to his unexpected style. Despite a number of noteworthy incidents, such as the time he scored the quickest goal in Liverpool history in April 2019 after just 15 seconds, the disadvantages of his line of work seemed to outweigh the benefits.
According to journalist Josh Williams in October 2021, Keita was a “terrible liability,” which pretty much sums up his time while playing for Liverpool.
Which Club is Naby Keita Playing for Now?
Then, in January 2023, it was reported that Keita would not be signing a new contract with the club and would leave as a free agent in June.
He made 13 appearances during his last campaign at Merseyside but did not provide a goal or an assist.
Despite having a terrible season, Keita didn’t have to look for a new club for very long.
He will be joining Werder Bremen when he returns to the German league, it was reported on June 9th.
Florian Plettenberg, a reliable journalist for Sky Sports Germany, claims that the 28-year-old consented to take a large wage drop in return for a job move. His new contract is worth over €2.5 million per year, or more than £41,000 per week.
How is Naby Keita Doing at His New Club?
Werder Bremen are currently placed 11th in the Bundesliga after three games, with one victory and two losses. before the international trip break in September.
Due to a recent injury he sustained in a pre-season warm-up in July, Keita has not yet debuted for the German club. The particular date of his recovery is yet unknown, but the club said that he would be sidelined for “several weeks.”
Keita may have a great chance in the next months to get in shape and maybe regain the form he shown during his last stay in the Bundesliga.
Guinea has already qualified for this winter’s tournament in the Ivory Coast, therefore the midfielder intends to compete in his fourth straight tournament at the Africa Cup of Nations in early 2024.
Overall, both parties will regret Keita’s move to Liverpool, which is another more evidence that even seasoned coaches like Jurgen Klopp can make errors while being undoubtedly talented and sometimes displaying quality.