‘He Has Everything’ – Michael Owen Wowed by ‘Very Dãngerøūs’ Liverpool Star Who is the Future After Win v Wolves
Liverpool may not have delivered the most elegant performance, but they still managed to climb to the top of the Premier League table with a victory over Wolves on Saturday.
Despite Gary O’Neil’s side being rooted at the bottom of the Premier League standings and yet to secure a win, they made Liverpool work hard for the points under Arne Slot’s leadership.
For much of the match, the first 45 minutes lacked intensity, but just before halftime, Ibrahima Konate broke the deadlock with a header from a dangerous cross by Diogo Jota.
However, Liverpool soon handed Wolves an equaliser, following a mistake by Konate. It wasn’t until Mohamed Salah scored from the penalty spot that Liverpool secured the three points.
Interestingly, three key Liverpool players who started against Wolves—Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold—are all out of contract next summer.
Whether they will sign new deals remains uncertain, and replacing them would be a monumental challenge for the club.
All three have been pivotal figures under Jurgen Klopp, contributing significantly to Liverpool’s success during his tenure.
While their futures are up in the air, Michael Owen suggests there could already be a successor to van Dijk in the form of Ibrahima Konate.
Since joining Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021, the 25-year-old has excelled when fit, although injuries have been a drawback in his career.
Owen believes Konate has “everything” needed to reach van Dijk’s level, even though he acknowledges the player still has some learning to do, as he stated on Premier League Productions (28/09/24 at 7:40 pm).
The former striker also emphasized how “very dangerous” the French defender can be, as shown when Konate opened the scoring against Wolves.
“Konate is already established, well established as a top centre-half,” said Owen. “A Brilliant centre-half. He has got everything and I think he could be the future.
“Virgil van Dijk is really at the peak of his powers at the moment, but Konate has still got a bit to learn. He is still a bit younger as well. Look forward to seeing him improve and maybe even get to Virgil’s standard one day. You never know.
On Konate’s goal: “He is very dangerous, isn’t he in this situation? The size, the athleticism. The leap. The power in the header. It’s brilliant from Jota. The turn of pace there. Bursts past his man and what about that for a ball? It’s so inviting.
“But you have got to be, for all those attributes, to attack the ball and head it down as well. It was a really good goal and just at the right time for Liverpool.
The ideal scenario for Slot would be for Van Dijk to commit to a new contract. This would provide a smoother transition for Konate to step up as a key player in the team.
It’s hard to imagine Van Dijk departing, especially with Liverpool likely to remain in the Champions League for the next season at the very least.
If he were to leave, the question arises: where would he go? A move to another Premier League club seems unlikely, and it’s difficult to see him choosing a move to France, Italy, or Germany.
A transfer to Spain, however, is understandable. Clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona would be appealing destinations, but the offers would need to be on the table for him to make such a move.
In other Liverpool news, ‘Got a Knock’ – Arne Slot Says Liverpool Player Picked Up a Slight Injury Issue Against Wolves
