Liverpool should finally call time on Naby Keita’s career at the club once his contract ends this summer.
That’s the view of former Reds striker Stan Collymore. Writing for CaughtOffside yesterday, Collymore urged Jurgen Klopp to let Keita leave at the end of the current season.
“I would definitely let Naby Keita go,” said the 52-year-old. “His move from RB Leipzig back in 2018 was an exciting one because of how long the fans had to wait for him to join because of how the deal was constructed but it just hasn’t worked out.
“Sometimes that happens in football when a player joins a club and fails to live up to expectations. He’s been at Anfield long enough and if it hasn’t worked by now, it never will, so the end of the season certainly feels like the right time to let him go. He’s out of contract in the summer anyway so everything is pointing toward an end-of-season-exit.”
It certainly is. As of now, it would be a huge, huge surprise if Keita were to extend his stay at Anfield into a sixth season.
Keita staring down the barrel at Anfield
Keita has taken some heat over the last few days for a lacklustre performance away at Crystal Palace on Saturday. Not for the first time during his stint at Liverpool, the 28-year-old was hooked after 45 minutes.
On other occasions, that has felt harsh by Klopp, but not on Saturday. Although the difficulty of his display has been a little overblown, the fact is that he was on a booking and looking likely to pick up another.
Already struggling to get going in a turgid game, Liverpool would have surely lost with 10 men on the field. As a result, Klopp had no choice but to haul Keita off.
In the studio for Sky Sports on Saturday, Collymore’s former teammate Jamie Redknapp suggested the display summed up Naby’s Liverpool career.
For us, that feels a little unfair. Yes, the Guinean has been a disappointment, that’s clear. Injuries have contributed hugely to that, but he’s simply never lived up to his price-tag.
But it hasn’t all been bad – far from it. Keita may not have ever been the key man he should have been, but he still played his part in a thrilling Liverpool side. The former RB Leipzig man won everything there was to win at the club. Starting both domestic cup finals last season, he did his bit. That shouldn’t be forgotten as we wish him all the best for the future.