Liverpool said goodbye to two legendary players on Sunday, but fans are fearing that more painful exits may be yet to come this summer.
The emotion of Andy Robertson and, more visibly, Mohamed Salah was plain to see for everyone present at Anfield, and it was only right that the day was all about celebrating two unbelievable Liverpool careers.
However, eyes were also on Ibrahima Konate and Alisson Becker in particular, who both have strong possibilities to leave the Reds in the coming months.
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With Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez also seemingly likely to go, Rousing The Kop kept an eye on all four players for any clues in their reactions as to what their futures hold.
Alisson Becker – Verdict: Staying
Rumours that Alisson could leave Liverpool for Juventus have been growing stronger through the final months of the season, and there appears to be a genuine chance that the Brazilian could end his eight-year association with the club.
Nevertheless, judging by Alisson’s reactions on Sunday – at least those visible to the watching public – he is not going anywhere.
The 33-year-old is an emotional person, and it surely would have been difficult for him to hide if this really was his final appearance for Liverpool.
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Instead, Alisson was all smiles at the final whistle, hugging Salah tightly as he made his way through the guard of honour at full-time.
Alisson’s wife, Natalia, posted on Instagram at the final whistle, simply captioning the post, ‘last game of the season’ and adding a ‘YNWA’ for good measure. On the photos attached, the goalkeeper posed happily with his wife and kids, looking happy, and not even a little emotional.
Things could change, but, for the time being, we’d now expect Alisson to stay and see out the final year of his Liverpool contract.
Ibrahima Konate – Verdict: Leaving
If Alisson’s future is uncertain, then Konate’s is a downright mess at this point. The Frenchman has now played his final contracted game for Liverpool, and there is still no confirmation as to whether he will stay or leave.
In general terms, it is perhaps a promising sign that Konate has played the last game of the season and there has still been no official announcement of what is happening.
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Had he been certain to leave, that should have been communicated before Sunday’s draw with Brentford, to give the 27-year-old the send off he deserves after five excellent years at Anfield. That it wasn’t may have some supporters hoping he still signs on.
However, Konate’s reaction to being substituted off in the final minutes of the match was perhaps the most telling thing here.
The centre-back looked a little sheepish as he trudged off to be replaced by Gomez, and the quick glance around looked like the face of a man who knew it might be his last time.
With the World Cup set to begin in a little over two weeks, confirmation over what is happening with Konate should be expected soon. It would not be a surprise to see him stay, but it is rare that a player goes this deep into his contract and ends up staying. There was not much to go on here, but the signs are not great.
Curtis Jones – Verdict: Leaving
Jones’ situation is different to that of Alisson and Konate in that he is not a veteran who looking to leave with the club’s best wishes, and nor is his contract finishing – not yet anyway. Instead, he is keen to go for the good of his career and to get more playing time.
His mixed feelings on leaving may explain his bizarre reaction to scoring Liverpool’s final goal of the season.
Jones probably thought his bundled finish from Salah’s exceptional pass would have been ruled out for offside, but he could have celebrated nevertheless.
This was Salah’s final piece of brilliance in a Liverpool shirt, and the 25-year-old could not even crack a smile.
Generally quite a jovial character amongst his teammates, it was strange to see Jones in such a sombre mood, and it unfortunately did suggest that his time with the Reds is coming to an end.
There was no emotion in his reaction, but the lack of it suggested at a frustration which looks set to culminate in a move.
Joe Gomez – Verdict: Leaving
Finally, Gomez is another of Liverpool’s long-serving players who looks likely to depart this summer.
The 29-year-old came on for injury time on Sunday, in a substitution which felt a lot like a token goodbye.
There was no real need for Arne Slot to bring Gomez on for Konate other than for the former to get one last run out and the latter to get what could be a final ovation.
Typically reserved, there was little in Gomez’s post-match reactions to suggest anything either way, but Slot recognising the end of 11 years of service and sticking his No. 2 on felt like all the confirmation we needed.
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