Liverpool supporters have been divided by the news that Ibrahima Konate will leave the club after five years following the expiration of his contract this summer.
The Frenchman has been a popular figure for most of his time with the Reds, but a downturn in form this season has damaged the way many fans view him.
After confirmation filtered through that Konate will leave and could join Paris Saint-Germain, Rousing The Kop asked Liverpool supporters to grade the centre-backs half-decade with the Reds from A* down to D. And it’s safe to say that Konate continues to split opinion even on his way out.
Has Konate lived up to his potential, or does he leave having not quite reached it?
The curtain comes down on five up and down years as a Red 😓
Many Liverpool fans are happy with Konate
If you’d have asked Liverpool fans to grade Konate at this time last year, the overwhelming majority would have given him an A* or an A. Interestingly, many still do, with some fans on RTK’s X page positive about the No. 5’s five-year stay.
“Probably between A or B. Earlier on he was good but plagued by injuries, also lost his place to Quansah for a short while,” said one supporter.
“Last season was probably his peak he was unplayable and was available in almost every single game.”
“Probably overall I’d rate him A, even though he’s had a difficult season” someone else said. “He has had personal circumstances and I can empathise with that.”
READ MORE: Four available centre-backs who could immediately replace Ibrahima Konate in Liverpool’s starting XI
“This season: B All time: A,” was another’s view, with one more fan claiming that Konate is ‘too good to let go on a free transfer.’
“Ibrahima Konate A and always A,” said someone else, and though there were plenty of dissenting voices, the vibe was generally positive.
Others feel Konate was never good enough
While he had some positive responses from fans on X, others on RTK’s Facebook page and TalkingPoints were not quite so complimentary about Konate.
“Mistake laden centre-back not up to LFC standard,” one fan said on TalkingPoints, with someone else lamenting the France international as ‘error prone’ and claiming that he ‘rarely seems comfortable carrying the ball forward.’
On Facebook, many were even more scathing, with few positive assessments at all on Konate’s half-decade in red.
“C – Overrated and it’s a mid-Range player who wants world-class wages,” was one view.
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“He was poor!” another simply added, while one more summed Konate up as being either ‘s*** or injured.’
“He was made to look better by VVD [Virgil van Dijk],” someone else chimed in. “No surprise that as VVD age started to catch up with him a bit … instead of Konate stepping up he fell apart.”
Meanwhile, though there were extreme views on either end of the scale, most supporters fell into a middle category, with many agreeing that Konate could at times be brilliant, at others dreadful.
“Dips in form and injuries have spoilt his record. When fit and in form he’s been fantastic,” one supporter said. “B – had some strong seasons but far too inconsistent and mistake prone,” another added. “Shouldn’t be leaving on a free at all.”
Finally, one fan’s verdict summed Konate up perfectly: “He goes through periods where he is can’t be beaten, then he’ll make a terrible mistake, a horrible game or a bit of a dip of form,” they said. “He’s a really good CB but I don’t think he will become an elite one.”
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