Fabrizio Romano confirms the departure of two Liverpool players this summer
Liverpool will not keep hold of Naby Keita & Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, when their contracts run out this summer, allowing them to leave the club.
Even with some huge score lines, the Reds have struggled this season for consistency. The Merseysiders are now fighting for a top 4 spot after failing to compete for the title this season.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have exited every other competition, the latest being the Champions League where they were knocked out by Real Madrid. Liverpool were humbled by the Spanish giants who progressed to the last 8 of the competition.
However, it is safe to say that the midfield has been the reason for Liverpool’s inconsistency this season. The regular midfield of Henderson, Fabinho, and Thiago has found it difficult to win balls in the middle of the park.
While the youngsters Bajcetic and Elliott have paired along and are still very much learning the game.
However, the likes of Keita and Alex have only started 7 games between them due to injuries. This has proved to be problematic for the club and they have been overlooked even when fit.
Keita and Alex to leave Liverpool
Speaking about the transfers, Fabrizio Romano has stated that Liverpool would let the midfield pair depart alongside Firmino.
“I expect both Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to follow Roberto Firmino and leave Liverpool on a free transfer this summer.
James Milner will decide in the next months, he will speak to Jurgen Klopp too. For all the other players, it will be decided in May/June ahead of the transfer window. Firmino, Keita and Oxlade will explore options soon but nothing is decided yet.”
Both Keita and Alex have never reached the standards that the club expected them to reach, mainly due to injuries. Their overall impact on the Reds has declined and it is fair for Liverpool to not renew their contracts.
Keita came to Anfield from Leipzig with a high reputation but never managed to replicate the same for the Reds. He only made 129 appearances in 5 years with the club while scoring 11 times and assisting 7.
Meanwhile, Oxlade-Chamberlain never seems to have fully recovered from the cruciate ligament injury that he suffered against Roma back in 2018. Before that, he was a key member of the Reds’ squad.
The ex-Arsenal player has appeared 145 times while scoring 18 times and assisting 15 in his 5-year tenure with the club.
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