It would be fair to say that Naby Keita suffered an underwhelming first season for the reds after signing from RB Leipzig for a fee of £52.75 million. Although the Guinea international shown glimpses of what he can offer to Jürgen, it simply did not live up to the fans expectations as he lacked consistency during a stop/start first season. In fairness to the Liverpool no.8, fans should expect a bit of time for the player to adjust to the league and the fast pace and high intensity style of his German manager. There were a few untimely injuries that Keita had to deal with which ultimately did not let him make a real impression managing just the two goals and one assists in his first Premier League campaign.
With a lot of Liverpool fans hoping for a new marquee signing in the midfield area with the likes of Nabil Fekir, Bruno Fernandes and Philippe Coutinho rumoured in the summer, it looks like Jürgen his happy with his squad and having a fully fit Naby Keita with a point to prove could be the reason why there hasn’t been an attacking midfielder signed. Although Naby isn’t an attacking midfielder as such, his dribbling ability and range of passing does make him the naturally attacking midfielder out of the three whether that is partnering Fabinho and Jordan Henderson or Fabinho and Gini Wijnladum.
The midfield three seem to be giving Jürgen Klopp a real headache as it seems as though he is unsure of his best three with the only guaranteed started is defensive midfielder Fabinho who played a vital role in the Champions League triumph last season. With the likes of club Captain Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, James Milner and Adam Lallana all vying for one of the spots available Naby Keita will need to start the season well and showcase the ability everyone knows he has from watching him dazzle in the Bundesliga.
In a recent interview Jürgen Klopp was asked if he expects more from the Guinea player for the upcoming season to which he responded, “Do I expect more? I just expect development and that’s how it is to be honest for everybody. I think they can al make big steps and that’s what we are working on”. Klopp also mentioned that Naby’s English is a lot better and he seems a lot more settled into the team and reiterated how crucial it is for the player to stay fit to see the best out of him.
How do you think Naby Keita will fare this season? Do you think Jürgen Klopp was right to not sign a marquee midfielder and show belief in who he has? Let us know.
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