Liverpool may have closed one transfer window, and a possible approach for Reds center-back Joe Gomez during the summer window could confirm it.
Blood Red: Is Joe Gomez’s Liverpool career at a crossroads? | The Schedule
Blood Red: Is Joe Gomez’s Liverpool career at a crossroads? | The Schedule
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a midfielder for Liverpool, will ‘almost certainly’ leave the club at the end of the season.
According to Daily Mail journalist Sami Mokbel, there have been “no talks” about extending the contract, which is set to expire in the summer.
Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Brighton, as well as Serie A clubs, have all expressed an early interest in signing him as a free agent.
This could be Newcastle’s best, or even its only, chance to sign a Liverpool player.
According to British agent Haydn Dodge (via Caught Offside), the Magpies have “long admired” Reds center-back Joe Gomez and see him as a possible summer transfer target.
Gomez, one would think, would be interested in the move. Newcastle is currently the most upwardly mobile club in the Premier League, and the proposed transfer would allow him to escape the shadows of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté.
This season has given you the impression that a change could be beneficial for Gomez, allowing him to relaunch his career both domestically and internationally.
However, Liverpool must reject any approach from Newcastle because to entertain the idea would be arrogant.
Newcastle United is reportedly interested in Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.
Newcastle United is reportedly interested in Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.
While Liverpool intends to re-establish itself as a title contender and leave Newcastle behind with its summer acquisitions, the Saudi-backed project is clearly on its way to the top.
It’s just a matter of how long Newcastle takes to get there, and it’s already moving much faster than anyone expected, including those in the corridors of St James’ Park.
The combination of a $316 million (£256 million/€291 million) net spend, the second-highest in the division over the last three transfer windows behind only Chelsea (on a staggering $667 million/£540 million/€614 million), and what is admittedly a manager-of-the-year-worthy coaching effort from Eddie Howe, has catapulted the club into the Champions League picture.
As a result, Liverpool must regard Newcastle as part of a new-look Premier League ‘big seven,’ and adopt the same transfer strategy as its more traditional rivals. That means no sales that could help the company’s fortunes.
On the other hand, Liverpool is unlikely to be able to lure talent away from Newcastle. Georginio Wijnaldum’s $31 million (£25 million/€28 million) move to Anfield in 2016, following the club’s relegation, may be the last significant business between the two clubs for a while.
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It has previously expressed interest in Sven Botman (via NOS), the $43 million (£35 million/€40 million) Dutch center-back who has helped Newcastle to the Premier League’s best defensive record this season. (with just 19 goals conceded).
Furthermore, Liverpool is reportedly a fan of Bruno Guimares (via TNT Sports), and it’s easy to see why. The $49 million (£40 million/€45 million) maestro is currently one of the division’s best and most complete midfielders.
And Alexander Isak, who is averaging a goal every 132 minutes after joining Real Sociedad for $78 million (£63 million/€72 million) in the summer, was also on Liverpool’s radar at one point. (Sunday Mirror via The Hard Tackle).
Newcastle, on the other hand, will no longer regard itself as a selling club, instead viewing this $170 million trio as key long-term components of a team that hopes to compete for the biggest prizes in the future. And, rather than looking to move on, they may all buy into that vision as well.
As a result of the Saudis’ acquisition of Newcastle, the landscape in the top flight has permanently shifted. While the Reds may be powerless to stop Oxlade-Chamberlain from moving to Tyneside, any approach for Gomez should be rejected, confirming the start of a new rivalry — and the end of the era symbolized by Wijnaldum’s transfer switch.
