FSG must cash in on 4/10 Liverpool dud who earns more than Diaz & Elliott

Liverpool are most likely the very best crew on the planet proper now, definitely thought of the crew to beat within the Premier League title race and maybe within the Champions League too, profitable the group section at a canter.

Arne Slot is a pointy tactical thoughts and his begin to life at Anfield has been outstanding, however he isn’t infallible. This was evidenced by much-rotated Liverpool’s defeat by Plymouth Argyle within the fourth spherical of the FA Cup. The Championship’s bottom-placed facet deserved their win.

The cruel actuality is that a number of first-teamers have been using on the coattails of Slot’s superstars this season: Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch, Virgil van Dijk and so forth.

Champions League passage was secured with a recreation to go final month, and so Slot issued loads of adjustments for the culminating fixture in opposition to PSV Eindhoven. Liverpool confirmed spirit however misplaced.

In opposition to the Pilgrims, Liverpool’s fringe gamers had been despatched packing with their tails between their legs, with their futures underneath query once more.

The gamers that could be leaving Slot’s Liverpool

Let’s overlook about Liverpool’s encroaching contract-related culminations for the second – such outcomes will grow to be clearer within the coming months.

Slot boasts an immense first crew at Liverpool, however there is a real query as as to whether Liverpool have adequate depth beneath the floor degree, with the Reds flattering to deceive from begin to end.

Trying past the urgent contract issues, Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson will quickly enter the ultimate 12 months of their offers, and efforts have to be ramped up in tying them down.

Caoimhin Kelleher is in the identical boat, albeit he is anticipated to depart on the finish of the time period provided that Liverpool have signed Giorgi Mamardashvili (presently on mortgage with Valencia) to rival Alisson Becker between the sticks.

Plymouth had been resilient and, frankly, they needed it extra within the FA Cup. The likes of Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott had been among the many worst performers, with their expertise and standing in Slot’s squad absolutely making them excellent to take such a recreation by the scruff of its neck and push Liverpool away from a giant-killing. They didn’t.

Elliott, 21, has been linked with a transfer away in current months after his peripheral position this time period, however his future absolutely lies in Merseyside.

Nonetheless, the 28-year-old Diaz is blowing cold and warm too typically and can step into his penultimate 12 months subsequent 12 months. Liverpool may need to money in whereas they will.

FSG ought to promote £12m Liverpool expertise

Diaz just isn’t the one one, although. Liverpool ought to prolong veteran Robertson’s deal, however should nonetheless strengthen at left-back to mitigate his load. That implies that Kostas Tsimikas should be bought.

Tsimikas has been a loyal servant for Liverpool, by no means complaining regardless of spending giant parts, if not the whole thing, of his profession as second fiddle, behind Robertson.

Nonetheless, the Greece worldwide has had probabilities to shine since leaving Olympiakos for a £12m fee in August 2020, one 12 months after Alberto Moreno left Merseyside on the finish of his contract.

He is racked up 18 assists over 107 appearances, although this solely averages 21.4 outings per marketing campaign, a determine that’s distorted barely by the present marketing campaign nonetheless being accomplished.

There have been some excessive moments, to make certain. The character of Tsimikas’ masking position within the Liverpool squad implies that he has performed an enormous half within the three home cup triumphs over the previous 5 years, truly whipping the last-gasp nook into Van Dijk’s path to win Liverpool the Carabao Cup in opposition to Chelsea final season.

The left-back’s greatest energy lies within the high quality of his deliveries, rating among the many high 12% of full-backs throughout Europe’s high 5 leagues over the previous 12 months for assists, the highest 9% for shot-creating actions and the highest 3% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

Nonetheless, he has obvious deficiencies in his ability set, specifically referring to dribbling and positional virtues. If Robertson is to stay at Liverpool past his present, soon-to-expire contract, the 28-year-old Tsimikas must go.

His Premier League profession has by no means seen a sustained run of begins throughout the marketing campaign, albeit taking part in comparatively final time period as Robertson battled with harm issues.

Pocketing a healthy salary of £75k per week, Tsimikas remarkably earns greater than aforementioned gamers Diaz and Elliott and arguably performs a much less necessary position than each of them.

Neither ahead produced an excellent efficiency in the course of the current FA Cup exit in opposition to Plymouth, however Tsimikas was simply as culpable, failing to understand what was an important fixture for him to show to Slot that he deserves an enormous position over the enterprise months of the season.

This is Anfield branded the Greek defender with a 4/10 rating, noting that he had blown an enormous likelihood provided that Robertson has restored his first-choice standing over the previous few weeks.

As per Sofascore, he misplaced the ball 22 occasions and failed with 9 of his ten tried crosses, unable to summon the very best a part of his ability set when it mattered.

Liverpool are out there for a brand new left-back, report The Athletic, and provided that FSG is not going to need to have three senior left-backs within the ranks and Robertson, 30, remains to be able to taking part in an enormous half within the crew, it could be time for Tsimikas to go away for pastures new.

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Liverpool nonetheless have not reached a optimistic conclusion to their long-dragging contract points.