Slot must drop Galatasaray flop despite Liverpool being 'confident' of agreeing Ibrahima Konate deal
Ibrahima Konate was a standout against Galatasaray on paper, but should the contract rebel be dropped from the starting XI?
Statistics play an ever-increasing role in modern football although fans can still see when something doesn’t quite add up.
Liverpool’s defeat to Galatasaray is the perfect example with one player in particular coming in for criticism from Reds’ fans on social media despite the numbers suggesting that he was one of the best players on the pitch. There weren’t many in green who rated highly or who walked off at full-time with any credit and Arne Slot has been left with more questions than answers. One of the areas where the manager needs to do some work is in defence with the current balance clearly not working.
Ibrahima Konate struggles for Liverpool
According to FotMob, Ibrahima Konate was Liverpool’s second best player with a score of 7.3, just 0.1 behind Cody Gakpo and 0.2 better than his central defence partner Virgil van Dijk. The France international had 16 defensive contributions, but made no tackles and had no blocks. The 26-year old was dominant in the air with 10/12 aerial duels won, however, he won none of his three duels on the ground. The eye test told an entirely different story though with Konate gifting possession to Galatasaray in dangerous positions on numerous occasions and he continues to look like a weak link in the Liverpool defence.
What doesn’t help Konate’s cause, and in his defence, is Slot’s insistence on playing a variety of different options at right-back including Dominik Szoboszlai who can do a job, he just isn’t a Champions League level full-back as was found to Liverpool’s cost against the Turks. The longer that the towering defender doesn’t sign a new contract though, the more scrutiny will be on his performances with the distraction of interest from Real Madrid a ready-made accusation. With Joe Gomez fit and available, until a solution is realised, Konate should be the one watching from the bench with his form not justifying his inclusion.
Update on Konate contract negotiations
As reported by L’Equipe, the protracted negotiations could be nearing a conclusion with Liverpool now confident of an agreement being reached: “With several European heavyweights keeping an eye on his situation, the French international defender has been offered a new contract extension by the Reds. The English club's management is confident. Liverpool's management began initial talks a little less than a year ago to extend the contract of their French defender, whose contract expires in June. The initial offer in December bore little relation to the former RB Leipzig defender's status as a starter. Clubs including Real Madrid are paying attention to the situation.
“The talks, which had been suspended for several months - the former Sochaux player intended to remain focused on his season - resumed in the spring. Liverpool restructured their offer several times. A new proposal from the Reds was made about two weeks ago. With a certain progress? Discussions are still ongoing. A number of elements remain to be decided. The English club's leaders remain confident that the transaction will be finalised. Clubs - Real Madrid - are keeping an eye on Konaté's situation, although this has not yet resulted in offers or negotiations.”
After missing out on Marc Guehi in the summer, Liverpool need stability in the middle of defence especially with Giovanni Leoni injured and out of action for the rest of the campaign. Getting Konate secured to a new contract would be a step in the right direction, despite his performance against Galatasaray.