Richard Hughes has agreed another masterstroke for Liverpool in hugely-exciting summer - opinion
Liverpool aren’t just setting the standard in buying players, they are leading the way by selling them too.
If Liverpool were quiet last summer, 12 months on the Premier League champions couldn’t be louder in terms of signalling their intentions for the new season.
Arne Slot is getting the tools he needs to keep his team on top of the table having proven his ability to squeeze every ounce of talent out of players last season. It would have been easy for the board not to splash out, instead, they have spent big and the manager has been rewarded.
A record deal for Florian Wirtz is the icing on the cake of an already exciting summer but on a reported £200m transfer budget, Liverpool will need to sell if they want to open the cheque book again.
Richard Hughes gets Jarell Quansah transfer bonus for Liverpool
Obvious possible departures are Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, but the exit of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen has come as something of a surprise given Ibrahima Konate’s contract situation.
Writing in The Times, Paul Joyce gave the details of the deal earlier in the week with a stroke of genius from Richard Hughes: “Jarell Quansah will complete a £35million move to Bayer Leverkusen after England Under-21’s European Championship campaign, with Liverpool now negotiating a buy-back clause as part of the deal.
“The attempt to include an option to re-sign the defender reflects how the Anfield club has faith in the centre back despite his lack of first-team minutes last season.
“Liverpool were not looking to sell Quansah, but recognise the player’s desire to pursue regular football to aid his development.”
It would have been easy for Liverpool to just take a straight cash deal knowing that Quansah is a backup option and potentially a player who can be replaced relatively easily.
Instead, Hughes has negotiated the sort of deal that sees Liverpool make enough money to replace Quansah or allocate for somewhere else in the team whilst having first refusal on bringing him back to Anfield if his game goes to another level.
What options do Liverpool have to replace Quansah?
Joe Gomez couldn’t have been more unlucky with injury last season and he will be hoping that he can once again challenge for a regular starting place with Konate the man in possession of the jersey.
The France international has been linked with Real Madrid and it is still uncertain as to whether or not he will still be at Liverpool when the transfer window closes. The club wants him to stay and contract negotiations are taking place though.
Another option, is for Liverpool to take advantage of Marc Guehi’s situation at Crystal Palace with the England international’s price tag set not much higher than what Quansah has been sold for.
At 24-years old and with a World Cup next summer, Guehi wants to play regular football. A move to Liverpool is a step up and would be the perfect opportunity to develop his game, however, there would be no guarantees, especially if Konate extends his deal.
Given his work so far, if Liverpool do go for Guehi, Hughes has proven that he will get it right.