Ibrahima Konate has a target on his back right now.
Just over a year ago, a new Liverpool contract was reportedly on the horizon for the France international. Fast forward to now, and Konate is heading into the final six months of his deal at Anfield.
Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are all believed to be keen on signing the 26-year-old next summer. This interest is likely one of the reasons why Konate reportedly changed his contract demands, wanting in the region of £200k per week.
Such a contract would make him one of the highest earners at the club. Liverpool are reportedly reluctant to meet his demands.
In this instance, no party is in the right. No party is in the wrong.
No right or wrong stance
Liverpool seemingly don’t feel the centre-back justifies such a salary. And can you blame them? On his day, Konate is brilliant, but his days are few and far between. He isn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, consistent. Performances range wildly and prior to last term, he didn’t have the best injury record.
The Premier League champions have shown in the past they will reward fine form. They clearly have a ballpark figure in mind for Konate and the mooted figure exceeds it.
Konate, meanwhile, will likely be buoyed by the fact the champions of Spain, Germany and France all want him. Given he’ll be available on a free transfer, they’ll be offering big signing-on fees as well as bonuses. And this, no doubt, plays a part in the reported demands made to Liverpool.
At times last season, Konate outperformed Virgil van Dijk. He was a key part in Liverpool’s title success. He’s an established international, who captains his country, in the prime of his career. Why wouldn’t he be looking for the best deal?
The problem for the player, however, is that the memory of Trent Alexander-Arnold is still fresh in the mind of every Liverpool fan.
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Alexander-Arnold left on a free transfer to join Real Madrid in the summer, though Liverpool did receive around £10m so he could play at the Club World Cup. On his way out, Alexander-Arnold wasn’t focused on the Reds and it impacted his performances. While we might not know what Konate is going to do at the end of the season, his performances do appear to have been somewhat compromised this term. And you can’t help but feel it’s because he’s taken his eye off the ball ahead of his departure.
Costly errors
That is why there’s a target on his back. Konate’s reluctance to commit to the club, combined with his perceived mistakes, means he’s forever under the microscope. And when assessed and analysed under the bright lights, things aren’t favourable right now.
Konate was at the scene of the crime for Manchester City’s penalty in their 3-0 win before the international break. It was his attempted clearance which ricocheted off Conor Braley and into the path of Jeremy Doku. And then Konate’s attempted headed clearance bounced off Erling Haaland and somehow looped beyond Giorgi Mamardashvili.
“But Konate again, when Liverpool concede a goal or a problem, is at the heart of it,” former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher highlighted after that game.
And Konate was blamed for Nottingham Forest’s opener in their 3-0 win at Anfield over the weekend. He, needlessly in the eyes of many, gave away a corner. The visitors scored from the resulting corner.
Moments later, Konate was on the floor as Igor Jesus rifled an effort beyond Alisson. Fortunately for the Reds, the goal was ruled out for a contentious handball. The Frenchman was replaced after 55 minutes with Slot opting to use Ryan Gravenberch at centre-back. It’s not the first time the Dutch manager has hauled the defender off early in a game and used a midfielder in that position.
Konate’s strange consistency
What is interesting, though, is that Konate’s numbers across the past two seasons have been eerily consistent. Yet the narratives couldn’t be any more different.
When a new deal looked close last season, he was a rival to Van Dijk as the best in the league. Now, though, there are calls for Joe Gomez to replace Konate in the starting XI.
Last season, Konate’s attempted clearance against Man City would have missed Doky, and the header would have hit Haaland and landed safely in the goalkeeper’s hands. But now, luck isn’t on Konate’s side. The corner situation against Forest would’ve been dealt with and forgotten about.
But when things are going against you, all of these moments matter. And Konate is at the scene. Combined with his contract situation, what is being reported and the exit of Alexander-Arnold and you can understand why he’s now being viewed as a problem. Despite not much changing in terms of statistical output.
The longer this goes on, the more damaging it will be to Liverpool’s season. If he’s not signing a new deal, the Reds need to cash in on him in January. For his sake as well as their own.