Liverpool in CRISIS as Ibrahima Konate follows in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s footsteps

Liverpool were 2-0 up on Wolves by half-time on Sunday afternoon but it hadn’t exactly been a walk in the park up to that point.

One player in particular that struggled was Ibrahima Konate.

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This came as somewhat of a surprise given Konate’s excellent performances this season, by and large, up to this point.

But today he seemed distracted, unfocused. It cost him dearly in the first half with an accumulation of fouls leading to a yellow card on the 32nd minute.

He then fouled Matheus Cunha only a few minutes later, bundling into the Brazilian to try and win a header, and it looked incredibly ropey for a second as to whether the French international would even stay on the pitch.

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He was then, unsurprisingly, replaced by Jarell Quansah at half-time, deemed too much of a liability for the second half by head coach Arne Slot. Quansah, for the record, performed very well in the second half, pulling out a last-ditch tackle late on to deny Wolves an equaliser.

Konate has been one of the most consistent performers Liverpool have had this season. He’s rarely had an ‘off’ game. But maybe we shouldn’t be surprised about this.

Transfer talk is distracting Konate

This past week has been marred by discussion over Konate’s future. As exclusively revealed by Anfield Watch, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are all-in on luring him back to the city where he started his career for the city’s second team, Paris FC.

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Other reports suggest that Real Madrid may be looking and, in an interview with French outlet Telefoot (as reported by @ptgorst on Twitter), Konate said, “To hear big clubs like that are showing interest in me is very flattering. Now I’m focusing on this season, giving it my all and I’ll let my agents take care of the rest.”

Bad performances amid transfer talk is something Liverpool are not alien to this season. Trent Alexander-Arnold dropped a season-bad performance against Manchester United at Anfield last month amid intense talk over a potential move to Real Madrid.

It’s clear how much of a distraction this off-the-pitch action is. And yet the club have, on multiple fronts, done nothing to dissuade it.

Letting the contracts of Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk get four months from expiry has loomed over the club like a dark cloud all season. Rumours have been abundant in the club’s efforts to get other contracts sorted also, including Konate and players such as Luis Diaz, yet there has still been no movement with any of them.

It’s a miracle that Salah and Van Dijk are performing at the level they are also. Perhaps this should be more expected - they’re older, more experienced, have different priorities - but an uncertain future would unsettle even the most composed of players.

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Liverpool have long been in a mess of their own creation. Konate’s contract expires at the end of next season.

If the club really had the right people in charge then they wouldn’t go into next season with key players in the same scenario as this year. It might end up costing them everything.

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