"Strangest player I’ve ever seen" - Jamie Carragher on Naby Keita
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is not sold on Reds midfielder Naby Keita.
The club signed the Guinea international from RB Leipzig for a transfer fee of £54 million back in the summer of 2018.
However, Keita has failed to live up to the aforementioned price tag. The 27-year-old has only scored 11 goals and registered seven assists in 115 appearances for Liverpool's first-team.
With that being the case, Carragher has implied that the midfielder has been a poor signing.
“He is the strangest player I’ve ever seen,” he told the Blood Red Podcast, as quoted by HITC.
“I will watch him play and not be convinced, then I’ll go on Twitter and someone’s put some stats up. And you think he almost ticks the boxes for all that if you’re crunching the numbers.
“I know we do that on the TV and I know that’s how Liverpool look at players, I get all that, but no one can convince me that Keita’s been a success for Liverpool. He’s done well, he’s done ok, but he has one year to go, the club haven’t given him that new contract.
“When everyone is fit it’s a toss-up as to whether or not he’s been in the first XI. Klopp has never consistently picked him. He’s done well, but it’s not what we thought we were getting.”
Anfield Watch Verdict
There is no denying that Keita has struggled at Liverpool for the most part. At RB Leipzig, the midfielder found the back of the net 17 times and registered 15 assists in 71 appearances.
So, Keita is a better player than what we have seen.
However, the Guinea international has suffered a number of injuries since signing for the Reds, which is a key reason why he has struggled to make an impact at Anfield.
Only time will tell where his long-term future lies.