On this day eight years ago, Liverpool completed the signing of the England defender
Joe Gomez has seen it all at Liverpool and experienced all the ups and downs of Jurgen Klopp’s tenure.
The defender was signed by the Reds eight years ago on this day.
Brought to the club by Brendan Rodgers, he is the sole survivor of the 33 players the 50-year-old signed during his three-year tenure.
Gomez arrived at Anfield as an unknown quantity, leaving behind youth club Charlton Athletic after a £3.5million deal was paid for his services.
There is no doubt that Liverpool have reaped the rewards of this purchase, although this acquisition was far from a successful takeover.
In keeping with a strategy often seen under Fenway Sports Group rule, the Reds banked on a young player for minimal money while trusting the quality of the manager to facilitate their promotion from the Championship to the Premier League.
It goes without saying that injuries have halted Gomez’s progress on multiple occasions, although supporters won’t be at the level the 26-year-old achieved when he partnered Virgil van Dijk in central defense on his way to the Premier League title.
Now more of a rotation option, there’s every chance more opportunities will come next season with the Europa League opening its doors for overlooked players.
Another player who could benefit from this competition is Stefan Bajcetic, who has also been drafted elsewhere in the hope of enjoying his best years at Liverpool.
A £250,000 fee has been paid to Celta Vigo for the teenage midfielder, who rose to the occasion in a way many others failed to do last season.
Ki-Jana Hoever (£90,000) and Sepp van den Berg (£1.2m) are two examples of this transfer policy not working, even if the Reds still counted on a significant profit on the former.
Gomez himself has been linked with a move elsewhere, including to Aston Villa when Steven Gerrard was at the helm.
However, a desire to keep fighting for a first-team spot saw the England defender sign a new contract last summer to extend his stay on Merseyside until 2027. Delighted with the announcement, none other than Klopp, who still believes Gomez has his ‘best years’ ahead of him at the club.
“Joe is an exceptional talent. He is also an excellent defender and an exceptional human being.
He has so many qualities that I could talk about all day, so knowing that he will continue his journey with us is a huge boost – one that “Anyone who loves Liverpool FC and cares about their presence and their future should be incredibly happy,” he said. said liverpoolfc.com last July.
“One of the many wonderful things about Joe is that he has experience and youth – that’s not a bad combination.
He’s not long 25 but he was at the club before me. and I think he’s our oldest player after Hendo and Millie. Unbelievable. But best of all, his peak is still ahead of us and I couldn’t be happier that it’s happening with us.
Only Jordan Henderson can claim to have survived the London-born defender at Liverpool, excluding academy graduates, highlighting the real value gained from the initial £3.5m investment.
Unlike the model adopted by other teams in the English top flight, the Reds’ approach of often buying future players rather than the finished article is undeniably effective in terms of efficiency.
In the eyes of some fans, Gomez is not a player with the consistency to compete at the highest level, although his notoriety has only increased following the summer departures of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner.
As a local member of the team, Liverpool would have faced serious problems in this regard if Gomez ran too hard for the exit.
FSG have certainly made mistakes during their reign at Anfield, whether with the £77 ticket price or signing up for the European Super League, although a deal struck for the Reds’ No2 in 2015 cannot be considered as such.
