Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will consider their future at Liverpool after they were cut from the Reds’ Champions League squad. The midfield duo have contracts that run out in 2023.
Outside poor results, Liverpool have another problem to contend with this season. The Reds have the prospect of losing two midfielders as early as January.
The Reds are struggling this season as the goals have been hard to come by. Jurgen Klopp has struggled to field his first team as injury has been the bane of his squad. The German tactician is slowly getting his players back to full fitness but still has some niggling worries on his side.
With the Champions League kicking off, Liverpool need to be able to count on most of its personnel. It will be a rough ride as the matches come in thick and fast, and the last thing last season’s finalists will need is a shortage of players. The pressure will soon start building, and the German would want his players to be available to him at all times.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita may have decided that their future no longer resides in Liverpool as they consider what to do next.
Two Liverpool midfielders consider their Liverpool future
Liverpool seem to have lost ground in the claw, but Jurgen Klopp intends to claw it back. It is early days, and anything can still happen. While the German is working on getting his team back to Championship winning level, he may also have to consider replacing two of his midfielders.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita do not see their current situation at Anfield as tenable and may evaluate their futures at the club. The position of the two midfielders comes after their exclusion from the Champions League squad. It means the earliest the two players can participate in the competition is after the group stage.
Jurgen Klopp has tough decisions, and one of them is excluding Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain from the Champions League squad. The former Borussia Dortmund coach has clear thoughts on how he wants his team to be soon. Klopp took a stance by signing another midfielder Arthur Melo from Juventus on deadline day. It should give his side more options.
Cutting Keita and Chamberlain from the UCL squad
Jurgen Klopp decided that the best thing for his team was to axe Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from the Champions League squad. Klopp prefers young midfielder Stefan Bajcetic, but his decision does not sit well with the experienced players.
It is a decision that signifies the lack of importance of the two midfielders. According to Romano, it has prompted the two players to consider their futures and may push for an early exit next year.
Naby Keita had the opportunity to leave the club this summer, but the Guinea international opted to remain at the club. Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain have contracts that expire in 2023. They may decide it’s best to run down their deals and depart from Anfield as free agents.
Injuries have been the bane of both players and the chief reason why Klopp has decided to axe them from the squad. The timing of the injuries has been of concern to Klopp. Keita recently picked up an injury in training and will be on the sidelines for a while.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is also on the sidelines following a serious hamstring injury he suffered in pre-season. The Englishman has not been able to ply since copping the injury.
