Liverpool reach decision on forgotten man’s exit amid ‘prominent’ role claim
Liverpool have put their foot down over rumours of a recent buy’s early exit, and are expecting him to feature ‘prominently’ next year, according to a report.
The Reds’ three major buys of the previous summer transfer window experienced mixed fortunes during the campaign. Diogo Jota shone before succumbing to the club’s injury crisis, while Thiago Alcantara showed glimpses of his mercurial talents after a sluggish start. A BBC pundit recently claimed the Spaniard has serious questions to answer surrounding his ability to impact matches.
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That came after Thiago himself spoke of a positional change that would bring the best out of him at Anfield.
Their third and final major acquisition last summer was Greek left-back, Kostas Tsimikas.
Usurping Andy Robertson was always going to be an uphill struggle, but few would have predicted just how little impact the £11.75m signing would make.
Amid persistent injury woes, Tsimikas notched a measly 225 minutes of action across all competitions.
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Rumours of a premature exit have begun to swirl, with Napoli recently registering their interest.
However, per the Liverpool Echo, Jurgen Klopp has no intention of waving goodbye to Tsimikas. Furthermore, they anticipate a more ‘prominent’ role will materialise in the upcoming season.
They report that Liverpool are ‘pleased by what they’ve seen from the Greece international in training’. As such, they have ‘no intention of letting him leave the club at this stage.’
Liverpool are deemed to be ‘fully committed’ to the left-back, and they expect him to feature more regularly next year.
Whether that means he will be afforded cup outings or would in fact start the odd league match to give Robertson a rest remains unclear. Nevertheless, it is clear Tsimikas’ future remains on Merseyside for the foreseeable future.
Klopp blown away by Liverpool ace’s Euro 2020 displays
Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Klopp and his coaches at Anfield are reported to be impressed by the physical and mental energy displayed by Scotland captain Robertson at Euro 2020.
Robertson has been a virtual ever-present for Liverpool for over three seasons now. And the limited break between 2019/20 finishing and 2020/21 beginning appeared to affect his game.
But Robertson has somehow shrugged that off to star for Scotland in their two Group D games so far. He was at his marauding best in their opener against Czech Republic, creating six chances and three dribbles from left-back.
He was deployed to great effect in a slightly more advanced role on Friday against England. Scotland coach Steve Clarke used him higher up the pitch to halt Reece James and Phil Foden’s threat,
As such, The Athletic have noted that his performance levels have deeply impressed his club employers.
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