Jamie Carragher stated that this Reds player was “so poor” this season.
Liverpool regained their footing during Jurgen Klopp’s final season as manager. The 2022/23 season brought a strong storm to Anfield, ending an eight-year marriage with the Champions League, but sweeping summer changes painted a red-gold sky over the city.
Despite winning the Carabao Cup in February, Liverpool were a day late and a dollar short in the Premier League title race, pulled away from a gripping three-horse race after a gloomy April plummet that also saw Klopp defeated by Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals, eventual champions and conquerors over 51-games-unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the final, who were inches away from immortality.
Liverpool may have appeared to have squandered their chances of winning silverware in the major competitions, but Klopp’s revelation that he was stepping down in January put the group under the spotlight, and in retrospect, the season was one of improvement and possibility.
Enter Arne Slot, who must now build on his predecessor’s foundation and shape the team into a dominant force capable of finishing first in the league, going far into the Champions League, and battling for the title.
The Dutchman has an extremely good squad to choose from, but there is a pressing concern about the lack of depth at centre-back, with a new signing needed to ensure that Ibrahima Konate does not begin the 2024/25 season as Virgil van Dijk’s primary partner.
Ibrahima Konate’s season statistics
Make no mistake, Konate is a top-tier defender who stepped up well after Joel Matip’s season-ending ACL injury in December. The Cameroonian has now left Anfield, just as his contract expired.
The France international was described as a “monstrous” talent by writer Leanne Prescott earlier in 2024, and there is little evidence that Liverpool does not have one of the most athletically imposing, technically impressive defenders in the division, but Konate has lapses in form and an injury track record that leaves much to be desired.
According to FBref, Konate ranks among the top 5% of central defenders in Europe’s top five leagues for passes attempted and progressive passes over the last year, the top 8% for progressive carries, the top 11% for successful take-ons, the top 16% for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for tackles, and the top 2% for aerial duels won per 90 minutes.
This is an example of an outstanding set of basic attributes, but Konate has been blamed for failing to bring it all together in recent weeks, and as a result, he has lost his place in Klopp’s starting lineup, being benched for seven of Klopp’s final ten Premier League games.
The 6 foot 4 titan was at the crux of Liverpool’s weary spring spell, culpable during his team’s loss against Atalanta, with The Athletic’s James Pearce calling him “dreadful”.
To further the 24-year-old’s problems, pundit and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said: “Konate has been so terrible. Liverpool should buy a centre-back this summer.”
Why Slot should remove Konate from the starting XI
It’s astonishing that Van Dijk maintained such dominance throughout the year, despite his peers dropping like flies around him. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson both missed time, Matip’s season was cut short, and Konate made only 17 Premier League starts.
The emergence of Jarell Quansah alleviated such concerns, with the 21-year-old looking every bit the player fit for long-term purposes on Merseyside’s red half, and being called up to Gareth Southgate’s provisional European Championship team for England this week.
The fact that Quansah finished the year on top, starting alongside his Dutch captain in eight of the club’s final 11 league games, demonstrates where Klopp’s heart lies, but there will undoubtedly be a battle for a regular starting spot when Slot begins to assemble his team.
| Premier League 23/24: Ibrahima Konate vs Jarell Quansah | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat | Konate | Quansah |
| Matches played | 22 | 17 |
| Matches started | 17 | 13 |
| Goals | 0 | 2 |
| Clean sheets | 5 | 2 |
| Pass completion | 88% | 89% |
| Recoveries per game | 4.4 | 4.2 |
| Tackles per game | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Clearances per game | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Duels won per game | 6.0 (66%) | 4.5 (64%) |
| Errors leading to goal | 1 | 1 |
| All stats via Sofascore | ||
The table above shows that Konate and Quansah have performed at a similar level, and while both have natural skills and front-footed defensive techniques, Carragher is correct in demanding that Slot, Michael Edwards, and Richard Hughes go all out to add quality to the backline.
There have been numerous rumors flying around, with Lille defender Leny Yoro, who is 18 years old, being one of the most recent names to surface, according to French outlet Le Parisien, with Slot hoping to compete with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain for the talented youngster.
Given that Konate makes £70k per week, more than both Luis Diaz (£55k per week) and Curtis Jones (£15k per week), it would appear that he should be solidifying a role in the starting lineup with consistency, four seasons after signing from RB Leipzig for £36 million.
However, he has demonstrated that he cannot be trusted as the leading man alongside his skipper. Diaz may be inefficient in front of goal, but he is tenacious, maintaining a furious presence down Liverpool’s left channel and starting every Premier League game since the beginning of January.
Based on the data, the Colombian is making more than his pay. Konate will need to step up his game if he wants to prolong his contract and match his natural talent with product on the field.
But, whatever happens, Slot would be making a big mistake by starting his first season on Merseyside without addressing the need to strengthen the backline and restore Liverpool’s defence to its former dominance.
