Liverpool aren’t having a good year apparently, and all the monumental silverware they were aspiring for seems to be slipping away from their sight. Out of the EFL Cup, courtesy of Southampton’s outstanding win, the Reds were earlier eliminated from the FA Cup as well after their defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fourth round. Jürgen Klopp’s troops have been dropping points in the league as well, and have fallen 10 points behind Chelsea who are currently at the top of the table.
Amidst the diabolical scenario and the chaos they presently find them being immersed in, there is a silverware lining which has emerged. Liverpool’s sensational youngster Joe Gomez has signed a new long-term deal with the club that would keep him at the Anfield for a lengthy period now. The 19-year-old is a very versatile player whose conventional position is in the right-back slot, though his 6’2” stature makes him a worthy central defender as well, and he has derived comparisons with Premier League greats like Rio Ferdinand and Vincent Kompany.
Gomez was acquired by Liverpool from Charlton Athletic in 2015’s summer transfer window by Brendan Rodgers and became an instant hit at the Merseyside. The youngster made seven appearances for the club in 2015-16, finding himself in the starting line-up on five occasions. However, his growth stagnated owing the injury he picked during international U21 duty, namely, knee and Achilles injury which kept him sidelined for around 14 months. He plied his trade for the first time under the tutelage of Klopp during Liverpool’s 0-0 draw against Plymouth Argyle, where he was handed the central defensive role and looked quite calm and composed with the ball despite being out of action for a considerable span of time.
Moreover, he also featured in the loss at the hands of the Wolves earlier today and is slowly but surely finding his feet once again. Prior to the signing, merely 18 months were left on his contract, and now that his contractual situation has been cleared, the starlet can start to blossom faster than ever.
Obviously, he is quite young, and Klopp can utilise him at the heart of the defence alongside Joel Matip. Renowned as a ball-playing defender, Gomez is going to get better with his age if his calibre is navigated in a healthy manner and can very well reach his prime under the German manager within the time his contract expires in 2022.
