Liverpool have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Napoli left-back Faouzi Ghoulam as he has penned a new contract at the club. The 26-year-old has agreed to a new deal which will keep him until 2022 at the Stadio San Paolo.
Ghoulam’s earlier contract was scheduled to expire following the completion of this ongoing season but Napoli have made it sure the left back remain on their books as he has been one of the in-demand players in the current times.
Ghoulam’s season got compromised following a knee injury to him. He had to be called off in their 4-2 defeat against Manchester City in the Champions League a few days ago and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
But Napoli took their opportunity and didn’t hesitate to offer the player a prolonged stay as he has become a crucial member of gaffer Maurizio Sarri’s side. The Napoli manager has instilled a free flowing attacking football and Ghoulam had been a pivotal part of that until his injury.
A proposito del ‘gelo sul rinnovo del contratto’, rinnovato fino al 30 giugno 2022…#ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/ZYYYPSbcTB
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) December 5, 2017
His new contract is also believed to have a release clause and can only be triggered by any clubs except Italian soil.
Left back has been an extensive problem for Jurgen Klopp. Despite bringing Andrew Robertson in the summer he has been using Alberto Moreno pretty heavily. The Spaniard does have attacking attributes but he lacks the defensive quality as he has been often left exposed.
James Milner can also fill in but the midfielder’s age could be a problem so Klopp has been on the lookout for a permanent solution to the problem and had identified Ghoulam as a potential target.
In modern-day football, wingbacks need to be expressive while attacking and Ghoulam has added more leverage to this aspect as he often takes the charge to lead the attack from the left flank.
Manchester City have been also linked with the player. Benjamin Mendy has been ruled out for a prolonged period and Pep Guardiola has been watching the player. City have been topping the charts in the Premier League and Pep would leave no stones unturned until he lifts the title in May.
But with Ghoulam now out of their hands they need to alternate their focus to somewhere else. Especially for Liverpool, whose defensive performance has been pretty shambolic and Klopp should try to strengthen it when the transfer window opens in January.
