Source link : https://foot.biz/2025/03/03/is-ibrahima-konate-now-world-class/
Mohamed Salah’s type has rightly hogged the headlines, however Liverpool’s latest rediscovering of their skilled 2-0 wins from the beginning of the season has shined a light-weight on their defence too.
On the newest episode of Stroll On, Tony Evans, James Pearce and Andy Jones highlighted the affect of Ibrahima Konate, who has shaken off the frustration of not being in Arne Slot’s beginning XI firstly of the season to determine a formidable partnership in central defence with Virgil van Dijk.
A partial transcript has been edited for readability and size. The total episode is on the market on the Stroll On feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Tony: One participant who has been very spectacular over the previous few months is Ibrahima Konate. He’s gone below the radar, hasn’t he?
James: Yeah, he has been again to his sensible greatest. He had an actual wobble in the direction of the tip of the Jurgen Klopp period. Jarell Quansah was usually beginning video games forward of him. He had an actual shocker within the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park final April. It was bizarre to see since you thought, ‘How has he managed to lose his solution to this extent?’.
He has benefitted from this new period, the freshness, the eye to element and Arne Slot’s tactical acumen and man-management. It has all helped to get him again to the extent we knew he might attain. Andy spoke earlier than in regards to the new regime with the ability to hold gamers match for longer. Konate is an efficient instance of that — he has suffered only one harm this season. He’s been sensible.
One factor that’s in all probability going below the radar is his contract state of affairs. There’s been a lot deal with Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold however Konate shouldn’t be far behind in urgency — come the summer time, he’ll be right down to his final yr. He’s solely 25, so his greatest years are nonetheless forward. His contract must be addressed as a result of it might be very troublesome and really costly to seek out somebody as commanding and dominant in that again line as Konate has been for Liverpool this season.
Tony: No trophies but… however we’re the king of contracts, aren’t we? Andy you look forward to subsequent week after we play Paris Saint-Germain — they’ve received to be retaining a detailed eye on Konate, haven’t they?
Andy: Everybody in Europe needs to be as a result of he’s elevated himself to that subsequent degree. He’s now world class. At occasions, you could possibly debate fairly the place he sits among the many elite centre-backs in Europe however he’s positively in that prime bracket now, one thing he’s proved together with his performances.
Everybody will probably be taking a look at his contract state of affairs. The French connection there with PSG makes plenty of sense. Liverpool will in all probability remorse not sorting this one out earlier as a result of in the event that they’d sorted his contract out after that Merseyside derby (the 2-0 defeat final season), they’d be getting a way more club-friendly worth than they are going to be getting now. Like Salah and Van Dijk, who’re placing collectively these unbelievable seasons, abruptly the ball’s in Konate’s court docket of, ‘You’ve received to pay me the massive bucks too now, mate’.
Liverpool is perhaps taking a look at it and going, ‘We’ve received loads of time, there are a great deal of months left on that contract’, whenever you examine it to what they’re doing with the present three who’re out of contract on the finish of this season. It feels just like the summer time is hopefully after we’ll see that boxed off and everybody can keep it up feeling nice about Konate’s profession at Liverpool.
You possibly can hearken to full episodes of Stroll On totally free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
(Prime picture: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC by way of Getty Photos)
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Publish date : 2025-03-03 08:59:00
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Publish date : 2025-03-03 22:45:21
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