FSG signed a ‘Rolls-Royce’ that could end Konate’s Liverpool career

Liverpool were soundly beaten by Manchester City on Sunday. That makes it five defeats in six in the Premier League for Arne Slot’s side, and the crisis button has been reset.

As things stand, there are fears that the eighth-placed Reds face an uphill battle to make the top four (or top five, depending on UEFA coefficients), let alone challenge Arsenal and the resurgent Citizens for the throne they so spectacularly won last year.

This is a pale imitation of that title-winning side, and although Pep Guardiola tactically dismantled Slot and his men at the Etihad Stadium, Liverpool continue to become discouraged by their own self-destructive tendencies.

So slow and lame against City on Sunday. Liverpool’s press was non-existent and the stable framework of recent years has been nowhere in sight since the summer.

But, right at the epicenter of it all is Ibrahima Konate, who was targeted by the Sky Blues this weekend and it worked for them and then for some as they sent Liverpool packing, having shipped three away.

Why Konate is such a big problem for Liverpool

Against Manchester City, Konate touched the ball 88 times, while captain Virgil van Dijk was in possession 58 times, according to Sofascore.

That tells the story. Guardiola set his team up to put pressure on Liverpool’s French centre-back and he was unable to respond, having been responsible for the early penalty which Giorgi Mamardashvili saved, and then again when Erling Haaland rose and scored soon after.

He is a defender whose form has exceeded the limits. Konaté fails to do the basics and is now prey to opposing coaches. Sky Sports voice of the fans Lewis Anderson commented after the match that the 26-year-old “needs to drop like a hot stone”, given his consistent inconsistency this season.

But who to replace him? Despite Liverpool’s exciting success in the transfer window this summer, the delay in their concerted efforts to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace ended with FSG empty-handed, as the Eagles played hard after struggling to find a suitable replacement.

Konate is currently one of the biggest hot spots within Team Slot, and he needs to be let go. The options are slim, sure, but there is one man who will be keen to take the powerful defender’s place in the starting lineup going forward, but not for a while as he recovers from injury.

The teenager who can end Konate’s Liverpool career

There was a real buzz around Anfield when sporting director Richard Hughes traveled to Italy and returned with one of the region’s most prodigious talents in Giovanni Leoni.

The 18-year-old joined the club for £26million and had also been wanted by Manchester United and Newcastle United.

However, that fairytale transfer to Liverpool quickly turned into a nightmare for the Italian centre-back, who ruptured his ACL on his debut against Southampton in September, the severity of which was so great that Slot subsequently said he would be out for around a year.

From a wider perspective, this was a major blow to a Liverpool backline lacking depth and balance. Additionally, Konate’s abject performance has let him down, save for the threadbare defensive line that is now forcing Slot’s hand.

With Konate out of contract at the end of the season and attracting interest from heavyweights such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, Liverpool bosses face a decision as they continue to investigate talks to try to make a breakthrough, extending the £70,000-a-week talent’s stay on Merseyside.

However, could Konaté’s departure on a free transfer actually be a scenario that would not prove detrimental? After all, Van Dijk is still around for a while and when Leoni returns, he could establish himself as the next big thing.

After all, he caught the eye against the Saints before that bitter injury.

Hailed as a “Rolls-Royce” of a defender who can “be the leader of this defense” despite his youth by one content creator, Leoni’s season-ending injury on his senior debut for Liverpool can only be described as woefully unfair.

But it happened and nothing can change that. The defender’s road to recovery is indeed a long one, but he is still expected on Merseyside to bounce back and fulfill his potential.

And, while data analysts are certainly pondering Konate’s future as the end of his contract draws ever closer, we could even see this stance on the Blues star softening.

Crystal Palace’s Guehi remains a top target, and Leoni has shown glimpses of his quality in less than 90 minutes of football this season, proving he has what it takes to slide into the seat of his struggling senior counterpart.

Van Dijk must rally his Liverpool forces for the remainder of the campaign and ensure that this brutal drop in form does not fester and linger as a wider, more damaging problem.

However, this acclimation period for new recruits who are struggling to adjust to life under Slot’s wing won’t last forever, no matter how interminable it seems right now.

But there is no denying that more is needed, and if Konate fails to get his act together over the coming months, it is difficult to envisage Liverpool offering new and improved terms.

And given that Leoni took to his role at Liverpool like a duck to water before disaster struck, there is every chance he will respond next season in a more stable tactical setup, quickly justifying the potential decision to let Konate leave when his contract expires this summer.