Steven Gerrard could reportedly turn to his old stomping ground at Liverpool once more in an effort to strengthen his squad at Al-Ettifaq.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, Ben Jacobs revealed that the 43-year-old held a three-hour transfer meeting with the Dammam club’s hierarchy in which a series of prospective targets were discussed.
Joe Gomez is thought to be among the names who were mentioned, as was his Anfield teammate Joel Matip and former Reds winger Ryan Kent.
The journalist suggested that some of those may have been suggested with a view to trying to convince Jordan Henderson to remain at Al-Ettifaq, amid reports that the ex-Liverpool captain wants out of Saudi Arabia after only six months.
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If Gerrard and Al-Ettifaq think they have any realistic hope of luring Gomez to the Middle East this month, they can think again.
Liverpool are currently in the midst of a defensive injury crisis which has sidelined their three senior full-backs in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas, leaving the Reds’ number 2 to deputise on the left flank in recent games.
The £85,000-per-week defender (Capology) has become a crucial part of Jurgen Klopp’s side in covering for the spate of absentees, with the club’s longest-serving current player turning in some very impressive performances in their hour of need.
Al-Ettifaq can try to make Gomez a tempting offer just as they did with Henderson, but Liverpool are bound to reject any approaches for the 26-year-old out of hand, and the apparent eagerness of our former captain to get out of Saudi Arabia should also serve as a cautionary tale.
Gerrard might yet get a few of the names that he discussed in that transfer meeting, but right now it seems incredibly unlikely that the Reds’ master of defensive versatility will be one of them.
#Ep98 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️