Todofichajes is a terrible source, but it’s really only confirming what we all know is inevitable. Gini is leaving.
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Apparently Barca are unveiling him tomorrow.
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As long as he’s better at kick ups than their previous 2 “big” signings, it should be a smashing affair. 
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This isn’t like a normal job though. There is a clear decline in performance with age and that’s just around the corner for Gini. The success the club has seen in recent years is partially due to learning how to be hard-nosed and practical. Money isnt endless, the extra 100k per week on a 30+ good but not world class midfielder is 100k that won’t be spent elsewhere. The club has to look at opportunity costs.
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New contract talks between Liverpool and Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, 30, have reached a stalemate. (Sky Sports)
Yeah not too fussed if he goes now and it’s starting to become a little bemusing to see how the effect the loss of him as a player would be being embellished to stratospheric levels. He’s been offered a decent contract by the Club as it seems and if he accepts then great but if he doesn’t then thanks for the service and good luck. He’s grown with us, he’s important to the team and his influence has been felt but he’s not the Messiah, he never has been and he never will be.
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He is part of the trio in midfield that won us everything. But we would be fucked as a club if Klopp and the our management do not have plans for renewal especially in a part of the team which played a huge part in Klopp’s tactics. Gini, if he decides to leave, would leave as one of the best players in our run of success and one of the most well liked, but he is not indispensable and I am sure we will be able to replace him effectively.
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Keita is not only fucking us over by being injured all the time, he is also fucking us over by being a reference point for Gini’s contract negotiations.
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Unfortunately yes when we signed Keita I always believed that he would have form the new midfield domination with Fabinho as Gini and Hendo age. That is why I think the contract for Keita reflected that too.
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IMO Gini may also believe that his starting 11 position is no longer secured with the arrival of Thiago.
Inflammatory, he’s on loads more money and struggles to keep fit. It must wind Gini up.
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So how do we sign anyone if we can’t figure out what wages to put them on till after they’ve started playing for us and we’ve seen if they can stay fit? All we can do is offer the deal that seems right at the time. If Keita had the same availability as Gini I think Klopp would pick him more than he would Gini. Gini is a huge boon because of how available he is. On skill and ability he’s not in our top 3 CMs.
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I’ve never understood why players/clubs do that at a new players unvieling. Yes it looks good for the cameras when it comes off, but the chance of it going spectacularly wrong is too high in my opinion.
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Thats classic strawmanning. I said none of that. The situation is what it is. Im looking forward to it being resolved, so that you can at least stop venting your ire at anyone that values Wijnaldum. Because underneath its quite clear you’ve an axe to grind because he is depriving the club of a transfer fee. He’ll be gone soon, then his supporters get to go around saying ‘told you so - he was that valuable to our midfield’.
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I value Wijnaldum. The game isn’t played on paper or in a simulation. Its not just about skills and abilities. Wijnaldums ever availability is a great thing and the best result of all this has always been him signing an extension. But he won’t. He’s chosen a course of action that denies the club either having a £30m plus asset or being able to sell that asset. He’s done so because he would prefer to try his hand at getting a massive payday instead of a couple of reasonable pay rises from us instead. That’s his choice and his right by law to do so. But it’s to his benefit and the club’s detriment so I don’t like it. You’d think a club that rescued him from relegation and (at best) mid table mediocrity and made him one of the biggest CM stars in the game would have earned a bit of gratitude and loyalty from him but he doesn’t have to so he hasn’t. On the wages of other players we can’t predict what will happen after they sign and can’t lower their wages if we are disappointed by performance or fitness. At the point Keita signed he was a bigger star and a more talented player. Keita may not have worked out but I still don’t think the answer is to just raise Gini’s wages to match or better what we put Keita on. That way lies raising everyone’s wages in line and an ever spiralling out of control wage bill.
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I didnt say equate Keita’s wages with Gini either, or create parallels in wages across the team. We all know a negotiation about wages is a bilateral affair between club and player. Wijnaldum would have been picked up by another club anyway, despite his impending relegation with NUFC. But I do agree with you, the club has contributed to his development and desirability as a player. But he was been paid and given performance quid pro quo. Neither party owes the other anything. Like I said at the outset of this, there is a clear mismatch in valuation between he and the club; which has been exaggerated by later signings and the market for players and wages moving upwards since Gini first signed.
Arguably the club have already benefited by having a world class player on mates rates at £60k per week. Its impossible to pass comment on the extension he was offered without knowing the precise terms.
I think there is gratitude and loyalty and he really wants to stay but for the mismatch in valuations.
We should resign to the fact that he is leaving, so play him for every second of every game in order to get our money’s worth.
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Shame hes going but what a player imo. Will be sorely missed. Thanks for the memories Gini
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Disappointed but not surprised. Had a good career here, gave us some brilliant memories and scored some vital goals. Will be missed. But I do think we can improve on him if we go into the market this summer.
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Tough I think, purely from a resilience perspective.
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