Nothing stops us from extending his contract prior to sending him on Loan.
Needless to say any transfer fee if he’s being sold now would likely need to have further add-ons and sell on clauses/buy back option at the very minimum.
Extending contracts isn’t free, it takes from a wage bill that has to accommodate extensions for much more important players (Salah, Mane, Firmino, Alisson, VvD, Henderson are just a few in their final 2 years now) along with new signings too. Extending his deal would probably also require a payrise which might take him out of the affordability of some clubs that were tempted to buy or loan him. Plus what’s in it for him? Why should he extend by a year or two if he knows its only to loan him then try to sell him for more? I’m also nowhere near as convinced as you are that him getting to play a whole season week in week out would increase his attraction to other clubs. I don’t think he’ll ever be more wanted in his career as he is now. We’ve successfully masked a lot of his short comings as a player because Klopp is a miracle worker.
For me if he wants to stay you keep him and if he wants to go you let him go to whoevever wants to pay the most.
Some of the valuations mentioned seem fanciful. It’s not like every other club isn’t aware of the context of his journey last season, and his likely destinations in August before we decided to keep him.
His value should have increased since then but not exponentially. There are clubs interested because they would expect him to be affordable. Slap on £25m asking price with the hope to get £20m and the interest will dry up.
I’m of the opinion that he deserves his chance with the liverpool first team. Yes hes done his mistakes , but gomez has done them as well and there’s no guarantee that gomez will ever reach his full potential…
What i see nat is how i saw carragher… Someone who grew with the team despite limited capabilities to be a guy who could hold one end up.
And not that it is likely… But the advantage of having extra cb is that provided klopp thinks that way… We can possibly really look as a 3-4-3 as a valid formation… Especially if one of robbo /trent needs resting
In addition, I don’t think any of the first choices among VVD/Gomez/Konate/Matip should play over 40 matches next season. I mean, you can play Phillips/Davies/Williams more against weaker sides so that the senior CBs can rest more, since none of them have an injury-free record.
Not keen on tipping Phillips out,unless he wants out.He is limited but a decent fall back…he has shown that.
Looking at those above him in the pecking order,VVDis the only one with a decent injury free record,up till last season.Matip and Gomez have had their fair share,Konate might be OK but that is a question mark at this point.
Be nice if none were injury prone but that does not seem to be the case.
That comparison is a massive disservice to Carra. He was not flashy at the top level, but he was earmarked as a top player from a young age and lived up to is potential. I think at one point he held the record for most England U21 appearances, and you don’t get that sort of recognition unless everyone knows you’re a top good footballer at an early age.
Nat was let go by Bolton’s academy, got no sniffs from anyone else and was picked up by us with a view to bolstering a weak U21 side so it gave our actual prospects a better platform to develop.
U23, just correcting.
Yes, Carra was massive, could tackle, head and had the physical and tactical presence for top level. Ok, he did hoof the ball a lot or so it seemed but he could also play football at a V. Good level if asked to. This isn’t how Nat would be described by me though they perhaps share determination.