Liverpool fans were a little taken aback this week when Gini Wijnaldum failed to confirm that he’d sign a new contract and stay at the club.
The assumption was that the Dutchman, a key component in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield, would be staying at Liverpool for as long as we wanted him – and that he’d extend on his current terms which expire in 2021.
According to Dave Maddock, who was talking on Redmen TV, the club WILL offer Wijnaldum an extension – but the issue is not the money on the table – it’s the length of a deal for the 29-year-old.
“They club will offer him a new contract,” Maddock said.
“The key was not that, but that he’s approaching 30-years-old. When Liverpool are looking at contracts, they reward contracts for performance – but they also look at potential sell-on. But the fact is at 30-years-old, you give one more contract, you get nothing for it.
“You have to be sure that when you give that player a contract, it works. If you give him a five year contract, is he going to go on until he’s 35?
“I suspect they’re talking to him about length, not money. They’ll give him the right money.”
You can listen to the comments in the video below, which is well worth your time…
We think Klopp would be loathe to lose Wijnaldum – and that we’d probably prefer to keep him for the 2020/21 campaign and then lose him on a Bosman than to sell at the end of this season.
Emre Can ended up departing on a free, but surely lives to regret that decision considering what we’ve done since his departure.
We’d be surprised if Gini didn’t get a new deal – but if he wants to depart – he’ll do so as a legend.