Rumor Mongering: Nobody Knows Where Emre Can Will Be next Season

Oh, Emre Can. Your generally strong performances this season can only be matched by what seems to be an insatiable desire to leave the employ Liverpool Football Club. With his apparent desire for a release clause in any new contract, or simply to earn more money than Liverpool are willing to pay, a clear impasse in negotiations, it’s hard to see him making an about-turn and deciding to remain at the club past the end of the season.

As such, everyone has pointed to the clear interest from Juventus and come to the reasonable conclusion that he will end up at the Turin club. This, perhaps, may be somewhat premature.

“We are not going to have a final reply anytime soon”, stated Juventus chief executive Beppe Marotta. “He is a top player and many clubs want to sign him, [and he is] available as a free agent. We’ve already made our move but his reply is not going to arrive anytime soon”.

This largely falls in line with what Can himself has already said about waiting until the end of the season, so the story here largely checks out. There are some dissenting voices, though, with the genereally reliable Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph believing that “Can’s contract impasse has dragged on so long – and the noises from Juventus so regular and confident - it feels like he and his representatives are merely waiting for the most PR savvy time to confirm his exit”.

Jürgen Klopp’s willingness to leave Jordan Henderson on the bench and start Emre Can in the holding role against Manchester United emphasises his importance in the squad, at least in the short term. While Naby Keïta is obviously due to arrive in the summer, his natural game is built around progressing the ball into advanced areas from deep: a skillset that would be heavily limited if he were under tactical instructions to protect the back four and avoid bombing forward. The apparent interest in Jorginho, or at least someone of his profile, implies that the club is looking to reshape the midfield in Can’s coming absence.

If this is really to be the end, so long, Emre.