Klopp To Decide on Joe Gomez Loan After Pre-Season Fixtures

While Liverpool is still on the market for a centre-back this summer, Jürgen Klopp is also spending the next few months trying to figure out what the future holds for Reds players who don’t have a guaranteed first team spot.

Joe Gomez, one of Liverpool’s most exciting younger players, has had a rough season. He sat out for nine months while he recovered from a cruciate ligament injury, and when he returned to play in January, made just three first team appearances in the FA Cup in January. However — in a testament to just how good Gomez is — Liverpool offered him a new long-term contract in January despite the fact that he’s only played 10 games for the first team throughout his 2 seasons at the club,.

It’s clear that both Gomez and Liverpool are interested in the player’s long-term future being at Anfield. But with Klopp’s planned expansion of the backline, it may end up being in Gomez’s best interest (and the club’s long-term interest) to loan the centre-back to a smaller club where he can see a lot more first team action while he continues to rehabilitate from his injuries.

Liverpool Echo reports that recently-promoted Brighton and Huddersfield Town, as well as Bournemouth are extremely interested in a potential move. Should Klopp deem any of them a good fit for Gomez’s continued development, a loan will likely be on the table.

Klopp is reportedly holding off on any final decisions until after the pre-season games have been played, however, and Gomez will have several opportunities to impress the boss and make a case for his place in a Liverpool squad that will be competing at home and in Europe.