Jamie Carragher says Liverpool should sell Joel Matip

With the Alexis Mac Allister deal all but done and negotiations for Kone and Thuram on going it seems that Jurgen Klopp’s rebuild is well and truly under way. But with the midfield potentially looking like fire for the start of the Premier League Kick Off in August fans are now turning to the back line, which was just as shaky and unreliable during this disappointing campaign.

Rumours are persisting amongst tier one journalists that the reds are in the market for a left sided centre back that will fit with the new system rolled out by Klopp towards the end of the year. But with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Nat Phillips all on the books a dip in to the transfer market will surely mean that one or more of these will be moved on.

The consensus seems to be that Phillips will be leaving no matter what. The Anfield cult hero has been fifth choice at the club for years and will be chomping at the bit to get regular football before it’s too late. We also know that Konate and Virgil are a shoe in to start together on the opening day of the season.

So who should we sell out of Gomez and Matip to free up space for the Klopp 2.0 version of Liverpool?

For many fans Joe Gomez’s display against Real Madrid in the Champions League was enough for them to want him out of the club. He may still possess the pace and physical attributes that saw him become and England international a few years ago, but injuries seem to have robbed him of confidence and his decision making has suffered the most.

However, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher disagrees and says that if either of the two have to be moved on then it should be former Cameroon international, Joel Matip and not Gomez that makes way.

"“I look at the defence and I think Joel Matip now has got a year to go (on his contract). If you got £10 million, whatever the price may be, it’s probably right to move on,” he said before discussing Liverpool’s need for a left sided defender.“I do think we need a left-sided defender, a left-footed centre-back. A lot of teams have them, we don’t. Rather than getting a left-back, because I don’t think we will, if we are going to continue with this formation now, it should be buying someone in that area, a centre-back who can do the full-back role.”"

For me it’s a no brainer. Yes, both have been poor over the last 12 months and in an ideal world we would probably replace both. However, with such a big rebuild going on elsewhere it makes sense to hold on to the one that can offer the most to the squad. If Joe Gomez can get out of his mental flunk he still has all the the attribute of a top quality defender, he’s only 26 and can do a solid job at right back should the need arise.

For Matip it just feels like the end of the line. He’s 31 years old with one year left on his contract and is drastically out of form. It’s time to shop him around and use what ever we get back in return on someone who can actually help us get back to the top of English football.