News broke late on Wednesday across several media outlets that Ibrahima Konate was unable to come to terms on a new contract with Liverpool Football Club.
As a result, the 27-year old France international will join a growing list of star players to depart the club as a free agent. The cloud of new contract has lingered around Konate all season long, and every poor performance was a strike against him, whereas each strong showing upped his cost.
In the end, neither the player or the club were willing to deviate from their positions, and once again, the Reds are going to see a high-end talent walk out the door for nothing.
Good business or poor negotiations?
Mohamed Salah. Andy Robertson. Trent Alexander-Arnold. James Milner. Joel Matip. Naby Keita. Roberto Firmino. Thiago Alcantara. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Divock Origi. Gini Wijnaldum.
That is the group Konate is joining. A group of players that have departed Anfield as free agents upon the expiry of their contracts in recent years. Yes, I know Trent got £10 million for the club because Real wanted him at the Club World Cup. But, I still count that as a free for a top player in his prime.
One thing is clear about this, it's becoming more than a unique trend. This is a habit and dare I say, a business model?
That is some supreme talent that has contributed everything to this generation of Liverpool football.
The fact that Konate has been in talks over a deal for so long tells me some things. Either Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards can't negotiate a contract extension at all, the player was leaving the whole time, or it really was just a disconnect on numbers.
It's hard to pinpoint why this is the route Liverpool keeps going. I understand prudence and wanting to get every last ounce you can from a player, but that is a lot of potential transfer fees walking out the door on their own. What further reinvestment could have been made if all those players, or even half, were sold with a year remaining?
Change the philosophy
Some of the players, I understand. Matip, Milner and Origi were either at the tail end of their careers, or had become glued to the bench for one reason or another.
The idea of running a player's contract down seems quaint and tactical when it comes at the expense of fringe players, youth stars that never were, or aging out talents.
However, we have quickly made the shift to marquee assets departing the club and there is nothing to show for it from a financial perspective. Konate for what it's worth, is in the prime age range for top-tier central defenders, and he should command at least £40-50 million.
Despite his erratic form this season, he is still an established presence for Liverpool having played over 180 times for the club. It's hard to justify letting a talent like that leave because you could not come to terms on a new deal.
This should not be the long-term model. We are seeing Alisson Becker and Curtis Jones, among others, soon to be entering their final years, and who knows what the club will do with them.
The bottom line
At a certain point, if you keep bleeding elite and high-quality talent for free every summer, the club will eventually begin to suffer long-term.
Liverpool knows what they want from a contract extension conversation, and that is usually a pay cut from the player, aside from a few special cases, such as Salah last summer. Yet, he's also gone on a free 12 months later.
Once or twice happening is fine, a few times is interesting, but now, it's downright concerning. Ideally, the negotiation tactics will be tweaked to better meet the players halfway.
Ibrahima Konate confirming his departure from Liverpool on a free transfer in the heart of his prime is the latest in a growing line of stars to exit in the same vein. It's not a sustainable model for a top club.
Ibou might not have been perfect, but at the very least, he would have warranted the club a tidy fee 12 months ago. As it were, once again, the Reds are seemingly left with egg on their face. It's not a good look.
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