Heading into the midseason of the 2020-21 top-flight campaign, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool were left with a major decision to ponder over- should Gini Wijnaldum’s much-talked-about future at Anfield be subject to a wider consensus amongst the top honchos at Anfield.
Wijnaldum remains one of the most influential presences in the first-team dressing room at the Merseyside outfit, with the Holland international’s stock in world football witnessing a steady rise ever since he turned a super-sub for Jurgen Klopp’s side in the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against FC Barcelona.
Now clinging onto a deal which runs out in less than six months with the onset of the January transfer window, the former Newcastle United man is understood to be determined to bag a lucrative contract, one which would put him in the highest-paid ranks at Anfield, alongside the likes of compatriot Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool’s main man Mohammad Salah.
Last summer when then Holland national team gaffer Ronald Koeman took over the managerial reins at the struggling FC Barcelona, speculation was rife that the ex-Everton boss could be reunited with his one-time national team star Wijnaldum at Nou Camp as Klopp stalled over extending out a much-improved contract to the midfielder.
However, with 17 top-flight games having gone by and the Merseysiders finding themselves joint top in the Premier League table alongside Manchester United, albeit a misfiring run of form showcased by Jurgen Klopp’s men, Wijnaldum has made his mark within Anfield more prominent than ever before.
Thiago Alcantara’s much-touted arrival at Liverpool last summer largely spelt out the club’s intentions of not standing in Wijnaldum’s way should he choose to seek an exit but the Dutchman ended up staying put in the Liverpool colours, a decision of the 29-year-old’s that proved to be a boon for the 19-time league champions.
The 2020-21 season has been a nightmare for Klopp and Co. on the injury front, with the club having lost their first-choice centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to season-ending injuries, followed by Thiago Alcantara being subject to a pretty rash challenge in the mid-October Merseyside derby, one which kept the Spaniard on the sidelines for the better part of two months.
However, within the series of such crisis-ridden events playing the villain to Liverpool’s chances of retaining their Premier League crown, Wijnaldum stepped up massively for the Anfield giants both on and off the pitch as the midfield star made his presence known in what could possibly be his swansong in English top-flight football.
Clocking an impressive 1351 minutes of league action this season in the Reds shirt, the highest amongst any of his teammates at Anfield, Wijnaldum has displayed sheer resilience towards being benched for other options at Klopp’s disposal, plenty of whom turn out in the midfield department.
Featuring in each of the 17 games played so far by the Merseysiders this season in the Premier League, Wijnaldum’s stats boasts of an impressive passing success rate of 92%, a clear indicator of his supreme quality in the centre of the park for Liverpool.
88.5% – Of Georginio Wijnaldum's 26 Premier League goals, 23 have come at home (88.5%), the highest ratio scored on home soil of any player with 20+ goals in the competition's history. Lockdown. pic.twitter.com/iuGwdfYqOi
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 6, 2020
Making note of the fact that a sole goal for Klopp’s side in top-flight football does not do justice to Wijnaldum’s hard-earned plaudits over the course of 90 minutes as the Dutchman continues to strive harder for retaining possession of the ball whilst on the pitch, coupled with a powerhouse-like work rate.
Would Wijnaldum end up calling quits at Liverpool or start the next chapter of his already five-year-long run for the Merseyside Reds remains to be seen, with the next couple of weeks quite important for both player and club to arrive at a final resolve.
If he does go ahead with taking the exit door out of Anfield, no Liverpool supporter will bear any ill wishes towards ‘Gini’, the midfielder having given his very best on the pitch whenever handed the opportunity to do so by Klopp.
The Liverpool manager’s reluctance so far to comment further on the contract stalling for Wijnaldum’s extended stay speaks much more than the German’s silence on the matter, with many believing that Klopp remains determined to push through one final time for convincing the Liverpool board to fork out big money on making sure Wijnaldum does not land up in Spain come next summer.
