Liverpool FC icon Graeme Souness has lambasted Gini Wijnaldum for the drop in his showings at Anfield amid constant speculation linking him with a move away from Merseyside in the summer window.
FC Barcelona are reported to have chased the Holland international for long and it is understood that with Wijnaldum’s current deal coming to a close at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, the Catalan giants would make the move for him on a Bosman agreement.
With Jurgen Klopp’s side enduring a misfiring campaign on all fronts this time around and seem doubtful of clinching a Champions League qualification spot, Wijnaldum has come under Souness’ scanner as the former Liverpool FC skipper has accused the Dutchman of not playing with the same level of intensity on the pitch since talk of his move to Camp Nou gained ground.
“Injuries have hurt Liverpool badly, but they have not played with the same intensity either. Some players have felt sorry for themselves,” Souness wrote in his column for the Sunday Times.
“They have not responded as well as Jurgen Klopp would have expected or wanted them to. They felt it wasn’t their year and have meekly accepted that.
“They need to rebuild their midfield — it’s the catalyst for their pressing. People talk about the strikers, but a lot of their success was based on getting the ball back so quickly because of Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho putting a shift in.
“Wijnaldum is leaving for Barcelona and I’m not sure how I’d have reacted to a player who made it clear he was off, how that goes down in a dressing-room. The players may make a joke of it, but it also may not sit well with all of them.
“He’s not played with the same intensity this season, Henderson has been absent with injuries, Naby Keïta has not shown he can step up, Milner’s another year older, Fabinho’s often filled in at centre back and Thiago Alcantara has come into a team that’s been huffing and puffing.”
It remains to be seen whether the former Newcastle United man ends up leaving Anfield in the upcoming summer as speculation of Jurgen Klopp lining up replacements from the transfer market has emerged of late.
Napoli’s Piotr Zieliński and Sheffield United first-teamer Sander Berge are two such names on Klopp’s wishlist for the summer with the German keen on adding to his options in the centre of the park.
