Although Naby Keita has failed to live up to the high expectations at Anfield, former Liverpool legend Steve Nicol explained that it is still too early to brand the Guinean midfielder as a ‘flop’.
There was plenty of hype when Keita first arrived at Liverpool on the back of a £53 million ($69m) deal from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig but the midfielder spent almost 12 months at the Red Bull Arena before finally making the switch to Merseyside in the summer of 2018.
Having been given the iconic number 8 jersey, Keita was expected to slot into the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s midfield engine room and become a dynamic presence in the centre of the park.
However, the highly anticipated signing has not hit the heights expected of him as form and fitness issues have restricted Keita to making a limited number of appearances. Still, former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol believes patience must be shown in that process, explain why it is too soon to be writing off a big-money addition under Klopp.
While speaking to ESPN, the 58-year-old explained that Keita has struggled at Liverpool over the past 18 months or so but he is certainly not a ‘flop’ just yet, “Yes I think it is [early to call Keita a flop]. I think because of the strength in depth Klopp’s got in the middle of the midfield, when Naby Keita initially came in and didn’t settle very quickly, then you don’t play him because you can play other players. Certain teams can bring a player in and even though they’re not hitting the heights they thought, they have to stick with him and they have to give them time. So I think Naby Keita, yes he hasn’t lived up to what we thought he could be just yet, I think he still can, but he will certainly need more time. So I’m not ready to call him a flop yet.”
Liverpool are currently at the top of the Premier League table holding a 25 point lead ahead of 2nd placed Manchester City and were due to win their first top-flight crown in 30 years before the coronavirus outbreak suspended the season.
