Ibrahima Konate proves he can be reliable – Liverpool must secure new contract

In a season Ibrahima Konate managed the most minutes since 2018/19, his future is now in the spotlight with a contract that currently expires next summer.

The only problem with Konate, the thinking among Liverpool supporters went, was that he could not be relied upon to stay fit.

Well, a season in which the Frenchman has set a new high bar of 42 appearances and suffered just one injury – crucially from an impact, rather than a muscle tweak – has perhaps changed perceptions for the better.

 

Contract uncertainty

Konate’s reputation certainly hasn’t been harmed by him emerging as the clear number one partner to Virgil van Dijk as the Reds have romped to the Premier League title.

But, while the defender has been busy silencing his doubters, another cause for concern has reared its head: namely that his contract is now on the brink of expiry.

As was the case with Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, uncertainty over Konate’s future owes much to the revolving door on the sporting director’s office in recent years.

Under the new (or is it old?) regime, the aim is to avoid situations in which a key player reaches the final 12 months of their contract.

As things stand, however, Konate and Liverpool find themselves locked in a stand-off amid reports of interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Fans might have found this easier to swallow in the years where the player was considered a talented by injury-prone member of the squad.

Now, though, we are talking about a Rolls Royce of a defender with almost 250 professional games under his belt and still just 25 years old.

As such, whether they are spent at Anfield, the Parc des Princes or the Santiago Bernabeu, the next five years or so are likely to see Konate show himself as one of the best in the world in his position.

Liverpool hope it will be with them, and that is because of the immaculate performances the France international has produced since being thrown on at half-time in the first game of the season at Ipswich.

At Portman Road, he almost single-handedly transformed a team from physically weak to dominant in duels, and he is arguably as close to Van Dijk as you will find in the Premier League in this regard.

That is not to say there were not lapses, the trips to Wolves and Fulham immediately spring to mind but the good outweighs the bad when it comes to the Frenchman’s season.

That is crucial for a team that invites long balls from the opposition with an aggressive press, and why talk of Dean Huijsen being a direct replacement for next season at least never made sense.

 

Difficult to replace

Ultimately, finding anyone to replace Konate’s specific skill set would be difficult, especially for the bargain fee of £36 million Liverpool paid in 2021.

And that is particularly true because he combines his qualities with a drive to get better, saying in April: “I said to Virgil, I will be better than you one day.”

In those terms, continued improvement on the ball will be important, as will putting in back-to-back seasons in which he stays injury free.

But he is already showing himself to be a leader in a similar mould, and has been praised behind the scenes for his attitude to the unseen work needed to sustain a career at the very top.

As such, talk of Liverpool cashing in amid the contract uncertainty feels like folly, with concessions on wages surely the better option in this instance.

This season has shown that Konate is both world-class and primed to get better, and those are not the sorts of players you should let go of too readily.

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Best moment: A header away to Wolves – his only league goal of the season – that helped Liverpool secure a 2-1 win.

Worst moment: An awful error in his box at Fulham that nearly resulted in a goal, and a poor all-round display in defeat.

Role next season: Key player.