It’s just popped up on my Instagram feed that Liverpool have agreed a deal to sell Curtis Jones to Inter Milan for a €35m package fee.
While not favoured by Arne Slot, Jones proved to be a great player when he was given a chance last season. He not only showed passion for the badge, but willingness and ability to play in multiple positions.
Take into account that he’s a homegrown, local lad – and that he’s still just 25 – letting him go seems like a huge mistake, let alone the price tag.
In a transfer window where fees have been huge, a few names spring to mind. Elliot Anderson for £100m, Andrey Santos for £50m, and Carlos Baleba for around £70m, for example – the latter of the two definitely not being better than Jones – really makes you question the decision even further.
But that’s not all, is it? Liverpool are crying out for more signings, and the transfer window is due to slam shut sooner rather than later. Their squad is seriously lacking depth in key areas, and new manager Andoni Iraola has already stated in preseason that some players are lacking in fitness, too.
After winning the league impressively, and then spending big in the transfer market, Liverpool really slumped last season. And, by the looks of it, things are only going to get worse this year.
They’ve lost key players on free transfers – Konate, Robertson, Salah – and while it’s true that some of these players are aging, or didn’t have the best of seasons last year – losing them on free deals is hard to take. They all bring a wealth of experience at the top level of footballl, which is hard to replace.
Liverpool have had a rough preseason. The squad is lacking in fitness and depth. They’ve let a lot of players go, and don’t really seem to be in a place where they are capable of replacing them all. And if you want to go forward another year, there are even more players who could be leaving on a free: Alisson, Van Dijk, Joe Gomez – all of these players have just a year left on their deals heading into this season.
If Liverpool don’t make proper preparations and signings now, it could seriously be a good few years before we see them properly compete again. I think Liverpool fans need to buckle themselves up for this season, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
My only hope is that Iraola doesn’t get scapegoated for whatever happens during the season. He’s a good manager, and the fundamental mismanagement of the club is not down to him.
To put it bluntly, though: given their situation, letting Curtis Jones go for such a small fee is absurd. I’m genuinely 100% sure that they will regret it, and I’d put money on him having a great season for Inter, as well – where he will be linking up with countrymen and other new signings Djed Spence and John Stones.
Leave a Reply