Speaking on ESPN, Steve Nicol has been discussing Naby Keita and his performances since joining Liverpool back in 2018.
The Guinean midfielder was a big-money signing for the Reds back in the day, and he arrived off the back of a red-hot spell with RB Leipzig.
He arrived at Anfield with plenty of fanfare and many expected big things of Keita after he came in.
However, sadly, he hasn’t lived up to expectations on Merseyside thus far, and according to Nicol, he’s been an absolute wash at Anfield.
Keita a waste of time
Nicol gave his verdict on the Liverpool midfielder.
“I think previously, he’s had good options, or options that he thought would be better. Someone like Keita for example who has been an absolute wash. But up until this year where it’s been like ‘this guy isn’t good enough’, he’s always had other options rather than playing Trent in the middle of the park,” Nicol said.
Hasn’t been good enough
Sadly, we have to agree with Nicol, Keita just hasn’t been good enough for Liverpool.
The unfortunate reality is that you’re always taking this sort of risk when signing a player from the Bundesliga.
Far too often big name players flop after arriving in England from Germany with the likes of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Jadon Sancho being the three most high-profile examples in recent years.
Nicol says that Keita has been an absolute wash at Liverpool, and he’s not wrong. He’s rarely been fit and when he has been, he’s not played well enough.
There’s a reason that the 28-year-old looks set to leave the club at the end of the season on a free transfer.
