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Before joining Football FanCast, Angus led VAVEL’s Brighton & Hove Albion department, gaining valuable experience in club-specific reporting and editorial leadership. He subsequently joined Football FanCast through Snack Media’s academy, now part of Valnet, and has progressed into the publication’s Opinions and Features team.
As one of Football FanCast’s longest-serving writers, Angus has covered numerous major developments across the Premier League, combining breaking news experience with detailed features and considered opinions. His work draws on years of reporting to provide context behind performances, transfer activity and the wider issues shaping English football.
It wasn’t very long ago that Liverpool were in something of a defensive crisis, but now, Andoni Iraola’s defensive line looks well-stocked for many years ahead.
Jeremy Jacquet has been a revelation in central defence, proving the perfect partner alongside Virgil van Dijk, supporting the 35-year-old captain as he continues to demand world-class standards of himself.
Out of contract next summer, Van Dijk’s future is a hot topic on Merseyside right now, but with Giovanni Leoni on the cusp of a comeback from injury, and Ifeanyi Ndukwe impressing out on loan in with Levante, there’s a real sense of optimism that this could be an impregnable defence over the coming years.
Jacquet, already, looks like he will step up and play leader when Van Dijk does eventually depart.
Why Jeremy Jacquet is a superstar
You’d have been disappointed if Jacquet hadn’t impressed across his first few months at Liverpool, in fairness. The France international cost Liverpool £60m to bring over from Rennes this summer, with Chelsea beaten to the deal back in January.
But the 21-year-old has certainly surpassed expectations in his time at Anfield so far, having defended with vicious certainty, added dimension to Liverpool’s passing game from deep, and remarkably won 69% of his duels in the Premier League across ten fixtures.
There is optimism at Liverpool that FSG will convince Van Dijk to extend his stay at the club for one further season. He turns 36 this summer, but the Dutchman brings a rare, almost inimitable presence to the backline, and his leadership could help the likes of Jacquet realise their world-class potential.
Liverpool’s backline is now set, with the likes of Leoni and Ndukwe indeed set to come in soon. With that in mind, one of Liverpool’s biggest stalwarts could finally be finished at the club.
Liverpool veteran is finished because of Jacquet
Van Dijk wouldn’t be available to start every single week next season, should he stay at Liverpool, but the iconic centre-half would make such a difference.
However, with the younger crop all chasing leading roles in Iraola’s system, there’s a case to be made that Joe Gomez’s role at Anfield has already become somewhat redundant.
The 29-year-old scored the winning penalty as Liverpool knocked Chelsea out of the Carabao Cup earlier this month, and the Kop sang his name for that, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that Gomez is consigned to the bittiest of small-part roles at Liverpool, with Iraola using him sparingly (to many, it’s been patent for a while).
Injuries have been unkind to the England international throughout his career, but he has still showed impeccable resilience, crucial in winning the 2019/20 Premier League, Van Dijk’s partner at the back, and thereafter operating tirelessly to help Liverpool through their many chapters.
In fairness, Gomez’s versatility is arguably his biggest strength. He has played all across the backline, and his commitment and unerring work rate has seen him hailed as a “coach’s dream” by one AC Milan reporter.
|
Joe Gomez – Liverpool Career by Position |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Apps |
Goals + Assists |
|
Centre-back |
122 |
1 + 2 |
|
Right-back |
100 |
0 + 6 |
|
Left-back |
32 |
0 + 2 |
|
Defensive midfield |
2 |
0 + 0 |
Gomez is something of a cult hero at Liverpool. Here, he has won the lot. The experienced defender has actually been a member of Liverpool’s first-team persuasion for more time than any other Redman currently on the books, featuring 282 times in all competitions.
Out of contract next summer, it’s hard to envisage the experienced Red being handed an extension. He no longer boasts the mobility and athleticism to serve convincingly as a full-back for Liverpool, and Jacquet’s emergence has ended any hopes of him reestablishing himself as a centre-back on Merseyside.
Gomez has been an invaluable servant for Liverpool, but having played a total of 14 minutes across three substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, it looks like Iraola has made up his mind: Gomez has played his part, and must now leave for a new challenge at the later stage of his career.
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