Now Worth More Than Trent: Slot Hit Gold On Liverpool's "coach's Dream" - Sportsnewsfoot

It’s been difficult for Liverpool this season, adjusting to life under Arne Slot.

Difficult to watch someone succeed so thrillingly in Jurgen Klopp‘s seat, in any case. It’s rueful, you see, for Klopp was almost mythical in his position. Untouchable and revered.

Luckily for everyone involved, the blow has been softened by the sheer brilliance of Liverpool’s campaign under Slot’s wing. Flying at the Premier League‘s summit and in pole position in the Champions League too, the Redmen are well placed for a grand-slam finish to the 2024/25 season.

That said, Liverpool will sit on the principle of staying grounded. There have been too many false dawns over the past decade to get ahead.

Things are going well at the moment but it can all change in a flash. Slot started out on Merseyside with a rigid, rarely-altered starting line-up. However, recent weeks have called Liverpool’s depth into question, but it’s probably fair to say that the fringe players are answering with confidence.

Liverpool’s fringe players

The festive period is in full swing, and clubs are feeling the force of the notorious stretch of football that is as gruelling as it is tense.

However, Liverpool have passed the December test and will hold first place on Christmas Day after thrashing Tottenham Hotspur 6-3 down at N17. It’s almost crazy that the Reds have done so well despite the sweeping structural changes across the year, a problem that felt compounded when Federico Chiesa was the only summer signing.

The former Juventus star, who joined for just £12.5m, has only started once due to injury problems. He impressed off the bench against Southampton in midweek and could be a key presence as Mohamed Salah’s understudy in the months to come.

Moreover, Jarell Quansah and Wataru Endo have grown in stature throughout this wintry period, with Quansah filling in for the injured Ibrahima Konate at times and the latter serving as the rock-solid option in the late stages of a match, almost deployed as a bulwark to fend off enemy advances with a lead to hold.

Endo even stood in at centre-back in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and earned Liverpool’s Player of the Match award, notably winning all eight of his ground duels.

The relentless action will spill into the new year, and Liverpool will need every member to succeed in their quest for the biggest prizes. Many talented fringe players, but perhaps none are more important than Joe Gomez.

Joe Gomez is a “coach’s dream”

Way back in 2015, Liverpool signed an 18-year-old Gomez from Charlton Athletic for a £3.5m fee, making him Liverpool’s longest-serving first-team player.

Now 27, he’s lifted Premier League and Champions League titles and a host of others besides, but it nearly ended during the off-season, with Newcastle United hoping to acquire the dynamic defender.

Klopp’s decision to stand down seemed to feel like a natural endpoint in Gomez’s mind, and with a deal for Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon in the pipeline during the summer, Gomez was considered within the package as a £45m part.

It’s remarkable to think that his 2023/24 campaign, earning him a recall to Gareth Southgate’s England squad after four years away, saw his market value rise so significantly.

In July 2023, he was only worth £18m, as per Transfermarkt, with his woeful performances leaving observers such as podcaster Graeme Kelly to label him “finished.”

How that has fallen flat. The £45m-rated star is one of Liverpool’s finest players once again, even if he doesn’t start every single week. His dynamism and professionalism have led one Serie A journalist to dub him a “coach’s dream” after his commanding performance against Tottenham.

His 14 appearances across all competitions have seen him play across three positions, and it’s perhaps his tactical pliability that has made him such an interesting option for a team like Newcastle.

Truly emphasising the significance of his rise in valuation, Gomez has overtaken his long-time friend Trent Alexander-Arnold in regard to his market value.

Alexander-Arnold is one of the world’s best players, hailed for his “unplayable” passing by pundit Gary Neville after Spurs were put to the sword.

The 26-year-old is of course out of contract at the end of the season and this hampers his price tag, which stands at £22m by Football Transfers‘ reckoning, but it’s still impressive to note that Gomez has made those financial gains given that, were this a year ago, this wouldn’t be the case.

All in all, Gomez is a modern Liverpool legend, cement-like in his importance throughout the years without always holding down a starting berth. He will be remembered as a treasure when he does tap the Liverbird crest one final time.

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Last year, pundit Steve McManaman described the Three Lions star as “absolutely priceless” for Klopp’s side, with his versatility and longevity making him an indispensable presence.

Had he been sold and Quansah was tasked with covering for Konate on his own, it’s clear that Liverpool would have felt the weight of the winter period more keenly.

Alas, he continues to ply his craft for Liverpool, an unsung hero at times but without a doubt, one of the pillars of Anfield’s rise and rise over the past decade.

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