Jurgen Klopp’s poetic license at the Anfield helm has allowed the German to grow in influence, expand in power, and stand as Liverpool’s principal string-puller across a range of important technical duties.
It is for this reason, in part at least, that Michael Edwards stepped down as Liverpool’s sporting director in 2022 despite a concerted effort from FSG to keep him.
But Klopp is now leaving; Edwards has returned in a bigger, bulkier role as FSG’s CEO of Football. Liverpool’s sharpness in recruitment has been heralded throughout Klopp’s illustrious tenure but it has taken a hit over these past few years – now, though, there is growing hope that the Merseyside outfit are to enjoy a summer of shrewd and purposeful transfer activity.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp
Arne Slot’s first team will be shaped to the blueprint of Edwards’ many-faceted vision, to a degree, and this shift in power will be an interesting narrative to keep an eye on as things develop into the 2024/25 campaign.
Core leadership group – Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah – are all out of contract at the end of next term and this is indeed the glaring issue at present, but there are other areas in need of redress.
One such problem stems from left-back Kostas Tsimikas, who signed a new long-term deal with the club last year extending his contract to 2027. Might that have been a mistake?
Why Liverpool signed Kostas Tsimikas
Liverpool completed the £12m transfer of Tsimikas from Greek side Olympiakos back in 2020 to provide cover to first-choice star Andy Robertson, who had been lacking in that department for several years, forcing Klopp to frequently field the versatile James Milner in the full-back role.
rayan-ait-nouri-kostas-tsimikas-liverpool-opinion
Across his nearly-four-year stay in England, Tsimikas has now amassed 86 appearances under Klopp, failing to score but racking up 16 assists.
This season, following Robertson’s shoulder injury suffered on international duty in October – ruling him out for a number of months – the dynamo enjoyed a string of games in the Premier League, starting eight of ten matches throughout October until December, but he has been limited to just three top-flight outings, all cameos, over the second half of the season, highlighting Klopp’s lack of trust in his skill set.
Kostas Tsimikas: PL Stats by Season
Season
Apps
Starts
Assists
23/24
13
8
3
22/23
20
9
4
21/22
13
9
2
20/21
2
0
0
Stats via WhoScored
As per Sofascore, the left-sided ace has averaged only 2.5 successful duels per match in the Premier League this season at a win rate of just 43%.
Indeed, while he’s played more frequently across cup competitions, Tsimikas was branded with a shocking 3/10 match rating by GOAL’s Mark Doyle during Liverpool’s painstaking 3-0 Anfield defeat against Atalanta in April, with the reporter noting that he was “put out of his misery” after a half-time substitution.
As per FBref, Tsimikas ranks among the top 8% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for passes attempted, the top 16% for progressive passes and the top 7% for progressive carries per 90.
While such metrics highlight Tsimikas’ creative and progressive strengths, they masquerade over an all-round level of performance that has left Liverpool weakened when he has been deployed.
Why Liverpool should sell Kostas Tsimikas
True enough, Tsimikas serves primarily as a backup and he is content with that role, but Liverpool have other existing options at their disposal and have a rumoured interest in Brest left-back Bradley Locko, according to Football Insider, set to lock horns with Aston Villa and West Ham United for the 22-year-old’s signature.
Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas.
The 5 foot 9 defender – who was dubbed “woeful” by reporter James Dodd – is days away from his 28th birthday and if Liverpool do wish to cash in for maximum value, now would be the time to do so.
Football Transfers’ player valuation model marks the 34-cap Greece international at just £7m, and given that he’s not going to rise to the club’s No. 1 on the left flank of the backline any time soon, further depreciation is likely forthcoming in the years ahead.
Considering that, moreover, Tsimikas is earning a pretty penny at £75k per week, there’s definitely no reason why he should continue as a part of Slot’s squad, taking home greater weekly earnings than the likes of Luis Diaz (£75k-per-week) and Harvey Elliott (just £40k-per-week).
Liverpool Players Earning Less than Kostas Tsimikas
Player
Salary
Ibrahima Konate
£70k-per-week
Luis Diaz
£55k-per-week
Wataru Endo
£50k-per-week
Harvey Elliott
£40k-per-week
Stefan Bajcetic
£40k-per-week
Salaries sourced via Capology
Diaz and Elliott have been two of Liverpool’s most influential players this season, both growing in importance over the past several months and while Elliott is only 21 years old and his Colombian peer has yet to sign a new deal since joining from Porto for an initial fee of £37m in January 2022, Tsimikas’ hefty salary is illuminated, especially so for a player of bit-part significance.
While, as aforementioned, Tsimikas featured regularly during Robertson’s layoff, Joe Gomez proved himself invaluable in an inverted full-back role on the left and he must be prioritised over his 27-year-old teammate.
Incidentally, Gomez is rumoured to be considering a departure from Liverpool this summer and the kitchen sink must be thrown at ensuring that does not happen.
Incidentally
