Were there any doubts in Naby Keita staying at Anfield after a slow start to his Liverpool life

Find the weakest link and make a story up about it. This is exactly the reports of Liverpool’s out of favour, Naby Keita and a possibility of an early exit from Anfield.

The international break has once again created its fair share of apathy. No news is always good news during the rest from club duty, as reports coming from the country camps are normally that of injuries and players who have returned from their respective quarters.

Discussions increasing as we near the end of the 2018-2019 campaign are the transfer rumours and deals being completed in principle. Some talks or most, have surrounded European giants Real Madrid and their business. This has inevitably rocked the boat in the English Premier League as they still serve as the feeders for the two powerhouses over in Spain.

Story growing at Anfield

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It was reported on Monday Liverpool was ready to consider offers for the Guinean with the Reds willing to cut their losses on the player. Naby newly joined from Bundesliga side, RB Leipzig has seen a forgettable first season with the Reds.

He took a full season to wrap up a transfer to Anfield, bringing out the best in Michael Edwards to complete a deal with the stubborn, Ralf Rangnick. Naby Keita became Liverpool’s third most expensive signing to date. He cost the Reds £53 million, putting him just behind Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk, respectively.

Moving on in his first full season with the Merseyside outfit it’s safe to judge it hasn’t exactly panned out the way the new number 8 presumed it would. The midfielder has been restricted to 26 appearances in all competitions. One start in the FA Cup, two starts in the Champions and 12 starts in the Premier League, while 11 of the 26 showings were coming off from the bench.

In this time Keita has only contributed once with a single assist, having little effect in his maiden campaign. This has led to speculations that the player has grown frustrated with his chances and the club shares an equal disappointment and are welcoming any offers.

This is way off the mark and makes no sense

Many reasons to why this is way off the mark. The first one stands out the most. Liverpool worked ever so hard to obtain the African player. Why would they let go of one of the best African players in the world after one season? It took a season to fend off every powerhouse in Europe for him, only to lose him for a cut-price to one of them later. No logic comes of this.

The next point is the reason for his absenteeism from selection and why he had some inconsistency on the pitch. His opening season was spent on the treatment table for a considerable part, hindering any possibility of him finding his feet with a consecutive run of games.

The third reason and by no means the last, Naby Keita is only 23-years-old. For the Reds to sell now would be quite foolish and premature. Klopp will want time with the player and an early exit is a complete opposite of how he operates.

Jurgen Klopp on Naby Keita via The Liverpool Echo

"There is still a lot to come because he is still adapting. Sometimes it takes longer, that’s how it is. People lose patience, that’s normal – but we don’t. For a young boy, he made a big move from Leipzig to Liverpool; he wants to do it right."

Reports claim the midfielder is considering his options with Bayern Munich and Dortmund favourites to land him. They can turn their attention somewhere else rather as they will get little to no joy from this transfer rumour.