How should Liverpool handle the Gini situation after his contract rejection?

Georginio Wijnaldum on Wednesday denied Liverpool for the umpteenth time on a contract extension. What now for Jurgen Klopp and the Reds?

Reports surfaced midweek that always fit and ready Gini Wijnaldum has rejected another new offer from Liverpool, standing firm on what he expects in front of him in order to sign on the dotted line. The midfielder made his demands clear and apparently Wednesday’s offer was simply not good enough.

Prior to the news of the contract stalling, Gini publically stated he wanted to pen a multi-year deal (a four-year contract), nothing shorter, and that he wants to be reassured he will keep onto the important role he has at the club.

The latest bombshell to drop is his high salary expectancy. He wants his salary to reflect in his bank account as good as it does for the highest earners at Liverpool Football Club – countryman Virgil van Dijk and forward Mohamed Salah are these players with weekly wages of £220,000 and £200,000, respectively.

"Talks between Georginio Wijnaldum and Liverpool over a new contract have reached a stalemate. A long-standing offer of a new deal remains on the table but, for now, the 30-year old Dutch midfielder has not accepted it. The player, who is out of contract in the summer, wants to stay at Anfield but believes his wages should compare more favourably with the club’s top earners. Jurgen Klopp has made it clear he wishes to keep Wijnaldum, who has played in all 17 of Liverpool’s Premier League games this season. (Via: Sky Sports)"

What should the club do with the Dutchman?

As per the player, he has no desire to leave Anfield and wants to stay but only for the right offer. Adding pressure to the standoff, Barcelona waits in the midst for a possible free transfer.

The player is in the final six months of his contract and is free to talk to any club abroad about a possible switch as of January the 1st.

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Do the Reds cave-in to his demands? Are his demands unreasonable? Should he be more realistic about what he deserves? What should Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool’s hierarchy do in this GIni situation?

Wijnaldum’s role in the team?

He is always an option being available all the time thanks to barely being out injured. His presence in the middle of the park is always felt and if he goes missing in a fixture, which is seldom, Liverpool typically have a bad game.

Able to disrupt play and steal the ball off an opposition player with ease and then turn defence into attack is sort of his trademark. But having a say with goals and assists is one of the weaker aspects of his game.

The Dutchman is yet to make an assist this season and hasn’t made one for the past three campaigns. That’s no assists in 89 Premier League outings! Adding to his poor form in aiding his front line he has scored once this term.

Last season he scored four, the one before that only three, and then prior to that a single goal for the campaign. There is no denying that goals and assists do not make up Gini the man who eats up free space on a football pitch.

Yet, this Reds squad is struggling for wins and crying out for midfielder who can contribute more by scoring from range or picking out a killer pass – is he really worth £200k upwards if he can’t apply this part of his game better?

Yes, the player comes through in big matches when you think back to 2019 against Barcelona where he put in a super-sub performance. But this is needed regularly and should not be as sporadic as it has been since his time at Merseyside.

Liverpool should cut their losses and start searching for a replacement for the foreseeable future.

They should just reside in him leaving for free. It’s a massive blow knowing he is worth quite a few million and they will be losing a world-class player for free.

They’ve been through this with a player who was just as important but a younger version of Georginio Wijnaldum.

That player was Emre Can. He was involved in a contract standoff with the Anfield outfit and left for Juventus back in 2018 on a free transfer. A massive blow but then a year later the Reds won the Champions Leauge without his service.

There is always life after a playing leaving – especially with Jurgen Klopp at the helm. If he can’t take anything close to what Sadio Mane or Alisson Becker are earning per week (between £100,000-£180,000), then they don’t need him to stay.

Currently earning around £75,000, his salary would increase to double his earnings if he was to settle in Mane’s and Alisson’s salary bracket. He is asking for a lot more than his worth while doing half his job.