Of course, the Reds won the Premier League last season, so it’s plausible that the ends justify the means, regardless of any mistakes he made. This season, however, he is driving fans crazy with some of his decisions and with Liverpool underperforming, it has to be noted.
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Alexander Isak, for example, plays as a forward, but receives very little of the ball and is still expected to do something. Similarly, Florian Wirtz is the subject of criticism from all sides and, despite his chance-creation numbers, is vilified for his teammates’ failures in front of goal.
During the 2024/25 campaign, a bold transfer decision was made that divided the fan base. Four months into the new season, it is clear that he was transferred by mistake. Now it’s time for Slot to make amends.
Quansah deserves to return to Anfield
Academy prospect Jarell Quansah was initially given a run in Jurgen Klopp’s first team in 2023, and excelled as a third-choice centre-back, with Joe Gomez helping out at full-back.
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He played 2,673 minutes throughout the season, making his debut in the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League. His ability to deliver for the Reds meant the pressure on Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate could be eased somewhat. There were defensive options for Klopp to consider.
However, just 45 minutes after working with Slot, the Englishman’s reputation was cast aside and could never be recovered. Slot gave him only 1,297 minutes on the field, mainly because the focus was on playing Konate as often as possible. There was limited turnover.
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Seventeen appearances and two own goals later, Quansah was sent to Bayer Leverkusen for just £35m. The 22-year-old was not given a season to recover and, frankly, Liverpool have been left significantly worse off because of the decision. Giovanni Leoni was brought in to replace him, although the young Italian has torn his ACL and the defense is a catastrophic mess.
Konate is out of contract at the end of the season, and it appears he’s playing with his mind elsewhere, making previously uncharacteristic mistakes. From time to time, we are aware of glimpses of his brilliance, but too often he is not. Liverpool are asking for a player like Quansah.
In Germany, the Englishman is just 41 minutes away from surpassing last season’s match time and has benefited greatly from the change of environment. He has scored two goals and is putting in performances that inspire confidence. He’s a completely different player now that he’s left Slot.
On Tuesday night he played for Leverkusen in a 2-0 win against Manchester City at the Etihad, winning three of his six duels, making five clearances, three blocks, two recoveries and two accurate long balls. His return to England couldn’t have been better: he scored a huge victory in the same stadium where Liverpool were embarrassed 3-0 by Pep Guardiola a few weeks ago.
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When the 22-year-old was transferred from Merseyside, a sell-on clause and a buy-back clause were included in the contract, meaning Liverpool had the right to bring him back for £51m, according to Give Me Sport, and it seems like a no-brainer for the Reds to do so. He appears to have found his place in senior club football and Slot lacks central defensive options.
Currently, beyond Gomez covering Van Dijk and Konate, the options involve bringing in Wataru Endo or removing Ryan Gravenberch from his ideal role in the midfield double pivot as a hybrid No. 6/No. 8.
Whether Quansah would like to return is another question, and Slot would need to take a different approach in his handling of him, but the options are there for Richard Hughes to consider and the evidence is mounting in favor of his return to Liverpool. We need it.