£35m sensation is showing why Liverpool were desperate to sign him up

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Though Jeremy Jacquet’s arrival prompted excitement, Ronald Araujo’s did not, and fans felt that Andoni Iraola could find himself short at the back.Since then, Araujo has been a revelation, as has Jacquet, quieting the noise that Liverpool should have signed another centre-back, while also making the departure of Ibrahima Konate seem less significant. Ibrahima Konate is shining at Real Madrid Part of the reason why fans were okay with Konate leaving is because he was largely poor during his final year with the club.

READ MORE: Liverpool pushing to ensure ‘future superstar’ is at Anfield next season Liverpool should have kept Konate Ultimately, it seems as though Liverpool could not have done much more to keep Konate last summer. Nevertheless, the Reds should surely have made Konate’s contract a priority in the summer of 2023 or 2024.

Konate always had the potential to be one of the best defenders in the world, and despite some mixed recollections of his time at Anfield, he did show that with Liverpool, excelling as Van Dijk’s partner during the 2024/25 Premier League-winning season. Konate is the senior man in Mourinho’s back line.