Liverpool cannot afford to get the Ibrahima Konate decision wrong

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The former Rennes man is expected to command significant game time next season, potentially at Konaté’s expense next to van Dijk.Should Liverpool look to move on from Konaté?The acquisition of Jacquet is the biggest indication that the club are preparing for life without Konate. Whether that includes a transitional year for the Rennes defender to acclimatise to the Premier League is yet to be seen.Liverpool now face the dilemma of measuring reliability against availability, when it comes to how much they value Konate in terms of his new wage structure and playing expectations.

Sunderland v Liverpool - Premier League | Alex Dodd - CameraSport/GettyImagesAs Slot highlighted, unlike previous seasons, Konate has been available for almost every game this season. So far, he has started 25 Premier League games, which is just 5 shy of his record last season.It could not have come at a better time for the Reds, given the nature of their depleted defence in recent months which is still a body or two short from competing properly in 3 competitions.The only fixture Konaté has missed this season was the January clash against Bournemouth following the passing of his father, Hamady.

While he has been susceptible to occasional errors on the pitch, his resilience in the face of such personal trauma is remarkable.The decision is in Konate's hands tooWithout saying as many words, the arrival of Jacquet suggests a changing of the guard, which could be a contributing factor to Konaté leaving if he does not end up signing a new deal at the club. Konate's game time would be reduced as next season goes on, but at the age of 26, is that something that Konate would be willing to compromise when he can still start for most top clubs in Europe?Furthermore, with whispers of uncertainty regarding Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot, the club cannot afford a total void of leadership - on and off the pitch.