Danny Murphy feels Liverpool must strive to replace Joel Matip come the summer transfer window. He feels it is time for Jurgen Klopp to move on so the Anfield natives can ‘evolve’.
Liverpool brought Matip to the Premier League back in 2016 as the second deal of Klopp’s tenure on Merseyside. The 31-year-old agreed to a Bosman move to the Reds ahead of his deal with Schalke expiring. He has since gone on to amass 183 appearances at the club.
But Klopp has only fielded Matip during 17 matches across all competitions so far this term for 1,243 minutes. The centre-back has further only started in 13 games following a further injury-hit term. Matip has frequently suffered fitness problems since his arrival in England.
Just 10 of the Cameroonian’s outings and eight of his starts so far this season have come in the Premier League. He has further registered five of those starts since the pause in games for the World Cup. Matip had suffered a calf problem in their defeat at Arsenal in October.
The issue prevented Matip from featuring in Liverpool’s six top-flight matches prior to the World Cup. Yet despite regaining a place in Klopp’s starting XI on Boxing Day, the German would later drop the Germany-born star following a 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Murphy now tells Liverpool to sell Matip as Anfield chiefs warm to his transfer
Klopp would recall Matip for Liverpool’s trip to Wolves earlier this month. But Alan Shearer called his work at Molineux ‘not acceptable’. While Steve Nicol also tore into the £140k-a-week star, with the former Reds right-back dubbing his efforts as ‘absolutely horrendous’.
Now, Murphy urges Liverpool to find suitors for Matip in the next transfer window. The ex-Reds midfielder believes it is time that Klopp tries to bring another option into his backline. The Anfield outfit added to their defence in May 2021 through Ibrahima Konate for £36m.
“Maybe [Liverpool need] a new centre-half,” Murphy has told talkSPORT. “Matip has been there seven or eight years. Matip has been great by the way, it’s not a criticism of him. But there’s a time where the squad has to evolve.”
Liverpool are increasingly accepting of the possibility that Matip will leave Anfield over the next transfer window, per Goal, too. The defender will have one year remaining on his deal come the end of this season. He last agreed to fresh terms at Anfield back in October 2019.
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