🔴 Naby Keita was meant to be a transformational signing for #LFC but it just never worked out for the Guinean after he arrived from RB Leipzig in 2018.
Last week, I spoke to one of the people in the Reds' recruitment team who picked him out as a transfer target.
"Naby was never really a regular starter in the Liverpool team so it was difficult for him to build up that rhythm," Ian Graham, who has just released the excellent book How To Win The Premier League, told me.
"Injuries were part of it and I don’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth but I think the coaches were probably a little bit reluctant to use him every game because he was a very risky player.
"I use the word ‘risky’ as a compliment. If a through-ball was on, Naby would try and find it - and that is one of the reasons I loved him as a player. But with the style we played at Liverpool, the midfielders weren’t required to do that.
"Securing possession or playing a safe pass was maybe a bit too over-valued. I felt that our midfield needed a bit more creativity and Naby definitely produced that - but maybe a bit too much compared to the other options."
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