Liverpool contract extension 'an easy decision' for Gomez - now for the hard part...

Having committed his long-term future to Liverpool, Joe Gomez’s challenge in the short-term is clear: to regain his place at the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s defence, first and foremost.

And then, maybe, just maybe, he can force his way into England’s World Cup plans in the process.

The 25-year-old knows as well as anyone just how quickly fortunes can change in football. One minute you’re flying, the next you’re falling, and falling hard. 

The hope for Gomez, who on Thursday penned a new five-year contract at Anfield, is that this is the season he rises again.

It’s been a tough couple of years for the Londoner, with injury and the form of others costing him his place for both club and country.

From being a central figure in Liverpool’s title-winning side of 2019-20, Gomez has had to content himself with a bit-part role more recently.

Last season brought only 21 appearances in all competitions, only 11 of which were starts.

All four of his Premier League starts were at right-back, he was an unused substitute in both the FA Cup and Champions League finals, and he didn’t even make the bench for the Carabao Cup win over Chelsea at Wembley in February.

But a new year brings new opportunities and fresh optimism, and having reported for pre-season training in “phenomenal shape” – Klopp’s words – Gomez looks ready to make up for lost time, and ready to put pressure on Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate in the battle for centre-back places.

“Essentially, that’s what this year is about,” he told liverpoolfc.com having signed his new deal. “It’s a fresh start, to try to attack the year.”

It had been reported that Gomez, who joined the Reds from Charlton as a teenager in 2015, may have looked to leave Liverpool this summer.

Newcastle and Aston Villa were linked, with suggestions that a fee of £35 million ($42m) would be enough to tempt the Reds into business.

GOAL understands, however, that a transfer was never really on the cards. Liverpool were always keen to keep Gomez on board, convinced that his best years are still to come and that he and Konate will have a huge part to play in the club’s future.

Conversations between John Morris, the player’s agent, and Julian Ward, the Reds’ sporting director, were both cordial and productive, meaning the contract renewal was straightforward.

Gomez may have been frustrated at his lack of opportunities, but he understood the situation. Van Dijk, Matip and Konate were flying – the whole team was – so what could he do?

He spoke regularly with Klopp, who reassured him that he was training well and that chances would come. When they did, they came as a deputy to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Gomez performed admirably. 

Centre-back, though, is his position, and having sorted out his future swiftly, he will hope for a strong pre-season showing, as he looks to reward the club’s faith in him.

"It's an unbelievable place to be," he told the club's official website. "In my eyes, if it's one of the best – if not the best – club in the world at the minute. The opportunity to extend my stay here was an easy decision to make."

Now, for the hard part.

Van Dijk, unquestionably, is Klopp’s first choice, while both Matip and Konate enjoyed excellent campaigns last time out.

Matip broke 40 appearances for the first time since 2015-16, when he was playing for Schalke, while Konate featured 29 times following his summer move from RB Leipzig, finishing the season in particularly impressive fashion.

Opportunities, though, should certainly present themselves.

Liverpool will play 23 competitive fixtures in 97 days between August 7 and November 12, meaning rotation is not only likely, but essential. The fact that five substitutes will now be permitted in the Premier League can only help in that regard.

All Gomez can do, though, is give himself a chance. He is fully recovered now from the knee injury which kept him out for 10 months during the 2020-21 season, and says he is as motivated as ever to make a big impression this summer.

“The hunger is there,” he said this week. “We’ve arguably got the best players in the world, so that’s going to raise my ceiling.”

Klopp certainly hopes so. “Physically, he is in such a good place,” the manager says. “Now all he needs is a good pre-season and the rhythm that comes from this.”

Liverpool fly to Thailand this weekend for the first leg of their two-game tour of the Far East. They play Manchester United in Bangkok on Tuesday, before travelling to face Crystal Palace in Singapore next Friday.

Gomez should start both games, having been among the first to return to pre-season training at Kirkby last Monday and with Van Dijk and Konate yet to report back following their Nations League exploits for the Netherlands and France, respectively. 

He will hope to hit the ground running, to lay down the gauntlet to the rest and provide a reminder, as if it were needed, of just how important a player he can be to Liverpool going forward. 

He’s planning to be at Anfield for the next five years, but the next few months could be the most important of his Reds career.

And his England one too, for that matter.