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Liverpool may soon face Gini Wijnaldum repeat despite Jürgen Klopp telling ‘the whole world’
Following Saturday’s game against Aston Villa, the final home match of the season, Liverpool will bid farewell to four players who will leave at the end of their contracts.
Because Sadio Mané kept his intention to depart under wraps last year, Divock Origi was the sole subject of the fanfare this time last year.
The year before, it was Georginio Wijnaldum, who was given a guard of honour by his teammates and presented with a plaque. There were only 10,000 supporters inside the stadium that day (to witness a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace) as the Premier League trialed the return of crowds following the pandemic.
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While Wijnaldum’s departure hadn’t been made official at the time, the club has already confirmed that Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Naby Keïta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all on their way, and that tributes will be paid following the Villa game.
Milner is adored by the Reds faithful but, as we saw with Wijnaldum, they may not truly know what they had until he’s gone.
In the case of the Dutchman, this was down to the subtlety of his on-field contribution. Wijnaldum’s physical attributes and tactical intelligence were understated and thus easy to overlook, but Liverpool has sorely missed them since.
Milner, on the other hand, is 37 years old now, so there’s a limit to what he can offer on the pitch. This explains the lack of links with top European clubs (Wijnaldum moved to Paris Saint-Germain), and his paltry tally of just six Premier League starts this season.
Instead, Liverpool will miss the veteran’s behind-the-scenes presence. That’s precisely why Jürgen Klopp sought to keep him around, in any capacity.
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The manager was ‘desperate’ for Milner to stay, The Mirror’s David Maddock reports, and even offered him a coaching role, but the midfielder still believes he has more to give as a top-flight player amid interest from boyhood club Leeds United and high-flying Brighton.
Figures like Milner are so valuable as culture-setters both on the training ground and in the dressing room, and Klopp is one of the few who understands the full extent of his worth.
“He’s a role model,” he said following a 1-0 victory over Newcastle in April 2022 (via The Guardian). “I have told him, I can tell the whole world — nothing we have achieved in the last few years would have happened without James Milner, it’s as easy as that.
“Whether he was on the pitch or not, he’s set standards in a way not a lot of people can set standards, and it educated all of us.”
This summer, as it revamps its midfield, Liverpool may bring in a player who’s a close match for Wijnaldum, at last filling the void on the pitch. Indeed, it already seems to be tracking several who fit the bill.
But while there are numerous others in the squad who have won the captain’s armband, it will be much harder for the club to find a player who can carry out Milner’s role within the leadership core. Just like with Wijnaldum, Milner’s value may not be fully appreciated until it is gone.
