Losing Wijnaldum is a ‘huge blow’ to Liverpool as pre-contract agreed – pundit
Georginio Wijnaldum is underappreciated at Liverpool and will be sorely missed if he leaves the club for Inter Milan in the summer.
That is according to ex-Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell, speaking exclusively to Football Insider after FC Inter 1908 reported that a “handshake” agreement had been made ahead of the Dutch midfielder signing a pre-contract.
Wijnaldum’s current deal expires in May and fans have widely expected that he will end his five-year association with the club for a while.
Liverpool have struggled in midfield this season with injuries to Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all taking their toll.
Wijnaldum, however, has been a bastion of consistency in his time with the club and has featured in all 28 of Liverpool’s Premier League games in 2020-21.
Campbell claims that the 30-year-old is a vital cog in the Liverpool machine and that he will be sorely missed when he departs in the summer.
He told Football Insider correspondent Dylan Childs: “He’s always fit. Sometimes he’s underappreciated. A lot of these underappreciated guys, they don’t say much. They just get on with their jobs but they’re like a glue and they bring things together.
“You’ll notice just how good he was when he’s gone. He’s gonna be a hard act to follow because he’s fit every week. For a manager to have that, a player who he can trust every week is great.
“It’s gonna be a blow for Liverpool. It won’t be the end of the world but it will be a huge blow because he’s one of their most consistent performers.”
Wijnaldum made the switch to Anfield in 2016, joining from Newcastle United in a £25million deal.
He has since played 224 times for the club, scoring 22 goals and registering 16 assists.
In other news, a top pundit has tipped Liverpool to recoup no more than £15m for Xherdan Shaqiri.