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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Joe Gomez of Liverpool celebrates the teams victory and confirmation of winning the Premier League title after the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield on April 27, 2025 in Liverpool, England.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

As the Liverpool fans serenaded the new champions of the Premier League one by one on Sunday afternoon, Joe Gomez looked genuinely touched when his big moment came.

"Ain't nobody like Joe Gomez!" crooned the Kop, to the sound of Chaka Khan's 1983 hit.



The versatile defender hasn't featured in the Premier League in 2025, with his most recent outing coming when he returned from a December hamstring injury at Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup in early February.

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That comeback lasted 11 minutes before he was forced off for Isaac Mabaya on what was a chastening afternoon for Arne Slot and his squad.

From the teenage hopeful who was shoehorned in at left-back under Brendan Rodgers, to England's best centre-half under Jurgen Klopp five years ago, through to establishing a reputation as a versatile utility man, he has worn many hats during his time on Merseyside.

But having edged close to Anfield's exit door last summer when he was included in talks with Newcastle United over a deal for Anthony Gordon, it is tempting to wonder what is next for a player whose arrival at the club even pre-dates Klopp's October 2015 landing.

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Only Federico Chiesa has featured in fewer games than Gomez's tally of nine in the Premier League and despite this being his 10th year as a Reds player, the former Charlton Athletic youngster has yet to clock up 150 games in the top flight at Liverpool.

A portion of that can be explained by the succession of long-term injuries suffered during his time at the club, but Gomez has always found competition tough for a place at centre-half and has had to fight for minutes against colleagues like Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate over the years, largely for the right to partner Virgil van Dijk.

A hamstring injury, picked up in the 5-0 win over West Ham United shortly before New Year, was not initially thought to be too severe by Gomez himself.

He revealed in a private exchange to the ECHO after the game that he had never suffered that sort of issue before and, as a result, was optimistic about the result of the scans that were set to follow.

Over four months on, however, it's been the root of a problem that has had a ruinous effect on his campaign and while it might be harsh to label him the 'forgotten man', there is no question he has become an onlooker in 2025 while his team-mate have wrapped up the Premier League title in his absence.

It's unclear what Gomez, who turns 28 later this month, has planned for his own long-term future but with two years left on his deal and his importance as a versatile and experienced squad option clear, there is likely to be no rush to force him towards the exit door.

But at a time when Slot is preparing to really put his stamp on the collection of players he inherited, might the defender be considered someone who could raise significant capital to aid the squad's development?

It's not known how close he actually came to moving to Newcastle last summer but it would surely not have got as far as it did without the Londoner at least being open to the switch himself.

That raises the question of how willing he might be to offers from elsewhere this time around and with Gomez believed to have been valued at around the £40m mark, a sale at that level this summer could make room for someone like Dean Huijsen, whose release clause at Bournemouth is reported to stand at £50m.

(Image: Harry Murphy - Danehouse/Getty Images)

The 27-year-old has never really shied away from his desire to play consistently as a centre-back at Anfield, despite his willingness to help the team in both full-back spots and even occasionally last season as a makeshift holding midfielder.

With Virgil van Dijk now signed on for the next two seasons as a minimum, Konate firmly established and Jarrel Quansah looking to kick on, game-time would appear limited in his favoured position, particularly given ongoing links to Bournemouth's Hujisen.

Huijsen's release clause figure of £50m would seem excessive for a club like Liverpool when it comes to a player with just a season's worth of experience in the Premier League, but their interest in Leny Yoro last summer, prior to his switch from Lille to Manchester United, indicates that a long-term strategy is at least part of the thinking for the centre-back department.

The new deal for Van Dijk allows Liverpool's recruitment department plenty of breathing room to find themselves as close to an adequate successor as possible for the vaunted club captain, and there will be no panic inside the corridors of power about restructuring their centre-back collective this summer, even if they are clearly assessing the lay of the land as an intriguing window approaches.

Relive Liverpool’s incredible 2024/25 title-winning season – the Reds’ 20th league crown and the first lifted in front of fans since 1990.

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Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield on April 27, 2025 (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

And you can also order a copy of Monday's Liverpool ECHO celebrating Liverpool's triumph direct to your home on our online store.

Liverpool ECHO front page.

April 28, 2025

With Van Dijk on board for the next two years, Quandah tied down and the club continuing to thrash out fresh terms for Konate - all while assessing the likes of Hujisen and whoever else is deemed to be potential defensive linchpins - quite where Gomez feels he fits in is unclear, particularly given he is once more aiming to fight off another damaging injury.

The ability to operate in a handful of positions means he should not be discarded too easily by Slot, because - as the Kop inform us - ain't nobody like Joe Gomez.
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