Liverpool are taking bigger risk than Ibrahima Konate - it's clear what they must do next

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This week's Blood Red column assesses Ibrahima Konate's decision to leave Liverpool as a free agentThe list of Liverpool players who have walked away from Anfield as free agents in recent years is a lengthy one.From Adam Lallana and Emre Can to Gini Wijnaldum, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the club have never been averse to letting their playing staff depart for nothing.Naby Keita and Divock Origi were also allowed to explore new horizons in the same circumstances while Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip both opted to retire when their own terms ran down.Even Roberto Firmino, one of the most celebrated players of the modern era, was allowed to ride off into the Saudi sunset without a return, with legendary duo Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah officially joining that group as of June 30.Each case is indicative of Liverpool's model, with the key decision makers of the belief that a final year out of those concerned was a better prospect than selling at a reduced rate with 12 months left and having to replace them at a significant cost without proper planning.And there is also an argument that each player permitted to leave on a free transfer had already given their best years to the cause at Anfield. Even Salah, a phenom at the age of 33, will likely move on having already played the finest football of his career on Merseyside.Ibrahima Konate, however, feels different.The France international becomes the latest high-profile departure after two-and-a-half years of contact talks behind the scenes were unable to find an accord.Having turned 27 at the start of this week, Konate's profile differs from many who have gone before him, who were mostly in the autumn of their respective playing days.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!

All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageLosing Konate now, particularly given he wanted to stay and the club were keen to keep him, cannot be dressed up as a positive. This one feels like it is one that hasn't been conducted in Liverpool's terms or undertaken with their blessing.The les Bleus star did have an inconsistent campaign but he was far from alone in that regard and losing a player of his age and value for nothing cannot be dressed up as anything other than a failure.The two parties, despite their long-standing negotiations, were understood to have been miles apart on what they felt was an acceptable deal for Konate and he leaves ready to pursue a new challenge that he didn't really want to have to consider just a few short weeks ago.“To be fair, there are many things people have said, but for a long time we have spoken with the club and we are [now] close to an agreement," Konate explained as recently as April 19."I think everyone wished for that for as long as possible but we are in a good way.

For sure there is a big chance I’m here next season."There were even reports on Friday that Konate's agency were scoffing at the idea of the Reds man being made to leave as recently as this month, such was the anticipation that he would extend his terms on Merseyside.But Konate clearly feels as though his worth greatly outstrips what Liverpool's believe it is and having grown in stature across European football since he joined the club as a something of a relative unknown in 2021, the defender may have a point.Since moving for £36m just after his 22nd birthday from RB Leipzig, Konate has gone on to compete in a Champions League final before winning two League Cups, the FA Cup and the Premier League. That cannot be the model for any club with serious aspirations, regardless of the need to balance the books on a bloated wage bill.Salah's exit will lighten that particular load considerably going forward, with the club set to save close to £21m by allowing the Egyptian out of his deal a year early.And while Liverpool will point to their long-term strategy, accentuated by the captures of Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet in the last year, asking the inexperienced duo to step into the Konate void feels unfair at this stage of their fledgling careers.Just this week, Jacquet was quoted in an interview explaining how the opportunity to work with his more experienced compatriot was a big factor in him choosing Liverpool over Chelsea, highlighting further how surprising Konate's fate is.But the real shock will be if Liverpool opt against signing another senior centre-half.Presently, it's believed Leoni and Jacquet won't have the pathway to the first team cluttered by another new arrival but the Premier League can expose a young centre-back and show their current limitations in a harsh light.Right now, choosing not to sign a replacement feels like a much bigger risk than the one Konate is about to take as he gets set to put himself in the shop window at the World Cup.