Subtle Arne Slot message vs Chelsea suggests 'vital' player is no longer wanted at Liverpool - opinion

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Liverpool have some big problems to sort out and the future of a certain player is just one of them.The Reds have now lost three games in a row for the first time under Arne Slot, with this certainly a very rocky patch right now for the club.Although it was another later winner that saw them fall to defeat, the overall performance, yet again, was far from convincing, something that is becoming a real problem.Slot even made some changes and experimented with players in different positions, but even this could not get Liverpool over the line.One experiment in particular, though, appeared to be very strange and is one that could have knock-on effects for another player, with it suggesting he is not part of his manager’s plans going forward.Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty ImagesJoe Gomez does not have a future at LiverpoolLiverpool’s defence has been a major problem in almost every game so far, with the Reds conceding far too many goals.Slot keeps making changes to his backline too, mainly at full-back, suggesting that he is not happy or convinced by it either.But there are also issues in the heart of defence as Ibrahima Konate has struggled for form and was even taken off against Chelsea as a precaution in case of an injury, although he was not really missed due to yet another sub-par performance. So, with Liverpool’s lack of options, Joe Gomez appeared to be the obvious choice to bring on.

Perhaps not in Slot’s case.READ MORE: Gary Neville shares Florian Wirtz verdict after watching him very closely vs ChelseaInstead, he moved Ryan Gravenberch back into defence and Curtis Jones into the holding midfielder role, suggesting that Gomez really is not trusted.Although he was once ‘vital’ to the team, this choice of substitution indicated that Slot is not the biggest fan of Liverpool’s longest-serving player and that he has no future at the club, with a move away looking more likely by the minute.Joe Gomez needs to be given another chanceThere is no doubting that Konate has been so poor that a spell out of the team is not the worst idea, but Gravenberch cannot, and should not, be the solution long-term.Gomez has also shown his quality in the past and is a very capable defender, injuries have just set him back a fair bit.He also did not have the best match against Southampton earlier in the month when given the chance from the start, but due to his lack of game time, he cannot be expected to perform without a bit of time to get up to speed.He was almost sold in the summer but was kept due to the Marc Guehi deal falling through, but due to the lack of options, he must now be kept and given another chance to prove himself.