In an alternate universe, Joe Gomez would be preparing to play against Liverpool rather than for them at St James’ Park tonight.
Had offers not arrived from Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion for Newcastle United’s Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh respectively, a deal was in place for Gomez to move to Tyneside for £45million ($57m), with Anthony Gordon heading in the other direction for £75m in separate deals.
The Anderson and Minteh sales meant Newcastle were in compliance with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) before the June 30 deadline, and the deal for Gomez and Gordon was shelved.
Now, courtesy of Ibrahima Konate’s knee injury, the 27-year-old is back at the heart of Liverpool’s back four for a crucial stretch of the campaign as Arne Slot’s side aim to remain top of the Premier League and secure a top-eight finish in the Champions League.
His return could hardly have been more challenging: a meeting with Manchester City and Erling Haaland, 455 days after his last start at centre-back in the Premier League.
Gomez passed the test with flying colours as Liverpool registered their seventh clean sheet of the season — the most of any team in the league — retaining their best-in-the-league defensive record which has seen them concede only eight times.
But this kind of troubleshooting is what Gomez does. You have to go back to the 2019-20 season for the last time he started more than half of Liverpool’s Premier League games. But while his game time has been a source of frustration, he has rarely let anyone down when called upon.
Gomez and Jarell Quansah were Slot’s two options to replace Konate, who has excelled since replacing the latter at Ipswich Town at half-time on the opening weekend of the season, and it was little surprise that the Dutchman opted for the more experienced defender.
Both started both Carabao Cup victories over West Ham and Brighton in central defence, but while Gomez showed class, calmness and composure, Quansah made a handful of errors.
Gomez’s biggest impact, though, was off the bench when replacing the injured Konate at half-time against Brighton in the league, helping set the tone for Liverpool’s comeback victory.
His performances have been all the more impressive because of the difficult summer he endured. Although he was picked for England’s European Championship squad, he was not given a minute on the field by Gareth Southgate. With England reaching the final, it meant Gomez effectively spent over a month in Germany on standby for a call that never came.
In the meantime, there was the uncertainty over his future. Aston Villa and Fulham also showed interest in signing Gomez and when he was left out of the matchday squad at Ipswich, all the signs pointed towards an exit.
Slot told reporters ahead of the next game against Brentford that, having returned to pre-season late due to his involvement with England, Gomez was unable to take part in full training immediately, hence his non-selection.
Liverpool were never looking to force out Gomez and Slot was delighted that the defender remained at Anfield.
There have been times during his Liverpool career when he has had to consider the idea of leaving due to a lack of game time, but on each occasion he has remained. Once again, this season Gomez has knuckled down and set about trying to force his way into the team. As popular in the dressing room as he is with supporters, Gomez’s attitude has impressed the coaching staff.
“Everybody sees his quality but it shows how impressed I am by his mentality because it’s not always easy to come in during a game or to replace a player that did so well,” Slot said before the Newcastle game.
“It’s not the first time he’s experiencing this. Some players can do this for a season and then they want to play, they want to go somewhere else and Joe is patient in a good way.
“He always makes sure he’s ready whenever the club or his team-mates need him, and that is special when it comes to his mentality because not many players can do this for so many years that he has done this.
“Last season, he played many, many, many games. You could call him a starter that season, and in some other seasons, he was more of the second choice in every other position in the last line.
“For him to keep doing this tells you a lot about his mentality, but also what he does on a daily basis in training sessions and at home to stay as fit as he is, because he’s incredibly fit and ready to perform and that is more special than people think it is.”
Gomez is Liverpool’s longest-serving player and has experienced several ups and downs during his nine-year spell at the club. Injuries were a frequent enemy and patches of poor form didn’t help, but he has always bounced back.
He rebounded from a disappointing 2022-23 campaign to make 51 appearances in all competitions last season, earning praise for his consistency. Jurgen Klopp decided to utilise Gomez’s versatility at both full-back positions rather than in central defence — where Quansah emerged to great effect — but was a source of frustration for the England international.
Slot’s arrival has seen him return primarily to being viewed first as a centre-back — which is where Gomez wants to play — and a full-back option second.
The Dutchman has used Gomez as a full-back late in games when Liverpool are defending a lead, but it was noticeable that when Alexander-Arnold was substituted against Manchester City, Gomez remained at centre-back and Quansah played right-back despite having significantly less experience there.
Gomez has yet to speak publicly about how close he was to leaving Liverpool in the summer but acknowledged how much he has enjoyed working with Slot in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live following the City win.
“I understand what it means to be ready and to stay consistent throughout the season as it can change so quickly,” he said. “I have enjoyed it and I have to keep on working.
“The biggest thing is he’s (Slot) not trying to fill Jurgen’s shoes or be Jurgen. Jurgen’s legacy is stamped in the history of the club and that cannot be changed. He has been himself, it has been refreshing and all the coaching staff have been positive. It is a great start and he’s constantly reminding us about going again. He is just on us.”
At the start of the 2019-20 Premier League-winning campaign, Gomez and Van Dijk formed a formidable partnership to help Liverpool gain an unassailable advantage in the title race.
Now that the partnership has reunited, for the foreseeable future at least, they have the opportunity to do so again in a relentless December.
(Top photo: Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
