Liverpool defender Joe Gomez's leadership is a quality Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe may admire if Jamie Carragher's previous comments are anything to go by .
At the beginning of the summer transfer window, Newcastle United offered England winger Anthony Gordon to the Reds in a move that would have alleviated their PSR concerns, as well as sending Liverpool star Jarell Quansah to Tyneside. However, Liverpool balked at the idea of losing Quansah.
They did not want to lose the talented defender, which prompted Newcastle to see if Liverpool would part with Gomez. A proposed framework of the deal would have seen Gomez head to St James' Park for $57m (£45m/€52m), with Gordon heading in the opposite direction for $96m (£75m/€88m).
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It was a move that would have allowed Gomez to play his preferred position of center-back, with the 27-year-old said to be open to leaving Anfield . Ultimately, Newcastle managed to move on Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson to Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest respectively, with the deal for Gomez seemingly dead.
Should they resume their interest in Gomez, in a deal that would not include Gordon due to Newcastle having a stronger negotiating hand, it will be interesting to see if the Reds consider selling the versatile defender. And when listening to Carragher's previous comments about Gomez back in 2020, with the Sky Sports pundit pointing out the latter's impressive leadership qualities.
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"What really stood out for me this season with Joe Gomez was his performance against Everton in the FA Cup when it was virtually an under-23s team with three experienced players in there," said Carragher. "Now, Joe isn't the most experienced player, but he was still one of the most experienced by far in that back four, and that's always a big sign for me with center-backs.
"Can they be the leader of the back four? Can they organize people and almost be the one that people look to? On that day he was. Everton played a first-choice team, for them it was a Premier League team and his performance was outstanding, helping the young players, and that bodes well for the future.
"Yes, we know he is a great player, but can he go on and become the leader one day when Virgil van Dijk maybe moves on? In that game, I saw those qualities, so that bodes well for the future for Liverpool and Joe Gomez ."
Liverpool.com says: While Gomez struggled for minutes at center-back last season, he wasn't short of games at full-back. Carragher's verdict spoke volumes at the time for his potential and there is still more to come from Gomez at the age of 27. He could guarantee more playing time elsewhere but it wouldn't be at the same level or prestige as being at Liverpool.
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