Naby Keita‘s departure from Liverpool wasn’t a surprise, having seen injuries blight his five-year spell, but the midfielder claims the club wanted him to stay.
Keita was one of four senior players released at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, following Roberto Firmino, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out.
While there had been a clamour for both Firmino and Milner to be offered new deals, there was an acceptance among most fans that it was the right time for Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain to depart.
Both midfielders suffered a number of injury issues during their time at the club and saw their game time limited towards the end.
However, in an interview with the Guardian‘s Ed Aarons, Keita has now claimed that Liverpool offered him a new contract.
“I had the option of extending my stay at Liverpool but, after five years, I wanted to get more playing time elsewhere,” he insisted.
This suggests that the decision to leave was Keita’s, though the terms that Liverpool were willing to offer are unknown and may have played a part in that.
The Guinean opted to join Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, explaining that he had “several offers” but chose the German club as he “just wanted to play football.”
“If I wanted the money, I would have chosen to sign somewhere other than Bremen,” he said.
“Here, all that motivated me was to have the opportunity to play every weekend, enjoy myself and give pleasure. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan.”
Keita is now training with Bremen’s U23s squad having been exiled from the first-team setup amid question marks over the player’s professionalism.
That is something the 29-year-old refutes, but he is resolved to now leave the club – though offers from Sunderland and sides in Turkey were not to his liking.
Elsewhere in his interview, Keita admitted frustrations over his struggles for fitness while at Liverpool.
“I wanted to play every game but unfortunately I had a lot of injuries that prevented me from giving more than I did,” he stressed.
“But that’s the life of a footballer. I did everything I could to be there for the team at all times, but unfortunately injuries are part of our job.”
He added: “The Liverpool fans have given me a lot of love. Even today, wherever I meet them, they show me the same love.
“They’re the best fans in the world. Liverpool is a family and you never walk alone.
“My aim was to fulfil my childhood dream of winning titles. Winning the Premier League after 30 years, winning the Champions League – these are incredible moments that I can’t forget.”
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