Naby Keita’s career has taken a turn for the worse since leaving Liverpool, with Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner enduring mixed fortunes.
It has been anything but a happy return to Germany for Naby Keita since leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2022-23 season.
The Guinean midfielder, who was once the Reds’ most expensive signing after agreeing a deal to join from RB Leipzig in 2017, left Anfield to join Bundesliga side Werder Bremen after the expiration of his contract at Anfield.
After the first half of his return season to the Bundesliga was plagued by injuries, the second half of the campaign has been equally as disappointing for Keita and stooped to a new low on Sunday afternoon after he was absent from Bremen’s Bundesliga clash with Bayer Leverkusen at the Bay Arena.
According to the club’s managing director, Clemens Fritz, Keita opted not to travel with the rest of the Bremen squad after learning that he would not be in the starting XI. In a club statement, Fritz insisted that the 29-year-old would be made to deal with the “consequences” of his decision and “how to proceed”.
Keita, though, disputed the claims made by Fritz and insisted he would not “accept any person trying to tarnish my image” and claimed he had never had any problems with discipline during his professional career.
Whatever the reason behind Keita’s admission though, it doesn’t make the midfielder’s below-par return to the Bundesliga, which has resulted in just five appearances for the club since signing a three-year deal last July, any better.
However, the Guinea international isn’t the only ex-Liverpool man to endure a nightmare 2023/24 season after leaving Anfield.
Premier League and Champions League-winning stalwarts Roberto Firmino, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have all endured nightmare stints in the Saudi Pro League after leaving Anfield to join Al Ahli, Al Ittihad and Al Ettifaq respectively.
For former Reds captain Henderson though, his nightmare stint in the Middle East lasted less than six months as he sealed a return to European football by moving to Ajax in January, later admitting his decision to sign for Steven Gerrard’s Pro League outfit was a mistake.
Meanwhile, Brazilian duo Firmino and Fabinho are still plying their trade in the Middle East but, like so many who cashed in on the Saudi riches last summer, are having to find peace with the dwindling crowds that are on offer every week in the division.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Firmino’s Al Ahil are currently 25 points behind champions-elect Al Hilal, with Fabino’s defending champions Ittihad a further five points behind.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, meanwhile, is enjoying a productive first season with Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas after making the move to Turkey last summer. The England international, who spent five years at Anfield after signing from Arsenal in 2017, has made 15 league appearances for the Black Eagles this term, scoring four goals and laying on one assist as Besiktas look to push for a Champions League place in the final weeks of the season.
Arguably the most successful of all of the summer departures from Anfield has been veteran midfielder James Milner, who is proving to be an integral cog for Brighton & Hove Albion both on and off the field. The former England international has made 15 appearances for Roberto De Zerbi’s side this season across all competitions, including five in the Europa League as the Seagulls reached the round-of-16 stage for the first time in their history.
Milner’s deal on the southcoast expires in June, but he is just 19 games of equalling Gareth Barry’s record for the most appearances in the Premier League.
