Joe Gomez admitted last summer that he was on the verge of leaving Liverpool but is now happy to have stayed at the club.
The Reds centre-back looked set to leave Anfield if he didn't travel to Ipswich for the season opener. Gomez, 27, has been considering his future after it became clear he would be behind Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah in the pecking order to become Virgil van Dijk's partner in the center of defence.
But he has taken himself to the next level and is now the one getting opportunities in the Reds' starting line-up with Konate sidelined through injury. And he impresses too.
“It was definitely real,” Gomez said, when asked how close he was to leaving. “My focus has always been on the club, but I know how blessed I am to be here and in the summer I will have been around for ten years. I don't take that for granted. In my opinion it is the best club in the world and it was quickly a matter of adapting and getting started.
“It was good to put it to bed. That's football. I'm a big believer in focusing on the present. It wouldn't be natural to be somewhere over ten years old and not have a single blip, which probably says something about my ambition.”
Liverpool's stunning form and the fact he could be part of a glorious season has helped Gomes prove it was the right decision to remain involved as they top the Premier League and Champions League tables.
“It's a pleasure to be part of such a great group and we obviously have such a good foundation to hopefully achieve something this year,” said Gomez. “And that's what you want to be a part of. I love being here. I love the club.”
Gomez will have to be patient for a while. It was only this month that he made his first start of the season when he played from the start in the 2-0 win over Manchester City.
“As a player you always want to play, so you just have to try to be ready,” Gomez said. “In a lot of ways I'm used to it and I've had a lot of ups and downs, but you enjoy playing and getting the opportunity to be in the team. We've had a great platform since the start of the season and we just want to try to continue that. It's difficult because you don't know when the opportunity will arise or under what circumstances, in what position and so on and so forth.
“But I can only decide what I can focus on and that is being the best professional I can be. It's a great club to be a part of and see the positive aspects of it. It could be worse.”
Comments