---
title: "Liverpool: Noel Whelan reacts to Naby Keita contract talks"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/liverpool-naby-keita-contract-gossip-news/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Daniel Clubbe"
section: "Liverpool News"
published: "2022-06-16T21:10:30Z"
modified: "2022-06-16T21:10:30Z"
---

# Liverpool: Noel Whelan reacts to Naby Keita contract talks

**Former [Premier League](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league-news/) striker Noel Whelan has been reacting to the news that [Liverpool](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/liverpool-fc-news/) are in contract talks with Naby Keita.**

### The lowdown: Contract talks

Signed for a then club-record £48m from RB Leipzig in July 2017 ([BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41075272)), the Guinea midfielder arrived on Merseyside 12 months later after a spell in the Bundesliga.

However, owing predominately to [injury woes](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/verletzungen/spieler/302215), the 27-year-old has had a mixed spell of peaks at troughs with the Reds, whilst making [116 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/302215/verein/31) for the club.

Fast approaching the final year of his contract at Anfield ([Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/profil/spieler/302215)), FSG are [reportedly](https://www.footballinsider247.com/liverpool-talks-keita-open/#comments-anchor) in talks to offer the Guinean a new deal, and one intrigued onlooker has had his say on that development…

### The latest: Inconsistency reigns

Speaking to [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/whelan-issues-spectacular-naby-keita-claim-as-liverpool-talks-open/), former Leeds striker Whelan has claimed that Keita’s sporadic levels of performance must come to an end after signing fresh terms with Liverpool.

The one-time [BBC Radio host](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p046dp4t) said: “We all expected a lot more from Keita. He’s been hit-and-miss. We’ve seen some spectacular performances, but also some average performances.

“He needs to work on his consistency and being a lot more involved in that midfield area. He’s got to command that area like Thiago does and like Wijnaldum did. Klopp obviously believes there is a player there and that he is capable of improving, or he wouldn’t be offering him a new contract.

“His aim in the next season has got to be to find that consistency in his game.”

\[freshpress-quiz id=”398089″\]

### The verdict: Spot on

Unfortunately for Keita, the [48-cap](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/nationalmannschaft/spieler/302215/verein_id/3856) Guinea captain has struggled to maintain his standards for prolonged spells since joining Liverpool, although fitness and injury [issues](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/verletzungen/spieler/302215) have often curtailed any progress.

Moreover, the dynamic midfielder has often gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, having won [consecutive Man of the Match awards](https://twitter.com/lfc/status/1204505817791303680?lang=en) in December 2019 but also [being hauled off](https://www.goal.com/en/news/klopp-first-half-keita-substitution-real-madrid-liverpool/120w4xbybnz751feiy1bbf5ctb) in the first half against Real Madrid in April 2021, rather underlining Whelan’s call for improved consistency.

\[freshpress-poll id=”399042″\]

Keita enjoyed a relatively clean bill of health in 2021/22 and as such [scored four times and provided three assists](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/leistungsdaten/spieler/302215) in 40 appearances across all competitions, the [highest number](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/302215/verein/31) of games that the Guinean has managed in a single campaign in four years at Anfield.

Despite the aforementioned inconsistency, tying him down beyond 2023 is somewhat of a no-brainer for the club, particularly in order to protect another asset, with both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah [rebelling](https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1619956/Liverpool-Sadio-Mane-Mohamed-Salah-400k-a-week-new-contracts-transfer-news-Jurgen-Klopp) against their own contract proposals.

***In other news…** [**a Premier League club has reportedly made an approach for one of Liverpool’s defenders**](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/liverpool-fc-news/liverpool-bournemouth-make-nat-phillips-approach-transfer-nunez-mane-salah-ramsay/)*