New Liverpool boss Slot ‘unconvinced’ by defender

Liverpool host Spanish side Sevilla in their final friendly of the summer on Sunday. 

Arne Slot’s side have won all three of their pre-season games so far this summer, beating Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United.

The Dutchman will be pleased with his side’s performances so far, but it has now emerged that he is not entirely happy with one of his defenders.

According to Football Insider, the former Ajax boss is ‘unconvinced’ by central defender Ibrahima Konate.

The Frenchman has only recently returned to Slot’s squad after representing his country at the European Championships earlier this summer, but the report claims that the new Reds boss ‘doesn’t fancy’ the centre-back.

Konate, 25, joined Liverpool from German side RB Leipzig three years ago and has since made a total of 90 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions.

Konate has failed to impress new Liverpool boss Arne Slot so far this summer

The France international made his first pre-season appearance of the summer during Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Man United but, despite the scoreline, Konate was criticised by supporters for his unconvincing performance.

Slot is said to have so far been unconvinced by what he has seen from Konate, and the report claims that the Dutchman’s concerns stem from analysis of his performances both in matches and in training.

He is also said to be concerned by his patchy injury record, with the France international having missed more than 20 games for the club since arriving in England.

Konate is currently contracted to Liverpool until the summer of 2026, but the report suggests that the club are considering a move for a new central defender in the closing weeks of the transfer window.

If they do sign a new centre-back, it would undoubtedly cast further doubt over the future of Konate.