‘I will leave…’ – Liverpool player confirms he won’t renew rapidly expiring Anfield contract | OneFootball

One Liverpool player has confirmed that he ‘will leave’ the Merseyside club at the end of his contract in the summer.

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Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson are just four months away from the expiry of their current deals, while fellow first-team squad members Freddie Woodman and Trey Nyoni are also on course to depart after this season as things stand.

Someone else at the club who’s approaching the conclusion of his terms is Oakley Cannonier – who shot to fame for quickly throwing the ball to Trent Alexander-Arnold before that corner kick against Barcelona in 2019 – and the now 21-year-old has signalled his intentions for a fresh start elsewhere.

Cannonier says he ‘will leave’ Liverpool in the summer

In an interview with The Athletic, the young striker indicated that he won’t be renewing his contract at Liverpool, having struggled badly for game-time due to persistent hamstring injuries and duly being overtaken by other positional peers in the underage ranks.

He spoke candidly about his situation on Merseyside, saying: “I will leave at the end of the season and am just looking for regular games. With my age, that is all I want to be doing.

“The last 18 months have been really difficult with no games to look forward to. You train all week and then there is nothing at the end of it. It’s been pretty crap.”

Image via Blood Red: Liverpool FC on YouTube

Cannonier’s career at Liverpool had stalled after injury woe

Since an extraordinary season in the Under-18 Premier League in 2021/22, when he scored 28 goals in 26 games and had gone on to sign a professional contract, Cannonier has played just 22 times as injuries badly hindered his development (Transfermarkt).

He had a trial with Leeds just over a year ago and had been in line to start for their under-21 side, but a proposed transfer fell through after the Elland Road failed to secure their desired first-team target, so the youngster duly returned to Liverpool.

He’d previously spoken about his eagerness to be remembered as much more than just the ball boy who played a key role in one of Anfield’s most memorable goals, and considering that he’s only a year younger than Florian Wirtz, it’s entirely understandable that he wants to move forward in his career.

Having been overtaken by the likes of Jayden Danns for first-team recognition in the meantime, Cannonier evidently feels that a move is necessary in order to make that hithero elusive senior breakthrough.

While it’s a shame that his potential won’t get to be fully realised at Liverpool, it’s difficult not to feel that he’s making the right decision for his career by seeking a fresh start, and hopefully he can go on to thrive away from Merseyside and become known for much more than his quick thinking on the night of 7 May 2019.