Joe Gomez sparked a lot of speculation ahead of the summer window

The England international has been at the center of surprising rumors linking him to Real Madrid heading into the summer transfer window – with Aston Villa, he says, another of his niggles – but the defender opted to sign a new five-year deal with the Reds.

What did Joe Gomez say?

Joe Gomez insists that it was an easy choice, with little attention given to speculation suggesting the player might head to Spain. The Englishman faces stiff competition for Anfield spots from Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, but the man with 11 English caps has never considered leaving Merseyside for Madrid or the West Midlands.

The England defender said he can’t argue, he’s heard of the rumors but until things are concrete with his representatives, he’s taking it all with a pinch of salt. Any interest is flattering, but Joe doesn’t really see how much of a distraction this is because until he understands his decision, outside noise is just that – outside. According to Joe Gomez, once he has figured out what he wanted to do, his signing is an understanding of the problem and the desire to climb it.

Gomez must take on the challenge

Joe found playing time hard to come by last season, with the man who had previously worked his way back from a cruciate ligament injury and a broken leg, putting himself back in contention for minutes after eight months on the sidelines with a patellar tendon problem. The Englishman has been awarded just four PL starts in 2021-22 and just 21 appearances, but believes a regular role can be secured in Klopp’s plans.

Joe said he could understand why people thought he would consider moving on, 100% sure. It’s obvious from his age now and based on his ability in the past, he definitely had to make a decision. Gomez believes they may be seeing this at a crossroads, but speaking to the club, he knew it was a big decision for him.

Joe Gomez says it’s fundamental that the opportunity he has here and the venue and the chance to be at this club is one that’s hard to walk away from. Basically, it was Joe who accepted the fact that he had to take on the challenge.