Liverpool’s iconic defender Joel Matip left Merseyside when his deal expired this summer and the Cameroon international is yet to find a new club.
Matip signed for Liverpool on a free transfer from Schalke 04 in 2016 and made over 200 appearances for the Reds before his contracted ended in June.
Whilst at the club, Matip won the UEFA Champions League, the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup whilst also earning cult hero status at Anfield for his adventurous dribbles out of the backline and his comedic appearances in the club’s promotional material online.
Although there have been a number of clubs interested in picking up the 33-year-old central defender on a free transfer, it looks as though the ex-Liverpool man could now be set for a Premier League return.
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Matip’s Premier League return
According to Ruhr24, West Ham are now interested in bringing Matip to the London Stadium to bolster their defence.
The Hammers’ club captain, Kurt Zuma, left the club this summer to join Saudi Pro League side
Al-Orobah FC and Thilo Kehrer, Nayef Aguerd and Angelo Ogbona also left the club either permanently or on loan.
West Ham did sign Max Kilman for a close to club-record fee and also brought in Jean-Clair Todibo on loan from Nice but more defensive reinforcements seem to be on the cards in East London.
Why hasn’t Matip found a club yet?
Although the defender was an icon at Anfield, his final season in Merseyside was spoiled by cruciate ligament tear he sustained in December that would rule him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Matip hasn’t played a single minute of football since then and his current injury status is unknown. This could be a reason that, despite a lot of interest, he is yet to sign for a new club.
The 27-capped Cameroonian suffered a number of injuries in his final years at Liverpool and teams could be worried about his availability.
Although Matip is without a club for now, he could soon be heading back to the Premier League and could even make a return to Anfield when Liverpool take on West Ham in the third round of the Carabao Cup on 25 September.
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