Liverpool fans will forever love this £160,000/week maestro after major announcement

Yes, I have referred to Wijnaldum as a legend in the title. Anything less would be an insult to the Dutchman and everything that he has contributed to Liverpool Football Club over the last five years.

The 30-year-old has secured a move to Paris Saint-Germain where he will reportedly earn £160,000/week for the next three years.

It feels like just yesterday that Georginio Wijnaldum was posing with a Liverpool scarf and that delightful smile on his face that we have all come to love.

That photo was of course taken at the former training home of the Reds, Melwood Training Centre, just after Wijanldum made the switch from Newcastle for £25 million.

Wijnaldum was coming off the back of a good season with Newcastle United although they did end up getting relegated that year. It was obvious that Wijanldum was going to look for a move away from the club as Championship football was never in his future.

Where Wijnaldum would go was not certain, but eventually, he was swayed to move to Merseyside by Jurgen Klopp.

Fast forward and a lot has changed at the club since, including the switch to the new training ground, AXA Training Centre. Not to mention the club winning their first Premier League title in over 30 years, a feat that Wijnaldum must certainly take a lot of credit for.

Oh and the small matter of becoming a Champions League winner.

Wijnaldum was one of Klopp’s first major signings at the club and is one of the first to depart.

I still remember supporters debating how Wijnaldum would fit into the team. Back then, he featured as a number 10 for Newcastle and sometimes even played on the wing.

Many wondered if he would perhaps slot in behind Bobby Firmino, or even make some appearances on the wing to give Sadio Mane a break. As it turns out, Klopp saw him as a perfect 8.

It definitely took Gini some time to adjust to his new role, the first time in his career that a manager asked him to consistently play in the middle of the park. Once he found his feet, the former Feyenoord youngster settled into the role with ease.

Wijnaldum made 237 appearances for Liverpool, rarely missing a game in his five years on Merseyside.

Throughout that time, he scored 22 goals for the club, including some incredibly important goals.

His goals ranged from screamers to bullet headers, to chipping the keeper against Bournemouth. Wijnaldum always did a fantastic job of getting into the box from midfield and getting himself into goal scoring positions. His instinct was unmatched.

His instinctive header against AS Roma in the Champions League semi-final helped to send the Reds to Kiev where they, unfortunately, lost to Real Madrid. A year later, he scored two incredible goals at Anfield in the Champions League semi-final. Bringing his team back from a 3-0 deficit in what will go down as one of the most famous nights in Liverpool Football Club history.

Those goals would prove to be immensely important as Liverpool went on to win the Champions League final for the first time since 2005.

Apart from his goal scoring attributes, Wijnaldum was everything you could ask for in a midfielder. His ball retention and hold up play improved year by year. At some points, he would be surrounded by three or four players and still hold onto the ball.

His work rate, energy, and perseverance were some of the best of any Liverpool player. These were certainly some of his most valuable traits.

Wijnaldum will be dearly missed by everybody from his teammates, coaches, and certainly the club’s supporters. Klopp has already expressed his sadness over the departure as he called Wijnaldum an “astonishing person” and “one of the smartest players [he has] ever had the privilege to coach.”

That is certainly high praise from a manager who has coached a fair amount of world-class players in his time. His teammates have also said their goodbyes, acknowledging just how big of a presence he is in the dressing room.

The club also gave him a guard of honour in his last appearance for Liverpool FC, a game in which he captained the club.

Wijnaldum leaves a big gap in the starting 11 that has yet to be properly filled. Thiago will certainly look to fill the void in the wake of Gini’s departure. His replacements include Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Naby Keita. But with all three players having pretty bad fitness issues over the past couple of seasons, we might see Klopp bring in another player.

One thing is for certain, whoever replaces him has some big shoes to fill.

It is unfortunate that the club could not agree on a new contract with Georginio Wijnaldum but perhaps it was his time to leave. With two of the biggest club prizes in the world under his belt, he could not have hoped for a better Liverpool career.

It is certainly a sad moment for the club as the Gini song will never ring through the walls of Anfield again. With that being said, he left his mark on the club and will always have a place in the hearts of Liverpool supporters across the world.

I wish him all the best with his new team, PSG. I hope for Liverpool’s sake that we do not have to encounter him in future European games. But even if we do, it will be good to see him in action again, even if it is against his former club.