With nine years under his belt at Anfield, Joe Gomez has done it all as a Liverpool player.

Going from a hesitant left back and juvenile rookie to a centre back who won a title, a long-term absentee, and most recently a hybrid defender who pulls strings in midfield, Gomez has been through a lot since signing with Liverpool from Charlton Athletic in 2015 when he was 18 years old.

The Londoner’s durability is a reflection of his quality and mindset at the forefront of the game; he is the sole player on the present Liverpool squad who was there before Jurgen Klopp arrived in October 2015. To hear that the long-serving Gomez won’t be 27 until the current Premier League season comes to a close may come as a surprise to some, but what’s even more surprising is seeing him thrive in yet another position within the Reds’ roster.

Gomez has been playing like a raging full-back in recent weeks, getting closer and closer to that elusive first goal for the Reds, after nearly 200 games without a single chance.

After coming in as a substitute for Kostas Tsimikas in the first half of the most recent match with Arsenal, the defender cut inside the penalty area and curled a right-footed shot just past of David Raya’s left-hand post, the player’s closest opportunity throughout his lengthy stay.

With the lengthy wait having ended in such style during a key game in the Premier League’s title bаttle, the shot would have rocked a new-look Anfield to its foundations and had Klopp been beaming.

Although he has carved out a number of niches for himself over his time with Liverpool, ‘the goalscoring defender’ is not one of them; rather, he is there to help ease the pressure on the forwards. He was completely serious when he told reporters after Burnley’s game that he hasn’t even considered how he will celebrate when the long wait is over.

With Joel Matip out for the season after undergoing surgery for a long-term knee ιnjury, Andy Robertson and Tsimikas out with shoulder and collarbone injuries, and Trent Alexander-Arnold seeing more playing time in the midfield, there is a school of thinking that Gomez is now crucial to Liverpool’s ambitious plans for the 2024 season. It is evident that Klopp believes in this theory.

“He can play all the positions at the back and that is very important,” Klopp adds. He had a poor year prior, but he is performing at a high level again this year. Perhaps he is still relatively young and hence performing at his peak right now. Crаzy as it may sound, he is simply a crucial player for us.

Gomez has already seen action at right back, left back, and center back this season. He has also played a version of the “Trent role,” a nаme that has become colloquially used to describe the right-sided full-back’s responsibilities around Liverpool as an extra midfielder when the team has the ball in their hands. His class and adaptability have allowed him to excel in every position for a squad that has the greatest Premier League defensive record going into their visit from Newcastle United on New Year’s Day.

However, if you were to ask Gomez, “Where do you see me playing the most? I’m at center back,” he would tell you straight out. The former Charlton teenager, who has been rumored to be interested in Tottenham Hotspur, has always wаnted to play for Liverpool, but he is willing to deputize elsewhere if needed. With the fierce competition for spots at Anfield, it would be surprising if he tried to leave or at least covertly plotted his departure in pursuit of more playing time.

Even if he had, the idea never made it past the AXA Training Centre or Melwood offices where Klopp is based.

“I think Joe is absolutely at home here so that is the No.1 reason (he is still here),” Klopp remarked. Joe has been here for nine years or more, and I don’t know the exact number of games he has played in with his current level of fitness; it has nothing to do with Brendan Rodgers or me. Joe was playing regularly when I got here, but I’m not sure how many injuries he has suffered throughout that time.

Afterwards, he returned from international duty while the under-19s or under-21s were hurt. However, he had extensive action in our most successful seasons, often starting at center back alongside Virgil van Dijk (albeit not exclusively; he also likely played alongside Joel and Dejan Lovren).

“He never came to my office and asked, ‘Can I go?'” Klopp continues later. Not at all. Prior to reaching that stage, it was always resolved. We worked out a new contract, and he was eager to sign and remain. More than anything else, I believe it is because he and his wife truly believe he is Liverpool at his core.

“He knows that in his time with his injuries that if you go somewhere and get injured you are just a different player but here he is still our boy and we will deal with it and you have all time to get back and that is a positive as well.”

Given that Tsimikas will be sidelined for some time after breаking his collarbone against Arsenal, and that Robertson is still recovering from surgery, Gomez will likely be tҺrust back into the starting lineup at left back, the position in which he first found success when playing for Liverpool.

Even if he is about to play a pivotal role in the club’s strategy, at least this is a role he is already familiar with.