Liverpool are building up to the Thursday night game against Wolves, with Jurgen Klopp holding his press conference today. Oh and new transfer rumours, too.
Reds join chase for Lille man Soumare
A host of Premier League teams have been rumoured to be in for Boubakary Soumare this winter—but a move away from Lille appears remote now before the end of the month.
Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been keen, but now Liverpool have also been mentioned in conjunction with a potential summer move.
French outlet Le10 Sport say the Reds are ready to challenge their domestic rivals for the energetic midfielder’s signature.
Soumare has been rated at between £30m and £60m, depending on the publication you choose to believe, and it’s well-known that Lille must sell one big-money player per summer in line with their investor plans.
Team-mate of Soumare, Victor Osimhen, is another who has been linked with the Reds – he’s a forward.
Klopp ready for Reds’ next test
The boss has been preparing the boys for our next league fixture, the away trip to Wolves.
It’s a tough place to go and a tough team to face, but the Reds have shown extraordinary consistency this term and this should be but the next challenge to face the same way.
The best news of the presser was that Fabinho is looking in great shape and is getting closer to starting a game – though we’ll see whether that comes midweek or in the FA Cup against Shrewsbury at the weekend.
There’s praise, too, for Alisson as Klopp explains his personal traits which make him such a perfect No. 1, as well as his thoughts on the goalkeeper’s outrageous knee-slide celebration against Man United!
As usual, we have the entire press conference available for you to see.
Nothing but positive
Everything surrounding the Reds appears to be good news this week!
- Incredible stats underline Joe Gomez‘s importance and elite form after return from injury
- Fellow centre-back Dejan Lovren has returned to training, so we could perhaps see him return at the weekend too
- And Oxlade-Chamberlain explains perfectly why this team is built for sustained success well beyond just this season
Talented youngsters, but not for us
Rafa Camacho is still in touch with Jurgen Klopp, say Portuguese outlet A Bola, having left the Reds in the summer for Sporting CP.
Seemingly, the pair have a great relationship and “speak regularly” by phone.
Don’t read too much into it in terms of a transfer back to Anfield, but it’s another indication of the manager’s approach, going well beyond being just a coach in the dressing room and taking a full interest in his players’ lives.
Meanwhile, one which won’t be happening is the Reds signing Brazilian talent Reinier, who has now joined Real Madrid.
It might have been different though, with the Reds cited as one of several clubs who tried to agree a move with his agent before the Spanish side closed the deal.
There’s no suggestion a move was ever close, and it’s no surprise to see the Reds keeping tab on talented youngsters.
Quickfire LFC news
- The Reds are linked with 16-year-old striker Jude Bellingham, currently of Birmingham City (football.london)
- Mario Balotelli had a £1m “good conduct” clause in his Liverpool contract, awarded if he didn’t get three red cards in a season. Maybe he thought it was for if he didn’t get three goals in a season? (The Athletic)
- 17-year-old winger Pedro Brazao is a January target for the Reds; he’s a winger with Nice in France (RMC Sport)
- And Dortmund have made a list of replacements for Jadon Sancho ahead of an expected summer departure, with Liverpool and Chelsea still at the front of that supposed queue (Mail)
Around the Prem
- Wolves are faced with being without Jota (dead leg), Ruben Vinagre (hamstring) and Wily Boly (fracture) for the game against the Reds, though Jota could return (FourFourTwo)
- Spurs want Gareth Bale on loan but his agent says the idea is “ridiculous,” though didn’t specify whether he was talking about going on loan or going back to Spurs (BBC Sport)
- Man United have made their 748th breakthrough in talks with Sporting over a move for Bruno Fernandes. Is he the new Nicolas Gaitan yet? (Mirror)
Misplaced comment of the day
“He is the best left-sided central defender in the world.”—Pep Guardiola on the returning Aymeric Laporte.
Liverpool’s No. 4 waves hello from his lofty perch, 13 points above Laporte and Co.
Tweet of the day
Ex-Newcastle full-back Olivier Bernard, complete with really weird Twitter handle, pays special homage to Divock’s favourite goalkeeper after yet another howler.
??? it’s 2-2 at #Everton tonight . Great result and a big thnak you to @JPickford1 pic.twitter.com/u63I57saYK
— olivier bernard (@seedorf77) January 21, 2020
What we’re reading
Have you seen Rayan Cherki play yet? If not, you’re in for a treat when Lyon next cross your screens. The 16-year-old is a huge talent, though this piece from Goal’s Robin Bairner cautions him from following the path of a player he has been likened to: Hatem Ben Arfa.
And for the Athletic, Adam Hurrey presents an A-Z of the transfer window, including “W” for “warchest” and “wantaway striker,” because that’s what January is all about.
Worth watching tonight
Nobody wants to be bored to tears by United vs. Burnley, let’s face it. The best game of the night isn’t on TV, Spurs vs. Norwich. So grab a stream or fly overseas for the evening for a 7:30pm kick-off. Juve vs. Roma is your Coppa Italia offering at 7:45pm on BT Sport 3.
Fan Comments