On a Thursday we’d normally be looking at press conferences, match buildup and transfer rumours; instead it’s memories, planning hopes and, erm, transfer rumours.
Liverpool’s Milot Rashica interest ‘confirmed’
Rumours surfaced over the Reds wanting Milot Rashica several months ago and now that interest has been deemed genuine by the Kosovan Football Federation president.
Rashica, a regular for the national team, is wanted by the Reds and Leipzig according to Agim Amedi.
The Werder Bremen man is allowed to leave for £13m if his team are relegated before mid-June, according to one report, placing him in the same ‘value’ bracket as Xherdan Shaqiri was.
With the Swiss winger likely to leave and Adam Lallana another probable departure, attacking midfield is one area the Reds might look to bolster one way or another this summer.
Every Reds game live?
The latest proposals for restarting English football in the post-coronavirus pandemic era include a suggestion to have every single remaining game screened live.
That includes both Premier League and Championship matches, in a bid to help the public stay at home and stay entertained whenever possible.
Six of our last nine games were already due to be screened, but it could now be all nine—plus whichever other clubs and players you fancy keeping a close eye on.
It’s not yet certain to be the case, nor whether they’ll all be on Sky and BT or club YouTube channels, Amazon or something else entirely.
Neutral stadiums and plenty of other topics are all still under consideration for Project Restart.
Happy ‘corner taken quickly’ Anniversary!
A year ago today, Anfield’s greatest European night ocurred: our immaculate, improbable, incredible 4-0 comeback win over Barcelona, en-route to European Cup number six.
- Ten things you might not remember about that night
- Reds players and staff relive their greatest night
- And Klopp pays tribute to his team wanting to be in the very centre of the tension and the stressful situations which lead to glory
Leagues restart latest news
The German Bundesliga is now confirmed to start back up on 16 May, with the Revierderby one of the first games to be played as Schalke play Borussia Dortmund.
While it’s an exciting game to look forward to, the absence of fans at a major derby fixture will serve to underline the difference in the sport immediately after the coronavirus pandemic.
In the Premier League, clubs are to discuss a variety of staggered kick-off times, which could include Saturday afternoon after the long-standing (and ridiculously outdated) blackout was lifted.
Quickfire LFC news
- Gerrard has spoken of Klopp’s approach to fitness and his own managerial career (TIA)
- Rio Ferdinand has praised the influential presence of Jordan Henderson in the Reds team (Mirror)
- Chelsea rookie Fikayo Tomori has named Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino as his toughest opponents (football.london)
- And here’s the story of John W. Henry’s phone call to Klopp after the Barcelona match (Echo)
Around the Prem
- Juventus are hoping to sign Jorginho from Chelsea for €40m, leaving Sarri in danger of being known as the Italian Harry Redknapp. Jorginho would be Niko Kranjcar, obviously (National)
- Spurs want Thomas Meunier from PSG, as Jose Mourinho continues his desperate search for anyone and everyone to play instead of Serge Aurier (Le Parisien)
- Man United might wait another year to sign Jadon Sancho, which means many more headlines ahead suggesting he’s now opted to join Liverpool/Man City/Real Madrid/etc (Mirror)
- Roma want to sign Mkhitaryan permanently but also want Arsenal to keep paying his wages, because nothing says “we want you” like not thinking a player is worth the dosh (ESPN)
Stupid headline of the day
“Loris Karius is returning to Liverpool to see out the final two years of his contract,” say BBC Sport, citing Sport Witness.
What Sport Witness actually report Karius’ agent saying: “He is now returning to Liverpool where he still has two years of the contract. We haven’t discussed what we will do in the future. Let’s see what will happen.'”
Spot the difference.
Tweet of the day
.@MoSalah knew ? pic.twitter.com/Dc9Em4ZLWz
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 7, 2020
What we’re reading
The Scottish Leo Messi hasn’t exactly hit his potential yet, but Ryan Gauld tells the Guardian that the moniker made people have certain expectations beyond his control.
And if you’re looking for a Bundesliga team to follow when the action resumes, here’s a club-by-club guide to help you choose, on the Telegraph.
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