Liverpool have no games, no new injury concerns, no complaints aimed our way from rival managers and no press conferences – what a strange week compared to the rest of the season!
New contract offer “certain” for Salah
Liverpool are “certain to offer” Mohamed Salah a new contract in the coming months, according to a well-placed journalist.
Goal.com’s Neil Jones says the Reds know the full value they get from the Egyptian King and will reward him with an extended stay accordingly, despite the recent headlines which have been made about a potential departure.
Salah continues to be the Reds’ primary goal threat and is the Premier League‘s top scorer this season, after scoring twice off the bench at the weekend.
He has over a century of goals for Liverpool already and is the top earner at the club, reportedly earning £200k-a-week, with two-and-a-half years left on that contract.
If the news is confirmed, it means we can likely expect to see the renewal in the first half of 2021, as Liverpool won’t want to risk his value and contract decreasing in the way that Gini Wijnaldum‘s has been allowed to.
Three players on the January hit-list!
Or not, perhaps. The January transfer rumours are even harder to believe than the summer ones, simply because there’s so rarely any big action which goes on. Van Dijk and Coutinho was very much an outlier year, with the usual approach being a low-key, surprise integration – as with Takumi Minamino a year ago – or nothing at all.
That hasn’t stopped the rumour mills from churning out Liverpool’s supposed interest today, with three fairly high-profile, varying possibilities put forward.
First and most ludicrous is the Mirror saying the Reds now have “come to the table” with their interest in Aston Villa‘s Jack Grealish. After signing a new contract in summer he’s rated at over £100 million, but we apparently hope “the prospect of Champions League football” could tempt him and we are “monitoring” him amid “claims Mo Salah is unhappy.”
So, excluding the above-mentioned new deal for Salah, we’re looking at a £100m creative player who plays on the left or as a 10 to replace our right-sided goalscoring forward who scores around four times as many? Makes sense.
Then there’s talk over a Divock Origi-Ozan Kabak swap deal, with Schalke absolutely rubbish, needing a striker and needing to raise funds, plus the Belgian striker having wiped his LFC-related social media accounts.]
And finally, one which makes more sense than most: Lille are under pressure to sell senior players and Liverpool are keen on Sven Botman. That’s from FootMercato which makes it less reliable than Harry Maguire clearing a cross, but Lille will sell several players next year, he’s an excellent young defender, he’s absolutely massive and could be available for around €30m.
Lille only paid €8m in the summer, but still.
Christmas and Covid
Where are you in the world? A tier 4 town, a safe haven? Stuck on your own or fortunate with family? We’re all in it together this year and the Reds are doing their part.
- The senior squad made their usual visit to Alder Hey hospital – albeit remotely this time, to bring cheer to the kids
- More coronavirus testing for clubs is on the way, as the country battles with another wave and another strain
- And young left-back Owen Beck has been picked out as one to watch by his Academy coach
Quickfire LFC news
- Here are all the stats and numbers around our Academy teams so far this term (TIA)
- The Reds will add a versatile youngster to the Academy set-up from Birmingham in the new year (Times)
- Jason McAteer says injuries are par for the course because of how successful Liverpool have become (Goal)
- And the Reds have banked the full £142 million for Coutinho now (Echo)
Around the Prem
- John Stones will be given a new Man City contract in the quickest turnaround of opinion at the club since Carlos Tevez would ‘never play for them again’ (Telegraph)
- Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid will talk with David Alaba in January after he opted against a Bayern renewal (Mail)
- Arsenal aim to solve their goalscoring woes by signing Maxi Gomez in January, a few months on from agreeing to shell out £600k-a-week on Willian and Auba to do exactly that (Mirror)
- And Sheffield United will use the lure of their two-point Premier League haul to convince Jesse Lingard and Omar Colley to sign in January (YL)
Stupid ‘pundit’ of the day
How bad is Garth Crooks? He’s been rubbish for ages but picking Joel Matip in his Team of the Week for a performance against Spurs – where he didn’t even play – is a new low!
You think you’ve seen it all in 2020 but then Garth Crooks describes the scary moments Joël Matip had during a game he didn’t play in. No context, indeed. pic.twitter.com/Kf5INEAX2P
— Andrew Beasley (@BassTunedToRed) December 21, 2020
Video of the day
There’s something that the Kop wants you to know…!
What we’re reading
Diego Maradona: Wild tales and untold stories from those who knew him best, on the Athletic.
And a discussion on ‘football intelligence’ and whether players can develop that trait, on the Guardian.
Worth watching tonight
Arsenal v Man City at 8 if you want domestic action in the cup or Juve v Fiorentina in Serie A 15 minutes earlier if you don’t.
Fan Comments