Free Friday & LFC News, Media and Transfer Roundup – April 7th, 2023
The Need for Patience, Scoreboard Pressure & Tensions Running High
Free Friday will cover our work across The Tomkins Times’ Substack network, with it running via an opt-in or opt-out newsletter on The Main Hub (where almost all of the community commenting takes place), but covering TTT’s four sub-Substacks, or spokes.
Also make sure you check out Daniel Zambartas’ media round-up, which will be added to best of TTT from the previous week.
Best Comment of the Week
Colm makes his first appearance in this section with this sobering and articulate breakdown after the Chelsea draw - and what we need to see for the rest of the season.
Ouch, that was a painful watch. A point at Chelsea is no bad result but was probably more than we deserved!
Changes were inevitable after the last game, and that being only a couple of days ago but it made us look even less of a cohesive unit than we have all season.
I must say I do struggle to see what the game plan is at the moment - I just don't get what we are trying to do, how we are trying to create chances. In past seasons it felt obvious, and we'd repeat the same sort of moves over and over again until we broke through. But this season we look devoid of ideas or patterns. It seems to be 1 of 3 things. Hope Trent pings a great pass. Give it Salah the ball and hope for a bit of magic. Or, the only thing we had last night, give it to Darwin, hopefully with space for him to run and see what chaos he can cause. I really hope that is just a case of low confidence in the team and a lack of time together (training and playing) for the attack to gel. The faltering press plays it's part too.
As has been talked about by everyone on here the midfield is so tough to watch. It is so easy to play and run passed. To be fair, we struggled against the likes of Kante and Kovacic in our heyday so it was inevitable we would yesterday. But it is still painful to watch :( And ending with Hendo, Fab and Milner, in 2023, isn't ideal.
And I don't see how it gets any better before the end of the season. Once Bajcetic got injured it was always going to be this way, no one can run and, more surprisingly (but likely down to the accumulated fatigue), no one can win a duel. It is quite incredible watch how many half tackles we put in or how many times it looks like we've got our bodies in the right position only to either be shrugged off or to lose the tackle. It might just be nostalgia clouding my view but I always felt we snapped into tackles and bullied players off the ball. Now we are the bullied.
Saying all that about the midfield, I thought Jones was ok last night. He wasn't pulling up trees but it is hard to do that in this team at the moment. I was glad he got a start, performed ok and with fight. He isn't small and he isn't slow so it feels like we could do with him in the final part of the season. And it is getting to make or break time for him. Hopefully he makes that leap Paul has been talking about all young players making - it would be timely if he made his now!
What I'd like to see between now and the end of the season is some really fight and determination because it is all too meek at the moment and that worries me. Yes there are mitigating circumstances but I do worry about us not having enough fighters or nasty bastards or whatever you want to call them. I'm not talking about being dirty or cheating, I'm talking about having the real fight and determination to win, that aggression to take it on. We used to have lots of players with that (and who were young enough to deliver on that) but do we have that at the moment?
Sadio used to have it - look how he carried us in games towards the end of last season.
Hendo used to have it but his body doesn't seem able to do it anymore.
But who has it and the capability to deliver on it now? Diaz? He seems like a fighter. Jota fights but looks way off it at the moment. Darwin, maybe but looks more like a hothead than someone that can channel it at the moment. Gakpo, looks classy but pretty chilled. Salah, never been a fighter in the aggressive tackling sense but can deliver that magic. Then elsewhere in the team, VVD? Leader by example rather than aggressive (some saying that is his downfall this season). Matip, Gomez, no. Trent, maybe but looks too heavy footed to snap in and drive the team. Robbo, yes, still gets stuck in and up and at people. Konate, probably but looks to be lacking clarity with the mess around him. But in midfield? Fab loses duel after duel he used to win. Hendo is no longer in the positions he used to get in to put the tackles in. Elliot, tries but at the moment is too small, slow and not yet strong enough. Keita, running in treacle. Etc. Baj, could be, he does seem to love a tackle.
Anyway, I'm rambling now. I just want to see effort and shoots for next season. And I want to know we aren't going to be too soft, that we are going to be a team full of battlers with that insatiable will to win!
TTT Main Hub
Reacting to the Reds’ defeat away at Manchester City, the first analysis on the Main Hub looked at the crucial need for Liverpool to revamp the midfield because without doing that the whole unit won’t function properly.
As with Díaz a year earlier, getting Gakpo wasn't about not knowing signings in other areas were needed, but getting in early for an available bargain, with Firmino likely to depart (and ageing out).
My frustration is how people think that Liverpool don't seem to know that.
I get that this season has been tough; but I don't get how people can't see the plans to improve things.
I understand impatience, but sometimes you have to wait for the good things in life.
I get that being 8th right now is not what anyone wants, but dips happen, especially after hitting incredible highs, year after year.
I did worry around the time of the 3-0 Brighton defeat, when the team was old and slow, but Jürgen Klopp then picked younger players, and stated that he knew the team needed fresh blood, and he wasn't just picking the older guys on sentiment.
He'll be ruthless. If you listen to him, he makes sense.
Everyone at Liverpool knows what's needed, it's just never as simple as just clicking a button as it is on Football Manager.
The second piece of the week focused on a number of pledges made by Paul to Klopp and the subscribers on TTT.
8. It could be that Klopp's playing and training style is more conducive to injuries, as it's about intensity and pushing the envelope. This is to make up for the lack of resources compared to the financially-doped or oligarchy-backed clubs, when playing as many (and sometimes more) games than them. Liverpool had got better at 'resting' in possession in recent seasons. But the team made too many tired mistakes earlier in the season, when trying to conserve energy. Even so, there needs to be an inquest across medical, physio, conditioning, etc., to work out why this season was so bad – beyond the preseason difficulties and things like collision/fall injuries, where no one (apart from perhaps an opponent) is to blame. Similar issues were seen in 2020/21, after a similarly disrupted preseason, and the Reds came back stronger in 2021/22. (Edit: it must be a challenge to constantly train and play with a high-intensity over long periods of time and not get injuries, but obviously work needs to be done on finding a way. I’m not sure a lower-intensity style would work as effectively, and it’s difficult without truly massive resources to rotate players without a drop in quality.)
9. Liverpool have experienced scoreboard and league-table pressure this season due to the jaded start to the season, and often not had the extra energy to overcome; especially after five full years of going full-tilt, to overachieve almost every single season. Starting games slowly and ending them struggling is a sign of fitness/energy issues, and obviously football becomes more tiring when you're losing and chasing the ball. Again, read about Rice and Brown (not brown rice), as their experiences were very revealing.
10. Liverpool needed new midfielders last summer, and as I've noted before, nearly got Aurélien Tchouaméni (who chose Real Madrid for the same fee paid), tried hard for Jude Bellingham (which continues and may pay off this summer), and got caught up in agent shenanigans over Moises Caicedo. By January, Liverpool had several strikers out with long-term injuries. As such, getting in Cody Gakpo early made total sense, even if a midfield solution had to wait to the summer; but by then, Stefan Bajcetic was a genuine midfield option. If waiting for the ideal midfielder pays off this summer, it'll be worth it, even if there's short-term harm in the interim. As it transpired, the emergence of Bajcetic was a real joy in 2023.
The Zen Den
Paul’s first Zen Den piece was brief but important, and quoted subscriber “whits” about the need for perspective and the ridiculous expectations now in modern football.
When you think about it, football fan expectations are ludicrous, and getting worse each year. You’re not allowed to lose a game any more (yes we’ve lost more than one, but stay with me). We used to live in a time whereby we looked to the European leagues and laughed at the trigger happy nature of clubs sacking managers, fans waving white handkerchiefs to show their displeasure at the coach. We have become that and worse. Now a manager is under pressure after 10 games if they don’t start well. My point is you can’t even have a bad run of games, let alone a bad season.
In American sports, it’s acceptable to a point for teams tank for a season (at least I believe that’s the phrase) in an attempt to position themselves in the forthcoming draft to get the best young talent in to the team. I know we don’t have a draft system, but we have an academy system and transfer market to rebuild our teams.
The second article was about how tough it has been for Liverpool this season, in the pressure cooker of a long football season - and how teams who had extended seasons last year have dropped off significantly this campaign.
Tensions are running high at Liverpool, there appear to have been bust-ups, but it's par for the course. How would you not have them, in the situation?
Maybe that's why dressing rooms are so famously fractious.
Adding coaching staff and the others, there are up to 40 blokes (mostly, but with some female physios, etc), probably sick of the sight of each other. Cliques form naturally, and then you get divides. Blame is natural, even if just as a defensive mechanism. Things will get said that are hard to take back; that's life.
Teams seem to break down in the much the same way.
Reading about Leicester's season in The Athletic this week could have been about Liverpool's.
Rodgers did not get the players in he felt he needed in 2022. It seems he lost the dressing room to some degree, yet he was (bar the 5,000-1 one-off in 2016) the most consistently successful Leicester manager of all-time if you look at finishing 5th, 5th, 8th, winning a first-ever FA Cup and reaching a European semi.
The Transfer Hub
Mizgan took an in-depth look at a potential free signing for Liverpool, with young French defender N’Dicka on the Reds’ radar.
Daniel Zambartas’ LFC News, Media & Transfer Round-Up
LFC interviews
Jurgen Klopp on Chelsea draw
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/jurgen-klopps-verdict-chelsea-0-0-liverpool
“It’s a point gained. It's an away game; this was not the most spectacular 0-0 I ever saw. I saw two of them – Liverpool v Chelsea – last year, the two finals, [they were] absolutely insane. Very similar teams I would say, but completely different football because of a different level of confidence for both teams.
“This was the fight we have to show tonight, this was the way we have to start our development again. We cannot now hope – because we did a couple of things that were absolutely not like they should have been – that we fixed it overnight. I decided to make six changes, that always against a good football team can be a problem.
“Three of them in the back line as well, which is obviously a real challenge for the players and we could see in the first few minutes they went direct, playing behind the last line, [and] we had a few problems there. Apart from that, they had their chances after we lost balls in moments where you just cannot lose balls. It's now a problem we keep a little bit, that's not good, but the recovery after that, the desire to sort the situation, I liked.
“Nil-nil, not the most spectacular one but a step for us. A little step, but a step in the right direction.
“For now, it is not about finding big explanations or whatever, it's about putting the hard work in – and that's what the boys did tonight. That's what I liked about the game. As I said, it is not a game people will write books about but it is a point for us and it is one more than before and I can easily live with that.”
Curtis Jones post Chelsea interview
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/curtis-jones-return-xi-point-chelsea-and-kicking
"I was decent," the Scouser assessed in a post-match interview with Liverpoolfc.com. "I've been out for, say, 15 weeks and it's been an up-and-down time.
"I was steady, I was keeping the ball, I wasn't trying to do too much. It was good to be out there with the team and I'll see what the rest of the season looks like.
"The more I play, the better I am. As I said, it's been a hard time but now I'm back, so I'm excited."
On the game itself, Jones reflected: "We've not been on the best of runs, it's been a difficult time for myself and the whole of the team.
"Getting a point here is hard but we've come here, done a job and it's a step – I wouldn't call it the right direction because we wanted to come here and take all three – but a point's a point and we kick on."
Curtis Jones interview with The Athletic
https://theathletic.com/4384329/2023/04/06/curtis-jones-liverpool-future/
“It [Liverpool signing new players in the summer] doesn’t faze me,” Jones, now 22, tells The Athletic. “I don’t care [who we sign]. I am a confident lad and I know that I have the backing of the staff here.
“If they turn around and say they think I need to leave or go out on loan then there are options there that I already know of anyway. Then I can show I am good enough to come back. But we’ll see. I am not worried about that.
“It’s not something that we have spoken about at all. It’s not like they have said, ‘Look, we’re going to buy him, you might have to leave, you might have to do this or do that’. I am here to play. I still back myself to succeed here. Of course I do.
On his injury issues: “It’s a stress response on the bone here (points towards his ankle),” Jones says. “It’s still the same thing. It’s just going and coming back again. It’s so frustrating.
“They have said it is something they have never seen before. It came back three times. It’s been a difficult time, but the staff have handled it well. There is a specialist on board now, so we just follow the plan.
“I’ve been on a schedule where I am only allowed to train for four days on the pitch and then I have to have a day off. So if the day off comes at the same time as a game (as it did last Saturday, when Liverpool played Manchester City) then I can’t do much.
“You just rest it. In terms of the pain and stuff now, that’s gone. It’s just about managing how much time I’m on the pitch, but it is hard because at the same time, if I don’t train then how can the manager pick me to play?”
“I’ve not had much luck. I’ve not really had the chance to come into the team and play. I understand the situation that the whole of the team is in and there’s not been a cup game for me to play. But I have given him [Klopp] a decent little cameo to think about.”
Jordan Henderson on Chelsea draw
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/jordan-henderson-we-showed-reaction-have-work-do
“Tough game. Both sides probably not on the highest level of confidence at the minute but we just wanted to come here and show a reaction to the last game, which I felt we did. I thought we made a fight of it, you could see the willingness to keep running, to keep working.
“We probably lacked a little bit of quality, to be honest, especially [in the] final third, I felt we got in some good positions [but the] last pass, last shot just wasn’t quite there tonight. But I think overall we gave it everything and we’ll have to take the point and move on.
“A clean sheet away at Chelsea is never easy, even though they’re not in the best moment, so we’ve got to take that positive and try to build, try to work on the attacking play and try to finish goals off.
“The inconsistency of the season hasn’t helped us, the weekend doesn’t help of course, so you’ve just got to keep working, you’ve got to keep digging in.
“There’s been flashes of brilliance in performances over the season but just not enough. Not enough consistency, the energy at times hasn’t looked quite there and there will be loads of different reasons for that. I don’t think there is just one reason that you can go, ‘Oh, that’s it or that’s it.’
“There will be a lot of noise from the outside but what is important is that you stay together, you stay positive within the dressing room and you don’t let outside influences affect what we’re trying to do.”
Diogo Jota interview with the club
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/diogo-jota-11-games-still-go-we-need-do-best-possible
“It’s been very hard, to be honest, this season personally.
“I wanted to give it a proper go and I was injured at the start of the season, then I came back and got injured again. And now at the last stage of the season when the team is already not fighting for anything [in terms of trophies], to find the momentum and find the rhythm even for myself [is difficult], but it’s a bit like the team at the moment.
“We need to qualify for something, and Champions League is still possible – it would be massive if we could do that.
“Luis Diaz brings a lot of energy to the team,” he said.
“The more options we have the better and in this group everyone has the ability to be helpful because we have quality in our group, and if we have more options then the better.”
Cody Gakpo interview (The Athletic)
https://theathletic.com/4383562/2023/04/05/liverpool-arsenal-gakpo-top-four/
“We need to show on Sunday that the gap isn’t as big as the table suggests,” Gakpo said.
“We’ve shown it in some games. Unfortunately, we didn’t show it in other games, but we need to show it again. We know what we’re capable of. It’s down to us.
“I believe we’ve got a great squad with a lot of quality. We have to be better away, but of course things are slightly different when you have the support of your home fans.
“We have to believe that the top four is still possible. The spirit is there. We have to give it our best try. It’s down to us as players to get the momentum going again.”
“The results haven’t been as good as we all hoped since I’ve been here but all the rest, I feel good,” Gakpo added.
“Everyone knows this is a big club. You have to play for prizes. That’s the mentality we have. This season hasn’t been the best season for the club, everyone can see that, but the mentality didn’t change. We just have to keep fighting and bring the season to a good end.
“Everyone helped me in the beginning to settle. I’m looking forward to working hard with the team, improving and winning games again.
“I’ve played almost all my games here in that false nine position. For me, it’s just a case of getting used to it. Whether that’s the long-term plan for me, you’d have to speak to the coach about that.
“Bobby (Firmino) is an amazing player and also an amazing person. He tries to help me (play that position) in any way he can and I really appreciate it.”
LFC media
Why Liverpool’s Players Need To Take Some Perspective (The Anfield Wrap)
https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2023/04/writing-liverpool-players-need-perspective/
“Part of me expected this. It may be new ground to younger Reds, but being inexplicably shit is eerily familiar to many of us. We’ve been far worse than this. That won’t come as much of a comfort, admittedly, but there we are. You can’t have the rainbow without the rain and all that.
“But this is also an age where any statement of ‘these things happen’ come with accusations of accepting mediocrity. Accepting mediocrity? Some of us had to applaud when Paul Konchesky was introduced to an ungrateful Kop at his first home game. This is nothing compared to that.
“It isn’t good, though. Confidence is so low that even a win against the Champions Elect (work with me here) would mean little. Only a few weeks ago we were putting seven past Manchester United.
“Since then, we’ve picked up one point from nine and we sort of got away with that one. Chelsea were kind enough to be equally dire last night. Even Anthony Taylor took pity on us. I can think of no lower moment than that.
“I suppose it must be easier to keep a good run going rather than arrest a bad one. Jürgen still faces the same squad this week that he did last. There’s nothing new for him to bring in. Just the same old knackered faces. Only the opposition changes. Our lads will still be hurting or, worse, scared.
“How do you draw a line under all this and start again?
“I don’t see how you can unless you have new players and that isn’t happening any time at all. We’re like one of those old ‘60s bands who tour even though half of their original lineup have long gone and been replaced by a teenager. Except none of our lads have been replaced. The songs are tired now, the performances lacking spark.”
Neil Atkinson on Chelsea draw (The Anfield Wrap)
https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2023/04/writing-chelsea-0-liverpool-0-review/
“Being relaxed about an away draw more often earlier this season would have made a ton of sense. Now? That’s a tougher sell for me. Partially because there is no proof that Liverpool are getting anything from Leeds, West Ham and Leicester, even before a big last day against Southampton.
“But everything has to start and end somewhere, and perhaps tonight can be another corner turned. Another reset started. Another restart setted. Being sceptical is understandable. It was, on paper, the toughest remaining away game by miles — them bringing Raheem Sterling on without 10 to go proof of that. It being a Saturday-Tuesday bounce on the road not good either.
“There has to be more than this, though. It has to improve. The concerns are many but one is they looked like a side on game 36, not 28.
“The substitutions should have made us better, more likely. They don’t. Yet simultaneously it seems wild that both Matip and Diogo Jota end the game on the pitch.
“Liverpool fought for each other. They dug each other out. They rode their luck. They fouled and scrapped like the best of them. They played away from home for 97 minutes. That this is noteworthy across the board is part of what has brought the current league table to pass.
“Come the end of the season, the question will be if this is a point and performance which is valuable for its sternness or lamentable for its lack of creativity. In January, the former would have been nailed on. Right now?
“Right now it is a slog, but we need to rouse ourselves for Sunday and we need to find a run. Those around and above us are nothing special, but did you see tonight? Did it feel special?
“It will need to be better. Ten to go. And we cannot rely on luck. We need judgement.”
Ex-Liverpool player Bolo Zenden on Chelsea draw
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/teams/liverpool
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001knph (Listen from minute 08’44)
"If you look at Liverpool, I guess they are the ones most happy with the points but both teams were very sloppy in their passing - they couldn’t get three, four passes together," Zenden told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It was awful to watch and sums up where both teams are at the minute.
"Jurgen Klopp has been so successful at the club, so I don’t believe there is trouble within the squad, as sometimes you get noises in the dressing room that they are unhappy with the manager and stuff.
"I don’t believe that is the case. He even said himself that even if I didn’t have these seasons I wouldn’t be here myself. He has got the success behind him but that doesn’t mean he will stay in the job forever.
"I guess they will have to go back to scratch and start all over again to get things freshened up with the team and sorted out over summer and make a new start."
Neil Jones on Diogo Jota’s struggles (Goal)
“He is now 31 games without a goal for his club, and hasn’t scored for anyone since netting Portugal’s fourth in a 4-0 win over the Czech Republic at the end of September.
“For a forward of such talent, and who has set such high standard previously, that is unacceptable. Even Havertz, as maligned as he has been, has scored nine times for Chelsea this term.
“For whatever reason, though, the sharpness and penalty-box instinct that defined his first 18 months at Anfield seems to have deserted him. Where once his movement and finishing ability drew comparisons with the likes of Robbie Fowler, now the 26-year-old sits on the periphery of games, often drifting deep or wide, unable to utilise his key strengths.
“This season in the Premier League, Jota has managed only three shots on target across a dozen appearances and 609 minutes. His shooting accuracy, 25 percent, is by far the lowest of Liverpool’s forward players, as his expected goals (xG) tally of 2.06.
“Jota has missed half a dozen Opta-defined ‘big chances’ this season, and when he was played in by Curtis Jones in the first half at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, his lack of conviction was clear to see.
“The pass demanded a driven, first-time strike - the kind we have seen from him many times before - but Jota opted to try and check back inside, allowing Marc Cucurella to snuff out the danger. He would not get another sight of goal all evening.
“But clearly, he still has plenty to offer, and reports linking him with a move away from Anfield this summer should be ignored. Getting him back scoring, though, must be a priority for Klopp and Co.”
Sean Rogers would sell Diogo Jota in the summer (The Anfield Wrap)
https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2023/04/podcast-chelsea-0-liverpool-0-review/
“I would be very keen to sell Diogo Jota, with the injuries that he’s had and the fact we need to raise as many funds as possible. I think he’s lost a burst of acceleration; I don’t think he can get away from people anymore.
“We’ve got an awful lot of people who can play in the centre and a lot who can play on the left, what we don’t have a lot of is people who can play on the right- and I don’t like Jota on the right. From an attacking sense I’m not really sure what he does. He needs to improve.”
How much of Thiago’s LFC career has the Spaniard spent injured? (Simon Brundish via twitter)
https://twitter.com/SimonBrundish/status/1642880663337443332
Alan Shearer on Alexander-Arnold vs Man City (Match of the Day)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001krg5/match-of-the-day-202223-01042023
“Trent didn’t know what day it was. He didn’t know where to go, what to do and how to handle him [Grealish].”
Harvey Elliott almost joined Real Madrid (LFC podcast)
https://twitter.com/AnfieldEdition/status/1643937832224927744
https://video.liverpoolfc.com/video/356903ab-a145-40b9-b1f5-85323c3550d2
LFC news
William Saliba a major doubt for Liverpool clash due to back injury (The Times)
“William Saliba is a significant doubt to play for Arsenal in their crucial match away to Liverpool on Sunday.
“The league leaders had been hopeful that the France centre back would recover from a back injury but he has been struggling to return to training and the club fear aggravating the issue. Saliba was forced off the pitch when Mikel Arteta’s side were eliminated from the Europa League by Sporting Lisbon three weeks ago.”
James Milner up to third on all-time Premier League appearances list
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/james-milner-third-all-time-premier-league-appearances-list
“Liverpool's vice-captain played for the 610th time in the competition by coming off the bench during the Reds' goalless draw with Chelsea on Tuesday night.
“He therefore overtook Frank Lampard in its all-time appearances list, with Gareth Barry (653) and Ryan Giggs (632) now the only men to have featured in more Premier League games than Milner.”
Liverpool charged with improper conduct over protest to referee against Man City
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65205185
“Liverpool have been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association after players surrounded referee Simon Hooper during last Saturday's defeat at Manchester City.
“A number of players protested that City midfielder Rodri should have had a second yellow card - and so been sent off - for a trip on Cody Gakpo. Spaniard Rodri had just been booked for pulling back Diogo Jota.
“Liverpool have until next Wednesday to respond.”
Jürgen Klopp admits past success is why he survives at Liverpool (The Guardian)
“Jürgen Klopp has claimed his past glories with Liverpool are the main reason he is not under pressure for the underachievement of this season. Klopp made the admission after the sackings on Sunday of Graham Potter and Brendan Rodgers by Chelsea and Leicester respectively took the total of Premier League managers dismissed this season to 12.
“The Liverpool manager believes he would have been in a similar predicament to Potter had this been his first season at Anfield and that only credit in the bank for winning the Premier League and Champions League, among other trophies, will give him time to rebuild
He said: “The elephant in the room is probably from your point of view why I am still sitting here in this crazy world? Last man standing.
“I cannot really explain that, to be honest. I am aware of the fact I am sitting here because of the past, not because of what we did this season. If it was my first season it would be slightly different. Yes, we have smart owners who know about the situation, but to be 100% you had better ask them yourselves why that is the case.
“I am not afraid, but I don’t think that Graham was afraid. There is no need for being afraid. I am here to deliver. I am not here as a talisman or for murals on the walls of a house. I am here to deliver. I know as well I am still here for what happened in the last few years. I don’t like the fact and pretty much I have to rely on that. Is it right or not? We will see that in the future, but I am fully in, there is no doubt about it, but we have to sort it.
“We cannot continue playing like we do from time to time. That is now allowed. I am really disappointed about us that we do these kind of things.”
Wembley trophy joy for LFC loanee Conor Bradley
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/loan-watch-wembley-trophy-joy-conor-bradley-bolton
“Conor Bradley was part of the Papa Johns Trophy-winning Bolton Wanderers team at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
“The on-loan Liverpool full-back started the final against Plymouth Argyle and went on to play every minute for Ian Evatt’s side in a 4-0 victory.
“Bolton surged into an early two-goal lead through Kyle Dempsey’s header and Dion Charles’ finish, before Elias Kachunga and Gethin Jones extended their advantage in the second half and secured the silverware.”
LFC transfer news
Liverpool interested in Connor Gallagher (The Independent)
“Jurgen Klopp has identified Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher as a summer transfer target, with the 23-year-old featuring high up on Liverpool’s list for midfield reinforcements.
“Klopp is seeking to upgrade Liverpool’s midfield after a difficult season and it is believed that Gallagher has exactly the kind of energy and attributes that could go to another level in the German’s team.
“While there would usually be a greater difficulty in bringing an England international from another traditional “big six” Premier League club, Chelsea are under pressure to offload a number of players this summer.
“They must meet Financial Fair Play requirements after spending so much in the first season of the new ownership, and Gallagher is a player they would at least consider an approach for.”
Liverpool highly interested in Eintracht Frankfurt and Denmark midfielder Jesper Lindstrom (Sky Germany)
https://twitter.com/Plettigoal/status/1642510250312888320?s=20
Florian Plettenburg said via Twitter: “Liverpool [are] highly interested” [But] next to [they face competition from] Arsenal. Understand both clubs were already in contact with Frankfurt about a transfer in summer. Frankfurt bosses open to let him go. Price expectation: €50m. Realistic: €35-40m. Poker has started.”
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