
Liverpool are set to spring into life this summer after a quiet winter transfer window.
source https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/2007825/liverpool-transfer-news-arne-slot-gary-lineker
Micah Richards appeared to have been slightly underwhelmed by the output of one Liverpool player in the 4-1 win over Ipswich on Saturday.
Cody Gakpo grabbed the headlines with two goals at Anfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Mo Salah also on target for Arne Slot’s side as they eased to victory over the Tractor Boys.
The Egyptian took his goal tally for the season to 23 in all competitions (along with his 17 assists), although the pundit was seemingly banking on the 32-year-old to have done even more damage against the East Anglian outfit.
Richards had made Salah the captain of his Fantasy Premier League team and remarked with tongue in cheek that, given the scoreline Liverpool racked up, our number 11 ought to have come away with more than just one goal from the match.
The ex-Manchester City defender said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I expected a little bit more, to be honest. Gakpo was the man. I expected more [from Salah]. When you see that many goals go in, you think ‘Come on, a couple of goals and an assist!’, but yeah, I can’t complain.”
Salah mightn’t have scored as many FPL points as what Richards had been hoping, but the Egyptian was superb against Ipswich at the weekend.
Aside from his brilliantly taken goal, he won seven duels and two tackles, completed four of his six dribbles and recorded one key pass (Sofascore); and he terrorised Leif Davis to such an extent that the young left-back – who’s been having a fine season for Kieran McKenna’s side – was substituted at half-time.
There was also one piece of brilliant off-the-ball work as he raced back to dispossess Jaden Philogene and thwart a potentially dangerous counterattack from the Tractor Boys.
The discourse over the Egyptian’s future at Anfield shows no sign of slowing down as he enters the final five months of his Liverpool contract, with Al-Hilal reportedly set to lodge a ‘huge financial offer’ to try and entice the winger to Saudi Arabia.
Richards might’ve been expecting a higher G/A return from Salah on Saturday, but LFC fans will have been expecting far more proactivity on the club’s part to ensure that one of the greatest players in our history doesn’t prematurely slip away on a free transfer in the summer.
Even with major silverware well within our reach this season, securing a new deal for the 32-year-old would prompt almost as much joy from supporters as winning a trophy.
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Liverpool fans will have had their hearts in the mouths shortly before the hour mark of tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Tottenham.
A drab first half was overshadowed by a worrying injury scare which saw Rodrigo Bentancur require lengthy treatment, although the north London club subsequently confirmed that the player is conscious and talking and will undergo further examination at hospital.
Once the action had resumed, the Reds struggled to get going and were second best for much of the night, and they could count themselves very fortunate not to have conceded a daft goal shortly after the interval.
In the 56th minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Alisson Becker was caught on the ball by Lucas Bergvall but managed to poke it away from the Swede.
However, it rolled straight to Pedro Porro, whose initial shot was blocked by Virgil van Dijk but he had a second bite at the cherry, only to hook the follow-up effort wide of the far post, thus letting the Liverpool goalkeeper off the hook.
Alisson’s world-class goalkeeping credentials have long since been proven beyond doubt, but sometimes he can be prone to taking needless liberties with the ball at the back, as he showed again tonight.
Sky Sports reporter Peter Smith bluntly observed that ‘he got lucky’, and it’s hard to disagree with that assessment of an inexplicably casual moment from the Liverpool number 1.
It summed up what has been a substandard performance from the Reds overall, who’ve looked a pale shadow of the side which effervescently won 6-3 against the same opposition at the same venue just 17 days ago.
Alisson got away with that one, and a subsequent Dominic Solanke goal disallowed for offside, but he had noa answer to a late Lucas Bergvall strike which ultimately broke the deadlock.
Let’s hope that the Liverpool goalkeeper learns from that error and doesn’t frighten the life out of us like that again.
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Richard Keys has urged Liverpool to be ruthless when it comes to deciding on one player’s future and not make a ‘sentimental’ choice about his contract.
It’s been an eventful start to the year for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was reportedly the subject of an unsuccessful £20m bid from Real Madrid early last week, even though they can now approach him about a pre-contract agreement to join on a free transfer in the summer.
On the pitch, the Reds’ vice-captain endured a nightmarish performance in our 2-2 draw against Manchester United on Sunday, being accused of ‘schoolboy‘ defending by Roy Keane on Sky Sports.
Even the Irishman’s unflattering verdict was surpassed by Keys, who didn’t spare Trent in the latest post on his eponymous blog.
The beIN SPORTS anchor wrote: “As for TAA. There’s not a lot more to say, is there? His performance proved that Liverpool should take Madrid’s £20m and settle the on-off transfer saga surrounding him. Clearly he’s leaving – so bring the issue to a head.
“Never mind all the sentimental misguided nonsense being spouted by Liverpool pundits who should know better – get the deal done. Believe me – Liverpool’s season is not going to hinge on whether a bang ordinary ‘defender’ stays or goes.
“I’m not saying he isn’t a good player – I just think his skill set is better suited to Madrid. Defending is not his strength. And the debate is a distraction.
“One other thing. What was he doing in Venice between Liverpool’s last two games? James Maddison got hammered for attending an event in north London – from his home in north London – on a day off in north London. Why has there been no questions for TAA to answer?”
Trent? Bang ordinary? Come on now, Richard! We know you didn’t call him a bad player per se, but still…
The numerous critics of the 26-year-old’s defensive work will have had a field day over the weekend, and even his most ardent backers would have to admit that he was woefully off the pace in one of our biggest games of the season.
Gary Neville has begged the question as to whether or not the ongoing transfer speculation had a detrimental effect on the right-back’s performance yesterday. Perhaps it had, although the England international has been excellent for the most part in recent months and the Real Madrid rumours haven’t sprouted up overnight.
Liverpool would be downright daft to accept £20m for a player of Trent’s immense quality midway through a season in which both Premier League and Champions League glory seem well within reach.
One substandard display doesn’t make him a liability to the Reds – far from it. Despite what Keys might argue, Richard Hughes needs to try his darnedest to persuade our vice-captain to renew his commitment to his boyhood club.
Hopefully that might happen soon so that all the background noise about the 26-year-old’s future will finally be put aside for good and all the focus will be trained firmly on what he does on the pitch.
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