The Nation Newspaper

Tag: liverpool

  • Liverpool apologises, dump Virgil van Dijk interest

    Liverpool apologises, dump Virgil van Dijk interest

     

    Liverpool have confirmed they have ended their interest in Virgil van Dijk and apologised to Southampton for their conduct in pursuit of the defender.

    Sources reported on Tuesday that Saints had reported the Reds to the Premier League and asked them to investigate an alleged illegal approach for the Netherlands international centre-back.

    The Premier League subsequently confirmed it was looking into the matter, but Sky sources understand that, as far as the league is concerned, the apology is the end of the matter and they will be taking no further action.

    Liverpool, whose manager Jurgen Klopp has been taking a central role in summer recruitment, said on Wednesday: “Liverpool would like to put on record our regret over recent media speculation regarding Southampton Football Club and player transfers between the two clubs.

    “We apologise to the owner, board of directors and fans of Southampton for any misunderstanding regarding Virgil van Dijk. We respect Southampton’s position and can confirm we have ended any interest in the player.”

    Van Dijk has been of significant interest to Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, and was understood to have favoured a move to Anfield after being impressed with Klopp’s personal involvement in their efforts to sign him

    Southampton have always considered the player not for sale and that reports of any transfer fees – allegedly up to £60m with £200k-a-week wages on the table – are fantasy.

    Liverpool have been bullish in the transfer market already, with the window not even open until June 15, and they have signed Dominic Solanke from Chelsea for a fee to be set by tribunal, as well as seen a bid rejected for Roma winger Mo Salah.

    Liverpool are have reportedly turned their attentions to Sporting Lisbon’s Gelson Martins after reaching a stalemate with Roma for Salah, and are in talks for the Portugal youngster.

  • Solanke to seal £3m deal with Liverpool

    Solanke to seal £3m deal with Liverpool

     

    Nigeria born England Youth international Dominic Solanke is to sign a £20,000 per week, £3m deal with Liverpool when his contract with Chelsea expires next month.

    Solanke has chosen to continue his career at Anfield, having decided to let his terms at Stamford Bridge run down.

    Liverpool will have to pay compensation as he is under 23 but the fee will be determined by tribunal. It is anticipated Solanke will end up costing Liverpool in the region of £3million. He will sign a contract worth around £20,000 per week.

    There was significant interest in Solanke, headed by Celtic and RB Leipzig as well as clubs from the Premier League, but he has been attracted to the idea of working with Jurgen Klopp and forming the nucleus of a promising crop of young talent that includes Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Woodburn and Harry Wilson.

    The 19-year-old forward, who spent last season on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, is currently at the Under 20 World Cup with England.

    Chelsea failed to find middle ground over a contract agreement for Solanke, but the Premier League champions will get compensation from his switch to Liverpool which they would have missed out on had he opted to move abroad.

    Manager Antonio Conte confirmed that he expected the talented young forward to depart this summer with his club failing to meet his wage demands in February.

    ‘I think this is his will,’ Conte. ‘This question is better to ask him. I think for a young player to stay in a great team is a great opportunity.

    Solanke has been a prolific goalscorer throughout Chelsea’s youth ranks having been at the club from Under 8 level.

    Tall, pacy and powerful, he was earmarked for an England future by Jose Mourinho before scoring seven goals on loan at Vitesse last year.  Solanke has represented England at all youth team levels.  He was part of the England squad that won the 2014 UEFA European Under 17 Championship.  He was the tournaments joint scorer with four goals in four appearances.

    Solanke was named in the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship squad, alongside fellow Chelsea players, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham, and Isaiah Brown, is eligible to represent Nigeria courtesy of his descent

  • Liverpool falter again

    Liverpool falter again

    Liverpool’s hopes of securing an English Premier League top-four spot suffered another blow on Sunday after a goalless draw against Southampton, following James Milner second-half penalty kick miss.

    It was a match the Anfield faithful will want to quickly forget after their team had 65 per cent of the possession.

    They also had eight shots on target, as against none by their opponents.

    Liverpool rarely tested visiting goalkeeper Fraser Forster even at that.

    Their best chance to score came in the 66th minute when they won a penalty kick after Southampton’s Jack Stephens was judged to have handled Lucas’ delivery.

    Milner, who had not missed from the spot in the league since November 2009, saw his effort saved by Forster who dived low to his right.

    Some seconds earlier, the England goalkeeper had approached the midfielder as he attempted to place the ball on the spot, and the tactic worked in the least.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the draw moves Liverpool up to third, above Manchester City who are on 70 point but have a game in hand.

  • Dejan Lovren signs new deal worth £100,000 per week

    Dejan Lovren signs new deal worth £100,000 per week

     

    Dejan Lovren has become the latest Liverpool player to commit his future to the club after signing a new long-term contract.

    The Croatia international, who moved to Anfield in the summer of 2014, had two years left on his current deal but has been in negotiations with Liverpool for the past six weeks to reach an agreement. He confirmed after the Merseyside derby on April 1 that he wanted to stay at the club.

    Discussions have now reached a successful conclusion and Lovren will stay at Liverpool until 2021 with an option in place to extend his stay by a further 12 months; the deal is estimated to be worth in the region of £100,000-per-week.

    Liverpool set out at the beginning of the season to tie down a number of key players and have so far wrapped up deals for the influential pair Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana, with Lovren following suit.

    ‘I think I am the happiest guy [in the world] today, it’s another dream come true. It was always my dream to stay as long as possible at one club that I love – and that is Liverpool.

    ‘After all that happened in the beginning, in the last two seasons I think I’ve done better than in the first season. The club has rewarded me, they believed in me and also the fans, and this is what I respect a lot after everything that happened.

    ‘I am pleased with everything and I just want to stay here as long as possible and be a part of this family for many, many years to come.’

    Emre Can is the only member of that quartet who has been in talks not to pen a new deal yet and discussions are on hold until the end of the season.

    Can will enter the final 12 months of his terms this summer but Liverpool would be happy for him to play on without having signed anything, rather than take the stance that Ronald Koeman has adopted with Everton midfielder Ross Barkley and warn that he will be sold unless he commits his future.

  • Mane set to undergo surgery

    Mane set to undergo surgery

     

     

    Liverpool forward Sadio Mane is set to undergo surgery on his injured left knee on Tuesday.

    Manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed on Friday that Mane’s injury – sustained in the 3-1 Merseyside derby win over Everton earlier this month – will keep him out for the rest of the season.

    Mane opened the scoring early on in the clash with Liverpool’s city rivals but limped off the field 12 minutes into the second half following a challenge by Everton full-back Leighton Baines.

    The forward posted a picture on social media last week with his left knee in a brace, and has now been booked in for surgery on Tuesday, a day after celebrating his 25th birthday.

    Mane has become a vital component of Klopp’s team since joining Liverpool from Southampton last summer in a deal worth up to £36m for the south coast club.

    The Senegal international has scored 13 goals in his debut season at the club and has also contributed five assists.

    He now looks set to miss Liverpool’s post-season friendly against Sydney FC in Australia, although the club hope Mane can recover from injury in time for the start of pre-season training.

    Liverpool came from behind to beat Stoke 2-1 in Mane’s absence at the weekend to consolidate third position in the Premier League and keep their Champions League hopes alive.

  • Mane injury spoils Klopp party

    Mane injury spoils Klopp party

     

    Liverpool could be without Sadio Mane for part of the Premier League run-in, with fears an injury picked up by the forward during the Merseyside derby may have long-term repercussions.

    Mane scored the opening goal in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Everton at Anfield, but he was forced off before the hour after his left leg was badly tangled in a challenge with Leighton Baines.

    The Senegal attacker is the Reds’ top scorer this season with 13 goals and an enforced absence would compound the recent loss of Adam Lallana to a thigh injury.

    Mane is almost certain to miss Wednesday’s Anfield meeting with Bournemouth, while the Reds’ dip in form when the forward was away on Africa Cup of Nations duty earlier this season gives an ominous warning for the games ahead.

    “Today we played a really good game,” Klopp told a news conference. “Nearly everything was perfect.

    “We win it, the performance was good [but] then we lose Sadio Mane. When I saw him in the dressing room, it didn’t look like he’ll be ready for Wednesday.

    “We will see, hopefully it’s not that serious, but of course it’s not nothing and that makes our life not easier, I would say.

    “Obviously he has pain and it didn’t look like it’s only a knock or a muscle or something, but we have to wait.

    “When I came in I was looking for him immediately and I saw him on the bed. He’d already had treatment, and it didn’t look like he felt really comfortable.

  • Liverpool beat Everton to boost top-4 chances

    Liverpool beat Everton to boost top-4 chances

    Liverpool enhanced their prospects of a top-four place by beating derby rivals Everton 3-1 on Saturday at Anfield.

    It was however a defeat which severely damaged Everton’s hopes of breaking into the battle for a UEFA Champions League qualification spot.

    Sadio Mane gave the hosts an early lead when he played a one-two with Roberto Firmino and finished off an angled run with a shot into the far corner.

    A Philippe Coutinho shot was palmed up by Toffees keeper Joel Robles and headed off the line by Phil Jagielka before the visitors equalised.

    Jagielka flicked on a corner kick at the near post and, after Ashley Williams got a touch, Matthew Pennington arrived to slot in.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that it was his first Everton goal on his first appearance of the season.

    However, the situation lasted just two minutes and 57 seconds before Coutinho beat two players and curled a shot into the top corner.

    He then set up substitute Divock Origi — on for the injured Mane — to power in Liverpool’s third.

    The result put the Reds seven points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United —- who have three games in hand, including at home against West Brom later on Saturday.

    Everton are seven points off the top four having played more matches than their rivals.

  • Liverpool great Moran dies

    Liverpool great Moran dies

     

    Former Liverpool captain and Coach Ronnie Moran has died aged 83.

    A left-back in his playing days, Moran made 379 appearances for the Anfield club between 1952 and 1968, having joined as a 15-year-old apprentice in 1949.

    He helped Liverpool win promotion to the top flight in 1961-62 before twice claiming the old First Division title in 1963-64 and 1965-66, along with the FA Cup in 1965.

    After hanging up his boots, Moran joined the Liverpool coaching staff under the great Bill Shankly and remained at the club until 1998, when he retired as their longest-serving employee and an iconic figure of the fabled Anfield Boot Room.Moran twice served as caretaker manager at Liverpool – in 1991 after Kenny Dalglish stepped down and the following year when Graeme Souness underwent heart surgery – and worked in a variety of other roles including physio, reserve-team coach and assistant manager.

    A club statement from Liverpool acclaimed Moran as “one of the most influential figures in the club’s history”

    The statement added: “Ronnie is fondly remembered for his 49 years of service to Liverpool

    “The thoughts of everyone at Liverpool Football Club are with Ronnie’s wife Joyce, his children, family and many friends.”

  • Liverpool defender Klavan not afraid of Aguero

    Liverpool defender Klavan not afraid of Aguero

    Ragnar Klavan claimed he does not fear Sergio Aguero ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Manchester City.

    Aguero has been in fine form as of late, and has found the back of the net in all four of his Premier League games against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.

    However, Klavan – who in combination with Dejan Lovren kept Aguero at bay in the reverse fixture at Anfield in December – is looking forward to going head-to-head with the former Atletico Madrid forward once more.

    “I think fearful is not the right word,” Klavan told the Liverpool Echo.

    “He is a world class striker but a lot of teams in the Premier League have world class strikers so it’s nice to play against them.

    “There is always a lot of respect for the strikers I play against but fear is not the word.

    “The game [in December] was a great game from our side. For me, the first time to play against Aguero. He is a great striker.

    “But from our side it was a really good team effort. We didn’t have so many chances in the game.

    “We scored one and we defended really well, also in the second half when there was more pressure in the game, we were defending together and that was the key.

    While Klavan has only faced Aguero and City once before, the Estonia defender has experience facing Pep Guardiola’s sides, having featured for Augsburg against Bayern Munich during his time at the Bundesliga club.

    “They always want to play really nice, attractive football,” he said of Guardiola sides.

    “It was always very clear to see when he was manager of Bayern Munich, but maybe in England it is a little bit different.

    “In Bundesliga, Bayern is the best team but in England the league is so equal, I think also in the beginning of the season you have at least six teams who can become champions so it is not so easy here.”

  • RB Leipzig places £26m tag on Naby Keita

    RB Leipzig places £26m tag on Naby Keita

     

     

    Liverpool and Arsenal have reportedly been told that they will have to pay £26m to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita.

    The 22-year-old has starred in the Bundesliga this season, with Leipzig currently sitting in second place in Germany’s top flight, but his performances have inevitably attracted interest from other clubs.

    The two Premier League giants are said to be keen on the Guinean but according to Bild, they will have to shell out £26m to open discussions over a potential move.

    It has been suggested that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is an admirer of the player, while Arsenal are said to be keen to strengthen in the centre of the pitch.

    Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick has previously said that they remain confident of keeping hold of Keita ahead of next season.