Rivals for Champions League spot battle for Liverpool’s ‘top-notch’ Klopp midfielder

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has attracted huge interest from two English sides who are challenging Liverpool for a place in the Champions League qualifier this summer.

Oxlade-Chamberlain will almost certainly leave Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of this season, having played just 12 games for the club in another injury-plagued season.

Although the 29-year-old joined Liverpool from Arsenal for £35m in the summer of 2017, Oxlade-Chamberlain only made 56 Premier League and Champions League appearances for the Reds.

With no signing of a contract extension, Oxlade-Chamberlain will be a free agent whose physical issues don’t preclude interest in his services.

Aston Villa, Brighton and Newcastle have been named as potential suitors. All three clubs are sure to play in the Premier League next season as they are free from the relegation frenzy in the bottom half. Villa has distant hopes of European qualification after Unai Emery’s upset, but the other two sides can be sure of playing continental tournaments next season.

Newcastle are fifth and Brighton are seventh, both with games played by the teams around them. Liverpool are directly between them, five points behind the Magpies but level with the Seagulls, having played one game more.

Oxlade-Chamberlain also has unnamed Serie A clubs closely monitoring developments, but the Daily Mail insists he is “focused on helping Liverpool finish in the top four before taking the next step in his career” . Which is good, but his three Premier League appearances in 2023 have been disastrous: five minutes after the 3-0 loss to Wolves in February; more than an hour from the 3-0 loss to Brighton in January; and nearly all of the 3-1 loss to Brentford earlier in the year, in which he scored one goal.

Jurgen Klopp will be sad to see Oxlade-Chamberlain go, describing the player’s fitness setback – one of many muscle issues – as ‘very disappointing for us because Oxlade have been training really well from the start’.

“He’s obviously a quality player and he can help us,” the German said in a hopeful but ultimately misguided post at the time.

Southampton and Leicester have also recently been linked with Oxlade-Chamberlain. Earlier this year, the player tried to allay concerns over his physique in an interview with BBC Sport. “To be honest, I’ve only had one hamstring injury this season,” he said. “When playing time ends, sometimes people associate it with an injury. Actually, over a two-year period I only had a hamstring, but played very little.

“Being fit, available and wanting to play and not play as much as you want is obviously more difficult as a footballer.

“There’s a lot of competition for seats, so when you get the chance, you feel a little hungrier to make sure you get them. I still feel like there’s more to me, that’s for sure.

Also…

Phil Foden’s latest injury: what happened, news from Manchester City, Liverpool’s availability and ten games played…

Phil Foden has undergone surgery for acute appendicitis in London, Manchester City confirmed in a statement this weekend.

The England international was absent from Gareth Southgate’s squad this week, but he fell ill in training on Saturday and has since been operated on in a London hospital.

Foden is now entering a period of rehabilitation in the North West, hoping to recover as soon as possible in order to be available to Pep Guardiola’s squad as soon as possible in what is likely to be a decisive month for Manchester City’s season.

Here’s everything you need to know about Phil Foden’s injury. What happened?

Phil Foden underwent surgery for acute appendicitis this weekend after falling ill after training in England on Saturday.

The 22-year-old’s surgery took place in London after he relieved himself of international duties in England, and he will now return to Manchester to continue his recovery from the surgery and the overall process.

What did Manchester City say?

A statement from the Premier League champions on Sunday afternoon read:

“Manchester City can confirm that Phil Foden has left the England squad following surgery in London for acute appendicitis. Phil will now return to Manchester to begin his rehabilitation.

“He will not be fit for the Premier League game at home to Liverpool this weekend and it is currently unclear how long he will be out.

“Everyone at Manchester City wishes Phil a speedy recovery.”

How many games could Phil Foden lose?

Phil Foden has already been confirmed to miss two games in all competitions, with England set to face Ukraine in Euro 2024 qualifiers and Manchester City facing Liverpool in the second leg of domestic football on Saturday afternoon.

According to the official guidelines for acute appendicitis, Phil Foden “should be able to function normally within a few weeks.”

However, it does state that Foden “may need to avoid more strenuous activity for 4-6 weeks following open surgery.”

Depending on Phil Foden’s injury time, these are the games he could miss right now:

Recovery in two weeks means he would miss:

Liverpool (H), Premier League

Southampton (A), Premier League

Recovery in four weeks means he would also miss:

Bayern Munich (H), UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg

Leicester City (H), Premier League

Bayern Munich (A), UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg

Sheffield United (N), FA Cup semi-final

Recovery in six weeks means they also lack:

Arsenal (H), Premier League

Fulham (A), Premier League

West Ham (H), Premier League

Leeds United (H), Premier League

Pep Guardiola is expected to provide more detailed analysis and an update on the situation at Manchester City’s pre-match press conference against Liverpool this Friday afternoon.

Also…

Liverpool on course for over £97m Star Jurgen Klopp is eyeing ahead of next season

Liverpool are looking for a new central defender this summer and Jürgen Klopp is pushing for RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol.

The Croatia defender is one of Europe’s most sought-after defenders following his impact in Leipzig and two very impressive campaigns at the World Cup and EURO 2020.

According to The Times, the 21-year-old has a £97million release clause in his contract which will be activated in 2024 and expires in the summer of 2027. As such, the Bundesliga club could ask for more than £100million this summer for the young defender.

Football Insider reports that Liverpool are in the running to sign Gvardiol, but it’s hard to imagine that happening if the Reds also want Jude Bellingham. The report says Jurgen Klopp is urging the Liverpool board to invest heavily this summer and the German manager wants Gvardiol as the Reds are set to let go of one of their current defensive stars this summer.

The Merseyside club will face competition from Man United, Man City and Real Madrid for the Croatian star – two of those clubs are also in the running for Jude Bellingham.