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Jürgen Klopp makes $44m transfer on announcement of second contract with Liverpool

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1 year ago

May 25, 2023

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Jürgen Klopp makes $44m transfer on announcement of second contract with Liverpool

Media Digest: Liverpool have taken ‘first steps’ towards a $44m midfield expansion, as a second young talent in Jürgen Klopp has signed a new contract.

A second young Liverpool defender has signed a new contract. After Jarell Quansah put pen to paper, right-back Isaac Mabaya, who has been injured for much of this season, also extended his contract.

Mabaya was part of the senior preseason last summer, but was unable to play due to his enforced absence. Still, the 18-year-old scores high. Mabaya can also play in midfield, is an England youth international and has featured regularly in the UEFA Youth League for the Reds in the past.

In addition to Quansah and Mabaya, fellow defensive talent Luke Chambers also signed a new contract earlier this month. All three players are hoping to impress in the senior preseason this time around.

Midfielder James Balagizi has recently returned from injury after returning early from a loan spell at Crawley Town for what would prove to be a four-month problem.

Balagizi had impressed early on, even scoring as Crawley knocked Premier League side Fulham out of the Carabao Cup in the first half of the season

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‘Steps taken’ towards the 44 million dollar midfielder

Liverpool have made a summer transfer for Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners with a valuation of $44m, according to Corriere dello Sport, although Juventus are also pictured.

The report claims that Liverpool have indeed taken “first steps” to facilitate a transfer, but it’s unclear what exactly that means. The 25-year-old Dutch international has scored seven goals this term and provided three assists in 28 Serie A appearances for Atalanta, and previously impressed at AZ Alkmaar.

Liverpool are definitely in need of improvement in the center of the pitch and a goalscorer with plenty of physical presence could be just what is needed to put Jürgen Klopp’s side back to work.

Also…

How many points Newcastle United need to seal a Champions League place?

What do Newcastle United need to do to see off the challenge of Liverpool, Manchester United and more to claim a return to the Champions League?

Newcastle United WILL end their decade-long absence from European football next season after a combination of results fell their way on Saturday afternoon.

There were mixed emotions over the Magpies 2-2 draw at relegation threatened Leeds United as two Callum Wilson penalties were only rewarded with a solitary point at Elland Road. However, there was some positive news for Eddie Howe and his players as Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa ensured United will end the season in a top six position.

That will mean the Magpies will return to the Europa League for the first time since they lost a quarter-final tie against Portuguese giants Benfica in April 2013. However, the race for a Champions League place is still very much alive as all eyes turn towards fifth placed Liverpool’s trip to a Leicester City side scrambling for their lives at the other end of the table.

So with just two weeks remaining in the season, NewcastleWorld looks at what lies ahead for Eddie Howe and his players and assesses what number of points they require to secure qualification for all three European competitions.

Remaining fixtures for Newcastle, Manchester United, Liverpool and more

3rd: Newcastle United (35 games played, 66 points)

Brighton and Hove Albion (H), Leicester City (H), Chelsea (A) Maximum possible points total: 75

4th: Manchester United (35 games played, 66 points)

AFC Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H), Fulham (H) Maximum possible points total: 75

5th: Liverpool (35 games played, 62 points)

Leicester City (A), Aston Villa (H), Southampton (A) Maximum possible points total: 71

6th: Brighton and Hove Albion (34 games played, 58 points)

Newcastle United (A), Southampton (H), Manchester City (H), Aston Villa (A) Maximum possible points total: 70

7th: Tottenham Hotspur (36 games played, 57 points)

Brentford (H), Leeds United (A) Maximum possible points total: 63

What does that mean for Newcastle United’s Champions League hopes?

The equation for the Magpies is a very simple one. If they can win two of their remaining three Premier League fixtures they will be playing Champions League football for the first time since 2003.

However, if Liverpool were to lose at Leicester on Monday night, Newcastle United would require three points from their remaining three games to finish in the top four. If the Reds draw at the King Power Stadium, Newcastle would need four points from their remaining three games to finish in the top four and to maintain their goal difference over Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Gaining four points from those games would allow Brighton into the picture – but only if the Seagulls beat Newcastle at St James Park on Thursday and take maximum points from home games with Southampton and Manchester City and their final day visit to Aston Villa. The Seagulls would also need a significant swing in goal difference to go their way.

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“I think he’s the same as Darwin Nunez” – Ian Wright claims Manchester United have a player who is similar to the Liverpool striker

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has drawn parallels between Manchester United’s Antony and Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez. Wright made the comparison in the wake of United’s 2-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, May 13.

Antony, who joined the Red Devils from Ajax last summer, was pivotal in the win as he added another Premier League assist to his tally. The Brazilian winger provided a cut-back to striker Anthony Martial, who coolly slotted the ball home in the 32nd minute. Alejandro Garnacho consolidated United’s lead in second-half stoppage time to seal the three points.

Post-match, Wright firmly asserted his belief that the 23-year-old Antony will continue to hone his craft in the coming seasons. He claimed that like Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez, Antony has taken some time to settle into English football after a big money move. Nunez arrived at Merseyside last summer after a move worth up to €100 million from Benfica.

The Arsenal legend said on Match of the Day (via Express):

“I’ve got a lot of time for him, I think he’s the same as Darwin Nunez. Sometimes with the price tag, people expect so much. We know they have got ability, they have got quality in their first year and when you look at what he is capable of, you have to give this guy some time.”

Wright further dissected Antony’s performance, highlighting the unique aspects of his game:

“What he does do, he gets into space. He finds space. This is what is different from a lot of people, pace and skill. He is just skinning them. Once you get into this situation [with Sancho free in the box] now you want the calmness and composure. In the end a great run comes to nothing but as time goes by, he won’t waste that. It comes down to decisions. But as time goes by, those decisions will come easy to him.”

Only time will tell if Antony can live up to his €100 million million price tag. However, if his performance against Wolves is any indication, the Brazilian is more than ready to take on the challenge.

Liverpool’s chase for top-four could see Manchester United miss out on the Champions League

The Reds’ resurgence has caught the attention of former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas, who believes that Liverpool snatching a top-four finish from Manchester United would be “unreal”.

Jurgen Klopp’s squad has had its fair share of tribulations throughout the campaign. However, a late-season renaissance, coupled with United’s wavering form, has thrust them into contention for an unexpected top-four finish.

Ahead of their Monday night fixture against Leicester City, Liverpool sit just four points behind Manchester United, who occupy the fourth position. Speaking on BT Sport, Jenas couldn’t help but express his surprise at the dramatic shift in fortunes (via Eurosport):

“It would be unreal. When you think about Liverpool’s season and how far gone it was at one point, to think that they could snatch it from their arch-rivals, whether it’s the last game of the season or whatever, you wouldn’t want to be a Man Utd fan – put it that way.”

However, Jenas also offered a note of caution for Liverpool. Manchester United’s remaining matches, he suggested, might just be their saving grace. With two home games against Chelsea and Fulham, and only a single away trip to Bournemouth, the Red Devils seem to have the odds stacked in their favor.

The £120k-per-week phenom could be the perfect man to take over from Curtis Jones, who is perhaps unlikely to be deemed irreplaceable in the Reds midfield, especially when presented with the potential acquisition of a first-rate star such as Guimaraes.

The Liverpool ace ranks among the top 4% of positional peers for pass completion, as well as the top 8% for progressive carries and the top 14% for shot-creating actions per 90, described as the “complete #8” by one analyst & scout. However, he is arguably nowhere near the stature of Guimaraes, who has performed on the European and international stages.

This term, while he has only scored three times from 28 starts, he is just as impressive and boasts a 7.13 average rating, completing 84% of his passes, making 2.4 tackles per match and supplying five assists.

guimaraes-premier-league-magpies-howe-contract
Lauded as by teammate Dan Burn, Guimaraes ranks among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues over the past 365 days for rate of assists, the top 19% for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for progressive passes and the top 13% for successful take-ons per 90, as per , illustrating the dynamism and energy of his output that could enrich Liverpool’s fortunes

Liverpool: Reds “very close” to signing Manuel Ugarte

BYHENRY JACKSON
PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO

The Uruguayan could be an outstanding summer signing.

Collage Maker-13-May-2023-07-19-AM-8641
Liverpool are “very close” to signing Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte, according to a key update from journalist Orazio Accomando.

Have Liverpool been linked with Ugarte?

It seems very clear that the Reds are focusing strongly on making a number of midfield signings this summer, following big issues in that area all season long. Their current crops of stars in that area of the pitch are either ageing, injury-prone or still inexperienced, so it is imperative that several new faces arrive

A fee of €45m (£40m) has been touted for his services, and with ostensible intrigue mounting, Klopp and co would be wise to act swiftly to bolster their ranks.

Should Liverpool sign Jean-Clair Todibo?

The 23-year-old centre-back has impressed during his time in Ligue 1, arriving at Le Gym on a loan deal from Barcelona before making the move permanent and since cementing himself as an important defensive cog.

Having forged appearances, scoring two goals, the Frenchman has been a “rock” – as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – at the back, playing 30 times in the league this term and instrumental in the division’s second-strongest defence, shipping 32 goals from matches.

As per, he has made 2.2 tackles and 3.2 clearances per match this season, completing 89% of his passes; his incisiveness on the ball is illustrated by his 81% dribble success rate and his tenacity in key battles underscored by his 70% ground duel win rate.

It is this level of robustness that could serve him so well under Klopp’s wing, with the German manager seeking clarity over the strength of his backline after a lacklustre year.

todibo-premier-league-newcastle-magpies-howe-schar-ashworth-transfer
The £20k-per-week titan’s arrival could even displace Joel Matip, who has fallen out of favour this term, playing only five of the last league matches, and being branded as “awful” by CBS reporter Nico Cantor for during a shoddy display against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this year.

Jurgen klopp very angry with all his plays and decided to end contract this month

There are two ways you can look at Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp’s tactical adjustment involving Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The first is that it’s a coaching triumph, an internal solution to his side’s woes rather than a costly transfer market reprieve. Klopp has unlocked a six-game winning streak, form usually reserved for title contenders, from a side that was in complete disarray.

But the second is far less charitable. It could be argued that this switch was simply a necessity, that Klopp identified and enacted what was a clear fix too late to save his side’s season.

READ MORE: Liverpool can save Jürgen Klopp millions in transfer fees amid new contract and England call

READ MORE: Liverpool to give ‘$175m’ vote of faith in Darwin Núñez as Jürgen Klopp just made thoughts clear

It’s easy to paint a managerial observation as obvious based on a positive outcome, and we must be wary of doing so. Liverpool’s upturn since Alexander-Arnold moved into midfield in possession has been so stark that it might seem as if the answer was staring Klopp in the face. Such is the benefit of hindsight.

But even the manager himself has admitted that Liverpool took too long to find the right formula the current campaign (via LFC).

“I think we caught the right moment for this season a bit late,” he said in his pre-Leicester press conference on Friday.

There was a clear case for redeploying Alexander-Arnold long before Klopp did so. First and foremost, Manchester City and Arsenal, the two outstanding teams in the division, were both doing so to great effect with John Stones and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Every team has its own identity of course, but this was the looking like the in-vogue template for Premier League success.

And then there were the individual struggles of Alexander-Arnold. The right-back had partly been let down by his teammates in front of goal, diminishing his assist tally, but he clearly wasn’t at his most effective as a creative force.

Could Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold have moved into midfield earlier?

(Image: Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

What’s more, the Englishman was having perhaps his poorest defensive season yet in a red shirt, and so there were moments where you weren’t sure whether he was still a net positive for the side.

The midfield move would enable Alexander-Arnold to become a more versatile playmaker and shift the defensive emphasis onto the exceptional Ibrahima Konaté, the de facto right-sided center-back in a three who had proven his aptitude for defending wide areas.

Collectively, Liverpool was as weak as ever in the middle of the park, particularly when it came to defensive transitions. Positioning another body alongside Fabinho seemed like one way to stabilize the side in these moments. On top of that, Alexander-Arnold would revitalize that department with his quality and technical skill — he could be the new signing the club had failed to add in the transfer market.

For years there had been calls to move Alexander-Arnold into midfield, often greeted with a degree of scepticism.

But comments from the 24-year-old this week indicate that he’d long felt ready for this experiment.

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As many have pointed out, he’d operated centrally at academy level, and he told liverpoolfc.com that ‘it felt natural’ for the first team at the outset.

“I think the staff knew I would understand the role and what I need to bring to to it,” he added.

If there was always confidence that Alexander-Arnold could do it, why did it take so long for Klopp to shake things up?

Liverpool now finds itself in a position where even a nine-game winning run to end the season may not be enough to secure Champions League football, with Newcastle and Manchester United both four points clear ahead of the final three matches.

That lays bare just how desperately poor the Reds were for the first three quarters of the season and, by the same token, the reality that radical change was probably needed earlier.

Klopp’s recent switch will rightfully inspire excitement for next season, but it also leaves you a sense of what might have been this term.

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Goodbye Henderson, Mane agrees to return to Liverpool, but wants a new captain

Senegalese attacker wants to see one of his best friends wear the captain’s badge

With recent comments pointing to Jordan Henderson as one of the players most at risk of soon being dropped from the team with the imminent arrival of new reinforcements in the summer, one of the biggest questions that would arise is over the on-field captaincy and who could carry it, with a select list of current players who have enough merit to be given that huge responsibility.

The normal and fairest thing would be for the captain’s badge to be worn by an element with vast experience in the institution, being Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah the most suitable players to take the position currently belonging to Hendo, because like the 32-year-old British midfielder, the aforementioned already have a vast experience in Merseyside that would accredit their postulation.

One of the players perhaps most influential in the decision regarding the captaincy of the group is not yet at Anfield, as with some unresolved issues in Germany, Sadio Mané would give his vote of confidence to his former teammate, friend and at the time attacking partner, Mohamed Salah, as it is with this player with whom he found his best version that made him a reference not only of the team but of the entire Premier League, becoming the Egyptian for the Senegalese in that player who makes his teammates shine.

Salah is the new leader on the Reds’ pitch

With a vote of confidence from a much-loved Reds attacker in the form of Mané, plus a record as one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history, Mohamed Salah could inherit the place of Jordan Henderson, who despite not wanting to give up his time on Merseyside, age and changes in midfield in the summer could affect his relationship with the team who still see him as their leader.

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Also…

“A Great Team…”Agent Of£70M Arsenal Target Fuels Transfer Rumours After Praising The Gunners

The agent of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo has admitted that Arsenal are a “great team” but he has emphasised that “many clubs” are pursuing the Ecuadorian’s signature.

After the Gunners made a number of bids for the player in January, Caicedo spoke out on social media to force through a move. However, he ultimately ended up staying at the Seagulls and signing a new contract. With the summer transfer window on the horizon, speculation has once again increased about the 21-year-old’s future, and asked whether a switch to the Emirates could be revived, his representative Manuel Sierra replied:

“Arsenal is a great team for everyone; let’s see what happens in the summer, there are many clubs keen on Moises. Moises has four years left on his contract. He’s having an incredible season, so it’s normal that there are many clubs interested in him. Now he’s completely focused on the last part of the season; all evaluations will be postponed until the summer.”

“This is not a surprise because there aren’t many other midfielders so young and talented around Europe. I believe he can really improve in every aspect of the game. He can slot into any [team] as he is ready for it all. His dream is to play in the Champions League and to reach as far as he can in football.”

Brighton are reportedly demanding at least £70m for Caicedo and, with Arsenal having seemingly prioritised a move for West Ham captain Declan Rice, it looks as if their pursuit of the Ecuadorian international has taken a back seat.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in the midfielder so there could be a fierce battle for his services in the coming weeks.

Also…

What Ragnar Klavan said about Liverpool after surprise appearance on Eurovision

Former Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan made a surprise appearance during the 2023 Eurovision song contest held on Merseyside.

The Estonian was the representative of his country as they revealed the judges’ votes from the country bordering the Baltic Sea. Many Reds look back on the 37-year-old’s time at Anfield with fond memories as the centre-back became a cult hero in L4.

Arguably, Klavan’s best moment in the a red shirt came as he bundled in a late winner against Burnley at Turf Moo,r which proved to be the only time he found the back of the net during his 50 appearances. Fans fondly remember the former FC Augsburg man in compilations which show him dummying the ball in his own half.

READ MORE: Mohamed Salah has quietly handed Liverpool contract dilemma after delivering on private £400k promise

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp explains what has stopped Darwin Nunez scoring more goals for Liverpool

The cameo from Klavan sent Liverpool fans into overdrive as they were left stunned and delighted to see the Champions League runner-up. He will be appreciated in Sweden as their 12 points contributed to Swedish act Loreen winning the competition for the second time.

Announcing the winner of maximum points, he said: “Hello [to the] amazing city of Liverpool calling.

“Wow, what a show, what a boss night and all the Estonians are certainly putting it straight to the people of Ukraine that You’ll Never Walk Alone. Now, it’s time to get straight into the points, our 12 points go to Sweden.”

Still proud of his time with the Reds, he told the ECHO in March that there were no doubts about joining the club back in 2016 after learning of transfer interest. “I didn’t think I would be a Liverpool player, he admitted. “I think it all happened because before Liverpool I was playing in the Bundesliga and Jurgen and his coaching staff had seen me for a few years.

“When I heard about the interest from Liverpool and then when the deal was done, it is a feeling that I cannot describe. It was really amazing.

“It’s a special club and there wasn’t any other thought in my head other than Liverpool. I think my first conversation with Jurgen was via phone. In the beginning, I thought somebody was prank-calling me. So he stopped the phone call and sent a selfie and then I believed him!”