The match on Saturday against Manchester City will serve as a reminder for Liverpool to make a transfer, since they will be facing a player who has expressed his desire to join the Reds.

Due in large part to his unique profile, Joško Gvardiol was one of the most sought-after players on the market during the most recent summer transfer window. Even though the Croatian international was only 21 years old, he was already regarded as one of the world’s top defenders and, more importantly, he preferred to use his left foot.

Being a left-footed wonderkid who had participated in the FIFA World Cup and the Champions League, and had experience playing both full-back and center-back on the biggest stages of football, he was nearly portrayed as a unicorn. Since 75% of Premier League players prefer to use their right boot, lefties are frequently highly sought in the market.

Gvardiol then joined Manchester City, the treble champions, at the Etihad Stadium for a reported transfer fee of $100 million (£78 million/€90 million). Pep Guardiola is renowned for giving his players’ footwork a lot of weight. In fact, the Spaniard claimed that Aymeric Laporte’s left-footedness was a major factor in his signing in 2018.

After the transfer was confirmed, he stated, “It’s crucial to have a left-footed central defender” (via the Manchester Evening News). “He helps us to make our build-up and when the ball comes from the right, he immediately controls to the left and plays it to Leroy [Sané] — that is quicker than we would play with a right-footer in that position.”

Over the summer, Laporte left Manchester to relocate to Saudi Arabia, and Guardiola signed Gvardiol from RB Leipzig to take his position. Given that he is known to have been a lifelong Reds fan, Liverpool may have had their eye on the Croatian defender at the time.

“I grew up with only my dad and Liverpool matches since I was a little boy,” he previously stated to the Croatian news source 24Sata. “When I took football more seriously, I started following them, and I definitely want the Premier League and Liverpool.”

If Jürgen Klopp had chosen to pursue his signature in the summer, he would have been justified. Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joël Matip, and Ibrahima Konaté are among the right-footed players he has at the core of his Liverpool defence. Compared to his English managerial colleagues, he is virtually at a disadvantage.

For instance, Mikel Arteta has Gabriel Magalhães and Jakub Kiwior at Arsenal, while Guardiola has Gvardiol and Nathan Aké. Lisandro Martínez plays for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United; Sven Botman and Dan Burn play for Newcastle United; Levi Colwill plays for Chelsea; Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres play for Aston Villa.

Instead of adding his own version of that kind of player in the summer, Klopp gave Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas the freedom to occasionally fill in as central defenders, depending on the circumstances of the game. Matip’s Anfield contract is set to end in2024, so Liverpool will need to find a replacement—ideally a left-footer.

That player could have been Gvardiol, but he was signed by a bitter rival and will play the Reds this coming weekend. On Saturday afternoon, Klopp is expected to lead his team to the Etihad for what looks to be an exciting match between two attacking teams.

Though it’s unclear if Gvardiol will play, it’s possible that he was lining up in red this term. For Klopp, his presence will virtually serve as a reminder before 2024. Left-footed centre backs are still missing from Liverpool, and that need needs to be filled as quickly as possible.

 

According to reports, Mikel Arteta has a center-back who will follow Joko Gvardiol’s example on his radar, but Liverpool should try to outbid him in the transfer market.

Joko Gvardiol joining Manchester City this summer already seems like a significant addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad. And it’s only fair that Liverpool supporters will look on the transaction with a great deal of envy, especially given the urgent need for the club to add more center-backs at Anfield.

Given that he grew up supporting Liverpool and that Jürgen Klopp prefers to use a high press, high line system at Anfield, Gvardiol would have been the ideal fit. Unfortunately, the club was unable to afford the $99 million (£78 million/€90 million) price tag.

However, there are still many players available who fit Liverpool’s budget, including one who is following Gvardiol at Dinamo Zagreb.

Center back Josip utalo, 23, a Dinamo Zagreb academy product like Gvardiol, has even shared the field with Manchester City’s new acquisition for the club’s youth teams, including in the UEFA Youth League match against Liverpool in 2019.

Compared to Gvardiol, utalo was more of a late bloomer; his big break at Dinamo came the same year that Gvardiol left the team, and his former teammate took advantage of that time to make the first team after spending time on loan at NK Istra.

Utalo is a tall, swift presence in the back who is calm under pressure. He would be a perfect fit for Liverpool’s back line because he is comfortable playing on both the left and right side of a back four.

To demonstrate his talent, according to Wyscout, he had the second-best defensive duel success rate in the Champions League last season, winning 79.14% of his challenges despite playing teams like Chelsea, Red Bull Salzburg, and AC Milan.

More news………

Liverpool striker confirms his emotional departure from his childhood club after 15 years.

Max Woltman has announced that, after 15 years with the team, he is leaving and moving on to Oxford United.

The 19-year-old will depart Liverpool after playing twice for the first team.

The striker impressed during a club trial this summer and has since signed with Oxford United for an undisclosed sum.

Woltman has now accepted his fate because it was never going to be easy for him to join Jurgen Klopp’s team with Liverpool so loaded up in attack.

A visibly moved Woltman wrote on Instagram: “As a lifelong fan, playing in red since I was five, I never imagined to see so many dreams come true.

“I will never forget the experiences I had while going through the academy, making my debut at San Siro, and making my full debut at Anfield.

The time has come to say goodbye and begin a new chapter, though.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the players, employees, and supporters for the wonderful memories I’ve had during my 15 years as a red.

“Wearing this badge has been an honor. ”.

In 2021, the Reds defeated AC Milan 2-1, and Woltman was making his Liverpool debut during those final few minutes.

The following season, he started the entire first half up front against Shrewsbury before leaving on loan to Doncaster last summer.

The transfer was “a relief,” according to Woltman, who has since settled down in Oxford.

At Oxford, he joins fellow ex-Liverpool player Cameron Brannagan, who joined the team from Liverpool in 2018.

Tyler Morton, who returned to Liverpool this summer after spending a year at Blackburn Rovers, was Woltman’s childhood teammate.

More news……

A defender for West Ham is in advanced talks with Liverpool.

If conditions at the London Stadium weren’t already dire, it appears that West Ham will lose one of their highly regarded defenders to Liverpool.

It’s unclear whether David Moyes personally, Tim Steidten, the new technical director, or owner David Sullivan are to blame for the manager’s inability to make any purchases in the current transfer market.

Realistically, it doesn’t really matter who is at fault because it is imperative that new players enter the game right away.

East Londoners should be doing everything in their power to stop the vultures from circling rather than allowing other players to leave the game, even though it’s probably too late for Amara Nallo.

According to Football Insider, the 16-year-old is in advanced negotiations with the Reds, which raises the question of what the Reds’ recruitment department is up to given that he reportedly only recently signed a scholarship contract with the Hammers.

It’s mentioned by Football Insider that the player will be able to sign professional contracts when he turns 17 in November, but that still doesn’t explain how Liverpool managed to snag one of the up-and-coming talents from under the noses of the east Londoners.

It appears as though West Ham is operating in a total panic, making poor decisions left and right.

Dominik Szoboszlai of RB Leipzig was finally acquired by Liverpool, and now reports claim that negotiations have begun to bring in a second player from the German club.

Josko Gvardiol, a central defender who has been strongly linked to a transfer to Manchester City, is the topic of discussion.

The Sky Blues and the Bundesliga club have reached an agreement on a salary for the Croatian international’s summer employment, according to Fabrizio Romano of The Guardian, who first made the revelation a few days ago.

However, later, Lepzig’s sporting director, Max Eberl, confirmed:.

There is no agreement with Manchester City. Not even close,”.

The Cityzens, who may have been the best defender at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, have been given a two-week deadline to complete the signing of the 21-year-old.

The Premier League is gearing up for an exciting competition over the transfer of Gvardiol, according to a Spanish source, Fichajes, who made the claim last night.

The media outlet notes that the Merseysiders are one of the English teams taking advantage of the current standoff between City and Leipzig.

Liverpool reportedly made a bid to try and sign the young player, who is worth about £86 million (100 million euros), according to reports.

Guardiola’s team are still in pole position but even Manchester United and Chelsea are pressing to secure the star from Germany.

Josko Gvardiol is a massive Liverpool fan. Earlier this year, the defender stated (RTL Danas via (The Mail):.

“My dream club? That would definitely be Liverpool. Since I was little, I watched a lot of their matches with my dad. ”.

Jurgen Klopp needs to improve his backline after a dismal last campaign. He has been interested in Gvardiol but I doubt the club can meet the asking fee of £86million to sign him. What do you think?

More news………

Liverpool may soon complete transfer different from what Jürgen Klopp has tried before

Liverpool are eyeing a $64 million transfer this week and it would represent a major change from what the Reds were previously going for under Jurgen Klopp.

With it looking like Roméo Lavia could become the next summer signing to go through the door to Liverpool this summer, there is no doubt that the young Belgian would be an exciting addition.

The 19-year-old has all the skills needed to become a truly adept player at the base of The Reds’ midfield, but he would also represent a complete change from what Liverpool usually aim for in the market.

Liverpool normally opt for slightly more established players who are three or four years older. This allows their development to take place on the books of other clubs and there is more certainty about the player’s true potential.

The more data behind someone, the less risk there is associated with the transfer. Perhaps the explanation is simply that there are no midfielders aged between 22 and 24 who Liverpool’s recruitment team believe are of the required, accessible and achievable standard.

The going rate appears to be over $100 million for settled options: Declan Rice has already moved and likely would have been out of the Reds’ price range; Enzo Fernández was also admired before joining Chelsea in January (again for a huge sum).

But Lavia, with just one full senior season to his name and a total of 29 appearances for Southampton, would be a very different kind of signing. He would be much cheaper than Rice or Fernández, but would come with more unknowns.

With a valuation of $64m (£50m/€58m), it’s no small investment to make either. Every senior player that Jürgen Klopp has signed since signing for Liverpool has played football for around five full seasons before moving to Anfield, as the list follows:

2023/24:

Dominik Szoboszlai — $77 million, six seasons of senior football when he signed

Alexis Mac Allister-$45 million, seven seasons of senior football when he signed

2022/23:

Darwin Núñez-$83 million, five seasons of senior football when he signed

Cody Gakpo-$48 million, four and a half seasons of senior football when he signed

2021/22:

Luis Díaz-$48 million, five and a half seasons of senior football when he signed

Ibrahima Konaté – $46 million, five seasons of senior football when he signed

2020/21:

Diogo Jota — $53 million, six seasons of senior football when he signed

Thiago Alcântara – $32 million, 11 seasons of senior football when signed

2019/20:

Takumi Minamino – $9 million, eight seasons of senior football when signed

2018/19:

Alisson Becker – $84 million, five seasons of senior football when he signed

Naby Keïta – $68 million, six seasons of senior football when he signed

Fabinho – $51 million, six seasons of senior football when he signed

Xherdan Shaqiri – $17 million, nine seasons of senior football when he signed

2017/18:

Virgil van Dijk — $97 million, seven seasons of senior football when he signed

Mohamed Salah – $47 million, seven seasons of senior football when he signed

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – $45 million, seven seasons of senior football when he signed

Andy Robertson – $10 million, five seasons of senior football when he signed

2016/17:

Sadio Mané-$45 million, five seasons of senior football when he signed

Gini Wijnaldum-$32 million, nine seasons of senior football when he signed

Joël Matip — Free transfer, seven seasons of senior football when signed

There’s no doubt that Lavia could be a great signing for Liverpool, but there’s no other way to judge him than to see him as a higher-risk signing than what the Reds are usually looking for.

For the asking price of $64 million, Lavia would become Liverpool’s sixth-biggest signing of all-time, despite the small sample of what he can do. This brings excitement for what it could become, but it also represents something of a gamble.