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Tag: Steve Nicol

According to steve Nicol Mohamed Salah should be replaced with £45m player while he’s away at AFCON

In order to cover for Mohamed Salah while the Egyptian is on international duty, Steve Nicol has identified the Liverpool player he would insert into the attacking line.

With Mohamed Salah expected to reunite with the Egypt team in the upcoming weeks with AFCON 2023 scheduled to conclude in mid-February, many will be worried about the Reds.

In his last four games, Salah has scored four goals. As of right now, he leads the Premier League in goals scored and assists earned. He thus creates a huge void in Jurgen Klopp’s team.

Steve Nicol supports Diogo Jota as Liverpool’s offensive substitute for Mohamed Salah.

The good news for the Reds is that they currently have an abundance of options for offence. Additionally, Steve Nicol stated on ESPN that he will invite Diogo Jota in addition to Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.

There’s just no other way to put it than that he will have difficulty reaching his ambitions. However, the truth is that they have players with the talent to score enough goals to win games. And I don’t believe anyone can contest that,” he remarked.

The truth is that they must now go and take that action. However, Klopp now has options for talented players who can find themselves in scoring positions. Salah is the one player, sadly for Klopp, who you can always count on to score when he finds himself in a scoring position. You can’t say that with anybody else on the front lines, I suppose.

“Diaz would be on the left, Nunez would be in the middle, and Jota would be on the right.”

Portuguese will be desperate to make up for lost time

Jota missed a month of action starting at the end of November, but she is still working her way back up to full fitness. However, since his return, he has undoubtedly had an influence.

At Turf Moor, the Portuguese goal against Burnley sealed the victory. And on Monday, he helped Liverpool defeat Newcastle by providing an assist. The £45 million player was also the one who won the penalty kick that ended up securing the win.

In fact, Jota is tied for second place among Liverpool’s goal scorers in the Premier League this year. And that’s even though the 26-year-old has only made eight starts in the premier league thus far.

He might lessen the impact of Liverpool losing Salah, who is undoubtedly the finest player in the Premier League right now, if he can stay healthy for the next six weeks.

More news…….

“What a Boy and What a Player,” said Klopp.

The Japanese midfield player has truly established himself with the team, but sadly, international duty calls.

Following Liverpool FC’s 2-0 road victory against Burnley, manager Jürgen Klopp gave particular recognition to midfielder Wataru Endō. The Japanese midfielder recently reached a unique milestone in terms of consecutive appearances and has appeared to be very at ease lately.

Today is Liverpool's 5th game in 13 days – and Wataru Endo is the only player to start all 5 of those games.

Endo is the first outfielder to start 5 games in 13 days for #LFC since January 2006, when Finnan, Carragher, Hyypiä, Gerrard, Kewell, and Crouch all did so. #BURLIV

— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) December 26, 2023

During the post-match press conference, our manager discussed Endō’s recent performances as follows:

“I must admit, I really enjoyed this game. It’s unfortunate that after finding his footing, he is now off to the Asian Cup, but that’s life. What a player, what a youngster, and how very significant. We have to play without him at least in January, but he is present when we play Newcastle. The boys then depart, so we’ll have to figure out another route. However, I am very glad for him right now. Although it took him some time to truly demonstrate his abilities, I’m glad that we can now witness it.

Monday’s match against Newcastle United will be Wataru’s final before he leaves for Japan’s AFC Asian Cup training camp. The team, one of the favourites going into the tournament, will be captained by Endō. Iraq, Vietnam, and Indonesia are among its group members.

If they made it to the final, he would miss seven games:

– the FA Cup tie at Arsenal

– both legs of the EFL Cup semi-finals against Fulham

– Premier League games against Bournemouth, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Burnley

Wataru, best of luck. We’ll see you when you return

January 2, 2024
According to Pundit, Liverpool won’t win the championship, If a £16 million player is a consistent starter.

Wataru Endo as a starting holding midfielder will not help Liverpool win the Premier League or the Champions League, according to Steve Nicol.

Wataru Endo has shown himself to be a respectable addition to the Reds. Before the summer transfer of the Japan international for £16 million to Anfield, it felt like very few of us truly understood anything about the player.

Jurgen Klopp is obviously a huge Endo fan. He has undoubtedly been eclipsed by the club’s other acquisitions, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister standing out as especially noteworthy.

According to Steve Nicol Liverpool need to sign an upgrade on Wataru Endo

Furthermore, it seems that the 30-year-old is not a player who can replace Fabinho after the Brazilian’s exit.

To be sure, if Liverpool wants to stay atop the Premier League, Steve Nicol told ESPN that they should have an upgrade in that position as soon as feasible.

Steve Nicol

“Well-signed individuals. The largest area that needed to be changed was the park’s centre. And they have succeeded in doing so. “I don’t think it’s done,” he said to ESPN.

They really must sign a defensive midfield player, in my opinion. Endo performs a function. However, with Endo as your defensive midfielder, you are not going to win the Champions League or the Premier League.

Hence, despite everything they’ve accomplished thus far, I believe they still need to sign a player who is on the same level as Mac Allister and Szoboszlai when the window opens in January.

And should they accomplish that, they will unquestionably be my top pick to win the championship. That, in my opinion, is the only item lacking.

Reds issued a caution.

Regretfully, Liverpool’s thrilling victory over Crystal Palace last weekend served as a bit of a warning about Endo’s limitations.

Palace made sure the former Stuttgart player had an extremely difficult first half. Every time he touched the ball, they would not let up in closing him down or applying pressure.

Even though it was eventually determined by replays that he had been fouled, he played poorly during the action that gave Palace the lead and a penalty.

Klopp’s decision to substitute Endo versus Palace at halftime was undoubtedly predictable. And while Liverpool is not known for making snap judgements in the transfer window, you have to question if that performance affected their plans before the January window opened.

More news……..

Liverpool persuaded to sign Jarrad Branthwaite

Liverpool should sign “the revelation of the season,” Jarrad Branthwaite, from fierce rivals Everton, according to Suleyman Ozturk.

Liverpool is looking to add a new defender as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to bring in a vital player for the long run. He would have preferred to have signed in the summer, but the manager was pressed for time and was forced to realign their midfield before he could bolster his defence.

Joel Matip’s season-ending injury may have advanced Klopp’s intentions, as Liverpool prioritises a center-back in January. The Reds’ manager previously acknowledged that teams won’t want to let go of their best players in the middle of the season and alluded to the challenge of locating the ideal candidate.

Meanwhile, he has allowed rookie Jarrel Quansah, who also began against Crystal Palace this past weekend, plenty of playing time. Although he does have some respectable possibilities, he believes that Liverpool needs a strong defence if they hope to contend for both the Premier League and the Europa League.

Liverpool should recruit 21-year-old defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who has been dubbed “the revelation of the season,” from fierce rivals Everton, according to Voetball International’s Suleyman Ozturk. He emphasised the qualities of the Toffees centre defender and stated that he was Virgil van Dijk’s long-term replacement.

“I believe that his time in the Netherlands, specifically in the Eredivisie, has been beneficial for him,” stated Ozkurt.

“You bring up his football prowess, which was also apparent at PSV, but I think his positioning is unbelievable.”I think Broja, the Chelsea striker, was really strong in their duels.

“It was interesting that they highlighted the exact moments that I found intriguing, the ones where he doesn’t bite but stays central, much like Van Dijk at his best,” Michah Richards said of him on Match of the Day.

“If I were Liverpool, I would purchase him to replace Van Dijk.” He is, in my opinion, Everton’s Premier League revelation of the season. He already leads the defence for a team that is having serious problems. It’s difficult to start in the starting lineup for a Sean Dyche team at age 21.

Branthwaite does not want to hurt Everton’s feelings, thus he will only consider relocating to Liverpool. The 21-year-old defender is being pursued by several Premier League teams, and Tottenham is also hoping to make a move before January.

Everton sees Branthwaite as essential to the team’s long-term success and is not interested in selling. Due to a violation of their Profit and Sustainability policies, the Premier League has docked the struggling Toffees 109 points.

More significantly, they won’t dare transfer one of their best assets to fierce rivals Liverpool, even though circumstances may alter. Ozturk’s evaluation of the defence makes a lot of sense, but a Merseyside transfer seems unlikely to happen.

December 16, 2023
Expert believes Liverpool aren’t desperate to keep £44m ‘exceptional’ star amid recent reports

Steve Nicol believes Liverpool should now cash in on Fabinho after receiving a £40m offer for the Brazilian from Saudi Arabian Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

Nicol spoke to ESPN following the news – reported by the Guardian – that Fabinho will not travel with the Liverpool squad for the pre-season training camp in Germany.

The Guardian says Fabinho is now expected to leave Liverpool after the club received that offer from Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, it is still unclear whether Reds captain Jordan Henderson will follow him to the United.

It’s quite a shock to see Fabinho and Henderson linked with Liverpool’s departure. But the club are reviewing their midfield options with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai already on board.

Nicol backs Liverpool to take advantage of Fabinho
And we must not forget that Fabinho – like others – had a very difficult season last year. He certainly didn’t look like the same player who had previously established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

Nicol believes now is the time for Liverpool to let him go as they clearly have doubts over his ability to return to his best form.

“You know, it’s funny when we were talking about the Liverpool midfield at the end of the season and I said, ‘Well, it’s interesting if Liverpool – Klopp in particular – but when the coaching staff technical “they all get together and talk about the players if Fabinho had a bad streak or if his legs could have been lost,” he told ESPN. “And the fact that they’re ready to listen to offers for him at this stage, when pre-season has already started, shows that I think the answer is that they think his legs are probably gone. so is what that tells me.

“And if you get £40m for a man who you obviously don’t want to keep if you let him go, then take the money.”

The Reds are close to getting most of their money back
Remarkably, Liverpool are lucky to get almost all of their money back with Fabinho. As reported by Sky Sports, the Reds spent £43.7million to sign him from Monaco.

He turned out to be an amazing newcomer. He has been “exceptional” for several years. But its form has declined more recently.

And his departure should give Liverpool more than enough time to find a replacement. After all, they’ve been preparing for Fabinho’s departure for some time.

He was so important. It is therefore normal that they have objectives in mind. They may need to replace it much sooner than expected.

More news……..

While Manchester United made a transfer request, Sadio Mané and Philippe Coutinho might reunite.

An overview of the Liverpool Euro rivals, including the possibility of a reunion between Sadio Mané and Philippe Coutinho. Atlanta has demanded that Manchester United transfer.

It would be a significant change for Liverpool if Jordan Henderson and Fabinho both left during the same summer, especially when added to the departures of seasoned stars like James Milner.

Jörg Schmadtke, the new sporting director at Anfield, appeared to be very busy in the background organizing a proper rebuild and team reset, giving the impression that Jürgen Klopp was about to experience a significant change.

In truth, however, even though the evolution should have possibly happened more quickly, especially in midfield, it did start a while back. Liverpool lost Roberto Firmino after Sadio Mané was sold to Bayern Munich last summer.

A similar procedure is now being carried out in midfield. Due to the youth of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker (and Ibrahima Konaté, relative to his position), Liverpool’s defensive rebuild can be more gradual, but that too needs to start as soon as possible.

It was difficult for Liverpool to part with Mané and Firmino, but doing so allowed them to be first in line to snag attacking talent, which Manchester United is now doing. And as for Mané, he has had trouble since leaving Anfield, much like Philippe Coutinho.

Transfer chasing by Sadio Mané and Philippe Coutinho.

Mané, a former forward for Liverpool, has been informed by Bayern Munich that the German champion will not stand in the way of the 31-year-old if he wants to leave. While the player is content to stay, that is typically code for wanting a sale.

Now, 90Min reports that Steven Gerrard wants to sign both Mané and Coutinho for the Saudi Pro League in addition to pursuing Jordan Henderson for Al Ettifaq.

Mané reportedly turned down interest from Saudi Arabia earlier in the summer, but Bayern Munich is hoping to persuade him to switch teams because there aren’t many other clubs in Europe willing to compete for his services.

Mané can undoubtedly perform better than the Saudi league, but the majority of the players who have moved there this summer can as well, according to Liverpool .
com.
Henderson could also perform much better, but money talks.

Offer from Manchester United was declined.

Rasmus Hjlund, a forward for Atalanta, has reportedly become unavailable as Erik ten Hag searches for a new number nine for Manchester United, according to The Athletic.

Manchester United offered Donny van de Beek and unwanted Fred as part of a proposed deal for the Danish forward, but the Serie A club rejected that “out of hand.”.

The 20-year-old, who joined Atalanta from Sturm Graz in the summer of 2022 and scored 10 goals last season, is seeking a cash-only contract.

Although the Reds have a ton of offensive talent, Manchester United really needs a world-class number nine to advance. It can be challenging to complete a deal, though; Liverpool beat the Old Trafford team to the signings of Darwin Nez and Cody Gakpo.

July 16, 2023