Jurgen Klopp provided an injury update on Trent Alexander-Arnold after the assist king was taken off at half-time despite bossing it against Burnley.
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Alexander-Arnold set up Jota to create PL historyWas subbed at half-time after discomfort in the kneeKlopp assured that it is "nothing really bad"GettyWHAT HAPPENED?
In an unexpected turn of events during Liverpool's 3-1 win against Burnley the England international saw his afternoon cut short raising concerns about his fitness. Alexander-Arnold played a crucial role in Liverpool's early success in the match, setting up the opening goal for Diogo Jota with a precise corner kick, that saw him set a new Premier League record for most assists (58) by a defender surpassing team-mate Andy Robertson.
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Klopp opted to replace Alexander-Arnold as a precautionary measure and put on Harvey Elliott, who put in an inspired performance with a couple of assists. This substitution reshuffled the team's formation, with Curtis Jones stepping into an unfamiliar role at right-back in the absence of Conor Bradley, who is in Northern Ireland mourning the loss of his father.
WHAT KLOPP SAID
Speaking after the match, Klopp revealed: "Same area in the knee. Nothing really bad but he felt it again. We have to see. We were made aware of it so thought 'what can we do' then Trent said 'no it's fine'. But it's not as he feels it so we had to be careful."
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LIVERPOOL'S GROWING LIST OF ABSENTEES
Alexander-Arnold's recent injury setback adds to Liverpool's growing list of absentees, including key players like Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, Thiago Alcantara, and Joel Matip, who are sidelined due to various short and long-term injuries. The club's medical team is likely to conduct further assessments, including scans, to determine the extent of Alexander-Arnold's injury and establish an appropriate course of action.
Tottenham Hotspur’s striker search continues despite claiming their first win under Ange Postecoglou, with one recurring name sure to have fans worried…
Who else are Tottenham signing this summer?
With Harry Kane having starred on his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich, scoring and assisting, the Lilywhites’ clash with Manchester United drew added pressure as they sought to build on their opening-day draw at Brentford.
It’s fair to say that they more than dispelled the frustrations regarding the sale of the England captain, with an emphatic 2-0 win in front of a rampant home crowd.
However, the clash was marred by the underperformance of RIcharlison, whose anonymity has seemingly spurred them back into the market. His 6.4 Sofascore rating was the lowest of any starter from Postecoglou's side.
As such, Italian outlet Calciomercato even suggested on Friday that they have entered talks to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.
Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…
It is expected that the west London outfit will command a fee of just €45m (£38m) for his services, which marks a monumental loss that the Blues are set to make, given he was signed for £97.5m back in 2021.
How good is Romelu Lukaku?
Whilst there are numerous reasons to avoid the potential acquisition of the hulking Belgian, there is one comparison that can be made which would turn fans away from this swoop.
Despite being contracted to Chelsea, the 30-year-old has most recently spent a year on loan at Inter Milan, having only recently moved to Stamford Bridge from Italy.
Given that Antonio Conte had impressed at the Nerazzuri before joining Spurs, this link will be a frightening reminder of a torrid era and one of the club’s darkest years in recent history.
With their abysmal football aside, it was the Italian’s tendency to lash out in press conferences that truly led to the end of his stay in north London.
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The former statement is supported by pundit Danny Murphy, who lambasted his style back in March: “It’s time now. He has been overpaid and underachieved. He hasn’t delivered. They sneaked into the top four last season because Arsenal threw it away. Tottenham have been in the top four many times, so that’s hardly an overachievement.
“They’ve gone out of the League Cup to Forest, FA Cup to Sheffield United, he’s causing chaos at least two or three times a season with his attitude. The football’s generally turgid, and nobody’s enjoying watching it”.
In fact, the sacking of the 54-year-old only came after one such explosive interview, where he took issue with the club, the players and the hierarchy.
One particularly damning quote from that press conference read: "They don't want to play under pressure, they don't want to play under stress. It is easy in this way. Tottenham's story is this. 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here? I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and to protect the other situation in every moment.”
Worryingly, Lukaku has also had a penchant for these outbursts in high-profile settings, first pushing an exit from Everton before lambasting Manchester United years after his exit.
Then, most recently, whilst still employed by Chelsea he admitted he would have preferred to have stayed at the San Siro that summer he made his switch.
It is this history of jumping ship that led to journalist Ben Grounds outlining his reputation as a “mercenary”, as a similar troublemaker to how Conte was.
richarlison
Even with his off-field antics aside, it could be argued that his best days are way behind him now anyway, with little reason for his purchase.
He only scored ten Serie A goals last season, having been forced out on loan after notching just eight Premier League goals upon his return to west London.
Given how vocal Postecoglou has remained with his admiration for Richarlison, despite his failures in front of goal, there is even less reason to make such a lucrative risk:
“He works hard for the team and a lot of what he does, does not get seen. His pressing, his runs. Sometimes he does not get the ball but he is always making those runs and he is a constant nuisance for defenders. I have said before that I really like Richy”.
With a preference for a hard worker, alongside Lukaku’s similarities with the villainous Conte, there is seemingly little reason to bring in the underwhelming forward.
Cameroon's goalkeeper, Andre Onana, and the nation's legendary striker, Samuel Eto'o, have supposedly not spoken since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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Cameroon goalkeeper and great feud deepens
Cameroon AFCON hopes hang in balance
Onana was sent home from World Cup by Eto'o
WHAT HAPPENED?
The cloud that has been hanging over the Cameroonian side refuses to clear as the feud remains unresolved according to Chris Wheeler of the . Eto'o, elected as the Cameroon Football Federation President in 2021, has had a number of arguments with Onana and the player was sent home for disciplinary issues at the 2022 World Cup. Onana retired from international duty before being recalled, yet he has since been further accused of disrespecting his national team after arriving at AFCON late in order to minimise the Manchester United games he missed.
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WHAT WHEELER SAID
Posting on X, Wheeler said: "There doesn’t appear to be any change in Andre Onana’s feud with Cameroon FA president Samuel Eto’o. It’s said they haven’t spoken since the World Cup in Qatar, and their relationship is broken and irreconcilable. Onana could be back [at Manchester United] this week if Cameroon go out of AFCON on Tuesday."
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The rift between Onana and Eto'o does not appear to have an end in sight. The disagreements between the nation's star goalkeeper and president will only serve to hamper Cameroon's chances of victory at not just this year's AFCON, but in future tournaments as well.
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WHAT NEXT FOR ONANA?
Onana's Cameroon are on the brink of elimination from AFCON. They sit third in their group behind Senegal and Guinea having accrued just one point. They face Gambia on Tuesday knowing qualification is only possible if they better Guinea's result against Senegal.
David Miller smashed the fastest T20I century off 35 balls, beating countryman Richard Levi by 10 deliveries. In doing so, Miller took South Africa to a series win and a historic clean-sweep across formats against a visiting team, the first such instance in 17 tours in which they have played an opposition in all three formats. As a result, Bangladesh leave the country empty-handed, defeated in the Tests, ODIs and T20Is, with Miller’s mauling being the final nail in the coffin.South Africa, with new coach Ottis Gibson at the helm, aimed to be as ruthless as possible in this early-season series, and underlined that intention with this performance, in their 100th T20 international.Hashim Amla set the tone with his 85 off 51 balls and seemed set for a century but was dismissed in the 17th over, attempting to clear the midwicket boundary. Miller was on 42 off 20 balls at the time, with 21 balls left in the innings. Miller, however, needed only 15 of those to get the 58 runs that took him to a hundred, including five sixes in succession off Mohammad Saifuddin in the penultimate over of the innings.Bangladesh had reason to rue that assault, for they could have dismissed Miller early in his innings, even before he had a run to his name. The second ball Miller faced was short from Rubel Hossain and he gloved it down the leg side. Mushfiqur Rahim, the wicketkeeper, dived one-handed to his right, got to the ball but could not hold on. In the next over, Miller charged Saifuddin and lofted a drive over the covers. Three fielders converged on the ball but the ball landed between them.At that juncture in the game, Bangladesh were more concerned about Amla, who was timing the ball well and had sauntered to his fifty off 32 balls. He held together the first half of South Africa’s innings, in which the visitors kept them fairly quiet. Shakib Al Hasan bowled both Mangaliso Mosehle and JP Duminy for single-digit scores and AB de Villiers holed out to long-off for 20. South Africa were 78 for 3 at the halfway stage when Amla began to up the ante.He took on the short ball, which Bangladesh offered in abundance, and allowed Miller ample time to settle. Miller seemed to need it and could have been out a third time when he came out of his crease and edged Mahmudullah in the 15th over, with the ball rolling towards the stumps, but missing it eventually. Miller made it back in time and avoided being stumped. That was, however, the last of the nerves shown by him.Miller slammed the next ball over long-off for the first of his nine sixes. There was much more to come. He dispatched Rubel to cow corner for four in the next over, then sent him over long-on for two sixes in the next three balls. By the time Amla was dismissed, Miller had got his eye in. He reached his half-century with a top-edge off a hook and followed that up by smashing a Taskin Ahmed full toss over long-on before the showstopper.Saifuddin, who had figures of 2 for 22 from his first three overs, started his final over with a full, slower ball. Miller clobbered it for a six. Then, he went quicker but still full, outside off. Miller went inside-out over the covers for six. The third ball was also full, Miller shuffled across and flicked behind square leg for the third six. Then Saifuddin darted the next one full down the leg side and out came another flick for another six. It was only after he had been hit for four consecutive sixes that Saifuddin received some advice from his captain but to no avail. He went short and Miller pulled. For six.AFP
Only two other players have hit six sixes in a row in an over in international cricket, one of them a South African – Herschelle Gibbs – and Miller was on the cusp of joining them. The final ball was full and wide and Miller went down on one knee but drove it along the ground for one. He was disappointed but kept strike, which enabled him to go for a hundred in the final over.Miller fell over as he reached for a full Rubel delivery that he sent for four and then under-edged a full toss for four more before a brace of twos took him to the fastest hundred in this format. Farhaan Behardien, the non-striker, was as much a spectator as the beleaguered Bangladesh attack. While Shakib conceded only 22 runs off his four overs, the other five bowlers gave away 201 runs off 16 overs at 12.5 an over. Saifuddin’s 31-run fourth over meant he finished with 2 for 53 but Miller could be heard commiserating with him as the teams left the field.”Tough luck,” Miller said. For Bangladesh, it only got tougher.They have never scored over 200 in a T20 and needed 225 this time. They started well, with 17 runs off the first over but South Africa had a trick up their sleeve. Duminy brought himself on in the second over and should have had a wicket immediately. Soumya Sarkar took him on and sent the ball straight to Robbie Frylinck at mid-on, who had to take a simple catch but could not hold on. Duminy kept Sarkar quiet for the rest of that over and on the last ball, he was desperate to get a move on and called for a suicidal single after belting the ball into the covers. Miller collected and threw the ball wide of Mosehle, who had to move to his left but had enough time to gather and run Imrul Kayes out.Rather than see himself as a novelty, Duminy continued and in his next over, struck the killer blow. Shakib made room and Duminy aimed at the stumps and bowled him. In the next over, Mushfiqur edged Frylink to Mosehle; Bangladesh were 32 for 3 before five overs were up and they had little opportunity left to stage a comeback. It was only a matter of time for them and all of South Africa’s bowlers enjoyed some reward as they wrapped up a professional, clinical victory.
KL Rahul’s promotion up the order prompts questions over his role with India, but he delivers with half-century
The Report by Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai17-Oct-2017AFPA 147-run stand – featuring near identical fifty-plus scores off two distinctly unlike innings – between KL Rahul and Prithvi Shaw set up a 30-run victory for Board President’s XI in the first warm-up game against a full-strength New Zealand side in Mumbai. A brisk 78 from Karun Nair set up the total of 295 for 9 despite a blistering five-wicket haul for Trent Boult. Captain Kane Williamson and Tom Latham made gritty contributions, but three-fors from Shahbaz Nadeem and Jaydev Unadkat restricted the visitors’ chase. ESPNcricinfo takes a look at the highlights from the tour opener:The Rahul rejigFor someone who has opened in 41 out of 47 innings in his international career, a slew of failures – scores of 7, 17 and 4 against Sri Lanka in the ODIs – as a middle-order batsman came at a price for Rahul: non-inclusion in the XI through the home series against Australia followed by omission from the limited-overs squad against New Zealand. However, if a belated inclusion to the Board XI squad for the warm-ups came across as an oddity, having him to open the innings in the first practice game was even harder to comprehend.At a time when the national side already has three batsmen earmarked for the opening slots, Rahul’s taking up the opener’s role – despite the half-century – leaves questions to be asked what role he is expected to play in India’s limited-overs campaigns.’Outplayed by a quality Indian side’ – Boult
Trent Boult was not beating himself up over the defeat in the tour game, although he did credit the opposition. “It’s seven or eight degrees back in New Zealand at the moment,” Boult said. “A bit of a shock for the system to come here. It’s a big challenge, but I think we were outplayed nicely by a quality Indian side today.” Boult said you can take away more than just results from warm-up games. “These [the warm-up games] are good opportunities to try out different tactics, in terms of a bowling plan, to come here and just try and bowl good lines and lengths against some of the best players in the world .It [bouncers] is probably not the best recipe to getting them out. I think they negated it nicely, played some very good shots. Probably today it wasn’t successful, but a lot of credit is due to their openers especially , they set a good platform for rest of the batting line-up to propel off.”
The Shaw showRight from the first ball of the tour opener, New Zealand’s quicks threw everything they had at the 17-year-old: searing yorkers, waist-high short balls, deceptive outswingers. And then, there were the bouncers – a barrage of them, angled into the body, outside the off stump, down the leg side. He delivered by leaping, cutting, pulling, and even took evasive action when needed.In the 19th over, when the infielders appealed for a caught-behind, Shaw nonchalantly drowned New Zealand’s protracted celebrations with a quiet stare at the bowler even before the umpire turned down the appeal. “I heard he’s 17; [I] couldn’t quite believe it,” Boult said of Shaw. An 80-ball 66 against the simmering New Zealand pace battery did lend credence to Boult’s confession of ignorance.Boult from the blackThat New Zealand waited until the tenth over to introduce a spinner, can be reasoned by the bounce and carry offered by what otherwise wore the look of a uni-dimensional flat pitch. More than just the surface, it was the accuracy and lateral movement generated by Boult’s left-armers that applied the choke on President’s XI in the latter half of their innings. Used in three spells, Boult breathed fire every time Williamson brought him on even as the sweltering Mumbai heat began to tell on the hosts. The second and third spells, comprising three and two overs near the close of the 40th and 50th over, accounted for four of his five wickets, triggering a collapse in which the home team lost five for 23.Taking turnsA major part of the build-up to the tour has revolved around New Zealand’s preparations – both technically and mentally – about rising to the challenge of spin. Accordingly, the Board President’s XI bowled 24 overs of spin at them, taking five wickets for 115 runs. However, Colin Munro, Williamson and Latham, in particular, appeared to be adroitly warming up to the spinners before Karn Sharma and Shahbaz Nadeem began extracting more from the surface.New Zealand’s own spinners didn’t have a particularly bad day, although Todd Astle’s walk-off with a groin injury, having bowled just three balls, might worry them. Two other frontline spinners – Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi – oversaw the undoing of the well-set President’s XI openers, after they began operating in tandem from the 26th over. Their partnership helped wrest control in the middle overs, and they took 3 for 94 in the 18 overs between them.
Leeds United could finally be set to kickstart their significant summer spending, as they close in on a man capable of ushering in Daniel Farke's new era.
Is Ethan Ampadu still a Chelsea player?
That's according to journalist Phil Hay, who took to Twitter to confirm Nizaar Kinsella's earlier claim that they will make Ethan Ampadu their first senior signing of the summer.
He would write:
"Leeds United and Chelsea reach agreement over a deal for Ethan Ampadu. Initial fee of around £7m with add-ons attached. Clears the way for a medical and for Ampadu to become the club's first signing of the summer."
With the 22-year-old having failed to establish himself as a first-team member since joining the Blues in 2017, this move could finally mark an opportunity for the defender to reignite a career that once promised much.
The 6 foot 1 ace has just one year left on his £37k-per-week deal.
What position is Ethan Ampadu?
One of the outstanding qualities of the Wales international is his impeccable versatility, given his ability to star in a number of roles.
Across a tumultuous career, where he has ventured out on four separate loan moves since moving to Stamford Bridge, he has featured at right-back, defensive midfield and his preferred centre-back.
Of those spells, whilst the two in Italy did allow him to impress, his year at Sheffield United will likely be of most interest to fans seeking to get a taste of his qualities within English football.
Featuring 25 times in the Premier League during the 2020/21 season, in which the Blades finished rock bottom, he would maintain a 6.95 average rating massively boosted through his two interceptions, 2.3 tackles and 3.3 clearances per game, via Sofascore. This made him their highest-rated player that year.
Even before this, Ryan Giggs had sought to praise him by claiming: "He’s a future leader and it’s great to see him get minutes on the pitch. It’s my hope that he’ll get more games and he’ll get better."
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To pair such imperious solidity with the equally staunch Max Wober, it could pose a frightening prospect for the rest of the Championship.
Few strikers would relish facing a pairing boasting this much quality.
After all, the Austria international, who only moved to Elland Road in January, took no time at all to acclimatise to the physicality of English football.
His 6.84 average rating made him the club's third-best performer of those who started five or more games, as he too would record 1.7 interceptions and four clearances per game, via Sofascore.
From conceding the most goals in the division last term, such a signing would go a long way towards rectifying the fragility that has plagued the club for some time.
With Ampadu yet to realise the immense potential that he commanded when bursting onto the Premier League scene as a 17-year-old, perhaps the alleviated pressure that a permanent move down the football pyramid would bring could prove vital in revitalising a career still very much in its infancy.
After all, former professional football Paul McVeigh had noted back in 2016: "Footballing world, take note of this young player. Ethan Ampadu. He's going to be very special."
His experience is vast compared to most others of his age, and under the stewardship of promotion-specialist Farke and alongside Wober, all the facets are in place for him to finally start playing the way many know he can at a consistent level.
Newcastle and PSG supporters have clashed in Paris ahead of the two clubs locking horns in Champions League competition.
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Magpies in France for European actionRival fans greeted them in ParisTrouble flared on Monday eveningWHAT HAPPENED?
The Magpies are in the French capital for their latest European outing – having previously savoured a memorable 4-1 victory over the Ligue 1 title holders at St James’ Park. Fans making the trip from England had been urged by Newcastle United Supporters’ Club to “stay safe in Paris” and to “look after each other”.
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Videos on social media appear to show members of the PSG Ultra groups targeting Newcastle followers as they gathered for pre-match drinks in local bars and restaurants. One video shows flares and chairs being thrown as glasses and windows are smashed.
DID YOU KNOW?
Another clip that was shared on social media was tagged with the menacing message “PSG ultras looking for the Toon”, with hooded individuals shown prowling the streets of Paris. Local police had advised that pubs designated for away fans should close early in a bid to reduce the risk of trouble.
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It is not the first time that Newcastle fans have become targets for continental rivals this season, with one Magpies supporter being stabbed during a visit to Milan on Matchday One. Eddie Howe’s side have taken four points from as many games in Group F and have work to do in order to reach the last-16.
Kuldeep Yadav has said bowling to MS Dhoni was challenging but he was not scared to be hit for a boundary
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-20171:20
‘Wasn’t afraid of bowling to Dhoni’ – Kuldeep
Kuldeep Yadav could feel the pressure of bowling to MS Dhoni on Wednesday evening. Despite being a spinner, Kuldeep was picked by Gautam Gambhir to bowl the 18th over of Rising Pune Supergiant’s innings with Dhoni and Steven Smith in a partnership of 35 runs from 21 balls. One batsman had regained his touch of smashing sixes in the end overs and the other has not gone out of form since landing in India for the Test series.”If you are a spinner there’s always pressure on you,” Kuldeep said after the match. “As a spinner, I believe that you can put the opposition under pressure by picking wickets. Like in the last over I took two wickets and they were under pressure. Bowling the 18th over is always tough; the captain needs to believe in you for that.”Kuldeep’s first ball to Dhoni in the match, in the 16th over, had been pulled for a flat six over midwicket. In the 18th over, Kuldeep deceived Dhoni with a googly. Dhoni stepped out to get to the pitch of the ball, but it turned away, beat his bat and was stumped.”Bowling to Dhoni is always challenging and I could feel the pressure,” Kuldeep recalled. “But I wasn’t scared that he would hit me for a six or a four. I flighted the ball and I was focused on getting him out.”Three balls later, Kuldeep had Manoj Tiwary on strike, Rising Pune’s best batsman this season in terms of strike rate (with at least five innings). Kuldeep had conceded only three runs in four balls until then in the over and he had Tiwary stumped even though the batsman did not step out to hit him. Kuldeep bowled another googly, Tiwary leaned forward to tuck the ball to the leg side with the spin but the ball went the other way and Tiwary’s back foot was outside the crease.Kuldeep, however, said the conventional legspinner was still his stock delivery as he used the wrong’un and the flipper mainly to get wickets.”It (googly) is only a variation and you can use it in T20s to confuse a batsman when he is attacking,” he said. “But I really believe in my chinaman bowling rather than the wrong’un and flipper. I back my stock ball more and I’m mainly a chinaman bowler; the wrong’un is a variation you use to pick wickets or stop the runs. But my main delivery is chinaman delivery. Obviously, the wrong’un gets you wickets and the batsmen keep wondering if the ball will come in or go out, they find it difficult to pick, especially the overseas batsmen. So if you dismiss Indian batsmen like that, it’s a big boost for confidence.”Kuldeep has so far gone wicketless in just one match this IPL and has collected eight wickets, joint with team-mates Nathan Coulter-Nile and Umesh Yadav, who have had the advantage of a pacer-friendly relaid pitch at Eden Gardens.Kuldeep has had an impressive run since the beginning of the domestic season. He was the highest wicket-taker and the leading run-scorer for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy; he topped the wicket-takers charts in the Duleep Trophy too, with 17 wickets in three matches, and he shone on his Test debut with 4 for 68 against Australia in Dharamsala.”If you play the entire season and you’re highest run-getter or the highest wicket-taker, it becomes easier to play on the next level because of the momentum you are carrying,” Kuldeep said. “If you aren’t playing domestic cricket you might lack in some places. I’ve played Duleep Trophy, one-dayers, T20s, India A, so this season has been really helpful for me which is why I have a lot of confidence.”Knight Riders will play their next match against Delhi Daredevils on Friday.
Liverpool are considering a swoop for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone this summer, with the French ace linked with a move to Anfield of late.
What's the latest on Manu Kone to Liverpool?
According to reputable journalist Fabrizio Romano, who recently took to Twitter to state that Kone is "in the list", and that while the likes of the elegant Gabri Veiga have been touted, a "more physical midfielder" is required at present.
Valued at around £35m by his German Bundesliga outfit, Kone is also attracting the attention of Premier League outfits Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers after impressing this season.
BILD's Christian Falk also confirmed that Gladbach are hoping that Jurgen Klopp's Reds will make an offer for the 22-year-old, securing his services for a lucrative fee.
Should Liverpool sign Manu Kone?
Following the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain the need for midfield reinforcement under Klopp has never been greater, and while the astute £35m signing of Alexis Mac Allister has been the perfect way to set the pace, further arrivals are likely to be forthcoming.
Kone could be the man of the hour if his signature is indeed gleaned, with the robust centre-midfielder recording a respectable average rating of 6.86 – as per Sofascore – completing 87% of his passes, averaging 2.5 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game and succeeding with 60% of his attempted dribbles.
An unflinching conductor of play, Kone is not the most prolific of midfielders, but dazzles with his tenacity in the tackle and his adept driving ability, ranking among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons per 90 (FBref), illustrating his dynamism and leaving talent scout Jacek Kulig hailing him as a “one-man army”.
Also remarked to be a "majestic" gem with a whole lot of "swagger" about him by journalist Antonio Mango, the £6k-per-week engine could be the dream heir to Jordan Henderson's role in the midfield, with the 33-year-old Reds captain ostensibly heading for a more peripheral role despite the side's recent outgoings.
Indeed, this transfer would certainly represent bad news for the 76-cap England international who only started 23 times in the top-flight this term, despite the glaring weaknesses in the red half of Merseyside's centre, and he has even been said to have "got skinned" this season by Journalist Tony McDonough, highlighting his growing inefficacy against progressive, mercurial players.
The distinguished star did record an average Sofascore rating of 6.88 in the Premier League this term, and while he completed 85% of his passes, he only averaged 0.9 tackles and 0.6 interceptions per outing.
Kone is more robust and boasts heaps of energy and exuberance, and while the leadership skills of Liverpool's £140k-per-week veteran will still come in handy as Klopp looks to reshape his team, Kone can slot into the fold, take a starting berth and make it his own, eventually displacing Henderson and emphasising the new era at the club.
Arsenal have now turned their attention to Romeo Lavia after holding internal discussions about their transfer plans, according to reports…
Arsenal transfer news – Romeo Lavia
The Gunners are believed to be pushing to seal a deal West Ham United captain Declan Rice as their first priority but according to The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg, manager Mikel Arteta is keen to sign two midfielders, having also been linked to Brighton & Hove Albion gem Moises Caicedo.
It's now thought the north London outfit have shifted their focus onto other players due to the sizeable sum it would take to secure the Ecuador international, as per the aforementioned report. Lavia is one potential alternative, with talks being held about making a potential move to bring the relegated Southampton star to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
The Sun, meanwhile, claim the Belgian midfielder is valued at around £45m by the Saints and is viewed by Arteta as 'a better option' than Caicedo.
Elsewhere, Arsenal are also keen to sign Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz, with the German said to be "very close" to joining, whilst the north Londoners are said to be in pole position to land Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen too.
Should Arsenal sign Romeo Lavia over Moises Caicedo?
Lavia was perhaps one of Southampton's only shining lights in what was a dismal Premier League campaign, one which saw them relegated to the Championship for the first time in 11 years.
The former Manchester City youth product was second to only James Ward-Prowse when it came to the average match rating of the Saints' engine room options and similarly, he ranked second for tackles per game (2.1) too, as per WhoScored.
Such impressive form saw Independent journalist Benjy Nurick hail the teenage sensation as an "absolute monster" and it also led to him picking up his first cap for the Red Devils back in March 2023.
Lavia grew up idolising Spain powerhouse Sergio Busquets and that is quite apparent when watching him play, with the same reporter waxing lyrical about his qualities as a defensive midfielder, taking to Twitter to say: "Always offering himself as an option to the defence, great range of passing, and a devastating turn away from markers with a little drop of his shoulder."
At just £45m, the dynamic 5 foot 11 enforcer would represent a shrewd piece of business, especially with Brighton looking 122% more (£100m) for Caicedo.
Lavia is not only younger, fitting in with Arteta's developmental project, but he has also come through an all too familiar system at City, where the Spaniard was Pep Guardiola's assistant prior to taking the helm at the Emirates Stadium.
These factors could indeed make him a better option than Caicedo this summer.