Harvey Elliott‘s transfer to Aston Villa has taken another turn after Unai Emery’s admission, while Liverpool are close to adding a young centre-back to their ranks.
Liverpool to sign Celtic centre-back
Thursday has offered a chance to take a breath after the recent chaotic events since the weekend, and the day brought news of the club being close to securing a deal for centre-back Dara Jikiemi.
Before you wonder if this is an alternative plan for January, he is only 15, so very much one for the future!
Jikiemi is yet to break through into Celtic’s first-team squad but has already played three years above his age group as part of their U18s side.
He has, however, had plenty of admirers, including Nottingham Forest, and is now nearing closer to following in Ben Gannon-Doak’s footsteps as he too swapped Celtic for Liverpool as a young teen.
Jikiemi will almost certainly slot into Liverpool’s U18s squad to start with, which speaks volumes about his talent.
Harvey Elliott could be on his way back to Anfield
• A report has reiterated Liverpool do not wish to sell Mo Salah, but interest from Saudi continues ahead of what he suggested could be his last game at Anfield against Brighton
• Harvey Elliott does not look to have a future at Aston Villa after Unai Emery hinted at a return to Liverpool, that would see the club miss out on £35m – he’d be great depth for us, but that would require Slot to use him
• Jarell Quansah‘s body language said more than the words he spoke when he was asked about his relationship with Slot, though he was happy to talk about Mo!
• James McConnell is another who could return to the club sooner rather than later having found himself on the outs at Ajax – his loan has collapsed since John Heitinga’s sacking
• Joel Matip has made a rare appearance for his former club, returning to Schalke to mark their anniversary kit – he truly is a pro at staying out of the spotlight
Liverpool’s diamond and how it could suit Salah
After a change in shape at Inter, Sam Millne has taken a look at the unexpected benefits it could have for Mo Salah if Arne Slot sticks with the system:
“One of the reasons Slot hasn’t frequently played Isak and Ekitike up front together is likely down to the fact that it isn’t sustainable to play them in every match across a full season.
“If you can add Salah into the rotation, however, then it becomes more palatable as a prospect fitness-wise and it also means Liverpool’s whole game isn’t relying on the Egyptian as he edges towards the end of his career.
“The Egyptian could also play behind a striker with Florian Wirtz or Ekitike, making the formation a 4-1-2-2-1 on paper. This would be highly flexible in practice.”
READ: Mo Salah’s return: Why diamond midfield could suit Liverpool’s No. 11
Elsewhere in the football world today
• The US is planning for fans travelling for the World Cup to disclose information about their social media accounts as part of their tourist visa – will anyone be in the stadiums next summer? (Guardian)
• Xabi Alonso reportedly has until the end of the year to convince Real Madrid not to part ways – you have to wonder if Liverpool are keeping an eye on it (AS)
• Gabriel Jesus returned for Arsenal on Wednesday, featuring for the first time in 332 days after an ACL injury – that offers an idea of when we could expect Giovanni Leoni to return
Liverpool FC: On this day
On this day in 2018 (yes, it’s already been SEVEN years), Liverpool secured a narrow 1-0 win over Napoli to progress in the Champions League.
Mohamed Salah scored the important winner but Alisson proved just as instrumental, making an incredible injury-time save that preserved the result.
I can still hear the Anfield crowd bellowing, ‘Alisson, Alisson, Alisson!’
It was a sliding doors moment as Liverpool went on to lift the Champions League trophy that season, a moment that would not have been possible without Salah’s goal or Alisson‘s intervention.