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The latest on Klopp, Van Dijk and Edwards at Liverpool…
Jurgen Klopp announcing his departure from Liverpool will obviously impact the futures of some key players such as Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – it’s normal, because there will be a new manager and new directors. It’s obvious that there will be a new project and so they will take some time to discuss with the club before deciding their future.
I don’t think Liverpool fans need to panic – conversations will be needed, but it’s a normal process, it’s part of the change and part of explaining to the players what will happen next.
There are candidates to be the next sporting director, but nothing is at the advanced or concrete stages yet. They’ll have to see who is the man they really want. In terms of manager, Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi are really appreciated by people at the club, but before deciding who is the leading candidate, they want to appoint a new director, so there is a chance for other managers to enter this shortlist. Alonso still has a fantastic relationship with Liverpool, while De Zerbi is appreciated by many top clubs so I think he could be a serious candidate as well.
As reported yesterday, Michael Edwards was approached over a return to Liverpool in an even more senior role than he had previously. Edwards is happy with his current job, this is basically the reason. He has no intention to return, it’s not about the role but just happy with what he’s doing now. I can’t predict when we will see him back in football, or at which club, as he’s very satisfied with his current situation.
Potential late Chelsea departures
Wolves and Fulham are interested in Armando Broja and the situation remains open. However, Chelsea have rejected a loan proposal from Wolves as they don’t want to let the player go on a loan deal, as they don’t believe those conditions would make sense for them.
At the moment, Broja to Wolves is not happening, but the interest from Fulham is there, so let’s see what happens. I think it could be interesting up until the final moments, but nothing looks big or imminent at the time of reporting.
The situation on Conor Gallagher remains the same – he will only go if someone puts big money on the table, and at the moment this is not happening. We know Tottenham appreciate the player, with Ange Postecoglou a big fan of his, and this is why the Spurs links remain, but at the moment it’s not easy, even if they’d love to go for him.
Chelsea are open to selling so it could still be an interesting story, but there are no talks happening, even on the player side – there is nothing between Gallagher’s agents and Tottenham. At the moment it’s not concrete, but there is potential, and it might be one to watch in the summer.
It’s also worth noting that Spurs are very happy with their final squad, but let’s see if they find any opportunities at the last minute.
Finally on Chelsea, Trevoh Chalobah was considered by Atletico Madrid, but he’s considered too expensive in terms of salary, they believe Chalobah’s salary is too high; Gabriel Paulista will cost way less. We have to see what happens in the final 24 hours, it’s still an open situation for Chalobah.
Could Marcus Rashford’s future be in doubt?
After the recent Marcus Rashford controversy, I think his future could be the subject of some discussion this summer, but it’s important to clarify that it’s not something that will be decided now. I’m sure we’ll start hearing stories in the next weeks and months, but at the moment Manchester United are not thinking about it.
We know Man United need a new director of football, and the plan remains to try to bring Dan Ashworth to the club in the next weeks. Either that or other names like Paul Mitchell – there are many candidates, so I think it will take some time before United decide their strategy for the summer window.
It’s also not easy at all to sign a player like Rashford – a big name at Manchester United, on a big salary and long-term contract. It’s not a simple deal at all, so at the moment nothing is happening, nothing has been planned for the summer. In terms of possibility, yes, but it’s not something that’s been discussed or guaranteed yet.
In other United news, it’s likely that Amad Diallo will stay at the club this January and have more of a first-team role. Erik ten Hag wanted him to stay and it’s the same for the club, so it’s likely. He’s training well, and is very determined to succeed at Man United despite constant rumours over a January loan exit. He’s expected to stay and be part of the rotations at Man United.
I also don’t know anything about Alejandro Garnacho being a concrete target for clubs like Real Madrid and PSG, despite rumours. It’s obvious to link one of the best talents in the world with these clubs but there’s absolutely nothing now. He’s focused on Manchester United and obviously United are super happy for him. I think that scouting a player like Garnacho would be kind of crazy, all top clubs follow regularly big talents in big clubs, so there’s nothing into it.
Arsenal wonderkid attracting interest
There’s been an interesting story about Arsenal youngster Amario Cozier-Duberry, who is nearing the end of his contract and who is on the radar of several clubs in England and Europe.
My understanding is that many clubs are interested – I’d include also Wolves and Anderlecht but really the race is open and nothing is decided yet. It’s not one for now, and for sure Arsenal are going to try to agree on a new deal.
Arsenal have been working on it, but there’s still no agreement, there’s still some difference, so it could be an interesting story for the next few months.
My favourite January deals, and names to watch on Deadline Day
It’s been a bit of a quiet January, certainly compared to last year, but there were still some exciting moments. For me, personally, I think the Jordan Henderson to Ajax story was the favourite story that I broke because it was completely unexpected. When I heard about this story for the first time I was surprised and thought it was probably not going to happen because we know how tough it is to negotiate with Saudi clubs – they didn’t want anyone to leave, so this one really surprised me, but it’s a fantastic signing for Ajax.
As well as that, let’s see what happens before the deadline because there’s still time – I’m curious, for example, to see what happens with this Antonio Nusa story. He’s a very talented boy, linked with both Tottenham and Brentford recently, and I’d be happy to see him join an important club around Europe.
Hugo Ekitike is also one to watch for the final hours – he’s available and he will leave PSG for sure, so it could be an interesting story for Deadline Day. Eintracht Frankfurt remain an option but there are more clubs interested, at the moment I can’t mention the name but there is interest. I’m not sure, however, if he’d be an option for Premier League big six clubs, I’m not hearing that. I think he needs to go to different kind/level of club and play on a regular basis.