Liverpool are linked with one youngster and might sell to buy Timo, according to the media reports—while we’ll fork out to keep New Balance happy.
LFC foot the bill as extension delays Nike start
The season being pushed back beyond the usual finish date means the Reds will have to wait to get their new Nike kit on.
It was always likely that would be the case, but now it has emerged that Liverpool will have to fork out to Nike in compensation, due to the deal running late with New Balance.
There could be further knock-on effects, positive and negative: NB might pay Liverpool more cash for lifting the title in their kit, Nike sales might be lower than expected initially due to potential customers not going through those infamous “6000 doors” and there will be less time to wear the new kit for, if 20/21 starts late.
It’s a complex, three-way negotiation, but the Reds say they had an “ethical obligation” to finish the season with New Balance, meaning they now pay out.
Werner plan
Are we all carefully watching Timo Werner now that he’s back in action and no other league is? Perhaps he’ll have a better game this week, then.
Over at the Athletic, the latest suggestion from James Pearce is that any signing for big money like Timo will be dictated by finances coming in, which are of course much-changed in 2020 from the usual projections.
Aside from match-day revenue and the like, transfer fees could be lower across the board, meaning it might now be more worthwhile keeping hold of Marko Grujic, Xherdan Shaqiri and Harry Wilson as squad players rather than sell them for considerably less than the £70m combined the Reds had hoped for earlier in the season.
Loris Karius is up for sale too, but the money Liverpool receive for that quartet might determine how much they spend on Werner—and then it’ll be down to whether Leipzig can in turn be bargained down from €60m to something more affordable this summer.
In other transfer news, German outlet Sport1 say Bayern, Barcelona, Liverpool and Man United are all hoping to sign 16-year-old starlet Benicio Baker-Boaitey, currently with West Ham and a bit of a star at England U16 level.
All looking good at Melwood
No two ways about it: everyone in the squad seems delighted to be back at Melwood and doing more than solitary work again!
- Ox looks sharp as Lijnders put the boys through their paces in today’s session
- The players took to social media to express their delight at being back—and Robbo needed a sun block top-up
- But Bobby Firmino’s “new look” is a bit of a talking point after so long in lockdown!!
Leagues restart latest updates
In the Premier League, Watford‘s Adrian Mariappa has confirmed he has tested positive for coronavirus. Two staff members at the club have also tested positive.
N’Golo Kante of Chelsea has opted out of a return to training, as Troy Deeney of Watford did.
LaLiga players are currently training alone, in the first of four phases in their return-to-training plan which mirrors the general population easing of lockdown.
And it’s full steam ahead in the Bundesliga as they prepare for the second week of action after no ill-effects or problematic fall-outs from their restart last weekend.
Now the matches start fast: There are games Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then another midweek gameweek across Tuesday and Wednesday.
Quickfire LFC news
- Harvey Elliott explains just how much he models his game on Mo Salah and spoke of his targets for 2020/21 (TIA)
- Young striker Fidel O’Rourke has signed his first professional deal with the Reds (LFC)
- Ex-winger Jordon Ibe is being released on a free from Bournemouth, four years after joining from the Reds for £15m (Mail)
- Salah says his daughter chose the celebration for his Champions League final goal in Madrid (CNN)
Around the Prem
- The UK government say free-to-air Premier League games will be win-win; presumably he has yet to speak to Sky or BT about it and they might feel it’s a draw at most (TIA)
- Jamie Redknapp says he has spoken to managers and there could be plenty more players opt out of a return to training, causing potential imbalance in league matches (Sky Sports)
- Man United want Ighalo for longer but are “relaxed” about the stiutation if they can’t, which is basically saying “we could do with the numbers, but we’re not arsed if we can’t have you mate” (Sky)
- And the early rounds of the League Cup could be binned off if next season starts late, which while good news for players in most seasons might actually be an opportunity missed for youngsters in 20/21—surely the Reds proved this year youngsters should be given any and every opportunity that comes their way? (Telegraph)
Stupid decision of the day
Unless he already has a move agreed elsewhere, Dani Ceballos is kidding himself. In an interview he has said he’s leaving Arsenal after his loan to return to Real Madrid and win a place in the team, having three more years left on his deal.
He couldn’t even find the consistency to be a guaranteed starter at a shambles like Arsenal all season long, never mind break into the side past Kroos, Valverde, Casemiro, Isco, new signing Reinier and a veteran Luka Modric.
Find yourself another side, chico.
Tweet of the day
Liverpool Manager, Bob Paisley in the Anfield Boot Room with the League Championship Trophy. pic.twitter.com/4RG5A4W3qo
— Kathleen (@oldpicposter) May 20, 2020
What we’re reading
If you were impressed by Salzburg earlier in the season, check out this in-depth reading on Jesse Marsch’s pressing techniques and how he implements those ideas in training, on the Red Bull Hub.
And here’s a piece on Bundesliga.com, looking at a player with “more set-piece assists than Trent Alexander-Arnold” – see how famous our right-back is? It’s on Christopher Trimmel, who will feature in the Berlin derby this weekend.
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