Liverpool will start and finish this week champions of England. And the next. And the next…And meanwhile, news headlines look at celebrations, transfers, trophies and more.
Delays, not cancellations, for trophy and parade
Liverpool face yet another delay in getting their hands on the Premier League trophy, but it’s only a minor one this time.
And, after all, the hard work is already done—celebrations are just formalities once the actual feat is achieved.
Chelsea going through to the FA Cup semis means our game against them will be pushed back and, as such, it will likely be a midweek evening game when the Reds get the trophy, under the lights at Anfield.
As for fans and the wider Liverpool family getting to party, Jurgen Klopp has again implored everyone to wait until the time is right for full-scale madness.
The city has seen a handful of unsavoury gatherings and news headlines and in an open letter to supporters, the boss has asked for the wildness to be halted until “the time is right”—when we can all join up in a million-strong parade.
Attentions turn to summer plans
Liverpool are champions, but it doesn’t stop here.
The club will recruit and sign more players in the coming transfer windows, though it remains to be seen how much business is done this year in particular, given how much events in 2020 will impact the financial environment around the club.
Chairman Tom Werner told Sky Sports that the Reds are essentially in a watch-and-see phase right now.
“Regarding the transfer window, the only thing I would say is that we will continue to assess the transfer market, which at the moment is unclear, made even more so by the effect the virus will have not just on English football but football around the world,” Werner said.
It appears that the Reds, along with many other clubs, might just wait and see who moves first in the market, and what valuations teams place on particular individuals.
The Reds are far from broke, so don’t expect zero movement just for the sake of it, but it’s clear that deals will only be chased if they provide particular value for money and make sound recruitment sense.
More to come from this incredible side
Today’s look at the news around the squad sees plenty of positives for the future.
- Alisson promises the squad still has the “desire for winning” and that the challenge of more trophies will push them to succeed
- Trent has been impressed by Neco’s performances in training and says the youngsters deserve their chance in the team
- And a former key member of the backroom staff will return over the summer after agreeing to join the Reds from Arsenal
Quickfire LFC news
- Klopp has demanded players take on board the desire to give everything in each training session, says Ox (Star)
- Luis Suarez says he’s delighted for Hendo in picking up multiple trophies and is happy for Reds fans after they missed out on the title when he was at Anfield (Mirror)
- Robbie Fowler‘s time as manager in Australia is over due to coronavirus (TIA)
- And Jamie Redknapp says Jordan Henderson has been embraced by Reds fans as “one of their own” after lifting four major titles as captain in just over a year (Goal)
Around the Prem
- Angel Gomes is likely to leave Man United after not agreeing a new contract; so much for the rebuild on keeping youth prospects coming (Mirror)
- Dortmund say there’s “no coronavirus discount” on Sancho and expect him to stay at the club for next season – keeping him nice and warm for us in 2021, yeah?! (Metro)
- A new Nike ball for next season could spell the end of the “knuckleball” free-kick thanks to a “more consistent flight path”. Yes, it will still be a round thing that we score loads of times with (Telegraph)
- And the FA will make 124 people redundant as they battle to cover losses of around £300m due to coronavirus (BBC)
Stupid rumour of the day
It’s still happening! Liverpool are still suggested as being in for Koulibaly by Italian media—this time with Dejan Lovren thrown in as a makeweight in the deal. Stop it, Italy!
Tweet of the day
Shove that up your asterisk.
Liverpool have more trophies (4) than league defeats (2) in the last two seasons ? pic.twitter.com/uUSlXYygdc
— GOAL (@goal) June 29, 2020
What we’re reading
A look at how Klopp has broken the mould, not by winning the league, but by doing so without being an intolerable prick, by Alex Hess for GQ.
And BBC Sport have a report on what the game’s governing bodies are planning to increase the numbers of BAME coaches around the professional sport.
Worth watching tonight
Palace vs Burnley at 8pm, for free on Amazon Prime Video. There’s also a European spots battle in Spain where Getafe host Real Sociedad at 9pm on LaLigaTV.
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