Liverpool FC Thread #156 :- We Are Liverpool

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The position of goalkeeper has always been held in great esteem at Liverpool.

Back in the days when mobile phones were the stuff of science fiction, telephones were still rare and the internet would have simply blown minds, communication was often by telegram.

The Reds went by the distinctive address 'Goalkeeper', a nod to the importance of the role.

While the technology has changed, the man with the gloves remains as pivotal as ever.

And that is an issue Jurgen Klopp is likely to address this summer.

Simon Mignolet is expected to depart, and with long-linked Roma shot-stopper Alisson Becker preferring a move to Real Madrid, Liverpool could ponder several options for bolstering between the sticks.

Jan Oblak



If Roma's reputed 80million euro valuation of Alisson was eye-watering, then Atletico Madrid aren't taking any chances with a reported £80million release clause in Oblak's contract.

Anyone meeting that fee would make the Slovenian the most expensive goalkeeper in history.

Mind you, it could be argued he's worth it. Oblak conceded only 28 goals in 49 games this season, and he's kept 93 clean sheets in 162 games for Atleti. Ridiculous, really.

Jack Butland



The England international will be seeking pastures new this summer following Stoke City's relegation from the Premier League.

The 25-year-old has long been touted as a potential top-rate shot-stopper, but has yet to be tested at the elite level.

His confidence, though, may not be at its highest, having conceded 63 goals in 36 games this season while keeping just six clean sheets.

Nick Pope



The Burnley goalkeeper hadn't played in the Premier League before this season.

But since he stepped in for the injured Tom Heaton during the Clarets' win over Crystal Palace in September, he has remained an ever-present, keeping 12 clean sheets in helping Sean Dyche's side qualify for the Europa League.

Now Pope is with the England squad in Russia ahead of the World Cup. Quite the turnaround.

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Gianluigi Donnarumma



The 19-year-old has been linked with a move away from AC Milan for some time, although that smells a bit of manoeuvring for a new contract.

Nobody doubts the teenager, who made his Milan debut aged just 16, will become one of the world's leading goalkeepers if he continues his progress.

But one sticking point to a deal for Donnarumma is that his agent is Mino Raiola, a man who labelled Klopp 'a piece of s***' in 2016. Bit rude, that.

Jasper Cillessen



Almost on a daily basis, reports emanate from Spain suggesting Liverpool are nearing a deal for the Barcelona man.

Cillessen wants out at Camp Nou due to a lack of game time, with the 29-year-old featuring just 11 times this term.

Barcelona, though, reportedly will only let the player leave if his 60m euro release clause is met.

Loris Karius



Of course, one option for Klopp is not to bring in a new goalkeeper at all.

The Reds boss threw his weight behind Karius in January as his number one and was rewarded with a series of improved displays, up until the German's Champions League final nightmare in Kiev.

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Another day of the transfer window brings us a whole new set of rumours to get stuck into on Wednesday.

Silly season is well and truly underway, with transfer gossip dominating the pages of sports news outlets across Europe at present.

The Reds could be busy this summer, and as usual, they have been linked to a whole host of players as Jurgen Klopp and his team continue to weigh up their options.

Here are the latest rumours doing the rounds on the Liverpool mill today.

Zeljko Buvac



Who? You know who. Liverpool's assistant manager who left the club in April. He is again being linked to the vacant Fenerbahce manager's job.

Where? Turkish outlet Sporx report that Buvac has now agreed terms and is primed to take over, pipping David Moyes to the role. Former Reds director of football Damien Comolli is in charge at Fenerbahce and he was reportedly weighing up a move for either Buvac or Moyes prior to this latest piece of news from Sporx.

What? Liverpool insisted last week that Buvac's situation remained unchanged and he was still an employee of the club. However, these reports from Turkey seem quite strong, and the 'Brain' as Jurgen Klopp famously refers to him as could be set to become a manager in Istanbul.

Thomas Lemar



Who? Monaco star Thomas Lemar was wanted by Liverpool last summer before a deal failed to be completed in time before the close of the transfer window.

Where? Any hopes Liverpool might have had of possibly turning to Lemar after failing to land Nabil Fekir are almost certainly set to dashed. The France international has agreed a deal in principle to sign for Atletico Madrid. "Over the next days, both clubs will work to close the agreement for the definitive transfer," a statement from Atletico said.

What? With Liverpool perhaps short on top-class replacements for Nabil Fekir, Lemar might have been seen as someone who could perhaps fill the void, despite an apparently indifferent season with Monaco. Liverpool are unlikely to lose too much sleep over this one, but it is another viable option that has been taken away.

Jasper Cillessen



Who? Barcelona's Dutch international goalkeeper. He has previously been linked to both Arsenal and the Reds.

Where? Radio station RAC1 have reported that Cillessen wants out of Barcelona after falling behind Marc-Andre ter Stegen at Barca. They say: "The Dutch goalkeeper wants to have more prominence [in the first team]. He has a release clause of 60million euros."

What? Again, Liverpool's name has cropped in connection with a goalkeeper at a big European club. The Reds are unlikely to be making a move for Roma's Alisson and with Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet's future both in question, expect Liverpool to be linked with more shot-stoppers over the transfer window.

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Salah Boost

Mohamed Salah has given Egypt a massive boost this morning as he trains with the squad in Russia this morning, AFP report.

Salah trained alone yesterday as team director Ihab Lahita admitted there was no guarantee he would play in Egypt’s first clash against Uruguay on Friday, but the Reds superstar has handed the entire nation a boost by appearing in a series of warm-up exercises with team-mates today.

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Mohamed Salah is set to play in Egypt's opening World Cup match against Uruguay on Friday.

The Liverpool forward was forced off in the first half of his club's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid last month due to a shoulder injury.

That led to concerns that Salah - who turns 26 on Friday - may not be able to represent his country in Russia.

However, speaking during his pre-match press conference, Egypt coach Hector Cuper stated that he expects his star man to be fit for their first Group A fixture at the Ekaterinburg Arena.

"I can almost 100 per cent say he will play, save for any unforeseen factors at the last minute," Cuper said.

"We're trying to make him feel confident. The doctors are giving him the options to play or not. I know Salah very well, he's not fearful. We always know we're running a risk when playing a match, that's something we can't hide.

"But if he does decide to play he'll have full guarantees on his physical condition and I'm sure he will be fine. And if it does turn out there's an issue at the last minute we'll consider it and see if it can be resolved."

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Jordan Williams will join Rochdale upon the expiry of his contract with Liverpool.

The Academy midfielder’s departure from the Reds was confirmed in the club’s retained list, which was released last week.

Williams, who joined Liverpool at U14 level and made his sole senior appearance in September 2014, represented Rochdale on loan last season and has now signed for the League One club on a permanent basis.

Everyone at LFC wishes Jordan well for the future.

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Liverpool will begin the new campaign at home to West Ham United after the fixtures for the 2018-19 Premier League season were released.

The Reds will take on the Hammers – who are now managed by Manuel Pellegrini – at Anfield on the weekend of August 11. They won last season's fixture 4-1.

Liverpool's first away game is at Crystal Palace the following weekend, with Jurgen Klopp's side facing a difficult start to the season on the road.

In successive away games, they then travel to Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Huddersfield Town and Arsenal.

The trip to Tottenham could conceivably be the first game the Londoners play at their new stadium, having requested to open the season with at least one home game at Wembley.

Of the fixtures supporters' eyes are instantly drawn to, the first Merseyside derby against Everton takes place on December 1 at Anfield with the return at Goodison on March 2.

Liverpool entertain Manchester United on December 15 and face a reasonably quick turnaround with a trip to Old Trafford on February 23.



The Anfield clash against United is the start of a testing Christmas period that in the space of 10 days sees Liverpool visit Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 22 before being at home to Newcastle United on Boxing Day, entertaining Arsenal on December 29 before the visit to champions Manchester City on New Year's Day.

Of other notable fixtures, City come to Anfield on October 6 while Chelsea visit on April 13.

Liverpool also finish the season at home by facing promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers on May 12, having had a reasonable run-in of a trip to Cardiff, a home game against Huddersfield Town and a visit to Newcastle United.

Klopp will be delighted by a quirk in the fixture list which will see Liverpool at home in the Premier League game immediately following all six of their Champions League group games.

All fixtures are subject to change once Sky Sports and BT Sport announce their first raft of live games next month.

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Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that Liverpool will be the first visitors to their newly opened home ground.

Today's release of the 2018-19 Premier League fixture list saw the Reds handed an away trip to face Mauricio Pochettino's men on September 15.

Spurs will contest a home game against Fulham before that date but, with test events scheduled at their new stadium across August and September, they are set for a brief return to Wembley.

As such, Jürgen Klopp's men will become the first team to run out as opposition at Spurs' new home.

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Thursday might see the release of the Premier League fixture list for the upcoming season, but that hasn't slowed the rumour mill just yet.

Another day sees a fresh batch of transfer reports, with the Reds linked with a whole host of deals.

These are the latest rumours and reports doing the rounds on Thursday.

Marko Grujic



Who? You'll know him. Liverpool's central midfielder who spent the second half of last season on loan at Cardiff City. He is once again being linked with a move to Lazio.

Where? A whole host of Italian outlets have claimed that the Reds are deep into their negotiations with Lazio over a deal for the Serbian international, with a fee as little as £5million being discussed. The report (which comes via Sport Witness ) says: "Marko Grujic to Lazio has managed to become a fully fledged story in less than 24 hours.

"TuttoMercatoWeb were the ones who started it all off with an exclusive on Monday , simply stating the Serie A club had ‘set their eyes’ on the Liverpool midfielder to potentially bolster their squad next season."

What? A fee of £5m for an young international midfielder seems a bit low in 2018. It's unlikely Liverpool will agree to sell the Serbian for such a small sum, despite Grujic still struggling to break into the first-team fold with the Reds. Another loan deal may beckon.

Alisson



Who? Roma's Brazilian international goalkeeper who is being repeatedly talked about in connection with Liverpool. But perhaps not for much longer?

Where? A story from Mundo Deportivo claims that Real Madrid are close to landing a deal for the Roma shot-stopper. Liverpool had been "very close" to transfer talks, according to report - despite the Reds never having made a bid - but the Selecao star wants to move to the European champions.

What? As reported by the ECHO earlier this week, Liverpool haven't made a bid for Alisson and expect him to join Real Madrid.

Nicolo Barella



Who? A new name on the transfer rumour mill. Nicolo Barella is a 21-year-old Italian midfielder who plays for Cagliari in Serie A.

Where? La Nuova Sardegna report that both Chelsea and Liverpool have their "sirens" ringing off for Barella after watching him impress in Italy last summer. Jurgen Klopp has apparently given the nod to a move for the youngster.

What? Liverpool's midfield will be a congested area when everyone is fully fit, despite the exit of Emre Can. It remains to be seen if there's legs in a potential move for Barella.

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The Premier League fixtures were announced for 2018/19 this morning - but of course plenty will change.

And this season those switches could be even more significant than usual, with the possibility of the season kicking off on Friday August 10.

The Premier League announced that the transfer window would close at 5pm on Thursday August 9 this summer, leaving the way clear for a possible Friday night curtain raiser.

Last January the Premier League declared "The season is due to start on Saturday 11 August 2018.

"Please note that all Premier League matches are subject to potential change, including broadcast selections."

But when will we know for sure?

The changes are usually announced two to three weeks after the official fixtures release.

Last season that was July 6th.

The World Cup quarter-finals start on that date this summer, so will Sky Sports and BT Sport announce their changes the day before?

We'll find out soon!