Liverpool FC Thread #150 :- Farewell Philippe Coutinho - Page 6

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 02:58 AM

Lucas Leiva turns 31 today and will mark his birthday away from Liverpool for the first time in 11 years.

The midfielder left the Reds last summer after a decade of sterling service to join Lazio.

However, Lucas remains a popular figure at Anfield and isn't shy of reciprocating his love for Liverpool, the city and, of course, the supporters on his official social media platforms.

Happy birthday, Lucas!

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 03:00 AM

Jurgen Klopp knows ❤️

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 03:03 AM

Jurgen Klopp made sure his former club Borussia Dortmund squeezed Barcelona out of as much money as possible when they sold Ousmane Dembele in summer 2017.

The young Frenchman became the Catalan club’s record buy back in August, costing them £135m if add-ons are met – their record purchase until yesterday’s £142m Coutinho deal.

But the reason Dortmund received such a gargantuan fee is because Klopp contacted his old employers and alerted them that under no circumstances would Liverpool be offloading the Brazilian – encouraging them to stand firm on price.

This is according to Raphael Honigstein, German journalist and friend of Klopp who just spent a week at BVB’s training camp under new boss Peter Stöger.

“Dortmund revealed that they really benefited from Barcelona’s interest in Coutinho in the summer…” Honigstein told the Totally Football Show.

“Because Jurgen Klopp passed on a message to them saying, ‘Don’t worry – we’re not going to sell – so if Barca come to you for Dembele – be assured they have enough money to spend… So ask for a lot of money!'”

We kind of like that Klopp hates Barca as much as we do, to be honest…

Providing we don’t sell them anybody else though having relinquished our Coutinho stance, we hope we don’t have to speak about them for some time.

We would say something like, ‘We wish Coutinho luck,’ but right now, we don’t.

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 03:18 AM

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool squad back from Dubai as they prepare for life without Philippe Coutinho

The Liverpool squad will return home from their winter break in Dubai on Tuesday as they adjust to life without Philippe Coutinho.

Jurgen Klopp decided to reward the Reds for their efforts over the gruelling festive period by granting them a four-day trip to the Middle East.

Liverpool players and staff flew out to Dubai straight after their hard-fought 2-1 win over Everton in the third round of the FA Cup at Anfield on Friday night.

Aside from the usual recovery sessions following a match, it's been a case of rest and relaxation for the Reds in luxurious surroundings in the United Arab Emirates.

Klopp believes some time off was required after a run of five matches in the space of an energy-sapping fortnight which saw Liverpool collect 10 points out of 12 in the Premier League and knock their neighbours out of the FA Cup.

The squad will reconvene for training at Melwood on Wednesday as the focus turns to Sunday's clash with Premier League leaders Manchester City at Anfield.

Klopp released a statement on Saturday saying that it was with "great reluctance" that Liverpool had agreed the £142million sale of Coutinho to Barcelona.

It's likely to be Friday before he faces the media ahead of the visit of Pep Guardiola's side.

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 03:32 AM

Mohamed Salah is winning his race to be fit for Liverpool’s Premier League showdown with Manchester City this weekend.

The Egyptian has missed the Reds’ last two games, wins over Burnley and Everton, due to a groin injury, but is set to hand Jurgen Klopp a sizeable boost by returning for Sunday’s clash with the Premier League leaders.

Salah travelled with Klopp and his players for their short break in Dubai at the weekend, and will report for training at Melwood on Wednesday. He has responded well to treatment, and as it stands is in line to be available at the weekend.

That is good news for Klopp, who is still reeling from the departure of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.

The Brazilian completed his £142m move to Barcelona on Monday, with Liverpool now considering how best to replace their star man.

They are unlikely to do so this week, and so the return of Salah, their 23-goal top scorer this season, is timely. The 25-year-old would join Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in attack, with Klopp left to assess his midfield options behind them.

Left back Alberto Moreno could also return to training this week having missed the last nine games with an ankle injury. Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge have also been sidelined of late.

Liverpool are still awaiting word from the Football Association with regards to the incident between Firmino and Mason Holgate , the Everton defender, during Friday night’s FA Cup clash at Anfield.

The pair clashed in the first half of the Reds’ 2-1 victory, with the incident mentioned in referee Bobby Madley’s match report.

Liverpool have said they will co-operate fully with any investigation, but are unlikely to make any further comment at this stage. It has been reported that both Firmino and Holgate will be interviewed this week.

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 03:44 AM

A Goal Every 32 Minutes!

Wow.

Andrew Beasley on Twitter has brought this fantastic graphic of how the Fab Four operated together before Coutinho broke up the band.

And it’s really, really impressive.

A goal every 32 minutes when Salah, Mane, Coutinho and Firmino were on the field together.

Will Liverpool ever have such an impressive quartet again?

As Coutinho broke up the band... Liverpool's fab four: the complete record.

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 03:51 AM

Sturridge Most Likely to Leave

The people down at FourFourTwo have named each player most likely to leave their respective Premier League club this transfer window, and Daniel Sturridge was awarded the dubious honour for the Reds.

All eyes followed Philippe Coutinho’s move to Barcelona, but the Brazilian might not be the only star to exit Anfield this month. Daniel Sturridge has struggled at Liverpool since the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona in 2014, having failed to hit double figures for Premier League goals in each of the past three seasons.

The 28-year-old’s three goals in all competitions this season match the tally of young defender Trent Alexander-Arnold – but there should still be plenty of interest for a proven finisher at this level.

Who’s interested in Sturridge?

According to the popular monthly mag, Newcastle, Soton, West Ham and, er, Everton would happily re-home the finisher.

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 03:53 AM

Referee Appointed!

This weekend’s match officials have been confirmed by the Premier League- and Andre Marriner will take charge of Liverpool’s clash with Man City on Sunday.

Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistants: Scott Ledger, Richard West
Fourth official: Mike Dean

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 03:59 AM

Liverpool must replace one brilliant player with another, and look to bring PSG superstar Marco Verratti to Anfield with the money received for Philippe Coutinho.

That's the opinion of the club's former managing director Christian Purslow, who has urged the Reds to not just settle for someone 'fine' in their efforts to strengthen the squad following the Brazilian's departure.

Coutinho left for Barcelona in a £142million deal, making him the second most expensive player of all time.

Liverpool will seek to convince RB Leipzig to allow Naby Keita an early release ahead of joining in July, while Thomas Lemar is a target but likely to be pursued in the summer.

Plenty of other names have been mentioned by pundits and observers and Purslow, who spent two years employed by the club, believes their gaze should be cast towards the Italian midfielder.

"Go and buy Marco Verratti from PSG," he said. "Who has won the league in the last two years? Leicester and Chelsea. What was the common denominator? N'Golo Kante.

"Would he have made Liverpool better? Indisputably. He is a world-class player, I just think Liverpool have to aim high. I don't want fine, I want brilliant, because they just sold brilliant. 'Fine' gets you fourth, fifth, sixth."

Purslow was speaking on Sky Sports' The Debate, alongside The Times' Henry Winter and former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy.

Murphy, like several others over the past week, has suggested Arsenal's resolve for Alexis Sanchez should be tested.

The Chilean is out of contract in the summer and is linked with a January move to Manchester City.

But Murphy thinks the question should be asked about the South American - a player who turned the Reds down in 2014.

"Are Liverpool trying to win the league? Or are they trying to slowly but surely grow and become a consistent top-four club?" Murphy said. "I don't know the answer to that, but you must have a spine of quality - at the moment they've got one.

"I'm putting it out there, I don't know if he'd go because I've got no inside information, but if you've got that much money, and you don't want to spend fortunes on £50m, £60m, £70m players, just go and give Sanchez whatever he wants, say, 'Come and be our leader'."

NI KI · 10-01-2018, 04:03 AM

Bristol City interested in Reds winger

Bristol City are after Liverpool winger Ryan Kent, who has had a loan spell with Freiburg terminated.

The 21-year-old made only six appearances for the German side.

Championship high-fliers and League Cup semi-finalists Bristol City are leading the race for his signature, with Sheffield United also interested.

10-01-2018, 02:58 AM	#51
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	Happy birthday, Lucas Leiva! Lucas Leiva turns 31 today and will mark his birthday away from Liverpool for the first time in 11 years. The midfielder left the Reds last summer after a decade of sterling service to join Lazio. However, Lucas remains a popular figure at Anfield and isn't shy of reciprocating his love for Liverpool, the city and, of course, the supporters on his official social media platforms. Happy birthday, Lucas!

10-01-2018, 03:03 AM	#53
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	Klopp personally intervened to make Barca pay more in summer Jurgen Klopp made sure his former club Borussia Dortmund squeezed Barcelona out of as much money as possible when they sold Ousmane Dembele in summer 2017. The young Frenchman became the Catalan club’s record buy back in August, costing them £135m if add-ons are met – their record purchase until yesterday’s £142m Coutinho deal. But the reason Dortmund received such a gargantuan fee is because Klopp contacted his old employers and alerted them that under no circumstances would Liverpool be offloading the Brazilian – encouraging them to stand firm on price. This is according to Raphael Honigstein, German journalist and friend of Klopp who just spent a week at BVB’s training camp under new boss Peter Stöger. “Dortmund revealed that they really benefited from Barcelona’s interest in Coutinho in the summer…” Honigstein told the Totally Football Show. “Because Jurgen Klopp passed on a message to them saying, ‘Don’t worry – we’re not going to sell – so if Barca come to you for Dembele – be assured they have enough money to spend… So ask for a lot of money!'” We kind of like that Klopp hates Barca as much as we do, to be honest… Providing we don’t sell them anybody else though having relinquished our Coutinho stance, we hope we don’t have to speak about them for some time. We would say something like, ‘We wish Coutinho luck,’ but right now, we don’t.

10-01-2018, 03:32 AM	#55
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	Mohamed Salah winning fitness battle for Liverpool's huge clash with Man City Mohamed Salah is winning his race to be fit for Liverpool’s Premier League showdown with Manchester City this weekend. The Egyptian has missed the Reds’ last two games, wins over Burnley and Everton, due to a groin injury, but is set to hand Jurgen Klopp a sizeable boost by returning for Sunday’s clash with the Premier League leaders. Salah travelled with Klopp and his players for their short break in Dubai at the weekend, and will report for training at Melwood on Wednesday. He has responded well to treatment, and as it stands is in line to be available at the weekend. That is good news for Klopp, who is still reeling from the departure of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona. The Brazilian completed his £142m move to Barcelona on Monday, with Liverpool now considering how best to replace their star man. They are unlikely to do so this week, and so the return of Salah, their 23-goal top scorer this season, is timely. The 25-year-old would join Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in attack, with Klopp left to assess his midfield options behind them. Left back Alberto Moreno could also return to training this week having missed the last nine games with an ankle injury. Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge have also been sidelined of late. Liverpool are still awaiting word from the Football Association with regards to the incident between Firmino and Mason Holgate , the Everton defender, during Friday night’s FA Cup clash at Anfield. The pair clashed in the first half of the Reds’ 2-1 victory, with the incident mentioned in referee Bobby Madley’s match report. Liverpool have said they will co-operate fully with any investigation, but are unlikely to make any further comment at this stage. It has been reported that both Firmino and Holgate will be interviewed this week.

10-01-2018, 03:59 AM	#59
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	Liverpool sold 'brilliant' so they must buy 'brilliant' - including Marco Verratti Liverpool must replace one brilliant player with another, and look to bring PSG superstar Marco Verratti to Anfield with the money received for Philippe Coutinho. That's the opinion of the club's former managing director Christian Purslow, who has urged the Reds to not just settle for someone 'fine' in their efforts to strengthen the squad following the Brazilian's departure. Coutinho left for Barcelona in a £142million deal, making him the second most expensive player of all time. Liverpool will seek to convince RB Leipzig to allow Naby Keita an early release ahead of joining in July, while Thomas Lemar is a target but likely to be pursued in the summer. Plenty of other names have been mentioned by pundits and observers and Purslow, who spent two years employed by the club, believes their gaze should be cast towards the Italian midfielder. "Go and buy Marco Verratti from PSG," he said. "Who has won the league in the last two years? Leicester and Chelsea. What was the common denominator? N'Golo Kante. "Would he have made Liverpool better? Indisputably. He is a world-class player, I just think Liverpool have to aim high. I don't want fine, I want brilliant, because they just sold brilliant. 'Fine' gets you fourth, fifth, sixth." Purslow was speaking on Sky Sports' The Debate, alongside The Times' Henry Winter and former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy. Murphy, like several others over the past week, has suggested Arsenal's resolve for Alexis Sanchez should be tested. The Chilean is out of contract in the summer and is linked with a January move to Manchester City. But Murphy thinks the question should be asked about the South American - a player who turned the Reds down in 2014. "Are Liverpool trying to win the league? Or are they trying to slowly but surely grow and become a consistent top-four club?" Murphy said. "I don't know the answer to that, but you must have a spine of quality - at the moment they've got one. "I'm putting it out there, I don't know if he'd go because I've got no inside information, but if you've got that much money, and you don't want to spend fortunes on £50m, £60m, £70m players, just go and give Sanchez whatever he wants, say, 'Come and be our leader'."

10-01-2018, 03:00 AM	#52
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	Jurgen Klopp knows ❤️

10-01-2018, 03:18 AM	#54
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool squad back from Dubai as they prepare for life without Philippe Coutinho The Liverpool squad will return home from their winter break in Dubai on Tuesday as they adjust to life without Philippe Coutinho. Jurgen Klopp decided to reward the Reds for their efforts over the gruelling festive period by granting them a four-day trip to the Middle East. Liverpool players and staff flew out to Dubai straight after their hard-fought 2-1 win over Everton in the third round of the FA Cup at Anfield on Friday night. Aside from the usual recovery sessions following a match, it's been a case of rest and relaxation for the Reds in luxurious surroundings in the United Arab Emirates. Klopp believes some time off was required after a run of five matches in the space of an energy-sapping fortnight which saw Liverpool collect 10 points out of 12 in the Premier League and knock their neighbours out of the FA Cup. The squad will reconvene for training at Melwood on Wednesday as the focus turns to Sunday's clash with Premier League leaders Manchester City at Anfield. Klopp released a statement on Saturday saying that it was with "great reluctance" that Liverpool had agreed the £142million sale of Coutinho to Barcelona. It's likely to be Friday before he faces the media ahead of the visit of Pep Guardiola's side.

10-01-2018, 03:44 AM	#56
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	A Goal Every 32 Minutes! Wow. Andrew Beasley on Twitter has brought this fantastic graphic of how the Fab Four operated together before Coutinho broke up the band. And it’s really, really impressive. A goal every 32 minutes when Salah, Mane, Coutinho and Firmino were on the field together. Will Liverpool ever have such an impressive quartet again? As Coutinho broke up the band... Liverpool's fab four: the complete record.

10-01-2018, 03:51 AM	#57
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	Sturridge Most Likely to Leave The people down at FourFourTwo have named each player most likely to leave their respective Premier League club this transfer window, and Daniel Sturridge was awarded the dubious honour for the Reds. All eyes followed Philippe Coutinho’s move to Barcelona, but the Brazilian might not be the only star to exit Anfield this month. Daniel Sturridge has struggled at Liverpool since the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona in 2014, having failed to hit double figures for Premier League goals in each of the past three seasons. The 28-year-old’s three goals in all competitions this season match the tally of young defender Trent Alexander-Arnold – but there should still be plenty of interest for a proven finisher at this level. Who’s interested in Sturridge? According to the popular monthly mag, Newcastle, Soton, West Ham and, er, Everton would happily re-home the finisher.

10-01-2018, 03:53 AM	#58
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	Referee Appointed! This weekend’s match officials have been confirmed by the Premier League- and Andre Marriner will take charge of Liverpool’s clash with Man City on Sunday. Referee: Andre Marriner Assistants: Scott Ledger, Richard West Fourth official: Mike Dean

10-01-2018, 04:03 AM	#60
NI KI Arofanatic Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 168	Bristol City interested in Reds winger Bristol City are after Liverpool winger Ryan Kent, who has had a loan spell with Freiburg terminated. The 21-year-old made only six appearances for the German side. Championship high-fliers and League Cup semi-finalists Bristol City are leading the race for his signature, with Sheffield United also interested.

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