Liverpool
Done deal Liverpool most talented player said his Done….
Done deal Liverpool most talented player said his Done….
Liverpool travel to Leicester on Monday with a chance to ramp up the pressure on their rivals for a Champions League spot, with boss Jurgen Klopp also having one eye on the transfer window
Klopp insists Liverpool can attract top targets without Champions League football
Liverpool travel to relegation strugglers Leicester on Monday night with the chance to put the pressure on their rivals for a top-four place.
Even if they do overtake Newcastle or Manchester United, it has still be a disappointing season for the Reds, with an overhaul expected in the summer window. Star defender Virgil van Dijk could be set to play a pivotal role in those plans, having held talks with target Jurrien Timber.
Van Dijk’s intervention comes as a cult Liverpool icon made a surprise appearance at Eurovision and Jurgen Klopp sent a warning about Darwin Nunez’s struggles this season. Here, Mirror Football rounds up the latest Liverpool news.
Van Dijk holds Timber transfer talks
Virgil van Dijk is said to have held talks with Liverpool target Jurrien Timber as the Reds look to beat Manchester United to signing the defender. Timber is expected to be on the move this summer and Liverpool legend John Barnes believes Van Dijk will play a key role.
“Of course, I know that he played together with Van Dijk in the Dutch national team and according to the latest rumours Van Dijk has told him that he has to go to Anfield. He is a good player and would therefore be a good asset to Liverpool,” Barnes said.
“Virgil is already over 30 and he will not stay with the club forever. So in the long term, it’s not just about coming to the Reds to form a duo with Van Dijk. Liverpool also just needs to look for a new defender for the future.
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Cult hero’s surprise Eurovision appearance
Former Liverpool star Ragnar Klavan appeared on Eurovision on Saturday night
Liverpool cult hero Ragnar Klavan appeared at the Eurovision Song Contest, five years after leaving the city it was being hosted in. Klavan was given responsibility for delivering the results of Estonia’s jury vote for the competition.
The defender spent two years with the Reds, making more than 50 appearances in total. And he paid tribute to Merseyside before confirming who his country’s points would be going to during the grand final.
“Hello amazing city of Liverpool! It’s Tallinn calling. Wow, what a show. What a boss night. All the Estonians are sending their strength to people of Ukraine. You’ll never walk alone,” Klavan said.
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Klopp sends Nunez warning
Jurgen Klopp has leapt to the defence of Darwin Nunez after a mixed first season at Anfield. Nunez became Liverpool’s club record signing last summer but has not yet hit the heights expected of it, though Klopp has insisted that was always likely to happen.
“He needed time to settle. The most difficult thing for a striker is to come into a team that is not clicking. For him to have scored 15 goals anyway, imagine if by our standards a good season with 70 or 80 points, he would have scored 20-odd goals definitely,” he said.
“That’s how it is but they had much more that we created in this period. But 15 goals is still absolutely fine and three games to go so possibly increase that number as well. He needs time to adapt. He had that at Benfica as well.”
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Virgil van Dijk can help land Joe Gomez upgrade as Liverpool told to seal ‘$46m’ transfer move
With six wins in as many outings, it is clear that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s transformation has been central to Liverpool’s recent revival in fortunes. As the summer approaches, however Jürgen Klopp may see a need to purchase an understudy to the homegrown star.
It is expected that the bulk of the Reds’ transfer budget will be used to strengthen in midfield but it is also clear that defensive reinforcements will be required if the likes of Joël Matip and Nat Phillips depart Anfield this summer. On top of the uncertainty surrounding the futures of those two, the mixed form of Joe Gomez this term may have concerned his manager.
With this in mind, Liverpool’s recruitment team may well be tasked identifying a tactically-flexible player who is as comfortable in the center of defense as he is at full-back. Of course, finding elite-level defenders who fit this criteria is far from an easy task, but one international teammate of Virgil van Dijk and star of the Eredivisie may well fit the bill on numerous counts.
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All things considered, Liverpool would require a defender who could equally excel as a ball-playing center-back and as an ‘inverted full-back’ in order to ensure that Klopp would not need to tweak his current system too dramatically. A player who stands out in this respect is Ajax’s Jurriën Timber, who has routinely been linked with a move to Merseyside in recent months, with the player having told Ziggo Sport that ‘there is a chance’ that he leaves Amsterdam in the upcoming transfer window.
Valued at a reasonable $46m (£37m/€42m), according to Transfermarkt, the defender could well be an astute addition to Klopp’s squad ahead of next season, with his quality and experience likely to be attractive for a number of potential suitors this summer. Despite only being 21, the defender has already played 118 senior games for the Eredivisie giants, while also having starred in the Champions League as well as earning caps at international level.
Timber’s suitability to Liverpool’s current style of play is obvious, especially considering that Ajax has also utilized him effectively as an ‘inverted full-back’ in the recent past, with Erik ten Hag essentially asking him to ‘tuck in’ to form a midfield three last season when his team was in possession. The 21-year-old star has been mightily impressive in the past year when it comes to his passing, which would be particularly attractive to Klopp, given Alexander-Arnold’s recent role change.
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During this current season, Timber has more often been used in the heart of defense, making a total of 44 appearances in all competitions in this role. Demonstrating his versatility, the 15-time international has also been impressive as a more traditional ball-playing center-back for his boyhood club, with his organizational skills belying his tender years.
When compared with defenders across the world’s next eight competitions — the leagues adjudged to be just below Europe’s top five leagues in terms of standard — Timber is in the top one per cent of all performers in terms of attempted passes, pass completion, progressive passes and progressive carries per 90 minutes over the last 365 days. Clearly, this is a player who is very comfortable in possession, with a real ability to drive his team forward from an offensive perspective.
On top of this and by the same measure, Timber is also in the top five per cent of performers in terms of touches in the opposing penalty area, shot-creating actions and non-penalty expected goals (xG) and assists (xA). As defensive players go, Timber is surely as impressive as it gets when it comes to affecting games in the opposition half, with the Dutchman’s output very much reminiscent of Alexander-Arnold.
Jurriën Timber will likely be in demand this summer after a strong season with Ajax and may be of interest to Liverpool.
(Image: Nesimages/Michael Bulder/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Timber’s qualities have certainly not been lost on one Reds legend who has expressed his hope that the Netherlands star’s connection with compatriot and teammate Virgil van Dijk could convince him to swap Amsterdam for Merseyside in the summer. Speaking to Soccer News, Liverpool legend John Barnes said: “Of course I know that he played together with Van Dijk in the Dutch national team and according to the latest rumors Van Dijk has told him that he has to go to Anfield.”
“He is a good player and would therefore be a good asset to Liverpool. Virgil is already over 30 and he will not stay with the club forever. So in the long term it’s not just about coming to The Reds to form a duo with Van Dijk.”
He added: “Liverpool also just needs to look for a new defender for the future. And in that respect, Timber would of course be a fantastic option if we manage to capture him.”
There is no doubt that Timber ticks a lot of boxes for Liverpool and, as Barnes rightly points out, the defender’s age means that he could have all the ingredients to become the club’s next defensive leader. At a reasonable price, the Dutchman could prove to be a bargain purchase this summer — ultimately replacing Van Dijk, perhaps, but providing an immediate upgrade on Gomez, as well as offering cover to Alexander-Arnold.
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