Liverpool

Gabriel Henize was so angry Man United wouldn’t grant Liverpool transfer the lawyers got involved but incident is regret

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11 months ago

January 18, 2024

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Gabriel Henize was so angry Man United wouldn’t grant Liverpool transfer the lawyers got involved but incident is regret
Jake Lambourne
18th January 2024, 3:30 pm
Updated: 18th January 2024, 3:59 pm
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There’s an unwritten rule when it comes to playing for Manchester United – do not join Liverpool.

But Gabriel Heinze clearly didn’t get that message in 2007 when he tried forcing through a move to the Red Devils‘ arch-rivals.

Heinze was keen to swap United for Liverpool in 2007 when he fell out with his bosses at Old Trafford

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Heinze was keen to swap United for Liverpool in 2007 when he fell out with his bosses at Old Trafford
The defender was bidding to become the first player since Phil Chisnall’s £25,000 switch to Anfield in 1964 to directly transfer between the two clubs and only the third in Premier League history after Michael Owen and Paul Ince.

However, he didn’t account for legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson to step in and block the deal – leading the player to hire a Liverpool-based legal firm. Fergie after all had spent years building United into a side capable of ‘knocking Liverpool off their perch’.

Heinze’s agent, Roberto Rodriguez, is alleged to have been told by United’s then-chief executive David Gill that the left-back could leave for £6.8million.

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But United failed to envisage that offer would come from up the M62 where manager Rafa Benitez attempted to bring the Argentina international to Anfield.

A £6.8m offer was lodged, but to Heinze’s anger and dismay, United knocked back their proposal, with Ferguson adamant a transfer to Merseyside was out of the question.

Speaking at the time, Ferguson said: “I can assure you, Liverpool will not be getting Gabriel Heinze. We can put that to bed right now and we have done so.

“We have had a couple of offers for him and we have turned them down. Heinze’s agents are rolling the ball all the time.

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“But no matter what his agent thinks, we are in the driving seat. I don’t know exactly what Gaby thinks because it’s all coming from his agent, but this has been going on for a year and a half now.”

If Heinze had moved to Anfield he would have been the first player since Phil Chisnall in 1964 to move between clubs

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If Heinze had moved to Anfield he would have been the first player since Phil Chisnall in 1964 to move between clubs
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson was not about to let one of his best players leave for the club he lived to beat

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Manager Sir Alex Ferguson was not about to let one of his best players leave for the club he lived to beat
He added: “We’re aware that he’s taking legal advice, but that’s good. I just hope it’s good advice because we are very confident.

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“I’m aware that it has been suggested that he’s using Liverpool’s solicitors, but that doesn’t worry me. He has either got a case or he hasn’t.”

Benitez, who was left baffled by United’s refusal to sell Heinze to the Reds, stated: “It’s clear he’s a player we like and he’s a very good player.

“That’s the reason why they don’t want him to leave for us. We made an offer which they rejected. The lawyers are now working on it and so we have to wait.”

It then came to light that Crystal Palace were offered the chance to buy Heinze, and then immediately offload him to Liverpool, where they would earn £1m in compensation for their troubles.

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talkSPORT host and ex-Eagles chairman Simon Jordan revealed in his diary Be Careful What You Wish For that Phil Alexander, the club’s CEO, received an approach from someone called James Green, who claimed to represent a South American agency called Soccer SA.

He wrote: “The gist of the conversation was that this agent wanted Crystal Palace to buy Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United and then immediately sell him on to Liverpool.”

Jordan added: “My stance was no way were we getting involved and I told Alexander to contact David Gill, Manchester United’s chief executive, and tell him of these attempted shenanigans, which he duly did.

Ferguson maintained from the start that Liverpool wouldn’t be signing the 2004 Olympic gold medallist

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Ferguson maintained from the start that Liverpool wouldn’t be signing the 2004 Olympic gold medallist
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“Of course, I took the opportunity to get Phil to advise Gill we would like them to remember the favour.

“The upshot was that there was an ongoing Premier League dispute between Heinze and United and we were required to give evidence and this strange and murky set of affairs was resolved by others.”

The evidence from the meeting was later used in the hearing, which United won.

After losing in his quest to join the Anfield outfit, Heinze told the Daily Mail: “My fight is for the freedom to negotiate with any club.

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“United never wanted me to leave for one of the big clubs, but this anti-Liverpool clause is incredible.”

Heinze eventually made the move to Spanish side Real Madrid in 2007

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Heinze eventually made the move to Spanish side Real Madrid in 2007
Liverpool were expecting Heinze to appeal the decision, but it never happened as United accepted an offer from Real Madrid.

Realising that his preferred transfer was over, he linked up with Los Blancos, where he helped the Spanish win the LaLiga title in his opening season.

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Heinze, who won the Premier League in 2007, later spoke of his regret at trying to force a move to United’s rivals, stressing he hopes the fans still hold him in a positive manner given his performances in their shirt.

The answer was clear when Heinze returned to Old Trafford with Marseille in the Champions League in 2011.

Chants of ‘you Scouse b******’ bellowed around the Theatre of Dreams, showing the United faithful had neither forgiven, nor forget his actions.

It was a sad end to a great career and even the player was regretful of the way things ended.

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“I don’t have many regrets from my career as a footballer, but that episode with Ferguson [has] to be one of them,” he said ahead of the European clash. “I’m impulsive and strong-willed and this has got me into trouble at times, which was the case when I left United.

“I spent three years in Manchester and had some great moments and I regret [leaving the club] a lot. I am a strong personality, Sir Alex is a strong personality. I took the decision and, looking back, I regret it because it meant leaving a great club and their supporters. I was aware of the rivalry [with Liverpool], I knew the risk of going from Manchester to Liverpool and what it means. I hope it doesn’t tarnish the way they [the supporters] see me and they will remember the three years I had in the team.”

It’s been 16 years since the transfer saga, and no player from either side has dared to cross the divide.

Keep up to date with all the latest news, rumours and gossip with our LIVE transfer blog
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I was stupid to join Liverpool – it’s my fault I flopped but I still don’t know why they never game me a chance
Tiago Ilori was tipped for big things when he joined Liverpool but left the club on this day in 2017 having never made a Premier League appearance

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ByTheo SquiresLiverpool FC Writer
12:32, 18 JAN 2024UPDATED12:40, 18 JAN 2024
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Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool with Tiago Ilori during a training session at Melwood Training Ground

With Liverpool likely in need of strengthening at centre-back in the not-too-distant future, Sporting Lisbon is one possible port of call.

The Reds have repeatedly been linked with a swoop for Goncalo Inacio in recent months, while the ECHO reported earlier this week that the Reds are tracking his team-mate, Ousmane Diomande.

But should Liverpool actually ever sign either player, they will hope that they fare considerably better than the previous two times they have bought from Sporting Lisbon.

The Reds first turned to the Portuguese outfit in January 2012, snapping up Joao Carlos Teixeira in an £830k deal after he had impressed against the club in the 2011/12 NextGen Series. However, the move almost fell through due to a back injury.

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Once recovered, the playmaker, hailed as the ‘New Deco’ impressed at youth level and, despite an underwhelming loan move to Brentford during the first half of the 2013/14 season, made his Liverpool debut as a substitute in a 3-2 victory over Fulham in February 2014.

The following year, he would impress on loan in the Championship with Brighton & Hove Albion only to see his campaign ended prematurely by a broken foot. And while it would take the appointment of Jurgen Klopp for him to be handed a first team look-in in 2015/16, it soon became clear that he would leave the club the following summer at the end of his contract.

Liverpool ended up pocketing £250k compensation when Teixeira joined FC Porto, having made only eight appearances for the Reds and scored only once. Yet that was still more of an impact than the second Sporting Lisbon player to move to Anfield.

It was August 2013 when former manager Brendan Rodgers completed a double deadline day swoop to land Mamadou Sakho from Paris Saint-Germain for £18m and a 20-year-old Tiago Ilori in a £7m deal from Sporting Lisbon. In doing so, he claimed to have sorted out the Reds’ backline for the next 10 years.

“I wanted to try to protect the present and the future of the club,” Rodgers said at the time. “Centre-halves are so hard to find. You look at some teams and they have ageing centre-halves because it is a struggle to get a really good one.

“We were fortunate in that two became available, one that we had been tracking for a year in Tiago Ilori, a young talent but who can be a big talent.

“He is 6′ 3”, super quick, power, can jump, and he just needs to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. He is one for the future, but he can be a really big talent.

“Sakho is 23 but he is an experienced player. He has senior international caps and looks an absolute monster in training. He is one who is ready for now and that is what we want.

“We had a chance to do that and protect the club for maybe the next ten years and that is what we have done.”

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Alas, Rodgers’ lofty prediction never came close to coming true. Sakho’s rollercoaster Anfield career is well-documented, as the Frenchman found himself bombed out by Klopp and eventually departed for Crystal Palace on a permanent basis in a £26m deal at the end of August 2017.

He had lasted four years, making 80 appearances with his last outing coming in April 2016. Yet such a total was 77 more than the man who had been touted by Rodgers to be his long-term centre-back partner.

Ilori was highly-rated prior to his move to Anfield, to the extent that the FA were hoping to persuade the London-born defender to switch international allegenices from Portugal to England. Yet despite Rodgers claiming to have been tracking the centre-back for a year prior to signing him, the £7m man never even made an appearance under the Northern Irishman.

Unused during the first half of the 2013/14 following his move to Anfield, the Portuguese made just three matchday squads before being sent to spend the second half of that season on loan at Granada. He made nine appearances, before registering 15 appearances on loan at Bordeaux during the 2014/15 campaign.

“I want to play for Liverpool,” he said in August 2015, following his return from France and having reached the final of the Under-21s European Championships with Portugal that summer. “I don’t want to be in Liverpool just to be sitting around.

“My objective is the same as every other player, we all want to play so everyone’s going to fight for their place.

“I joined Liverpool two seasons ago to play for Liverpool, that is my number one objective so I’m going to do everything to make that happen.”

Less than two weeks later, he found himself sent out on loan again as he joined Aston Villa on transfer deadline day. Yet he failed to make an appearance for the Premier League side before being recalled early in January 2016.

By this point, Klopp was now Liverpool manager, with the German embarrassingly admitting he had previously had no idea that Ilori was even a Reds player.

“When I first came here I didn’t know he was an LFC player to be honest. Of course not, he was at Aston Villa,” he said.

“Time after time I got information about all the players who were on loan, I saw him, a centre-half, and you heard about the problems and you know he didn’t play at Aston Villa, not even in the second team.

“We got him here and you see then the potential. That’s good but they have all to learn, all to improve but they gave the sign but it is one sign.”

Ilori made his debut as part of a makeshift centre-back pairing alongside Jose Enrique against Exeter City in the FA Cup, before starting the third round replay at Anfield. He’d then make what would prove to be the final of his three appearances for Liverpool as they lost to West Ham United in the fourth round.

Not that he knew that at the time. Speaking after the game, he revealed how he hoped to force his way into Klopp’s first team plans.

“I’ve had a few chances to play which is great,” he said. “I always thought there could be a future here. That’s why I signed for Liverpool in the first place. I just try and work hard every day.

“Players get experience by playing. I played alongside Lucas and he didn’t look at me and think: ‘he’s not as experienced’ and I didn’t look at him and think: ‘he’s the most experienced player’.

“We all play together, we train together every day and we’re a team. There are a lot of good players at Liverpool for me to learn from. I just take it step by step.”

Klopp might have seen the potential, but that didn’t make Ilori part of his plans. Never playing for Liverpool again, he was sold to Championship side Reading for £3.75m on this day in January 2018. He would depart having never played in the Premier League.

And while he would be limited to eight appearances in his first half-season at the club, he would total 64 appearances come the end of his two-year stay at the Madejski Stadium.

Despite returning to Portugal and to Sporting in January 2019, his fortunes did not improve. Featuring just 24 times, he joined Lorient on loan in February 2021 but failed to make an appearance as injury disrupted his time in France. 12 appearances would follow on loan at Boavista in 2021/22, while he made four appearances on loan Pacos de Ferreira in 2022/23 before being sent back prematurely in January.

While he would train with Sporting during the second half of the season, he was not registered in their squad and did not play as a result. Come August, his contract was terminated despite having a year still to run.

After nearly five months as a free agent, Ilori would at least find a new club at the end of December. He has had to drop down a level though, signing a short-term contract with Belenenses in Liga Portugal 2 until the end of the season.

Withdrawn at half-time when making his debut in a 2-1 defeat to Benfica B on January 6, he was left as an unused substitute last weekend as Belenenses fell to a last-minute 1-0 defeat to Pacos de Ferreira. That loss saw his new side drop to the bottom of the table.

Now 30, Ilori has never looked like becoming the ‘big talent’ for the future Rodgers predicted he could be. Throw in Sakho’s failings and it was a poorly-invested £25m from Liverpool, with their defensive issues only rectified following Klopp’s arrival and the signing of Virgil van Dijk in 2018.

So much for Rodgers ‘protecting the club’ for the next ten years! Had they lived up to such hype, they could still be at Anfield now. Instead, neither Sakho or Ilori played for the Reds after 2016.

And while the Frenchman’s fall from grace is understandable, the Portuguese’s is shrouded in mystery. Over 10 years on from joining Liverpool, he remains an unknown at Anfield.

He would touch on his struggles and frustrations at Anfield in an interview with Reading’s matchday programme in September 2018, admitting he made the wrong decision to join the Reds when he did.

“I played 12-13 games in a row (at Sporting) and then that’s when I first heard about Liverpool’s interest,” he recalled. “I was negotiating a new contract with Sporting at the time,I had the equivalent of a youth team contract at the time, they were trying to adjust that.

“The club had some financial problems as well and we couldn’t come to an agreement at the time. There was a change of president at the club as well, so he had his ideas about how to get things done – there was a lot going on at the time.

“Then there was some interest from abroad and Liverpool showed more interest than anyone else. I broke my hand so I didn’t have a pre-season at Sporting, then I seem to have been punished for not signing a deal. Being young and stupid really, I reacted. I was willing to sign the deal, but then I was thinking if they were treating me like this then I wanted to leave.

“Looking back now, I think it would have done me good staying another season. It was easy playing there, I was comfortable, they knew me and they knew what I was about. I was a young 19-year-old in the sense that, football-wise, I hadn’t played many games at a professional level. And from there to playing for Liverpool was a big step.

“It’s not that I couldn’t do it, but looking back now, maybe after another full season in Portugal and I would have gone into the next season with some confidence from the campaign before. Hopefully I’d have been able to get 20-30 games in at least, then that would have been different for me.”

He continued: “It was an unbelievable experience for me, the feeling I had when I signed for Liverpool. I only really understood what was happening months afterwards really, walking into training and looking at the players who were there at the time – Suarez, Coutinho was young but he was already unbelievable, Gerrard obviously, Sturridge was on fire as well.

“It was definitely tough. I was in the squad at the beginning and I felt that the coach (Brendan Rodgers) really liked me. It just didn’t happen, it didn’t work – my fault, obviously, because I’m the one who had to prove that I needed to play.

“In my head I was looking too short-term – I didn’t realise the work I’d have to put in. So when someone would tell me that within the next two years I would be starting for Liverpool, I was thinking, why can’t I be in there in the next two months?

“I should have gone there and had a plan. Obviously if I got the chance to play straight away I would, but over the next couple of years I would develop to a point physically and mentally, then be integrated within the club to be able to play and compete in every game. It was probably just an age thing, I’m looking back trying to find a reason but I don’t know why!”

Meanwhile, his loan move to Bordeaux in 2014 was unexpected, with Ilori admitting that derailed him in France as he reflected on his struggles with the club and eventual permanent Anfield exit.

“I had international duty with the Under-21s and it went really well – we got to the final but lost to Sweden on penalties,” he recalled. “Personally and collectively it had been a good tournament – then I got back to Liverpool and, unexpectedly, went on loan again to Bordeaux.

“I should have snapped out of it, but my head wasn’t right at the time. Bordeaux is a great club, a great place to live as well and the club is a really nice place to be. They really looked after me and wanted me to succeed, but my head wasn’t in the right place really.

“I had a few injuries as well during that season, all muscle injuries. I still managed to get 15 or 16 games in, I wanted to play more than double that but considering the injuries and other stuff that was going on, it was enough.

“But at the time it was tough because I had a plan in that I wanted to be at Liverpool to play, I didn’t want to give that up. I wasn’t going to leave until I had my chance, but consistently getting those setbacks was really tough.

“(And) when I left Liverpool (permanently), it was tough. I had been there a while, I didn’t really get a chance and it didn’t happen the way I wanted it to.”

Ilori will always have his Liverpool regrets, but only limited answers, still not knowing why he never got the opportunity he craved at Anfield. But still just a teenager when he left Sporting, he paints a picture of a player who struggled to cope with setbacks and perceived rejection.

Tipped to be a Reds centre-back for the next 10 years by Rodgers, over a decade on from such an admission, the now 30-year-old is instead trying to reignite his career in the Portuguese second division.

Considering his ongoing struggles at a number of clubs since being sold by Klopp, Liverpool will have no regrets themselves. Instead, perhaps only sympathy for a player unsure of where and why it all went wrong.

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Arsenal have recently had a rejected bid for Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri and Liverpool have acted swiftly to hold talks of their own.

The club has shown a desire to add more depth to their left-back ranks and Ait-Nouri has emerged, along with Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, as a possible signing.

According to Football Transfers, Liverpool have held “discussions” with Wolves and the player could even join in January although it’s far likelier that he would make the move to Anfield in the summer transfer window.

Wolves will only sell the fullback for a “bid exceeding £50 million” as they’ve shown by “knocking back” an offer from Arsenal that did not meet their valuation.

Aside from Liverpool being content to not make any signings this month, Ait-Nouri’s involvement at AFCON, where he is representing Algeria, further complicates completing a deal to sign him this month.

It’s no surprise that the 22-year-old is a target given his displays this season.

He ranks in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons, according to Fbref, averaging 2.43 per 90. His dribbling and ball carrying is some of the best in the Premier League and it would be brilliant to see him flying down the flank at Anfield.

Defensively, he’ very sound.

Also very encouraging is his tackle success rate. He makes 2.74 tackles per game on average, placing him in the 89th percentile in that regard.

He only loses a challenge every second game on average while he tackles 62% of dribblers which places him in the 90th percentile.

Klopp will love him as he hoovers the ball up, recovering the ball 6.16 times per game on average.

Stylistically, he seems a perfect fit.

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13-10-2023
Watching Liverpool games this season, it’s nearly impossible to ignore the fact that van Dijk is gra…
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13-10-2023
looking forward to any positive updates on Andy’s situation.
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13-10-2023
What a massive blow to both Liverpool and Scotland! Robertson has been an instrumental figure in bot…
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I hope Liverpool doesn’t miss out on Phillips if Munich is really going for him. He has proven his w…
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Leny Yoro France
Analysis Articles Feature Lille News Transfer Story
£69m bid will seal Liverpool signing this month, £26m discount if they wait
January 18, 2024 News Desk 0 Comments newsnow
Liverpool have the best defensive record in the Premier League, still, they are linked with top defenders as Klopp looks to improve the backline for the future.

The name of Leny Yoro has been on the radar for sometime with reports indicating that the Reds are in an advanced position to sign him.

News – Report – Liverpool prepare offer to sign £6million player

As per Fussball.news journalist, Christopher Michel, the suitors can seal the signing of the teenage sensation this month by paying a fee of at least £69m (80 million euros).

Moreover, if they wait for the summer transfer window, then Yoro would be available for a fee of min. 50 million euros i.e a discount of around £26m (30 million euros).

It must be remembered that the 18-year-old will be out of contract in 2025, so, a summer price of 50 million euros should be considered high keeping in view that the youngster is highly inexperienced.

However, he has been top class for Lille this season and is a wanted boy in the market with PSG, Madrid and Man Utd interested as well. Hence, perhaps the valuation is justified.

In the current campaign, so far, Yoro has started twenty games in all competitions, scored three goals and helped the French Ligue 1 side keep thirteen clean sheets.

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Liverpool do not have any urgent need to strengthen their central defense with four options available in the form of Van Dijk, Konate, Gomez and Quansah.

Have your say – Should Liverpool bid £69m to secure Yoro this month or wait until the summer?

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Liverpool make first move for “fantastic” player in £50m+ January transfer
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TOM CUNNINGHAM
PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO
The Reds could find a solution to their injury crisis.

Sitting top of the Premier League ahead of their return from the winter break, Liverpool are now reportedly looking to get one over on title rivals Arsenal by beating them to the signature of a player who could put an end to the Reds’ injury crisis.

Liverpool ins and outs
Whilst Liverpool are yet to welcome any fresh faces this month, instead focusing on departures such as Fabio Carvahlo on loan to Hull City, they have been linked with some hefty moves. According to reports, Liverpool are among the clubs interested in Bruno Guimaraes, who could yet leave Newcastle United amid their need to abide by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. Meanwhile, the Reds have reportedly joined the race for Douglas Luiz in another move that would complete their midfield rebuild once and for all.

However, with both Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson currently sidelined through injury, what Liverpool really need is another left-back, or at least another versatile figure like Joe Gomez. As things stand, it is Gomez filling in, which means that Jurgen Klopp is without a senior back-up on the opposite flank in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. To solve a growing crisis, the Reds could now turn to the market for a solution.

According to Football Transfers, Liverpool have opened talks to sign Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are looking for over £50m if they are to sanction the sale of the left-back this month. Liverpool aren’t the only interested party either, with Arsenal reportedly seeing their approach knocked back and deemed short of Wolves’ valuation.

Whilst Ait-Nouri’s exit seems more likely in the summer, Liverpool or Arsenal could yet force Wolves’ hand with a tempting offer before the end of the January transfer window.

“Fantastic” Ait-Nouri has outperformed Tsimikas this season
In the absence of Robertson, it was Tsimikas filling in down the left-hand side up until he suffered an injury of his own against Arsenal last month. And although the Greek international did an adequate job, Ait-Nouri’s stats show that it is the Wolves man who has impressed the most when compared to the current Liverpool left-back.

Player

Progressive Carries

Progressive Passes

Blocks

Tackles Won

Rayan Ait-Nouri

Kostas Tsimikas

That said, Ait-Nouri’s rise makes the previous praise of former captain Conor Coady no surprise. The former Wolves defender told the club’s official website: “He’s really sharp. He turns you inside out. He’s got bags of tricks. It’s important we try and help him settle in as much as possible. He’s a young boy coming from a different country. He’s a fantastic person, he’s brilliant to have around the place, and it’s up to us as teammates and friends to make him settle as quickly as possible and hopefully we’ll keep on going.”

Currently at the African Cup of Nations with Algeria, any deal this month may prove to be a complicated one for Ait-Nouri and potentially Liverpool, who are already without star man Mohamed Salah and summer signing Wataru Endo, who is at the Asian Cup with Japan this month.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tom Cunningham • News Writer
(947 Articles Published)
Tom is a football writer who has written for a number of websites and newspapers, creating content on everything from non-league, the Premier League and the top five European leagues over the last four years.

Tom is also a Liverpool fan and a University of Brighton student who can often be found on Twitter talking about the Reds.

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I rejected easy Tottenham transfer to join Liverpool after Chelsea but I should have gone abroad for my knee
Callum Vurley
17th January 2024, 2:49 pm
Updated: 17th January 2024, 2:49 pm
Signing for Liverpool often can be a player’s dream come true but not for one star, who won three Premier League titles.

Chelsea legend Joe Cole was renowned for his gobsmacking skill and dribbling ability, often weaving in and out of defenders with impressive control.

Joe Cole spent seven seasons at Chelsea, winning three Premier League titles

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Joe Cole spent seven seasons at Chelsea, winning three Premier League titles
It helped the Blues claim three Premier League titles while he operated on the flank in his seven seasons at Stamford Bridge.

However, in his latter years, injuries started to hit the ex-England international hard and he ended up making a shock move to Liverpool in 2010.

Tottenham had also been in the running for the winger – the easy option for location. With hindsight, Cole wished he’d gone abroad to a warmer climate to help with his knee issues.

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“I done my knee and that was probably the start of the end of my career because I was never the same player after that,” he told former teammate John Obi Mikel on The Obi One podcast.

“Something clicked and I thought to myself, ‘I’m never going to get back to the player I was. I’ve got to leave’.

“Because I didn’t want to finish my Chelsea career just sitting there on the injury table.”

Roy Hodgson, then manager of Liverpool, convinced the West Ham academy graduate to make the move up north – the first time he had left London in his club career.

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Taking home £90,000-a-week, Cole was one of several signings who ultimately didn’t work out at Anfield, including Jonjo Shelvey, Paul Konchesky, Christian Poulson and Milan Jovanovic.

Cole signed for Liverpool in 2010 but regrets it

GETTY IMAGES – GETTY
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Cole signed for Liverpool in 2010 but regrets it
Cole signed on a free transfer along with several other flops

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Cole signed on a free transfer along with several other flops
“I had a choice between Liverpool or Spurs because Arsenal pulled out – I just couldn’t go to Spurs,” he added.

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“It would have made sense, Harry Redknapp was the manager, they had a good team, I lived in London, half my pals are Spurs fans. I just couldn’t do it.

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“Liverpool is a great club. It didn’t work for me there but it is a fantastic club.

“But if I could have my time again, I would probably go abroad, somewhere hot, because playing in the heat actually helped my knee.”

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Over three years, Cole played 42 times for Liverpool in all competitions and scored just five goal, even going on loan to Lille for one season in 2011/12.

In 2013, he made an emotional return to West Ham whom he left in 2003, but could not recapture his form at Chelsea.

Further stints in the latter day of his career included moves to Aston Villa, Coventry and the MLS with Tampa Ray Rowdies before retiring from playing.

Keep up to date with all the latest news, rumours and gossip with our LIVE transfer blog
TOPICSJOE COLETRANSFER NEWSCHELSEALIVERPOOLTOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
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Steven Gerrard ‘plotting double Liverpool raid’ after Jordan Henderson tears up Saudi deal
Liverpool could be raided once again by club icon Steven Gerrard and his Al-Etiffaq side.
By TOM PARSONS
13:16, Wed, Jan 17, 2024 | UPDATED: 13:16, Wed, Jan 17, 2024
0

Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard is reportedly plotting to raid his former employers to sign two stars (Image: GETTY)
Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard is reportedly plotting to raid his former employers to sign midfielder Thiago and centre-back Joel Matip in the summer. Gerrard is currently in charge of Al-Etiffaq and wants to take the duo to Saudi Arabia as Jordan Henderson prepares to return to Europe.

Jordan Henderson rips up £350k a week Saudi Arabia deal in embarrassing U-turn

Joey Barton reacts to ‘genuinely scared’ Eni Aluko fleeing UK because of him
Henderson moved to the Middle East in the summer following a 12-year spell with Liverpool and has featured 17 times for Al-Etiffaq. But the blockbuster star, who was heavily criticised for the transfer, has failed to hit the heights he displayed during his time in the Premier League and is set to join Ajax in the coming days.

According to transfer expert Ben Jacobs, Al-Etiffaq have freed up £8million to spend in the market after terminating Henderson’s contract and are considering loan moves for former Reds player Roberto Firmino and ex-Celtic star Jota, who are both currently plying their trade in Saudi Arabia. But the club will also look at Thiago and Matip in the summer.

Thiago is yet to feature this season after undergoing surgery on a hip injury at the end of the last campaign, with Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders recently saying the Spain international would “not be ready for the end of this month.” The 32-year-old, who joined the Reds from Bayern Munich in 2020, has featured 97 times for Jurgen Klopp’s team but is out of contract at the end of the season.

Read more… Chelsea sent come-and-get-me plea from Prem striker

Matip, meanwhile, started nine Premier League matches during the first half of the campaign but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during his side’s clash with Fulham at the start of December. He then underwent a successful operation and is currently recovering from the setback.

Matip has been at Liverpool since the summer of 2016 after joining the club on a free transfer from Schalke. He has racked up 201 appearances for the Merseyside giants and is also out of contract in the summer.

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Man Utd double exit as Liverpool eye Colwill and Newcastle ‘request’ Kimmich [TRANSFER NEWS]

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Liverpool duo Joel Matip (left) and Thiago could join Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia (Image: GETTY)
Gerrard took on the top job at Al-Etiffaq last summer but has underwhelmed in the Middle East, with his team winning just six of their first 19 Saudi Pro League matches of the campaign. The former midfielder was sacked by Aston Villa in October 2022 but previously led Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title.

Gerrard spent almost his entire playing career at Liverpool and helped them win the Champions League in 2005. The former England star hung up his boots in 2017 following an 18-month spell with Los Angeles.

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‘World class’ injured Liverpool player finally spotted back at the AXA Training Centre todayPhoto by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
FEATURED
‘World class’ injured Liverpool player finally spotted back at the AXA Training Centre today
Wed 17 January 2024 12:30
Bence Bocsak
Jurgen Klopp at the moment, is having to contend with a fair few injuries. On top of that two key players are also competing in an international tournament this month.

With the absence of Mohamed Salah at the African Cup of Nations and Wataru Endo competing for Japan at the Asian Cup – Klopp’s options are running thin.

On top of that several key players like Joel Matip, Dominik Szoboszlai, Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas and Trent Alexander-Arnold are still out injured. It’s a long list, however, today the Liverpool boss may finally have been given some positive news.

It seems one play could be on his way back to recovery.

Scotland v Norway: Group A – UEFA EURO 2024 European Qualifiers
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Andy Robertson injury latest
Andy Robertson has been injured for several months now. He sustained a shoulder injury while on international duty back in October. Recently, he was spotted doing recovery work away from the club.

However, now it seems that he has returned to Liverpool and he is back at the AXA training centre today.

Liverpool’s official channel released a short clip of Liverpool players arriving in training today, and Robertson appeared on the clip in full training gear. Whether he will participate in training remains to be seen, but the fact that he is back in the training ground is a good sign.

MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
Morning, Reds 👋 pic.twitter.com/pGKBG7C9Gx

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 17, 2024
View Tweet
It means the Scotland captain must now be close to a full recovery. And that would be a huge boost for Liverpool. The sooner he is on the pitch, the better it will be for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

As Stan Collymore said last year, the Liverpool full-back is ‘world class’ [CaughtOffside].

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‘I was just told…’ – Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool have made ‘calls’ to players’ agents
NEWS TRANSFER RUMOURS
Posted by Liam Togher2 hours agoFollow @liamtogher88

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Liverpool have made contact with the agents of some centre-back targets, asking to be kept ‘informed’ of their situations.

The Italian stated earlier this week that the Reds are ‘looking at some opportunities’ for that part of Jurgen Klopp’s squad in the January transfer window, but talked down the probability of deals being concluded this month.

The reporter provided an update on the affairs of the Anfield giants in his latest Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside on Wednesday morning.

Romano wrote: “As mentioned yesterday, Liverpool are exploring the market for potential new signings at centre-back, though it’s not something urgent or guaranteed to happen this January, as we know Liverpool generally prefer to do their business in the summer.

“I don’t have any concrete name yet at this stage, but I was just told that Liverpool have made some calls to some centre-backs’ agents to be informed on situations – it hasn’t become a concrete negotiation as of now. It’s not easy to find top players in the January window, that’s the problem.”

READ MORE: Ian Doyle: ‘Klopp really likes’ up-and-coming Liverpool diamond who Gomez said has ‘no ceiling’

READ MORE: £75k-p/w Liverpool ace didn’t like one thing James Milner did in cup final triumph v Chelsea

As updates go, this is admittedly a tentative one – you’d expect all clubs to be putting some feelers out during the January transfer window at the very least.

Liverpool have tended to be sensible with their market dealings under FSG’s stewardship, which has often been to the annoyance of many supporters but may ultimately be the best approach, in the wake of the Premier League’s recent clampdown on (most) clubs who breach their Profitability and Sustainability Rules.

It’s common knowledge that the Reds don’t sign players merely for the sake of it, but rather when the perfect candidate presents itself and the opportunity is there to acquire them for a reasonable sum.

There’s just over a fortnight left in the January transfer window, so the clock is definitely ticking for LFC if they’re to strengthen Klopp’s squad this month, but hope springs eternal until that 11pm deadline on 1st February is reached.

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 20 Review 🤩: Kevin De Bruyne vs Michael Olise? Don’t sell Salah, Estupinan vs Trent? The WILDCARD pick managers must consider

MORE STORIES FABRIZIO ROMANO LIVERPOOL
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