LIVERPOOL NEWS AND TRANSFER LIVE: -Jean-Philippe Mateta wanted, Jack Clarke eyed, Conor Coady decision, klopp’s on it

Liverpool transfer news, rumours, gossip and speculation including the latest on Jean-Philippe Mateta, Conor Coady, Rodrigo, Tammy Abraham, Amadou Onana, Jarrad Branthwaite, Andre Gomes, Tom Krauss and Viktor Gyokeres

Everton news and transfers blog on Wednesday, June 1.

Now that Everton’s Premier League status has been secured, all focus has turned to Sean Dyche making additions to his squad to avoid another close call with relegation next season.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has offered fresh hope that Amadou Onana will remain an Everton player next season. A turbulent campaign made many Toffees supporters for losing their midfield talisman after just one season.

Elsewhere, the Blues are linked with a surprise move for Sunderland star Jack Clarke. Failure to secure Premier League promotion has put many top-flight clubs on red alert for the 22-year-old.

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Dele Alli backed to turn career fortunes around
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood has backed Dele Alli to make an extraordinary U-turn and get his career back on track after struggling to make an impact at Everton and Besiktas.

Speaking on the Up Front podcast, Sherwood said: “I think Dele could still turn it around, I don’t think he’s done. He’s still young enough, but he needs someone to talk to and someone needs to talk some sense into him. He hasn’t turned into a bad player overnight, but he’s certainly lost his way.

“Now he needs to realise that he needs to adapt and find a way. He needs to look at himself and say ‘I can still turn this around’, don’t blame anyone else and look at himself and realise that he’s still young enough.

“I’d love to see him turn it around because he’d get a lot of credit for that. As much as he feels like everyone is against him now, I think everyone would admire his determination to turn it round.

“Dele hit the floor running after he was brought in from MK Dons. He had a manager who wanted to work with him and improve him and he bought into the playing style.”

He added: “He’s not a number 10 in the way that Dennis Bergkamp or Gianfranco Zola were, he’s more of a Frank Lampard who bursts and arrives in the box and scores goals, and the team played to those strengths.

“I don’t think it’s a case of him needing to find the right club to fit him. I think he really needs to decide in his own mind that he needs to shape himself to be the right person to fit a football club and not just wait for it to happen, because it won’t. I think he’s either not listening or he’s not getting the advice.”

Crystal Palace striker eyed
Jean-Philippe Mateta named as a player Everton could target

Everton want to sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. Palace are happy to let the player go.

Blues eye Uruguayan midfielder Emiliano Martinez
Everton and Marseille will battle it out for FC Midtjylland’s Emiliano Martinez, according to reports in Uruguay.

The 23-year-old defensive midfielder has impressed in Denmark this season, where he made his switch permanent after an initial loan deal was signed in the summer of 2022.

According to Uruguayan journalist Rodri Vazquez, Marseille and Everton are interested, with the report later claiming the Blues have made a “firm offer” for the player.

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Liverpool star Steven Gerrard loves can be wildcard Trent Alexander-Arnold foil to save millions

With Liverpool having ended the season on an 11-game unbeaten run, there is no doubt that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s reinvention was central to his team’s revival. Jürgen Klopp may have concerns about what the Reds would do in his absence but the solution may already be clear.

The homegrown star looked like a man who was relishing his football during the final two months of last season, with his move into the ‘inverted full-back’ role having allowed him to rediscover his creative touch. Prior to the second half of the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in early April, the 24-year-old had probably experienced the toughest spell of his career to date, before his transformation in a hybrid position saw him notch eight goal involvements in as many games — one strike and seven assists.

With an average of one goal involvement per game during the period in question, one imagines that his manager Klopp will be keen to persist with this tactical tweak, with his transfer activity possibly reflecting this. For all the positives, however, the Liverpool boss and his staff may need to find a way to ensure that they can cope in his absence next term.

READ MORE: Sadio Mané may seal surprise transfer amid Liverpool claim as Real Madrid has Kylian Mbappé plan

READ MORE: Lionel Messi ‘accepts’ $1.2bn offer as Chelsea could beat Liverpool to transfer

The obvious way this could be managed is for the Reds to revert back to playing with a more traditional right-back if Alexander-Arnold is not in the side for whatever reason, meaning creative responsibilities would fall upon the shoulders of the collective group, rather than one orchestrator. The second strategy may involve either buying another ‘inverted full-back’ or, indeed, converting an existing player within the squad to play the role as an understudy to the West Derby-born star.

Of the options available on the market currently, Ajax’s Jurrien Timber may well be the most suitable but one cannot overlook the attributes of Liverpool academy graduate Stefan Bajčetić either, who could well represent an unorthodox solution to this conundrum. During his 19 games in all competitions last term, it was obvious that the Spanish teenager possessed a passing range that defied his tender years and an aggression when out of possession which made him a real asset before his unfortunate injury back in March.

Of course, the 18-year-old has so far only featured as a midfielder for the first team but it is worth noting that he came through the club’s academy system while playing as a center-back. In that sense, it is clear that the youngster is tactically flexible and possesses an ability to adapt to new roles in the team in order to maximize his talents.

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To further strengthen the case for Bajčetić potentially serving as Alexander-Arnold’s understudy next season, one need only look at what Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard had to say about the prospect’s game earlier this year. What is striking is that his description of the former Celta Vigo trainee’s skillset could very easily be mistaken as a summation of Alexander-Arnold’s attributes instead.

Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Real Madrid at Anfield back in February, he waxed lyrical about the youngster’s performances during what was an otherwise difficult period for the side. The midfield legend said: “He’s doing very well on both sides of the game, he’s shown aggression, and he’s covering the ground very well.

“He’s always looking to pass forward, he’s always looking to be positive. He can play the last pass and his maturity is beyond his years, so far. Fair play to him, he’s taking his chance.”

With Klopp’s squad requiring major surgery in multiple areas this summer, it is clear that the club’s recruitment staff will need to be selective when it comes to strengthening, with additions in midfield and at center-back expected to be the priority. In effect, therefore, Bajčetić’s emergence last season could well end up saving the club millions in the coming months.

Competition for minutes in midfield may well be fierce next season but the Spanish youth international may well be able to carve out a role for himself as an understudy to Alexander-Arnold instead. With the Europa League offering Klopp a chance to experiment next season, the upcoming campaign could well prove to be a seminal period for the likes of Bajčetić.