New French defender linked…as Lijnders hints at reasons to NOT sign anyone – Liverpool FC Roundup
Liverpool came through the FA Cup clash at the weekend to get back to winning ways but there’s a long wait for the next game, and plenty of news in the meantime.
Latest rumoured centre-back target
Are we fed up with the ever-growing list of names yet, or enjoying learning more about Europe’s depth of 20-something centre-backs with a big move potentially ahead of them?!
Latest in line for a slew of “Who is…” articles of questionable accuracy is Lens defender Loic Bade, a 20-year-old who joined from Le Havre this past summer.
He has minimal experience in the top flight – just the 16 games this season – and even only played in the second tier a handful of times, but he has made a good impression this term with his aerial dominance and relative consistency.
Le10Sport say the Reds are “working behind the scenes” with a potential summer move on the cards, rather than in January.
No holding our breath just yet, then!
Assistant boss details why Reds might not move in market
Not quite the ringing endorsement of all the many, many names the Reds have been linked with – but certainly one of why this current group has been able to achieve such success.
There’s far more to Liverpool’s trophy-winning exploits than just rocking up and playing well at the weekend – it’s a carefully cultivated group with its own culture and approach to the game.
Pepijn Lijnders says the “collective idea” is what makes the Reds a formidable force, with buy-in from the individuals towards Jurgen Klopp‘s tactical plan nothing short of critical.
The coach points out that the critical tasks and mentality of the team cannot always be picked up by new recruits immediately, and that the way of playing the team has mean success comes from sticking together in tough times.
Maybe that’s as good a reason as any to not delve into the market unless the club is absolutely sure of the name they’re buying – but it doesn’t help at the back right now!
Past, present, future
It’s a rare midweek with no first-team fixture for the Reds, so it’s a pretty unrelated collection of news!
Quickfire LFC news
- The Reds remain keen on Salzburg striker Patson Daka, but so do half the Premier League clubs (442)
- But the least-impressive ‘prediction’ of the window sees Fabrizio Romano say Liverpool will consider whether to move for a defender “in the next few weeks”. Well, yes, that’s about how long is left in the window…(Sky)
- Blackpool are discussing whether or not to try and extend the loan of Ben Woodburn, with his spell set to end in yet more disappointment (TIA)
- And non-league Marine raised in excess of £300k from their FA Cup clash with Spurs with the help of several Scousers and their virtual ticket sale (TIA)
Around the Prem
- More players have been ‘covidiots’ but there are no plans to stop Premier League games…yet (TIA)
- Napoli have made Kieran Tierney a long-term target after trying to get him this past summer. No shame in wanting Scotland’s second-best left-back, after all (Telegraph)
- Newcastle want to sign Chelsea‘s Fikayo Tomori on loan for the rest of the season. Any chance we invite them to a crossbar challenge and winner takes him?! (Chronicle)
- And Dominic Calvert-Lewin has a hamstring injury, so the Bitters are going to have to find a way to score from more than eight yards out this weekend (Independent)
Stupid nonsense of the day
Oh, there’s so much.
Celtic went to Dubai, right? Mid-season training camp. Upon their return, one person tested positive for Covid – now 13 players, the manager and assistant are all out of tonight’s game having come into close contact during the journey home. The player who tested positive is injured until May anyway.
We’re in lockdown, right? Eberechi Eze decided on a social visit to old club QPR to watch them play in the FA Cup.
Villa v Spurs tomorrow, right? Nope. That’s off, Fulham are playing Spurs instead, Fulham v Chelsea has been nudged back a day to make space and Everton‘s game with Villa is pushed back too.
Tweet of the day
Stick him centre-back.
6-year-old Arat is now training at Liverpool’s academy.
He’s dropping kids for fun ?
(via arat.gym/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/g4IRdsgbC6
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 11, 2021
Worth watching tonight
Have a night off.
