All posts by h716a5.icu

There is still very likely to be new takeover investment in Liverpool, according to a report from reliable finance journalist Alex Miller, who states that a deal is expected to happen this summer.

Will FSG sell Liverpool?

The Reds are currently owned by FSG, or Fenway Sports Group to give them their full title. They're led by John W. Henry, who has been a key figure at the club since initially coming into power back in 2010. It means that the group have now been at the helm for 13 years – and as the years have drawn on, it's become more and more tumultuous for the owners at Anfield despite some great success on the pitch.

When Henry was revealed as one of the key figures behind the proposed European 'Super League' back in 2021, it led to outcry from fans. The idea was wholly opposed and one by one, the clubs began to drop out of the running in that venture. It led to an apology from Liverpool's owner, who grovelled for the "disruption" to the side.

Since then, FSG have decided to offer Liverpool to potential buyers, with the club put up for sale back in 2022. There has yet to be any new ownership deals agreed and Henry's consortium remain in charge at Anfield however, while for the past few months talk of new money coming in has died down. A recent report suggested that there was no interest in buying out FSG and that means, for now, they'll keep hold of the reins at the Premier League outfit.

However, a new claim from journalist Alex Miller today though has revealed that fresh investment in the club is potentially still on the cards. He stated that a deal to give the club a boost is "expected" be done "over the summer" and added that there are a multitude of options for the side to consider when it comes to finding this new investment.

Miller said: "Re LFC investment. Well-placed sources maintain that several investment options remain on the table for the club… and that a deal is expected to be completed "over the summer"…"

Who could Liverpool sign this summer?

If there was indeed fresh investment, that could potentially mean more money for transfers, and that would be a welcome boost for Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds have been tailing players such as Ryan Gravenberch, Khephren Thuram and Levi Colwill to name just a few, and fresh funds could help them land some of their targets.

No deal has been confirmed just yet, but it does appear that a move could potentially happen this summer and hopefully boost the transfer coffers for Klopp and new sporting chief Jorg Schmadtke.

Habib Bank Limited struck back with four quick wickets, but Salman Butt’s 20th first-class ton ensured Water and Power Development Authority were marginally ahead on Day 2

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2016
ScorecardFile photo: Salman Butt struck 18 fours in his 234-ball knock•AFPSalman Butt’s 20th first-class century, his third of the season, helped drive Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) into the lead, but Habib Bank Limited (HBL) hit back with three late strikes including that of Butt for 125. WAPDA ended day two on 244 for 5, ahead by just eight runs, at the National Stadium in Karachi. Kamran Akmal (23 not out) and Khalid Usman (7 not out) were at the crease.Resuming on 23 without loss, Butt and Adnan Raees put together 162 for the first wicket to lay a solid platform, before left-arm seamer Usman Khan struck in the 58th over. Raees pushed at a delivery away from the body and was pouched by Imran Farhat at first slip. His 170-ball vigil fetched him 50.HBL struck almost immediately after when they had Mohammad Saad run-out for 5. He was more than halfway down the pitch when he was sent back as Amad Butt’s throw to the keeper’s end resulted in his downfall. Butt and Aamer Sajjad then held fort for 14.2 overs in which they added 27 before Sajjad’s was out caught behind.Sixteen deliveries later, Butt was involved in a second run-out; this time he was the victim as an attempt to pinch a run to cover resulted in him being caught short of the crease at the non-striker’s end. WAPDA had slipped from 162 without loss to 205 for 4. Then, shortly before stumps, HBL had another when Zahir Mansoor was bowled by Amad Butt.Mohammad Asif was the star on the opening day; his four-wicket haul justifying Butt’s decision to bowl first as HBL were bundled out for 236. Asif was complemented by Mohammad Irfan, who took three wickets.There will be no play on Monday, which has been announced as rest day because or Rabi-ul-Awal. Play will resume on Tuesday.

An aggressive half-century from Babar Hayat set Hong Kong up for a 39-run Duckworth-Lewis win in a rain-affected match against Kenya in Nairobi

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2016
ScorecardBabar Hayat hit six fours and four sixes in his 68-ball 78•AFPAn aggressive half-century from Babar Hayat set Hong Kong up for a 39-run Duckworth-Lewis win in a rain-affected match against Kenya in Nairobi. The win moved Hong Kong up to 11 points from eight games, leaving them a point adrift of joint table-toppers Papua New Guinea and Netherlands.Rain delayed the start of play and forced the match to be reduced to 31 overs a side. Sent in to bat, Hong Kong lost Kinchit Shah with only two runs on the board, before Hayat joined the opener Christopher Carter in a 119-run second-wicket partnership. Both then fell in the space of eight balls, to the left-arm seamer Lucas Oluoch: Hayat for 78 off 68 balls (6×4, 4×6) and Carter for 41 off 63 (4×4, 1×6). Hong Kong lost Anshuman Rath soon after as well, and were 148 for 4 in 25.1 overs when rain came down again.That interruption caused the match to be shortened further, with Kenya set a revised target of 173 in 25 overs. They made an excellent start, courtesy a 79-run opening stand between Irfan Karim and Alex Obanda, but fell away thereafter, losing all ten wickets for the addition of only 54 runs. Left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed, offspinner Ehsan Khan and medium-pacer Tanveer Ahmed picked up three wickets each.

Manchester United appear to be close to securing a new goalkeeper ahead of next season as Erik ten Hag is finalising a bid for Portuguese star, Diogo Costa.

What’s the latest on Diogo Costa to Manchester United?

According to Cofina Media (via the Daily Mail), United are finalising a bid for Porto ‘keeper Costa, which stands at £65m – his release clause.

Journalist Simon Jones claims David De Gea has signed a new contract with the club that is less than his previous salary of £375k-per-week, however, United haven’t yet signed off on it.

Costa has a contract at the Portuguese side until 2027 and recently claimed that he hoped ‘to continue’ at Porto, although it appears as though he could be on his way to Manchester.

Could Diogo Costa be the new number one at Manchester United?

De Gea won the Premier League Golden Glove award for keeping a league-high 17 clean sheets last term, despite him making two clear errors which led to goals. Mistakes against West Ham United last month and Brentford last August clearly displayed his increased fragility between the posts, and it looks as though, although he might stay at the Red Devils, the potential arrival of Costa could push him down the pecking order.

The 6 foot 1 shot-stopper enjoyed a wonderful season, conceding just 22 goals across 33 Liga Portugal matches, keeping 16 clean sheets during that same period, making 1.9 saves per game and completing 0.6 successful run-outs per game – a success rate of 96%.

De Gea managed 2.7 saves per game while succeeding with 0.3 successful run-outs per match, and he averaged 36.1 touches, suggesting that he wasn’t as comfortable with Ten Hag’s philosophy of playing out from the back.

Costa on the other hand could be ideally suited to this, having averaged 42.6 touches per game, indicating how comfortable he is on the ball, while his 92% pass success rate from his own half suggests he is excellent at starting attacks from his own box.

The 23-year-old could join fellow compatriots Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot at Old Trafford should he join the side this summer, and the latter had some praise for Costa, saying: "I grew up with him and he’s my friend, there’s a great relationship between us.

“I know perfectly well that he has the capacity to one day be one of the best in the world."

With this praise, Ten Hag must go all out in order to bring the ‘keeper to the Red Devils, and he could be key heading into the next season as the side return to the Champions League.

England’s coach, Trevor Bayliss, has said that his players “will not back down” in the event of further confrontations, following Jos Buttler’s heated argument with Bangladesh’s fielders

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-20161:07

Disappointed with Bangladesh’s celebrations – Buttler

England’s coach, Trevor Bayliss, has said that his players “will not back down” in the event of further confrontations, following Jos Buttler’s heated argument with Bangladesh’s fielders during the second ODI on Sunday.Buttler was reprimanded by the ICC match referee, Javagal Srinath, while two Bangladeshis – the captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Sabbir Rahman – were fined 20 percent of their match fee for “using language, actions or gestures which … could provoke an aggressive reaction”, following Buttler’s dismissal in England’s 34-run defeat at Dhaka.Tempers remained frayed after the match, with Ben Stokes tweeting his displeasure that one of the Bangladeshi fielders – reportedly Tamim Iqbal – had bumped shoulders with Jonny Bairstow during the post-match handshakes.While Bayliss said he did not encourage such behaviour from his players, he added that England would not be changing their ways ahead of the series decider in Chittagong on Wednesday – and added that the ICC sanctions were a good indication of where the blame lay for Sunday’s scenes.”Don’t forget there are always two teams in this type of argument and some of the teams around the world are not quite as pristine as they might like to make out,” he said. “We are not going to back down from anything and certainly we have some characters in the team who will not back down.”I haven’t read the match referee’s report but they were fined and Jos was warned for retaliating and that in itself tells a bit of a story. I think Jos wearing the captain’s hat was not going to take it lying down. He got a slap on the wrist and I am sure he will be doing his best to stay out of trouble in the future.”The sight of Buttler losing his cool was notable in itself. Despite his raw power as a cricketer, he is one of the more softly spoken members of the England team. However, Bayliss was not unhappy that a steelier side of his character had been revealed to his team-mates.”Since I have been here it is the first time Jos has been warned and his role is a little different to what it has been in the past,” Bayliss said. “I think he has every right as captain to back his players up.”You only have to watch some of our pre-match football matches to see the passion he has got. I have no qualms about the passion he shows. He has to be a little more careful about how he reacts, [but] he gets respect for that as well from the rest of the guys. It is a case of just watching what he says and the way he reacts to that.”The teams arrived in Chittagong today having flown in the same plane – and sat across the aisle from one another – and with the series tied at 1-1 following England’s dramatic fightback in the opening contest, there will be no shortage of incentive for either side to land the knockout blow. Bayliss, however, urged his players to focus their aggression, especially given the anticipated passion in the stands.”I think when playing in the subcontinent, with the crowds and the heat and that type of thing, some of these things can get out of proportion a little bit,” he said. “We have got to be on the look-out to make sure it does not distract us from the way we want to play the game, and concentrating on what we do. We have spoken about it before, when the Pakistan series started, and there will probably be a reminder from the coach leading into the third game.”Reflecting on Sunday’s loss, Bayliss admitted that England had shown a little bit of inexperience, particularly with the bat, but added: “The lesson from both games is that Bangladesh are no pushover. They have a very good team, a very good bowling attack playing in home conditions. A number of the teams have found out over the last 12-18 months they are no push-over. A lot of teams will be reassessing how they approach matches against Bangladesh in the future.”

Everton are in the market for new players as they look to put a terrible 2022/23 season behind them, but boss Sean Dyche cannot bring in new recruits for the sake of it.

That is a category Crystal Palace Jean-Philippe Mateta – a possible loan target for the Toffees this summer, according to French outlet So Foot – very much fits into.

Who are Everton looking to sign this summer?

Everton have already been linked with a whole array of players since retaining their Premier League status at the end of last month, including the likes of El Bilal Toure, Wout Weghorst and Tammy Abraham.

As the second-lowest goalscorers (34) in the division last season, behind only Wolves (31), and eighth in terms of goals conceded (57), there is not really a position Everton could not do with strengthening in the coming months – a goalkeeper aside.

Smart recruitment has not exactly been a buzz phrase around Goodison Park in recent years, though, with Everton far more accustomed to splashing out large on a flop than spending wisely on a player for the future.

While he may still only be aged 25, meaning his best years should be ahead of him, Mateta has done little in his time in English football to suggest he will provide Everton with value for their money.

How has Mateta performed at Crystal Palace?

Signed for a reported fee of €18m (£15.5m) in January 2020, initially on an 18-month loan arrangement, Palace have not yet seen a return on their investment.

Mateta has scored just eight Premier League goals in 58 appearances and netted just once in his final 30 games of the 2022/23 season. Despite those disappointing figures, Everton, Torino, Valencia and PSV are all reportedly weighing up a move for the former France U21 international.

In last season's Premier League campaign alone, the former Lyon player scored twice from 27 shots and had a shot-on-target percentage of 25.9. To put that in some perspective, no Everton attacker who featured regularly last season failed to hit the target as often.

Those problems go beyond simply finding the net, with football reporter Raj Chohan describing Mateta's decision-making on transitions as "woeful".

Mateta's numbers are very similar to those of Weghorst, another rumoured target for the hierarchy at Goodison.

Like the Palace man, however, he has been a high-profile flop and failed to set the world alight during a temporary stint at Manchester United.

That said, the Dutchman did just about edge out his positional peer for pass completion percentage (72.9 compared to 69.8) and goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (0.23 and 0.12 respectively).

Pivotally, he also scored more goals last term. Although Weghorst netted just once for United, he bagged eight in 16 Super Lig appearances for Besiktas in the first half of the season.

Everton fans may joke that any option is an improvement on what they currently have, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin's fitness issues proving to be a huge concern, but given Mateta's weekly wage of £50k and a likely transfer fee in the region of £8m if a permanent move is forged, they will be better off biding their time and looking elsewhere.

Stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis is seeking the assistance of South Africa’s most successful Test captain ahead of the Test series

Firdose Moonda in Perth02-Nov-20163:05

Moonda: Morkel will be missed, du Plessis holds the key

None of the calls Faf du Plessis will have to make in the next month will be as important as the one he makes this evening. The one to Graeme Smith.”I’m supposed to speak to Graeme a bit later, just to try to get some ideas of how he did things when he was over here because he was a very successful captain. I’m looking forward to that conversation.”If anyone knows how to win in Australia, it is Smith. He is the only South African captain to take a team to victory in Australia, and he did it twice. Smith’s success seemed to stem from the bat, not even a broken arm getting in the way of it, but the real secret to what he achieved in Australia was in the mind.Under Smith, South Africa were no longer intimidated by an opposition that had long dominated them. They believed they could be better and they were. So much so that they even scared themselves.”For a year or so, we were trying to play in the shadow of the team that was there,” du Plessis admitted.The shock of Smith’s retirement in 2014, and the proximity of it to Kallis’ retirement three months before, meant that South Africa lost significant experience in a short space of time. Although their newly-appointed captain AB de Villiers had played a decade of international cricket, he did not have any background in leadership. South Africa struggled for direction and it was only after de Villiers grew into the job and then passed it to du Plessis – albeit only temporarily – that they started to find themselves.They have created a new identity, with their “own goals of what we want to achieve,” and now that they are sure of what those are, they are ready to go back and seek assistance.”The most important thing for me as a leader is to put your ego aside and try and ask and learn as much as you can because there’s a lot of valuable information out there,” du Plessis said.To that end, du Plessis has also been in touch with the regular captain and his childhood friend, de Villiers, who he says is “enjoying life in South Africa but missing us.” If de Villiers had given du Plessis any tips, he didn’t share them with the media, but they are likely to be particularly valuable in Perth where de Villiers raced to 169 off 184 balls the last time he was here, helping South Africa build a match-winning total.The lessons of de Villiers’ innings will also come from Smith, who knows that without players who can provide momentum in the way de Villiers and Hashim Amla did in 2012, and Duminy did in 2008, he may never have won. Similarly, without Dale Steyn, Smith would not had the firepower to fight Australia and he will remind du Plessis of the importance of managing the spearhead so he remains as sharp as possible.One of du Plessis’ most important tasks will be the management of Dale Steyn’s aggression•Getty ImagesSmith usually waited until Steyn was fired up and ready to explode, before asking him to put on a show. If Steyn got angrier or more aggressive during the performance, Smith would not interfere. He left Steyn to own the stage and inevitably, Steyn responded.Du Plessis will probably do the same thing but he also wants Steyn to school the rest of the attack, something he has already started doing.”He has really stepped up in terms of working with the young guys and in team meetings and discussions, he has led vey well,” du Plessis said. “Hopefully he can stay strong right through the series. We need him. Hopefully he can bowl at good intensity and for long periods of time.”Smith may have tips on how to keep Steyn’s workloads from aggravating the shoulder problem that caused him to miss most of last summer, and about when to use him in ways he can work up both speed and swing. But the biggest tip Smith will pass on to du Plessis is that none of the above will be possible unless the team has good guidance and a strong example to follow. That example has to be du Plessis, a particularly tough ask for a young leader.When Smith first won in Australia he had already been captain for five years. Du Plessis has not even done it for five Tests. Still, he sees himself as being thrust into the role at the best time.”I am older, more mature and understand myself better as a leader. I have got the balance better. I understand what it takes to be a better leader,” he said.He also has the advantage of knowing what it is like to single-handedly shoulder responsibility, as he did in Adelaide and, like everyone else in his squad, he does not have any memory of losing in Australia.”I haven’t been on the other side. I assume that it helps,” du Plessis said. “Confidence plays a huge role in cricket. When you come up against good teams like Australia, you need everything. My first thought walking into Perth was of winning four years ago. You’d rather have good memories than bad memories.”And when he calls Smith, there will only be talk of the good ones.

Glasgow Rangers will certainly miss Alfredo Morelos, despite his sharp drop-off in the previous few seasons. The Colombian striker scored 124 goals across just 269 games for the Ibrox side, yet his final two campaigns saw him net only 30 times, looking like a shadow of his former self at times.

Michael Beale decided not to offer him an extended contract, along with Ryan Kent and three others, and in time, it could perhaps be looked upon as the best choice for both parties.

With his departure, the Light Blues will require some attacking reinforcements ahead of next term, especially with Celtic racing away with the Premiership title last season, scoring 21 more goals than the Gers, an area which needs vast improvement.

The club have been linked with a move for West Bromwich Albion striker Karlan Grant according to Mirror journalist Darren Witcoop, who tweeted: “West Brom will listen to offers for striker Karlan Grant this summer. Grant has Championship admirers while Scottish side Rangers have registered an interest. Grant signed a six-year deal when he joined the Baggies for £15m in 2020 but he can now leave Albion.”

The forward is now valued at €4.5m (£4m) by Football Transfers and with three years left on his current deal, Beale may have to pay this sort of fee to secure his signature.

Could Karlan Grant replace Alfredo Morelos at Rangers?

Like Morelos, Grant had a fairly underwhelming 2022/2023 season, scoring just five times for the Baggies across all competitions, however, this shouldn’t put Beale off a potential move.

During 2021/2022, Grant netted 18 goals and grabbed six assists across 44 Championship matches, demonstrating how effective he can be in front of goal, while ranking first in the West Brom squad for goals, scoring frequency and big chances created as well as ranking second for shots per game, clearly suggesting his attacking talents were the best in the squad and if he could replicate this sort of form in Scotland, Grant could cause havoc for opposition defenders.

Presenter Colin Murray lauded the striker for being “clutch”, such is his talent for scoring vital goals and Beale would love a forward who could arrive at Ibrox and hit the ground running straight away.

77 goals and 22 assists in 274 matches isn’t the most prolific strike rate in the world, however his ability to float between a centre-forward role and coming just off the left wing means he can offer more than just goals for this Rangers side next season, with one of his key strengths being his ability to cut inside effectively as per WhoScored.

There will likely be more than one attacking option joining the club this summer, however, signing Grant, should remain top of the priority list, especially considering Beale lured Todd Cantwell to Ibrox following a disappointing six-month spell for Norwich in the Championship and he has already shone – bagging six goals and four assists in just 16 Premiership appearances.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has credited captain Kane Williamson’s demeanour and work ethic for the team’s seamless transition from the Brendon McCullum era

Arun Venugopal in New Delhi13-Sep-2016New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has lauded captain Kane Williamson’s demeanour and work ethic for the team’s seamless transition from the Brendon McCullum era. Hesson also felt McCullum and Williamson brought a largely similar approach to their leadership styles.”Kane captained, I think, 36 games before he took over full-time. Even during the time that Brendon was captain, for a number of tours or part of the tours, Kane came in and it was a very seamless change,” Hesson told reporters after New Zealand arrived in New Delhi.”I think the key to any captain-coach relationship is to making sure that we use each other’s strengths. Kane is very thoughtful, methodical, [as a] player likes to plan well, but also likes his own time.”Brendon wasn’t hugely dissimilar to that; he prepared really well. He was probably a little bit more of a high profile, sort of ‘out there’ character, especially in New Zealand. As you see, Kane is probably slightly more of a backseat [type] but within the team they operate in a very similar fashion.”Williamson, for his part, is well aware of the importance of compartmentalising his twin roles as leader and premier batsman. Although he comes on the back of a good run of scores – Williamson finished as the team’s second-highest run-getter in New Zealand’s recent tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa – he recognises the need to pull his weight as one of the team’s better players of spin bowling.”I suppose you take that [captaincy] hat off and you are very much a batsman and you have a role to play in the team. I see them as slightly different things, so that to me is the focus,” Williamson said.”India is a tough place to play, particularly, in more recent years where the pitches have been very tricky. I guess [when] you throw in world-class spinners, the challenges are very tough but at the same time we see it as a very exciting opportunity. [The] previous series’ here, certainly spin played a huge part, and at times batting was difficult.”Hesson said playing on the dry pitches of Bulawayo during the Zimbabwe tour was a useful preparatory exercise ahead of the India series. Both he and Williamson agreed their players had to draw upon whatever past experiences they had of playing in India – either during the IPL or in past tournaments like the World T20.”That [Zimbabwe tour] was very much a spin-dominant series and conditions,” he said. “Although it didn’t spin as much, it certainly was slower and probably similar pace that we are going to face in India. The week between the series has been about rest really and recovery, and obviously the next week-to-ten days is going to be critical to be really specific around individual game plans.”Hesson was upbeat about New Zealand’s “gifted” spin trio – Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and the returning Mark Craig – making a mark despite their relative inexperience: they have a combined tally of 98 wickets from 34 Tests.”In the last couple of years, a number of overseas spinners have done well, so we certainly back our spinning group [which is] young and inexperienced but gifted,” Hesson said. “The challenge for us is firstly in adjusting to the different ball – the SG Test is going to be completely different to what we have been operating with the Kookaburra. So, there is a little bit of change there, a little bit of changing around seam angles, which are different over here than they are in different parts of the world.”Even though we are not going to bowl like sub-continental bowlers, we do have to make sure that we find a way to create opportunities. All those three are keen learners of the game and certainly we are going to put a lot of faith in them over the coming weeks.”Hesson also believed that the seamers, Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, would put to good use the time they spent working on reverse swing in Zimbabwe. “It is a huge component of playing cricket overseas,” he said. “We have obviously spent a lot of time in Zimbabwe where we got the ball to reverse, and on surfaces that aren’t responsive in terms of seam movement.”There are many different methods [of getting the ball to reverse] and we certainly are going to have to be working on that over the coming days.”

Liverpool's 4-4 draw against relegated Southampton on the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season typified the tumultuous nature of their campaign, illuminating the good, the bad and the inscrutable.

Jurgen Klopp's side have been imperious over the past several years, but this term they surged down a rutted road with no seatbelt and have consequently been left in disarray, failing to qualify for next year's Champions League for the first time in seven years.

Victory on the south coast would not have affected the Reds' final league standing, but it underscored the issues that are very much omnipresent within Klopp's squad, pervading like an acrid smell despite constructing a late-season purple patch that saw seven victories on the trot ended by successive draws to close the campaign.

The offensive impetus was intact at St. Mary's Stadium and is not the area of attention heading into the summer transfer window. Rather, the shambolic defensive issues were on full show and will have reminded Klopp and co that changes need to be made shortly, and while captain Jordan Henderson will be chastised for his "dreadful" error by The Athletic's James Pearce, Joe Gomez was at the epicentre.

How did Joe Gomez perform vs Southampton?

Gomez, integral in gleaning the Premier League and Champions League for his Anfield side, must now be sold after another howler; he is simply submerged in depths too great to overcome as his manager seeks an apt route back toward success.

The £95k-per-week dynamo did not cut the mustard against Southampton and was branded a lowly 6.3 match rating by Sofascore, winning just two of his six duels, and while he completed 93% of his passes and succeeded with five of his six attempted long balls, he was unable to stop the torrent that allowed the home side to clamber back from two goals down to lead 4-2.

Perhaps the most telling part of the display was Gomez's actual defensive contribution, with one clearance and one interception the extent of his work, failing to make a tackle and leaving LFC podcaster Graeme Kelly branding him as "finished".

Goal's Neil Jones gave the one-time Charlton Athletic prospect a 5/10 match rating and said that he was 'nowhere near commanding enough', and that sums it up when considering the calibre of centre-back Liverpool need to return to former glory.

Gomez must be granted sympathy for his woes; he has fallen prey to three serious injuries during his time at Liverpool and has undoubtedly and understandably been hampered by the setbacks, but after the Reds' shambolic collective season, Klopp must be ruthless as he crafts a formula to take his team back to the forefront.

He was incisive before, signing Allison for £67m after Loris Karius suffered the ignominy of an error-strewn Champions League final in 17/18, and must do so again in the forthcoming transfer market.

Gomez has actually been mooted for a move away from Anfield over the past few months too, with top four high-fliers Newcastle United linked with the 26-year-old over the past few months, Magpies manager Eddie Howe seemingly a 'big fan' of the 11-cap England international.

Liverpool are at a definitive moment and are indeed presented with an opportunity to reassemble the squad ready to compete for major honours once again, and while Gomez has been a stalwart for his Merseyside outfit, he may well have played his last after yet another dismal display.