Liverpool FC Thread #157 :- LFC. This means more.

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Reds trio back

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Marko Grujic have all been training back at Melwood today.

The trio will form part of the travelling squad for the Reds’ tour of the United States that departs in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed he won’t be risking his World Cup stars during the International Champions Cup, but they have been back training at least.

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'The goalkeeper of the future'

Italian football journalist James Horncastle has written at length about what Liverpool will be getting for their money with Alisson.

James, who is a regular on BT Sport’s European Football Show, has written an in-depth piece for BBC, detailing exactly why the Reds were prepared to make the Brazilian the most expensive goalkeeper in history on Thursday.

He writes:



"But, judging by Alisson’s performances for Roma last season, it seems entirely fair. The Brazil international wasn’t just considered the best player in his position in Serie A, but the best in any position, such was his influence on Roma’s play and results.

Alisson didn’t just stop goals. He set them up. He played defence-splitting passes, inch-perfect long balls, completed more dribbles than a whole host of outfield players, and embarrassed opposition strikers with backheels under pressure and a ‘sombrero’ against Crotone.

At no point did Alisson’s tricks cause a quick intake of breath or create a sense of panic. His actions were not frivolous. They were essential. The right decision under the circumstances.

Watch Alisson perform any of the skills listed above and you will not see a showman with a professional death wish, but a self-assured goalkeeper who has earned the complete trust of his team. “He’s the goalkeeper of the future,” Roma manager Eusebio di Francesco said. The evolution of the species in his position.”

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Jose Mourinho, Manchester United’s manager, doesn’t think his side will be able to compete this summer in the marquee friendlies stateside.

Liverpool play United during our pre-season tour of America, but oddly, Mourinho is making excuses already.

Friendly results during the summer literally mean nothing, so we don’t really understand why the Portuguese is being so incessantly miserable again.

“Liverpool, I think everybody is here apart from the English ones – (Jordan) Henderson and (Trent Alexander) Arnold. Maybe not them, but everybody else is,” he told the Mail.

“With Real Madrid, Spain were knocked out at a very early stage, so everybody is here too. (Gareth) Bale and (Karim) Benzema didn’t go to the World Cup, so we are going to face teams with obviously different potential than us. I’m not worried about that – I’m not worried if we lose, even if we lose to some not beautiful numbers.”

This summer, United have brought in excellent Brazilian midfielder Fred and right-back Diego Dalot, although the latter is unlikely to walk into the team straight away.

Liverpool on the other hand have strengthened aggressively, bringing in Fabinho, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alisson to date.

If we add Nabil Fekir to that list before the window closes on August 8, we truly believe Liverpool can mount a challenge for the title.

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Danny Ward has today completed a permanent transfer to Leicester City.

The goalkeeper joined Liverpool from Wrexham in January 2012 and impressed for the club’s youth sides as he set about staking a claim to be involved with the first team.

After loan spells with Morecambe and Aberdeen, his senior debut for the Reds eventually came under Jürgen Klopp in the final weeks of the 2015-16 season in a Premier League clash with AFC Bournemouth, and he subsequently started at Swansea City.

That summer, he represented Wales at Euro 2016, prompting significant interest in Ward before the beginning of the next campaign.

Huddersfield Town secured his services on loan and the stopper was a vital performer as they achieved promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs at the end of the season, saving two penalties in the semi-final and another in the final.

He returned to the Reds for 2017-18 and made one more competitive appearance, that coming against his new club Leicester in a League Cup tie.

Everybody at Liverpool FC wishes Danny the best of luck in his future career.

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Nabil Fekir is set to be presented with the World Cup on the pitch prior to Lyon's Ligue 1 opener against Amiens - on the same day Liverpool's Premier League campaign begins.

A £48.4million deal to bring Fekir to Anfield fell through at the 11th hour in June.

Terms with the player had been agreed and the club channel even filmed his unveiling before the plug was pulled after his medical.

Liverpool are highly unlikely to do any more major incoming business - Fekir or otherwise - with Jurgen Klopp publicly admitting he does not expect any further movement.



"We have everything we need for the next season because I don’t think we will do anything more (in the market), I’m pretty sure of that," Klopp said following the Reds' 2-0 win over Blackburn.

And now Fekir, who could have been lining up for Liverpool against West Ham on August 12, is now scheduled to be paraded as a World Cup winner in Lyon instead.

The 25-year-old was part of Didier Deschamps' triumphant French squad which lifted the trophy for a second time, and that will be recognised by his current club.

The statement from Lyon read: "Nabil Fekir will be presented with the trophy of the World Cup for his return to @GroupamaStadium the Sunday 12 August on the occasion of the 1st day of the Ligue 1 and the reception of Amiens at 3pm!"

Liverpool have welcomed four new arrivals to Anfield this summer, with Alisson joining alongside Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri.

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The incredible statistic which highlights Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp's new-found spending power in transfer market

Never before have Liverpool seen such a spending spree as the one the club have embarked on over the past 12 months.

Never before has Jurgen Klopp experienced it, either.

When the German arrived at Anfield in 2015, he did so with a reputation of high rewards despite spending low.

His team at Borussia Dortmund was much-loved for how cheap it had been assembled, with the likes of Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan and Robert Lewandowski all leading the Bundesliga club to glory despite minuscule fees.

Infact, during Klopp's seven years at Westfalenstadion, he spent a total of £166.5million (according to the reputable Transfermarkt.co.uk), on 29 players who moved for a transfer fee.

The £66.5million capture of Alisson moved Liverpool's summer spending to over £170million - meaning Klopp has spent more in one summer at Anfield than he did in his entire Dortmund career.

Granted, £52.75million of that money was spent on Naby Keita, with a deal for the Guinean agreed last summer.

Yet the final cost of the midfielder was unknown until the end of the 2017/18 campaign, with RB Leipzig's Europa League qualification sealing the final figure.

That move, along with Alisson, Fabinho (£39.3million) and Xherdan Shaqiri (£13.5million) sees the total cost of the four deals come to £170.5million.



Klopp, therefore, has actually now spent £4million more than he did during his seven years with Dortmund.

It is a statistic which highlights how the tide has turned at Anfield - and how Klopp has decided to embrace the importance of spending in the moern game.

Though the Reds have recouped plenty from player sales in recent times - Philippe Coutinho the most obvious example in January - there is a clear shift in policy over the expenditure at Anfield.

The spending power of Klopp, and Liverpool, is now wholly apparent.

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