Football news and analysis from the around the world The Rumour Mill: Garnacho set for Villa? | And email Yara Liverpool’s pursuit of Florian Wirtz has been no secret. The club fought off interest from Manchester City and Bayern Munich with the German only wanting to join Arne Slot’s side. The 22-year-old has spent his entire senior career at Bayer Leverkusen. He was instrumental in breaking the chokehold Munich have on the Bundesliga by helping his side win the league and cup double in 2023-24. Last season, Leverkusen finished runners-up to the German giants. Continue reading...

Today’s rumours are ingratiating mothers It is a wingers special for today’s tittle-tattle. Starting with Liverpool’s willingness to splash £100m on Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola. Arne Slot has already signed Jeremie Frimpong and is set to add creativity in the form of Florian Wirtz. Naturally, there is not a bottomless pit of cash at Anfield, so they would be open to selling Luis Díaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez to fund the spending. After it was confirmed that Jadon Sancho will not be joining Chelsea permanently, his next move is a hot topic of conversation. Manchester United will be quite eager to earn some cash in exchange for the winger, so the prospect of Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham are considering a potential move for the 25-year-old. Continue reading...

Two of our 20 predictions were accurate – and we were right about Spurs qualifying for the Champions League What we predicted: Arne Slot admits he had “big shoes to fill” after Jürgen Klopp’s departure. They may be impossible to fill in terms of rapport with supporters, force of personality and authority. But, in the more important fields of winning and developing this Liverpool team, Slot will back himself to make his mark. There is space for improvement. Continue reading...

Defender booed by fans in Anfield draw with Arsenal‘The club hired me to win games of football’ Arne Slot insisted he would not take Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the firing line in Liverpool’s final two games of the season despite the defender’s brutal reception at Anfield. Alexander-Arnold was booed before, during and after his substitute appearance against Arsenal having announced he will leave Liverpool on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season. Arsenal completed their recovery from two goals down to equalise through Mikel Merino seconds after Alexander-Arnold was booed while playing the ball. Continue reading...

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says "fans are entitled to have their own opinion" after some of the Anfield crowd booed substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold on his first appearance since announcing he is leaving the club.

Follow all the latest news and buildup to Sunday’s gamesLive scores | Tables | And mail matchday live or post BTL 1983: Aberdeen beat Real Madrid in the Cup Winners’ Cup final 1986: Peter Reid goes awol after FA Cup final misery 1996: Eric Cantona wins the FA Cup final against Liverpool’s Spice Boys 1999: Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink tilts an epic title race Man Utd’s way 2001: Internazionale 0-6 Milan (NFT) 2003: Jesper Gronkjaer changes the face of football history 2013: Wigan stun Man City in the FA Cup final Arne Slot is planning to turn Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Anfield departure into a positive for Liverpool, the head coach has said. The right-back will leave Merseyside this summer for Real Madrid on a free transfer, meaning the Dutchman will need to find a way of replacing him. Continue reading...

Manager has hopes for Bradley and likes finding answers‘I’m very, very, very happy about Virgil and Mo extending’ Arne Slot is planning to turn Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Anfield departure into a positive for Liverpool, the head coach has said. The right-back will leave Merseyside this summer for Real Madrid on a free transfer, meaning the Dutchman will need to find a way of replacing him. Conor Bradley is set to start Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Arsenal at Anfield as preparations continue for next season with the title secured. Slot might have to look outside the club for someone to challenge the Northern Ireland international for the right-back berth. Continue reading...

Slot talks up Conor Bradley in relation to PSG’s Hakimi‘We are going to miss a very good human being’ Arne Slot has insisted Liverpool will “generate new stars” when Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves and compared the right-back’s potential successor, Conor Bradley, to Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi. Slot admits Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave as a free agent this summer has come as a major disappointment. But he urged fans to focus their energies on the team that faces Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday and as “less as possible to Trent, unless it’s positive.” Slot confirmed Bradley will start the game as he plans for life without the Real Madrid-bound defender. Continue reading...

Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he is "disappointed" that "very good full-back" Trent Alexander-Arnold is leaving the club.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot is "disappointed" to be losing "a very good full-back" in Trent Alexander-Arnold and hints that the England international is set to join Real Madrid.

Full-back did it all for his boyhood club and is off to a new reality where his game will face increased scrutiny Before basking in the acclaim and adulation of the Kop when No 20 was sealed two Sundays ago, Trent Alexander-Arnold headed for the suits. There was a warm embrace between the Liverpool star and Michael Edwards, chief executive of football at Fenway Sports Group, and another with Richard Hughes, the man who initiated contract talks with Alexander-Arnold’s brother and agent prior to starting as the club’s new sporting director last summer and has faced a losing battle on that score ever since. They all knew it was ending but there were evidently no hard feelings. Liverpool feel they did everything they could to persuade Alexander-Arnold to stay. They offered a new deal that reflected his status as the finest full-back in the Premier League and one of the best in the world. They not only offered success, Arne Slot’s team delivered it. But they could not offer a new experience to a player whose stated aim is to win the Ballon d’Or and wants “that legacy of being the greatest right-back to have played football. I have got to reach for the stars”. Continue reading...

‘This is the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life’26-year-old long been linked with move to Bernabéu Trent Alexander-Arnold has announced he is leaving Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of the season, paving the way for a free transfer to Real Madrid. The 26-year-old confirmed the decision on his social media channels on Monday. He informed Liverpool head coach, Arne Slot, that he would not be signing a contract extension at the end of March but kept the news private to avoid distracting from the club’s successful pursuit of the Premier League title. He is believed to have verbally agreed a five-year contract with Real Madrid that reports in Spain claim will be worth around £7.5m per year after tax. Continue reading...

Jamie Vardy targets double century, Jérémy Doku makes his mark and Arsenal rue the absence of Gabriel Magalhães There is rarely an opportunity for champions to show a sentimental side. It is such hard work to win a title over a 38-game season, with the race often going down to the wire. Arne Slot had four matches to spare and used the trip to Stamford Bridge to give first league starts of the season to Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott. The former has been used frequently as a late sub while the latter is often brought on to make an attacking impact, but the form of their teammates and Elliott’s long-term injury have limited chances under Slot. Jarell Quansah was given a rare start and Federico Chiesa was permitted a fifth league game which qualifies him for a medal. The four have rarely let Liverpool down; no one can blame Quansah for the own goal but he looked understandably rusty and tired when he gave away the penalty. They will have to decide if they want to be bit-part players at a title-winning club or drop down to be key men elsewhere. Will Unwin Match report: Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool Match report: Brentford 4-3 Manchester United Match report: Leicester 2-0 Southampton Match report: Manchester City 1-0 Wolves Match report: Aston Villa 1-0 Fulham Continue reading...

‘If we want top five, we need Cole,’ says Chelsea managerLiverpool’s Arne Slot on defeat: ‘The margins are small’ “The kind of player who can do things that no one expects,” Enzo Maresca said of Cole Palmer after this game. Still, pretty much the last thing anyone expected Palmer to do in mid-January was to go 18 games without a goal in all competitions. Now, with the drought finally at an end courtesy of a late penalty against Liverpool in a 3-1 win for Chelsea, Maresca said that Palmer was “not happy” with his lack of goals in the last few months, and backed him to help the side “reach something important” in the crucial last few games of their season. Continue reading...