Despite the transfer window being firmly shut, Liverpool are still being linked with Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven
Liverpool will play the rest of the season without a new defensive addition – despite signing one. The Reds agreed a £55million, plus a potential £5m in add-ons, to sign Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet.
However, the 20-year-old won’t officially become a Red until the end of the season, leaving Arne Slot’s side light at the back due to injuries to Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez.
Even with the shortages in defence, Liverpool played some of their best football this season when defeating Newcastle United 4-1 last Saturday to end their five-match winless streak in the Premier League.
As is the norm in football, transfer rumours don’t just come to an end as soon as the window closes, as the Reds continue to be linked with Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven.
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Ahead of an important home clash against Manchester City on Sunday, Mirror Football takes a look at the biggest stories coming out of Anfield, including public worries about one of the club’s most important stars.
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Micky van de Ven rumours
The January transfer window may be closed, but that hasn’t stopped rumours of Van de Ven making the move to Anfield.
Questions remain over Ibrahima Konate’s contract situation, the injury past of Joe Gomez and teenage star Giovanni Leoni, who is currently sidelined after ACL surgery.
The questionable makeup of Slot’s backline has led former Netherlands international Eljero Elia to give his seal of approval for Van de Ven to make the step up and leave Spurs for Liverpool.
He said: “I think van de Ven has to finish the season at Tottenham (by playing) consistently and show everybody he can go to the next level. He’s strong and has good posture. He can score, he can dribble, and he can defend.
“If he continues like this, I think after the World Cup, he can make a good step to the bigger clubs. Not that Tottenham isn’t a big club, but clubs that are a step above, like Real Madrid and Liverpool. I think it fits his career to move from Tottenham to the big teams.”
Mohamed Salah problem
It’s been a disappointing season for the Egyptian, who has scored just six goals and assisted another six in 24 games in all competitions. While he hasn’t looked like the player who spearheaded the Reds to the Premier League title last year, he did earn an assist for Florian Wirtz in their comprehensive win over Newcastle.
However, it wasn’t enough to quell the concern of ex-Liverpool defender Steve Nicol, who admitted his worry that Salah was unable to take advantage of a counterattack that saw him quietened by Kieran Trippier, 35.
The 33-year-old also struggled greatly in his one-on-one battles with Lewis Hall, as Nicol expressed his surprise at how quickly Salah has declined after arguably the greatest individual season in Premier League history.
The Scotsman said on ESPN FC: “We’ve all been asking the same question. How can you go from there to there just so quickly? Generally, it takes a bit of time when you start losing a bit of pace and your balance. Newcastle’s right-back Trippier doesn’t play every week because his legs have gone. Trippier is on the other side of his career.
“A ball was played through from Szoboszlai, it could have been played a little firmer, but Trippier caught him comfortably and Salah, during that little passage, at no stage looked comfortable on the ball. He’s got a guy whose legs we do know have gone catching him, having been given a three-yard start.
“That’s got to be alarm bells. When he was making mistakes previously and still scoring important goals, he knew… he has always been the same.” Nicol claimed that Salah’s awareness of his drop in pace has affected his confidence in front of goal.
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He added: “When he used to give the ball away, it didn’t affect his confidence because he knew he could still pick the top corners out, he could still run past people and score goals and make these assists. But now, there is nothing worse for a footballer when you realise you’re losing things and not sure why, but it affects everything you do.
“Now it’s chipping away at his confidence. That confidence looks like it’s shot because any time he gets in a position where he used to pick the top corner out, he can’t get anywhere close anymore.”
