Football transfer news

Jurgen Klopp has given a blunt assessment of Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes after their abysmal 2-2 draw with West Ham United.

The Reds had been right in the mix for the Premier League throughout the majority of the 2023/24 season, however a recent downturn in form has resulted in Liverpool falling off the pace set by Arsenal and Manchester City.

The 2-2 draw with West Ham at London Stadium means that Klopp’s side have now endured a run of just one win in their last five games in the league. That run, coupled with Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur and Man City’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, means that Liverpool are five points adrift of league leaders Arsenal in the title race heading into the final three weeks of the season.

Speaking to the press after the daw on Saturday, Klopp gave an honest assessment of his team’s title chances, admitting that he doesn’t expect Arsenal and Man City to drop enough points to give his team any hope of winning the Premier League:

“I don’t think about it really. So, I said before, we need to win our games. We didn’t win the game. That doesn’t improve our situation now massively.

“Do they [Manchester City and Arsenal] look like they will lose two or three games? No, I don’t think so but, honestly, I’m not angry or whatever…I don’t think about it. It’s just we have to win football games and let’s see what that means in the end.

“What do we have now? 75 points? 84 [are] possible and I think it is a good target to try to do that. That is what will be my attitude, my mindset and we will see what that means. It’s a while ago somebody became champion with 84 points I think, long ago. I am sorry, but I don’t have better news for you.”

READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP

Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim has expressed regret regarding his recent meeting with West Ham United, saying it was ‘a mistake’ and one that he will have to accept and live with.

Reports emerged on Monday afternoon that Amorim had travelled to London to hold discussions with the Hammers, raising the hopes of some of their fans who are eager to see David Moyes depart and a new man step into the managerial hot-seat.

The meeting was later confirmed to have been three hours in length with Amorim flying back to Portugal immediately after and then swarmed by journalists upon his arrival.

Of what was said, the 39-year-old refused to disclose, instead hinting that much will be revealed on the day of Sporting’s next press conference.

On Saturday, Amorim – who was also a target for Liverpool until recently – rather dramatically revealed: “My trip was a mistake, the timing was completely wrong, it didn’t seem right at the time.

“It was wrong, especially when I’m so demanding with the players and always the first to say that each one’s actions can overpower the team. I have already removed players from the squad for much less.

“It was a mistake, I have to accept it and live with it.”

Amorim added: “It didn’t seem so bad at the time, but thinking about it later it’s very clear. I gave explanations to the players and the staff. Now it’s time to move on.

“I’m so sorry and I apologise to fans, club and players”.

Neither West Ham nor Sporting have commented on the matter. The focus for Sporting remains on securing a victory over Porto to clinch the Primeira Liga title on Sunday while the Hammers dented Liverpool’s hopes of the Premier League title with a 2-2 draw on Saturday.

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Tottenham Hotspur still have plenty to play for in the 2023/24 season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side are pushing for a Champions League spot in the final weeks of the Australian’s debut season in charge of the north London club. If they manage to sneak into the top four, it would be a mightily impressive achievement for the former Celtic coach.

However, regardless of how the season ends, Postecoglou will be looking forward to adding some more quality to his squad in the upcoming transfer window, as well as spending some more time with Spurs’ players on the training ground ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Here are Tottenham’s pre-season plans as things stand.

We’ll see you in July, Japan! ???

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 25, 2024

Rather confusingly, Tottenham will actually play their first friendly on 22 May against Newcastle United – just three days after the Premier League season ends. However, that will not technically count as a 2024/25 pre-season game.

The Lilywhites recently announced they will head to Japan as part of their pre-season this July, travelling to the country for the first time in 33 years. Tottenham plan to meet up with three official supporters’ clubs while in the country – Japan Spurs, Kobe Spurs and Osaka Spurs.

Tottenham have just the one friendly lined up on home soil at present, a clash with Bayern Munich in the Visit Malta Cup at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in August.

Tottenham not only announced they will be travelling to Japan during pre-season, a country that Postecoglou used to manage in, they also revealed they will face Vissel Kobe in a friendly on 27 July. The match will take place at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, although the kick-off time is yet to be confirmed.

Spurs then face Bayern Munich two weeks later at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Visit Malta Cup on 10 August. The clash will see Harry Kane return to face his former side in north London.

The club will announce their plans for more pre-season friendlies in the coming weeks, with plenty of Tottenham’s players likely to be in action with their international sides over the summer.

Tottenham are yet to formally announce how supporters can watch their pre-season clashes. However, last season’s friendlies were available to stream on SPURSPLAY – which requires a paid subscription.

READ THE LATEST TOTTENHAM NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP

Liverpool will have their first pre-season without Jurgen Klopp for nine years when they prepare themselves for the 2024/25 campaign.

The 56-year-old’s underwhelming final season at Anfield is coming to a close and Liverpool are yet to announce a replacement for the iconic German. However, all signs currently point to Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, who will hope to lead the Reds into a new successful era.

With change comes both nerves and excitement and Liverpool supporters will be eager to see how this summer’s transfer window and pre-season plans impact the club ahead of next season.

Here is what we know about Liverpool’s pre-season plans so far.

We will return to the USA this summer for a pre-season tour, facing off against Arsenal and Manchester United ?

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 23, 2024

Liverpool will travel to the United States this summer under new management, returning to North America for the first time since 2019. The Reds are likely to travel across the country and already have three matches lined up against some familiar opponents.

Speaking about their US tour, the club’s commercial director Ben Latty stated: “We are proud to announce our highly anticipated return to the USA providing a great environment for the squad to prepare for the season ahead.

“Pre-season tours always present exceptional opportunities for our supporters, the team and our official partners to engage in memorable experiences within a key focus market for the club.”

Liverpool usually begin their pre-season campaign with clashes against lower league English sides such as Tranmere Rovers, although they travelled to Germany instead last season. However, it remains to be seen if the Reds will play some friendlies on home soil before jetting off to the United States.

Liverpool are likely to announce more dates of friendly fixtures as the end of the season draws to a close, but as things stand they are kicking off their pre-season journey with a match against Real Betis in Pittsburgh on 27 July.

The Reds then face two of their fiercest Premier League foes, starting with a clash against Arsenal on 1 August and followed by a battle with rivals Manchester United three days later. All kick-off times are in the early hours of the morning in the United Kingdom.

While the club have not officially announced how supporters can access pre-season clashes just yet, Liverpool’s friendlies are normally shown on LFCTV.

Viewers will need a valid subscription and are often able to find one-month free trials during pre-season. However, this is subject to change.

READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP

Goals from Diego Rubio and Jader Obrian propelled Austin FC to a 2-0 upset victory over the streaking LA Galaxy at Q2 Arena Saturday afternoon.

The visiting Galaxy were heavy favorites coming into this one with just one defeat on their impressive start to the 2024 campaign, while the hosts were aiming to upset the five-time MLS Cup winners to move inside the top five of the Western Conference table.

It was a dream start for the home side as they found the opening goal seven minutes into the contest. The Galaxy were on the back foot for the opening stages, and the Verde and Black punished them after a turnover in possession in the middle of the park. Obrian played Rubio in on goal and unlocked the LA defense with a simple through ball, and the Chile international’s low-driven shot across the frame of goal was enough to get past ex-LAFC shot-stopper John McCarthy.

Just as the Galaxy were starting to find their footing in the game, Austin doubled their advantage with a simple over-the-top ball from Guilherme in the hosts’ own half. Guilherme’s pass was perfectly weighted and caught veteran LA defenders Maya Yoshida and Martin Caceres — who have a combined age of 72-years-old) sleeping, and the experienced duo were unable to keep up up Obrian’s pace. The 21-year-old winger raced past the two defenders and powered a shot that rattled in off the far post to put Austin up 2-0 in the first 45.

LA put the pressure on throughout the second half and prodded in and around the Austin penalty area, but they were unable to find their way back into the contest to suffer their second defeat of the 2024 MLS season. The Galaxy remain in first place in the West, just two points ahead of Vancouver Whitecaps who have two games in hand, while Austin climb into fifth place with a huge victory in front of their supporters.

GK: John McCarthy – 6/10 – Should have done better on the first goal conceded as it wasn’t the most powerful strike from Rubio.

RB: Miki Yamane – 6/10 – The player neither helped nor hindered his side.

CB: Maya Yoshida – 5/10 – Started off poor as he didn’t close down Rubio which allowed too much space for him to create separation and unleash his strike.

CB: Martin Caceres – 5/10 – Was shown an avoidable yellow card in a scrap before a corner and his lack of pace was exploited on Obrian’s goal.

LB: Julian Aude – 7/10 – The Galaxy’s best defender in the contest that took up good positions when going forward but it amounted to nothing in the end.

CM: Marco Delgado – 6/10 – Unable to match the intensity of his fellow midfielders Brugman and Puig.

CM: Gaston Brugman – 7/10 – Comfortable in possession and one of the few bright spots for LA on the afternoon.

CM: Riqui Puig – 7/10 – Improved as the game wore on but was lacking the sharpness and creativity we’ve become accustomed to seeing from the former Barcelona player.

RW: Gabriel Pec – 6/10 – Seems like he only had a handful of touches during the game and therefore couldn’t make much happen with the ball.

ST: Miguel Berry – 6/10 – A few decent moments on the ball but overall underwhelming in front of goal — partly due to lack of service.

LW: Joseph Paintsil – 7/10 – The Galaxy’s most dangerous player going forward that didn’t receive much help from his fellow attackers.

Substitutes

SUB: Diego Fagundez (46′ for Berry) – 6/10 – Didn’t bring the required impact off the bench.

SUB: Jalen Neal (46′ for Caceres) – 6/10 – Helped stabilize the Galaxy defense and prevent them conceding a third.

SUB: Edwin Cerrillo (65′ for Brugman) – 6/10 – Provided relief in the middle of the park for Brugman but couldn’t inspire a comeback on his own.

SUB: Jonathan Perez (79′ for Aude) – N/A

SUB: Mauricio Cuevas (79′ for Yamane) – N/A

Manager

Greg Vanney – 6/10 – Picked his strongest starting lineup and there isn’t much he could do about his players going through the motions in the first half, especially after how they’ve been in top form in 2024.