Good night: That’s your lot on a day when Liverpool announced Mo Salah has signed a new two-year deal, Ruben Amorim backed his under-fire goalkeeper Andre Onana, Jason Tindall got to spend some time in the Big Chair deputising for Eddie Howe, and Ange Postecoglou pledged to identify the mole leaking secrets from the Tottenham Hotspur dressing-room.Thanks for your company and have a great weekend, wherever in the world you may be.
Vivianne Miedema could miss the rest of the season
Manchester City women: Vivianne Miedema could miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury she suffered during the second half of the Netherlands’ 3-1 over Austria in the Nations League earlier this week.
“She’s with the medical team,” said City’s interim head coach Nick Cushing ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United at the Joie Stadium. “She’s positive, we’re positive, but it’s not looking good in the sense of imminently being able to impact any of our games. It’s hugely disappointing for Viv because of the role she’s played on the pitch, she’s been so pivotal in the results.
“She’s played a huge role in dragging this team up and she’s still doing the same today in the meeting room and on the training pitch. She’s going to concentrate on her rehab now and we’re going to give her all the support she needs.”
City striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw will also miss Sunday’s semi-final, having been sidelined for the last four games with a muscle injury.
Celtic: Following his team’s surprise defeat at the hands of the Scottish Premiership’s bottom club St Johnstone, Brendan Rodgers has said Celtic either need to freshen up their squad during the summer or add a new voice to their the dugout if they are to guard against complacency. The Celtic manager quickly stressed his focus would be adding to the squad in the summer transfer market as he anticipates a natural turnover.
Rodgers admitted he was furious after Sunday’s defeat by bottom club St Johnstone, which ruled out the possibility of Celtic winning the title at home to Kilmarnock tomorrow. After losing just twice in the whole of 2024 in all competitions - to Rangers and Borussia Dortmund - Celtic have suffered six defeats so far this year.
“It’s all about improvement,” he said. “I think naturally what you have at our club, there is a natural slide of players that move out and come in every three or four years. So I think naturally that will happen. It’s the nature of our model here. But it’s also the nature of players being here and maybe either looking to move on or wanting to come away from the pressure that’s here. Because three or four years of it, it’s a lot of pressure.
“We always have to be ready to replace any players that go but obviously important for us is improvement. We always want to improve the team, improve the hunger in the team. That’s always key because one of the ways to succeed and guard across what I’ve been talking about, is you need the freshness.
“It’s either that or the manager goes. It’s as simple as that. There’s no rocket science in it. You cannot be at a club for a long period of time with the same group of players. And likewise, the same group of players need a different voice maybe. But at this moment, it will be about improving the squad. I think change is needed. That freshness, that new energy coming into your squad that alleviates any of that sort of complacency. So we will bring players in to challenge the squad and the team for the summer. That’s natural at any team. However this team does at the end of the season, we want to improve it. The team needs the competition.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "It's blow after blow and it adds up"
Leicester City: Having lost eight consecutive Premier League matches without even scoring a goal, Leicester City are in a sorry state and staring down the barrel of relegation back to the Championship. Let’s hear from their head coach, Ruud van Nistelrooy, ahead of tomorrow’s defeat at the hands of Brighton at the Amex Stadium …
“I’m committed to the now,” he said, answering the inevitable questions about his future at the club. “I’m doing everything I can with many people in this training ground. When conversations take place over the future, we’ll wait and see. I will tell you more when things are happening.”
Leicester’s latest defeat came on Monday night at the King Power Stadium, where they were swatted aside by a Newcastle side who barely had to come out of second gear. They were two down after only 11 minutes, before former Foxes winger Harvey Barnes returned to haunt his old side with a third before half-time.
“It’s blow after blow and it adds up,” said Van Nistelrooy. “After the Newcastle game, I was hurt. You’re always hurt when things don’t go your way and it adds up. It’s a challenge to break the cycle. We need personality. It’s going on too long. There’s only one way to break the cycle and that’s to fight, to believe we can end this cycle.”
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West Ham: The big news of the day is that Mo Salah has signed a new two-year deal with Liverpool and his first order of business after the ink has dried on his contract will be to rediscover his mojo against West Ham after going four games without a goal for his side. The job of stopping him is likely to fall to West Ham left-back Ollie Scarles, who is ready to make just his seventh senior start for the club at Anfield on Sunday.
“He’s done really well,” said Graham Potter of the 19-year-old. “He’s a young player who has come through the academy which is important for us. He has a great attitude and is going to get better and better with the game time he has.
“But at the same time we have to perform as a team, we have to play well and get points. We’re not a development club, we’re a team in the Premier League which has demands to win. But nevertheless Ollie’s to contributed to some good results and he will improve as time goes on.”
Niclas Füllkrug will be in the West Ham squad despite being absent from training this week through fatigue. The German striker, who has struggled for fitness all season, came off the bench to score with a thumping header in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
“Clearly he’s a top player, and you can see that with the impact he had against Bournemouth,” said Potter. “He gives us a different outlet. He’s got a great personality, and we like him a lot, but he’s had a complicated season. We’re trying to manage it so he can play as many minutes as he can, safely.”
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Renée Slegers: "It was high-performance"
Interview: The Arsenal women’s team head coach channels her inner Jake Humphrey as she discusses staying calm against Real Madrid, learning to cope with losing and the challenge of Lyon in the Champions League. Words: Suzanne Wrack.
Villa in Uefa talks after squad cost rules breach
Guardian exclusive: Aston Villa have begun discussions with Uefa’s club financial control body over a financial settlement after being found in breach of the European governing body’s squad cost ratio rules (SCR) last season. Matt Hughes reports …
Ange Postecoglou: "We've got a leak inside the club"
Tottenham Hotspur: No, Ange isn’t talking about a plumbing problem at White Hart Lane, but about the leak of team news release of team news before last night’s match against Eintracht Frankfurt, specifically the news that Wilson Odobert would not be playing because he had a hamstring issue.
“There is no doubt we’ve got a leak inside the club,” said Ange. “Someone continues to leak out information and they have all year. I don’t know why as it just makes our job even more difficult. It doesn’t help us as you don’t want to give the opposition a helping hand.
“We’ve narrowed it down. I’ve got a fair idea where it’s coming from. We will deal with it. It certainly doesn’t help us on game days. It’s sometimes half-truths and sometimes more. You’d like to think that everyone within our camp is working with us rather than against us.”
It sounds like the kind of case that would be right up the alley of ace sleuth Coleen “Wagatha Christie” Rooney.
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Tottenham Hotspur: Following his side’s 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt in London last night, Ange Postecoglou has said none of his players suffered any injuries more serious than cramp last night but gave the impression that he may rotate his team for Sunday’s Premier League match at Wolves.
“A couple of boys cramping up near the end, a couple of small knocks, a couple who will be tired, but heath wise fine,” he said. “It was a big physical toll last night. It was always going to be a challenging game for us. It’s a big game [Sunday] and a big performance is needed so having some fresh legs will help that. Fair to make some changes.”
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Rangers: Dujon Sterling will go under the knife on Monday after rupturing his achilles during last night’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Athletic Bilbao. The Rangers defender left the field on a stretcher in added time of the goalless draw and boss Barry Ferguson revealed he will be out “long term”. The 25-year-old has been dogged with injury since signing from Chelsea in 2023.
“I’m devastated for him for a few reasons,” said Ferguson, speaking ahead of his side’s Scottish Premiership match at Aberdeen on Sunday. “He’s come in and I think he’s been immense for me at the back. He’s had his injury issues and now he’ll need to suffer another lengthy time on the sidelines, which I’m devastated about. But that’s football, we need to move on.
“We’ll get round about Dujon because he’s a popular member of the dressing room. He’s been a big player for me and we just need to make sure we get him back fit as quickly as we can. I don’t know exactly [how long he will be out for] but I mean long term. I’m no medical expert but I’ve spoken to the doctor, he’ll go for surgery on Monday and we’ll just need to wait and see how that surgery goes.”
Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice also left the field on a stretcher wearing a neck brace, but Ferguson revealed the 18-year-old is suffering no obvious after-effects from his neck injury. “He’s OK, he’s fine, he was in today. We just need to see if he’ll be available for Sunday.”
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Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs have announced that Vinai Venkatesham, a former chief executive officer at Arsenal, will be taking over as their CEO in a few months time.
“We are delighted to announce that Vinai Venkatesham will be joining the Club’s Board as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the summer,” read a statement issued by Tottenham Hotspur.
“Vinai brings expertise in both sporting and commercial operations, having previously served as the CEO at Arsenal Football Club. Prior to this Vinai was part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is currently a non-executive director of the British Olympic Association. He was formerly a member of the Board and Executive Committee of the European Club Association (ECA).”
Arteta hopeful of imminent Havertz return
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta is hoping that Kai Havertz could return before the end of the season as the forward steps up his recovery from a hamstring injury.
The Germany international had surgery after sustaining the injury in February during Arsenal’s training camp in Dubai and posted an update on X on Thursday with the message: “Step by step.” It also featured a video of his rehabilitation. Bukayo Saka has just returned from a similar injury that caused him to miss three months and the Champions League final on 31 May is a potential target for Havertz should Arsenal make it to Munich.
“Let’s see,” Arteta said when asked whether Havertz could be back before the end of the season. “The mindset of those two is very, very similar. Great injury history, great work ethic, desperate to get back playing as quick as possible. And great medical staff as well to look after them. So hopefully we can have him, but let’s wait, I think. Once you get to the last stage of that rehab is when you can understand better how close or far you are to make that next step.”
Pep Guardiola: "It is a crazy world"
Manchester City: Both Jack Grealish and Phil Foden suffered abuse at the hands of Manchester United fans during the snooefest that was last Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford. As he made his way to the tunnel at the end of the game, Grealish was slapped in the face by a 20-year-old man who has since been banned from Old Trafford and charged with assault. Foden was also seen reacting to derogatory chants about his mother sung by United fans. Pep Guardiola was asked this poor behaviour during his press conference today.
““It’s happening everywhere - it is a crazy world,” he said. “Everything is happening all around the world - it is not just a sport issue. It is not about United, a specific club or department of football. It is happening everywhere, take a look around and you will realise. I think we aren’t on the right path. He [Grealish] doesn’t feel good, but we move forward.”
Bournemouth: Andoni Iraola has confirmed what most Bournemouth fans already knew ahead of their team’s match against Fulham on Monday night: Ryan Christie’s season is over thanks to a persistent groin injury that requires surgery.
“He has needed surgery and he has been pushing through pain all season, but now is the moment where his body tells him ‘no, it’s enough, you can’t keep playing’,” said Iraola. “Our aim is to have him ready to start pre-season.” Iraola went on to say that with three days to go until their match against Fulham, he is hopeful that Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier will be fit, but is less confident that Luis Sinisterra will be available for selection.
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta has been asked to decide which of the two free-kicks Declan Rice spanked past Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the Champions League he preferred because … of course he has. My guess would be the second one, because it doubled Arsenal’s lead on the night but let’s see what the man himself has to say.
“It’s difficult,” he said. “They are two different. The technique is different in both of them. Both of them were excellent and they helped us win the game which is the most important thing.”
Asked if Rice is now Arsenal’s designated free-kick taker for set-pieces in simlar positions, the Spaniard had this to say. “That is something we discuss a lot. The different ways he can create moments in and around the box whether it is through crosses or scoring goals because he has all the qualities. He can run into the box, he can eliminate people by dribbling, he has a long-range shot. That’s where we are heading with him, to become someone that can decide a game with different tools.”
Nottingham Forest: Third in the table with a four-point cushion over Chelsea in fourth place and looking set fair for a berth in next season’s Champions League, life is looking pretty sweet for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side these days.
However, they host Everton tomorrow at the City Ground and Nuno has said that neither Chris Wood nor Taiwo Awoniyi, his team’s two first choice strikers are likely to be fit. Wood has not played since returning injured from international duty while Awoniyi missed last weekend’s defeat at Aston Villa with a thigh injury. Ola Aina is also sidelined for tomorrow’s game, while Anthony Elanga could also miss out.
“We miss when the players are not available,” said Nuno. “Of course Chris has given us so many things, unfortunately at the same time happened the situation of ‘T’ [(]Awoniyi]. If that didn’t happen we’d be more balanced. Now the absence of two strikers, it’s more of a difficulty to prepare it. We are trying. Many of them are not in usual positions and are trying to adapt to different situations. But this also happens to all teams and we have to fix it.”
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Time for me to hand over to Barry Glendenning. Enjoy, Barry!
Amorim lauds Zirkzee response to Manchester United boos
Ruben Amorim has praised Joshua Zirkzee for his response to being replaced after 33 minutes of Manchester United’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle at Old Trafford on 30 December. The team travel to Newcastle for Sunday’s 4.30pm kick-off.
When the head coach took off the forward in the reverse fixture, Zirzkee was jeered by some United fans. Amorim said the Dutchman had since shown character, aided by the supporters. Zirkzee scored for United in Thursday’s 2-2 draw at Lyon, his third goal in 20 appearances since that substitution.
“He is doing a great job,” Amorim said. “But also a very important thing was the way the fans reacted after that incident. Even if Josh is not playing, if you see every time he gets on the pitch or is just warming up our fans sing the Josh song. That is massive for the boy. So it’s 50-50: 50% the fans and 50% on the part of Josh.”
Amorim was asked what he did to address the situation. “I explained the situation,” he said. “When a player, I wanted to hear some explanation from the coaches on [this kind of thing]. And then I worked with him – and he is improving, putting it into play.”
Zirkzee’s 87th-minute header at Lyon gave United them a 2-1 lead in their Europa League quarter-final first leg. The 23-year-old said: “I trained headers this past week, so if you want to call it coincidence, but for it to happen this way was very nice.”
Amorim said he would have no players back for Newcastle.
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Is André Onana on borrowed time in the Manchester United goal after a spate of recent blunders? The former Ajax and Inter keeper is certainly under immense pressure.
Here’s Will Unwin on the United goalkeeping situation:
Arteta allays fears over Rice and Saka fitness
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are both fine after they came off early in Arsenal’s sensational 3-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
Arteta will have had some job keeping the Gunners’ feet on the ground in recent days after that historic victory, which has given them a great chance of reaching the semi-finals.
And although there’s a second leg at the Bernabeu coming up on Wednesday, Arteta said the Brentford game on Saturday “will require the best of us”. At least he’ll have key duo Rice and Saka available after a couple of murmurs around their fitness.
Arteta said: “It was a very special night [against Real Madrid]. That’s over and now our full focus is on Brentford.”
Kaoru Mitoma is in danger of missing his first Premier League match of the season when Brighton host Leicester.
The Albion winger is a major injury worry after hobbling off during last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at rivals Crystal Palace.
Mitoma, who has scored nine goals this term, was clattered by Palace defender Maxence Lacroix in that game. The Japan international is the only Seagulls player to feature in every league match this term, but that record is now in doubt.
He could join a lengthy injury list that also includes Jason Steele, James Milner, Igor Julio, Georginio Rutter, Adam Webster, Ferdi Kadioglu and Tariq Lamptey.
“Kaoru is doubtful,” boss Fabian Hürzeler said at his pre-match press conference. “He will try to train today, but overall the rest [of the squad] are the same.”
To add to Hürzeler’s problems, key defender Jan Paul van Hecke is out through suspension. PA Media
At the bottom of League Two, Carlisle pretty much have to beat Morecambe to keep their fading survival hopes alive. That’s a clash between bottom and second bottom and if Morecambe fail to win, the group of teams above the bottom two could put more distance between themselves and the drop zone.
The race for promotion in League Two has been topsy-turvy to say the least but Bradford City have recently taken control – although they must improve their away form to get a good result at Swindon tomorrow. Third-placed Walsall are seeking to end a nine-match winless streak at Barrow, having dropped off the summit in recent weeks. Second-placed Port Vale host Bromley, with Doncaster, AFC Wimbledon and Notts County also in the automatic promotion hunt.
Birmingham have already sealed promotion from League One and will likely do so as champions, but second-placed Wrexham go to Wigan this weekend looking to hold off their numerous challengers for the second automatic spot. Wycombe are just three points off the Welsh side and host Stevenage tomorrow.
The top two looks too far off for Stockport and Charlton, but both will be keen to cement playoff places, as will Reading, with Bolton and Huddersfield lurking just outside the top six. Stockport host in-form Rotherham while Charlton are away at relegation-threatened Cambridge.
Speaking of the bottom of League One, Shrewsbury will be relegated if they lose at Lincoln or if Bristol Rovers beat Exeter. Burton are just inside the relegation zone but have a game in hand and could jump to safety if they win at home to Huddersfield.
At the bottom of the Championship there are eight teams separated by just eight points, with four of them facing each other this weekend. Cardiff v Stoke is a game the Bluebirds will feel they must win, given they’re in the drop zone, with the Potters two points better off. Portsmouth v Derby is the other crunch clash, with both teams having enjoyed a resurgence after being deep in trouble earlier in the campaign.
Burnley could set the tempo at the top if they beat Norwich in the Friday night game, with Sheffield United facing bottom club Plymouth and Leeds welcoming Preston on Saturday lunchtime. The Blades are two points off the top two – who are level on 85 points – as things stand.
The EFL is really hotting up now, with five games to go for the bulk of Championship, League One and League Two clubs. This weekend feels like a significant one for a number of clubs.
In the next few posts, I’ll run through each league and tee up the big games at the business end(s) of all three divisions.
Sounds like Eddie Howe hasn’t been very well at all – but he’s still expected to be on the St James’ Park touchline on Sunday for the game against Manchester United.
“He’s been bed-ridden”, Jason Tindall said of the Newcastle manager. “We’ve been in contact every day so it’s not affected any of the preparations. I’m sure he’ll be fine for the weekend.”
Thanks Taha.
I’ll start back up by pointing you in the direction on this lovely piece by Ben Fisher on Truro City. I know what you’re thinking – not another Truro City piece!
Time for me to head off, with Dominic Booth back on for the next little while.
It’s a weekend of semi-finals in the Women’s FA Cup, with Liverpool taking on Chelsea tomorrow. Holders Manchester United face rivals City on Sunday.
Tom Garry spoke to Liverpool’s Olivia Smith about her upbringing in Canada, her family connection with the club and how things have changed under interim coach Amber Whiteley.
Eddie Howe’s ill so it was his assistant, Jason Tindall, who spoke at Newcastle’s press conference. There’ll be a “late call” on whether Anthony Gordon features against Manchester United on Sunday. The winger hurt his hip playing for England against Albania last month.
“He’s had a decent week with the physios,” said Tindall. “He was back out on grass for a pitch session yesterday so we’ll assess him today to see how he’s responded to that session, then we’ll have to make a late call on whether he’s available for the bench on Sunday.”
A fascinating piece from Simon Burnton on the controversial use of ticket resale websites.
Time for a regular.
Moyes also discussed the future of centre-half Jarrad Branthwaite, a player routinely linked with a move away.
“You have to remember Jarrad Branthwaite’s got a three-year contract left. He’s got two years and a year’s option. So, if anything, Everton hold all the cards regarding that player.
“Over the journey, over many years, I’ve had to sell different players, from Wayne Rooney to Mikel Arteta, to Joleon Lescott. Part of being a football manager, especially at certain clubs, you have to sell on the journey to try and build as well. But I wouldn’t think Jarrad is one of the players I would want to lose, that’s for sure.”
David Moyes has been offering some injury updates for Everton. On Dominic Calvert-Lewin, recovering from a hamstring problem, he said: “We’ve got about another three weeks on Dom before we’re even probably talking about him getting back into – I don’t know about full-time training or games yet, I’m not sure – but we certainly think another three weeks before we can start mentioning him.”
Jesper Lindstrøm has had a hernia operation – “that’ll rule Jesper out probably for most of the season now”.
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It’s a remarkable season Mo Salah’s having for Liverpool: 32 goals in 45 games, along with 22 assists. But I don’t think anything beats the magic of his debut year, 44 goals from the guy who’d not got a look-in at Chelsea.
Fascinating to read this from Barney Ronay seven years ago.
And this is the next challenge, as even the better teams begin to make detailed plans for a player who must now demand this level of attention. Can Salah continue to produce his extraordinary, uplifting fantasy football? Only a fool – as they have in the past – would bet against him.
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Some Friday morning quizzing, if you fancy it.
Manchester United looking into alleged use of tear gas on fans in Lyon
Manchester United are looking into an alleged incident of tear gas being used on their support during last night’s 2-2 Europa League quarter-final draw with Lyon at the Groupama Stadium.
Thursday’s first leg was attended by 2,800 away fans, who were required by local authorities to travel to a conference centre 13 miles away from the city centre to collect wristbands before boarding shuttle buses to the ground.
The significant expense and inconvenience of those demands were compounded by a malfunctioning public transport network and large queues at the pick-up point before being taken to the stadium in the east of the city.
Additional reporting by PA Media
There’s not much of a title fight, nor is there one at the other end of the table. It’s all about the Champions League now in the Premier League, so here’s a breakdown of the top-five contenders (not including Liverpool and Arsenal).
It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Yes, this is the big, exciting weekend that’ll see the introduction of semi-automated offside technology in the Premier League.
If that sounds like gibberish to you, here’s Ben Fisher’s handy explainer.
What is semi-automated offside?
Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) is a tool that automates key elements of the offside decision-making process for the video assistant referee (VAR). It will first be used for the first time in the Premier League when Manchester City host Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime. The league hopes SAOT will address a key frustration: delays. Once a SAOT-generated outcome has been reviewed and approved by the VAR, the decision will be relayed to those inside the stadium on screens and shared on social media, via the league’s PLMatchCentre X account.
How will it help?
It should speed up decisions, though before last weekend the average VAR delay per game was down from 64 seconds in 2023-24 to 39 in 2024-25. The league believes SAOT will deliver efficiency and consistency. For example, it is thought the VAR check for Moisés Caicedo’s disallowed goal for Chelsea against Tottenham this month, when Levi Colwill was deemed offside, which took more than three minutes, would have taken less than half the time with SAOT. It will not, though, eradicate delays.
How does it work?
The system uses up to 30 cameras mounted around stadiums – with most capturing footage at 100 frames per second, twice the frame of typical broadcast cameras. The technology tracks the movement of the ball and up to 10,000 data points per player to produce a ‘virtual world’ in which potential offsides are detected. Those are automatically flagged to the VAR, reducing the possibility of missing an offside. In the Premier League this season, offside calls have been adjudged to be 100% correct.
Will SAOT mean more ‘toenail’ offsides?
No. The league will continue to implement the “tolerance level” sometimes referred to as “thicker lines”, of about 5cm, which gives the benefit of the doubt to the attacking team and prevents marginal offsides. The league adopted the approach at the start of the 2021-22 season and the sense is it has been well-received by clubs.
Why the wait?
The league wanted to be confident there would be a near-seamless incorporation. It has been testing the technology from November and although it was hoped SAOT would be in use last autumn, the league further delayed its introduction after an eight-minute VAR delay when it was trialled in the FA Cup fifth round in March. The technology did not work during Bournemouth’s win over Wolves, before Milos Kerkez’s first-half goal was disallowed, because the ball was obscured by numerous players. In those cases, officials will revert to the current VAR technology.
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler has been reflecting on a difficult few games for his side: there was the FA Cup quarter-final exit to Nottingham Forest, a 3-0 loss at home to Aston Villa, and then defeat to rivals Crystal Palace. Cue some inspiration … from Gareth Southgate.
Of course, everyone can imagine if you have these three bad results it’s not the perfect week. Yesterday I saw a lecture from Gareth Southgate and he was talking at the Richard Dimbleby lecture. And he talked about how to build resilience. And I really liked that. He talked about, you need to fail to build this resilience and I think we [are] exactly in the same situation. We need to fail to build that resilience.
You have to go through it together and my job there is to give the guys the biggest belief I have to them that we get through this phase together.
Kaoru Mitoma is an injury doubt for Brighton’s clash with Leicester on Saturday.
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Morning, all. We haven’t got to Spurs yet: it was a mixed evening for Ange Postecoglou’s men, unable to nab a lead in their tie with Eintracht Frankfurt but still grateful for Pedro Porro’s little bit of brilliance.
Here’s what Ange had to say: “I’m resigned to the fact that the football Gods have got their eyes elsewhere this year – they’re obviously busy with other clubs and other managers so whatever we get we’re going to have to do it without them.”
Right, over to Taha Hashim to steer you through the next few hours. Salah reaction, Europa League fallout and press conference news, he’s all over it. Enjoy.
Let’s pivot away from Salah and Liverpool for a moment to take in some reaction from last night. Ruben Amorim defended André Onana after his costly errors in Manchester United’s (still quite creditable) 2-2 draw at Lyon.
But then, Amorim has to defend Onana, doesn’t he?
Slot has spoken a lot more about Liverpool’s form in general, as they look to bounce back from a rare defeat – their first away from home in the league this season – to Fulham last weekend. The Reds host West Ham on Sunday afternoon as they edge closer to the league title. They’re still 11 points clear remember.
Closest rivals Arsenal host Brentford in the Saturday teatime game, where they can reduce the gap to eight points to provide a semblance of jeopardy in the non-title race. Slot said the Gunners could have won 5-0 or 6-0 against Real Madrid in midweek, so he was obviously impressed with Mikel Arteta’s men.
What makes Salah so special?
Slot says: “He’s always judged as a player, but I also see him as a humble human being who wants to put a lot of effort into the player he’s become. What makes him special on the pitch is that he can score goals, even if he’s not in the best half hour or best 30 minutes. He’s mentally strong and you need that to be at the highest level for seven, eight years. That’s probably what stands out.”
On the influence Slot himself had on Salah staying: “I’m part of that process but I don’t deserve the compliments. Firstly it’s Mo and his agent. Then it’s the club, Michael Edwards and Richard putting in the effort, and effort also means money!”
Slot says he has a more “boring answer” to questions about Van Dijk’s contract and cannot confirm whether the Dutchman is close to agreeing a new deal of his own.
He said it all with a glint in his eye, mind you. “I don’t read everything that you do,” he tells a journalist.
Slot admits Salah deal is relief for fans
Arne Slot is speaking to the media right now.
Reaction to Salah’s new deal: “Happy of course. He’s shown for so many years how much value he has for the team. I assume all the fans and his teammates are very happy that he extended for two more years. Hopefully on Sunday he can show again how important he is for us.”
Relief that he’s signed? “For the fans I think it is. I knew his contract situation over the course of the season. I knew things were heading in the right direction. It’s a compliment for Richard [Hughes] that he [Salah] signed as he could probably go to any club in the world as a free agent.”
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Next up on Liverpool’s priority list? Sorting a deal for Salah’s long-time teammate, VVD. It sounds like it’s definitely in the pipeline in yet another boost for Slot and Reds’ supporters.
You wonder if Salah has Ian Rush and Roger Hunt in his sights. They are the only two players to have scored more goals for Liverpool than the Egyptian.
Salah is currently on 243 goals, with Hunt on 285 (catchable) and Rush way ahead on a mammoth 346. Yeah, you wouldn’t think the Welshman’s record is in trouble if Salah only sticks around for two more years.
Still, it’s been a remarkable effort since he arrived at Anfield from Roma in 2017 as a fairly unreliable winger with a modest goal tally.
Salah reacts to signing Liverpool deal
Here’s what Mo Salah told Liverpool’s website upon signing the new deal.
“Of course I’m very excited. We have a great team now. Before also we had a great team. But I signed because I think we have a chance to win other trophies and enjoy my football.
“It’s great, I had my best years here. I played eight years, hopefully it’s going to be 10. Enjoying my life here, enjoying my football. I had the best years in my career.
“I would like to say to [the fans], I am very, very happy to be here. I signed here because I believe we can win a lot of big trophies together. Keep supporting us and we’ll give it our best, and hopefully in the future we’re going to win more trophies.”
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Preamble
Good morning all. Well it seems Mohamed Salah and Liverpool have saved André Onana. Salah will at least take up much of the headline space that might have otherwise been reserved for the hapless Manchester United goalkeeper after he cost them what would have been an impressive win in Lyon last night.
It’s obviously huge news for the Reds that Salah is staying until 2027, two more years to take him to the age of 34 at Anfield in which Arne Slot will hope to establish a title-winning dynasty. And with Trent Alexander-Arnold surely bound for Real Madrid, it’s only Virgil van Dijk of the ‘big three’ whose future needs sorting now.
Slot will be facing the media very soon at Liverpool’s pre-West Ham press conference, so we’ll bring you the latest from that, as well as all the Europa League and Conference League fallout from last night. Stick with us.
