Ruben Amorim appears to be closing in on a move to Liverpool Football Club, according to one update from Pedro Sepulveda.

The journalist shared the news in question on X (formerly Twitter), announcing that the ex-Braga boss’ agent has ‘bought an apartment in Liverpool’.

This comes at a time when the Reds and the 39-year-old are finalising negotiations over a proposed switch to L4 this summer.

Rúben Amorim's agent bought an apartment in Liverpool. One of his employee will live there permanently.

They've Diaz in @LFC.

@LFC and Amorim are in final negotiations regarding the coach's contract.

@SportingCP doesn't have any name to replace Amorim, yet. pic.twitter.com/ZnqezzqvEe

— Pedro Sepúlveda (@pedromsepulveda) April 18, 2024

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READ MORE: ‘I’m told’: Fabrizio Romano now reacts to reports Liverpool are scouting £51.4m centre-half

READ MORE: ‘Not too surprised’: Fabrizio Romano drops intriguing morning Liverpool manager news

Ruben Amorim: Jurgen Klopp’s official successor?

Boy, oh boy, that sounds scary to write, let alone say out loud!

Nothing’s official yet, of course, as things currently stand, with both the club and patch journalists awfully quiet when it comes to reported talks with Amorim – understandably so!

If we’re to take Sepulveda’s latest report with anything other than a pinch of salt, however, it’s encouraging to see witness some serious movement on this front.

We know patience is going to be the name of the game with any candidate who steps in after Klopp.

But how reassuring would it be to know that one of the top options available will potentially take over?

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Niko Kovac rumours, what if Amorim stays at Sporting? Summer contract calls, Crystal Palace review and much more!

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If you were to look at the Premier League table, you’d think that Liverpool were among the most efficient teams in the top flight.

The Reds’ tally of 72 goals in 32 matches is the third-highest in the division, consistent with their actual position, with an average of 2.25 goals per game. All five of Jurgen Klopp’s senior forwards are into double digits for the season in all competitions, with Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez netting 41 times between them.

And yet, the Merseysiders now stand accused of being one of the most wasteful teams in the Premier League, all too often spurning chances that you’d expect them to put away easily.

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Having scored in all but one of their first 49 matches this season, Liverpool have registered zero goals in their subsequent two games. One of the most lethal teams in England has suddenly forgotten how to execute that most straightforward of football principles – sticking the ball in the back of the net.

Is our recent profligate nature a curious blip, or is there an underlying trend which should seriously worry Klopp? We’ve delved into the numbers in search of patterns to the Reds’ shooting efficiency and xG performance in the 2023/24 Premier League, analysing data from FBref.

READ MORE: ‘Conversations took place’: Fabrizio Romano drops concerning Liverpool manager update

Liverpool shot efficiency in 2023/24 Premier League

Take one look at those two most recent games. Two goals from 48 shots, and only one point to show for it. It’s quite the contrast from the efficiency Liverpool showed in February, when in three consecutive matches they netted 11 times from 69 attempts at goal.

The Reds were generally clinical in their first 16 league fixtures of the season, usually netting at least once from eight shots or fewer, with outliers in trips to Chelsea (1-1), Tottenham (1-2) and especially Luton (1-1) where we dropped points.

Indeed, we had only one shot fewer at Kenilworth Road than we did in our subsequent two games, which yielded four goals.

In a startling snippet of how football can be a downright illogical sport sometimes, Liverpool took more than twice as many shots in drawing 0-0 at home to Manchester United in December as they did in scoring four times at Bournemouth just five weeks later.

From Boxing Day to the end of February, the Reds were efficiency personified, with 10 or fewer shots per goal in eight consecutive games. Our first seven Premier League matches of 2024 saw us net 24 times.

In six outings since that hot streak, only once have Klopp’s side kept their shots-per-goal tally to single digits, and even that was borderline with three goals from 29 attempts (one every 9.67 shots) in the home win over rock-bottom Sheffield United.

The tables below reflect Liverpool’s best and worst six matches for shooting efficiency in the league this season:

The dates of the half-dozen games in either column are as striking as the corresponding numbers. Three of Liverpool’s five most clinical matches in terms of shot conversion were in the first five weeks of the season, while five of the seven worst for the entire campaign have been from their six most recent outings.

It’s mind-boggling to think that the Reds scored seven goals in their two clashes against Brentford from a combined tally of 32 shots, two attempts fewer than they recorded in the goalless draw against Manchester United in December.

Liverpool’s shot conversion for the season overall is mapped out below, with the red line only once dipping below 10 since the beginning of March:

READ MORE: (Video) Liverpool fans will be interested to hear Bernardo Silva’s comments on title rivals’ dropped points

Liverpool xG performance in 2023/24 Premier League

Ah, expected goals (or xG for short). An obsession for some football observers, an unnecessary evil for others.

Ultimately, all that counts is the tally you’d see when clicking on the Results tab and scouring through the list of final scorelines, but in this era of data, data and more data, the more curious of fans can’t help but delve deep into the underlying numbers behind the simple 0-0, 1-0, 2-2 or whatever the scoreboard might read.

From Liverpool’s xG figures for the season, we can see that the Reds have tended to have prolonged imbalances rather than a constant fluctuation.

They went from underperforming on that metric for five consecutive games in the autumn to overperforming on it in the next five. After a brief up-and-down spell over the festive period, Klopp’s side exceeded their xG in six successive matches before underperforming on it for five of the next six.

Another trend to emerge from our xG performance this term is that the disparity of actual goals to xG has tended to be much more pronounced in the second half of the campaign.

Only once in Liverpool’s first 10 league matches was there a difference greater than one (and even that was +1.1 in the win at Newcastle in August).

Compare that to our eight most recent games, where the xG disparity has been one or greater in six of those – and the two exceptions were +0.7 in the win over Luton and -0.8 in the victory against Brighton.

The tables below reflect Liverpool’s best and worst six matches for xG performance in the league this season:

Of the 12 games with the biggest xG disparity (for better or for worse), five of those have been among our eight most recent league matches, thus highlighting how the differential has generally widened from earlier in the season.

While three of the five worst xG performances have come in our last five games, one match in that period actually features among the best five of the campaign, namely the win over Sheffield United at Anfield.

Curiously, our biggest xG underperformance of the season actually came in the 4-2 win over Newcastle on New Year’s Day.

Liverpool’s xG for the season overall is mapped out below, with the disparities clearly greater in the rightmost half of the graph:

Conclusion

While the eye test would tell you that Liverpool have been far too wasteful in recent games, the underlying numbers also prove it.

Ever since the beginning of March, the Reds have needed an exorbitant number of attempts to even manage one goal, and the xG figures don’t make for pretty reading throughout that period.

When we were scoring 11 goals in the space of a week against Sparta Prague in the Europa League round of 16, you wouldn’t have thought that, little more than a month later, we’d be here analysing problems in the final third for Klopp’s side.

However, with Liverpool’s European adventure on the brink of ending at the quarter-final stage, and their Premier League title hopes in danger of slipping away, the Reds need to get back to their clinical and efficient best as their legendary manager enters the final month of a reign which began way back in October 2015.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Niko Kovac rumours, what if Amorim stays at Sporting? Summer contract calls, Crystal Palace review and much more!

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Hello and welcome to my column with Empire of the Kop! You can read about all the latest updates around Liverpool Football Club and its forays into the transfer market right here, every week, with EOTK Insider. Thanks for giving this a read and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Today’s top stories:

• What life without Ruben Amorim might look like…
• Could Niko Kovac be the next Liverpool manager?
• And further updates on Luis Diaz, Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez and more!

Crystal Palace review

There were a couple of familiar themes at play again against Crystal Palace. A slow start and wastefulness cost Liverpool, the latter in the second half in particular! It is strange, isn’t it, because I don’t think Liverpool played well, and even if they’d come away from the game with a 2-1 win, I would have said, ‘Wow, that was a tough one, they sort of got away with one a little bit,’ or ‘they’ve had to dig deep for that one’. They still created a lot of chances. I saw an Instagram post this morning of two side-by-sides of Curtis Jones clean through and Diogo Jota on the six-yard box – how neither of those ended up in the net is beyond me! Then there’s the Mo Salah one at the end where you’re thinking, ‘That has to be a goal!’ Nunez had one earlier in the second-half as well, so there were four great, real chances in a match that, on another day, you might have ended up taking all four or two or three. At the same time, I think Liverpool were the architects of their own downfall.

I did some research and found that Liverpool have gone 1-0 down 15 times in the first 25 minutes of a game this season. Whilst we can always somewhat rely on Liverpool’s resilience and ability to figure games out, go in at half-time and make subs, and eventually win the game, the more times you go to the well, of course, the more you’re increasing the chance that one day the well will run dry. It looked like it might have run dry in the second-half against Manchester United, it looked like it ran dry against Atalanta on Thursday in the Europa League, and again on Sunday. It depends on your viewpoint, but the only saving grace is what happened to Arsenal on Sunday, or whether it makes you feel even worse about Liverpool’s result. When you look now, Liverpool had a chance to take complete control of the Premier League on Sunday in a home game against a team in the bottom half of the table. There will be a lot of regrets waking up on Monday morning but also a lot of resignation, not just amongst the fans, but I think a few of the players might feel that was the chance missed and there won’t be another one.

The emotional drain of having to be on a knife edge so often is an important factor. You look at all the great moments Liverpool have experienced this season and they have been knife-edge moments, haven’t they? You look at the Carabao Cup final victory, the great late win against Nottingham Forest and the roaring comeback at Newcastle. They’ve all been when Liverpool have been right up against it. It says a lot about the team’s resilience, character and quality that they’ve been able to do this so regularly. But when you get to this stage of the season, you want as quiet a life as possible; you want routine, you want the kind of result you see Manchester City get over Luton Town (5-1) on Saturday, where you have to exert yourself but not absolutely drain yourself physically, technically and emotionally. We know, of course, that Liverpool aren’t really that kind of team, but when they were for that period in 2019, that’s when they steamrolled the league, when they became that game-winning machine. What they’ve been this season is really, really rugged and resilient, not to mention consistently able to dig out these results.

Another thing that has to be mentioned, and it’s easy to forget, is the reality of this Liverpool side being a very new team. There are a lot of players here who are experiencing this for the first time – and not just the ones signed last summer! You look at the younger players that have come into the side and were around the great Liverpool sides under Jurgen Klopp but weren’t front and centre at the time. There are also those who haven’t been involved in a Premier League title challenge on an active basis like Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Conor Bradley and the like. There’s a great deal of newness around this – and it’s not just those players who may have underperformed; you look at the experienced players like Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate who have had a couple of poor games. All this adds up to Liverpool potentially coming up short.

There was always the danger that they might. I thought there was a chance they could win the league and I was under the impression that if they won at Old Trafford the momentum could maybe carry Liverpool to the title, but there was always a chance Liverpool could come up short. I think a lot of people outside of Liverpool suspected their pedigree wasn’t quite as strong as Manchester City or even Arsenal. That said, there are still six games to go. You look at the league table and think, ‘If Arsenal can beat at home by Aston Villa, Manchester City could lose at Tottenham!’ Arsenal also have to play Tottenham, for what it’s worth, so there is the potential for twists and turns. The one worry that I have now, and the one worry that’s fair to have around Liverpool, is even if the other two slip up, you wonder if Liverpool are going to be faultless. I think they’ll have to be if they’re going to win the league and I’m just not sure whether they’re in the position at this moment in time to win the last six.

End-of-season decisions

There are a couple of big decisions to be made with contracts and Salah’s obviously one of the three that needs to be sorted. I’ve been on record as saying I would let him see out his contract and take out another year, but I don’t think Liverpool will. There’s obviously Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract and I personally expect that to be sorted. I also expect Virgil van Dijk to get a new contract. In terms of the rest, if you look at the ones who aren’t coming to the end of their contract or who are in the mid-peak age, if you like, in their early to mid-20s – there are some decisions to be made here. Obviously, Luis Diaz has been linked with a move away from Liverpool quite recently and there was some talk about his contract. You make a case either way here; you could say a great offer would be too good to turn down and you could get a player comparable or at least as good or better than Diaz, or you can make the case that he’s been really good for Liverpool and carried them through a tough period of the season and he deserves to be treated as a star. That depends on your preference.

I think a lot of people might have a similar opinion about Darwin Nunez. I’m personally a big fan of his, but I suspect a number of people might get to a point where they think after two seasons, ‘Do we need to be brutal? Or does the team need to change in the way it’s set up to really get the best out of him?’ The centre-back position is definitely an area that needs another body, regardless of who the next manager is. Though, if the next manager plays with three centre-backs then, of course, that adds to it! I still think you’re in the same position with Ibou Konate when you signed him where, though he’s a really good player with serious potential, he misses too many games and you spend a lot of the season having to compensate for his absence.

I think all of the signings brought in last summer were brought in for the long-term, but there will be some who look at Ryan Gravenberch and want to see a lot more from him. What would happen if a bid came in for him? For me, there are no obvious ones where they’re flashing red on the dashboard, but there are a lot of ones you look at and wonder what might happen if £50m was slapped on the table for them. There are a few players at Liverpool at the moment where if £50m was on the table, there would be a split in terms of what you’d do with them, whether you’d sell or keep.

Ruben Amorim

I think Ruben Amorim has been very sensible in his comments to the press. They’re on the brink of winning the league, with a cup final also coming up. I think he’s in a position where he doesn’t want any further distractions. He’s already made it clear that he doesn’t want to engage in further talk over his future between now and the end of the season. That’s perfectly fair! We’ve spoken before about managers and who might succeed Jurgen Klopp, but it’s very easy to forget about the club or the fans that manager represents. They have to be fair to them and put them front and centre in this situation. It’s only right that whilst Sporting are in a position where they’ll have the perfect end to the season, he’s not dampening the flames or upsetting the apple cart by saying he’s dreaming of going to Liverpool. You don’t want to take away anything from what has been a magnificent season. There has to be a chance that he does decide he’s happy with his lot with Sporting, but it would be unlikely to me.

He’s a young manager and quite clearly an ambitious manager. You’ve seen some of the interviews he’s given and he’s spoken in the past about aiming high. He knows he’s in demand, doesn’t he? He’s fully aware that it’s not a deep pool of managers at this moment but there are a lot of clubs that are fishing in it. He know he’s going to have at least one good option, maybe more, this summer. I think he probably would leave Sporting this summer, but, like I say, he’s still got a job to do – and so do Liverpool! Sporting are four points clear of Benfica and in a really good position to win a league. I think he’s done the right thing by his club by cutting down those stories and making sure every press conference isn’t dominated by managerial talk.

Niko Kovac links to Liverpool

I saw the headline and it made more sense for his agents who have been sounding out Premier League clubs. That feels like an agent-led story to me. I don’t think Liverpool will be in the running for Niko Kovac. It will be someone with a lot more recent pedigree.

Where would Liverpool go without Amorim?

It would leave Liverpool in an imperfect situation with two of their least imperfect options – in Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim – gone. Whoever Liverpool appoint, it’s going to be a manager where you think, ‘I like this and this about him but there’s always this and there’s this issue’. You’re going to be in that position regardless, even if it is Amorim. What it does is it puts Liverpool in a position where there are probably more of the negative aspects to contend with in terms of any manager they subsequently bring in. Steven Gerrard, Julian Nagelsmann and Ange Postecoglou will probably be on that betting list, but even as I’m listing those options I’m almost mentally crossing them off. It would leave Liverpool with a really tough decision to make – not to suggest they don’t already have one! They have a situation where whoever comes in will have a very, very tough job on their hands. The other fly in the ointment is that there are a few other clubs in Europe, like Bayern Munich and Barcelona, that look like they’ll be searching for another manager. If not now, certainly in another month or two.

The post EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Kovac rumours, what if Amorim stays at Sporting? & more appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

The 2-2 draw at Old Trafford was beyond frustrating. The 3-0 loss to Atalanta was numbing. The 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace felt final.

Thankfully, Arsenal went and lost to Aston Villa, which is good news, even though it almost adds to the exasperation of our missed opportunity.

Liverpool are still in the title race, although Manchester City are heavy, heavy favourites. They’ll probably win their remaining six, the bastards.

But what’s happened to Liverpool?

Against United and Palace, the Reds racked up over 6xG, but only scored two goals, both of which were from set-pieces last weekend. They haven’t scored a single goal from open play despite a plethora of chances and a handful of sitters.

Liverpool’s 2.87xG was the most xG without scoring by any side in the competition since Brighton v Norwich in April 2022. 

Obviously, the finishing recently has been a massive issue. We’ve lacked a little luck, but a lot of composure. There has been no clinical element to it. Nobody has stepped up when it really mattered in front of goal.

Dom Szoboszlai missed two at Old Trafford. Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah and Luis Diaz were also guilty of missing the target when they should have at the very least tested Andre Onana.

Against Palace though, it was farcical. Luis Diaz, Wataru Endo, Nunez, Diogo Jota and Salah all missed from inside eight yards. Curtis Jones also missed a sitter of a one-on-one when the keeper had already sat down and simply presented him a free net.

If we’d have taken our chances, or even half of them, in both matches, we’d be top of the Premier League by three points with six to play. That hurts.

But it’s not just the finishing that’s been off.

It’s the intensity, especially at Anfield against Atalanta in the midweek horror-show and Palace on Sunday.  Why do we let our opponents take the lead so easily? We do it again and again and again.

The best iteration of Klopp’s Liverpool teams used to make the first 20 minutes for opponents complete hell. They outfought them everywhere – to a man. Now, the lackadaisical start to matches allows our opponents chances, often goals and leaves Liverpool chasing the game. You can’t get away with that for an entire season. The most insane stat that proves as much is that Liverpool have conceded the first goal in 21 of our 32 Premier League matches so far. Yes, we’ve done well to win most of these, but it’s not sustainable. And the past week has proven as much.

Alexis Mac Allister was absolutely flying, but has had two poor games. Wataru Endo looks like he did away to Newcastle United earlier in the season. Darwin Nunez has been atrocious since his goals dried up. He hasn’t scored in three games and has just one in our past six. Jota, who to be fair hasn’t found the net since his return either, should probably come in for the Uruguayan based on recent form.

Salah is another player who has not been very good. He’s played nine matches since his return from injury. You’d have hoped he back up and running. But he looks tired, slow and like he’s out of ideas. The Egyptian finishes seasons worse than he starts them, usually. But we need our world-class players to step up in big moments. And he couldn’t have complained if he was subbed yesterday.

It’s funny. We’ve finally got an almost full squad with an elite bench, but the players look more tired than ever. Perhaps the effort of carrying on and winning throughout January and February with a threadbare squad is now taking its toll.

Liverpool are giving up way too many big chances to opponents. You can’t expect the attack to bail out the rest of the side in every match when even very average sides get lots of good sights of our goal.

It feels like it’s done, but football changes quickly. Maybe we’ll pull off a miracle in Bergamo on Thursday and the vibes around the run-in will change.

Let’s hope so. We’re the underdogs now in both competitions. Maybe that’ll help. But quite a lot needs to change, now.

The post Editor’s Column: It’s not just the bad finishing, you know… appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Manchester City are, obviously, a very good footballing side.

How dependent they are on the services of world-class holding midfielder of Rodri, however, is at least open to debate.

The Spanish international has been ever-present for the Sky Blues this term, making his 41st appearance for the club against Real Madrid in the Champions League – a figure that is taking a toll on the footballer.

“I do need a rest,” the former Atletico Madrid midfielder was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

“Let’s see how we speak, how we live the situation. Sometimes it is what it is.

“I need to adjust. It [rest] is something we are planning, yes.”

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READ MORE: What Sky Sports journalist is now saying about Amorim & Liverpool should put fans on red alert

READ MORE: ‘Most complete’: Journalist says manager Liverpool now look set to sign is one of a kind

How well do Manchester City do without Rodri?

Let’s take a look at the four domestic games Rodri missed through suspension, shall we?

Newcastle (A – Carabao Cup): 1-0 defeat

Wolves (A – Premier League): 2-1 defeat

Arsenal (A – Premier League): 1-0 defeat

Aston Villa (A – Premier League): 1-0 defeat

Four games, four defeats for the incumbent English top-flight champions. Admittedly, two wins were secured against Luton Town and Huddersfield in the FA Cup – two fixtures the footballer sat on the bench for.

That’s looking like a pretty stark, not to mention concerning, correlation for Pep Guardiola’s men should Rodri need to take a brief hiatus from the first-team.

With only seven games to go in the league, it could be the death knell for Manchester City’s title hopes.

Where and when will the rest be taken?

Critically, also, for how long will the Cityzens be without their star man?

One might imagine the defensive midfielder will be allowed a rest in a game you’d expect the remaining squad to carry the club over the line.

Saturday’s home clash with Luton Town, you would imagine, represents a particularly ideal opportunity.

They couldn’t drop points at home to Rob Edwards’ men, even without Rodri, could they?

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Could a surprise candidate now replace Klopp? The search after Xabi Alonso, and much more!

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Jurgen Klopp is maybe having his best season in terms of managerial input. He is a humungous difference maker for Liverpool.

The manner in which he’s improved players, trusted youngsters, inspired comebacks and made tactical changes within matches has been the primary reason Liverpool are joint-top of the table and still in Europe with one cup already won.

That’s before mentioning his insanely progressive use of substitutes and how he regularly uses game-changers from the bench.

So, this isn’t really a criticism of the manager. He’s been incredible. He’s the best. And I think he might well ride off into the sunset with another Premier League winner’s medal.

But I do find the games in which he’s picked Ibrahima Konate and Jarrell Quansah over the past month quite strange.

Let’s take a closer look.

Liverpool 3-0 Southampton (FA Cup) – Quansah full game (Virg and Konate half-each)

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool (PL) – Konate full game

Sparta Prague 1-5 Liverpool (EL) Quansah and Konate share minutes (Konate gets injured)

Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (PL) Quansah full game

Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague (EL) Quansah full game

Manchester United 4-3 Liverpool (FA Cup) Quansah full game

–Konate plays game for France in international break–

LIverpool 2-1 Brighton (PL) Quansah plays full game

LIverpool 3-1 Sheffield United (PL) Konate plays full game

Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool (PL) Quansah plays full game

The way I look at it is, this: you want your best players available and fresh for the biggest, hardest games.

Konate is part of Liverpool’s best XI. He is one of the top defenders on the planet when fit. In fact, the only criticism you can have of him is his availability. So, it’s obvious the manner in which Klopp rotates him in and out of the side is to look after his fitness. After all, Virgil van Dijk plays every game and is looked after much differently.

But since the end of February, Liverpool have failed to win three games, two in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup. Quansah has started in all of them and Konate has not.

Let’s go through it. Against City in the Premier League, Quansah had to play because Konate got 50 minutes on the Thursday night against Sparta Prague and picked up an issue. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but did we really need Konate on the pitch for that game?

He missed the FA Cup game with United due to that same injury, but he still went away with France right after that game and played well over the international break…

But upon his return, Klopp picked Quansah against Brighton and left the on-paper easier Sheffield United game for Konate, meaning he then had to pick Quansah at Old Trafford again as Konate is seemingly not going to play two games in three or four days.

If it were me, I’d have gone Konate versus Brighton and Quansah against Sheffield United, meaning Konate would be fresh for the Old Trafford tie, and Quansah can come in for the Europa League tie this Thursday with Atalanta… This would then mean Konate would be ready for the more important Crystal Palace tie next weekend, and so on.

It’s possible now that Konate plays Atalanta and Quansah gets Palace, which just seems the wrong way round given the priority should be the Premier League.

It’s important to note that Quansah has been exceptional. His mistake against United last time out aside, the 21-year-old has way outperformed expectations. He’s composed and physical and does well alongside van Dijk whenever called upon.

United target our right-side though, as do most big teams, for a few obvious reasons. Firstly. van Dijk is on the left and they want to avoid him. Secondly, there is often space left at right-back when either Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez or Conor Bradley are playing that role inverted or just as a natural attacking fullback.

If I had one criticism of Klopp in this season and perhaps a few that have gone beforehand, it’s an insistence on picking strong teams in dead-rubbers or less important ones before more important ones.

One of Jota’s big injuries a few years back came in a Champions League tie with nothing riding on it. And we’d have beaten Sparta Prague without Konate.

Who knows if we’d have fared better than two draws and one win against United and City if Konate had played. We never will.

But hopefully the Frenchman will at least be fully fit for our most crucial upcoming fixtures. As City and Arsenal will only lose or draw one of their seven games left by my reckoning which means we have to finish perfectly. Old Trafford was the slip-up. No more room for another.

The post Editor’s Column: Klopp’s selection of Konate and Quansah is confusing appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool fans could all do with some positive news following the disappointment of a draw at Old Trafford.

Neil Jones has the perfect remedy, sharing details of the Reds’ latest injury boost on X (formerly Twitter). The EOTK Insider columnist relayed a tweet from @LFC showcasing the return of Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota and Stefan Bajcetic to team training.

Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Jota and Bajčetić are all back training #LFC https://t.co/IqXv7A8jAT

— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) April 9, 2024

The Merseysiders are set to next take on Atalanta in the Europa League before also welcoming Crystal Palace to Anfield this Sunday.

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READ MORE: Another exit: James Pearce shares another Liverpool contract set to end early

READ MORE: ‘Senior club sources’ say: Liverpool insider breaks club’s reaction to Amorim agreement news

Huge boost for Liverpool’s title push

As admirably as the likes of Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor Bradley have performed, there’s no question these are massive returns for Jurgen Klopp.

With only goal difference separating ourselves and Arsenal, in second and first place respectively, such an instant injection of quality could be a difference-maker down the line.

Let’s hope they’re all able to get involved in a jam-packed April of fixtures as soon as possible!

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Could a surprise candidate now replace Klopp? The search after Xabi Alonso, and much more!

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Liverpool have reportedly secured a ‘verbal agreement in principle’ with Ruben Amorim.

The Sporting Lisbon head coach is now in line to replace Jurgen Klopp at the Anfield dugout for the 2023/24 campaign.

Florian Plettenberg shared the update in question on X (formerly Twitter) this afternoon, with a multitude of Portuguese sources concurring on the Reds’ interest.

News Rúben #Amorim | Been told there’s a verbal agreement in principle with Liverpool now!

Amorim wants to join #LFC next season and Liverpool was pushing for him in the last weeks

He can sign a contract until 2027 – confirmed!

Final negotiations with @SportingCP… pic.twitter.com/0Itu7IaJw7

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) April 9, 2024

The former Benfica star is understood to have already informed Sporting of his impending agreement with the Reds.

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READ MORE: ‘My understanding’: What Fabrizio Romano has now heard about Ruben Amorim and Liverpool

READ MORE: Next Liverpool manager: Fresh development now ‘expected to happen in April’

Fabrizio Romano on Ruben Amorim

It’s an astonishing update from the Sky Sports Germany journalist given Fabrizio Romano has recently called for patience.

The Guardian reporter informed CaughtOffside this morning that talks have indeed taken place, thought that a final decision had yet to be made.

Judging by Plettenberg’s contribution on social media, however, it would seem that the two parties are hurtling towards a conclusion in the search for a Jurgen Klopp successor.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Could a surprise candidate now replace Klopp? The search after Xabi Alonso, and much more!

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Liverpool have allegedly made their choice with regards to their ideal candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp for the 2024/25 season and beyond.

Portuguese insider Pedro Sepulveda reported on X (formerly Twitter) this afternoon that the Reds have tabled a three-year deal for the Sporting Lisbon boss.

Exclusive. @LFC offers Rúben Amorim a contract for the next three seasons. Financial terms are almost agreed. Negotiations remain positive for Amorim to become Liverpool's next coach. pic.twitter.com/7MVAgrfhJi

— Pedro Sepúlveda (@pedromsepulveda) April 8, 2024

There had been tenuous links to the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United, though it would appear that the Merseysiders’ project is the most appealing.

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READ MORE: Salah and Diaz could now have big say on Liverpool signing Crysencio Summerville

READ MORE: Next Liverpool manager: Fabrizio Romano drops huge afternoon update on Ruben Amorim

The next best candidate after Xabi Alonso?

There was a sense of brief panic about the fanbase after Xabi Alonso did the unthinkable (though not the unreasonable) by committing his future to Bayer Leverkusen.

With the benefit of hindsight, you can more than understand why our old midfielder felt obligated to continue his coaching path with the likely Bundesliga winners this year.

Amorim, for what it’s worth, appears to be far from a disappointing second-choice option.

The 39-year-old has reportedly ranked high in our internal data metrics. He’s also showcased a remarkable ability to win over fans whilst implementing an attractive, high-octane style of play.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Could a surprise candidate now replace Klopp? The search after Xabi Alonso, and much more!

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Real Madrid’s Rodrygo is flying in Liverpool colours in an alternate universe.

The Brazil forward could have joined Jurgen Klopp’s first project early in its iteration in 2017 for a snip at £2.57m.

The ex-Santos man admitted in an interview with the Guardian (relayed on X by Fabrizio Romano) that he instead opted to remain in his homeland. The Anfield-based outfit lost out but it was very much Los Blancos’ gain.

Rodrygo reveals: “I almost joined Liverpool in 2017, the deal was done for €3m”.

“It collapsed because I said no”.

“I wanted to stay at Santos, make history, finish my studies and then leave… even though the offer from #LFC was very good”, told Guardian @thiagorabelo1. pic.twitter.com/kG0tp94YGr

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 8, 2024

Fast forward to 2024 and he’s now worth £69.4m (according to Football Transfers’ estimated transfer value) with a £1bn release clause included in his contract (Daily Mail).

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READ MORE: Salah and Diaz could now have big say on Liverpool signing Crysencio Summerville

READ MORE: Next Liverpool manager: Fabrizio Romano drops huge afternoon update on Ruben Amorim

What could have been for Liverpool

We won’t lose too many nights’ sleep over it. For those who’ve somehow forgotten, our forward line once boasted the ludicrous talents of Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mane alongside Mo Salah.

It was, categorically, the most feared forward line in Europe in the first Klopp era that could have yielded two additional Champions League titles.

The current set-up isn’t bad either, with Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz having taken on the torch with aplomb.

Never mind about what could have been – we’re still lucky to have witnessed, and be witnessing, top attacking talent.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Could a surprise candidate now replace Klopp? The search after Xabi Alonso, and much more!

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Liverpool have set themselves up for a potentially grand finale after Mo Salah capitalised from the spot.

Harvey Elliott made an impact from the bench after being brought down inside the box by Aaron Wan-Bissaka with a careless challenge.

The Egyptian’s latest effort is his 11th against the Red Devils in the Premier League – meaning he has now surpassed Alan Sheare’s record for league goals against the Old Trafford-dwelling outfit.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of Sky Sports:

Mo Salah equalises from the spot pic.twitter.com/2rgQc3EFSh

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 7, 2024

The post (Video) Mo Salah brings Liverpool level and surpasses Alan Shearer’s record vs Man Utd appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Ruben Amorim’s 2-1 win over Benfica could expedite his potential move to Liverpool this summer.

That’s the claim from Portuguese football insider Pedro Sepulveda who tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) this morning.

The Reds, for their part, allegedly hope to complete an agreement with the former Braga boss on his potential contract ‘next week’.

This @SportingCP victory over @SLBenfica today by 2-1 will speed up negotiations between Ruben Amorim and @LFC . The Reds hope to reach a full agreement on the terms of the contract next week with the Portuguese coach. pic.twitter.com/yNkAwdoCQA

— Pedro Sepúlveda (@pedromsepulveda) April 6, 2024

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READ MORE: Sky Sports pundit can barely believe how good Liverpool player has been in 2024

READ MORE: Liverpool could soon clinch agreement as transfer insider lifts lid on agent talks

One step closer to the Primeira Liga title

It’s a victory that sees the Lisbon-based outfit clear room between itself and city rivals Benfica at the top of the table.

Four points now separate the two outfits, though it should be borne in mind that Amorim’s side have a game in hand still to play.

It remains to be seen whether the 39-year-old is indeed our top candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp, though it certainly bodes well to witness Sepulveda’s latest update.

What better way to transition to Anfield than by securing the title once more for Sporting?

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Could a surprise candidate now replace Klopp? The search after Xabi Alonso, and much more!

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There are so many ways one could start a review of Peter Kenny Jones’ latest historical deep-dive – this one concerning the simultaneously heartwarming and tragic story of Tommy Lawrence, Liverpool Football Club’s legendary Flying Pig.

I could kick things off chronologically with the family’s move from Scotland to Culcheth in Warrington – the site of Pete’s second book launch date (get your tickets here) – or I could go with the goalkeeper’s incredible achievements under the guidance of Bill Shankly, his poor treatment at international level… or how about that Stan Boardman quote about him being covered in shit all the time? Yes, let’s start things off there, shall we?

“Tommy was always covered in shit because he’d be diving all over the place,” the former Liverpool youth star turned comedian was quoted in Sweeper Keeper: The Story of Tommy Lawrence, Scotland and Liverpool’s Legendary Flying Pig.

“His green sweater was black because the pitches then were not like they are green now, they were just mud.

“If he had a day where he was getting a bit kicked at, he would be covered in shit and he’d have to get in the bathroom. So, I tried to get in the bath before Tommy Lawrence because he was always caked in mud!”

Fear not, you get all the aforementioned critical details of Tommy’s life and more, all told by the people closest to him, from the likes of former teammate Phil Boersma to his daughter, Tracey Murray.

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READ MORE: ‘Very unheard of’: Melissa Reddy now shares Ruben Amorim detail that will intrigue Liverpool fans

READ MORE: Next Liverpool manager: Ruben Amorim just dropped huge hint over Anfield move – report

As ever with Pete’s remarkable storytelling, Liverpool, football and sports fans generally are treated to an honest but fair deconstruction of a man almost as cruelly cut down by the passage of time as he was ultimately neglected by the football club he loved and gave so much to.

It’s a tale of adversity, triumph and heartbreak told expertly by a football historian who intrinsically understands and cares about the finest details of a sportsman’s life, virtues and vices. Most importantly of all, Pete delivers this with a level of grace and empathy you’ll find lacking elsewhere in modern journalism.

If you are to leave reading Peter Kenny Jones’ latest historical foray with only one message, let it be this: We stand on the backs of giants and we owe each and every one of them a debt that we must continually strive to repay no matter the decades that roll by.

Sweeper Keeper: The Story of Tommy Lawrence, Scotland and Liverpool’s Legendary Flying Pig is available on Amazon and Peter Kenny Jones’ website.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Could a surprise candidate now replace Klopp? The search after Xabi Alonso, and much more!

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It’s the kind of goal that should be closely followed by Alan Partridge’s, ‘Sh*t! Did you see that? He must have a foot like a traction engine!’

Alexis Mac Allister popped up yet again with a goal of potentially huge significance in Liverpool’s ongoing title battle with Arsenal and Manchester City.

With the visitors having drawn level courtesy of a hugely fortunate effort before the hour mark, the Argentine struck to bring the Reds back in front.

The former Brightonian spotted a loose ball outside the box, wound back his foot and unleashed a thunderous strike.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of TNT Sports:

TAKE A BOW, ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/pPoFkYm47u

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 4, 2024

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It seemed like the feeling was growing that Xabi Alonso would be the next manager of Liverpool but we have been dealt a hammer blow to these dreams.

Writing for The Times, Paul Joyce reported: ‘Xabi Alonso is unlikely to feature on the final shortlist to become Jürgen Klopp’s successor as Liverpool believe the Spaniard will not be available this summer.’

When it comes to sources around our club, there are few (if any) more reliable than the northern football correspondent and so we should all be taking huge notice of this report.

READ MORE: (Video) Liverpool injury u-turn: Player Romano said had ‘phsyical issues’ spotted in training clip after int’l duty absence

It appears that a desire to stay at Bayer Leverkusen is what is making it hard for Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards to envisage that the Spaniard would want an Anfield move this summer.

The 42-year-old is on the brink of winning the title in Germany and his commitment to fulfilling his contract in the Bundesliga is admirable.

Bayern Munich will still hold hope of prizing our former midfielder away from the team sat above them in the league and let’s hope that they are unable to do so.

READ MORE: Tribute to Larry Lloyd: One of Shankly’s favourties and a man who would ‘kick his grandmother for a fiver’

We will now be left looking for other options and although there’s no doubt that we will end up with a suitable candidate, it’s hard not to feel disappointed with this update.

The search goes on, seemingly without a man who seemed in many ways the perfect fit for the Reds.

EOTK Close-up with Gregory Vignal: LFC Legends with Eriksson, Klopp’s successor & more

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