One Liverpool player appears to be nearing a return to full fitness, although the image of him in training may simultaneously please and annoy Jurgen Klopp.

On Tuesday morning, Anfield Football on X shared a photo of Ibrahima Konate on the grass as he gears up for France’s friendly fixtures against Germany and Chile over the next week.

The 24-year-old has missed the Reds’ last three matches due to a thigh injury, unable to even make the bench for the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United just two days ago (Transfermarkt), but here he is on the training ground with his national team.

FOLLOW Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE

Our number 5 can’t be blamed for wanting to represent his country, something which is an honour for any footballer, although Klopp may be wondering why Didier Deschamps called up the defender so soon after being ruled out injured for his club.

Liverpool fans must be asking the same thing, but at least Konate’s return to training indicates that, if he can come through the international break unscathed, he’ll be raring to go for the post-Easter run-in, beginning with Brighton’s visit to Anfield on 31 March.

You can view the image of Konate in France training below, via @AnfieldFootball on X:

Ibrahima Konate training with the French national team pic.twitter.com/K2JTKxI9i7

— Anfield Football (@AnfieldFootball) March 19, 2024

The post (Image) Training ground photo featuring Liverpool player may simultaneously please and anger Klopp appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

France head coach Didier Deschamps has responded to criticism from Jurgen Klopp over the use of Ibrahima Konate, with the Liverpool defender having been plagued by injury troubles in recent weeks.

When the centre-back was used for almost the entirety of Les Bleus’ friendly win over Scotland last month, despite having some underlying fitness problems, the Reds manager slammed the 55-year-old for what he felt was excessive use of the player in the circumstances (The Mirror).

The 24-year-old missed his club’s last two games due to a hamstring strain which has since forced him to withdraw from international duty for his country’s final two Euro 2024 qualifiers (FFF.fr).

In light of Klopp’s comments in October regarding Konate, Deschamps has now replied (via RMC Sport): “It has already happened, and it will happen again because the situation and interests diverge between national team and club coaches.

“I try to manage them like every other manager does. When they [club managers] have them for three weeks, it’s easier to manage them. We have them for one break, two games.”

READ MORE: ‘Staggering’ Liverpool player has interest from two clubs, but both have one big concern

READ MORE: ‘Liverpool could not…’ – Guardiola goes on the defensive ahead of Reds’ showdown v Man City

We were obviously disappointed not to have Konate for the games against Toulouse and Brentford, and he was missed in the Europa League defeat.

However, even with several other Liverpool players already sidelined through injury, the timing of the 24-year-old’s body blow may have been paradoxically ideal from a Reds perspective.

His enforced withdrawal from the France squad means that he won’t aggravate the hamstring injury on international duty, and it certainly would’ve been massively galling if his body blow had been worsened while playing for Les Bleus this month.

Deschamps’ side have already booked their place at Euro 2024, so their concluding qualifiers against Gibraltar and Greece have nothing riding on them from their perspective.

This is a classic case of a club manager and a national team boss each prioritising their respective interests, which is very much understandable and must leave players with conflicting mindsets, as they wouldn’t want to antagonise either party.

From Liverpool’s point of view, though, it isn’t hard to make a case for the hectic pre-Christmas fixture schedule being of far greater importance than a couple of international games with nothing on the line for France.

We look forward to hopefully having Konate fully fit and raring to go when our season resumes with a massive showdown against Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday week.

EOTK FPL Gameweek 11 Review : The Fantasy week from HELL, the Doku & Jackson show & xG paying off

The post International boss responds to prior criticism from Jurgen Klopp after latest Liverpool body blow appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Virgil van Dijk captained a Netherlands side that welcomed a French team containing Ibou Konate, with the pair both starting and playing the full 90 minutes for their respective nations.

It’s often hard for two central defenders to meet during a game but one set piece allowed our No.5 an opportunity to compete for a header with his club captain.

READ MORE: (Video) Ben Doak brought down after outrageous skill; calmly dispatches penalty

Antoine Griezmann whipped a ball into the head of his countryman, who beat our No.4 in the air but his effort on goal was easy to collect for Bart Verbruggen.

However, the way in which the Dutchman reacted seemed to indicate there was a clash of heads between the Anfield teammates – although both men seemed okay and were fine to complete the game.

You can watch the clash of heads between Van Dijk and Konate (from 5:45) via Viaplay Sports UK on YouTube:

EOTK Insider: Jarek Zajac – the collector with over 1,200 Liverpool autographs

The post (Video) Van Dijk and Konate clash as pair go head-to-head on international duty appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

In a utopian world for Liverpool fans, Jude Bellingham would now be a Reds player, and one of his current teammates would also be with him at Anfield.

The Merseysiders had been chasing the England star for months until finally abandoning their pursuit in April, leaving Real Madrid with a clear path to win the race for his highly coveted signature.

The 20-year-old joined a midfield which also contains Aurelien Tchouameni, who LFC had unsuccessfully tried to sign in 2022 and were again linked with a move last month by David Ornstein.

The France international was on target for his country on Thursday night as they defeated Republic of Ireland 2-0 in a Euro 2024 qualifier in Paris, opening the scoring with a sublime finish from just outside the penalty area.

Real Madrid’s official social media channels duly highlighted the 23-year-old’s goal, with Bellingham sharing the club’s post along with the four-word caption ‘What a player man’, accompanied by fire and rocket emojis.

What a player man https://t.co/JJKFZj94Hi

— Jude Bellingham (@BellinghamJude) September 7, 2023

READ MORE: 4 shots, 7 duels won – Klopp will be beaming with Liverpool dynamo’s all-action international display

READ MORE: (Video) Post-match exchange between Reds trio will warm the hearts of every Liverpool fan

Even though Liverpool recruited impressively in midfield over the summer by bringing in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch, Tchouameni’s wonder goal for France nonetheless offered a glimpse of what might’ve been at Anfield.

It wasn’t just that stunning strike with which the 23-year-old caught the eye, either. As per Sofascore, he completed a team-high 102 of his 106 passes (96%), made four tackles, won four duels and executed two key passes in an all-round magnificent performance.

Meanwhile, his clubmate Bellingham has enjoyed a tremendous start to life with Real Madrid, scoring in each of his first four games as he’s racked up five goals and an assist already (Transfermarkt).

The finances which would’ve been involved in Liverpool bringing in both him and Tchouameni would’ve been staggering, but such is the way of the modern transfer market.

The thought of those two lining up in the same midfield at Anfield is a blissful one, but instead it’s fans of Los Blancos who get to have that pleasure every week.

Still, judging by how the likes of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai have begun their respective Reds careers, we won’t be complaining about the business LFC ultimately pulled off!

#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones

The post Jude Bellingham posts 4-word salute to Liverpool summer transfer target who netted last night appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has been forced to withdraw from the France squad for their upcoming internationals due to injury.

The 24-year-old missed the recent wins over Newcastle and Aston Villa due to a hamstring problem (The Athletic) and, despite being named in Didier Deschamps’ initial selection for Les Bleus’ matches against Republic of Ireland and Germany in the coming days, he’s now pulled out of action for his country.

The French federation confirmed on their official website that, following consultation with team doctor Franck Le Gall, the coach took the decision to stand down the Reds centre-back and replace him with Jean-Clair Todibo.

Konate isn’t the only Liverpool defender to be withdrawn from international duty through injury, with England confirming on Monday evening that Trent Alexander-Arnold won’t partake in their upcoming games either.

READ MORE: Liverpool fans will be praying journalist’s five-word claim on Mo Salah proves accurate

READ MORE: £134k-p/w Real Madrid dynamo feels he made a mistake to snub Liverpool’s summer interest

As with the English right-back, Jurgen Klopp and Reds fans might be relieved in one sense that Konate has pulled out of the France squad for the September internationals.

The 24-year-old has unfortunately been beset by several injury concerns since the start of last season (Transfermarkt), and with Virgil van Dijk still facing the prospect of an increased suspension (talkSPORT), Liverpool’s centre-back options aren’t plentiful right now.

Thankfully, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have performed commendably as a partnership over the past couple of games, with youngster Jarell Quansah also offering a dependable backup, although the former may be needed at right-back if Trent is to miss LFC’s next few matches.

That Konate was initially named in the France squad suggests that Deschamps had some hope of him being fit for the fixtures against Ireland and Germany, which in turn would imply that the defender could be recovered in time to face Wolves on 16 September.

We can only wait and see if he’s fit enough to feature for the trip to Molineux in 12 days’ time, but at least he won’t run the risk of aggravating his hamstring problem on international duty, which’ll come as a relief to Klopp and Liverpool supporters.

#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones

The post Not just Trent: Another Liverpool player has been forced to withdraw from his national squad appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Any Liverpool fan watching France in action at the European Under-21 Championship on Thursday will have loved one particular moment from Khephren Thuram.

The Anfield transfer target started for his country in their 2-1 win over Italy, and he showed exactly why the Reds are so eager to sign him with a standout piece of skill during the first half in Cluj.

As he prepared to take possession just shy of the halfway line, the 22-year-old was rapidly closed down by an opponent, but the Italian player was soon left eating dust as the Nice midfielder effortlessly flicked the ball past him with a deft moment of technical brilliance.

That wasn’t Thuram’s only eye-catching passage of the play in the first half either, as he also dazzled onlookers with a surging run past three Azzurri players and deep into their half of the pitch, showing tremendous composure and determination which’ll have delighted Jurgen Klopp.

If Liverpool can get the mooted transfer over the line and if the Frenchman continues to astound with such moments of exhilarating quality, the Anfield faithful will be in for some thrilling viewing pleasure over the next few years.

You can catch the clip of Thuram’s flick below from UEFA‘s coverage of the game, shared via @ShankyLFC on Twitter:

Thuram Flick pic.twitter.com/kkv6IQ20fQ

— Shanky (@ShankyLFC) June 22, 2023

The post (Video) Liverpool fans must’ve loved Khephren Thuram’s deft piece of skill for France under-21s appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

The names of Manu Kone and Khephren Thuram have been abundant in conversation about prospective Liverpool summer transfers over the past 48 hours, and Reds fans mightn’t even have to wait until the new season to get a glimpse of the two in action together.

As noted by @DaveOCKOP on Twitter, the duo have both been included in the France squad for the upcoming European Under-21 Championship, with the full selection available to view at fff.fr.

The hotly-linked midfield duo are joined in the roster by a former Anfield player in Yasser Larouci, who now plays with Troyes in his homeland after making just two competitive appearances for LFC (Transfermarkt).

The French under-21s take on Italy (22 June), Norway (25 June) and Switzerland (28 June) in Group D at the finals in Romania and Georgia.

READ MORE: ‘Prepared to let him leave…’ – Romano drops promising Liverpool transfer claim on 22 y/o target

READ MORE: Liverpool dealt transfer blow as £80k-p/w Reds target agrees terms with domestic rivals

Liverpool fans will certainly be interested to see how the duo perform, particularly if they are selected together in midfield and either or both have finalised moves to Anfield by the time the tournament gets underway.

There’s a good chance they’ll be on the same pitch simultaneously at the finals, with both Kone and Thuram featuring regularly for the France under-21s over the past 12 months (as per Transfermarkt).

The latter was even called up to the senior Les Bleus squad in March, although he won’t be involved in their Euro 2024 qualifiers this month due to his participation in the Under-21 Euros.

Seeing the two midfielders in action alongside each other at the upcoming tournament could whip Reds fans into a frenzy of excitement, particularly if they make a big impression, although you just hope any standout displays won’t see them enter the shop window for other clubs.

That could instigate a sense of urgency into the powerbrokers at Liverpool to act swiftly so that nobody else will latterly swoop in for the duo.

EOTK Insider: The two-time gold medalist who is the only man to sign for Liverpool and Everton on two separate occasions

The post Liverpool fans might soon get to see two Anfield targets in action together alongside former Red appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool fans may have been intrigued by an Instagram story post uploaded by one reported Anfield transfer target.

Jacque Talbot recently said on the LFC Transfer Room Podcast that the Reds are keen on a summer move for Khephren Thuram, who apparently holds a £30m asking price from Nice. The player himself has publicly acknowledged the transfer speculation surrounding him of late (as per The Telegraph).

The 21-year-old is currently on international duty with France, and on Thursday he posted an image on social media featuring him and Ibrahima Konate, with the defender also tagged in the photo.

The picture itself is quite innocuous – it simply features the two players descending a staircase at Les Bleus’ training camp – so the probability is that there’s no hidden message as such, more a case of simply being what it is, two international colleagues preparing for a game of football.

Nonetheless, given Liverpool’s links with Thuram and the presence of a current Reds player, some may excitedly interpret it as a tenuous hint towards the Nice midfielder possibly warming to the idea of teaming up with the 23-year-old at club level also.

Whilst the prospect of the club bolstering its midfield ranks in the summer with the Ligue 1 man is enticing, of course, we simply wouldn’t advise reading into things too much based on the photo provided.

You can see the image below from Thuram’s Instagram story (@k_thuram):

The post (Photo) Liverpool transfer target posts social media story featuring current Anfield star appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool supporters watched as seven of our players headed to Qatar for the World Cup but there was only Ibou Konate left in the competition when it met its climax and so it was a big blow to see the Frenchman miss out on the trophy.

After first taking some time to process the magnitude of the game, our No.5 then took to his Instagram stories to upload three images that showed where his head is at during this time.

READ MORE: Liverpool issue a statement to all supporters travelling to Manchester City

First he posted an image of himself walking past the World Cup with his runners-up medal, followed by an image from the Champions League final where we were defeated by Real Madrid and followed it up with a still from ‘Dragon Ball Z’ and the words: ‘Al Hamdulillah (praise be to God)… keep working’.

It’s clear that the former RB Leipzig man is ready to come back bigger and better, in order to clinch the silverware that he has been so close to winning of late and there’s no reason why he can’t do that with the Reds.

You can view the images via Konate’s Instagram account:

Exclusive: Every word of our Sofyan Amrabat interview with Аnas Bakhkhar – will the Moroccan sign for the Reds?

The post (Images) Ibou Konate’s inspirational three-post response to losing World Cup final appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool supporters have been torn over whether wanting our players to succeed in the World Cup or return to Anfield quickly but with just Ibou Konate left and him reaching the final, we are all behind him and hope that he is handed the start against Argentina.

As reported by Hadrien Grenier, despite a recent illness for the 23-year-old he could still be in line for a starting role: ‘Didier Deschamps is considering starting Ibrahima Konaté in central defense against Argentina!

‘The Liverpool player was one of the starters during the tactical set-up on Saturday’.

READ MORE: Liverpool ‘will meet’ with AC Milan star in ‘a couple of weeks’ ahead of possible transfer – report

After being given the nod over Dayot Upamecano for the semi-final against Morocco, our No.5 had such a brilliant display that many thought it would be impossible for Didier Deschamps to not trust him once again.

However, the bought of illness that has swept through the French camp may have scuppered our man’s prospects of being given the nod for what would be the biggest game in his career to date.

This news of the former RB Leipzig man being amongst starters in the tactical preparation for the match though is certainly positive and we will all be crossing our fingers in the hope that he can become just the third Liverpool player in history to be on the pitch as his nation wins the World Cup.

You can view the Konate update via @hadrien_grenier on Twitter:

Didier Deschamps réfléchit à titulariser Ibrahima Konaté en défense centrale contre l’Argentine !

Le joueur de Liverpool faisait partie des titulaires lors de la mise en place tactique de ce samedi.

(@SaberDesfa)

— Hadrien Grenier (@hadrien_grenier) December 17, 2022

Exclusive: Every word of our Sofyan Amrabat interview with Аnas Bakhkhar – will the Moroccan sign for the Reds?

The post Konate was ‘one of the starters’ in France training and could be handed World Cup start – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Ibou Konate was handed a somewhat surprise start for France against Morocco in the World Cup semi-final and his performance impressed so many people, with many claiming that he now has to start the final.

There were many key moments during the match that were decided by our No.5, including a vital interception and a huge tackle on Achraf Hakimi but it was the whole display that showed why he deserves to start against Argentina.

READ MORE: (Video) Nat Phillips sends Divock Origi a message ahead of facing AC Milan

Thanks to several social media accounts online, the best bits of the 23-year-old’s performance have been shared and it makes for some fine viewing – especially for Liverpool fans.

Let’s hope that our centre-back can keep up the good work and become the third Liverpool player to be on the pitch as his team wins the World Cup.

You can watch the video of Konate’s performance via @KonateFC on Twitter and เดอะค็อป ไทยแลนด์ on YouTube:

Re up pic.twitter.com/mhrR9SdPRU

— 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗙𝗖 (@KonateFC) December 14, 2022

Exclusive: Every word of our Sofyan Amrabat interview with Аnas Bakhkhar – will the Moroccan sign for the Reds?

The post (Video) Konate’s highlights after an impervious display for France in Qatar appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Ibou Konate was handed a surprise start for France in the place of Dayot Upamecano who was too ill to feature in the game against Morocco and it’s fair to say that he delivered for his country.

With Achraf Hakimi marauding down the right-wing for his nation, our No.5 scurried across and delivered a huge tackle to block the cross of the PSG man and ensured that it went out for a corner.

READ MORE: (Video) Eagle eyed fan spots League Cup confetti flashback for Konate

The defender has staked a huge claim on possibly being handed a starting role for the final against Argentina and it’s hard to see how the Bayern Munich centre-back can pip him to a place in the team now.

Fingers crossed that the 23-year-old can become the third player in our history to be on the pitch as his nation win the World Cup.

You can watch the video of Konate’s tackle courtesy of BBC Sport (via @KonateFC on Twitter):

On repeat.
pic.twitter.com/75RC3tmzXf

— 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗙𝗖 (@KonateFC) December 14, 2022

Exclusive: Every word of our Sofyan Amrabat interview with Аnas Bakhkhar – will the Moroccan sign for the Reds?

The post (Video) Ibou Konate’s huge tackle on Achraf Hakimi in French World Cup victory appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Following our Carabao Cup victory last season, Ibou Konate provided one of the funniest moments of the celebrations as he managed to nearly swallow some confetti and hilariously began trying to spit it out.

It appears that he’s learned his lesson from this mishap though as one eagle-eyed supporter spotted the moment that our No.5 encountered his arch nemesis again but this time came out on top.

READ MORE: (Video) €30m valued Liverpool target’s lung-busting tackle on Mbappe

With his mouth firmly closed, the 23-year-old was still enjoying himself but made sure to keep his tongue firmly away from any sign of falling ticker tape.

It’s a great spot and features videos that Liverpool supporters will very much enjoy watching back.

You can watch the two videos of Konate via @KonateFC on Twitter:

Flashbacks pic.twitter.com/bodL4GQd2i

— 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗙𝗖 (@KonateFC) December 15, 2022

Exclusive: Every word of our Sofyan Amrabat interview with Аnas Bakhkhar – will the Moroccan sign for the Reds?

The post (Video) Eagle eyed fan spots League Cup confetti flashback for Konate appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Despite being hugely responsible for knocking them out of the tournament, Ibou Konate was quick to praise Morocco after they were eliminated from the World Cup at the semi-final stage.

They became the first African nation to ever reach the final four and ran a strong French side close but fell to a 2-0 loss in Qatar, realising the size of their achievement though our No.5 was quick to send a message of congratulations on his social media account.

Taking to Twitter, the 23-year-old wrote (translated): ‘Congratulations to for this magnificent course ’.

READ MORE: (Video) Konate’s crucial interception that helped France reach the World Cup final

Considering his age and this not only being his first ever World Cup but also having just qualified for the final, for the defender to be so quickly empathetic of his opponents is a sign of the great maturity that he also displays on the pitch.

The former RB Leipzig man was easily the best centre-back on show and he will be hoping that this is enough to earn him a place in the starting line-up against Argentina, in place of Dayot Upamecano.

You can only praise our man and be thankful that we managed to secure his services last year because he looks set to be a colossal player for many years to come.

You can view Konate’s message via his Twitter account:

Félicitations au pour ce magnifique parcours

— Ibrahima Konate (@IbrahimaKonate_) December 14, 2022

Exclusive: Every word of our Sofyan Amrabat interview with Аnas Bakhkhar – will the Moroccan sign for the Reds?

The post Ibou Konate’s classy message to Morocco as the African side make World Cup history appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Ibou Konate is the final member of Jurgen Klopp’s squad to still be at the World Cup and he’s managed to get himself to the final, in no small part because he was a vital member of Didier Deschamps’ side’s victory over Morocco.

Starting in place of an illness stricken Dayot Upamecano, our No.5 made his third appearance in the competition and provided one of the moments of the match.

READ MORE: (Image) David Johnson’s hearse passes Anfield as the club bids its final goodbye

With the ball being fizzed in from the left-wing, the 23-year-old had to be fully aware of his surroundings and managed to readjust his body in time to slide and stop a certain goal.

Although many neutrals would have been rooting for the African side in the semi-final and for Lionel Messi in the grand finale – plenty of Reds will get behind our man and especially if he is given the start again against Argentina.

You can watch the video of Konate’s interception via @KonateFC on Twitter:

This piece of defending may of just sent France to the #FIFAWorldCup final
pic.twitter.com/c9tjryYYW9

— 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗙𝗖 (@KonateFC) December 14, 2022

Exclusive: Every word of our Sofyan Amrabat interview with Аnas Bakhkhar – will the Moroccan sign for the Reds?

The post (Video) Konate’s crucial interception that helped France reach the World Cup final appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.