Trent Alexander-Arnold is clearly a young man who loves football and that was very much on show during his in depth interview with Gary Neville.

Speaking on The Overlap, the Scouser was asked to name his three dream dinner guests and said: “I’d say; Stevie G, Zidane and probably Ronaldo I’d say.”

READ MORE: (Video) Alexander-Arnold names ex-Liverpool transfer target as ‘best friend in football’

Naming all three is not really a surprise for someone who adores the game but perhaps links to a former Manchester United man may shock some.

Perhaps one day this meeting of minds could come to fruition although we’d all probably most like to hear the two boyhood Reds sharing their Anfield insights.

You can watch Alexander-Arnold’s dinner guest comments (from 13:14) via The Overlap on YouTube:

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

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Liverpool fans are aware of the talents of our players but when compliments for ex-Reds come from teammates, it must mean more – especially from a player as talented as Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Speaking on The Overlap, the vice captain spoke about Sadio Mane: “He had everything, the movement was unbelievable, with him as an athlete he was probably in the end similar to [Cristiano] Ronaldo I would say.

“He had the jump, he could get up, he was fast.”

READ MORE: (Video) Alexander-Arnold destroys Robertson with brutal assist put-down

After saying that the Senegalese forward was the one teammate our No.66 is glad that he didn’t have to play against, it’s clear the Scouser has a lot of respect for the 32-year-old.

Now Al-Nassr get to enjoy watching both Cristiano Ronaldo and our former player in the same team but it’s safe to say the best days are behind the duo.

You can watch Alexander-Arnold’s comments on Mane (from 43:08) via The Overlap on YouTube:

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

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Cody Gakpo is proud to be from Eindhoven and the honour of captaining PSV was huge for him, you can see the love for his former club when the Dutchman revealed who his childhood inspirations were.

Speaking on ‘A day with Gakpo’ on LFCTV Go, the 24-year-old said: “Obviously where I’m from, we all support PSV. So we had in the team, we had like [Ibrahim] Afellay, he played for PSV and Barcelona afterwards, so it was like everyone in the city wanted to be him.

“Then you had Messi, Ronaldo and all those big names. They were all an inspiration I think”.

READ MORE: (Video) Cody Gakpo reveals Curtis Jones’ nickname for him; sounds better in a Scouse accent

To hear that Ibrahim Afellay was an inspiration for our No.18 shows that he will also be acting in the same role for younger players in his hometown today, after making the move to Liverpool.

It’s so important for young locals to have icons who have walked their streets and understand their stories, which is another reason why players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones are so important for the Reds.

You can watch Gakpo on Afellay, Messi and Ronaldo (from 15:20) via LFCTV Go:

Anfield Annals: Jimmy McInnes; Liverpool defender to club secretary to suicide on the Kop

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There’s a danger at Liverpool that decision-makers get too caught up in the mysticism surrounding Mo Salah when it comes to making a call in favour of benefiting the club as a whole.

The Egyptian’s contract has less than two years remaining until it expires in 2025, but the Reds will surely have no intention of allowing yet another deal to run its course – especially not when offers in excess of £100m are on the table.

Al-Ittihad made their feelings clear, albeit all too late in the dying stages of the British summer transfer window, with a £100m offer potentially rising to £150m with add-ons.

Liverpool laughed and shut up shop, with Ryan Gravenberch the final piece of business the club engaged in, and rightly so given that a sale at that point would have inevitably left Jurgen Klopp short of a world-class right-winger until January.

READ MORE: Liverpool flop could now get second chance opportunity as injury blow creates opening

READ MORE: Liverpool could have frightening talent on their hands if they follow Pep Guardiola’s lead

We would very much expect that position to be maintained during the winter window too, with a view to making a definitive decision on the matter by the opening of the 2024 summer window.

By that point, Salah will be 32 years of age with a year left on his contract, should we not have decided to offer yet another extension on his terms.

If the Egyptian King manages to deliver another remarkable tally of goal contributions, as many rightly expect he will, this term, the calls for an extended stay at Anfield will no doubt be deafening.

Just how closely will Mo Salah follow in Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps?

They wouldn’t be totally illogically either given that comparisons have often been made with fitness freak Cristiano Ronaldo who has managed to extend his playing career deep into his 30s. Albeit, with all due respect to the Saudi Pro League, it’s not particularly worthwhile bringing up the death rattle of his career that is his current spell in the Middle East. Likewise, some will need convincing to overlook a mixed return to Old Trafford, despite bagging 32 goal contributions between 2021 and 2022 for the Red Devils.

Assuming that Salah can operate at a Champions League-level capacity going into his mid-30s, there would technically be a viable argument for offering a one or two-year extension to keep our fifth-highest goalscorer in club history in the famous red shirt for a little while longer.

On the other hand, despite the insane fitness regime Salah follows, this line of thinking would still entail a serious departure from our philosophy, not to mention a gamble on a player who could be only one straw away from the proverbial broken camel’s back.

What do Liverpool do if they’ve committed to another lucrative contract on a player who is no longer delivering in the manner fans have come to expect next term? Or the term after that?

It feels awfully disloyal to consider such realities when discussing a player who will rightfully go down as a bona fide Liverpool legend in the bracket of Steven Gerrard and Ian Rush, yet these are the brutal realities decision-makers must consider for the benefit of the club and its competitive future.

Cashing in on £100m or more for a 32-year-old who, at most, perhaps has three more years at the highest level in the game won’t be considered disastrous in the long run if that figure is then reinvested back into the next generation.

Let’s put it another way. If Liverpool happened to have a spare £100m in the bank and Mo Salah was available at another club at the tender age of 32, how many would urge Jorg Schmadtke and Co. to bring the former Roma hitman to Anfield?

We find ourselves in a very different situation to that which followed Phil Coutinho’s record-breaking move to Barcelona, though the end result need not be any different – proper investment in world-class solutions where they are most needed. Chiefly, one might suspect, in the backline amid concerns over Ibrahima Konate’s injury proneness and Virgil van Dijk’s potential decline.

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

The post Liverpool mustn’t break own rule even to exploit Cristiano Ronaldo pathway – opinion appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Chaos reigns free again at Liverpool after a fresh report emerged claiming that Mo Salah now wants to leave the Anfield-based outfit after being pitched a mega-salary offer.

To be clear, Relevo claim that Al-Ittihad would make the Egyptian the highest-paid player in the Saudi Pro League (yes, even above Cristian Ronaldo).

Putting aside the obvious, in that the forward’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, has ALREADY made it expressly clear his client won’t be leaving this summer, former Red and best pal Dejan Lovren jumped on X to share his two cents on the matter.

pic.twitter.com/7nCm3qBPcY

— Dejan Lovren (@Dejan06Lovren) August 24, 2023

It’s fair to say that it’s highly unlikely BOTH the Croatian and Salah’s agent would be wide of the mark on this given how public they’ve been with their assertions.

READ MORE: Liverpool have a player destined to come alive after Wataru Endo transfer – opinion

READ MORE: ‘Medical tests being booked’ – Ex-Liverpool target joining surprise club this summer

With Saudi’s financial might already having lured both our former captain in Jordan Henderson and our specialist No.6 in Fabinho, of course, fan anxieties in this regard are not without a basis.

Regardless, we’d be mightily surprised to see our No.11 make the switch to the Middle East anytime soon.

#Ep86 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones

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Liverpool fans may well be hoping that more transfer business is completed this summer but our biggest signing of the window has provided plenty of reasons for us to be excited for the new season and Dominik Szoboszlai has sat down for a big interview.

Speaking with The Athletic, the Hungarian spoke about his boyhood heroes: “(Cristiano) Ronaldo was my idol but I’d also watch games of Liverpool and other teams. Gerrard was one of the biggest players when I was growing up.

“Now to wear the No 8 is a pleasure and makes me feel proud, but I want to do it my own way.”

READ MORE: Preston manager’s cryptic four-word update on Calvin Ramsay’s continued absence

Although Cristiano Ronaldo may not be the most loved man on Merseyside, it’s hard to argue against his impact on football and it’s not a bad person for the 22-year-old to be basing his game on.

However, the name that we will be more excited to hear is Steven Gerrard and with the captain of his nation inheriting his famous No.8 shirt – it’ll be interesting to see what legacy the new owner of the jersey leaves at Anfield.

Naby Keita left Merseyside with a whimper this summer and now the chance is here for the former RB Leipzig man to go and make his mark and everyone will be behind him to do so.

What he and Jurgen Klopp need now though is the arrival of a new defensive midfielder and another midfield signing, so that we can add strength in depth to our squad.

Replacing the seven departing players with two new faces is destined to backfire but our summer business so far has been positive, in terms of incoming signings, and now we need to tie a bow on the deals and begin our pursuit of success.

#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones

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Sadio Mane will have made Liverpool fans chuckle with his reaction to Cristiano Ronaldo’s late equaliser on the former Reds attacker’s debut for Al-Nassr.

The Senegal star came off the bench at half-time in his new club’s 1-1 draw against Zamalek in the Arab Club Champions Cup, in which the ex-Manchester United man struck to prevent his team from falling to defeat.

It would’ve been no surprise to see the 38-year-old performing his trademark ‘siuuu’ celebration, although not many would’ve been ready for his new teammate to duly copy him with his own take on the ubiquitous move.

Mane celebrating in the style of a colleague isn’t a novel sight to Liverpool fans, though, having copied Bobby Firmino’s kung-fu kick and gun-slinging gestures when they played together at Anfield.

It seems that not even the 31-year-old’s frustrating spell at Bayern Munich has knocked any of the fun out of him!

You can see Mane’s take on the ‘siuuu’ below, via @MediaGoal7 on Twitter:

SSIIIIIIIII#النصر_الرجاء_المغربي pic.twitter.com/TN8CHjSRDS

— ميديا #النصر_الرجاء (@MediaGoal7) August 6, 2023

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Ibrahima Konate made light work of one Liverpool training drill and marked his feat with a celebration reminiscent of one often seen from an ex-Manchester United player.

The France defender was back at Kirkby along with his Reds teammates following the international break, and he showed that he’s well capable of sending a long pass to exactly where he wants it to go.

One training routine uploaded on LFC’s official Twitter channel showed the players trying to loft the ball from distance into a net through a large hoop, an exercise that the 23-year-old completed with aplomb.

Konate then wheeled away in delight and leapt into the air with a swivel as he spread his legs and tucked his arms in, with him looking like he was about to replicate Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous ‘siiuuu’ celebration.

However, almost as if he remembered the Portuguese veteran’s Old Trafford links just in time, the Frenchman went with a more restrained pumping of his fists upon landing back on the ground, rather than the 38-year-old’s trademark finish of arms outstretched and bellow of delight.

In fairness, the manner in which Ibou nailed the training drill earned him the right to celebrate however he wants!

You can see Konate’s magic with the ball and subsequent celebration in the clip below, courtesy of @LFC on Twitter:

Respect, @IbrahimaKonate_ ‍ pic.twitter.com/yZ02637TZl

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 30, 2023

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Liverpool are linked with so many players at the moment that it’s hard to keep up but Emile Heskey has compared the talents of one man linked to Anfield, to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking with 90min, our former striker commented on links with Jude Bellingham to Merseyside: “You hope that Liverpool can be the ones at the top of that list because you look at what he could achieve there.

“When you think of what Cristiano Ronaldo did by going to Real Madrid in his prime, and people thought ‘why’s he going to Real Madrid?’ but he saw an opportunity to be the man to take the club back to the top – it could be the same situation for Jude [choosing Liverpool].”

READ MORE: Mane hooked at half-time and Bayern fans are questioning his arrival – report

There’s no questioning that the Borussia Dortmund midfielder is one of the most exciting prospects in world football, although whether he will ever hit the heights of the former Real Madrid star – time will tell.

It would certainly be a player that is a tier above the usual level of star that we bring to our club but as he’s still a teenager – there’s no real knowing of how good he will be.

You can watch Heskey’s comments on Bellingham via 90min Football on YouTube:

#Ep73 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Author chat with Chris Roberts on Football, Mental Health… and more!

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Darwin Nunez is still settling into life with Liverpool but there’s no doubt that he has won the hearts of many of our supporters and this video may ensure that he wins himself a few more.

The generational debate in the game centres around the preference of either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo and one passer by asked our Uruguyan forward that very question.

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Our No.27 was clearly a little surprised and amused to be asked the question but after taking some time to consider his answer, the 23-year-old said: “Salah!”.

It was the perfect response and, although we know the former Benfica man hasn’t learned English yet, it was a show of the humour that he clearly possesses and will take him a long way on Merseyside.

You can watch Nunez’s response via Reddit user u/malushanks95:

Nunez was asked “Messi or Ronaldo”, his reply “Salah” from LiverpoolFC

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Cristiano Ronaldo is quickly becoming the most irrelevant superstar in world football following a continuation of his childish antics in Manchester with the Portugal squad.

After recording a massive 6-1 victory over Switzerland, largely without the help of the 37-year-old, Fernando Santos’ men were seen celebrating altogether having just then confirmed their passage through to the quarter-finals.

The former Real Madrid forward refused to take part in such joyous post-match scenes and was instead spotted skulking off toward the player tunnel.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of @Davenbort (via @Transfersdotcom):

Portugal celebrate together.

Ronaldo… pic.twitter.com/6R1SOoXBYS

— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) December 6, 2022

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Trent Alexander-Arnold has still not been handed any minutes by Gareth Southgate in the World Cup but that doesn’t appear to have dampened his spirits, if this recent clip is anything to go by.

During a training video that was shared by England’s YouTube channel, our No.66 was testing his speed of reaction and when he recorded a faster time than Conor Coady – the joy was clear to see.

READ MORE: (Video) “What else could it be?” – Pundits think Klopp is to blame for Ward’s exit

During his celebration of the event, the Scouser replicated the famous ‘Siu’ celebration of Cristiano Ronaldo and it had all of his teammates in creases laughing with him.

It’s good to see that he isn’t letting a lack of game time get to him and that the 24-year-old is enjoying his time in Qatar.

You can watch the video of Alexander-Arnold’s celebration (from 2:09) via England on YouTube:

EOTK Insider: Liverpool’s Two World Cup Winners and 14 Finalists, ahead of Qatar

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One might have fairly assumed that none of the top sides in Europe (especially a recent Champions League winner) would be inclined to gamble on Cristiano Ronaldo after his latest round of unsavoury antics.

Chelsea, it seems, are willing to take that risk with Kevin Palmer citing reports in tweeting that the Blues are ‘ready to sign’ the Portuguese international.

Chelsea are ready to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, according to the latest reports.

The owners are keen… Graham Potter’s views yet to be revealed #CFC #MUFC

— Kevin Palmer (@RealKevinPalmer) November 20, 2022

Whether the owners’ ambition is in line with Graham Potter’s thoughts on the matter remains to be seen, though it’s fair to say its an unlikely eventuality after the Euros winner disparaged his current club and manager in a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.

READ MORE: ‘My understanding…’ – Fabrizio Romano drops Liverpool transfer claim as player contact explored

At 37 years of age, with all due respect to the Ballon d’Or winner, he seems far too much trouble for what he’s worth.

Given Ronaldo’s already made clear his lack of interest in a rotational role at Old Trafford, it’s supremely difficult to see how he’d fit into life at Stamford Bridge.

It’s one problem we’re certainly glad we don’t have to consider ourselves with Liverpool’s recruitment efforts trusted to the experts over the wild whims of the ownership.

There’s no question that the former Real Madrid man is a phenomenal talent on his day, though his presence doesn’t exactly make for the most united of squads.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has called for debates around the morality of the World Cup to be put to one side to allow people to enjoy the event.

The Manchester United star has attracted heavy criticism of late for his comments around the club and manager, openly telling Piers Morgan that he has no respect for his current boss.

“We should focus only on football, the competition. For people to enjoy,” the Portuguese international told TalkTV, as covered on Twitter below.

"We should focus only on football, the competition. For people to enjoy."

Ronaldo thinks the moral debate around the World Cup taking place in Qatar should be left alone.@cristiano | @piersmorgan | #90MinutesWithRonaldo | #PMU pic.twitter.com/fo2jw9nlTi

— TalkTV (@TalkTV) November 17, 2022

Given the clear human rights concerns surrounding Qatar, it’s difficult to see the 37-year-old’s point ahead of the start of the competition.

READ MORE: Man Utd target has just been told to join Liverpool during World Cup training

Whilst we can absolutely appreciate the frustrations of footballers and coaches put on the spot and told to act as standard setters for critique in the United Arab Emirates, it’s utterly bizarre that Ronaldo has gone as far as to suggest debates should be sidelined.

It’s one thing to wish to stay impartial as a sportsman for the purpose of focusing on the competition but to actively suggest we shouldn’t be bringing up these kinds of moral debates is positively outrageous.

Just because we’re critiquing the event long after the award to Qatar doesn’t make the concerns of many illegitimate or any less profound.

EOTK INSIDER : FSG want to sell Liverpool? What’s actually going to happen?… and more

The post What Cristiano Ronaldo has said about World Cup will shock fans appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

From a Dubai-based investor to Mukesh Ambani, Liverpool have been linked with an assortment of potential groups and individuals capable of purchasing or investing in the club.

Whilst it’s a potentially exciting time for supporters dreaming of a mouthwatering transfer kitty and Jude Bellingham in the summer, the club would be right to exercise some caution over the prospect of welcoming in a new owner.

Cristiano Ronaldo certainly highlighted a worrying potential scenario for the Reds with his sharp criticism of Manchester United’s current ownership, the Glazers, accusing them of not caring about their asset in a professional or sporting sense, as quoted in a tweet from Terry Flewers.

Cristiano Ronaldo to @PiersMorgan on the Glazers: “The owners of the club, Glazers… they don’t care — I mean professionally, sportingly. They don’t care” #MUFC

“There are some things into the club that don't help Man Utd to reach top level".

– https://t.co/Zn7cSXNF49 pic.twitter.com/wkjtJyAUdK

— Terry Flewers (@terryflewers) November 15, 2022

Though Red Devils fans will no doubt disagree with much of what was said to Piers Morgan on TALK TV, you’d be hard-pressed to find many willing to defend the Americans.

READ MORE: Liverpool could sign 31-year-old up on new contract as talks ‘progressing very well’ – Florian Plettenberg

We know legacy is very important to John W. Henry and Co., so they won’t simply hand the keys over to absolutely anyone.

Nonetheless, it’s critical that they go through every offer with the finest of toothcombs to ensure that the club genuinely is in the right hands should a full takeover be deemed the most appropriate next route.

Whatever happens, we owe FSG a debt of gratitude for helping save the side when it was in a dire situation and helping transform it back into a European powerhouse.

EOTK INSIDER : FSG want to sell Liverpool? What’s actually going to happen?… and more

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