AC Milan – The Empire of The Kop

Liverpool explore move for ‘very mature’ Serie A prodigy who made history on Saturday – report

Liam Togher — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 20:42:27 +0000

Liverpool are reportedly among a host of European giants with eyes on a potential swoop for a teenage Italian prodigy.

According to 90min, the Reds have ‘made overtures’ to the family of Francesco Camarda, who became the youngest player in Serie A history when featuring for AC Milan in their win over Fiorentina on Saturday aged just 15 years, eight months and 15 days.

However, competition for the teenager is fierce, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund also believed to be showing an interest.

Regulations prevent him from signing a professional contract before he turns 16 in March, so the Rossoneri are thought to be ‘worried’ about the possibility of losing him prior to then, although it’s understood that his family are settled in the Italian city, and he’s likely to commit his future to his current club.

Even if an injury crisis saw Milan fast-track Camarda into their senior side at the weekend – securing special dispensation from the Italian FA, who generally prohibit anyone under the age of 16 from playing first-team football (90min) – that he was entrusted with the call-up speaks volumes about his potential.

Rossoneri manager Stefano Pioli has described the striker as a ‘very mature’ youngster who’s destined for ‘a great future (90min), and his record at youth levels is eye-watering, with more than 400 goals for the San Siro club’s underage teams.

To put into context how young the forward is, he was born one day before Fernando Torres scored Liverpool’s winner against Inter Milan at the aforementioned stadium in the last 16 of the 2007/08 Champions League.

With Camarda reportedly happy at his current club, and considering the volume and prestige of the reported suitors for the 15-year-old, it’ll likely take an exceptionally appetising proposal from the Reds to entice the Serie A record breaker to opt for a move to Anfield.

Still, as we showed with the acquisition of Ben Doak, the LFC hierarchy aren’t averse to swooping for a talented teenage forward if they believe the player in question has the ability to forge their way into Jurgen Klopp’s first team.

We can expect to hear plenty more of the Milan prodigy over the coming weeks and months.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Liverpool could repeat Diaz January transfer trick, the No.6 transfer conundrum, Man City review and much more!

The post Liverpool explore move for ‘very mature’ Serie A prodigy who made history on Saturday – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool and Real Madrid could vie for £105k-p/w wiz; won 8 duels in UCL game this week – report

Liam Togher — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 08:16:01 +0000

According to reports from Spain, Liverpool and Real Madrid could go head-to-head in the race to sign an attacker who might yield a nine-figure transfer fee.

Fichajes have claimed that the two European giants are looking at a potential move for Rafael Leao, who’s impressed scouts from Merseyside and the Spanish capital ‘due to his versatility, speed and ability to score goals’.

The AC Milan attacker is believed to be open to joining either club because of their ‘magnitude and prestige’, although the Rossoneri are set to demand at least €150m (£130m) as they consider the 24-year-old ‘a fundamental piece in their project’.

Leao – who earns just over £105k per week (Capology) – has an impressive track record in Italy, with 40 goals and 30 assists in 134 Serie A appearances, registering four goal contributions across his last three league games (Transfermarkt).

Although he and his Milan teammates were frustrated by Newcastle in the Champions League in midweek, he made life difficult for Eddie Howe’s side by winning a team-high eight duels, completing three dribbles, taking two shots and creating one ‘big chance’ (Sofascore).

The 6 foot 3 winger can certainly be a handful for opposition defences, and he boasts the ability to play anywhere across the forward line (Transfermarkt), thus affording tremendous tactical flexibility to any coach who works with him.

While Leao certainly seems an exciting talent, we’d be inclined not to get too carried away by the reports from Spain.

Liverpool are already well stocked in attack, with other parts of the squad likely to be given greater priority in January, and it might be hard to envisage the Reds spending £130m on him when taking that into account.

Nonetheless, it’ll be intriguing to see if anything further develops in this regard throughout the autumn, and whether the Portuguese forward can continue his recent fine form at the San Siro.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Liverpool’s challenge before January transfer window, mentality monsters back? Reds player ‘hung out to dry’ and much more!

The post Liverpool and Real Madrid could vie for £105k-p/w wiz; won 8 duels in UCL game this week – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Firmino could find himself at centre of domestic tussle between 4 clubs from same league – report

Liam Togher — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 10:33:33 +0000

It’ll probably come as no surprise to Liverpool fans that Bobby Firmino is reportedly at the centre of a four-way tussle between domestic rivals to try and snap him up on a free transfer.

The Brazilian said an emotional goodbye to Anfield last month after eight glorious years with the Reds, with the 31-year-old moving on from Merseyside at the end of his contract.

According to Goal Italia, there are four clubs in Serie A believed to be ‘thinking’ about a possible move for the forward – AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma and Juventus.

Of that quartet, only the former were dismissed in the report as an unlikely destination for Firmino, with a compelling case made for the other three sides.

Assuming that a move to AC Milan is improbable due to their general preference for younger signings and prohibitive nature of the Brazilian’s £9m-a-year salary (Goal Italia), the other San Siro club appear to stand out on first glance as the most attractive option.

Buoyed by reaching the Champions League final, they’ll be in the competition again next season, and even if they grant Romelu Lukaku his wish of extending his loan from Chelsea for another 12 months (Goal Italia), the 31-year-old would surely represent a more dependable striker than the Belgian.

The latter did his case no favours with a glaring and ultimately costly miss against Manchester City in Istanbul last weekend, and even if his 14-goal return for the campaign was one more than Bobby, the Reds’ former number nine had the better average.

His 13 goals came in 1,710 minutes (one every 131.5 minutes), while the Belgium marksman’s haul was accrued over 1,988 minutes (one every 142 minutes), as per Transfermarkt.

Roma are also on the lookout for a striker after the long-term injury suffered by Tammy Abraham recently, although Firmino mightn’t be overly keen to pair up with Jose Mourinho after seeing his reprehensible antics on the night of the Europa League final.

It’d also represent something of a sideways step as the Giallorossi will be in that tournament again next term, along with the Liverpool side the 31-year-old has just left.

His chances of game-time at Juventus could depend on whether or not Dusan Vlahovic stays put, while Arkadiusz Milik has gone back to Marseille, and the Bianconeri are also likely to be able to afford Bobby’s wages (Goal Italia).

However, their Serie A points deduction consigned them to Europa Conference League football for 2023/24, which Firmino may view as a step down from the Reds.

All told, Inter may be the most appealing option for him; but whichever club he ultimately chooses to join, we hope they show him the same respect he’s earned at Liverpool and thoroughly deserves going forward.

Exclusive: Jacque Talbot’s Liverpool transfers update: Liverpool & Newcastle in for Kone, Thuram latest, likelihood of Lavia move… and more!

The post Firmino could find himself at centre of domestic tussle between 4 clubs from same league – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool remain hopeful of hijacking move for 26 y/o despite saying yes to other club – report

Liam Togher — Sat, 03 Jun 2023 06:32:03 +0000

According to sources from Italy, Liverpool continue to hold out hope of signing one Bundesliga player despite him reportedly agreeing to join another club.

Calciomercato claimed that the Reds are maintaining an interest in Daichi Kamada and ‘have not yet lost hope’ of a move for the 26-year-old, even though he’s already given his word to AC Milan that he’ll move to the San Siro and is ready to sign a contract with the Rossoneri.

It’s mentioned in the report that the Merseysiders are ‘capable of putting’ a ‘more important’ offer on the table than Stefano Pioli’s side, which may yet offer slim hope of them hijacking his move to the Serie A giants.

In truth, it’s difficult to see Liverpool stealing in for the Japan international at this late stage, as Calciomercato also stated that Milan are gearing up to officially announce the signing of Kamada in the early part of next week.

Having left Eintracht Frankfurt upon the expiry of his contract, the 26-year-old could’ve been an astute free transfer for the Reds off the back of a magnificent season on a personal level which saw him plunder 16 goals and seven assists from 46 matches from midfield (Transfermarkt).

For context, only Mo Salah scored more for Jurgen Klopp’s side throughout the campaign (Transfermarkt), so the Japanese ace would likely have offered a substantial attacking threat to the squad at Anfield.

It looks as if Liverpool have left it too late, but we’ve seen with some transfers over the years that a move appears to be effectively in the bag before collapsing at the 11th hour, and that’s what Jorg Schmadtke and co seem to be banking on here.

Until such time that Kamada is confirmed as a Milan player, the Reds may continue to lurk in the event of an unexpected twist.

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 remain hopeful of hijacking move for 26 y/o despite saying yes to other club – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

(Video) Carragher offers Maldini his Istanbul shirt back and tells the tale of how it was stolen from Milan dressing room

Peter Kenny Jones — Thu, 11 May 2023 07:19:35 +0000

When it comes to the Istanbul final in 2005, there isn’t much that hasn’t been said but Jamie Carragher has revealed how he acquired Paolo Maldini’s shirt from the most famous Champions League night.

Speaking on CBS Sport, our former defender first asked the Italian if he’d like his shirt back but after this was understandably declined – he went on to tell the story.

The 45-year-old said: “I have to tell the story of how I got the shirt, obviously it was a disappointing night for AC and all their players so they left all their medals, they left all their shirts in the dressing room. So, the young players from Liverpool went in and took them – we have shirts and we have medals in Liverpool from 2005!”.

Seeing the reaction of the legendary AC Milan defender, it’s safe to say that he found the funny side and is more than happy to not be reminded of our famous comeback 18 years ago.

You can watch Carragher’s comments to Maldini (from 4:22) via @CBSSportsGolazo on Twitter:

"He knows our name…"

Thierry Henry @MicahRichards and @Carra23 get starstruck by Paolo Maldini. pic.twitter.com/kcj1dP4R8u

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 10, 2023

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

The post (Video) Carragher offers Maldini his Istanbul shirt back and tells the tale of how it was stolen from Milan dressing room appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Ex-Anfield hero branded ‘only a distant relative’ of former Liverpool self in withering media verdict

Liam Togher — Thu, 04 May 2023 13:08:02 +0000

Four years on from perhaps the greatest week of not just his Liverpool career, but that as a whole, Divock Origi is enduring rockier times at AC Milan.

An unforgettable four-day period in May 2019 saw the Belgian score a late winner at Newcastle to preserve the Reds’ Premier League title hopes and then net twice in an epic 4-0 win over Barcelona to send Jurgen Klopp’s side into the Champions League final, when he scored again in triumph over Spurs.

However, the 28-year-old came in for withering criticism from several Italian media outlets following the Rossoneri’s 1-1 draw at home to relegation-threatened Cremonese in Serie A.

Tuttomercatoweb wrote of Origi’s performance on the evening that, after a ‘promising‘ start to the game, he later ‘disappeared‘ and gave ‘very little to the team‘, being described as ‘only a distant relative of the [player] admired in his Liverpool days‘.

The outlet also noted how other Italian newspapers and broadcasters were largely unimpressed with his display at San Siro.

Despite his team reaching the Champions League semi-finals, the same stage at which he netted that iconic double against Barcelona in 2019, the Belgian has endured a frustrating first season at Milan.

Of his 25 Serie A appearances, just nine have come from the start, with only two goals to his name, the last of which came at the end of January. He’s also failed to score in his side’s European run (Transfermarkt), a record he’ll be hoping to set right against city rivals Inter over the next fortnight.

Origi wasn’t the most regular of goalscorers at Liverpool, albeit recording a respectable tally of 41 goals in 175 games (Transfermarkt).

However, he’ll forever be a hero among Kopites not just for the brace against Barca, but also the late winners to see off Newcastle and Everton in 2018/19, and his goal in Madrid which sealed Champions League glory.

It’s a shame that he hasn’t made the impression he’d have liked at San Siro so far, but if his habit of coming good on the big occasion strikes again over the next few weeks, it could yet see him become just as adored by the Milan faithful as he is – and always will be – among the red half of Merseyside.

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

The post Ex-Anfield hero branded ‘only a distant relative’ of former Liverpool self in withering media verdict appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

(Video) Milan legend shares what Ancelotti told players at half-time of 2005 UCL final v Liverpool

Liam Togher — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 10:54:55 +0000

Andriy Shevchenko has revealed what Carlo Ancelotti told his AC Milan side at half-time in the 2005 Champions League final against Liverpool.

The Rossoneri led 3-0 at the interval in Istanbul after outclassing the Reds during the first 45 minutes, before Rafael Benitez’s team drew level and ultimately went on to win the club’s fifth European Cup after triumphing on penalties.

Various players from the Milan team on the night contradict one another as to what the mood was like within their camp, with Cafu revealing that they were celebrating at half-time (FourFourTwo, via ESPN) but Hernan Crespo vehemently denying that was the case (FourFourTwo, via Daily Mail).

Shevchenko’s version of events appears to lean more towards his strike partner’s account of proceedings, with the Ukrainian sharing some new insight.

He was on punditry duty alongside Jamie Carragher, a member of the victorious Liverpool side, for CBS Sports on Tuesday night as the two of them reminisced about that legendary final in Istanbul.

The ex-Milan striker was asked about what Ancelotti told his players at half-time, responding: “His instruction was that we carry on playing in the same way.

“There was a good atmosphere inside [the dressing room]. There was nobody getting excited. We knew we were facing a very good team and we knew the quality of this team.

“English teams always believe and we respect that a lot, because every time you play against a team from England, especially Liverpool, you know at any moment if you lose attention a little bit that they can come back.”

Perhaps it was a case of some Milan players letting their guard down at 3-0 and others determined not to let Liverpool back into the game.

Whatever the truth may be, history will recount how the Rossoneri were utterly shellshocked by a Reds team who threw absolutely everything at them from the start of the second half and got their most glorious of rewards for it.

You can see the clip of Shevchenko and Carragher below, via @CBSSportsGolazo on Twitter:

Milan lead 3-0 only for Liverpool to equalize
Dudek's double-save from Schevchenko
Liverpool win the 2005 #UCL on penalties

Who better to look back on the Miracle of Istanbul than @carra23 and Andriy Schevchenko. pic.twitter.com/PcpYpK2PMV

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 18, 2023

The post (Video) Milan legend shares what Ancelotti told players at half-time of 2005 UCL final v Liverpool appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

(Video) Carragher reveals what question he’s often asked about Liverpool’s Istanbul 2005 triumph

Liam Togher — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 10:31:29 +0000

Jamie Carragher has revealed what particular topic he’s most often asked about in relation to Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League final victory.

The Reds memorably came from 3-0 down at half-time against AC Milan to triumph after a penalty shoot-out in one of the most extraordinary nights in European football history.

Rafael Benitez revealed to The Mirror a few months later that he struggled to find the right message to communicate to his team during the interval, ultimately urging the players not to let their heads drop, and what happened next has gone down in legend.

Within 15 minutes of the game resuming, Liverpool had drawn level with a star-studded Rossoneri team who’d won the competition two years previously, and the subsequent heroics of Jerzy Dudek helped the Merseysiders to end the night as champions of Europe.

Carragher was reflecting on that final with Andriy Shevchenko, who was in the vanquished Milan side, on punditry duty for CBS Sports on Tuesday night when he revealed that he’s asked about the interval more than the match itself.

The former Reds defender said: “When we speak about this game or I get asked about this game, I get asked more about half-time than maybe the game.”

It’ll be 18 years next month since that iconic night in Istanbul, yet to this day the lustre and the magic of how Liverpool won their fifth European Cup never fades.

You can see the clip of Carragher and Shevchenko below, via @CBSSportsGolazo on Twitter:

Milan lead 3-0 only for Liverpool to equalize
Dudek's double-save from Schevchenko
Liverpool win the 2005 #UCL on penalties

Who better to look back on the Miracle of Istanbul than @carra23 and Andriy Schevchenko. pic.twitter.com/PcpYpK2PMV

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 18, 2023

The post (Video) Carragher reveals what question he’s often asked about Liverpool’s Istanbul 2005 triumph appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

28-year-old offered to AC Milan ahead of Anfield departure this summer – report

Peter Kenny Jones — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 10:58:47 +0000

It’s set to be a summer of many incoming deals at Liverpool but one man who is set to depart the club looks to have been linked with another potential destination, that could see him reunite with Divock Origi.

As reported by calciomercato: ‘Maldini and Massara have been offered several players in the last period: one of these is Keita who will leave Liverpool at the end of the season once the contractual terms expire’.

It’s seems very likely that Naby Keita will depart the club when his contract runs out at the end of the campaign and he is probably going to head through the exit door with the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arthur Melo, Bobby Firmino and maybe James Milner.

With the many midfield options heading away from Merseyside, that seems to pave the way for many different new players coming into our club and a very busy transfer window.

Although many of our outgoings will be exiting for free, it will still be interesting to see where some stalwarts of Jurgen Klopp’s squad will end up by the start of the new campaign.

AC Milan have already given a home to a former Kop hero and, although our No.8 hasn’t hit the heights of the Belgian goal scorer, he could suit Italian football well and this could be one to watch.

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

The post 28-year-old offered to AC Milan ahead of Anfield departure this summer – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

(Video) “I’ve been dining out on that” – Nat Phillips on that turn against AC Milan at the San Siro

Peter Kenny Jones — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 15:19:47 +0000

Whenever Nat Phillips departs Liverpool and heads for pastures new, there will be one moment that will be replayed on social media for days on end, that turn at the San Siro against AC Milan.

Speaking with Jamie Webster on Liverpool’s YouTube channel, the musician said: “What nobody saw coming was that Cruyff turn at the San Siro” to the Bolton Baresi and it certainly brought back happy memories.

Our No.47 had a huge smile on his face, as he said: “I don’t think I saw it coming! I’ve been dining out on that for a while to be fair”.

It was a moment of brilliance from the 26-year-old and one that will never be forgotten, as long as his name is mentioned in connection with a red shirt.

You can watch Phillips and Webster talking about the San Siro turn (from 9:51) via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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

The post (Video) “I’ve been dining out on that” – Nat Phillips on that turn against AC Milan at the San Siro appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool ace Klopp dubbed ‘one of the best’ could reunite with ex-Anfield hero – report

Liam Togher — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 13:18:43 +0000

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita could potentially reunite with a former Anfield teammate, judging by reports from Italy.

The Guinea international will be out of contract on Merseyside in the summer, and having been confined to a peripheral role this season with just 486 minutes played in all competitions (Transfermarkt), it would be no surprise if he departs on a free transfer in a few months’ time.

Serie A could be the 28-year-old’s next destination, with Calciomercato reporting that he’s been offered to AC Milan – where he could again team up with Divock Origi – although the club reportedly have doubts over his salary demands and fitness record.

That may open the door for him to join their city rivals Inter, whose sporting director Piero Ausilio is an admirer of the midfielder.

Keita’s Liverpool career has had the occasional highlight – scoring in the 5-0 romp at Old Trafford in October 2021 springs to mind – but all too often he’s failed to live up to Jurgen Klopp’s high praise of being ‘one of the best midfielders I ever saw’ (LFC official YouTube channel).

He hasn’t been seen in action since the goalless draw at Crystal Palace last month, a night when he was hauled off at half-time and had his performance described by Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports as ‘erratic’ (via Daily Express).

It’s telling that Milan seemingly have reservations about his fitness, which isn’t wholly surprising considering how frequently the Guinean has been unavailable during his time at Anfield, having had 18 separate spells ruled out through injury or illness (Transfermarkt).

It’s probably too late for Keita to revive his Liverpool career, but hopefully he’ll enjoy better luck at whichever club he joins next.

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

The post Liverpool ace Klopp dubbed ‘one of the best’ could reunite with ex-Anfield hero – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

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

Peter Kenny Jones — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 07:34:57 +0000

Liverpool supporters have been on high alert for a new midfielder to join the club ever since we entered the market for one during the end of the last transfer window and it appears that we could be close to signing one reported target.

As reported by Matteo Moretto: ‘Ismaël Bennacer In recent weeks there have been meetings with positive feelings between the agent and Milan, in which the foundations for a renewal were laid.

‘Liverpool will meet with the environment in a couple of weeks’.

There were reports linking us with Ismael Bennacer going back as far as August and so, although this certainly isn’t a name that has been linked a lot, it’s not the first time we’re hearing about him.

The 25-year-old currently plays for AC Milan and has one goal and one assist in 23 games for club and country this season, with 18 months left on his current deal he could be lured away from Italy for a relatively affordable price.

Operating anywhere in central midfield, the Algerian international mainly plays in a more defensive role but his ability to play slightly higher up would add a level of versatility that would surely interest Jurgen Klopp.

With there also being reports suggesting that we are set to meet with Sofyan Amrabat in the coming weeks too, it looks as though the Reds are preparing to move quickly in the January transfer window and possibly get a new option on board for what will be a hectic second part of the campaign.

You can view the update on Bennacer via @MatteMoretto on Twitter:

Asunto Ismaël Bennacer

En las últimas semanas ha habido reuniones con sensaciones positivas entre el agente y Milan, en las que se sentaron las bases para una renovación.

El Liverpool se reunirán con el entorno dentro un par de semanas.@relevo https://t.co/3eUik1F1VR

— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) December 17, 2022

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

The post Liverpool ‘will meet’ with AC Milan star in ‘a couple of weeks’ ahead of possible transfer – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

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

Peter Kenny Jones — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 15:44:03 +0000

There’s certainly not too much riding on our Dubai Cup friendly game against AC Milan but Nat Phillips and many others connected with Liverpool are excited at the prospect of seeing Divock Origi once again.

Speaking with the club, our No.47 said: “I hope he is there, I am looking forward to seeing him and it’ll be nice because I got on well with Div.”

Despite our former No.27 leaving in the summer, there’s certainly no ill feeling between the club and our now ex-player with so many people being excited to see the Belgian.

The best reception the new Milan man would receive would be at a capacity Anfield but he’ll be sure to be shown how fondly thought of he is in Dubai.

You can watch the words of Phillips on Origi via @LFC on Twitter:

Nat Phillips is hoping he has the opportunity to come up against Divock Origi in Friday's Dubai Super Cup match with AC Milan

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 15, 2022

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

The post (Video) Nat Phillips sends Divock Origi a message ahead of facing AC Milan appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Ex-Red labelled as ‘the worst signing of the season’ by journalist who has ‘no doubt’ that his start to the campaign has been ‘a disaster’

Peter Kenny Jones — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 09:59:37 +0000

Liverpool made several signings this summer but also saw plenty of players head out of the exit door and one ex-Red has not had the best start at his new club.

Writing for The Daily Mail, Alvise Cagnazzo wrote about Divock Origi: ‘There is no doubt who the worst signing of the season has been in Serie A: Divock Origi.

‘The Belgian left Liverpool hoping to finally nail down a starting spot at a top club, but his time at AC Milan has so far been a disaster.

‘Milan may be beginning to think that they made a mistake signing Origi, who became one of the club’s highest earners when he joined’.

It doesn’t make great reading for the Belgian, who is so adored by our supporters and will have so many people wishing him well on his new journey in Italy.

To make this statement after just four appearances seems very harsh, as our former No.27 has battled through injury and form already this campaign.

This news could be twisted to say that we got rid of the 27-year-old at a good time because it looks as though his performance levels may have dropped in Milan.

However, we know all too well that the former Lille man doesn’t need too much time or space to get himself a goal and that is all he will need to get his career rebooted.

We will all wish him very well and hope that reports like this don’t get him down, as our club legend looks to make his mark in Serie A and prove the doubters wrong – once again.

EOTK Insider Opinion: 70% of Liverpool fans suspect he’s fallen out with Liverpool but… What is going on with Naby Keita?

The post Ex-Red labelled as ‘the worst signing of the season’ by journalist who has ‘no doubt’ that his start to the campaign has been ‘a disaster’ appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

23-year-old linked with several European clubs ‘including Liverpool’ is set to sign a new contract at current club – report

Peter Kenny Jones — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 13:31:39 +0000

Liverpool have been linked with countless players this summer and it’s almost a relief to see the transfer window close, now one previously linked player looks set to end any future links with us – thank to a new deal.

As reported by BBC Sport (via the Liverpool Echo) ‘AC Milan head coach Stefan Pioli has revealed the club are set to offer 23-year-old Portugal forward Rafael Leao a new contract amid links with a host of clubs, including Liverpool’.

It’s been a while since we’ve been directly linked with a forward, perhaps showing just how likely this deal was but it’s perhaps a bit of peace of mind to see these rumours now seemingly end.

Despite all the links to a possible midfield signing in the previous and upcoming windows, our forward line is actually the one area of the team that we have considerably weakened since the end of the last campaign.

Sadio Mane has been replaced by Darwin Nunez but we haven’t filled the void left by Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino, with no real obvious youth player set to come into the first-team squad yet.

It will be interesting to see what Jurgen Klopp does in the cup competitions this season too, as this will give a big insight into what his plans are with the team.

It’s unlikely we’d spend the type of money needed for a player like Rafael Leao for this role but perhaps this is an area we could strengthen in the coming windows.

#Ep58 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Rating Liverpool’s UCL group, making a new signing… & more!

The post 23-year-old linked with several European clubs ‘including Liverpool’ is set to sign a new contract at current club – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.