All posts by z3u9t.icu

Manchester United have signed some of the biggest players in the world over the years, but new information has emerged on a player they tried to sign during Louis van Gaal’s reign at Old Trafford that will leave supporters wondering what could have been.

What’s the latest?

Thomas Muller has spoken out in an interview following the signing of his new contract with Bayern Munich to confirm that Man United made an “insane offer” to sign him.

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The attacking midfielder told Merkur (via Daily Mail): “Bayern clearly rejected the whole thing – despite this insane offer from United.”

Paul Pogba upgrade

The Bayern Munich legend would have been a huge coup for Manchester United and would’ve been a better signing than Paul Pogba who re-joined the club in 2016 after the offer for Muller was made.

Muller has had a hugely impressive career with his boyhood German side, scoring 227 goals and contributing a whopping 242 assists with a goal contribution every 99 minutes, winning two Champions Leagues, 12 Bundesliga titles and a World Cup with Germany.

Even at 32 years old, the midfielder who was hailed “remarkable” by Jurgen Klinsmann, has put up incredible numbers again this season alone scoring 13 goals and delivering 25 assists in 45 appearances, an attacking output that United would absolutely love to have in their team.

Comparatively, Pogba in his time at Old Trafford is coming to an end in a few weeks when he will become a free agent, and despite winning the Europa League and league Cup with the club has been largely ineffective in his role and hasn’t lived up to the expectations set on him.

Paul Scholes blasted Pogba in an interview with talkSPORT (via Daily Mail):

“I just don’t think he’s ever learned as a footballer, he constantly seems to make the same mistakes over and over again.

“For some reason, at Man United, it hasn’t worked out. It’s a big disappointment.”

The Frenchman will leave the North West for the second time having provided 39 goals and 51 assists in 233 appearances with a goal contribution every 196 minutes which is a far lower output than Muller has delivered for Bayern Munich.

With that being said, supporters will likely always wonder ‘what if?’ should Van Gaal have successfully signed the £22.5m-rated German goal machine, as the player surely would have put them in a much brighter position than their current midfield creator Pogba who has had a disappointing tenure at the club.

AND in other news: Man Utd plot bid for “magic” £30m gem who’s “faster than the train”, Ten Hag needs him

With Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur heading into Thursday’s Premier League meeting against Arsenal knowing that they simply must secure victory over their north London rivals in order to have any chance of sealing a top-four finish this season, the 52-year-old Spurs manager will certainly not have been disappointed by his team’s performance, nor the result.

Indeed, Cedric Soares’ needless barge into the back of Son Heung-min gave Paul Tierney no choice but to point to the spot after just 22 minutes, with Harry Kane coolly tucking the ball past Aaron Ramsdale to give Tottenham the lead.

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Matters were made worse for Arsenal just 11 minutes later when, having already made a quite astonishing three fouls, Rob Holding was shown a second yellow card for an elbow on Son – a numerical advantage on which Spurs wasted no time in capitalising, with Kane again heading home just before the break to double the hosts’ lead.

The game was dead and buried a little over 60 seconds after the restart, when Gabriel Magalhaes first failed to hold off Kane, before scuffing his clearance straight into the path of Son, who slotted home to give Tottenham an unassailable lead and move his side to within one point of the Gunners in the Premier League table.

However, while it was very much all about Kane and Son in attack on Thursday night, one player whose performance perhaps went under the radar was that of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, the 26-year-old midfielder who has recently been linked with a £30m move away from north London in the summer transfer window.

Indeed, over the course of the 90 minutes last night, the £60m-rated talent was imperious in the heart of Conte’s midfield while he had the ball at his feet, enjoying 91 touches, completing 73 of his 79 attempted passes (92%), finding his man with five long balls and making one key pass.

The £100k-per-week Dane also impressed out of possession, winning three tackles, making one interception, completing three clearances and winning four of his five attempted duels, a success rate of 80%.

These returns saw the midfielder who Graeme Souness once dubbed “useless” average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.5, while football.london journalist Alasdair Gold awarded the 26-year-old an eight in his own player ratings, stating of his performance: “Won some big tackles to get Spurs on the front foot and was a constant thorn in the side of the Arsenal midfield.”

It is indeed true that Kane and Son stole the show on Thursday, while Davinson Sanchez also impressed after being a late replacement for Cristian Romero. However, it was undoubtedly Hojbjerg who most proved his worth to Conte against the Gunners, with it now appearing as if the Denmark international is an indispensable part of the Italian’s side.

AND in other news – Bid incoming: Paratici to make £34m offer for Spurs target, he’d be a “special” signing

Crystal Palace are considering a summer move for Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure, according to the BBC.

The Lowdown: Doucoure profiled

Doucoure, labelled as ‘incredibly complete’ by teammate Seko Fofana, is 22 years of age and already has eight caps for Mali under his belt.

He’s been with Lens since 2018 and has racked up 128 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, scoring eight times and registering seven assists, mainly as a holding midfielder.

He can also play at centre-back, has just over two years left on his Lens contract and is currently at the top of his game with a career-high £9m Transfermarkt valuation.

The Latest: Palace interest

The BBC shared a story on Monday, name-checking Palace with an interest in former right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The report added that Doucoure is also a target, with Patrick Vieira keen to bolster his midfield options ahead of his second season in charge.

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Midfield does seem to be an area of the pitch where Palace could do with strengthening despite a positive first year under Vieira.

The Eagles look set to lose Conor Gallagher when he returns to Chelsea following his season-long loan spell, while the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate, James McArthur and Jeffrey Schlupp are all out of contract in the summer.

Therefore, bringing in a young talent like Doucoure, who has been ‘destroying everyone’ this season, could prove to be a wise move bot in the short and long run.

In other news: Palace also want winger who ‘gets people out of their seats’ in cheap deal.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Dane Scarlett has been frustrated with his lack of game-time under Antonio Conte and is likely to go out on loan in the summer, according to Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold.

The Lowdown: More minutes required

The 18-year-old started the 2021/22 season as he would have hoped, having made four appearances in the Europa Conference League under former manager Nuno Espirito Santo, but he has only played a total of 10 minutes under Conte and has had to make do with very limited opportunities.

Despite having made a small breakthrough into the first team during the autumn, it has been a frustrating period for the youngster, who has now re-entered the under-23 fold, but it now sounds like a possible move away from N17 could be on the cards.

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The Latest: Offers set to come in for Scarlett

Gold delivered an update on the future of Scarlett in his column for football.london, claiming that unless Conte decides otherwise, the club plans to ‘loan the teenage striker out’ in order to get him the ‘minutes he needs’ in order to continue his development.

Championship outfit Bournemouth are said to have ‘made an approach’ for the £225k-rated prospect last summer, but Spurs are believed to have rejected that move as a result of wanting their man to have guaranteed playing time.

The N17 hierarchy are reportedly expecting to receive more offers for Scarlett from the second tier of English football in the coming months, although a move to League One could prove more beneficial considering the success that Troy Parrott has had at MK Dons.

The Verdict: Star in the making

Scarlett’s international record for England’s under-19s has been very impressive, having scored seven goals in just eight outings in the past year, so it’s no wonder that he is attracting interest from potential suitors in the lower leagues.

Parrott’s spell away from the capital has majorly aided his development, and he will return to north London a much more prolific and confident player, so there’s plenty of hope that the same will happen with the English youngster if he exits Tottenham this summer.

The youngster has some brilliant role models in this Spurs side in the form of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, and if he can continue to learn from those two and progress as a finisher, he could be one of the fresh faces leading the line for Tottenham in years to come.

In other news… a transfer insider has claimed that the ‘Conte factor’ could attract one of Spurs’ summer targets to the club

Leeds United legend Eddie Gray has responded to the injuries suffered by Stuart Dallas and Liam Cooper live on talkSPORT. 

The lowdown: Story of Leeds’ season

Unfortunately, the Whites’ squad has been ravaged with injury issues throughout the entire 2021/22 campaign, with key players such as Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford missing large parts of the season.

The England international duo have only managed 25 Premier League appearances combined this term, having played a huge part in Marcelo Bielsa’s side when earning promotion in 2020 and comfortably retaining their top-flight status last term.

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Despite the recent return of Phillips, talismanic marksman Bamford remains sidelined and has now been joined by two more key players in the treatment room…

The latest: Gray reacts to Leeds injuries

Speaking to the talkSPORT Breakfast Show (May 2), Leeds legend and Scottish Hall of Fame member Gray bemoaned the persistent fitness issues faced at the Yorkshire club.

He lamented: “It’s a tremendous blow for us. Stuart can play anywhere. If we get an injury Stuart can come in, he can play right-back, left-back, central midfield – he can play anywhere.

“He’s a vital player for Leeds United, it was such a blow when he got his injury on the weekend.

“And also, losing the skipper in the warm-up before the game Liam Cooper, was another blow for us. You just hope that he can recover quickly.”

The verdict: Dallas is a big loss

Even given the calibre of players already absent for Jesse Marsch’s side, the lengthy absence of Dallas could arguably be the hardest felt by the Whites.

Such is the importance of the energetic Northern Ireland international, the 31-year-old utility man had played in each of Leeds’ 34 Premier League matches to date in the current campaign up to last weekend.

Remarkably, he has only missed one league game since the beginning of the 2019/20 campaign, a testament to his reliability and how much he has been trusted by both Marcelo Bielsa and Marsch, so he will no doubt be a massive loss.

Without Dallas to call upon for the all-important remaining four fixtures due to a femoral fracture, Marsch will likely turn to Diego Llorente to return at centre-back whilst Luke Ayling reverts to a more natural right-back role.

In other news, Danny Mills urges Leeds to tie down this player…

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have been handed a major injury update on club captain Martin Odegaard ahead of their clash with Tottenham on Sunday.

The Gunners welcome their fierce to the Emirates Stadium for the 198th edition of the North London derby, but Arteta faces perhaps his most challenging selection dilemma of the season after news that Gabriel Maglhaes could be out for at least a month with a thigh injury.

The Premier League leaders enter this weekend’s face-off sitting four points clear at the summit, maintaining their position despite a recent 2-2 draw at Sunderland that ended their remarkable 10-match winning streak across all competitions.

That minor setback pales in comparison to losing Gabriel, who’s been both the cornerstone of their water-tight backline and a major threat from set pieces all season.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Initial medical assessments suggest the Brazilian centre-back could miss anywhere from one to two months of action, potentially sidelining him until mid-January.

Gabriel’s absence creates a massive void at the heart of Arsenal’s defence, with the 27-year-old having been instrumental in the north Londoners conceding just five goals across their opening eleven league matches.

Arteta breathed a sigh of relief when Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Riccardo Calafiori is able to play against Tottenham after his own injury scare, but the Spaniard will still be forced to deploy an unfamiliar centre-back pairing of Cristhian Mosquera or Piero Hincapie alongside William Saliba.

Arsenal’s attacking contingent also faces uncertainty heading into the derby.

Viktor Gyökeres remains doubtful with a hamstring problem he sustained against Burnley, whilst there’s ambiguity surrounding Gabriel Martinelli’s fitness after missing recent games with a muscle issue.

Kai Havertz’s situation looks particularly concerning after Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann confirmed the midfielder suffered a minor relapse in his recovery from a knee injury, potentially delaying his return until nearer the end of 2025.

Noni Madueke appears most likely to return from the injured quintet, reportedly having come close to making the squad for Sunderland before medical staff opted for caution.

Odegaard’s fitness adds yet another layer of intrigue.

Norway manager Stale Solbakken suggested the midfielder remains “some distance away” from returning, yet Odegaard himself offered more optimism — stating his injury is “starting to look better.”

Of course, neither of these statements offer clarity about his Spurs involvement, but insider HandOfArsenal has some very good news on that front.

Martin Odegaard in contention to play Tottenham after Arsenal update

According to the reliable Emirates Stadium source, there is a ‘possibility’ that Odegaard will be available to play against Tottenham this Sunday — giving Arteta some real encouragement that he could be about to welcome his chief creator back into the fold.

Odegaard’s return would alleviate the creative burden currently shouldered by Bukayo Saka.

As so many attackers deal with fitness issues, Saka has been forced to carry much of Arsenal’s responsibility going forward, so the boost of Odegaard’s potential presence cannot be overstated following what has been a stop-start, injury-ridden 2025 for the player.

The psychological boost of having their captain available once again could undoubtedly be huge as well.

In a match where Arsenal will field an unfamiliar defensive partnership and potentially be without several key attackers, Odegaard’s return would provide some much-needed stability.

The 26-year-old hasn’t played since coming off against West Ham in October, having only just returned from a shoulder problem, so he’ll be dying to take to the field once more in one of Arsenal’s biggest games of the season.

This could finally be the season for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta has been backed in a massive way in the transfer market, and the objective will be to win every competition the team are in.

Undoubtedly, the most exciting signing the Gunners made in the summer was Eberechi Eze, as his creativity and explosiveness could be just what the club needs.

Moreover, it looks like the North Londoners are brewing another version of the Englishman in a sensational, exciting academy gem.

What Eze will bring to Arsenal

There are a few things Eze will bring to Arsenal this season, and the first is his output.

Despite playing for a mid-table side last season, the Greenwich-born game-changer was able to amass an unreal haul of 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances, totalling 3303 minutes.

In other words, he averaged a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes, which should be music to Arteta’s ears considering his side’s goalscoring problems last season.

Appearances

43

Minutes

3303′

Goals

14

Assists

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

132.12′

The next thing the 27-year-old brings to the table is his positional versatility.

While he spent most of last season playing as one of the two tens in Oliver Glasner’s system, he’s also more than comfortable playing out on the left, as we saw on Sunday, and can even play on the right.

Not only will this give Arteta more tactical flexibility, but it means Eze will be able to easily interchange with his teammates during games, making life for opposition defenders even harder.

Finally, the Palace legend will bring excitement to the team. =

The FA Cup-winning maestro can take players on, score from long distance, play quick one-twos and do so many other things that get fans on their feet.

In all, Eze looks to be an incredible signing for Arsenal, and in even more good news, Hale End appears to have spawned another version of him.

Arsenal's new homegrown Eze

Arsenal have a proud history of bringing Hale Enders into the first team; just look at Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

However, in this instance, we are talking about a youngster who is perhaps the most talked about prospect the club has ever had: Max Dowman.

Yes, despite being just 15 years old, it feels like practically everyone and their dog has been talking about the teenager in recent weeks and months.

It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, though, as those with a knowledge of youth football have been talking about him for years, with Hale End expert Will Balsam dubbing him the “biggest talent in England” late last year.

With that said, then, what makes him like a young Eze?

For starters, he has already demonstrated a brilliant ability to play in multiple positions, ranging from out on the wing to attacking midfield and even slightly deeper in central midfield.

On top of that, the Chelmsford-born gem is an output machine.

Appearances

25

Starts

23

Minutes

2104′

Goals

20

Assists

10

Goal Involvements per Match

1.2

Minutes per Goal Involvement

70.13′

In just 25 appearances for the U18s, totalling 2104 minutes, he scored 20 goals and provided ten assists.

In other words, the superstar in the making averaged 1.2 goal involvements every game, or every 70.13 minutes while playing in an age group well beyond his – and he wasn’t even playing up top.

Finally, as fans who’ve watched him this season and in pre-season will tell you, he has the same ‘entertainer gene’ as the former Palace man.

For example, instead of making a safe pass backwards when on the edge of the opposition’s penalty area, he tends to prefer taking the defender on directly.

It was this that won him a penalty against Newcastle United in Singapore and then at home to Leeds United in the Premier League.

Ultimately, Eze looks like he’s going to be one of Arsenal’s most important players over the coming years, but in Dowman, they could have a generational talent on their hands.

Arsenal hit gold on "world-class" star worth way more than Eze & Zubimendi

Arteta and Arsenal have hit the jackpot with this sensational star.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 5, 2025

The weekend saw Everton get their first Premier League win of the season after beating Brighton 2-0. Both goals came courtesy of Jack Grealish assists, and David Moyes spoke about the quality they’ve added to the side over the summer.

“That’s what we have been hoping for and waiting for. We want to add that extra quality, and that’s what we are trying to do. Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall] and Jack both played exceptionally well. We are thrilled we are adding a bit more quality, and we need to score some more goals, which we did today.”

Everton have since improved their squad even further by signing Tyler Dibling from Southampton. Dibling will play on the right-hand side of Everton’s attack, an area where they have lacked depth in recent months.

This combination of Grealish and Dibling gives Moyes two skillful wingers that will undoubtedly help his side push on from their impressive end to last year’s Premier League. While there is still time left in the transfer window, Everton have turned their attention to the other end of the pitch as they look to bring in another centre-back.

Everton competing for free agent Lindelof

Everton are attempting to sign the Swedish national team captain, Victor Lindelof, on a free transfer. Lindelof’s contract with Manchester United expired at the end of last season, following 8 years at the club. During his time at United, Lindelof faced Everton 12 times, all of which were in the Premier League, and has beaten the Toffees on 6 occasions.

Everton’s interest has been reported by Fabrizio Romano, who has also revealed that they will face competition from the Italian side Fiorentina, who are in advanced negotiations to sign Lindelof. Fiorentina currently have former United goalkeeper David De Gea between the sticks – the two players have shared the pitch for 16,127 minutes, making De Gea the player Lindelof has played alongside the most.

The Swedish Rumble on X posted that Lindelof’s preferred destination would have been one of the London clubs, such as Fulham, West Ham or Crystal Palace. This could indicate a desire to stay in the Premier League that may allow Everton to tempt him away from Florence.

Lindelof's ball-playing and aerial abilities can help Moyes

If Everton can tempt Lindelof away from Fiorentina, they’ll have a reliable ball-playing centre-back on their hands. Last season, Lindelof was in the top 7% of players for pass accuracy and the top 5% of players for long-ball accuracy, meaning he’d be able to competently play out from the back when necessary.

During his time at United, Lindelof had numerous centre-back partners, but one he featured alongside the most was Harry Maguire. Maguire is often praised for his aerial ability, but Lindelof is also more than capable in the air. The United Stand presenter Mark Goldbridge has previously praised Lindelof for his aerial ability after beating Aston Villa 1-0.

Lindelof’s time spent not playing for Manchester United might also prove valuable to Everton. Later in his United career, Lindelof fell down the centre-back pecking order and received considerably less game time. However, there was never talk of disruptive behaviour because of this, and he always performed to a consistent standard when he was eventually called upon.

It has been a long and rather dismal campaign for Arsenal this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side have once again failed to claim the Premier League title, although instead of just losing out to Manchester City, they have fallen miles short of Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

Going into the final game of the season, the North Londoners are 12 points off the Reds and, perhaps even more worryingly, have scored 18 fewer goals.

This evident weakness in the Gunners’ attack is something the board are clearly aiming to deal with in the summer, as reports have linked them to a whole host of incredibly talented players, including Nico Williams.

However, even with his lofty price tag, one of Arsenal’s own stars is worth millions more.

Why Arsenal want to sign Williams Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

Arsenal have been credited with an intense interest in Williams for the best part of a year now, and according to reports from earlier this month, he remains a ‘top priority’ ahead of the summer transfer window.

The story confirms that the North Londoners will need to activate the release clause in his contract to bring him to the club, which stands at a cool £48m.

With that said, then, what is it about the young winger that has made him such a firm target for the Premier League runners-up?

First and foremost, he’s a direct left-winger who can both score and create goals with relative ease.

For example, in 37 appearances for the Athletic Bilbao last season, the Pamplona-born dynamo scored eight goals and provided 18 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.42 games.

He’s not been quite as sensationally effective this season, but he’s still been a useful outlet, scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists in 44 games, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.44 games.

On top of his raw output, he has also shown an ability to deal with the biggest games.

He opened the scoring for Spain in their European Championships Final triumph against England last summer and also provided an assist in the final of last season’s Copa de Rey, which Bilbao won.

In all, it would be fair to say that Williams more than justifies the price tag Arsenal would have to pay for him, although if he does join the club, he’d have to hit the ground running to see his valuation match that of one of his new teammates.

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Williams

To tell the truth, there are actually several players who are worth more than Williams in the Arsenal squad, but in this case, we are talking about one of the club’s breakout stars from this season: Ethan Nwaneri.

Yes, even though this year has been the teenager’s first proper taste of regular first-team football, he’s been so impressive that his valuation has skyrocketed.

For example, Football Transfers now value the 18-year-old at a whopping €74.3, which is about £63m, or around £15m more than the fee the Gunners have to pay to sign Williams.

Now, this might all sound rather absurd to some of you, but there are some reasons for this, chief among them being the fact that the often “unplayable” gem, as dubbed by Jack Wilshere, has already scored nine goals and provided two assists in 36 appearances, totalling 1303 minutes this season.

In other words, the Hale Ender is currently averaging a goal involvement every 3.27 games, or more importantly, every 118.45 minutes, which is undeniably brilliant.

Moreover, given how he’s adapted to senior football so seemingly, there is no telling what his ceiling may be.

With that said, how does he stack up with the Bilbao gem when we compare their underlying numbers from this season?

Non-Penalty G+As

0.66

0.47

Progressive Passes

3.30

3.19

Progressive Carries

4.84

5.31

Goals per Shot

0.18

0.10

Goals per Shot on Target

0.50

0.26

Passing Accuracy

80.2%

70.7%

Key Passes

1.32

1.83

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.43

1.31

Passes into the Final Third

1.76

1.08

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.66

0.38

Shot-Creating Actions

2.41

5.12

Successful Take-Ons

3.52

2.96

Well, it might surprise some people to find out that overall, it’s the youngster who comes out on top, as in the majority of relevant metrics, he does better.

The metrics include, but are not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes, goals per shot and shot on target, passes into the penalty area and final third, crosses into the penalty area, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Williams this summer, as he looks like he could add some much-needed dynamism to their left-hand side.

Still, in Nwaneri, the club already have another young talent who could further establish himself in the first-team next season.

Best CF since Auba: Arsenal look set to sign £55m "monster" next week

The sensational striker will be a game-changer for Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes May 21, 2025

In hindsight, Jurgen Klopp was right.

When he stepped down from his Liverpool post, almost nine years into his tenure, the iconic manager’s decision was met with dismay from the fanbase, whose success over the past decade had been engineered by the German’s brilliance.

But Klopp was right. He was tired, you see, and knew that without that burning ball of energy within, his infectious personality wouldn’t feed into his team, into his tactics, into the club’s far-reaching community.

It was hard to accept – some, perhaps, still haven’t – but Klopp was right, because Arne Slot has taken his place and has taken Liverpool to a higher level, winning the Premier League in his maiden term at a canter.

Such has been the Reds’ dominance that they are currently lapping up the Gulf sunshine, on holiday in Dubai to celebrate triumphs and say farewell to Trent Alexander-Arnold as his expected transfer to Real Madrid looms large.

In his place, Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes seem set on signing Jeremie Frimpong to replace the vice-captain, strengthening the firm Dutch contingent.

Liverpool's growing Dutch contingent

Liverpool are fortunate to have welcomed Conor Bradley to the first team over the past two seasons, thus easing the onerous task of finding a Trent replacement.

Still, Bradley’s young and injury-prone besides. Frimpong would be a brilliant addition to shore up the right flank and add a new taste of attacking flair. Correspondents have clearly been briefed by the dozen, with numerous reports emerging that Liverpool are in advanced talks to seal the Dutchman’s signature.

Frimpong certainly wouldn’t be short of pals on Merseyside. Slot is a big admirer of the versatile right-sider, a compatriot who has played a defining role in Xabi Alonso’s trophy-filled Leverkusen era.

The boss’ compatriot would find plenty of teammates in the ranks, of course, with Virgil van Dijk both Liverpool and Netherlands captain and Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo good friends with the speedy flanker on the international scene.

The cohesion at Anfield has been a strong thing this term, Liverpool going from strength to strength under Slot’s wing. Gravenberch, especially, has bloomed into a high-class midfielder this season after sitting largely on the periphery last year.

He perhaps doesn’t get the same credit, but Gakpo has also taken bounding strides in his development, with Slot truly having hit the jackpot on his prolific left winger.

Slot has hit the jackpot on Cody Gakpo

When Gakpo reached the end of his first season at Liverpool, having joined at the midpoint, he probably felt a fair measure of frustration that he hadn’t reached the heights surely anticipated when FSG came calling.

The Netherlands international had just put his name on the map at the Qatar World Cup and was terrorising Eredivisie defences with PSV Eindhoven, so when Liverpool moved to hijack Manchester United’s deal and bring Gakpo to Anfield for a £35m base fee in late December 2022, there was plenty of excitement.

He certainly wasn’t poor, but Gakpo entered Liverpool with Klopp’s side in the throes of a collapse, the midfield malfunctioning and experienced heads looking at a dizzying loss.

He still managed to record ten goal involvements across 26 matches, but Gakpo looks a different player at this stage of his career, dovetailing perfectly into Slot’s system. Pundits Joe Cole and Peter Crouch agreed that he has “gone up a level” under new management this year.

24/25

47 (30)

18

6

0.51

23/24

53 (32)

16

7

0.43

22/23

26 (22)

7

3

0.38

The secret in the sauce hasn’t been anything complex, at least on the surface level. Gakpo was ferried about the starting line-up to no end, with Klopp determined to make good use of his player’s obvious technical ability.

Gakpo’s dynamism lent itself to multi-positionality, but this frustrated his prolific senses and left him itching for a more structured role. To be sure, this was a fundamental part of Gakpo’s development, something he stressed himself during Liverpool’s title celebrations, but it’s hard to argue against his new role being one of greater reward for club and player.

That’s why Slot has left him on the left flank, with 40 of his 47 outings this season coming from the wide channel.

That £35m fee now looks to be an absolute bargain. Indeed, as per Transfermarkt, the Dutch forward has seen his market value shoot up to £59m after his exploits across the season, marking an increase of £24m on the investment made just two-and-a-half years ago. Frimpong, for instance, is said to be worth £42m.

Journalist Jacob Schneider claimed Gakpo was “downright ridiculous” before making the move to Liverpool, and that’s now been corroborated and then some.

This is quite the feat for a player who was brushed off by many rival fans after his stop-start beginning on Merseyside. While Gravenberch has taken most of the plaudits for his stunning season, Gakpo has been every bit as brilliant, and it would take quite a feat to eclipse the player.

That is to say, Frimpong might be joining Liverpool with the confidence from Slot and the powers that be that he can make a marked effect on the project, but he’s not going to knock Gakpo off his high perch without some special and sustained performances in red next year.

In any case, it hardly matters for those of a Liverpool persuasion. What matters is that Slot knows what he’s doing and has already showcased his ability to get the very best out of his countrymen.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

There’s no doubt the coach has hit the jackpot on Gakpo and Gravenberch, but he might just have the same impact on Frimpong too next season.

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