Roberto Firmino set for new chance after Liverpool return and five-month ‘nightmare - Now soccer
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Roberto Firmino set for new chance after Liverpool return and five-month ‘nightmare

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Roberto Firmino remained in Saudi Arabia after the close of the transfer window despite transfer speculation linking the Liverpool forward with a premature exit from Al-Ahli.

While Jordan Henderson might have escaped his Saudi Pro League ‘nightmare’ in January, it was a different story for Roberto Firmino.

The pair both left Liverpool to move to the Gulf State last summer, with the England international completing a controversial £12m transfer to Al-Ettifaq while the Brazilian joined Al-Ahli on a Bosman transfer. Having won every major honour at Anfield, both were marquee arrivals in their new surroundings and named club captain at their respective clubs.

Yet both would struggle in the Middle East during the first half of the season. Regularly playing in front of paltry crowds that would only fill a fraction of Anfield, Henderson made 19 appearances for Al-Ettifaq, as he failed to score but registered five assists, after reuniting with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

But while the Saudi side would start the season well, they won only one of their 13 league and cup games since the end of September, dropping to eighth in the Pro League table as a result. With Henderson and his family struggling to settle in the Gulf State, the former Reds captain would ultimately seek pastures new and ripped up his contract to return to Europe with Ajax last month.


The 33-year-old had at least played consistently for Al-Ettifaq, before deciding Saudi Arabia wasn’t for him, with it his own decision to seek an exit. In contrast, Al-Ahli had reportedly wanted to offload Firmino after half a season, only for such a move to fail to materialise.

Enjoying a dream start with the club, the forward actually scored a hat-trick on his debut as he captained Al-Ahil to a 3-1 victory over Al-Hazem on the opening day of the season. But making 19 appearances for the club to date, he hasn’t scored since.


Initially first-choice in attack, he’d lose his place at the end of October following a 3-1 loss to league-leaders Al-Hilal with supporters also said to have turned on the forward. Losing the captaincy in the process, Al-Ahli went on an eight-game unbeaten run after dropping the forward.

Winning five of those matches, and keeping seven clean sheets, the 32-year-old was limited to 94 minutes of action across seven substitute appearances.

Meanwhile, Saudi international Firas Al-Buraikan would lead the line at Firmino’s expense, registering six goals and three assists from those aforementioned eight games to take his total to the club to nine goals from 14 appearances. Having started the season with Al-Fateh, the 23-year-old has 13 goals from 19 matches this season, while his form has helped take Al-Ahli up to third in the table.

After losing his place in the side, Firmino had found himself linked with a move away from the Saudi club with a possible Premier League return mooted. Speculation linked the Brazilian with winter moves to Chelsea and Fulham, only for neither move to materialise, while reported interest from Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq also led to nothing.

Consequently, when the Saudi transfer window closed on January 30, he found himself still at the club. For the record, it had already been reported that he had no intention of leaving Al-Ahli despite the speculation.

Having returned to Liverpool at the turn of the year, and joined Fabinho in watching his former team-mates beat Newcastle United 4-2 on New Year’s Day, Firmino reported back to training with Al-Ahli on January 15 following the Saudi Pro League’s mid-season break.

And he’s enjoyed a respectable return in his side’s friendlies, starting all five games to date and scoring in a 4-1 victory over Abha on January 19, and in a 2-2 draw with Al-Nasr on Thursday. But whether that means the door is open to a reprieve with the club in the second half of the season remains to be seen.

While Firmino might have started all five of his side’s friendlies, six of their leading players, including Al-Buraikan and Riyad Mahrez (their joint-leading goalscorers) are currently away on Africa Cup of Nations or Asian Cup duty. Meanwhile, manager Matthias Jaissle has also tended to rotate the rest of his big-name overseas players between starting and coming on at half-time.

In contrast to the Brazilian, Allan Saint-Maximin and Gabri Veiga started two friendlies apiece, while Roger Ibanez started one. However, all four were named in the starting XI vs Al-Nasr. Ezgjan Alioski has also started two friendlies despite being unregistered for the first half of the season.

Al-Ahli currently have no further friendlies scheduled prior to their Saudi Pro League return against Al Akhdoud on February 16, by which point both Al-Buraikan and Mahrez’s international exploits will long since have finished.

It remains to be seen if Firmino’s mid-season showings signify an upturn in fortunes in the absence of his fellow forwards following a difficult first half of the season. But regardless of where the former Reds man lies in Al-Ahli’s pecking order, he will remain in Saudi Arabia until at least the end of the season.

With Al-Ahli finishing the first half of the campaign in fine form at least, the Brazilian, who will be desperate to end his lengthy goalscoring drought when the Saudi season resumes, will now look to succeed where Henderson failed. If unsuccessful, he will remain just another player to struggle after leaving Liverpool behind, while transfer speculation regarding Firmino’s future will soon rear its head once more.




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Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel makes big decision over England job

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Thomas Tuchel has made his decision over the England position.

Former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has made his decision regarding the England position.

England are looking for a successor for Gareth Southgate, who walked away from his position following this summer’s Euro 2024.

Lee Carsley has been in charge on an interim basis, leading the Three Lions in four Nations League clashes – including a 3-1 victory over Finland last weekend.

Several high-profile managers have been linked with replacing Southgate, including Tuchel, who has previously worked in England with Chelsea.


And according to The Times, Tuchel has AGREED to become the new England manager after concluding a deal with the FA and an unveiling is expected this week.

After a ‘rapid conclusion’ to negotiations, the 51-year-old will become England’s first German-born boss and just the third foreign manager after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.


Tuchel has been out of work since leaving Bayern at the end of last season,

He held talks with Manchester United in the summer before the club extended Erik ten Hag’s contract.

The report claims Tuchel was made aware that he would be Man United’s No.1 target if they came to replace Ten Hag.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain manager fits the remit of England needing a ‘world class coach who has won trophies’, which was outlined by Carsley after England’s win in Helsinki.

The FA sounded out other candidates, most notably Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who is out of contract at the end of this season.

But he declined to give a definitive answer on whether he would take the job, leaving Tuchel in the driving seat.

Featured Image Credit: Getty




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From Netherlands: ‘Saying goodbye’ – Liverpool manage another Feyenoord swoop for Arne Slot

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Arne Slot is set to boost his backroom staff at Liverpool with another arrival from Feyenoord in video analyst Roderick van der Ham.

That’s according to 1908.nl, who report that Van der Ham is set to leave the Dutch side and move to Liverpool alongside his former boss.

They report that Liverpool have ‘managed to loosen’ the analyst from his position in Rotterdam, with sources close to the club confirming as much.

 


He will leave Feyenoord after more than two season at the club since arriving in the summer of 2022. 95 of his matches at the club were under Arne Slot’s leadership.

 


That is a relationship the Liverpool boss is keen to continue it seems and Van der Ham is now ‘saying goodbye’ to the Dutch club.

He will become the latest staff member at Feyenoord to move alongside Slot, who also took assistant coach Sipke Hulshoff and performance coach Ruben Peeters with him when he moved to Liverpool in the summer.

There is no indication of whether Liverpool will be paying a fee like they did with the other staff members, but it is likely that they are after paying for Slot and his two staff members when he arrived to replace Jurgen Klopp.

 




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Chelsea in worries after huge England decision: Crisis before clash with Liverpool

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Premier League club Chelsea are looking to have some worries ahead of their clash with Liverpool. The Blues will be locking horns with the Reds in a much awaited clash this weekend. The two clubs have been soaring high under their new managers and will be facing each other on Sunday. The Londoners under Enzo Maresca have shown mammoth character and grit to comeback to their old best after a long time. On the other hand, Arne Slot has made his side a proven threat for the title defenders. Ahead of the fierce face-off, Chelsea can be in worries about the game time of their best player, Cole Palmer.

 

The Englishman is having the form of his life since joining Stamford Bridge. He has been the most consistent Premier League player in the past one and half year. Owing to his tremendous job, he got a call up for the Three Lions in the current international break. England, under interim manager Lee Carsley, suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat to Greece. Losing is something Cole is not used to in the recent times. Since March, the winger has only lost four games in which he started. That’s from 31 matches in total.

For the first time in his brief senior international career, Palmer played 90 minutes for England. He might well wish he hadn’t done given the woeful result. Though, he played in a deeper midfield role, a position he is not adapted much too.


What worries Chelsea about Cole Palmer?

The international break seems to be a curse for all the club managers as they lose their key players to injury sometimes. Now, the same concern is building around Enzo Maresca, who witnessed Palmer playing full 90-minutes against Greece. Moreover, he played another 70-minutes against Finland on Sunday night.

All these matches are raising concerns over the availability of Chelsea’s talisman to feature full time on weekend. The West Londoners are relying heavily on the winger since his signing a season ago. He has become unstoppable force and an asset for Stamford Bridge. That culminated in an extended summer break following the Euros and a period of getting back up to speed in the early weeks of this campaign.


How Palmer could impact the game?

The 22-year-old ex-City star is unarguably the best player so far this season. His heroics so far rightly made him the winner of September Player of the month in the league.

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1844682284936389003?t=ldU70wU_XBFGVoH-kZZFHw&s=19

Anything less than a full game time for Palmer can cost Chelsea points against Liverpool. The Reds have a squad depth and can hurt any team even at the very last minute. Given their current form in the league and European championship as well, no opposition can underestimate them in terms of attacking threat. Henceforth, the Londoners will want their best players to be on the pitch until the final whistle.  Nevertheless, the whole footballing world will be hoping to witness an iconic clash between the two giants of the game. Although, the fixture has been a one team show in previous meetings, things seem to be different this time. The Reds will be experiencing a totally charged Chelsea side under the new management. Be sure to keep a check on the game and madness unleash on the weekend whent he club football resumes.




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Trey Nyoni signs first pro contract as Liverpool makes statement of intent

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Trey Nyoni has been rewarded with his first professional contract at Liverpool, having impressed Arne Slot and the club’s players following his move from Leicester in 2023.

Trey Nyoni has signed his first professional contract with Liverpool to cap off what has been a superb few months for the teenager.

The 17-year-old has won countless plaudits from Liverpool’s players and head coach Arne Slot since emerging as a breakthrough star during pre-season, having joined the Reds’ academy in 2023.

There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Liverpool.com will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.


Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story as they happen.





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Liverpool’s failed summer signing breaks the silence on his decision

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Martin Zubimendi, who was close to joining Liverpool in the summer transfer window, has broken his silence on the failed move to England. When the Reds thought the deal is almost over and the player is ready to join the team, the Spaniard and Real Sociedad rejected the move due to the loyalty that the player have with the team, playing his whole career for the La Liga side.

Speaking to the press before the second Europa League match against Anderlecht, Martin Zubimendi asked if he regretted his decision to not join Liverpool when he had the chance. The player said that he has no regrets for turning down one of the biggest Premier League clubs as he feels comfortable in Donostia-San Sebastian.

Real Sociedad has started the season poorly, being placed 14th in La Liga after receiving only two wins in the first eight matches. Martin Zubimendi has started in each game and scored only one goal in the first season match against Rayo Vallecano in which Los Txuri-urdin failed to win.

For Arne Slot, the arrival of the Spanish midfielder was a major priority after not knowing who the main defensive midfielder would be in the team. After trusting the 22-year-old Ryan Gravenberch since the first Premier League game against Ipswich, the Dutch player has shown amazing performances while being the key player in all the five wins in the league.


Starting in seven out of eight games, Gravenberch has received the ‘Man of the Match’ award twice until now. The first award came in the 3-1 against AC Milan in the Champions League and the second one in the recent 2-1 win against Wolves. His performances have surprised the board and the players, after a tough first season under Jurgen Klopp when the player didn’t start the majorities of the matches under the legendary German manager.

The next challenge for Real Sociedad is against Anderlecht in the Europa League competition in which they are placed 16th after failing to win against the Ligue 1 side Nice that ended 1-1.


On the other hand, Arne Slot hopes to achieve his first Champions League in Anfield after his team failed to qualify for a spot in the 22/23 season under Jurgen Klopp in which the Reds were placed 5th with only 4 points behind the fourth place. Liverpool’s last appearance in the competition didn’t go well after they lost 6-2 on aggregate against Real Madid.

https://x.com/liverpoolzoneX/status/1841549812052734121?t=Kh-vIBX7mM_L9XokvgwZ0Q&s=19

 




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Liverpool star stuns with sensational display as Hungary seal 2-0 win over Bosnia

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Liverpool star Dominic Szoboszlai produced a stunning display on Monday as Hungary overcame Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 at the Bilino Polje in the Nations League.

The Reds star was at the top of his game as he struck two goals in each half, helping his country to a comfortable win.

The 23-year-old’s first came in the 38th minute when he managed to slide the ball past the goalkeeper despite a tight angle.

Hungary were awarded a penalty early in the second-half after Nagy was fouled by Nail Omerovic. Szoboszlai stepped up and converted his spot-kick to wrap up the win for the visitors.


The Liverpool ace also posted impressive numbers in the game. He won 100 percent of his tackles and had four passes into the final third.

Furthermore, the talented attacker created two chances, made seven ball recoveries and won seven duels. He also completed four dribbles.


https://x.com/footballontnt/status/1845929830354768379?t=d8QGv6Tt-oTRkPdjytJzTQ&s=19

Szoboszlai has been a very important member of Arne Slot’s team this season, featuring in all seven Premier League matches. But despite the fact that he has been operating as an attacking midfielder in Slot’s system, he has only made two goal contributions so far.

However, his recent display on international duty shows he is in top form and will be looking to replicate a similar performance for the Reds when they take on Chelsea this weekend.

Szoboszlai arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2023 from RB Leipzig and has proved to be an excellent signing for the Merseyside club. So far, he has made 54 appearances across all competitions, with eight goals and seven assists to his name.

 




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Trent Alexander-Arnold update has emerged leaving Liverpool worried for his future

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According to Football Insider, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is keen on a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The 26-year-old has entered the final year of his contract at Anfield and his long term future at the club remains uncertain.

The England international is not close to agreeing terms on a new deal at the Premier League club at the moment which has opened the door of a move to the La Liga giants.

Football pundit Paul Robinson has already warned Liverpool about the worrying situation they face regarding the contract situation of Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk.

The latest update from Football Insider would be a huge cause of concern for the powers at Anfield.


As per the report, the Real Madrid manager Ancelotti is an admirer of the Liverpool defender since his days of managing Everton in the Premier League.

The Italian tactician wants to make Alexander-Arnold his latest Galactico signing, adding to the arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham in recent transfer windows.


The long term injury to Dani Carvajal has made signing a new right-back a priority at the Santiago Bernabeu with the Liverpool fan favourite being Real Madrid’s ideal option to replace the Spaniard.

Real Madrid’s interest in Alexander-Arnold is nothing new with Los Blancos keeping an eye on the Premier League star for quite some time now.

The Reds are preparing themselves for the worst case scenario if their right-back decides to leave the club.

There is no guarantee of the Liverpool star staying at the club with interest from the Spanish giants hard to resist for a number of high-profile Premier League players in the past.

Trent Alexander-Arnold edging closer to Liverpool exit?

By the start of January, the defender will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a club of his choice which would leave Liverpool in a weaker position to keep the player.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and manager Ancelotti are ready to make their move for the English defender and most of the times, they get what they need in the transfer market.

The 26-year-old’s future is going to be the subject of attention in the media and with every passing week, Liverpool would start getting more worried to keep him at Anfield.




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Liverpool’s triple injury boosts Vs Chelsea

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Liverpool will be back in action next weekend when they play against Enzo Maresca’s lead squad at Anfield.

Ahead of the weekend faceoff, the Reds have been handed a significant boost ahead of playing host to Chelsea in the Premier League after the October international break.

So far this season, manager Arne Slot has made a impressive start to life at Anfield, the Merseyside giants sitted at the top of the Premier League table after seven matches.

The recent update revealed Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah have all made an early return to club duties having previously been in line to be away until early next week.


While playing for the Netherlands against Hungary on Friday night, Van Dijk was sent off and will subsequently serve a one-match suspension for Oranje.

Jones received a late call-up to the England squad for Thursday’s game with Greece, but the midfielder was not allowed to leave the Three Lions camp due to a personal commitment.


Meanwhile, the Blues’ match against Liverpool will be one of the talk about this weekend as Chelsea will look forward to winning or atlesst split points with the Reds




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