Liverpool
‘I cannot accept the lie’ – Liverpool hero without a club after 3am Snapchat plea and being banished by Jurgen Klopp
Mamadou Sakho was the most expensive centre-back in Liverpool history when he joined in 2013 but his Anfield career was over before it even began.
As Liverpool was getting ready to wrap up a busy summer, it was a last-minute signing that got fans excited.
Brendan Rodgers was looking to strengthen his defence after signing Kolo Toure for free. He brought in Thiago Ilori, a promising but untested player, for £7million.
But it wasn’t Ilori who stole the show in September 2013. Instead, all eyes were on Mamadou Sakho, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain amid much excitement.
Sakho cost £18m, making him the most expensive centre-back in Anfield history at the time and one of the top five most expensive players in any position to sign for the club.
Some might have been worried about the timing of the deal – it came right at the end of the transfer window. But Sakho’s signing was seen as a big statement.
At just 23, the former PSG captain was thought to be the solid foundation of a defence that would support Rodgers’ quest for glory at Anfield.
By September 2013, Sakho had already played for France 14 times. He was seen as someone who could become a key part of Liverpool’s defence for many years.
Rodgers certainly agreed with this idea.
“You look at some teams and they have ageing centre-halves because it is a struggle to get a really good one,” Rodgers said at the time.
“Sakho is 23 but he is an experienced player, he has senior international caps and looks an absolute monster in training. He is one who is ready for now and that is what we want.”
“We had a chance to protect the club for maybe the next 10 years and that is what we have done.”
Sakho’s first season with Liverpool almost saw them win their first title in nearly 25 years. However, he would only play in 18 Premier League games as Liverpool’s defence let in a massive 50 goals.
This was nearly double the amount of goals third-place Chelsea let in, making it clear where things went wrong.
Some people thought the Frenchman looked nervous and unsure, especially when he had the ball. Despite this, Sakho managed to achieve a pass accuracy of 92 per cent in his first season.
But even with players like Kolo Toure, Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger in the team, it seemed like Rodgers didn’t fully trust his £18m player.
The addition of Dejan Lovren for £20m in July 2014 suggested that Sakho hadn’t convinced everyone in his first year.
And he would play even less in the following season as Liverpool struggled to recover from missing out on the title.
Sakho’s time at Liverpool hit a low point when the team suffered a 6-1 defeat to Stoke in Steven Gerrard’s final game for the club. The next season was seen as a fresh start, with new team members and staff brought in.
New faces like Sean O’Driscoll, Gary McAllister and Pep Lijnders joined the team. Big signings like Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne were made, costing over £70million. Sakho was given the captain’s armband for a Europa League game, but his first Premier League start of the season didn’t come until the end of September.
Sakho played in Jurgen Klopp’s first Liverpool team at Spurs in mid-October. He put in some strong performances in Europe as Liverpool made it to the final of the Europa League.
Sakho became a big favourite with fans when he scored against Everton and in the amazing comeback against Dortmund at Anfield in April 2016.
“The fans never leave us and they always, always shout. And I think together, it is a win for the Liverpool country,” he said after the match.
He won more love when he and Divock Origi took a sneaky selfie and put it in Reds fan Liamie Marum’s photo gallery after Liamie lost his phone during the excitement of the Dortmund win.
But in April 2016 things took a turn for the worse for Sakho when he was hit with a major doping ban at the end of the month. He had decided against taking a second test after the first one showed a fat-burning substance, finding himself suspended for 30 days before the ban was overturned on appeal. He would later win substantial damages against the World Anti-Doping Agency after it was found that higenamine was not banned by Wada.
This meant he couldn’t play in the Europa League final against Sevilla or be in France’s team for the European Championships that summer.
After that, things went downhill for Sakho at Liverpool.
He came back from the ban hoping to start over and fight the World Anti-Doping Agency quietly while playing football again.
He was cleared in July and even got an apology from WADA, but his chance to come back strong during Liverpool’s pre-season trip to the USA didn’t go as planned after a hard few months.
Sakho’s decline at Liverpool was accelerated when he fell out with Klopp while receiving treatment for an Achilles injury in the US. His attitude at the training camp raised concerns, leading to his quick return to Merseyside on Klopp’s orders.
The exact reasons for Sakho being sent back from America were never fully explained. However, it was reported that he nearly missed the outbound flight, skipped a rehab session and was late for a team meal.
Sakho’s behaviour in California was the last straw for Klopp, who had run out of patience. The defender was relegated to the Under-23s and never played for the first team again, even when Liverpool’s defence was under intense scrutiny before Virgil van Dijk joined in January 2018.
In August of that year, WADA confirmed they wouldn’t appeal UEFA’s decision to clear Sakho. He was then told he needed to go on loan if he wanted to keep playing top-level football.
Despite the clear signs that his time at Liverpool was over, Sakho didn’t secure a move before the transfer deadline. Stoke and West Brom showed interest, but no deal was reached. Sakho saw a move to either club as a big step down.
Sakho found himself training with the club’s Under-23s at the Kirkby Academy. He also posted on his Snapchat account at 3am, expressing his frustrations about the situation.
He wrote: “Now it’s 3 weeks I am fit to play games.” and “I finish[ed] all my rehabilitation work.”
“They don’t want me to play also with the segonde team (U23s) lol! Why? I don’t know.”
“[I am] Still working hard like [a] Scouse soldier! Still not talking [because] I want to speak on the pitch…I will speak soon for the people who support and me and don’t understand the situation.”
“I accept my situation but I can’t accept the lie…The fans deserve to know the truth! Thanks for your support.”
After being suspended in April, Sakho didn’t play again for over five months. His return was in a low-key match at Prenton Park for the U23s against Wolfsburg.
Those who trained with Sakho praised his professionalism and dedication. They were surprised by his willingness to play for the U23s.
However, if Sakho was hoping for a change of heart from Klopp, he was mistaken.
As January arrived, Sakho finally left Liverpool, agreeing to a loan move to Crystal Palace.
West Brom and Stoke, the clubs Sakho turned down in the summer might have seemed a step down to him, but after nine months of zero activity at top level, he accepted the offer from Palace.
“Right now it’s a new page for me,” Sakho said, “When I have a new shirt I always give my best.”
It’s thought that Christian Benteke, his old pal from Anfield, played a big part in Sakho making the move to Selhurst Park.
Sakho did so well down south that Palace paid their most ever on a player when they scooped him up permanently in 2017’s summer, for a hefty £25m. In 2022’s summer, he left along with other big stars whose contracts had ended.
And in 2024, it’s tough to work out where Sakho stands at Liverpool. He’s a player who divides supporters.
Everyone has opinions about Sakho – some think highly of him, others less so.
While some believe he could have been a key defender at Anfield for years, others saw him as a walking disaster waiting to happen.
Indeed, Sakho remains unattached in 2024, having left Montpellier following an altercation on the training ground with his manager,
Liverpool
‘Unfair’ – Salty PSG boss Luis Enrique makes big promise to Liverpool after Alisson masterclass
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique was pained by his side’s “many times unfair” Champions League loss to Liverpool and has made a big vow to Liverpool ahead of the second leg, while Arne Slot made a big admission and revealed what frustrated him most about the Reds’ display at the Parc des Princes.
The French giants pummelled the visitors’ goal by amassing 27 shots – 10 of which were on target – only to find Reds keeper Alisson in breathtaking form as the Brazilian repelled everything that PSG threw at him. And when Harvey Elliott pounced with three minutes left to complete the ultimate smash and grab, it was very much advantage Liverpool ahead of the last-16 second leg at Anfield on Tuesday.
However, while fans and pundits alike marvelled at the ‘clinic’ that Alisson put on, Enrique was left licking his wounds and the salty PSG boss insisted he could be proud of his players, claiming “of course” when asked if they will win the return leg at Anfield.
“My feelings right now…it’s difficult to think about the match in a positive way because I think we deserved to win, clearly. We created a lot of chances,” the Spaniard told TNT Sports after the game.
“I think it’s one of the best matches that we did in the Champions League this season.
“When you think that the best player of Liverpool was their goalkeeper, Alisson, football is many times unfair and we have to accept that. But, we are ready to [go to] Liverpool!
“We don’t have anything to lose. I think we’ve overcome Liverpool. Liverpool is the best team in Europe and today they almost create one or two chances maximum and we created a lot. I feel proud of my players, my team, of the supporters.”
Reserving some praise for Liverpool, the PSG boss added: “Top players, top quality, top quality team and I think they [Liverpool] didn’t feel that this season with Arne Slot. For us, it’s important but we have our last chance and we’re going to think about that in a positive way.”
Asked if they could win at Anfield, Enrique added: “Of course! We are going to do it!”
Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk goes alpha mode and shuts down PSG official complaining about Ibrahima Konate tackle as tunnel footage emerges
Paris Saint Germain were not happy with a controversial call in their UEFA Champions League clash against Liverpool.
Footage has emerged showing Virgil van Dijk shutting down a Paris Saint Germain official inside the Parc des Princes tunnel.
Van Dijk captained Liverpool on Wednesday night as they took on PSG in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie.
Despite being dominated all game, Liverpool somehow came away 1-0 winners thanks to Alisson Becker’s heroic performance and Harvey Elliott’s 87th-minute goal.
During the first half, Reds defender Ibrahima Konate survived a nervy VAR check after he challenged Bradley Barcola when the PSG man was through on goal.
Luckily for Liverpool, VAR found there to be no clear and obvious error from the referee, and the match swiftly resumed.
Footage from inside the Parc des Princes tunnel has since emerged, which captured PSG Football Advisor Luis Campos furiously reacting to the referee’s decision.
He was heard shouting: “Red card or penalty!”
Van Dijk then said: “Comeon bro, it’s not Ligue 1 bro hey, it’s not Ligue 1.”
Campos seemed to ignore Van Dijk as he continued shouting: “It’s a red card or penalty.”
https://x.com/Amad16FC/status/1897580841473085560
Former FIFA referee Christina Unkel claimed that Konate should have seen red for his challenge on Barcola.
She said on CBS Sports: “I’m actually not going to agree with the referee or VAR in this play itself. I do think it should have been recommended down to a red card due to denial of a goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO).
“The contact happens here, essentially, outside the penalty area, so we’re talking about a DOGSO red card. Did they attacker have the opportunity to control the ball? The answer here is yes.”
Unkel added: “It meets all of the DOGSO considerations so I would have wanted to see this as a penalty and then the VAR if not called on-field.”
Konate himself said to Canal+: “There was a VAR check. If there was a push, like you said, I would have been shown a red card. I’m telling you that there wasn’t a foul.
“It’s true that I am very strong but I don’t apply power, I just put my arm. If I had put a lot more power into it then we could talk about it, but it was soft from me.”
Liverpool
Rio Ferdinand laughings after hearing what Arne Slot did during Liverpool’s 1-0 win vs PSG
Rio Ferdinand laughings after hearing what Arne Slot did during Liverpool’s 1-0 win vs PSG
While Arne Slot is an excellent tactician, one trait he shares with all other great managers is that he is also a gambler and that was on display during Liverpool’s 1-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain.
Slot took the bold decision of substituting Mohamed Salah off in place of Harvey Elliott — a call that initially raised eyebrows before the Englishman went on to score the winner in the 87th minute.
Salah’s performance against PSG was slated but what makes the in-form winger cut from a different cloth is he has a habit of coming up clutch with goals and assists in games where things are not going his way.
However, Arne Slot rolled the dice and Harvey Elliott rewarded his manager for his bravery by putting the ball into the back of the net past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
If Liverpool go on to win the Champions League this season, Slot’s decision to take Salah off and bring Elliott on against the Parisians will be eternally heralded.
Arne Slot lauded Alisson’s heroics against PSG but ultimately, it was the boyhood Reds fan who saved the day for his side.
Rio Ferdinand laughs as Arne Slot’s Harvey Elliott decision does the trick for Liverpool vs PSG
Salah would have been frustrated after Slot hooked him off and that too for a youngster in Elliott.
But after the Englishman netted the all-important winner, the 32-year-old also would have had no choice but to applaud the Liverpool boss’ proactive substitition.
Rio Ferdinand felt Salah had an underwhelming game against PSG as well.
The pundit said on Rio Ferdinand Presents: “Disappointing tonight. I thought Mendes played the best I’ve seen a full-back play [against] him. But you are still sitting there and still thinking, ‘He’s not playing well, he’s quiet.’ But Mo Salah will do what Mo Salah does and he’ll have a quiet game and score. So you’re always on your edge of the seat waiting for it.”
But after being told that Elliott scored within just 47 seconds after replacing Salah, Rio Ferdinand laughed for a few seconds and gave Arne Slot the credit he deserves for taking the bold decision of taking the Egyptian off.
“It was wild, it’s mad but he’s done this all season. Not quite so like in your face like that where he comes on, first touch, goal but you’re taking off your top goalscorer who’s got you out of any hole you’ve been in this season. You bring on a kid who’s been injured a lot of the time, big talent, unquestionable. He goes and scores.”
Two other genius decisions Arne Slot made during PSG vs Liverpool
Tactically, Luis Enrique seemingly stunned Arne Slot as his PSG side were as fluid as one can be — with Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola constantly interchanging between themselves during the game.
At times, even defensive midfielder Joao Neves made runs in behind the Reds defence as the hosts were causing pure chaos that the visitors could not deal with whatsoever for a majority of the game.
But Arne Slot made three incredible substitutions against PSG that effectively won Liverpool the contest.
- Taking Salah off for Elliott
- Taking Diogo Jota off for Darwin Nunez
- Taking Ryan Gravenberch off for Wataru Endo
Nunez came on for Jota and instantly caused problems with his typically fearless approach to games, eventually assisting Elliott’s winner.
Furthermore, Gravenberch came off for Endo, which was another astute change as the Japanese international won several tackles and anchored Liverpool’s back four in a way that the former Bayern Munich midfielder struggled to throughout the game.
Rio Ferdinand and the millions of other observers watching Liverpool eventually beat PSG all perhaps ultimately had to give Arne Slot the credit he deserves as he continues to cement his status as a top manager.
Liverpool
Alexis Mac Allister fires 10-word warning for PSG with Liverpool set for Anfield advantage
Liverpool beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in their Champions League first leg meeting – but there’s still 90 minutes to go in that tie.
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has led his teammates already urging resilience for next week’s second leg meeting with Paris Saint-Germain. Thanks to a smash-and-grab performance inspired by Alisson Becker and Harvey Elliott, the Reds take a one-goal advantage home in their Champions League last-16 tie.
Arne Slot’s side had been warned by PSG manager Luis Enrique that an onslaught was on its way and that proved correct at the Parc des Princes. The French side dominated play with 71 per cent possession of the ball, 27 overall attempts on goal and 10 on target, but ultimately it was Liverpool’s lone strike towards Gianluigi Donnarumma’s net that made the difference.
Alisson played a huge part making nine saves in the match before Harvey Elliott emerged from the subs bench and with his first touch after 47 seconds of his arrival, curled into the opposite far corner. Cue the celebrations.
“We take the lead, but the battle continues at home,” were the wise words from Mac Allister posted to Instagram on his journey home on Wednesday night. Even without the captain’s armband, the Argentine World Cup winner is becoming a key voice within this Liverpool team.
That was echoed by the experienced head of Andy Robertson, who in his own post to the platform simply stated: “Half-time.” The 2019 Champions League winner has been through many a knock-out tie – the most memorable being those in which Liverpool have been forced to come from behind, but at Anfield next Tuesday night (8pm) he will be part of the collective effort to see things through.
And goal-scorer Elliott, speaking to the camera for Liverpool’s official Instagram account, had a parting message for supporters last night. “I just wanted to say thank you so much for the away support and the support back home – as you know it drives us on and keeps us going.
“The game is never over until the final whistle, we dug in right until the very end today so let’s take this win, take it back and get ready for the weekend. Once again, thank you very much – You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
The Reds take on Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon before PSG visit three days later. To round off an intense March, they follow that European leg with the Carabao Cup final vs Newcastle United.
The prize for beating PSG over two legs will be a quarter-final vs Aston Villa or Club Brugge. The English outfit also have the advantage at the halfway point in that tie.
Petition launched to move Liverpool’s expected Premier League trophy parade to London
A controversial petition has emerged online suggesting Liverpool move any victory parade at the end of the season to London.
Liverpool took one step closer to claiming the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first season in charge last week following their 2-0 win over Newcastle United, extending their lead on top of the table to 13 points.
Should they be successful in claiming their 20th English top flight title, the Reds will make sure to celebrate the achievement with their fans with a trophy parade through the streets of Liverpool.
But ahead of the potential celebration, a shock petition has appeared online asking the club to consider moving the parade to London.
Following their victory in both the Carabao Cup final and FA Cup final in the 2021/22 season, Liverpool held a trophy parade through the city that was attended by an estimated 500,000 supporters.
But one fan based outside of Liverpool has complained that holding the trophy parade in the city every time the club when a trophy is won neglects the fanbase across the UK.
Therefore, they created a petition to suggest that, should Liverpool win the Premier League as expected, they should change things up and move the parade to London instead.
The petition, set up on Change.org by ‘King Koppite,’ states: “I, like many other loyal Liverpool FC fans, live in London, far from our team’s home city in the North.
“The South of England and beyond is home to a majority of Liverpool FC’s fervent fan base, creating a costly and time-consuming journey for us every time we aim to join in the club’s victory parades.
“What we propose is not a dismissal of Liverpool’s local heritage, but a recognition of the club’s national – even global – reach. With the prevalence of Liverpool FC supporters in the South, moving the title parade to London would simply be a more pragmatic and inclusive approach.”
The petition continued: “Statistics show that London holds the largest concentration of football fans across the whole of England (BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Fans Census, 2019).
“By moving the parade to our nation’s capital, more fans would be offered the opportunity to participate in the celebration, extending the sense of community and shared victory.
“Therefore, we propose a reassessment of the location of Liverpool Football Club’s title parades to better accommodate a larger portion of the fanbase, and create more inclusive and accessible celebrations. Sign this petition to help bring the Liverpool FC title parade closer to fans in the South.”
Of course, it is entirely possible that the petition has been set up by a rival fan hoping to mock Liverpool despite their success this season.
Liverpool
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Liverpool reaction speaks volumes as ‘difficult’ Anfield admission made
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was speaking following PSG’s Champions League defeat to Liverpool.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia believes his Paris Saint-Germain side ‘deserved more’ from their Champions League tie against Liverpool as he admitted they now face a ‘difficult’ challenge. The Ligue 1 champions had dominated for 87 minutes and the only reason they weren’t ahead was because of Alisson Becker, who produced a man of the match display at the Parc des Princes.
But, with three minutes of normal time remaining, Harvey Elliott struck to seal a 1-0 win for his side. The midfielder was only brought on in the 86th minute to replace Mohamed Salah and seconds later scored with his first touch.
And Kvaratskhelia, who saw a 20th-minute strike ruled out by VAR for offside, admitted: “It was so sad. I was so happy, but it’s okay – it’s football. I have to just keep working hard and I think the right result also for me, for the team, will come.”
The Georgian, who was also linked with a move to Anfield last month, then continued to CBS Sports: “Really I think we had many opportunities to score. I think we deserved more and it was not hard because we showed them that today, for me, we was the better team.
“We showed we deserved to win, maybe draw, but it is football and we just have to prepare ourselves for the next game and just be ready to give everything.”
Kvaratskhelia was pressed further on that last point meaning PSG must get a result at a stadium where the Reds have lost only once this season, plus have beaten the champions of England, Germany and Spain.
“It is the football, we just have to concentrate about football and show them the same. Just focus and score the goals, which will be important.”
Liverpool fans slammed an ‘arrogant’ PSG player after hearing his comments following the Reds’ 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening.
Liverpool came away from the French capital with a shock 1-0 victory thanks to Harvey Elliott’s late strike, which proved to be Arne Slot’s side’s only shot on target in the game.
To put this into context, PSG had 27 shots, with ten of these finding the target.
The Premier League leaders will be hoping to defend and even add to their lead during next week’s second leg, which will take place at Anfield on Tuesday, 11 March.
Of course, on Champions League nights, Anfield can become a fortress with a hostile atmosphere which seemingly acts as a twelfth man for the team – Lionel Messi and Barcelona experienced this first hand when the Reds overturned Barca’s 3-0 first leg lead with a 4-0 victory in the semi-final second leg back in 2019.
However, PSG midfielder Vitinha, 25, remains optimistic about his side’s chances.
“[It was] tough,” Vitinha said when speaking to Canal+.
”Everyone saw it. Football is like that, it’s hard to play a game like that, against a team like that.
“Their only shot, I don’t know… It’s tough, but now we’re going to show what kind of team we are. It’s been a long time since we lost, it’s up to us to show our personality and our strength.
“We’re going to go there, we’re going to play a great game, we’re going to score, and we’re going to go through, I’m sure of it.”
And PSG fans will no doubt enjoy one of their players being so confident, but Liverpool supporters are not best pleased.
One said: “The arrogance is getting too much now because you had a couple of possessions and shot on target.
“I promise you the best you will get at Anfield is a draw.”
Another added: “Come and win at Anfield, let’s see.”
While a third commented: “Win at Anfield? Haaa, keep on dreaming.”
As a fourth slammed: “Liverpool will be a different beast at Anfield. The arrogance as been heard a million times by players like Vitinha.”
Isaac’s Dream Night at Anfield Abode – The Ultimate LFC Sleepover!
What a night to remember for Isaac, our seven-year-old Liverpool superfan! From the moment he stepped into Anfield Abode, his excitement was off the charts. A full LFC-themed house—what more could a young Red ask for?
Every corner of the house was filled with Liverpool FC magic—from the legendary red decor to memorabilia that made it feel like a piece of Anfield itself. Isaac couldn’t believe his eyes! Sleeping in a room covered in LFC colors and history was like living his dream.
Watch the video below. Subscribe to the channel please.
For a boy who lives and breathes Liverpool FC, this was more than just a sleepover—it was an experience he will never forget. Watching him soak in the atmosphere, talk about his favorite players, and feel truly at home was priceless. The place was in immaculate condition, and the memories made here will stay with him forever.
If you’re ever visiting Anfield, this is a must-do—especially for young Reds like Isaac! A huge thank you to Anfield Abode for making his year! YNWA!
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