Everton was not pleased with referee Craig Pawson, even though Liverpool prevailed in the Merseyside derby. In response to claims in Italy that Ibrahima Konaté might be joining Anfield, Jürgen Klopp has addressed the choice to keep the player on the field. Meanwhile, a director of Napoli has commented on Victor Osimhen.
Napoli answers the transfer request made by Victor Osimhen
Surprisingly, Liverpool has been linked to a deal for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who is eager to leave the Serie A team, and forward Napoli. Osimhen would come with a record-breaking transfer fee of well over $100 million.
Director of Napoli, Mauro Meluso, has now addressed such allegations. “The president will meet with Victor’s agent to discuss that in the next weeks,” he said. “It’s also normal for Osimhen to take some time in order to think about the contract proposal we made.”
Even though Osimhen is a talented player, it seems improbable that Liverpool will try to sign him. The 24-year-old only plays through the middle, where Diogo Jota, Darwin Núñez, and Cody Gakpo excel.
Osimhen wouldn’t be a logical successor if Mohamed Salah were to depart, though ideally he would sign a new agreement and decide to stay. In such case, Liverpool would need someone to play wide.
Jürgen Klopp acknowledges following Everton
With the hurried introduction of Joël Matip, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp effectively conceded that Konaté was lucky to escape a red card against Everton on Saturday. The Frenchman was substituted off the field the next time the ball was out of play.
During his news conference, Klopp stated, “I didn’t see it back yet, to be 100% honest.” “I wasn’t sure if I saw it completely; I believe I was elsewhere at the time. However, while he was falling, I realized that Ibou had a yellow card, so I knew things could get complicated.
“After he failed to receive the second yellow, I decided to remove him off rather than give it another chance. I completely comprehend the frustration that Sean Dyche and Everton are experiencing right now. Was it 1-0 or was it still 0-0? 10 v 10. 0-0. We seemed like the superior side to me. Had we prevailed? I’m not sure. We won’t ever learn.”
Everton’s reduction to 10 men did not do anything to help Liverpool, as Dyche’s team positioned itself as a compact low block for the duration of the match. However, the Reds were the only club capable of winning the points after breaking the tie at the penalty spot.
