The Times - UK (2022-01-13)

66 Thursday January 13 2022 | the times

SportCarabao Cup

Alisson made an instant impression
upon arriving at Liverpool during
pre-season back in the summer of 2018.
No sooner had the Brazil goalkeeper
strode into the squad’s camp in
Evian-les-Bains, France, than one of his
new team-mates declared: “Get him in
my ****ing goal.”
For others the acclimatisation took
considerably longer. Andrew Robert-
son, Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Cham-
berlain all spent the first months of
their Anfield career adjusting to new
surroundings.
Their appearances were limited as
they soaked up what was now expected
of them. Life was initially spent on the
sidelines, looking and learning, before
Jürgen Klopp decided the time was
right to fling them in and prove their
pedigree.
Ibrahima Konaté falls into the latter
category, making only seven Premier
League starts since his £34 million
move from RB Leipzig in the summer
and four across three cup competitions.
Yet the expectation is that Liverpool
supporters will see more of the centre
back over the coming months and that
they are looking ahead to tonight’s
Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg with
Arsenal owes much to the 22-year-old.
When Klopp needed the cavalry in
the last round against Leicester City, his
team trailing 3-1 at the interval, Konaté
was among those to whom he turned.
With defensive frailties suddenly
shored up, the home side recovered
before prevailing on penalties.
Whether he starts tonight or not,
Liverpool believe Konaté is proving to
be worth the wait. Rewind 12 months
and the clamour to bring in reinforce-
ments at centre back was about to reach
a climax as a season-ending injury to
Joël Matip compounded the lengthy
lay-offs that Virgil van Dijk and Joe
Gomez were already facing.
That Liverpool had drawn Leipzig in
the Champions League round of 16, a
tie that was only weeks away, meant
that bringing forward interest in
Konaté was not feasible. With injuries
biting, and Klopp unwilling at that time
to place trust in Nat Phillips or Rhys
Williams, other targets were consid-

ered. Two centre backs were consid-

ered the best available at that time.

Gleison Bremer at Torino was deemed

too expensive, while Liverpool did

submit a bid of about £16.6 million for

Duje Caleta-Car of Marseilles just

before the window closed.

That was rejected by the French club

as they could not sign a replacement

and so Liverpool were left to recruit

stop gaps in Ozan Kabak, who came on

loan from Schalke, and Ben Davies,

who joined from Preston North End.

Kabak is now at Norwich City, while

Davies is on loan at Sheffield United.

It is understood that had Marseilles

relented on Caleta-Car, Liverpool

would have still looked at signing Kon-

até. As with Van Dijk, the scouting work

Liverpool did on Konaté was extensive.

A 15-game summary of appearances

from 44 different centre backs from

early 2020 onwards was scrutinised

and a shortlist of four names drawn up.

Benoît Badiashile, the Monaco

centre back, was a young player ad-

mired. However, the Frenchman plays

on the left side and it counted against

him that Van Dijk is so dominant there.

Newcastle United are now showing

interest in Badiashile, who is only 20.

More than at any other time this
season, Arsenal have to get back on
track and strike the right note in the
next week.
Things began badly when they were
dumped out of the FA Cup by Notting-
ham Forest on Sunday and they cannot
afford similarly poor performances
against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup
semi-final, or against Tottenham Hot-
spur in their next Premier League
match, if they want to be taken serious-
ly and help persuade Dusan Vlahovic,
one of the hottest players in European
football who could cost £70 million, to
join them over hefty competition.

Arsenal’s vital week to lure Arthur and Vlahovic

They will have a threadbare midfield

in the first leg at Anfield tonight, where

they lost 4-0 in the Premier League

about eight weeks ago, and they will fall

behind Tottenham in the race for the

Champions League if they lose to them

on Sunday, having played two more

matches. It has the feel of a defining

week, which ends when they host Liv-

erpool in the second leg a week today.

“It’s really important because we can

reach a final and get closer to a trophy

and it is a big London derby against a

team in the hunt for the same objectives

as we have,” Arteta said. “We know the

impact that these games are going to

have on our season. Forest was a

lesson but we need to move on as these

next games are far too important.”

Arteta is also hoping to add Arthur

Melo, the Juventus midfielder, to his

squad. Arsenal are in talks over a loan

deal for the midfield playmaker,

although Juventus want to sign a

replacement before releasing Arthur.

Juventus have also been interested in

signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,

the Arsenal striker, on loan.

Vlahovic, who is being chased by

Europe’s biggest clubs, has scored 16

Serie A goals for Fiorentina this year to

add to his 21 in the league last season.

Arteta believes Arsenal can still attract

the best players and they can beat off

competition by doing a deal this month,

which might suit the Italian club, who

would be weakened if he enters the final

year of his contract in the summer.

“Historically this club has always

been targeting the best players in the

world and the best players in the world

are always interested to come,” he said.

Granit Xhaka is the only senior mid-

fielder available for Arsenal, but Arteta

expects his team to take advantage of

Liverpool missing Sadio Mané and Mo-

hamed Salah, who are at the Africa Cup

of Nations. “They have players out,” he

said. “We’re going there to try to win

because it’s going to put us in a better

position for the second one.”

6 Middlesbrough have signed the Ar-

senal striker Folarin Balogun on loan

for the remainder of the season.

Gary Jacob

Klopp: We’re

very positive

about Salah’s

new contract

Paul Joyce

Jürgen Klopp has delivered an upbeat

assessment of Mohamed Salah’s con-

tract talks, insisting that the discussions

are in a “good place” and saying he was

“very positive” about the prospects of

an agreement being struck.

The Liverpool manager’s comments

struck an optimistic tone and came in

response to Salah claiming in a maga-

zine interview that he was not asking

for “crazy stuff” in order to extend his

deal, which is due to expire in the

summer of 2023.

There has been understandable

agitation among Liverpool supporters

over the long-term future of their

talismanic forward, who has repeatedly

stressed in public that he does not want

to leave Anfield.

Despite that, no agreement has yet

been reached, although Klopp’s

appraisal of the negotiations between

the player, Ramy Abbas Issa, his agent,

and Fenway Sports Group, the club’s

owners, was the most bullish tone he

has struck since the saga began.

“First of all, nowadays I think it’s

really dangerous to talk about

interviews when you didn’t speak to the

player yourself,” Klopp said. “There was

nothing in it that would be unexpected.

We know, I know, that Mo wants to stay.

We want him to stay. That’s the point

where we are.

“These things take time. I can’t

change that, sorry. But I think it is all in

a good place. Nothing else to say. I am

very positive about it.”

Liverpool will have to make Salah —

who signed his present contract at the

end of his first season at the club, 2017-

18 — the highest-paid player in their

history in order to finalise a renewal.

“Things take time,” Klopp said in the

build-up to tonight’s Carabao Cup

semi-final first leg with Arsenal. “There

are so many things you have to do, and

by the way there is a third party. The

agent is there as well.

“But there’s nothing to worry about,

it’s a normal process. Mo has a contract

here this season and next season. No-

body has to worry, it’s just the situation.

All fine, not done, but we had talks. He’s

a world-class player, an unbelievable

player who did a lot of great stuff for

Liverpool. Of course we want to keep

him, and let’s see how it will work out.”

Klopp also explained the process that

led to Liverpool returning a number of

false positive Covid-19 tests after the

original first leg, which had been due to

take place at the Emirates Stadium last

Thursday, was called off.

A “severe” outbreak of the virus with-

in the first-team set-up meant that the

EFL agreed to postpone the tie, while

Liverpool’s training ground was closed

for 48 hours. The order of the semi-final

matches has now been flipped, with the

first leg at Anfield on Thursday and the

second leg to be played at the Emirates

next Thursday, January 20.

The tests, which were handled by an

independent laboratory, later proved to

be negative. “You get a positive test

back, and when you are able to do a re-

test, then a day or 1½ days later you get

a result which looks like it [the original

test] is a false positive because it was

negative,” Klopp said.

“It doesn’t change anything for your

quarantine or whatever. Between the

first test and the second test, and the

second and third test, you cannot use

the players. That’s how the rules are.”

Liverpool v Arsenal Tonight, 7.45pm.

TV Sky Sports. Radio talkSPORT.

Konaté ready to

be Van Dijk’s

partner – then

his successor

Paul Joyce
Northern Football Correspondent Liverpool v Arsenal

(probable:

4-2-3-1)

Arsenal

Liverpool

(probable:

4-3-3)

Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg 7.45pm.

TV: Sky Sports. Radio: talkSPORT

Ref: Michael Oliver

Alisson

B Leno

A Oxlade

Chamberlain Fabinho C Jones

A S Lokonga G Xhaka

J MatipV Van Dijk

T Alexander

-Arnold

D Jota R Firmino T Minamino

K Tsimikas

C Chambers B White Gabriel K Tierney

B Saka M Odegaard G Martinelli

A Lacazette

Seville’s Jules Koundé was

considered although his

height, 5ft 8in, was a

concern. Villarreal’s Pau

Torres was liked, yet the

high defensive line

favoured by Klopp

demands pace.

For Liverpool’s scout-

ing team, led by the sport-

ing director Michael Ed-

wards, Konaté was always

the preferred candidate,

notwithstanding the

concern over his injury

record. Since moving to

Anfield, he has been in

every match-day squad.

One relevant compari-

son with a perceived rival

relates to the fee Liverpool

paid. It was roughly the

same as Manchester

United’s outlay for

Raphaël Varane and

highlights the different

stages the two clubs are

at. United wanted

Varane, 28, to be their Van

Dijk; Liverpool hope Kon-

até can be the next one.

Ironically, Ralf Rangnick,

United’s interim coach,

brought Konaté to Leip-

zig from French side

Sochaux aged 18.

Shrewsbury Town’s

goal in Sunday’s FA

Cup tie showed where

Konaté must still im-

prove. His positional play

and awareness was lax for

Daniel Udoh’s finish, but

he can learn from Van

Dijk, Matip and Gomez.

His physical qualities, a

combination of power

and pace, are rare. He

takes risks but Klopp is

likely to see that as brav-

ery. “I think we all agree

he is an exceptional talent

— physically outstand-

ing, good footballer as

well,” Klopp said.

“When you are that

skilled, that quick, that

strong then it is pretty

normal, especially when

you are young, that your

concentration level drops

from time to time.”

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JULES KOUNDÉ

SEVILLE

BENOIT BADIASHILE

MONACO

PAU TORRES

VILLARREAL

VICKIE FLORES/EPA

The trio

Liverpool

considered

The trio

Liverpool

considered

Konaté has

made 11 starts

for Liverpool

since joining

from Leipzig