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Liverpool closing in on agreement to sign Sadio Mane 2.0

Liverpool closing in on agreement to sign Sadio Mane 2.0

Yahoo12 hours ago

According to journalist Nabil Djellit Liverpool are close to agreeing a €1m deal to sign Sidy Bahama Ndiaye.
The 2009-born 15-year-old Senegalese winger is likely to join the Reds from his academy Diambars.
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This is an interesting move. Ndiaye is regarded as a big prospect, who was playing an age-group above his peers at the recent U17 AFCON and certainly caught the eye.
But being 15-years-old, Ndiaye will not be able to join the club until he celebrates his 18th birthday as per FIFA rules.
His birthday is in December so that won't happen until December 2027, which means the earliest transfer window Ndiaye could join the club is the January 2028 one, which will be in around two and a half years.
Liverpool haven't done this kind of deal pretty much ever. But it's not unprecedented in the world of football.
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Chelsea signed Kendry Paez two years ago and he's only been able to complete that move this year.
It's clearly a direction Liverpool want to head towards. That's why they appointed Kyle Wallbanks as the club's Global Talent Scouting Manager.
In this role Wallbanks' job is to identify the next emerging talent and recruit them, which will be even more necessary if FSG move towards the multi-club model with Michael Edwards.
Ndiaye has clearly been flagged by Wallbanks as one of those potential players. And it's easy to see why.
There are shades of Mane about him, who is the last Senegalese to play for Liverpool. Ndiaye has the same sheer speed.
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When he runs with the ball at full flow defenders find it impossible to stop him. He's incredibly fast and the only way he could be stopped at the U17 AFCON is by being chopped down over and over again by the clumsy feet of opposition defenders.
Overall, he averages 8.84 dribbles per 90, which is an extremely productive return.
His end product was lacking a little but that's something that can be improved. He's still only 15 years old and has plenty of time to reach the levels he needs to reach.

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Liverpool are About to Sign a ‘Generational Talent' as Arne Slot ‘Attacks the Window'
Liverpool are About to Sign a ‘Generational Talent' as Arne Slot ‘Attacks the Window'

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time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Liverpool are About to Sign a ‘Generational Talent' as Arne Slot ‘Attacks the Window'

Florian Wirtz to Liverpool? Dave Hendrick Believes It's Transformational The Anfield Index podcast, hosted by Dave Hendrick, delivered what he described as an 'emergency broadcast' following dramatic developments in Liverpool's pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz. In a 20-minute episode full of breaking news and fervent analysis, Hendrick was unequivocal in his excitement, labelling the potential signing as nothing short of 'earthshaking.' Florian Wirtz: A Generational Talent According to Hendrick, 'we are on the brink of signing a generational talent, where we're on the brink of signing a transformative player.' The urgency in his tone echoed throughout the podcast. He compared the potential impact of Wirtz to signings like Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, remarking, 'Florian Wirtz would be a transformational signing for this club.' Advertisement Wirtz, who turned 22 on 3rd May, starred for Bayer Leverkusen during their historic unbeaten Bundesliga-winning season. Hendrick was effusive in his praise, stating, 'He was the best player in a Leverkusen team that went undefeated and won the Bundesliga.' He also cited Wirtz's accolades including Bundesliga Player of the Season, his 29 caps for Germany, and his role in Germany's Under-21 European Championship-winning squad. Liverpool Moving Aggressively in the Market 'This is us being incredibly proactive, incredibly aggressive,' Hendrick said. 'We've won the title this season, and we're attacking this window.' He noted that deals for Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Giorgi Mamardashvili are either done or near completion, adding, 'We might get to June 1st when the transfer window opens and have four signings done.' The podcast highlighted the reported visit of Wirtz to the UK, previously assumed to be for Manchester City. 'He never met with Manchester City. He met with Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes and then was brought house hunting,' Hendrick disclosed. He emphasised Liverpool's role in the visit, noting, 'Liverpool flew him over. They didn't fly him over so he could go and visit Man City.' Photo: IMAGO Why Wirtz Fits Liverpool's New Era Wirtz isn't just about flair. Hendrick pointed to his numbers: '49 games with 18 goals last season, 45 with 16 this season… and he's not primarily a goal scorer, he's primarily a creator.' The combination of 16 goals and 15 assists this past season is, as Hendrick described, 'immense production.' Advertisement The podcast painted a tactical picture too. Hendrick suggested a partnership with Milos Kerkez on Liverpool's left: 'That pairing could be absolutely outrageous,' he said. He believes Wirtz would slot into a narrow left-sided role, mirroring his expected position at Bayern Munich had he joined them. Hendrick continued, 'There are very few players in the world as good as Florian Wirtz. Whether it's £120 million or maybe a little bit less that we have to pay, he is going to prove worth it.' What This Means for Liverpool and the Premier League 'This is the type of signing that sets us up to be very good in the post-Mo Salah era,' Hendrick remarked, hinting at Wirtz as a potential focal point of Liverpool's attack in the future. He even suggested Wirtz might allow Salah to 'play a little bit freer' and 'score more goals because he's getting fed the ball by the type of creator Mo hasn't played with since Phil Coutinho left.' Advertisement He concluded with optimism, 'Nobody else in the Premier League this summer is signing a better player than Florian Wirtz. Nobody.' As it stands, the deal is not yet official. Hendrick cautioned, 'We need to proceed with caution because the deal's not done. The fee is not agreed.' However, he also added, 'I feel like this one gets done.' Final Thoughts Liverpool fans are no strangers to transfer sagas, but this one feels different. Dave Hendrick's analysis is grounded in facts, bolstered by insider details, and fuelled by the promise of what Florian Wirtz could bring to Anfield under Premier League-winning manager Arne Slot. Should the move materialise, the signing of Florian Wirtz will not only signify intent but could usher in a new golden era for Liverpool Football Club.

Why are Bayer Leverkusen ready to pay more than £30m for Jarell Quansah?
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New York Times

time3 hours ago

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Why are Bayer Leverkusen ready to pay more than £30m for Jarell Quansah?

Twelve months ago, in their bid to avoid breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR), Newcastle United approached Liverpool about a deal that would see forward Anthony Gordon move to Anfield and defender Jarell Quansah go in the opposite direction. Liverpool told their Premier League rivals that they had no interest in selling their young centre-back. The 2023-24 campaign had been a breakthrough season for the 22-year-old who began the season as fifth choice but ended it as Jurgen Klopp's preferred partner to Virgil van Dijk. He started 27 games in his 33 appearances. Advertisement It looked like Liverpool's academy had eased concerns about finding a successor to Joel Matip and saved the club a significant transfer outlay. So, a year later, as Bayer Leverkusen edge closer to finalising an agreement with Liverpool to sign the defender for a fee of £30million (€35.1m; $40.4m) plus add-ons, how did we get here? And why are the German side preparing to make him one of their most expensive signings? A move to the Bundesliga is one thing, but the sums involved for someone who made just four Premier League starts last season are surprising. Liverpool's data department will no doubt have run the numbers to assess Quansah's value compared with other centre-backs at a similar age across Europe, with Michael Edwards (previously the club's sporting director and now CEO of football with owners Fenway Sports Group) renowned for his record of delivering profitable returns on Liverpool's squad players. The most comparable example last summer would be 23-year-old centre-back Sepp van den Berg, who departed for Brentford for a fee of £20.2million. That was twice the market value placed on him by Transfermarkt at the time (£10.3m, a crowd-sourced figure). Quansah's current value on Transfermarkt is £17.1m. 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With Harwood-Bellis moving from Manchester City to Southampton for £20m last summer (almost perfectly aligning with his market value), it shows that Liverpool would be foolish not to profit from the fee proposed for Quansah. This time last year, Liverpool's evaluation would have been higher. Having signed a new long-term contract in October, Liverpool were able to retain value based on the potential he has shown, but it highlights the difficult 2024-25 campaign Quansah endured, which saw him make 25 appearances, 13 of which were starts. Projected to be the club's future starting centre-back for the next 10 years, he only managed one as fourth choice as Joe Gomez was selected ahead of him when Konate was out for over a month in 2024. He suffered setbacks that he had to bounce back from. The first came on the opening day of the season when he was substituted at half time in Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town. 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The difficulty has been his success rate in those challenges, with a true tackles win rate (63 per cent) that is in the bottom half among his positional peers. Aerially, his 65 per cent win rate is good enough for the 21st-best in his cohort, but notably lower than fellow centre-backs Konate (71 per cent) and Van Dijk (77 per cent). Slot spoke positively about the centre-back's mentality during the second half of the season and was pleased with his performance levels. His most memorable moment of the league campaign came via a crucial late interception in a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers (below). However, the Dutchman's comments following the 3-1 defeat by Chelsea in May offer the potential reason why Liverpool are comfortable letting him go. In a similar fashion to the Brighton game, Quansah did fine but scored an own goal and conceded a late penalty, fouling Moises Caicedo after Dominik Szoboszlai's attempted pass to him lacked sufficient power. 'Jarell is fast, strong and comfortable on the ball,' Slot told reporters. 'He has every ingredient a centre-back for this club should have. Now the last parts should be consistency in his performances.' 'To play in this team, you need to be really, really, really good and he is competitive with the other ones. But he was maybe a bit unlucky that the other ones stayed fit throughout the whole season and they have so much consistency in their levels. Advertisement 'Jarell has had consistency as well but one moment can change the perception of a game. One moment can also lead to us losing or winning a game of football. These small details can make a big difference in a season. That's why to play at Liverpool you need to do so many things well at the highest level — but the moment you do so, he can play here for so many years to come.' Liverpool were not actively looking to sell Quansah this summer and value him as a young squad player with potential to become a regular England international. But as with others on the edges of Slot's squad, there is a price where a sale would be sanctioned. And in a World Cup year, it is understandable for the defender to be seeking more game time in the hopes of making Thomas Tuchel's squad next summer. Yet with Liverpool now needing to bolster their own centre-back options this summer, there is an irony in that the profile of player they would be most closely linked with would be someone like Quansah. Financial implications notwithstanding, there is a curiousness to the exit of such a young, promising English talent that is already attuned to Slot's way of playing. In Leverkusen, he is joining a side that are remodeling their defensive unit in a summer of change after manager Xabi Alonso departed for Real Madrid and Erik ten Hag replaced him. Liverpool have signed Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, while fellow defenders Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich) and Odilon Kossounou (Napoli) have left. Fellow centre-back Piero Hincapie could also move on. Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has already arrived from Brentford and Quansah will not be the final defensive arrival this summer as they overhaul that department. For the German side, this is an investment in potential. Slot has shown his ruthless side, allowing the next stages of Quansah's development and the natural growing pains young players go through to happen away from Anfield. Last season did not make Quansah a bad player in only his second season at senior level. He has shown he has the ability to play at the top of the game, and this could be the perfect move for the defender to prove that again.

Liverpool Signing Florian Wirtz Shares 'Exciting' Stat with Mohamed Salah
Liverpool Signing Florian Wirtz Shares 'Exciting' Stat with Mohamed Salah

Yahoo

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  • Yahoo

Liverpool Signing Florian Wirtz Shares 'Exciting' Stat with Mohamed Salah

Liverpool Signing Florian Wirtz Shares 'Exciting' Stat with Mohamed Salah originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Liverpool has announced the signing of Florian Wirtz, an announcement that many Liverpool fans have been waiting for the past few weeks. Advertisement The signing of Wirtz is exciting for Liverpool fans, as the German attacking midfielder is a highly saught-after player in world soccer. Wirtz joins Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for around $156 million, a new club record signing for the Reds. Wirtz brings creativity to the Liverpool attack, and many fans expect big things when the German teams up with Mohamed Salah next season in the Premier League. Salah is already a Liverpool legend and was a key part of the Reds' Premier League title win this past season. A curious statistic shows why Liverpool fans believe the team will get even stronger with the acquisition of Wirtz this summer. Wirtz and Salah share a stat that gives Liverpool fans hope that the team will deliver more goals at Anfield. With this signing, the current Premier League champions have become heavy favorites to lift the league title next season. Wirtz and Salah's League Statistics Salah will be remembered for his incredible 2024-25 Premier League season with Liverpool due to his insane statistics throughout the league. Advertisement Salah scored 29 goals and provided 18 assists in 38 Premier League matches, and Wirtz scored 10 goals and provided 12 assists for Bayer Leverkusen in 31 Bundesliga matches. Both players delivered with lots of goal contributions for their teams this past season in the league, but their consistent goal contributions put them ahead of everyone else. Wirtz and Salah are the only players to have registered 10+ goals and 10+ assists across Europe's top five leagues in each of the last two seasons. Wirtz scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists in the 2023-24 Bundesliga season, when Leverkusen won its first league title. Salah scored 18 goals and provided 10 assists in the 2023-24 Premier League season. Advertisement Sky Sports provided a detailed comparison between Wirtz and some of the top attacking midfielders in the Premier League. The numbers showcase how impressive Wirtz is compared to the competition in the league. Florian Wirtz on Joining Liverpool Wirtz spoke in an interview with Liverpool about his decision to join the club and the Premier League. The German star felt it was the right time to try something new. Florian Wirtz: "I'm really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League." Wirtz is aware of the high expectations the club has ahead of the new season, especially since they won the Premier League this past season. Wirtz's ambitious words excite Liverpool fans for the future. Florian Wirtz: "Last season they won the Premier League, so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious. I'm not coming [to] have fun here, I also want to achieve something and give the fans what they deserve.' Advertisement Related: Lionel Messi Makes FIFA Club World Cup History With Inter Miami Goal vs FC Porto Related: Watch: Lamine Yamal and Neymar Reunite in Viral Beach Soccer Clip from Brazil This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.

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