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    William Saliba’s brutally honest interview after Liverpool clash goes viral and leaves Jamie Carragher fuming

    ARSENAL star William Saliba went viral after admitting Liverpool deserved a penalty on Saturday.The Gunners and the Reds drew 1-1 at Anfield in an intense Premier League encounter.
    Arsenal star William Saliba admitted Liverpool deserved a penalty
    Saliba admitted Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard handled the ball inside the boxCredit: Alamy
    Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher praised Saliba and slammed VAR after the draw with ArsenalCredit: Rex
    The North Londoners opened the scoring with Gabriel Magalhaes after just four minutes and the Merseysiders equalised with Mohamed Salah 25 minutes later.
    But Liverpool felt they deserved the three points as they insist they were denied a clear penalty in the first half before Salah’s equaliser.
    The Egypt international tried to dribble past Martin Odegaard, who lost his balance and touched the ball with his left hand inside the Arsenal area.
    However, the referee waved play on and VAR didn’t get involved which angered the host.
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    Saliba, who put together yet another man-of-the-match performance was asked about the incident involving Odegaard.
    And the centre-back admitted outright that his Arsenal captain handled the ball and Liverpool should have been awarded a spot-kick.
    Saliba said: “Yeah, of course it was a penalty but I’m not the ref.”
    The France international’s comments went viral as that was a rare case of admission from an opposing player.
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    Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher praised the 22-year-old’s honesty and slammed VAR.
    Carragher tweeted: “It was a penalty & the man of the match knows it!
    “Two blatant penalties for handball in the last two nights & VAR don’t get involved.” More

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    Tsimikas in hospital after touchline collision with Klopp as Liverpool boss says ‘I wish I could give him my collarbone’

    JURGEN KLOPP turned into Jurgen Crock after a freak collision put one of his own stars in hospital – and left him facing a left back crisis.Kostas Tsimikas suffered a broken collar bone when a touchline tangle with Bukayo Saka ten minutes before the break sent him crashing into the Liverpool boss.
    Kostas Tsimikas collided with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp after eating shoulder barge by Bukayo SakaCredit: PA
    The Greek defender was in agony after taking out his managerCredit: EPA
    The left-back ended up being subbed off and replaced by Joe GomezCredit: Alamy
    Both Klopp and the Reds defender hit the deck, and Tsimikas was left holding his shoulder in agony.
    He was immediately taken to hospital, where it was confirmed he had suffered a broken collar bone, leaving Liverpool with a huge injury headache.
    Andy Robertson is still out after shoulder surgery in October, and Tsimikas’ KO soured a thrilling match for Klopp.
    He admitted: “It was massively overshadowed by Kostas’ collarbone issue, and it is definitely broken, so he is out for a long time.
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    “I thought at first it’s not a real problem because I had no pain. I would happily give my collar bone and Kostas would be fit again.
    “I was completely fine and I thought him, too, but I asked Kostas and he said ‘no, it’s broken.’ Of course that’s not cool and you’re kind of involved.
    “I’m not even sure if I fell on him and these things should not happen. The other issues we will have to see, but it is hard for us to swallow with the Robbo situation.”
    Referee Chris Kavanagh penalised Saka for the foul, yet there was no intent in the incident and the Arsenal winger swiftly apologised after the top-of-the-table draw.
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    Mohamed Salah levelled the scores in the 29th minuteCredit: ALAMY

    Saka said: “I want to apologise to him. I didn’t mean it of course. It was just a 50-50, I went shoulder to shoulder with him.
    “I didn’t see him but he must have taken a bad fall. I didn’t see that he went into Klopp either. I kept running because I didn’t think it was a foul.”
    Centre back Gabriel headed Arsenal in front after only three minutes, with Mo Salah levelling it just before the half hour.
    It means the Gunners top the table at Christmas – yet Klopp felt Liverpool should have had a penalty when Martin Odegaard handled in the box.
    The Arsenal skipper escaped as it was ruled that he was using his arm to steady himself as he fell. Klopp didn’t blow a fuse, but did feel hard done to.
    He added: “I’m pretty sure someone will tell me it’s not a handball but I don’t know how. I don’t say the ref can see it because I don’t know where he was.
    “But how can a guy in an office see that and not come to the conclusion that maybe, possibly it could be worth the referee having another look?”
    Gunners boss Mikel Arteta insisted it was the most high octane clash he had seen in two decades – and delighted that he will sit down to Christmas dinner as a table topper.
    Arteta said: “It was an unbelievable game, one of the most intense I’ve witnessed in 20 years in this league.
    “I’m happy to be where we are. Tomorrow we will have a beautiful dinner with our families, then it’s back to work.”
    Klopp also felt it was an honours-even showdown, and reckons it was proof that Liverpool have what it takes to mix it with the best in a title race again.
    Read more on The Sun
    He added: “Absolutely we take confidence from the result. You have to take confidence from these results and performances against a top, top side.
    “We did not play bad against City for example, but it was not as good as this, and you have to take these things forward.” More

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    The amazing reason Liverpool summer transfer Wataru Endo wears gumshield during matches

    WATARU ENDO has finally answered the question that’s been on Liverpool fans’ lips since he signed for the club.The Japan international joined the Reds in the summer from German big boys Stuttgart for a fee of £16.2million.
    Liverpool signed Wataru Endo from Stuttgart in the summerCredit: AFP
    The Japan international’s decision to wear a gumshield has bamboozled some Reds fansCredit: REX
    Endo decided to wear it to ensure his pearly whites stay safe and soundCredit: REX
    Kopites have been thrilled with the midfielder’s displays so far this season, in which he’s scored two goals and provided one assist.
    The 30-year-old’s decision to wear a mouthguard has had the chins of the Anfield faithful wagging as much as his performances.
    And he’s revealed he decided to don the protective gear to keep his pearly whites safe and sound after being advised to by a dentist.
    He told Sky Sports: “When I was in Germany, I met a Japanese dentist; he told me, ‘It’’s a good mouthpiece, it makes something different about performance’.
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    “Now I just wear it to protect my teeth and also it looks like a fighter, so when I go into the pitch I just put the mouthpiece on and it’s like game mode.”
    Endo has started Liverpool’s last five matches on the trot and impressed in Liverpool’s midweek thumping of West Ham.
    Manager Jurgen Klopp said of his new signing: “We see him every day in training and he is one of the hardest-working people I ever met.
    “It was always clear that it will be good, but I’m happy obviously for him that the public could see it now as well, because that’s pretty helpful in our job.
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    Wataru Endo has impressed Reds boss Jurgen Klopp with his displays this seasonCredit: REX
    “Yeah, it was a really good game [against West Ham].
    “And he gives something different to the team, we have to say, that’s clear. He’s the one for the tackles.
    “We don’t have now 20 players on the pitch who have tackling as a hobby.
    “He is doing it.
    “On top of that, his passing is really good, his awareness is really good, he finds his position better in possession, all these things.
    “It’s football and sometimes it takes a little bit of time but that’s no problem for me.” More

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    Who is Willy Kambwala? Man Utd starlet, 19, makes debut in huge West Ham clash

    WILLY KAMBWALA is STARTING for Manchester United in a crunch clash against West Ham.The giant defender, 19, was also named on the bench for last Sunday’s Premier League visit to fierce rivals Liverpool.
    Willy Kambwala was out injured for 11 months at one stageCredit: Rex
    But who eaxctly is he?
    Who is Willy Kambwala?
    Kambwala was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but captained France Under-1
    Liverpool were also linked with the centre-back three years ago.
    However United won the £3.5million race to sign him from Sochaux on transfer deadline day in October 2020.
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    Kambwala’s French club were devastated to lose their main asset – offering him professional terms to stay.
    But the lure of a Prem giant was always likely to win out.
    And so it proved, as Kambwala switched to Old Trafford and was set to be integrated into United’s junior sides.
    But an injury suffered in a  friendly against Salford kept him out for 11 months.
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    Kambwala, now 6ft 4ins, returned in September 2021.
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    And what a return it was – as his first game back was an 8-2 victory for United’s Under-18s against Birmingham.
    Kambwala signed a pro deal with the Red Devils a month later.
    Just last month, Red Devils’ academy boss Travis Binnion hailed the attitude of Kambwala, plus fellow hot prospects Kobbie Mainoo and Dan Gore.
    After all three played through injury in a match against FC Copenhagen, Binnion said: “Great credit to Kobbie, Willy and Dan, as the sort of senior players today.
    “Dan got niggle and Willy got a sore foot, so for those lads to get through the 90 minutes after struggling with knocks and wanting to play, bodes well.” More

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    Former Arsenal and Liverpool starlet wakes up a free agent after ripping up contract with League One club

    FORMER Premier League star Ovie Ejaria is unemployed after seeing his contract ripped up at Reading.The 26-year-old came to an agreement with the League One club to mutually end his deal ahead of the January transfer window.
    Ovie Ejaria is now a free agentCredit: Getty
    Ejaria has not played this season due to injury problems and managed just eight league games last term.
    His contract was set to end this summer but it has been “amicably” terminated early.
    Reading have been keen to reduce expenditure and they will now save money on his wages.
    Ejaria was tipped for big things as a youngster and was on the books of both Arsenal and Liverpool.
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    He made eight senior appearances for the Reds and his debut came in 2016.
    The midfielder was subsequently loaned out to Sunderland, Rangers and Reading.
    He then moved to the Royals permanently for £3.5million in 2020.
    Ejaria also earned one cap for England’s Under-21s back when he was dubbed a wonderkid.
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    And he was part of a star-studded Under-20s squad that won the World Cup in 2017, which featured the likes of Dominic Solanke, Fikayo Tomori, Ademola Lookman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
    Reading are currently 23rd in League One and are in the midst of a relegation battle. More

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    I tipped Man Utd to win the title and Liverpool to struggle, but Reds have been a different level on and off the field

    FOR years it has been one of THE big games of the season but right now it is a total mismatch.Liverpool may be ten points above Manchester United in the table but off the pitch they are ten years in front.
    Harry Redknapp initially thought Liverpool would struggle in the Premier LeagueCredit: AFP
    This isn’t so much a meeting of two Premier League giants as the perfect example of how to rebuild and recruit — and how not to!
    If you’d told me a few months ago that one of these would be challenging for the title and the other still struggling to find their feet, it wouldn’t have been the biggest shock.
    But I genuinely thought it would be United  in the mix and Liverpool going for the top four at best.
    Come on, you could hardly blame me. United had finished third, won the Carabao Cup and reached the FA Cup final in Erik ten Hag’s first season.
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    They looked a club on the up  after so many false starts.
    I even tipped them to win the title. As someone who likes a flutter, that will never go down as one of my greatest tips!
    If anyone was going to struggle, you’d have put your money on Liverpool after so many changes and so many new faces.
    Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino had all left and the ones who came in were hardly household names.
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    Alexis Mac Allister had won the World Cup, for sure, but Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch?
    Apart from a few TV highlights, I hadn’t seen much of them.
    You know how I’m always banging on about the most important people at the club being those responsible for recruitment?
    Well, the ones at Anfield have earned their money, which is more than you can say about United, who I can’t see laying a glove on their old rivals.
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    Redknapp initially thought Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United would challenge for the titleCredit: Getty
    For years Michael Edwards was behind it at Liverpool, then Julian Ward and now Jorg Schmadtke, an old mate of Jurgen Klopp’s who arrived in the summer as sporting director.
    I hear boss Klopp is more involved now, too, and they’ve got other good lads in Barry Hunter and Dave Fallows.
    But at Old Trafford, no one seems to know for certain who is in charge of identifying and signing. And it  shows.
    I know from my own experience how difficult a job it is now. It’s not like years ago, when you’d see ten managers at a game trying to find players.
    You’d be ringing others to pick their brains. I remember Sir Alex Ferguson calling about Luka Modric and Paolo Di Canio, but for various reasons he couldn’t get the deals done.
    Nowadays, though, there isn’t the time, and — especially with ones from, say, South America — you’re reliant on the recruitment staff. The ones who always remain faceless.
    Redknapp believes Jurgen Klopp’s advisers played a big part in his Liverpool successCredit: PA
    It’s easy to forget Klopp was keen on Julian Brandt, who he knew from Germany, but his team told him Mohamed Salah  — who they’d followed for four years — was a better bet. That didn’t work out too badly, did it?
    It was the same with Andy Robertson, when he was looking at Benjamin Mendy and Emerson Palmieri.
    See what I mean about how important it is to have the right people advising on recruitment?
    So no wonder Klopp had every confidence Liverpool had found the right men last summer.
    I must say he still had the nucleus in Salah, Virgil van Dijk — someone ignored years ago as “only doing it for Celtic” — and a great keeper in  Alisson. United didn’t and don’t.
    But the wrong signings then would have meant big trouble now.
    Read more on The Sun
    That’s how crucial it is to have the right men doing the recruiting.
    If you still don’t believe me, just ask Ten Hag. More

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    Saudi transfer chief breaks silence on Mo Salah move with Liverpool star sent fresh offer

    MOHAMED SALAH is unlikely to leave Liverpool in January, according to the Saudi Pro League’s director of football.Salah, 31, was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer.
    Mo Salah is expected to stay at Liverpool in JanuaryCredit: PA
    Al-Ittihad launched a £170million bid for the winger on transfer deadline day, but it was turned down by Liverpool.
    The Saudi side then proposed another last-gasp offer worth over £200m, but the Reds refused to budge.
    Some reports suggested that Saudi Pro League officials were prepared to try again for the winger in January.
    However, director of football Michael Emenalo believes a transfer is unlikely.
    Read More on Football
    He told Sky Sports News: “Mo Salah, like [Lionel] Messi, [Karim] Benzema, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, these are players that when there is a sense of availability for them, we are willing to listen.
    “But we also understand that Mo is happy where he is at present and in a historic, wonderful club at Liverpool. We respect that very much and we don’t want to come across as putting any pressure on him.
    “But if there is any interest to do something, Mo Salah is a player that you want in your league, in any league.
    “We respect Liverpool and in this scenario, the initiative to do anything won’t come from us. There has to be an aligned interest from all parties involved.
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    “It’s a very personal thing, as a player that I recruited [for Chelsea] and I like. There’s nothing I’m saying that is new or ground-breaking. If Mo Salah is available, has an interest to come and everything is aligned, I would be incredibly delighted.”
    Salah has 18 months remaining on his current Liverpool contract.
    The winger joined the Reds in 2017 and has since scored 200 goals and provided 87 assists in 327 appearances. More

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    It was impossible to say no to Chelsea… even when Liverpool tried to hijack transfer, reveals Moises Caicedo

    MOISES CAICEDO insists it was “impossible” not to join Chelsea – despite a huge “last moment” offer from Liverpool.Britain’s most expensive player ever has struggled since his £115million summer switch from Brighton.
    Moises Caicedo claims he was always sure he wanted to join ChelseaCredit: Rex
    🗣️ “It was impossible to say no”Moisés Caicedo reveals why he chose to join Chelsea over Liverpool when he left Brighton in the summer 🔹 pic.twitter.com/zmLPVMSWLk— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 14, 2023

    Caicedo says his summer departure from Brighton was ‘complicated’Credit: PA
    And Anfield boss Jurgen Klopp has now suggested he was “lucky” the Reds failed with bids for Blues’ summer recruits Caicedo and £58m Romeo Lavia.
    But Caicedo claims Liverpool never stood a chance of signing him anyway.
    The Ecuador anchorman, 22, told Sky Sports: “It was impossible to say not to Chelsea, because they were with me supporting me.
    “In the last moment Liverpool called me but it was [too] late because I wanted to play for Chelsea.”
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    However, the 38-cap star also revealed his record move was not without its problems.
    Brighton realised early last summer their top asset was sure to go.
    That sparked a bidding frenzy eventually won by Chelsea.
    But whether the Blues will see the capture of Caicedo as a victory in the long term depends on how dramatically he transforms his fortunes.
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    Mauricio Pochettino’s erratic side sit just 12th in the Premier League, with the defensive midfielder in and out of the team.
    A knee problem and international duty have hampered Caicedo.
    But his form has been way below his Brighton level – persuading Pochettino to hold a special meeting with him to talk through any issues.
    Meanwhile, with Liverpool top of the Prem, Klopp felt able to make a cutting jibe this week at Chelsea’s spending woes.
    The German said: “The summer we had a few strange things happen in the transfer market but here, between us, I can say, ‘My God, were we lucky, eh?’
    “We didn’t know that in that moment and it didn’t feel like it in that moment, but yeah, I’m really happy that it worked out, but you never know before.”
    The Reds instead spent £148m in all on Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.
    Klopp added: “We obviously realised that other central defensive midfielders don’t want to join Liverpool.
    “You see what happens, and then we found Endo. He’s an exceptional player.” More