Appeal upheld! Liverpool midfielder avoids ban after ridiculous red card
Following his harsh sending off on New Year’s Day, a Liverpool loanee has escaped further punishment having had his appeal upheld by the FA.
Tyler Morton joined Hull on a season-long loan deal back in the summer and has made 20 appearances for the Championship side so far in 2023/24.
The midfielder will be able to make his return earlier than initially expected, with his three-match suspension having now been overturned.
His evening was cut short in harsh circumstances with the score still 0-0 in his side’s meeting with Sheffield Wednesday on Monday evening.
Morton’s challenge on Djeidi Gassama was deemed to be a red card offence by referee Darren Bond, with around 10 minutes of the first half remaining.
The 21-year-old went in strongly, but not recklessly, on the winger and can count himself unfortunate that he wasn’t allowed to continue in the contest.
It ended up being costly for Hull, who were eventually beaten 3-1 by Danny Rohl’s relegation-threatened side.
Hull lodged an appeal after the incident and were successful in their efforts to see Morton’s ban removed following a review from a three-person independent panel.
The outcome means the Wirral-born youngster will be available for his side’s FA Cup third-round clash with Birmingham, which will take place on Saturday afternoon.
He had also been set to miss the league visit of Norwich and the subsequent trip to Sunderland, but he will now be in contention to feature in both.
Morton has enjoyed a successful spell on loan at the Tigers since his temporary move in the summer, having seen his stint at Blackburn cut short last season due to injury.
The midfielder made nine senior appearances for the Reds during the quadruple chase of 2021/22, including getting the full 90 minutes at the San Siro away to AC Milan in the Champions League.
He will be hoping to continue his progress with the Championship side, with a view to working his way back into Jurgen Klopp‘s plans for 2024/25.
Hull have typically deployed the 21-year-old as part of a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 this season, and with a shortage of defensive midfield options at Anfield he will be keen to leave a lasting impression between now and the end of the campaign.
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In retrospect even though it didn’t seem like it at the time, Liverpool had an extremely successful summer transfer window last year. Jurgen Klopp’s recruitment team brought in players who have now become the linchpins of a side sitting at the top of the Premier League table.
From Wataru Endo, to Alexis Mac Allister and of course, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch – Liverpool couldn’t have chosen a better quartet and a better set of players – especially for the price they paid.
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest transfers was that of Dominik Szoboszlai who arrived for £60m from RB Leipzig according to The Guardian.
Dominik Szoboszlai now worth double
Instantly, Szoboszlai fitted into the side seamlessly, as if he has been playing Jurgen Klopp’s football for years.
And now it seems he has already doubled his transfer value after just six months at Anfield.
According to the latest CIES statistics, Szoboszlai is currently valued as the 13th most expensive player in world football at £120m.
That’s more than Kylian Mbappe who the site ranks below the Hungarian and values at just £92m – far below the valuation of Liverpool’s number eight.
Of course, CIES metrics are not bulletproof and don’t always reflect that of the market in the real world. However, it’s still an impressive recognition for the Liverpool midfielder to have been given such a high value.
With what Szoboszlai has shown so far, it seems that Liverpool have been able to continue the club’s habit of signing players for just a fraction of what they’re actually worth. And that’s reflected not just on the pitch but by this CIES study as well.
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Liverpool are not guaranteed to make a January signing at centre-back.
The Reds have been linked with a number of players as they aim to fill the hole left from Joel Matip’s injury. One of the most recent rumours has seen them reportedly keeping an eye on Japanese centre-back Ko Itakura.
The man who broke that news was transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. And now, taking to KICK yesterday, Romano has given a further update on Liverpool’s interest in Itakura, as well as the wider possibility of the Reds’ signing a defender this month.
“New centre-back for Liverpool is not something guaranteed for January,” began the journalist. “They are quite happy with the squad they have.
“I released this news about Ko Itakura and Liverpool. Liverpool have been following the player for a long time. They have been in attendance multiple times to follow Itakura.
“He’s a player also appreciated by Tottenham, but we know Tottenham’s priority is Radu Dragusin at this stage. But Itakura has many clubs interested in him in England. He could be one to watch.”
Liverpool following Itakura
For the time being, it seems unlikely that Liverpool will add a defender – or anyone actually – to their squad this month.
The link to Itakura is an interesting one, but it doesn’t feel like the Reds are especially urgent in their interest.
We’d wager that instead of being a player seriously targeted, the 26-year-old is maybe one being watched in case of an emergency. If another one of Liverpool’s centre-backs gets injured, maybe they’ll move to sign the Borussia Monchengladbach man. If not, we don’t think they will.
Being the profile that he is, Itakura doesn’t seem like a natural target for the Reds. He’ll turn 27 later in January. By Liverpool’s recruitment standards, that’s already over the hill.
Having said that, it’s not unreasonable to think that the Reds simply want another solid squad option in defence. The previous thinking had been that Jurgen Klopp wanted a long-term starting partner for Ibrahima Konate, but maybe he’s now changed tack.
There would be two reasons for this. The first being that Liverpool already have their long-term partner for Konate – Jarell Quansah. The 20-year-old has been exceptional this season. Given the surprise nature of his breakthrough, it has almost certainly changed things for Liverpool.
The second factor is that Virgil van Dijk now looks like a player at his peak again. The Dutchman is reportedly planning to continue playing well into his thirties and now looks capable of doing so. Consequently, no Van Dijk successor need be looked for.
So, bearing those two things in mind, Liverpool may just be looking for a cheapish, steady option as a fourth-choice. Joe Gomez is still around too but is now more of a utility man than ever. Itakura could then be the man who slots in. A modern-day, younger Ragnar Klavan perhaps.
Jurgen Klopp will give an indication as to who he expects to fill the void left by Mohamed Salah at Liverpool on Sunday.
The Reds are set to be without Salah for the next month or so, as he aims to win AFCON with Egypt. With the 31-year-old in terrific form right now, that’s a blow.
Liverpool’s first test without their talisman is a big one too. They head to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in the FA Cup third round this Sunday.
Talk has been rife of who might step up and replace Salah while he’s away. And writing his weekend predictions for Sportskeeda today, Paul Merson thinks he now knows who Klopp will go with.
“Everyone rests players for the cup games, but when two Top Six teams play against each other, it could be a different story,” Merson explains.
“Liverpool will be without Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo for this one and that could be a big issue for Jurgen Klopp. Salah is on a different level and those are big shoes to fill, but Diogo Jota is a decent player and should slot into the right-wing role in the Egyptian’s absence.”
Merson backs Jota to start
Jota has started the last two matches from the bench and come on to make an impact in both. As a result, we’d suggest that Merson may be absolutely right here.
Since returning from a month out injured, the 27-year-old has looked very sharp. Add into the mix the fact that he absolutely loves playing against Arsenal, and you’re onto a winner.
In the three-and-a-half years since his arrival at Liverpool, Jota has scored seven goals against the Gunners. That’s more than against any other side.
Having been unavailable for December’s game with Mikel Arteta’s side, the £45m man missed his chance to add to that. He’ll want to do so here.
Whether or not that will see him come in like-for-like for Salah, we’ll have to wait and see.
All being right-footed, none of Liverpool’s four remaining forward options are a natural replacement for Mo. But all can probably do a job there.
If we’re sticking our necks out, we’d predict to see Luis Diaz continue on the left after a fine display against Newcastle. Darwin Nunez may get a rest, with Cody Gakpo coming in through the middle, and yes, Jota on the right.
As all good Liverpool front three’s are though, they should all be interchangeable. Without Mo, Jurgen will surely be working up something to that effect on the training ground. Whatever he’s cooking, Jota will be central to it.
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