Liverpool unlikely to sign Joel Matip replacement in January
Liverpool could look to conduct most their serious business at Anfield next summer, amid links to Wolfsburg centre-back Maxence Lacroix.
- Liverpool may conduct most of their serious transfer business in the 2024 summer transfer window at Anfield.
- Jurgen Klopp’s Reds squad are facing an injury crisis in their backline after Joel Matip’s season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury.
- Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi have been reported as potential options to replace Matip, but a solution may not be found in the upcoming 2024 winter transfer window.
Liverpool are unlikely to sign a Joel Matip replacement during the 2024 January transfer window, as journalist Ben Jacobs provides GIVEMESPORT with his view on the Anfield outfit’s reported interest in Wolfsburg centre-back Maxence Lacroix.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds side are on the verge of an injury crisis in their backline after Matip suffered a season-ending injury in December, with his contract expiring at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Liverpool could not bolster their defence during the 2023 summer transfer window after the Merseyside giants focused on a midfield rebuild. However, circumstances may have changed heading into the 2024 winter transfer window, and Klopp could be eager to avoid hampering his side’s realistic prospects of a Premier League triumph.
The state of play of Liverpool’s defence
After sustaining an injury in Liverpool’s 4-3 victory over Fulham at the beginning of December, Matip was ruled out for the remainder of the 2022/23 season, having sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The centre-back has undergone surgery, which the Reds have confirmed has been successful, but the club have not put a timescale on his return.
Thiago Alcantara, Andrew Robertson, Stefan Bajcetic, Alexis Mac Allister and Diogo Jota all remain on the sidelines with their respective absences. They hope to return to action sooner rather than later with a packed winter schedule. Matip’s setback has led to links of Liverpool moving in the 2024 winter transfer market to cover his absence. Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk are likely the preferred partnership at the heart of the defence.
According to The Daily Mirror, Lacroix has emerged as a potential option to replace Matip at Anfield. The former France U20 international could be available for around £25m, representing a decent price for the Reds to cover their stricken centre-back. Lacroix has less than two years remaining on his current deal at Wolfsburg, hinting that Liverpool could negotiate a better price, with the Bundesliga outfit keen for the defender not to run his contract down.
The same report claims that the Reds are also interested in Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, who is expected to be available during the 2024 summer transfer window. The England international will command a massive fee from the south London outfit, with plenty of admirers expected for his services.
Ben Jacobs on Maxence Lacroix to Liverpool
Jacobs has hinted that, whilst Liverpool must find a solution to Matip’s absence, they won’t necessarily look to solve it during the upcoming winter transfer window. The journalist expects the Reds to do most of their serious business next summer. Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT:
“It’s easy to say, for example, Lacroix might be €30m-€35m [£26m-£30m], and Guehi could be closer to €75m [£65m], so he’s significantly cheaper. But it’s not just about the end price. It’s about whether, for that price, even if that price is lower, the player has value, and because Wolfsburg, at the moment, don’t want to sell mid-season, it becomes difficult. Now, Matip is entering the final six months of his Liverpool deal. So, a solution for Matip does have to be found in the long term. But that doesn’t mean it must be covered in January right now. Liverpool are waiters, and I expect them to do most of their serious business in the summer.”
Liverpool transfer news, including Salah to Saudi Arabia update
Transfer insider Dean Jones has recently told GIVEMESPORT (12th December) that Liverpool could look to sign a No. 6 and a defender at Anfield during the 2024 winter transfer window. The journalist namechecked Bayer Leverkusen and OGC Nice centre-backs Jonathan Tah and Jean-Clair Todibo as potential transfer targets heading into the new year.
Meanwhile, Saudi Pro League Director of Football, Michael Emenalo, believes it will be challenging to convince Mohamed Salah to move from Liverpool to the Middle East in January. According to a report in The Sun in September, Liverpool were offered a world-record £215m to sell the Egypt international to reigning Saudi champions Al-Ittihad. A move never transpired, and Salah remains a vital part of Klopp’s plans heading into the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.
In other news, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has claimed that RB Leipzig have contacted Liverpool about the potential of keeping winger Fabio Carvalho, who is currently on loan with the Bundesliga outfit. However, the Reds have insisted on his return from loan as he’s seen as a big part of the six-time European Cup winners’ plans on Merseyside.
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Steve Cooper sacking ‘feels slightly inevitable’ at Nottingham Forest
The Forest boss has come under huge scrutiny for their poor season thus far and could be the next Premier League managerial sacking.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Nottingham Forest chief Steve Cooper’s job is under scrutiny as the team has performed below par this season.
- The relationship between Cooper and the club’s owner is strained, raising questions about his suitability for the job.
- Dean Jones believes that sacking Cooper won’t be a spontaneous decision and that it is likely to happen unless the team improves quickly. A former Real Madrid manager has been mentioned as a potential replacement.
Nottingham Forest chief Steve Cooper has come under serious scrutiny for his side’s below-par 2023/24 season so far and transfer insider Dean Jones, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT, has revealed why the decision to sack him won’t be made ‘on the spur of the moment’.
The Tricky Trees, spearheaded by Cooper, have not won a domestic fixture in five outings and are on sack-worthy form, with the City Ground-based side now sitting a mere five points above the relegation zone.
Cooper led his side back to the Premier League after a 23-year hiatus but has struggled to adapt to the trials and tribulations of the top division, which has led to questions arising over his suitability to make Forest a top-half outfit.
Relationship between Cooper and Forest owner ‘strained’
With the relationship between Cooper and the club’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, reported to be strained, the end of the road for the Welshman could be near. When the 44-year-old took over the reins at the club, he managed to completely turn their fortunes around. Prior to his appointment, they looked set to embark on a 2021/22 relegation dogfight, though the current boss managed to secure a play-off place, with their 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town marking their return to the English top tier for the first time in 23 years.
After the 5-0 thumping from high-flying Fulham, the East Midlands side needed some sort of reaction to ensure that Cooper’s position in the hotseat could be deemed safe given Sunday People chief sports writer Neil Moxley told GIVEMESPORT that he could lose his job if they failed to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers, especially with talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook revealing that the higher-ups were ‘concerned’ about the avenue they were going down under Cooper’s tutelage.
Nottingham Forest have ‘star in the making’ in Murillo
Nottingham Forest defender Murillo has enjoyed an impressive start to the season.
Although they only managed to snare a draw against Gary O’Neil’s outfit, it was considered a positive result all in all and, perhaps, kept him in the City Ground dugout for that bit longer. Amid their torrid on-pitch form, Forest forward Morgan Gibbs-White has come out to say that Cooper has the full backing of his squad, suggesting he’s the ‘perfect man’ for the job.
“We believe in him so much because we think he’s the perfect man for this job. Any team goes through bad spells in the season, but it’s just about how you react from that and how you bounce back. I feel like Saturday was a good reaction.”
Dean Jones on Steve Cooper
Jones believes that making such an important decision, such as sacking Cooper, will not be made on the back of one or two defeats. Instead, he suggested that it should be an over-riding feeling that has harboured over an extensive period of time. Claiming that the fans are evidently very supportive of Cooper, he insisted that fans and the hierarchy alike would preferably see a ‘better return on investment’ given how much they have spent on a litany of players while in the Premier League, while also suggesting that him receiving his marching orders before the conclusion of 2023/24 seems ‘inevitable’. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said:
“I think this has to be beyond the decision that you just make on the spur of the moment. I mean, you either believe in Steve Cooper and trust his process, or you don’t. I don’t see how one or two results can change an owner’s mind on what to do at this point. The fans are obviously behind him, but the problem is that, because so much money has been spent on this team, they need a better return on investment, and they need more points. It still feels slightly inevitable to me that he loses his job this season, unless that gap between Forest and the bottom three grows quite quickly.”
Julen Lopetegui earmarked to replace Cooper
Forest and Marinakis, in particular, will need to have a contingency plan in place should they part ways with Cooper in due course, especially in their bid to avoid potential relegation as teams approach the business end of the campaign. As such, Julen Lopetegui has been pinpointed as a worthy successor, with reports from Spain claiming that Forest are interested in bringing former Wolves boss Lopetegui to the club, if they proceed with sacking the Welshman.
| Julen Lopetegui – Senior Managerial Career Statistics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | From – Until | Matches | W | D | L | Points per match |
| Wolves | 14/11/22 – 08/08/23 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 1.30 |
| Sevilla | 01/07/19 – 06/10/22 | 170 | 90 | 44 | 36 | 1.85 |
| Real Madrid | 01/07/18 – 29/10/18 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 1.43 |
| Spain | 21/07/16 – 13/06/18 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 2.40 |
| Porto | 01/07/14 – 07/01/16 | 78 | 53 | 16 | 9 | 2.24 |
| All statistics per Transfermarkt | ||||||
Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that the Spanish tactician would definitely be interested in taking over the reins. Saying that, with Erik ten Hag also under threat at Old Trafford, Manchester United have one eye on the former Real Madrid and Wolverhampton Wanderers boss, with reports suggesting that Lopetegui has emerged as a ‘strong candidate’ to replace the beleaguering Dutchman due to his knowledge of the English language and the Premier League as well as his experience in European competitions.
The report reveals that he is of the impression that United are going in the right direction thanks to his strong relationship with some current players in the dressing room, including Casemiro, Raphael Varane and Sergio Reguilon. After recently rejecting a mega-money offer to manage Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, he is thought to be keen to continue his managerial career in England, leaving the door ajar from interested parties such as Manchester United and Forest.
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