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"EVERYONE WAS UNHAPPY"—VIRGIL VAN DIJK REVEALS THE LOCKER ROOM REACTION TO GABRIEL MARTINELLI

Virgil van Dijk reveals Liverpool squad fury over Gabriel Martinelli's shove on an injured Conor Bradley. Get the latest scans.

"Everyone was unhappy"—Virgil van Dijk reveals the locker room reaction to Gabriel Martinelli
Virgil van Dijk slams Gabriel Martinelli

Virgil van Dijk didn’t hold back—he said the entire Liverpool squad was furious with Gabriel Martinelli after he clashed with Conor Bradley.

Van Dijk was clearly angry. Martinelli dragged Bradley off the pitch, and at first, it just looked like a heated moment. But then everyone realised Bradley had actually injured his knee pretty badly.

After the match, Martinelli apologised. He reached out to Bradley directly and insisted he honestly didn’t know how serious the injury was.

Bradley left the field on crutches, wearing a knee brace. He was in obvious pain. Still, Martinelli tried to shove him off the pitch, which sparked a full-on brawl at the end of the game.

Van Dijk said, "Everyone was upset. Not just a few of us—everyone. And for good reason. Conor was down on the pitch, clearly hurt, and seeing someone push him off just isn’t a good look.

"You guys have probably seen the clips. For us, it all happened so fast. There was a long ball, Conor challenged for it and went down, then Martinelli pushed him off the pitch, and that set everyone off. We all came together, but in that moment, nobody really knew what was going on. It just looked bad, especially for Martinelli.

"Right now, we’re just thinking about Conor. He’s got medical tests in the next day or so, and we’ll have to adjust."

Liverpool ended up grinding out a hard point at Arsenal, keeping their unbeaten streak alive at ten games. Van Dijk admitted it wasn’t exactly pretty, but he was happy with how they stuck to their plan.

He said, "First, all our thoughts are with Conor. Hopefully, it’s not as bad as it looks, but it doesn’t look great. As for the game, I thought our plan was outstanding.

"We let their centre backs have the ball because we didn’t think they’d be able to hurt us that way, and that’s why they hardly created any chances.

"Sure, it didn’t always look great, but you could go all out and take risks, or you could stick to the plan. We knew a match was 90 minutes, and eventually, we’d get our chances. That’s what happened in the second half.

"We played really well with the ball. Honestly, it felt like we could’ve taken more than just a point, but I’m proud of the team, especially against a side in such good form.

"No team can press for the full 90 minutes as they do at the start, so we just kept at it, made them try to find a way through, and they really struggled.

"The guys worked so hard defensively, and then in the second half, we found the gaps and the right players in between the lines.

"We didn’t create any huge chances, but considering we’re missing two proper strikers, the lads were still brilliant. We’ll take the point and move on."

ANFIELD EXIT SIGNS: WHY SALAH’S FOREST FRUSTRATION SUGGESTS HIS LIVERPOOL CHAPTER IS FINALLY CLOSING

Anfield tension: Discover why Mohamed Salah was subbed for Rio Ngumoha and how his 9-game drought threatens Liverpool's top four.

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Liverpool legend hits lowest point after dismal display against Nottingham Forest

Mohamed Salah just hasn’t looked like himself this season at Liverpool. Against Nottingham Forest, you could see his frustration all over his face.

Not long ago, things seemed to be turning around for him. Salah had started scoring again. In his last five games, he picked up four assists and a goal. It looked like maybe he was back.

But in the Forest game, Liverpool actually looked sharper after Salah went off and Rio Ngumoha came on. Ngumoha brought so much energy that he changed the whole vibe of the attack. Salah clearly wasn’t happy about getting subbed, even though it was the right call from Arne Slot.

Let’s be honest, who looks pleased when they get taken off? It always kicks off a load of speculation, with people watching for every tiny sign that something’s wrong, over-analysing every shrug or frown. But really, Salah just looked disappointed in his own performance and in the fact that Liverpool were still level with Forest. It probably wasn’t just about getting hooked.

Still, even with Salah’s recent improvement, it feels like his time at Anfield is winding down. It’s rare for a player to leave on a high note. The rumours about MLS and Saudi Arabia aren’t going away, and you get the sense he won’t be any different.

On BBC Five Live, Clinton Morrison didn’t hold back. He said if Salah and Liverpool keep playing like this, forget about the Champions League. “There are still some big problems there, aren’t there?” he told Rick Edwards. “Salah didn’t look happy again.”

Edwards agreed, saying, “If Liverpool play like that for the rest of the season, they’re not getting Champions League. And Salah didn’t look happy again, did he?”

Morrison pointed out how lively Ngumoha was when he came on, setting up a disallowed goal and sparking the team. “Salah didn’t do any of that at all,” he said.

Edwards pressed on, “I think there’s still a big issue there, isn’t there?”

Morrison agreed. “Yeah, well, he hasn’t scored in nine Premier League matches now. It’s his longest run without a goal. I don’t think things are harmonious behind the scenes between him and Arne Slot. We saw hints of it before Christmas, with that ‘throw me under the bus’ comment and then the apology. He looked grumpy about being subbed, but if you’re playing badly, you’re going to get subbed. That’s just how it goes.”

WHY BAYERN BELIEVE LIVERPOOL ALREADY SECURED A PERSONAL DEAL WITH YAN DIOMANDE

Football news: Diomande to Liverpool. Get the report on Leipzig’s price tag and Bayern’s secret plan for Gakpo.

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Leipzig set a massive valuation on Diomande as Premier League giants circle

Bayern Munich think Yan Diomande already has a deal lined up with Liverpool for a summer move to Anfield, at least according to recent reports.

Liverpool wants Diomand,e too. They see him as the perfect long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah. Their manager, Arne Slot, and sporting director, Richard Hughes, are both on board with the idea. Fraser Fletcher from TEAMtalk broke the news back in December 2025, and he’s usually reliable.

But it won’t be cheap. Sources say RB Leipzig want at least €100 million for Diomande. The 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger only joined Leipzig from Leganes last summer, so they’re not in a rush to sell.

Bayern are definitely interested, but word out of Munich is they’re convinced Liverpool already have something agreed with the player. That info comes from Bayern Space, a well-followed and respected account on X. They’ve got 32,500 followers, and even journalists like Lewis Steele from The Daily Mail trust their updates.

Here’s where things get interesting. Bayern Space doubled down on their Diomande claims, but they also say Bayern have turned their attention to Cody Gakpo as Plan B for the left wing. Apparently, some inside the club believe Gakpo could really thrive in the Bundesliga, similar to what Luis Díaz has done. And now, some of Bayern’s board members are starting to think the Premier League club with a personal agreement for Diomande has to be Liverpool. They don’t have concrete proof, just a strong feeling based on what they’re hearing from people close to Gakpo’s camp.

The irony? If Bayern spend up to £65 million to sign Gakpo from Liverpool, they’d basically be handing Liverpool the money to buy Diomande, the very player who turned them down in the first place. That’s how quickly things can flip at the top of the transfer market. Some people at Bayern say they’d be fine with it if Gakpo delivers right away on the pitch.

But what are Liverpool’s plans for Gakpo? That’s still up for debate. Bayern Space is adamant Bayern want him, but Pete O’Rourke from Football Insider says the German club aren’t planning to go after the Dutch forward.

O’Rourke thinks Liverpool could sell Gakpo this summer, but he’s not convinced Bayern will be the buyers. He points out that last summer, Bayern had to choose between Gakpo and Díaz for the left wing; they went with Díaz, and it’s worked out great. Díaz has settled in quickly and become a key player for Vincent Kompany’s team, basically locking down that left side.

Gakpo’s versatile; he can play anywhere up front, so you can see why Bayern would keep tabs on him. But O’Rourke doesn't think he’s a top priority for them at the moment. And Liverpool aren’t desperate to sell either, especially since they’re a bit short on left-sided attackers.

If Liverpool do sign another left winger this summer, maybe that could open the door for Gakpo to leave. But he’s under contract until 2030, and, by all accounts, he’s happy at Liverpool even if he gets some criticism from fans for his performances. Arne Slot clearly rates him, since he keeps giving him game time.

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