VIRGIL VAN DIJK DENIES CALLING "PLAYERS-ONLY" MEETING AFTER BURNLEY DRAW
Virgil van Dijk denies calling a players-only meeting as Liverpool bounce back with a 3-0 Champions League win over Marseille.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk brushed off rumours that he called a players-only meeting after the team’s draw with Burnley. The big Dutch defender helped the Reds bounce back with a solid 3-0 win over Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday night. But he shot down talk that he’d rallied the squad with some fiery gathering after the Burnley slip.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo both found the net, and a Marseille own goal sealed the points for Arne Slot’s side in France. With that win, Liverpool is in a strong spot to reach the next round of the Champions League without any extra drama.
Some reports claimed Van Dijk asked for a meeting with his teammates at the training ground on Monday—apparently similar to what he did after they lost to Manchester United back in October, during a rough patch when Liverpool dropped nine out of 12 games. But Van Dijk shot down those stories.
“Obviously, there was going to be a meeting after the Burnley game, but I never said it was my meeting,” he told TNT Sports. “I don’t know where that’s coming from.”
His manager, Arne Slot, looked just as puzzled before the Marseille match. “I’m not aware that Virgil called for a meeting. We had a post-match meeting, but that was led by me,” Slot said. “The only time I know the players met on their own was months ago. This week, the meeting was about what went well and what we need to tweak so a match with that many chances doesn’t end in a draw.”
After the Burnley game, Van Dijk had shown his frustration and hinted that the team needed to talk things through. “I’m frustrated that after 60 minutes we started to get sloppy, and it’s not the first time,” he said. “We’ve discussed it already, but apparently, we need to bring it up again. Monday will be important because Wednesday’s a tough one away—not just because of the atmosphere, but because we’re playing a De Zerbi team, and they’re always tricky.”
He was clear, though—it’s not just about him stepping up. “It’s not about me calling everyone out. It’s about us figuring out a solution. We all want to win, and we had more than enough chances against Burnley.”
Even after the Marseille win, Van Dijk kept his focus on what’s next, underlining how important the upcoming game against Bournemouth is. Liverpool head to the south coast on Saturday, and Van Dijk expects a tough test.
“After a win, we always say the same—recover and move on,” he said. “Now it’s Bournemouth. They’re hard to beat, play good football, and have a very good manager. We need to be more than ready.”
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”
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