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The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Rio Ngumoha shines to fuel Liverpool's optimism for new season
A vacancy has arisen on the left of Liverpool's forward line and an early, eye-catching application to fill the role has arrived from a 16-year-old. Rio Ngumoha further enhanced his first‑team claims with a sparkling display against Athletic Bilbao that underlined the formidable strength, and options, available to Arne Slot. Ngumoha opened the scoring superbly and teed up a goal for Darwin Núñez inside five minutes at Anfield in the first of two pre-season friendlies against the Basque club. A packed Anfield crowd had to wait for the second fixture to catch a first glimpse of new signings Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Hugo Ekitiké and Jeremie Frimpong. Ngumoha kept them entertained before then as Liverpool recorded a comfortable 4-1 win in match one. The second game also went Liverpool's way, a 3-2 victory in which Wirtz, Ekitiké and Frimpong added to the flowing, blistering quality of the champions' attacking play. Ngumoha is not eligible to sign a professional contract until he turns 17 on the 29th of this month but showed why Chelsea were livid when Liverpool tempted him away from their academy last summer. In only the second minute of his second senior appearance at Anfield the teenager, who made his full debut against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup last season, set off from halfway and, with Athletic defenders all in retreat, curled an excellent finish into the bottom corner of the Kop goal from 20 yards. The left winger produced something similar in Liverpool's previous pre‑season outing against Yokohama F Marinos last week. That goal came on the day Luis Díaz completed his £65.5m transfer to Bayern Munich, creating an opening on the left that could be filled by any one of Cody Gakpo, Wirtz, Ekitiké and perhaps the 16-year-old talent from London. His display was enough to prompt chants of 'Rio' from the Kop and a song in his honour from the singer who appeared during the interval. Ngumoha's emergence – predicted with confidence by John Terry when he lamented the youngster's exit from Chelsea – is timely for Liverpool as they await Newcastle's next move on Alexander Isak. There may not be a rush to replace Díaz directly given the options already at Slot's disposal. The Premier League champions can afford to wait on their prime target for the No 9 role and leave their £110m offer for Isak on Newcastle's table. Three minutes after his individual goal Ngumoha headed down a Ben Doak cross for Núñez to convert from close range. Anyone looking for clues as to Núñez's next step – with Al-Hilal interested in taking him to the Saudi Pro League – will have noted the hand-on-the-heart celebration that followed from the £60m-rated Uruguay international in front of the Kop. A glimpse of Liverpool's past and future, perhaps. Doak and Harvey Elliott, two other players who could leave Anfield in this window, were also on the scoresheet in the first contest against Ernesto Valverde's side. Ngumoha's footwork and pace also impressed in the 67 minutes he was on the pitch. He received a well-earned rousing reception when replaced by Trent Koné-Doherty. The opening game started at 5pm as scheduled despite supporters in the Main Stand having to be evacuated just over an hour before kick-off due to a false alarm. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Liverpool's first appearance on home soil since the tragic deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, was marked by the club's former captain Phil Thompson and Athletic president, Jon Uriarte, laying wreaths in front of the Kop before the game. There were moving moments 20 minutes into both games when everyone inside the stadium rose to their feet to applaud Liverpool's No 20. Play stopped and players from both teams also joined in the applause for Jota and Silva. Slot was without Virgil van Dijk for both Bilbao games due to illness. The Liverpool head coach indicated the club captain could be a doubt for Sunday's Community Shield against Crystal Palace. Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez were also absent through injury, forcing Slot to deploy 18-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni in central defence for the first Bilbao contest and Luca Stephenson at right-back. Goalkeeper Alisson was unavailable having left Liverpool's recent pre‑season tour of Asia due to personal reasons. Summer signings Freddie Woodman and Armin Pecsi filled in, playing one half each, while Georgia international Mamardashvili made his Anfield bow in the second game behind a central defence of Ibrahima Konaté and Wataru Endo. That is one department where the champions appear light at present. Ngumoha could add to their riches up front.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Crystal Palace DELETE all information about Conference League from their website just hours after draw - ahead of CAS battle with Nottingham Forest to be reinstated into Europa League
Crystal Palace have distanced themselves from the UEFA Conference League – just hours after being drawn in the competition's play-off round. On Monday afternoon, Palace's official website briefly published an article detailing their potential opponents in Europe. Monday's draw paired the Eagles with either Norwegian side Fredrikstad or Danish club Midtjylland, with the first leg scheduled for August 21 at Selhurst Park and the return fixture a week later on August 28. But by Monday evening, that article had been deleted. The original link now returns a 404 error, reading: 'The page you're looking for has either been moved, deleted or simply doesn't exist.' In addition, no European dates are listed on the club's online fixture schedule. The removal of the content underlines Palace's resistance to playing in the Conference League, with the club still fighting to overturn their controversial demotion from the Europa League. Palace have taken UEFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being bumped down a tier due to multi-club ownership rules. The club were removed from the Europa League because American businessman John Textor — through his Eagle Football Holdings group — held a 43.9 per cent stake in Palace while also owning 77 per cent of French side Lyon. But Palace have since deleted any mention of the Conference League draw from their website Both clubs had qualified for the Europa League, and UEFA rules prohibit two teams under the same ownership or influence from competing in the same European competition. With that in mind, UEFA chose to keep Lyon in the tournament and demoted Palace to the Conference League. Lyon were deemed the 'priority club' due to Textor's majority control, and because UEFA's MCO rules state that the club with the higher domestic league finish retains its place. Lyon had finished sixth in Ligue 1, while Palace were 12th in the Premier League — even though Palace qualified via the FA Cup. Palace argue that UEFA's application of the MCO regulations contradicts its own competition rules, and have taken their case to CAS, where a hearing will take place on Friday, with a verdict expected next Monday. Palace say Textor had no controlling interest in the club, with only 25 per cent voting rights, and that the issue has since been resolved — with New York Jets owner Woody Johnson signing a legally binding agreement to buy the shares, pending Premier League approval. Speaking to Reuters last month Textor said: 'Honestly, I am stunned. We did everything possible to separate from the club, as UEFA would ask, with a sale process that began before the deadline, and a sale that will occur well before the draw. Now we have sold out of a club that I love, to help Palace fans continue this dream year, only to have another off-the-pitch decision lay waste to an historic sporting victory.' Club chairman Steve Parish also hit out at the ruling, calling it 'a terrible injustice.' He told Sky Sports: 'Everyone knows we're not part of a multi-club set-up. We're caught up in a rule that wasn't put there for us. This is a ludicrous decision. We will ask the appeal court to listen to our argument.' Palace also believe they were treated more harshly than Nottingham Forest, who were granted extra time to adjust their ownership structure to avoid a potential conflict with Olympiacos, also owned by Evangelos Marinakis. In the end, Olympiacos qualified for the Champions League, meaning no clash with Forest ever materialised. Forest, who initially qualified for the Conference League, have been promoted to the Europa League, subject to Palace's appeal outcome. Mail Sport understands Forest will send legal representatives to the CAS hearing to defend their place in the competition. The case is part of a broader crackdown by UEFA on multi-club ownership. Previously, clubs like Manchester City and Girona, and Manchester United and Nice, were allowed to compete in Europe by placing one club in a blind trust, preventing any operational crossover. But UEFA has signalled this will no longer be a viable long-term solution. UEFA quietly moved the compliance deadline forward from June 1 to March 1 for the 2024–25 season — and Palace argue that they were caught out by this change, having only reached the fifth round of the FA Cup by the March deadline and still being uncertain of European qualification.
Metro
6 hours ago
- Metro
Rio Ferdinand fires warning to Eberechi Eze over Arsenal transfer this summer
Rio Ferdinand has warned Eberechi Eze he may struggle for game time if he joins Arsenal from Crystal Palace in the summer transfer window. Eze has been strongly linked to Arsenal ahead of the new Premier League season and the player is thought to be keen on a switch to north London. Arsenal are reluctant to pay Eze's £68m price tag – but believe they can negotiate a lower fee before the summer window closes on September 1. Eze has established himself as one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League, helping Palace land a historic FA Cup trophy last term. The 27-year-old has played a total of 167 games for Palace to date, registering 40 goals and 28 assists for the south London club. In The Mixer: Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – click here and sign up before Friday to make sure you don't miss the first edition. While agreeing personal terms with Arsenal is unlikely to be a significant issue, former Manchester United defender Ferdinand, who works as a football pundit, has told the Englishman to think twice about a transfer. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: 'I don't think [Arsenal] need Eze. Why do [Arsenal] need Eze? Where is he going to play? 'You've got Martin Zubimendi as a holding midfielder, Declan Rice on the left-hand side of the No.8, Martin Odegaard on the right-hand side. 'Then you've got a winger – out of Noni Madueke or Gabriel Martinelli… He'd play where Declan Rice plays.' Analysis from Sports Editor James Goldman… It was almost impressive that after spending nearly £200m on new blood that the Gunners looked so distinctly recognisable in their 1-0 pre-season defeat to Tottenham. A lack of invention and reliance on Bukayo Saka, allied to the traditional Gabriel Martinelli off, Leandro Trossard on substitution had fans despairing. It's obvious why Arsenal supporters are crying out for Eberechi Eze. Quizzed if the move made sense for Arsenal, Ferdinand agreed, arguing that Eze's potential arrival would give the Gunners more depth. He also said that Eze could fit in the Arsenal XI if Rice was deployed as the defensive midfielder instead of new signing Martin Zubimendi. 'If Declan Rice played as a holding midfielder, I'd take Eze in a heartbeat,' Ferdinand added. More Trending 'Yeah, he would give [Arsenal] depth. You could move it about. If Declan Rice gets injured, who have you got? Max Dowman.' Arsenal feel Eze's best position is when he operates as a No.10 but also view him as a versatile attacking player who can be deployed on the left. It's also reported that Arsenal are looking to sell a forward before making a formal move for Eze. Meanwhile, it should be noted that Palace chairman Steve Parish has currently shown no indication he would be open to negotiating a lower price for Eze. MORE: Liverpool pay tribute to Diogo Jota in first match at Anfield since his death MORE: Arsenal to make significant loss as they begin talks to sell £35m flop MORE: Chelsea urged to sign 'inspirational' £40m Man Utd transfer target this summer
