Man United lost to Everton in a “secret” friendly, highlighting Liverpool’s brilliant transfer strategy.
As Premier League teams resume play in the FA Cup, Liverpool will keep trying to finish the season with a trophy. After securing their spot at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final, Jürgen Klopp’s team will next host Championship team Norwich at Anfield.
The Liverpool coach will be looking to push in four different competitions during the second half of the season after defeating Arsenal in the third round. This home match is welcome. Furthermore, Klopp will be considering a second journey to Wembley when additional well-known players withdraw from the competition this weekend.
In the fourth round, Manchester City and Tottenham, the reigning Premier League champions, square off. In the meantime, Liverpool’s opponents at Wembley next month, Chelsea and Aston Villa, will both lose.
Though there hasn’t been much movement at the top of the Premier League as of now, there is still one week left in the January transfer window. Could Liverpool or its championship opponents be persuaded to change teams late in order to increase their own chances of winning?
In order to check out the news at the other clubs, Liverpool.com scans the other major teams in the Premier League and around Europe. We begin with an Everton-related comparison.
Everton determines Amadou Onana’s cost
Before the January transfer window closes, Everton may decide to let Amadou Onana go, but teams will need to spend over $76 million (£60 million/€70 million) to get the Belgian midfield player. Onana moved from Lille to join the Toffees in 2022, and she’s still drawing interest from all around Europe.
According to Football Transfers, Newcastle has shown interest in signing the 22-year-old, after Arsenal had previously contemplated a move for him.Because of the ongoing ambiguity surrounding Bruno Guimarães’ future, Onana has become a target.
However, Newcastle would only be open to considering a first loan transfer with a requirement to purchase the midfield player permanently in the summer owing to stringent FFP regulations. Given that Everton is fighting to stay afloat in the Premier League, it is extremely unlikely that they will find that appealing.
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Despite only having spent half of that amount to get Onana from Lille, Everton is reportedly willing to accept a trade provided his asking price is fulfilled. Any trade would increase revenue and help Sean Dyche’s team.
Even if he stays in the Premier League, Onana appears to be one of Everton’s most valuable assets, and a summer transfer is probably in the works, according to Liverpool.com. Everton’s claim for the amount shows how successful Liverpool was in obtaining Alexis Mac Allister for the sum it paid. He is the final product, unlike Onana, and cost $45 million (£35 million/€41 million).
‘Secret’ friendly loss for Manchester United
Following the Christmas break, Manchester United had a private practice to get ready for its FA Cup trip to Newport. However, Burnley defeated the Red Devils, therefore the game did not end as planned.
Burnley has now defeated United in two “private” friendly matches; the first was at Carrington in August when they overcame Erik ten Hag’s team 3-0. As they intensify their injury comebacks, players like Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, and Casemiro are probably going to have made an appearance.
Norwegian writer Fredrik A. Filtvedt claims that United was defeated 3-1 by the team that is presently ranked 19th in the Premier League standings. This weekend, Ten Hag’s team will play fourth-tier Newport in an attempt to recover from that setback.