Liverpool: Klopp warns squad; Anfield ticket price fears; midfielder up for award
After Mamadou Sakho made his first appearance in a Liverpool shirt since March last night, the Guardian reports that Jurgen Klopp has warned his whole squad about their conduct on social media after the Frenchman’s late night outburst ahead of the visit of Hull City to Anfield on Saturday. Klopp told the press:
“Those two things are not a rule for Mamadou Sakho. It is a rule for every player. Work hard and do your best. The rest of this I spoke to the team about and I spoke to Mama and we spoke together and that’s it. From my side everything is done and now we can carry on. There is nothing else to say.”
The move could open the door to a possible return to action for Sakho, though it seems unlikely given the already tense relationship which Sakho pushed right to the edge with his Snapchat messages. It also sees Klopp install more discipline to his squad as he makes it clear that he will not allow anyone to derail their early season form after an impressive start has put them in contention for the title.
After very successful developments took place over the summer to expand the capacity of Anfield, BBC Sport claim that John W Henry has cast doubt over possible further expansion at the Anfield Road end of the ground. Henry said:
“Ticket prices are an issue in England. That may foreclose further expansion… I don’t know if there will be a next step.”
Plans are in place for expansion at that end of the ground which would see another 5,000 seats added to the capacity of Liverpool’s home, taking the capacity to nearly 60,000 after expansion work on the Main Stand was also completed this summer. However, Henry is likely being cautious given the uproar and protests that were sparked when the club announced plans to charge £77 for some tickets in the rebuilt stand this season, though fans may be disappointed by the lack of ambition and surprise mention of ticket prices.
Young midfielder Mario Grujic has been nominated for the European Golden Boy award and could become the third player to have won the award and played for the Reds since it was launched in 2003, following in the footsteps of Raheem Sterling and Mario Balotelli. The Liverpool Echo explain that he is one of 40 men on the shortlist for emerging young players, alongside the likes of Marcus Rashford, Dele Alli, Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi and Reuben Loftus-Cheek.
Grujic was Jurgen Klopp’s first signing as the club forked out £5.5 million for the Serbian in January before loaning him back to Red Star Belgrade for the rest of the last campaign. After scoring three times in pre-season, Grujic has made two Premier League appearances as a substitute and earned his first start in the EFL Cup up against Derby County. Whilst he is unlikely to win the award, it is testament to his performances in Belgrade that he has been nominated.
Featured Image: All rights reserved by Steve Mcmetha.
