Here is a roundup of the top Liverpool news, gossip and transfer latest from icfootballnews featuring the likes of Nico Schlotterbeck, Louis Koumas and Ifeanyi Ndukwe that you may have missed…
Austria Vienna sporting director Michael Wagner shared his thoughts on the agreement that takes Ifeanyi Ndukwe to Liverpool at the end of the current season, subject to clearance.
Ndukwe has been at Austria Vienna since the age of seven, making his way through the youth ranks and catching the eye of Arne Slot’s side, and he caught Liverpool’s eye at the Under-17s World Cup in Qatar in November and is expected to cost the Reds around £2.5 million
The youngster will now link up with Rob Page’s under-21s development team initially, but the hope will be that he can make the step up into the first team at some point in the future.
And after seeing that LIVERPOOL have wrapped up a deal for Ndukwe, Wagner has opened up and claimed ‘it is a perfect fit’ for the lad and Liverpool, He told the club’s media: “It is a great honour that one of the world’s best football clubs has shown interest in one of our home-grown players. The agreement with Liverpool FC is structured in such a way that Austria Wien will come out well in any scenario, regardless of whether the option is exercised or not.
‘For me, this is a clear win-win situation for both clubs. Above all, this story is a great tribute to the excellent work that is done in our academy every day. We have a number of players here with enormous potential, which we want to exploit even more in future and thus become a springboard for talented players into Europe’s top leagues – Austria Wien is the right club for this.
‘We were aware that there would be a lot of interest in our three U17 team players in particular after they reached the World Cup final. Basically, our goal is for our talented players to first establish themselves in the first team and thus recommend themselves for higher tasks.
‘In this case, the overall package – both Liverpool FC’s offer to Austria and the prospects for Ifeanyi Ndukwe – was a perfect fit for everyone involved.”
IcFootballnews Says…
Liverpool have just agreed to sign a brilliantly gifted talent that has a bright future in the game, and has spent alot of money in order to wrap up this transfer deal.
He wont be making an impact at LIVERPOOL for a few years, but working with the Reds coaches means that he will develop very nicely and quickly.
KOUMAS RETURNS
Liverpool have now confirmed that they have recalled academy graduate Louis Koumas from his loan spell with Birmingham City
After spending so much money in the last transfer window, there was not alot of space in that Liverpool squad for some of the younger players at Anfield and a decision was made to allow Koumas to make the move to the Championship side.
Confirmation that Koumas has returned to LIVERPOOL arrived this week following a spell at St Andrew’s which saw him play 25 games for Blues, but the 20-year-old winger was never a fixture in Blues’ line-up under Chris Davies and the signing of Ibrahim Osman has paved the way for his return to Liverpool
A statement from the Reds read: “Lewis Koumas has returned to Liverpool from his loan spell at Birmingham City.
“The 20-year-old completed a temporary move to the Championship side last August and went on to appear 25 times in all competitions, netting one goal.
“It was his second spell in England’s second tier after spending the 2024-25 season with Stoke City.
“Koumas, who has nine Wales caps to his name, enjoyed a scoring debut for Liverpool’s senior team in an Emirates FA Cup tie against Southampton in February 2024. He arrived at the Reds’ Academy set-up from Tranmere Rovers as an U11 player.”
IcFootballnews Says…
This was the right decision from Liverpool as the lad was not getting any experience sitting on the bench at City, bringing him back with the possibility of a loan out before the close of the window makes sense.
He may even get a few chances under Arne Slot between now and the end of the season if he stays, alot of those LIVERPOOL first-teamers have not really been performing like many would have hoped for.
SCHLOTTERBECK DECISION COMING
Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck has announced his future will be decided by the end of the current season, amid many reports that Liverpool are very much interested in a potential deal.
Virgil Van Dijk has been one of the main reasons why Liverpool have been so defensively good over the past few years, why they have won the Champions League and Premier League titles, and is a real leader in that back-line.
However – he has not looked like the dominant defender that can handle any striker this season, and the fact that he turns 35 later this year means that Liverpool are keeping a close eye out for his immediate replacement.
Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi was the number one target for LIVERPOOL, but Manchester City made the shock decision to offer money this transfer window, rather than wait until the end of the campaign, and get the England star for £30 million.
Now that he has signed for City, TEAMtalk are now reporting that Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck are being considered as alternatives.
And amid all the speculation and rumours, Schlotterbeck told Sky Sports Germany (via Liverpool.com): “I’ve set a personal deadline for myself. I won’t say when it is. Definitely before the summer, though.
“I feel comfortable here. It won’t be an easy decision. I’m a gut-feeling kind of guy. I’ll sit down with Dad and [brother] Keven and then make a decision. I don’t quite know right now how it’ll turn out.”
IcFootballnews Says..
There will be some big changes in Liverpool at the end of the season, some more players leaving, some new faces coming in, but improving that back-line should be the priority for Arne Slot.
Van Dijk is still the best defender at LIVERPOOL, probably has a few more seasons in him, so adding Schlotterbeck now to learn from the Dutchman and then take over could be a very good idea
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