Andoni Iraola faced the media for the first time as Liverpool head coach on Friday, previewing his opening Premier League fixture away at Newcastle United on Sunday.
The Spaniard touched on several subjects during the press conference at the AXA Training Centre, including his plans for the trip to St James’ Park and the makeup of his midfield options.
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One issue dominated the questions, though: the future of Curtis Jones, who has spent much of the summer being linked with a move away from Anfield.
Inter Milan have now agreed a £30m (€35m) deal with Liverpool for Curtis Jones, ending the 25-year-old’s 16-year association with the club.
Asked directly about the midfielder, Iraola said: “Curtis he is still officially our player, it’s an ongoing situation. I value him a lot as a player and he loves this club but I understood the outcome would probably be what it has been in the end.”
He added: “Curtis is a very, very good player, but I understood his situation straight away when he spoke to me. He was coming from several years in the same situation.”
Jones underwent a medical with Inter Milan on Friday afternoon, just under 1,000 miles away from where Iraola was speaking to reporters.
Inter will pay an initial €30m for Jones, with a further €5m available in performance-related add-ons. The agreement also includes a 10% sell-on clause.
The move brings an end to a long-running pursuit from the Serie A champions. Inter had an initial offer of £21.7m rejected by Liverpool earlier in the window, with the Reds initially holding out for £34m.
The Italian club had also made an approach for Jones in January, with manager Cristian Chivu keen on the midfielder as a disruptive option in his system.
Jones had one year remaining on his Liverpool contract and had been omitted from the club’s recent pre-season friendlies against Monaco and Como.
Jones joined Liverpool academy at the age of nine and went on to make 228 appearances for the club, scoring 22 goals. He becomes the third England international to join Inter this summer, following moves for John Stones and Djed Spence.
With the exit now close to being finalised, Iraola indicated he is prepared to bring in reinforcements.
“You are asking me what we need, there are certain situations that for me are clear – especially now,” he said, pointing to a need for additional options out wide.
On his broader squad, Iraola acknowledged Liverpool have lost a lot of experience over the summer but said the club’s younger players are ready to take on more responsibility.
Liverpool open their Premier League campaign at Newcastle on Sunday, with Iraola taking charge of his first competitive match since replacing Arne Slot at the helm.