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Highbury Harry ‏@BlackScarfAFC Jul 4 Liverpool fans are expected to pay £65 for a Monday evening match at ours, with little to no travel options to get home post-match.

Tiago Ilori ‏@TiagoIlori4 17 hrs Back in Liverpool x #FamilyTime #QualityTime #TimeOff #Liverpool

Will Liverpool restore James Milner to his swashbuckling, central best? During the 2009-10 season, Martin O’Neill unleashed James Milner in a central midfield role and he responded with his best club season to date. Brendan Rodgers may be tempted to offer him that freedom at Liverpool Lawrence Ostlere Sunday 5 July 2015 10.30 BST As November 2009 drew to a close, Martin O’Neill took stock. Aston Villa’s season had started with four wins in their opening five, but the manager had just watched his side desperately cling on to a home draw against Tottenham, a fifth 1-1 scoreline in eight games. “I’m satisfied we didn’t get beaten,” he said afterwards, with added cheek puff. Stewart Downing was finally fit. O’Neill had resisted the temptation to start his £10m summer signing against Spurs, but a midweek League Cup tie at Portsmouth offered a chance to try something different. He brought in Downing on the left of midfield, Ashley Young switched to the right, and James Milner made a rare start in the middle as the more defensive Nigel Reo-Coker dropped to the bench. That night at Fratton Park, Villa became a different proposition. From the centre, Milner created one goal and hammered in the second before Young and Downing also scored in a 4-2 win. The following weekend the same lineup thumped Hull City 3-0 (Milner with a brilliant lobbed goal and assist) and in the next three games the same XI beat Manchester United, Sunderland (another Milner goal and assist) and Stoke. The trio bristled with pace and attacking intent behind Gabby Agbonlahor – all around 23, and English, with the 2010 World Cup around the corner. And in the middle of it all, Milner had been freed. With Stiliyan Petrov sitting deep he could drift and charge forwards from midfield. This James Milner was a rambunctious, all-action central cog that never stopped turning, driving all the bits and pieces around him, reminiscent of an unpolished Steven Gerrard with an untucked shirt flapping behind him like a cape. From then on Milner played in centre midfield in almost every match until the end of the season. Villa finished sixth in the Premier League, reached an FA Cup semi-final and the League Cup final – and Milner won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. In the league, Milner had made the 12th most tackles of any player, scored the 10th most goals, had the seventh most touches of the ball and claimed the third most assists. Here was a player not quite top of the class in any subject, yet able to perform all duties with unwavering competence and occasional brilliance. As Manuel Pellegrini put it to the Guardian in March: “Find me a more complete English player. There are players who’re better technically, yes. Quicker players, yes. Players who head better, yes. But show me one who does all the things Milner does well. There isn’t one.” After the successful 2009-10 season came the World Cup in South Africa. Milner was in the squad but the England manager, Fabio Capello, ignored calls to use Milner in a midfield three that would have matched the formations in vogue (Spain, Holland, Germany). The Italian stuck with a cumbersome 4-4-2, which failed terribly. Off the back of an outstanding season in the centre, Milner started three of four World Cup games out wide. That has pretty much been the tale of his career ever since. Manchester City still spent £26m following the tournament to sign the midfielder. Five years on, Milner is 29 and it is hard to tell if he has progressed as a footballer through what were meant to be his prime years. He has worked hard for club and country and often performed well – the December 2013 Champions League win at Bayern Munich stands out – but usually as a sort of intermittent, new-age defensive winger, a long way from the regular freedom O’Neill once offered. “Milner’s a phenomenon, a guy with big balls and a heart this big,” Pellegrini had explained, opening out his hands. “Intelligent, great mentality, one of those players that when you leave him out you’re left with this feeling of injustice; it hurts because he should always play, but sometimes you need a technical player with other characteristics.” Would he have fared better staying at Villa, or moving to a different Champions League club? The fortunes of Downing, Young and Agbonlahor in the intervening years do not suggest an obvious path which Milner missed – he is, after all, a Premier League winner now – but his move to Liverpool this summer offers hope for the all-action player of 2010 to return to centre stage. Given Pellegrini’s impassioned words, this is clearly a move driven not by City but by Milner’s desire for game-time. He has likely been assured of minutes on the pitch at Anfield, but his place within Brendan Rodgers’ tactical tinkering is not immediately obvious. A plausible partnership is Milner and Jordan Henderson paired together in midfield. Both carry a similar range of traits, such as high energy, defensive commitment and goal threat that would offer Rodgers the tactical flexibility he enjoys. They could be the attacking elements in a three with Lucas Leiva, or the defensive base of a three with Philippe Coutinho; they could fit in the middle of a four-man midfield or to the sides of a diamond. The risk for Milner is that his adaptability counts against him. The option is there, for example, for Rodgers to use him at full-back or wing-back as he did with Henderson and Raheem Sterling at times last season. More regularly, Milner may be used wide as he was for City and England, a position he fills with merit, but where his influence is understandably muted and lack of penetrative pace exposed. It is this handyman tag from which Milner must debrand himself if he is to return to cementing a regular place in the middle. The transfer window could also dictate his role: Gerrard’s exit leaves a vacancy at the team’s hub but, come the end of the summer, a Sterling-shaped hole might require filling on the wing. Simon Curtis, a Manchester City supporter and writer, is not convinced Milner will command a regular spot in the centre. “Obviously he has now decided for once to put his own needs first: he wants to play more regularly and I believe he wants to play more centrally. Whether this will be possible at Anfield, I don’t know.” How Liverpool utilise these qualities remains to be seen. There are plenty of stories of wasted talent in football, but the strange thing about Milner is that the answer was there, engraved on a PFA trophy after six months of award-winning displays at the heart of the team. The journalists had noticed his transformation. O’Neill recognised it that night at Fratton Park. Five and a half years on, Milner must hope Rodgers sees it too. http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/jul/05/james-milner-liverpool-central-midfield-brendan-rodgers-manchester-city-aston-villa

Scott Taylor ‏@ScottTaylorUK 2h ICYMI: Liverpool have today signed Arsenal youngster Elijah Dixon-Bonner. He becomes the fifth youngster to sign for the Reds this season. https://twitter.com/edixonbonner99

Winger to leave in January or next summer Luis F. Rojo 07/04/2015 Pedro prepares Barça bye-bye Pedro Rodríguez is aware that his days at Barcelona are numbered. His plan a few months ago was actually to leave this summer in search of more playing time. Two factors prevented his departure: Barcelona offered him a much-improved contract while at the same time informing the winger that they would not let him leave given the FIFA transfer sanction. Pedro quickly put pen to paper, although his preference remained to join a new club rather than endure another year as a fringe player. The 27-year-old knows that his chances of leaving this summer are minimal. Luis Enrique does not want to run the risk of being short in the striking department if one of his lethal trio were to be ruled out by injury. It would only be conceivable if a big-money offer came in. The only suitors seemingly willing to do so are PSG, who could table a €25 million, but even in that scenario, Barcelona plan to hold firm. All should become clearer in January when Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan join up with the squad. Interestingly, both players can play in Pedro's position. The Spaniard is expected to look for a new club once that happens and Barcelona will not stand in his way, aside from reaching a financial agreement with his new employers. If no deal goes through in January, he will put in a transfer request next summer. Pedro prepares Barça bye-bye - MARCA.com (English version) Options abroad Pedro has two potential suitors in England, should he decide to leave The Spain international's first-choice option is to stay put, but his squad status may be cause for a summer re-think ............................... The Premier League is tempting for Pedro, in case he is obliged to leave Barça, and he is already considering that British clubs' styles of play can favour his attributes. Liverpool's offer is the one which is most tempting to the forward........... http://www.sport-english.com/en/noticias/barca/pedro-has-two-potential-suitors-england-should-decide-leave-4328889

way better than the Lazio offer of 5m euros suggested by Il Tempo this morning, although they do say - two days ago there was a contact with the agent of the former Roma player and the feelings between the parties are positive

AS English ‏@English_AS 4 hrs4 hours ago Morning all! Here's our front page - United go all in and will not allow De Gea to leave if Madrid do not sell Ramos.

Liverpool in talks to sign Allan Rodrigues de Souza from Internacional• Discussions under way to bring Brazilian midfielder to Anfield• Deportivo La Coruña interested in signing Luis Alberto on loan Andy Hunter Friday 3 July 2015 22.30 BST Last modified on Saturday 4 July 2015 00.55 BST Liverpool are attempting to strengthen their academy ranks with the signing of Brazilian midfielder Allan Rodrigues de Souza from Internacional. The 18-year-old impressed Liverpool coaches during the Frenz International Cup held in Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, when both the Merseyside and Brazilian clubs’ under-18s teams featured, and talks to bring the player from Porto Alegre to Anfield are under way. Allan, as he is more succinctly known, would cost around £500,000 and represents part of a concerted effort by Liverpool to bolster their options at youth level this summer. The Anfield club have this week signed 16-year-old Dutch winger Bobby Adekanye, who was available after his 2011 move from Ajax to Barcelona was declared illegal by Fifa, and 17-year-old striker Brooks Lennon. The United States under-18 international spent a trial period at Liverpool in January 2014 and has joined from MLS side Real Salt Lake, where he scored 31 goals at academy level last season. Luis Alberto’s future, however, appears increasingly likely to lie away from Liverpool with Deportivo La Coruña interested in signing the Spanish midfielder on loan. The 22-year-old cost Liverpool £6.8m from Sevilla in 2013 but spent last season on loan at Málaga having struggled to impress Brendan Rodgers. The Liverpool manager does not consider Alberto part of his plans for next season and a switch to Deportivo may suit all parties. Martin Skrtel, meanwhile, is expected to end his contract saga with Liverpool next week by signing a new three-year deal with the club. The Slovakia international defender has entered the final 12 months of his current contract and had rejected the club’s initial extension offer. A longer-term deal has now been agreed in principle and the 30-year-old is expected to sign when Liverpool’s first team squad report back for pre-season training next week. http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/03/liverpool-allan-rodrigues-de-souza-internacional-luis-alberto that'll be a no then for now

leivalucasUltimo dia de treinamento no Brasil.Last session in Brazil. Tomorrow get back to Liverpool . https://instagram.com/p/4r6lcqATP6/

Harry Kewell set for Premier League return as Watford line up former Liverpool winger for coaching job Watford want Harry Kewell to coach their Under 21 teamFormer Leeds and Liverpool winger retired from playing last yearLiverpool have also shown an interest in luring the 36-year-old back http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3149095/Harry-Kewell-set-Premier-League-return-Watford-line-former-Liverpool-winger-coaching-job.html#ixzz3euXUqlCX

David Amoyal ‏@DavidAmoyal 2 hrs2 hours ago Balotelli's adoptive father Francesco passed away in Brescia after battling an illness for a long period of time

LA Galaxy ‏@LAGalaxy 2 hrs2 hours ago Welcome to Los Angeles, Steven Gerrard! #GR8NESS

Billy Liddell ‏@Liddellpool 7 hrs Welcome to #LFC Brooks Lennon

Four in and eight out in summer transfer shuffle Sevilla come up trumps 07/03/2015 More and more football fans are waking up to the fact that Monchi is working wonders at Sevilla, making the most of the club's limited resources. Every player the coach gets his hands on he manages to polish up into something special, furthering the interests of both player and club in the process and turning in some spectacular results: in the last decade Monchi has won eight trophies. It's just over a month since Fernando Navarro lifted the Europa League trophy in Warsaw. Coincidentally, the Catalan player is one of eight players to exit Sevilla this summer. Three of these have been on loan and now return to their respective clubs, whilst Navarro and Arribas are going to Deportivo de la Coruña as free agents. But Sevilla makes money from selling players and has become an example to follow in this respect. Bacca (€30m), Aleix Vidal (€18m) and Iago Aspas (€4m) have brought in a total of €52 million for the club's coffers as a result of their sale. So far, Sevilla have made three new signings: Krohn-Dehli (free transfer), Kakuta (€3.5 million) and Rami (€3.5 million). That amounts to an investment of €7 million. But the best is yet to come. Sevilla closed a deal for Konoplyanka, a player sought after by most of Europe and who also comes to Sevilla on a free transfer. And that's not the half of it - at least five more players are expected to join the club this summer, making Monchi and Sevilla the summer transfer kings. Sevilla come up trumps - MARCA.com (English version)

Liverpool FC's transfer committee - who did what to bring new signings to Anfield 16:47, 2 July 2015By James Pearce A look at the six members involved in the Reds' recruitment process http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-fcs-transfer-committee---9575259

Billy Liddell ‏@Liddellpool 27 mins Welcome to #LFC Adekanye

this is what he said when linked with us and the mancs a few days ago - He said: "Inter next season will be very competitive because of the high-level players who are coming in. I'm sure we can fight for the title. "[Am I leaving?] No, no, I'm staying at Inter." Danny Blind has been named the Netherlands new national coach following Guus Hiddink's shock resignation. The Netherlands' federation (KNVB) has handed Blind a three-year deal which starts on 1st August. Adil Rami has become Sevilla's third signing of the off season. The French centre-back has inked a four-year contract with the Europa League champions, who will have to pay AC Milan almost €4 million for his services. Gündogan extends Dortmund contract until 2017 Fernando Llorente is Rafa Benítez’s specific request to reinforce the Real Madrid attack. According to La Sexta, the Madrid coach wants a pure No.9 who will help his side vary their attacking approaches and the man he wants is the Juventus striker

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/9900546/new-deal-close-for-skrtel#ooid=V0NXJ5dTq962oEvzi1ICBrIin6kTqJgO New deal close for Skrtel01/07/15 7:39pm Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel is close to agreeing a new deal at Anfield.

Arturo Vidal has been asked for by Rafa Benitez and Florentino Perez has given his seal of approval to the deal After a meeting today, Juve have agreed to sell Pogba to Barça next summer Inter Milan have completed the signing of João Miranda from Atlético Madrid Swansea have completed the signing of Eder from SC Braga for an undisclosed fee Porto have announced the signing of Gianelli Imbula. Bournemouth have announced their 6th summer signing - Sylvain Distin Shakhtar Donetsk have confirmed that Douglas Costa is joining Bayern Munich

The first transfer bombshell of the summer is here: Arda Turan is to play for Barcelona next season. The 'Azulgranas' have reached an agreement with Atlético de Madrid and will pay in the region of €35 million for the Turkish playmaker, who had a €41m release clause. Turan and his agent had made it clear in recent days that a move away from the 'Rojiblancos' was on the cards, but what no one had expected was that the 28-year-old would end up at another Spanish club. Chelsea and Manchester United had been hotly tipped as the likeliest destinations for the maverick midfielder, who wowed the Calderón crowd on so many occasions over the last few seasons. Like Aleix Vidal, Arda will be unable to play for Barcelona in competitive action until the club's FIFA transfer ban has run its course, i.e. until January 2015. Barcelona swoop for Arda Turan - MARCA.com (English version) ha ha gobby will be furious

SS breaking news, Seba Coates signs 4 year deal with Sunderland

Bascombe's piece yesterday said the club is hoping he will stay and so am I Ings and Milner, not listed yet on.tv, have they medicals to undertake ? the other newbies are listed

Statement from @FCPorto saying Atlético have agreed to pay the €35m release clause for Jackson Martínez Barcelona officials travelling to Italy today to try and edge closer to Pogba deal (this is for summer 2016) After two seasons at Manchester City, Stevan Jovetic could be returning to Serie A. The agent for the former Fiorentina striker, Ramadani, just arrived in Milano today- he's expected to meet with Inter in the next few hours. The nerazzurri have been in contact with Jovetic' entourage for quite some time, but it's possible Juventus and Milan take advantage of fact Ramadani is in Italy to also meet with him. Ramadani also represents Adem Ljajic, who could be in the potential deal to bring Dzeko to Roma

Manchester City FC ‏@MCFC 31m31 minutes ago James Milner has joined @LFC - @MCFC thanks James for his fantastic service to the Club http://manc.it/1FQf0Bz #MCFC View photo 523 retweets 322 favourites