Virgil signs, squad audit & champions as soon as this weekend?
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This is incredible. We have the gear, inspiration, and advice to help you get there. REI Co-op. Visit REI.com. The Athletic FC Podcast Network. All right, Reds. Tony Evans here with Walk On, your Liverpool podcast from The Athletic. I'm here with James Pearce and Greg Evans. Well, Virgil van Dijk has signed.

And everything is rosy in the Liverpool garden at the moment with the title about to be sealed. But we look forward to how Liverpool can look to winning it again next year. So we'll talk about the squad. And we'll also look ahead to the match away to Leicester on Sunday, which will be quite nice to win that one. And maybe we'll move three points closer to winning the league and perhaps relegate Leicester.

which none of us would be disappointed at. But first, we'll go to those three words. Greg, welcome back to the show. Three words for you. Hello, Tony. I'm going to go for tired, tired Arsenal. Well, they didn't look that tired in the Bernabau, did they? I mean, to be honest. I think they will be at the weekend, though. That's my hot take. Well, we'll go into that in a moment.

Ah, maybe it's a bit too much soap for that they'll be that tired. James! Champagne on ice. Well, I've cracked mine this morning anyway, which is why I sound even more incoherent than normal. But let's see what you're saying. Dan Arachy, on our page. Alex Fogarty, crowns in April. Marcus Pension, send them down. I like that.

Davey Lloyd, six more draws. Oh, Davey, Davey, Davey! Don't do this to me. To join our community of listeners on Facebook, just search Walk On Podcast and join the group. Before we start the show, we've got an email from Bud Mendez. Dear Tony, Si and James, I didn't put Greg in, but he probably didn't know Greg was going to be here today, but I'm going to add you in. Love the pod. Look forward to listening twice a week. I have a question for you.

How petty are you after a cup tournament loss? Personally, I'll not watch any more Champions League games for the rest of the season, especially the ones with English teams in. If I did watch it, it'd be to support a team like Bruges or Dortmund, but no one else.

Once the pool have gone out, Champions League is dead to me. Same in the FA Cup, usually. But this year, I'd watch a match involving a team other than City. Are you all equally bitter, petty, or am I the only pathetic one? Great pod, and up the Reds. Thanks, bud. Well, James, how petty are you? Um...

Yeah, I'd say kind of not quite that extreme. Like I must admit, I've, I really enjoyed sitting and watching the, the Champions League quarterfinals. You know, obviously it's,

with regret that obviously Liverpool weren't part of it. But I just love the high stakes nature of those games and, you know, seeing Villa put up such a good fight against PSG and then Arsenal embarrassing Real Madrid in their own backyard. I think, you know, put domestic rivalries to one side. I think it's always pleasing to see Real Madrid win

the arrogance of that club be brought crashing back down to earth so so yeah not not petty or bitter enough to completely swerve the champions league although one one thing i do buy into is i i really i've got an irrational dislike already for the revamped club world cup that's coming up in june and and i know that it's probably double standards because if liverpool were part of it

I'd probably be saying what a fantastic addition to the calendar this is if I get a month in America out of it. But as it is, I fully intend to be petty about that and not watch a single second. Well, if you've got a month in America to do that, when you come back, you'd have to check into a detox clinic, wouldn't you? I mean, let's be honest. Weight Watchers Premium. LAUGHTER

I mean, you know, can you imagine all those pancake breakfasts and things like that? But Greg, Greg, you cover Villa. So, you know, it's obviously that there's a certain element of interest, if not emotional investment there. You know, how do you feel about it?

Well, look, I'm a West Brom fan, so when I watch Champions League football, it's always a new adventure for me anyway, because I never get to watch this with my own team. But no, I mean, similar to James, really, I really enjoyed the quarterfinals. I thought Villa put up a good fight. I was looking at that PSG game with interest because I kept comparing it back to the Liverpool games. And I thought, you know, how close are

how close both of those games were really. I suppose I'd get a little bit more petty with England actually. I don't know if that's going to upset you, Tony, but when England go out of a tournament, I tend to switch off a little bit from there, to be honest.

Oh, I switch off before England. And when England go out of a tournament, I laugh so loud. And then you switch on. Yeah, yeah. No, I mean, my point of view on this is, you know, top level football. I mean, I'm sad. I just enjoy football. You know, I wish I didn't really as much as I did. And I can't help myself anymore.

I watch it compulsively and stupidly. And obviously, Liverpool, the team I want to watch most. But when you get to this stage of the Champions League...

You're drawn to it, you're like a moth to a flame. And sometimes it burns you. I mean, if Arsenal go on and win, I'll feel about as burnt as you can be. But I'll be supporting everyone who plays Arsenal at this stage. Although, having said that, PSG are a pretty ugly club, really. So, I don't know. I don't know. But I shall be watching it.

I'm petty in a different way. I hate watch football when Liverpool are knocked out. James, so Virgil signed. We were expecting it. But it is brilliant. It is, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think, as we talked about earlier on in the week, I think,

he's just been such a colossal figure in this team that are on the brink of winning the title. And it's, I think you can make a very strong argument for the fact that if you'd been faced with the nightmare scenario, trying to replace him this summer, that would have been even more difficult than trying to find a Salah successor to give you what, what Salah gives you down the right side. So yeah, you know, what,

What a servant he's been to Liverpool. When you think from becoming the most expensive defender on the planet at the start of January 2018 and people questioning Liverpool

how sensible that £75m outlay. I mean, he's repaid that a few times over already, hasn't he, with the service he's given. Part of that, him and Alisson were the two missing pieces in the jigsaw, weren't they, in terms of taking Liverpool to unbelievable heights under Klopp with the Champions League and the Premier League triumphs and then

To come back in the way he has done, you think people wrote him off after the ACL injury in October 2020 and he had a tough 12 months trying to get back. But yeah, for me this season, he's underlined his status as the best centre-back in European football and people pounce on little errors he makes. There was one or two on the Merseyside derby at Fulham and

And again, against West Ham last weekend. But it's, you know, for like 98% of this season, he's been absolutely immense. And also, you know, you can't put a value on all the other stuff he gives you. Because yes, on the one hand, he's this unbelievably elite defender who's remarkably durable, played every minute of every Premier League game this season. But it's also the intangibles like,

the value of his leadership and you know you hear slot talk about how van dyke runs the dressing room and the standards he sets on a daily basis and how he's kept everyone's feet on the ground throughout this title challenge and um yeah it's just just amazing news

I think that's a really significant statement of intent from the club and Fenway Sports Group, who have been very critical of at times, Greg, for the way they've handled this contract situation.

issue but all's well funnily enough we're just talking about Arsenal and I was told a story a while back um when when Virgil van Dijk was still at Celtic so it would have been what a decade ago and Peter Lorwell who was Celtic's chief executive was interviewed by Arsenal about taking a similar job with them and it never worked out but he said to Arsene Wenger he said look

There's a player I've got, Virgil van Dijk, really. He's ready to take the step up. I think it's someone that Arsenal should look at. And so Wenger sent Arsenal scouts up to look at him and they come back and said, no, he's not good enough for the Premier League. And that was before he moved to Southampton. Can you imagine if he was playing for them now, the difference it would make? He's just...

Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, incredible. I suppose there's the argument perhaps that he needed that little bit of time at Southampton to get used to the Premier League. You know, that was the next stage in his development. But yeah, look, you know, he could have had that easily at Arsenal for a year and then developed better.

and continue to develop into the player that he is today. And look, Arsenal have needed a defender for quite some time until they managed to find Saliba and Gabriel, who have now connected as a brilliant partnership. But,

Yeah, Liverpool very lucky that Arsenal didn't fancy him perhaps at that point. Yeah, I mean, I'll say, James, the other story I heard about him is the Champions League final when it was in Cardiff. You know, he went the game and he was approached by loads of people.

And about 200 people sort of said to him, you've got to sign for Liverpool. And he was like, oh, yeah, yeah, okay, okay. There was a Chelsea win for him at the time. About 10 people said, oh, come and sign for Chelsea. And one Manchester City fan. And the thing about Virgil is because he played for Celtic, he had a great sense of what it was like to play for a club with a brilliant atmosphere and where he'd be idolised.

And he found that at Liverpool. Yeah, absolutely. I remember hearing him speak about that, actually, getting bombarded with Liverpool fans when he was in Cardiff. I think it was when Real Madrid beat Juventus, wasn't it, in the 2017 Champions League final at the Millennium Stadium. And I think that plays a big part in it because if you think back to that summer...

of course that was when Liverpool ended up in a spot of bother for their pursuit of him and ended up having to kind of backtrack and relationships with Southampton had to be repaired permanently

when there was talk about a potential kind of tap-it-up charge at the time. And they essentially backed off and, you know, healed those relationships and got the deal done for £75 million for the following January. But yeah, I think you're right, Ted. I struggle to think of someone who's not from Liverpool, who gets Liverpool to the extent that Van Dijk does and just what it means to him. Because he was asked, you know, what this...

after his late heroics to win the game against West Ham in the mix zone, he was asked about what this club means to you. And he gave such an eloquent answer about, you know, he said from the first day he was here, the way he was made to feel like part of the family and the way he was embraced. And he said, seeing just what Liverpool means to scousers and to the fan base globally,

He said, you know, I just bought into it 100% and you can see what wearing that armband means to him. So that's why, you know, of course, there was a process to go through to get to terms and the length of a deal that everyone was happy with. But yeah, at no point throughout this entire process did I ever have

any real feeling that he would end up anywhere else because it just seems like a no-brainer on all parts, doesn't it? Because it's like a match made in heaven, really, in terms of Van Dijk and Liverpool and what they give to each other. Yeah, I mean, I was nervous, Greg. I'll be honest with you. I wondered whether it would happen at various points. But he really has joined the pantheon of Liverpool greats, hasn't he? 100%. And I mean, I think...

It's so rare that you get incredible players as well as, you know, incredible human beings. And that's what Van Dijk is. He mixes both the on-field qualities with the off-field qualities that he has. And as James said, you know, he just gets Liverpool on.

every single Liverpool supporter in the world will be so happy with this news today that Van Dijk's staying and you just know because of the way that he looks after himself and his performances this season that he's going to continue playing at this top level for a good couple more years and

I think the fact that he hasn't missed a game, you know, he's amazing really. And as James said earlier, every time he makes an error, which these moments are so few and far between, they're highlighted because they're so rare and important.

I just find it laughable sometimes that pundits really start focusing in on his one mistake that he'll make every 10 games and then it becomes a big thing. But he's a massive part of this Liverpool team and without him, I'm 100% convinced Liverpool would not be winning the title this season. Yeah, I mean, well, you could see after James, after the error that led to the own goal against West Ham,

You could see Andy Robertson turned round and you'd see what he was saying. He was saying, just sign the contract, Virgil! LAUGHTER

Well, James, talking of contracts, let's look at the squad and where we are, where we're going. I suppose we've got to deal with the elephant in the room, the scouser in the room, Trent. He's back in training. That's this week's development. He was back involved with the squad at the AXA on Wednesday. Didn't play a full part in the session, being kind of slowly integrated back in.

I think he'd probably touch and go for the weekend. My suspicion would be Leicester away might come too soon, but he could be involved against Tottenham the following weekend in terms of his future. So Glory Boy Dare will be back to win the title, will he? Yeah.

Well, I think anyone who's watched Liverpool this season, one thing I don't think you could accuse Trent of is a lack of application. I think there was a lot of talk, wasn't there, around that Man United game at home when he had a really tough day and you could see that all the speculation had affected him. But I think...

by and large, his form has been excellent. And that's why, you know, I don't go... Regardless of what happens beyond this season, I don't subscribe to this idea that he should just be cast aside and not be part of the running. You've got one of the best players in the world playing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. And I think the only reason you wouldn't play him...

is if you thought that he was distracted, no focus, you wouldn't get 100%, he'd be worried about potentially getting injured, blah, blah, blah. In terms of clarity on his future, the expectation for a long time now has been that he will join Real Madrid on a free transfer. We reported not long ago, didn't we, that certainly that's the confidence in Madrid. But the...

Real Madrid had not articulated that to Liverpool, that they have to once an agreement has all been signed.

that Trent himself hadn't told Liverpool that that was his intention. But, so, you know, of course, that leaves the door open, you know, slightly ajar to a change of decision. But, yeah, everything still points to Trent joining Real Madrid in the summer. Let's look at the contracts in the squad, James. Goalkeepers, Kelleher, he's got...

Another year. We expect him to leave in the summer. And Alisson is around until June 27. And obviously, they've got a new goalkeeper coming in this summer. Now, there is an injunction that prevents me from trying to pronounce foreign names. So I'll leave that one to you. Mama Dashvili.

Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see what happens in the goalkeeping department come the summer. I think you're right. The expectation is that Kelleher will go. I remember doing an interview with him at the back end of last season where...

It was, you know, he picked his words carefully, but it was essentially, you know, like, you know, please let me go. You know, I've had a real taste of it. You know, he'd had probably the longest run of his professional career while Alisson had been out injured last season and was like, you know, I'm desperate to be a number one and be the main man somewhere. And he said, you know, ideally that would be Liverpool, but I'm realistic because I'm trying to get past the best goalkeeper in the world. And his situation is pretty much terrible.

the same 12 months on and that, you know, he's been, he's been a very able deputy at times where Alison has missed games, but,

It's not realistic that he's going to be the number one next season. So, yeah, it'd be interesting to see how many clubs come in for him. I was amazed last season that no one really tested Liverpool's resolve. I think they ended up rejecting a bid from Nottingham Forest right at the end of the window. But it was peanuts, really. He had a 20p offer, didn't he? Yeah, it was...

I think even with a year left on his deal, you're looking at, I think, £25 million for Kelleher. And then you'd imagine Mamadashvili coming in to compete with Alisson. I think Mamadashvili was all about succession planning, wasn't he? Getting that boxed off a year in advance. And Liverpool have been aware for a few years that Alisson's had this strong interest from Saudi up to this point. He's shown no interest in going over there yet.

you know, you need to cover your back just in case, don't you? Because we know that the Saudis don't tend to take no for an answer and they just keep coming back and putting more noughts on the end of the offer. So, and then in terms of backup, there was Yaros, who again is very highly thought of,

I saw some stuff recently talking about him being potentially out of contract, but that's not true. He had an extension not long ago. I think it was before one of his loan spells. So Jarosz is still under contract. So yeah, that's the most likely outcome in that department with Mamadash really coming in that Kelleher departs. I also would have thought, Greg, that...

Virgil signing will have a knock-on effect on other members of the squad, for example. I think it makes it likelier that Alisson's going to stay. And more importantly, Canarte is coming up to the final year of his contract. And I think, you know, whereas if Van Dijk would have gone, he might have been a bit more reluctant to sign. I mean, what are your thoughts on that?

Yeah, possibly. I think Canate is the big one now moving forward, isn't it? We've almost moved on from the three this season and the next big one is Canate. Liverpool need to get that done because it feels like that's a great partnership, Canate and Van Dijk. And of course, Canate would be more inclined to stay at Liverpool with Van Dijk alongside him.

you know, I do often wonder about that, that French connection there. There is a, we've picked with the PSG interest. We know that that's, that that's strong, you know, moving, moving back to France. Would, would that appeal? Um, you know, he's very close with a lot of the French players, although there aren't too many at PSG. Um, but, uh, but look, Liverpool have got to get that done. That's a priority for them. Um,

you know, they've moved on now from these, almost from these, from these other three. Let's get Canarte done and that would be a really strong one for Liverpool. But with Van Dijk signing, I think, Tonya,

More importantly, it will help new players be really convinced that coming to Liverpool is the right move for them. Not that it's difficult to sell a club like Liverpool in the first place. Yeah, that is a really good point. I wonder, James, whether given his leadership qualities, that's the sort of thing he does. I always remember talking to Kenny Dalglish and he said one of the great things about Steven Gerrard was...

He said, when I was looking for players, he said, like, you know, he said, I was too old. They didn't know me. They're all young. He said, I'd better get Stephen to get on the phone to them. And when you've got someone like him saying, come and play with me, he said, you know, potential recruits would get very excited. Is that something you think that Van Dijk...

Would too. Yeah, I think it is. I think you take someone like Dean Hoysen at Bournemouth as an example. A really talented young defender who we know Liverpool retain an interest in.

I'm not saying this will happen or it has happened, but can you imagine if you're a hoist and you get a call or a message from Van Dijk and you're in two minds over which offer to accept this summer? Because it's a relatively straightforward deal for clubs to do because he's got this £50 million release clause in his contract.

So, yeah, I think it will have a knock on effect, both Salah and Van Dijk, because I, you know, Slott even touched upon it, didn't he? I think it was in the press conference after the Salah deal had been announced. He said, you know, in terms of recruitment, being able to say to targets, you know, you know, you'll be you'll be playing alongside these players, sharing a dressing room with them, learning from them.

who wouldn't want to be a part of that? So yeah, I think it will have a knock-on impact. I mean, defensively, I think it's going to be really interesting to see what Liverpool do this summer because we know that they're in the market to strengthen at left-back. I think Kierkegaard at Bournemouth is probably the most likely one at the minute. And then I think on the other side, if as expected, Trent leaves, as good as Conor Bradley is, I just think with his fitness issues...

You have to strengthen in that area as well. And as Greg said, you know, the uncertainty over Canarte, what do you do this summer? Because if the contract talks still drag on, there's a big decision there, isn't there? Do you run the risk of losing him for nothing in 2026? Or do you try and get what you can for him during the upcoming window? So, but I just feel like,

Liverpool need another centre-half almost regardless because I think Joe Gomez has been a brilliant servant to Liverpool but unfortunately the injuries have heavily restricted his game time. He's on the comeback trail currently having not played since February.

And I think even though you keep him Van Dyke for another couple of years, you do need to start that succession planning process. And that's why I think someone like Hoysen is such of interest because he's only 20. Joe Gomez is a tricky one, isn't he, Greg? He's only 27. It feels like he's been around for life. It feels like he's older than me.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, he has been around for so long. I remember when he was, he would have been 18 or 19 at Charlton and I was covering Aston Villa at the time and Aston Villa were one of the teams that were in for him. But, you know, eventually he made the bigger move to Liverpool and,

He's gone on and won everything there since. Look, he's been a really good servant, but I think Liverpool need to move on and look for the next defender that's going to be able to potentially replace Van Dijk. Because I think if we're all being honest, we're not looking at Joe Gomez now thinking he can take Van Dijk's place in two years' time. So...

And look, his contract's up next year, isn't it, James? I think Gomez has got one year left after... 27. Next summer, is it? Yeah, 27. Two years. Oh, two years, right. Okay. So, yeah, he had the security of that long-term deal a couple of years ago. And privately, he would have probably known this is my last big deal at Liverpool unless something miraculous happens. So...

And he's still got a good few years left in him to perhaps go somewhere else and have a really good career still. Yeah, yeah. Well, James, the rest of the defenders, you know, we've talked about Trent Canarte, Andy Robertson, a year left on his contract come the summer. You know, he provides leadership as well. I know they're in for a left back, but do you think it's worth keeping him? You've got Simakas as well. And, you know, Bradley...

A couple of years still to go. Obviously, it's a no-brainer. And Kwanzaa is around until June 29. But how do you feel about keeping Andy Robertson around?

My preference certainly would be to keep Robertson around and offload Simakas this summer. I think that would be the most sensible approach because you mentioned there the leadership and experience that Robertson gives you. I think his form has dropped off this season. I don't think there's any debate about that, although I don't think he's been anywhere near

as bad as some people have made out. I don't think you can play the number of games he has done in a team that's on the brink of winning the league and kind of be like a weak link if you want. But I just think it's inevitable with the amount of football he's played. What is he, 31 now? You think of the physical demands placed on him for both club and country.

you need to be succession planning in in that area so um yeah with a year left on his deal you know i'd like to see him stay as um for that for that final year and you know i'm sure there would still be a decent amount of game time uh for him

Let's move on to the midfield. Greg, the midfield, there are no massive imminent issues. Curtis Jones, his contract's still 27. Same with Elliott. Enzo, 27. McAllister, 28. Subozlai, 28. Gravenberg, 28. I think the biggest issue this summer is an addition to that group.

Yeah, look, I agree. Liverpool rebuilt their midfield, didn't they? When Gravenberg, McAllister and Zaboszlai came in, and Endo came in, in that period. I think what Liverpool really need to be looking at now is removing Endo as the fifth choice midfielder and bringing in another player of very high quality. So they then have five, you know, with Jones, Zaboszlai, McAllister, Gravenberg and the new guy. You know, all five are of equal level, can play in various roles.

And just when there's that little bit of a drop-off in games, you can make two changes rather than one. You know, we've seen this season that Endo's come on and he's played his part and Liverpool haven't lost a Premier League game in the games that he's come on and helped see out. But I think if they want to go forward, if they want to just...

challenge that a little bit further in the Champions League even next year. I think having another central midfielder, a multi-purpose midfielder who can play in various roles will help. We know that Liverpool went for Martin Zubamendi in the last summer window. Whether that would have

hindered Gravenberch's development. You know, we can only look back and wonder now. Gravenberch has had a brilliant season. Zaboszlai and McAllister have been great. I think Jones is the most underrated player at Liverpool as well. I think he comes in and does a really good job, keeps the ball moving. His passing accuracy is always really high up. But for me, yeah, they just need another man in there and that'll really, really strengthen the team.

I don't think we need to worry too much about the midfielders at this stage. You know, unless you've got an outstanding candidate, because given that you actually run Liverpool's recruitment, according to social media there is. But, you know, I think even if someone, even if they didn't bring...

anyone else in, I think we could be pretty confident with that group. Yeah, I think it's definitely the most kind of future-proofed area of the squad. Yeah, I think, picking up on what Greg said, the one thing I think is...

You know, it's tricky because I think Endo has done a brilliant job for Liverpool. And, you know, when you think of the kind of underwhelming reaction when he came in from Stuttgart, you know, because everyone had got their hopes up about Caicedo and then Lavia. Except for me, except for me. Except for you. I think Endo has been a brilliant asset and he's, you know, just such a top professional. I thought it was amazing.

it spoke volumes really that when slot was having a little pop at Nunes's work ethic the other month after that Villa game he kind of held up Endo within he is this kind of beacon of like that's how you need to apply yourself on a daily basis if you want more game time but I do think the fact that Gravenberg has been worked so hard you know it does point to the fact that you know that there's

I felt there's been opportunities when Gravenbrook should have been rested and if you don't back Endo to start those games then surely you need a stronger backup option as a number six to really take you forward especially if we're talking about Liverpool wanting to sustain the challenge both domestically and in the Champions League next season so so

So, yeah, I think the other one that jumps out for me in terms of the midfield is probably what happens with Harvey Elliott. I mean, it goes without saying that Liverpool won't want to lose Harvey Elliott because he's incredibly gifted and has played a lot of football for someone still so young. But there's no doubt that he's had a lot less game time this season than he would have hoped for. And there's bound to be some frustration there. So, yeah.

That's probably an interesting one for me to see what happens on that front. At the minute, I've got no reason to believe that

that he will push to leave. But it wouldn't surprise me if clubs didn't test Liverpool's resolve on that front, just because they would have seen what we've all seen, that Elliot hasn't started a Premier League game all season, has he? But like I said, Liverpool have also got other things to consider, like meeting the homegrown quota. And I suppose in a similar way, they're adamant that Kwanzaa isn't for sale, but Liverpool...

there would be a price. Of course, there would be. The vast majority of players do have their price that would properly test that resolve. But yeah, with Kwanzaa and Elliott, it goes a bit deeper than just what they give you as a player because you need to make sure you keep that homegrown element, especially if, as expected, you're losing Trent. Moving on to the forwards, Greg. I mean, Tiaz, June 27th.

Salah, we know another couple of years. Giotta, again, 27. Gakpo, 28. Nunes, 28. Chiesa, 28. That's a long time for Nunes and Chiesa, given the way they've played, or the way they haven't been played, really.

Yeah, I mean, you look back to the start of the season and you think Liverpool started with five really strong attackers and then they brought in Chiesa, who had the potential at the start of the season, I thought, to kick on and be a really valuable asset. There's no way to dress it up nicely. It hasn't worked out for him. He hasn't had the minutes that he felt that he would have wanted. He's been injured a fair few times already.

He's struggling to get past somebody like Mo Salah and players who have been in pretty good form as well for the majority of the season. I look at it and say, look, Salah's done. Gatpo's had a very good season minus the injury, the small period after February that he sort of dropped off a little bit. No concerns about him moving forward. Then you've got Diaz.

you know, Liverpool need to decide whether they're going to extend his contract, give him that new contract. I mean, he hasn't had a new contract since he's arrived at Liverpool, which is a bit of a surprise. Now really is the time to decide, do you sell him and cash in and then find somebody else and replace him? Or do you put your faith in him and give him a new extended contract? The other two for me, Nunes and Chiesa, I mean, Chiesa, it just feels like he's going to be moved back on loan to Liverpool.

to Italy at some point. That's got a loan back to Italy written all over it. With Nunes,

he's just not the number nine that Liverpool need. He misses too many chances. You know, his work rate has been questioned a couple of times this season. Now, he doesn't really look happy. The issue Liverpool have got is, you know, how much money can they get back for him? Because they won't be spending a big amount on a new striker until they know that they're able to get something back for him. And the contract issues don't really help because they've got such a long length left on them.

Well, let's move on to Leicester at the weekend. Obviously, Liverpool could win the league if Arsenal lose away to Ipswich, Greg. And I'm told James won't be there because he's addressing the United Nations in New York on, on, on Liverpool's transfer policy, which obviously is a massive global issue. Yeah.

Yep, James isn't there. So they're calling on the Z team, which is myself, to fill in for James. I've just got a strange feeling that Liverpool are going to get this done this weekend, purely because, as I mentioned at the start of the show, tired, tired Arsenal, which is a play on boring, boring Arsenal, as you know. I just think that they're going to lose for some strange reason and then Liverpool will get it done. How bad would an international man of mystery feel if he's in New York?

And Liverpool win the league? Yeah, I can't lie. I would be a bit gutted. Yeah.

Yeah, I didn't really expect Arsenal to drop as many points as they have done over the last couple of months. I did tell you, I did tell you! And yeah, as good as they were in the Bernabeu, it wouldn't surprise me because aside from the physical demands, there's just that... I know Arsenal won and went through, but it's like...

it's like coming off the back of such a such a high and then getting back down to it knowing full well that the title race is effectively already over and your next big game isn't to the first leg of the semi-final in a couple of weeks so yeah i i must admit for purely selfish reasons i am hoping that um the ipswich uh don't win the game and to be honest and also aside from my selfish reasons um i

I'd like to see Arsenal keep it alive until Tottenham come to Anfield because I just think it would be fitting for Liverpool to win it at home to Tottenham because I just...

And especially having the way that things turned out five years ago with the pandemic and not being able to celebrate it, I'd love the scenario to be that it becomes mathematically certain through Liverpool winning on home turf and preferably me being there.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, Greg, I've been saying for months now that the Tottenham game would be the game where they win the title. I can't imagine that Ipswich will beat Arsenal. So, you know, I mean, but yeah, it'll still be a big day at Leicester. And, you know, and of course, you know, James, dereliction of duty.

busy, you know, going off around the world, enjoying himself when he should be putting in the effort. But you're going to be there for the Atletic. And, you know, I'm more than capable substitute.

But, Tony, you're pouring cold water over my predictions. There's days still to go. There's absolutely no chance of Ipswich beating Arsenal, then, according to you. Which you'll see, you're probably right. If you were a betting man, you would have the odds in your favour, for sure. But, no, look, I'm looking forward to it. I'm probably a little bit closer to Leicester than James would have been coming from his area and me from Birmingham. So, yeah, look, it'll be a good day. I quite like going to Leicester.

they look after you there as well very nice food so there's always that to look forward to yeah nice club but fans not so much have you got bad experiences with them with Leicester then Tony have you well

Oh, the poverty chanting, you know what I mean? It's like, you know, it's as if they're like from, I don't know, Mayfair or somewhere. But James, where are you going to be watching it? I think it'll be 9am in New York. So yeah, I'll be finding a bar to watch it. The last time I was over there, I

I watched it in Carragher's Bar, right down in the bottom of Manhattan. So, yeah, possibly the same again. But, yeah, when I set the alarm, there'll be... I'm already thinking about looking to check what the score is at Portman Road, which it's... I'm thinking to myself, well...

Will I be on the other side of the Atlantic when it's mathematically certain? But yeah, either way, do you know what? It will be party time when it happens. And what an achievement it is beyond our wildest expectations before a ball was kicked.

this season and the fact that they're on the brink of doing it with six games to go just shows how one-sided it's been. It hasn't been a title race, has it? It's been an absolute procession and that is absolutely testament to the remarkable job that Arna Slott has done since he took over from Klopp. Yeah, and I think, as far as I'm concerned, if you're not in Liverpool...

the best place to celebrate a title win would be New York. So have a great time, James. And that's it from Walk On, your Liverpool podcast brought to you by The Athletic. Thanks to James and Greg for joining me and you for listening. And we'll be back next week. And perhaps with the title in the bag? Maybe, maybe. If not, it's coming soon. The Athletic FC Podcast Network.