Wirtz, Frimpong and Wayne Lineker
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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 Andy Jones.

Forget Trent, it looks like Liverpool are on their way to replacing him anyway. We'll talk about a deal for Jeremy Frimpong and could Florian Wirt be coming with him? Plus, slot's partying in Ibiza and we'll look forward to Monty's trip to Brighton. Before we get to that, Andy, come on, give us three great words. Transfer silly season. The transfer ultras are out and about. You've got to be careful with them. James, they're all looking for you. LAUGHTER

My three words are Ocean Beach Arnie. Well, that's what James and Andy think. And there's the flavour of what you're seeing. Caleb Jenkins, play like champions. Alex Marcy, on the beach. Derek Troy, on the lash. And James Curran, Arnie the raver. You're listening to Walk On, brought to you by The Athletic. James, we're still champions, aren't we?

Absolutely, yeah, I can definitely confirm that. There's still a 15-point gap between Liverpool and second-place Arsenal with two games remaining. A lot of people seem to be forgetting that, don't they? Yeah, yeah. I remember we talked about it, didn't we, after those amazing scenes against Tottenham. I remember saying then that you've got to live in the moment and appreciate everything.

this season for what it is and I think it's such a it's such a modern thing isn't it to be like well what next what about what about the signings what about you know it doesn't it doesn't mean anything if you don't follow it up and win it again and you know when was the last time Liverpool won back-to-back titles and what about the Champions League and you know and having more depth for the domestic cups and it's like there's there's

there'll be time for all of that you know let's still enjoy it for what it is and I hope you know we don't need to go back over our ground I think we talked enough about what happened last weekend but I hope these last two matches the mood is very much back to

to celebratory but it will be interesting to see what which Liverpool turn up at Brighton on on Monday night given you know the players have spent the week in Dubai and and Arnaz obviously had a lovely week over in Ibiza yeah yeah and you know it's always so difficult where you know years on the stories from the 80s you know they get the medals the last game of the season and

And Ronnie Marana come round with a bin bag saying, put them in there, put them in there. You know, it's over now. You've done nothing. You know, we start again now. And they get them sometime in pre-season. But that was inside the club. The fans just celebrated and didn't worry about next year until, I don't know,

coming up on August it's a bit different now isn't it yeah yeah it is I mean ultimately they haven't got the medals yet so they might as well enjoy these two weeks before anyone comes around with a bin bag I'll volunteer to go in with a bin bag I

I could do the Ronnie Moran. For those who don't know, Ronnie Moran was like the sergeant major of the police. He would call all the superstars lazy, idle, and he'd say some other words to them. Big head of bastards was his favourite phrase. So, you know, it's, yeah, I can do a bit of that. But anyway, Andy. It is about ensuring it. I think that's what you're sort of forgetting, especially when, you know, it's not normal for Liverpool to do it at this age.

you know, these days, you know, back in the day, it was more of a regular occurrence, let's be honest. And given it's, you know, all the meaning behind it being the first one in front of the fans and stuff, I think, and the way they've done it, it's allowed people to actually enjoy it. And people should continue to enjoy it and continue to enjoy it in the weeks after the season's finished. We'll find something to fight amongst ourselves. Yeah.

Yeah, not just as soon as the parade finishes. Suddenly, everyone has to talk about transfers and nothing else. Even though that's what we're, of course, going to do anyway. Yeah, well, I'm about to say the next question to James is, all right, James, transfers. It's just important, isn't it, to just enjoy it. And what will be, will be, you know, in the future. You know, we can't really change that. So why not enjoy it? Because you don't know when the next title is going to come along. Hopefully it is next season, but you just don't know. So...

Live in the moments. Well, James, what about transfers?

It's been lively, hasn't it? Yeah, I suppose the biggest one, obviously, in terms of profile would be Florian Wurz, David Ornstein reporting on The Athletic on Wednesday that Liverpool had made contact with his representatives. But, you know, I think at the moment, my understanding is that, yeah,

I wouldn't be getting too carried away with that one. Liverpool, their indication up to this point is that he will remain in Germany, whether that's staying at Leverkusen or moving to Bayern Munich, who have long since been linked with him. We know that obviously Man City are in the race as well. So I don't think it's a case of working on a deal to sign him. I think it's more a case of ensuring that if...

if that was open to the idea of moving to England and the Premier League, that obviously Liverpool would want to be, make it clear that they want to be part of that conversation. So I was told it wasn't correct that Liverpool had a meeting with his family

this week of course you know most of the um executives and all the rest of it senior people at Liverpool have been away out the country this week so um but yeah he's certainly he's certainly an incredibly gifted player isn't he it would involve breaking your transfer record I think with you know talk of it being over 100 million euros to um to sign him so that's where we are with it what about Shrimpong James that looks as if it's pretty advanced

Yeah, that's my understanding that it's highly likely that he will be Anfield bound. Certainly, there's great confidence from the players' camp that the move will happen. He wants it to. He actually came close to joining Liverpool as a kid when he ended up going to Man City's academy. I think it was easier for the family in terms of getting him to and from

City's academy than trying to get across to Merseyside that kind of led to that but yeah I just think it makes a lot of sense when you look at the fee involved low release clause 35 million euros

Of course, he's got close links already with a number of the players. He's good pals with Ryan Gravenberg. Also knows, of course, Virgil van Dijk. It's a Dutch see-hover, isn't it? Exactly, exactly. And Cody Gagpo, of course, from the Netherlands, set up as well. Someone that Arne Slot will know

all about um yeah and he's he's he's exciting um you know in terms of you know i think it'll be interesting to see how swat utilizes him utilizes him because he's he's such he's such an attacking force isn't he he's not he's not necessarily a kind of you know he's been playing as a wingback hasn't he essentially for leverkusen rather than um you know rather than a kind of an authentic right back but um

But yeah, I think to me that the Frimpong deal just makes sense on all levels really. And I'm looking forward to hopefully getting over the line.

A couple of people who are usually right have indicated to me that it's very close. But the question that was asked to me, and I was asking to them, Andy, is, if anything, he's probably more risk-reward than Trenton was. He's a wing-back rather than a full-back. So, I mean, it's...

And it'd have an impact on a number of things. I mean, how would he play alongside Salah if he was pushing... And one of the things we've talked about is Salah, given less defensive responsibilities last year, you wouldn't think he'd have any more piles on him, would he?

No, I mean, it is really interesting when you sort of, when you take a step back and think about the day, because as you say, Frimpong is a really attack-minded full-back. I mean, you know, he has played more of a right-back role earlier in his career when he was at Celtic, for example.

um but yeah when you look at sort of what he was what he was doing at Leverkusen and we saw that at Armfield where he sort of played this hybrid right wing back right wing sort of role um in that game um but you know earlier earlier in the season and it does it does pose a few tactical questions because you know how much does does him you know shift what what slot wants wants his right side to look like um

just you know for example do you want him to be really advanced and does that mean that Mo Salah pushes inside a little bit more more closer to goal for example and maybe you're asking Sobba's lie for example or whoever's playing the number 10 role to drop a little bit deeper I guess ultimately you know on the defensive side because you know Frimpong is it's fair to say he's not the strongest defender either so you're not

but also Liverpool want attack minded full backs Bradley is attack minded obviously a bit more you would say solid defensively a little bit more aware than maybe sometimes Trent was in terms of where to position him because Bradley doesn't have as much freedom as Trent was given because he was more orthodox in his positioning but

I think Wofferingpong does give you his pace and that recovery pace. And I think when you see at Leverkusen, he was asked to cover, you know, in their back three, he was asked to cover a lot of space on that right channel. And his pace was able to get him out of jail a few times, a little bit, and sort of get him back into position. So I think he would add a different dimension to Liverpool's attack. And I think Liverpool generally have lacked pace this season. There's not many, you know, really speedsters in the squad, if you like, in terms

So I think you would add that dimension, but then you are talking about if you want to play him in the way where you get the best out of him, Alonso got the best out of him, which is higher up the pitch ahead of the play rather than involved in the build-up, then you might have to look at little tactical shifts of where Gravenberg is and your build-up set-up, because they were generally built up in a four, using the full-backs to play out, with Gravenberg and sometimes McAllister as well.

you know sort of in that initial phase whereas that's not really from pong's game he wants to be advanced he wants to be running beyond um so it might change how that's set up as well james it's um we've also got the thorny problem of the left back situation um obviously the talk of kirk has uh does this tell us anything about how what slot wants from his fullbacks going forward

Well, I think certainly, as Andy articulated there, you think of how exciting a player Frimpong is. I think it's similar on the other flank. If you look at the profile of someone like Kirkez, how energetic and dynamic he is, the

I think he certainly ticks similar boxes. And yeah, our understanding certainly up to this point has been that the left side

has been the priority for Liverpool in terms of strengthening there. I think the most likely outcome is that Kyrkos or someone else, if they can't get the deal done at the price they want for Kyrkos, that he would come in to kind of increase competition for places with Andy Robertson and then Kostas Simakas would come

would probably move on. That's, I think, the most likely outcome on that. And of course, it's all kind of linked in in terms of the way it was explained to me as well. Obviously, they're in the market for central defenders in terms of reinforcements as well, with Howson at Bournemouth clearly massively admired. But we know there's big competition on that front, not least for...

from Real Madrid currently. Um, because if you were to, if you were to spend big on someone, those losers, I mean, who would want to go there? Um, so I think, you know, and of course, if you were to say, it's probably not looking massively likely currently, but if you were to spend 50 million pounds on, on house and, you know, then you've got a situation where, you know, does that have an impact in terms of what you can spend in the, in the fullback areas? So, um,

So yeah, I think the way it was explained to me was that there's a lot of moving parts at the minute, I think it's fair to say, regarding Liverpool's summer transfer plans. And I think, you know, Wurz is part of that. I think it's not necessarily an area of the squad that like,

is kind of like crying out for reinforcements. But, you know, of course, it would be remiss, I think, for any top club, if someone like that, someone so gifted, became available and was actually open to come into the Premier League, then quite understandably, Liverpool would want to make their own pitch. Andy,

If you brought in Vert, he'd be a huge signing. The marquee signing that the transfer ultras so love. But is the club in a state where they actually need signings like that? Yeah, I think marquee signings are...

everyone loves them and it is quite exciting when you see the team spend big but I think Liverpool's general method particularly under Michael Edwards has been to find the ones that aren't necessarily seen as marquees obviously you've got Alisson and Van Dijk who are sort of the exceptions if you like but in terms of

Salah, Mane, Firmino, all those types of players. None of them were... You wouldn't have called them any of the marquee signings when they arrived, but they became what you would describe as marquee players. I think, you know, VAR is a type of market opportunity. Liverpool have put themselves in position by being one of the top clubs in Europe where, you know, they are a genuine attraction and players like VAR should want to come and play for Liverpool. And

I think it's really interesting in terms of what role he played because obviously he's number 10 and we know Slot loves Dominic Sobber's lie in that role and there's a lot of demands from that

that sort of area but I think he'd offer a different you know sort of style of number 10 if you like in terms of a little bit more production and a little bit more creativity I guess than Sobersliet times because he can be inconsistent on that the one little thing I had on Verte which makes it a little bit interesting is

I mean it's purely hypothetical but it is it's just sort of the idea of is he could he be the like kind of a number nine as well you know because he sort of played false nine for Leverkusen slot hasn't been against sort of playing out more of a 4-2-4 set up with Diaz sort of dropping in and so Bozlai sort of playing as two tens if you like and it's

It did make me think if Liverpool do that, would they still do a number nine? Because it's a big outlay on a player. And it just made me think, would that be sort of in slots thinking a little bit? But ultimately, he is a number 10 and one of the best young number 10s about. And he would have a different dimension. And certainly, he would bring that marquee feel because of the teams he would interest and the price tag.

It seems to me, James, though, one of the problems with this, and I'm not saying it won't happen, I'm certainly not saying it won't happen, but it's the same thing with Izak, isn't it? You know, it's a lot of the transfer budges on one player.

Yeah, yeah. And I think that's obviously something that Liverpool will be wary of and factor in it. You're right. It reminds me a little bit of, you know, Caicedo where, you know, it was kind of out of nowhere, wasn't it? It was like, wow, you know, Liverpool have just had a £111m bid accepted. And it was like, well, and then a lot of people think, well,

where was that money as if there was like a big pot of 111 million pounds just sitting there waiting to be spent when the reality obviously is when when you push the boat out to that extent you know especially we know Liverpool's business model you know it self-sustaining that in terms of balancing the books you know you have to find it elsewhere don't you so they would have you know

in the same way as if Liverpool had signed Caicedo, they'd have had to have offloaded players to make up the difference or it would have impacted who else they'd been able to sign. And of course, you spread that cost over four or five years usually as well, in the same way as that would be the case with Wurz as well, if, and it is a big if at the minute, there was any possibility of getting that done. But I think it's the right approach. I think

when you're the Premier League champions and you're as attractive a proposition as Liverpool are, why would you not want to be part of the conversation for every elite player that's potentially going on the market? You know, I don't think it then necessarily stands to reason that if you don't get verts, you then move on to another similar type or another similar type. Because, you know, I think Liverpool have shown previously that's not how they do business. It's almost, you know, it's opportunistic in terms of

if that player who's, you know, of such a calibre is available, then, you know, you try and get him. You know, as you mentioned there, Tony Isak would be an example of that. You know, of course Liverpool would be all over that if there was a deal to be done this summer. And would it stretch them financially? Of course it would. But,

They would try and find a way if there was a chance of doing it. But currently, that looks highly unlikely because Newcastle are not prepared to sell him.

As you've probably heard by now, we've teamed up with BetMGM this season. We'll be using BetMGM lines to make all of our picks, and we'll have special offers for our listeners each week. If you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code THEATHLETIC, and you'll get a one-year subscription to The Athletic, plus up to a $1,500 first bet offer on your first wager with BetMGM. Here's how it works.

Download the BetMGM app and sign up using bonus code THEATHLETIC. Make your first deposit of at least $10, place your first bet on any game, and claim your voucher for a one-year subscription to The Athletic. See BetMGM.com for terms. U.S. promotional offers not available in D.C., Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Available in the U.S. Call 877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPE-NY 467-369 in New York. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP in Arizona, 1-800-327-5050 in Massachusetts, or text HOPE-NY 467-369 in New York.

Welcome to Money Moves, brought to you by Amazon Business.

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Before we get to our emails, Neil Gilman of Spotify Comments deserves a shout out. He's been in touch to say, maybe James could write a book called Chasing Salads. Which I think that's a comment of the season. I think Neil should win an award for that. I don't know what the awards would be.

and it's obviously not physical or anything that would cost anything but you know a metaphysical award you know Neil you are coming to the season so far so people you've got like what two weeks two weeks ten days to beat Neil so remember if you want to you can send your comments to walkonattheathletic.com today Aaron from South Dakota is going to touch and he says hello Tony James and Simon you've left someone out there haven't you yeah

I feel like he is in here. You know, Andy's sitting here, tears running down his face, and you know what? Like, it's hard. Just no, no. Anyway, this is Aaron's first time right now, and he's been listening for a while. Oh, and he loves the pods and listens to the grief you give one another. Ah, you know, thank you, Aaron. We despise each other, really. Anyway, Aaron's been supporting the team since 2004 and has enjoyed the heights of where we are today.

He says,

I mean, I think a lot will depend on pre-season and I think it'll also depend on what kind of offers are forthcoming, both in terms of loans and possible permanence. You take someone like Ben Dote, you know, Liverpool obviously turned down

you know, decent-ish money, I'd say, for him in January. I think, what were they offered? 15, 16 million, I think they turned down. But, you know, they value him at about double that. So, and I think quite rightly so when you look at the numbers that he was producing for Middlesbrough before injury curtailed his season. So, I mean, the awkward thing for Ben Doak in terms of his

Liverpool prospects is of course with Salah signing the new contract and then if Frimpong comes in and of course there's the option of playing him further up the pitch rather than necessarily as an authentic right back at times

you know, you think, well, where's, where's Doak going to fit in? So, it's probably difficult at the minute to see, to see the pathway for him. I think Dan's, they've still got big hopes for. It was a shame that injury effectively wrecked his season, didn't it? You know, he had this kind of stress fracture in his back.

that ruled him out the first half of the season and then just when they thought they'd got on top of it and he'd be able to go to Sunderland and play games and get more senior experience under his belt he ends up the medical flagged the issue with his back still being a problem and so that was that in terms of his season so

I mean, I get it. Probably, again, with Dan's, you think, you know, it probably is linked as well to who Liverpool bring in over the course of the summer. If, you know, if he's not going to play, then it certainly makes sense to loan him out next season. I'd say that's probably the most likely one. And then, Bucetich, you know, he's had a kind of an interesting campaign away, hasn't he? Because things didn't work for him at all at Salzburg. You know, it looked...

you know, it looked like the perfect kind of move for him in terms of going to a lesser league...

with a manager in Peplinders initially who was, you know, clearly had massive admiration for him. And he's linked with Norwich City now, isn't he? So, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, and then, you know, obviously, Bucetich ends up leaving Salzburg, obviously, not long after Peplinders himself parted company with the club. And then, you know, Las Palmas has been his destination second half of the season. And,

And he's, you know, certainly the feedback that Liverpool have had since he's been there has been really positive. So I think Bucetich well and truly is in that group of slot will want to assess him in pre-season and see where he's at. Because, you know, we've talked a lot, haven't we, about how Liverpool don't really have a backup for Gravenberg, someone who can ease the burden on him. And, you know, maybe Bucetich could be

could carry out that role. So yeah, and in terms of Pep Linders, you're right. Yeah, he's been approached by Norwich about the vacancy there and he's going to have a chat with them. It'd be interesting to see whether it does advance or not. I think he clearly, Pep Linders, you know, I think he felt he needed some time away after, you know,

obviously hurt by the way that things didn't work out for him at Salzburg. And, you know, I think especially having rolled straight out of all that, you know, best part of a decade service at Liverpool straight into the job at Salzburg, I think he was, I think it was, you know, the right move for him to just kind of take some time out and reassess in terms of why things didn't work out.

at Salzburg and, but yeah, absolutely no doubt that he'll be chomping at the bit to try and get back into it. I suppose like, like most managers who get stung a bit in their first job, you, you probably just have to pick that second one really, really carefully. Don't you? Because it's,

if it doesn't work out second time round, then sometimes the phone can stop ringing. Yeah, you look like damaged goods. And talking of damaged goods, Andy, here he is. Greg Evans has written a great piece on the Athletic about him. And yeah, I mean, where do we see that one going? I mean, it's looking more and more like it's going to be an exit, doesn't it? You know, again, he was not in the squad for the Arsenal game and

It made sense when Liverpool made the deal at the time, but it just doesn't seem like it's going to play out in the way everyone hoped it was going to play out. There's obviously a number of factors around that. Obviously, he comes and he's got no pre-season and he's injured. It takes him ages to get up to regular fitness, if you like, never mind Premier League intensity. And then, of course...

he's been signed to be back up to the guy who's had the best, well, his probably individual best season and that's shown in the voting for the Player of the Season award that he won. But I think the problem is, you know, Liverpool is, you would suspect that Italy would be his, you know, destination in terms of going back and as Greg said, the details in the piece, it's not quite as clear cut in terms of

there's a lot of flux in terms of the top clubs in Italy if you like if we would be able to afford them you'd feel like Liverpool would be able to make the money back on them but Juventus obviously and Fiorentina aren't going to touch them I think Roma are

you know and Milan have sort of got managerial uncertainty and Napoli I think probably from Greg's piece seem to be the most suited but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll make a move for them and ultimately there'll be players out there who've played football over the last year ultimately and played a lot more minutes than Chiesa who will be a lot more sort of appealing you would imagine and

because ultimately you don't know what you're getting. That's the other thing. While Liverpool have probably been able to coach him up and get him up to a really good fitness level, you don't know what you're getting and

So, yeah, I mean, if there was ever a time you needed Sardi to come along and just whack a load of money at someone, it would be this one, I think, wouldn't it? It'd suit Real Madrid, wouldn't it? Yeah, I mean, yeah, that would be handy to get a bit of the cent money. But one thing's for sure, we're going to see a lot of movement this summer, I think.

As you've probably heard by now, we've teamed up with BetMGM this season. We'll be using BetMGM lines to make all of our picks, and we'll have special offers for our listeners each week. If you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code THEATHLETIC, and you'll get a one-year subscription to The Athletic, plus up to a $1,500 first bet offer on your first wager with BetMGM. Here's how it works.

See?

See BetMGM.com for terms. U.S. promotional offers not available in D.C., Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Available in the U.S. Call 877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPE-NY 467-369 in New York. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP in Arizona, 1-800-327-5050 in Massachusetts, 1-800-BETS-OFF in Iowa, 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help in Michigan, 1-800-981-0023 in Puerto Rico. First bet offer for new customers only in partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino, and 1-800-9-8-1-0-0-2-3 in Puerto Rico.

Welcome to Money Moves, brought to you by Amazon Business.

The WNBA is in a facilities arms race, with more than half of the league's 13 teams having either announced plans to build new practice facilities or upgraded existing facilities within the last three years. Among the recent highlights, Kaitlin Clark's Indiana Fever released plans this past January to construct a $78 million sports performance center. Seattle's $64 million basketball performance center opened last spring to much acclaim, and Phoenix's $100 million 58,000 square foot facility is already beloved among players.

Maximizing player experience is now key to recruiting efforts. With increased investments, standards are being raised. Bring your vision to life with smart business buying tools and technology from Amazon Business. From fast, free shipping to in-depth buying insights and automated purchase approvals, we deliver everything you need to achieve your goals. It's not easy to stand out from the crowd. Simplify how you stock up to get ahead. Go to AmazonBusiness.com for support.

Did you know that foreign investors are quietly funding lawsuits in American courts through a practice called third-party litigation funding? Shadowy overseas funders are paying to sue American companies in our courts, and they don't pay a dime in U.S. taxes if there is an award or settlement. They profit tax-free from our legal system, while U.S. companies are tied up in court and American families pay the price to the tune of $5,000 a year.

Thank you.

It's a common sense move that discourages frivolous and abusive lawsuits and redirects resources back into American jobs, innovation, and growth. Only President Trump and congressional Republicans can deliver this win for America and hold these foreign investors accountable. Contact your lawmakers today and demand they take a stand to end foreign-funded litigation abuse. ♪♪

Well, James Kerr and his three words at the top were Arnie the raver. And on Tuesday, as we mentioned, the players are going to Dubai. And Slott, on the other hand, went to Ibiza. Ah, James, does he know Wayne Lineker's the brother of Gary Lineker?

do you think i i i would hazard a guess that hannah slot has absolutely no idea who wayne liniker is uh and um it was it was do you know what i i i genuinely thought it was like ai generated initially when um when i saw when someone sent me the link and i was like nah nah i can't it can't be it and then then i realized it was actually and then someone else

Someone else sent me a screenshot from Dean Gaffney's Instagram. He was in the same VIP area at Ocean Beach in Ibiza. And obviously, I'm sure a lot of our listeners have got absolutely no idea who Dean Gaffney is. But if you think Z-list UK celebrity, he was in a long-running soap called EastEnders in probably the 80s and 90s.

And I like the fact as well that Dean Gaffney referred to him as a premiership winning manager. And I thought it was only my dad who still called it the premiership. Old school. Yeah.

So I loved it. Do you know what? I was having this conversation with someone yesterday. I was saying, imagine in the aftermath of losing Jurgen Klopp last May that someone had said to you, the new fella who takes over. Yeah.

like you forget transition he'll have the title all boxed off and he'll be partying Ibiza two weeks before the end of the season he would have been like just stop drinking mate just behave yourself like you know that's that's the stuff of fantasy so I love yeah I loved it I think it's incredible how quickly he got to Ibiza from from after the game

Like he must have literally legged it out of Anfield after he did his press conference straight onto a jet. Like the old Spice Boys are even stopping for a shower. You know, it's him. The fact that you can do that, as James says, with two weeks of the season left, it's a statement, isn't it? You know, clubs all over the Premier League are like, oh, these are two crucial games coming up.

and Slott's like yeah you know I'm going clubbing with Wayne Lineker no it's everyone's sweating on these final two games and all the implications and Europa Leagues and FA Cups and Slott couldn't give couldn't give two hoots pretty much about what else was going on and ultimately they deserved it so why not enjoy it and

because ultimately they've done what they needed to do. So why not take a month off, basically? I reckon when he gets back to the club, he'll be presented with a list of people not to be photographed with. Wayne and Dean will be pretty high on it. But, you know, it's actually really good to see the players and coaching staff enjoying themselves. Yeah.

You know, I think it is important that they celebrate what they've done and get a bit of relaxation in because things will be getting focused pretty quickly, won't they, James? Exactly, because, you know, you think...

Most of the players, you know, straight after the parade at the back end of the month will be going off with international commitments, won't they? And so, yeah, too right. You know, they've put in the graft all the way through the season, haven't they? They've earned the right to have this downtime. I think, you know, the squad...

um come back from Dubai uh in time for you know training starts again on on Friday afternoon so they'll have a few days build up to the the Brighton game on Monday I don't have a problem whatsoever with you know he gave them obviously a fair bit of time off after the Chelsea game um the same last weekend after the Arsenal one it works both ways doesn't it you you

as a manager and as a staff, you kind of demand the highest of standards and, you know, absolute, you know, focus when the stakes are incredibly high. And then you reward that when you've achieved what Liverpool have achieved this season. So, yeah, it's just a bit jealous I wasn't on that yacht over in Dubai. They look like they were having a lovely time.

There's a message, really, to all. You know, the masses of Arsenal listeners who tune in to air, there are verdicts on them, is if you win the league in April, you can take May off if you like. But talk about taking time off. I hear, Andy, it's you down at Brighton on Monday, not James. Is there no fine dining in that city or something? LAUGHTER

If there is, I'm sure James knows where it is. So I might need some tips. He'll send you to the KFC. I'm a salad man these days.

That's what I am doing, writing James as the comments, at least tasting the salt. You're going to be there. What are we expecting then, Ante? Good question. I don't know if the players know. Could be a bit of swaying and some heavy eyes on the pitch, I think, from some of them players. What I'm expecting is that Liverpool then to have a really good time, regardless of the results.

Yeah, I mean, the Chelsea game, I mean, the video I think you put on Twitter, James, of just after Cole Palmer had made a 3-1 and it looked like Liverpool had scored, not Chelsea, because they were just bouncing it. And to be honest, I mean, that first, until it all got a bit weird against Arsenal, that first 60 minutes at Anfield was a pretty party atmosphere as well. Obviously, the game was going really well, but you see the videos of people on the concourses and stuff.

you know, just not even watching the game at times, just down there having a party, basically. And it'll be the same. I think, you know, fair play if you're making the trip for a game that ultimately is meaningless, but you are going to see the champions. Ultimately, if you're travelling down all day, I'd say there'll be a few people who are...

as drunk as a slot might be in Ibiza. So that might even improve the atmosphere. And ultimately, Liverpool have got nothing to play for, but it is enjoying themselves playing football as champions. The team will be interesting, whether it's sort of a bit of a... It would be surprising if I think you went as strong as you did against Arsenal. It probably looks a little bit more like Chelsea, you would think. It might be a little bit more of a hybrid, but...

You know, it'll be a chance for a... You would think it'd be a chance for a couple of the lads who Slott sort of, you know, has sort of referred to in terms of not getting many minutes to maybe get another chance of sort of trying to put a bit of a mark down ahead of next season. Yeah, well, I mean, what would that mean for someone like Hervey Elliott, James? I mean, he's... With all the Verts talk, he's got to be thinking, ooh...

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think Harvey Elliott kind of got a lot of food for thought anyway after the season that's just been in terms of how limited his opportunities, you know, in terms of the lack of game time. And of course, it was that game down at Chelsea where

That was his first Premier League start of the campaign. So yeah, I hope he stays put. I certainly don't sense any kind of real desire on Liverpool's part to offload him. But I think it'll be interesting to see if he is keen on a move. And at the minute, there's no sign of that. But it'd be interesting to see what the market is like for someone like Harvey Elliott because...

I think with the amount of experience he's got under his belt and still relatively young, you know, to me, he's like a 40, 50 million pound asset. But I'm just not sure which clubs would be in the market for him at that kind of rate. And of course, you know, the fact that he is so talented, still so young, homegrown, you know, ticks a lot of boxes for Liverpool in terms of squad depth.

you know, I, I, I certainly don't think he'd be one that they'd be looking to kind of edge towards the exit door. I think a lot will depend this summer on what, what he wants. And, and obviously that will be heavily linked to, to kind of what other options are on the table because I hope he stays, you know, I, I really like Harvey Elliott as a, as a player and, and as, as a lad as well. And, you know, I, I,

I hope he kind of gives it another year rather than walking away. Well, that's it from Walk On, your Liverpool podcast brought to you by The Athletic. Thanks to James and Andy and you two for listening. We'll be back later in the week. We'll catch you then. The Athletic FC Podcast Network.

When it's the NWSL season, I'm locked in. I'm streaming matches on Prime Video, breaking down plays in real time, and queuing up hype tracks on Amazon Music. Amazon Prime helps me stay ready, whether it's fast delivery for last-minute watch party snacks or digging into behind-the-scenes content between games. For me, following the league isn't a hobby. It's a full-time passion. Whatever you're into, it's on Prime. Visit Amazon.com forward slash Prime to get more out of whatever you're into.

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