Liverpool FC are now off for the summer, but the news cycle takes no offseason! This edition of news, notes and transfer talk covers the latest injury update on fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold and the transfer situation surrounding midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.
Let’s start with TAA, who suffered an apparent thigh injury tonight in England’s Euro 2021 tune-up with Austria. The right-back limped off in stoppage time of the second half Wednesday night, and it is “not good” according to Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.
Euro 2020 Preview: go here
“We’re going to have a look,” said Southgate. “It’s not good to see him come off in the way he did.
“We’ll have to assess him over the next 24 hours. I think thigh but the medical team are assessing him. We’ll have to see. It’s not a good sign to see him have to walk off as he did. We’ll know more in 24 to 48 hours.”
England begin their European Championship campaign in just 11 days, and it’s quite likely that Southgate will now have one less player at his disposal.
Moving on to Wijnaldum, he’s said his goodbyes to Liverpool already, but he hasn’t been confirmed as a member of FC Barcelona yet.
Reports have surfaced that the Catalan club sent their physios to Netherlands camp to conduct his medical, but the Dutch manager, Frank de Boer, didn’t allow the procedure to take place, because he wants his players focused on the upcoming tournament.
So we’ll have to wait a little bit for Wijnaldum to be officially unveiled with Barca. The 30-year-old Rotterdam native was asked about his leaving Liverpool and his reponse raises some eyebrows.
“I am still emotional because I got a goodbye that not many players go before me. Why I left you will hear about it [Soon]. The club [Liverpool] also has to do with the fact that I am gone.” Wijnaldum told ESPN.
What does that mean? Who is exactly just got put on notice? What went on that led to his departure from the Merseyside club? I guess we could find out in due time.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.