Liverpool latest: Reds duo divided on boos as transfer for £43m target ‘almost certain’
Today’s Liverpool news sees two of their stars have differing opinions on the fallout from the Reds’ draw with Chelsea while another transfer target has been identified
Ryan Gravenberch and Joe Gomez have differing views on the booing at Anfield(Image: 2026 Liverpool FC)
Liverpool manager Arne Slot faces a significant task in regaining the trust of supporters after substantial sections of the Anfield faithful booed the team off following Saturday’s draw with Chelsea. The Reds appear to be limping towards a top-five finish after the Blues halted a seven-match losing run in the Premier League with a 1-1 draw on Merseyside.
Liverpool have suffered 11 defeats and eight draws this season — a profoundly disappointing tally for the reigning Premier League champions following last summer’s spending spree of more than £450million. In today’s news, two Reds players have responded differently to the hostile reception from supporters on Saturday as pressure intensifies on Slot.
The calls for wholesale changes to Liverpool’s squad are intensifying with each dropped point, and Liverpool have been touted with a £43m move for a winger who could serve as a replacement for the departing Mohamed Salah.
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Reds stars divided over Anfield booing
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has insisted his side did not warrant being jeered off the pitch on Saturday afternoon. Gravenberch fired the Reds in front with a superb effort after just five minutes, before Enzo Fernandez equalised when his low free-kick squeezed in at the Kop end.
The Dutch star expressed his dissatisfaction with the supporters’ reaction at the final whistle. He told TNT Sports: “To be honest, we need them (the fans) behind us. OK we didn’t win, but I don’t really think we deserved this (reaction). The fans have to be behind us for the full 90 minutes because when they were behind us in the second half, we were pressing really well.
“We need them. Hopefully they wouldn’t do it again in the next two games. Yes, of course we are (disappointed) because we have to share the points. We wanted the three points but obviously they are a very good team, who play well here, so in the end I do think they deserved a point as well.”
Yet Reds defender Joe Gomez admits he appreciates the supporters’ frustrations this campaign. Gomez said: “We feel it. It’s the last thing we want. For us older boys who have experienced so many good times here, it does hurt. If it didn’t then you shouldn’t still be here. We want to make it right.
“I understand the frustration, yeah, 100%. We’ve all said on record a few times this year we know this is not where we want to be and the position we want to be in. We understand it. I hope you could see the urgency that we want to win.
“I guess it just is a summary of our year and it’s a reaction to the whole year, and that’s fair enough. The fans pay their hard-earned money to come and watch us and they’re entitled to show their frustration, in the same way they cheer us.”
Reds target £43m star
Monaco right winger Maghnes Akliouche has surfaced as a possible summer target for Liverpool. The task of replacing Salah will prove no straightforward matter for Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes.
Yet, as the summer transfer window draws nearer, more names continue to be linked with the Reds and, alongside the likes of RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, the 24-year-old French international Akliouche has entered the frame.
French publication L’Equipe have reported that Akliouche has caught the attention of the Reds and that the young talent is “almost certain” to depart Monaco this summer. PSG are also understood to be monitoring the situation, while Akliouche is said to have rejected “persistent” approaches from Tottenham a year ago.
The publication claims that Liverpool are “more interested” and that the player’s £43.3m valuation “wouldn’t be a deterrent.” Akliouche turned 24 in February and has already made 137 appearances for Monaco.
Across five seasons in Ligue 1, Akliouche has netted 23 goals and provided 28 assists. This campaign, he has featured 41 times, finding the net four times and contributing eight assists from the right wing and number 10 role.
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