Diogo Jota is confident of flourishing as a central striker under new Liverpool head coach Arne Slot after his impressive opening day display against Ipswich Town.
Jota netted the opening goal of Liverpool's first 2024-25 Premier League encounter on Saturday, finding the far corner in the 60th minute after he was picked out by Mohamed Salah.
Salah subsequently marked his 350th Liverpool appearance with his 300th goal involvement (212 goals and 88 assists) five minutes later to secure the win at Portman Road.
Jota has now been involved in 10 goals in his last 10 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, scoring seven and assisting three.
The Portugal international contributed an expected goals (xG) of 0.95 to the Reds' 2.65 total against Kieran McKenna's side, the highest of any player from either team
He also recorded 11 touches in the opposition box, the joint-most in the Liverpool squad alongside Luis Diaz and Salah, while also winning six of his 13 contested duels.
Slot spoke of his belief that Jota's best position is in the centre of the attack, with the 27-year-old agreeing with his new boss.
"It's obviously a bit different from [Jurgen] Klopp where I maybe was useful out wide," Jota told Liverpool's official website.
"I think here he [Slot] wants our wingers a lot more in one-v-ones and I think we have better options than myself.
"If I stay in the middle and wait for those chances to come in and score them, I think that is what I do the best so you can take that into the season."
Liverpool struggled in the first 45 minutes against Ipswich, managing just three shots on Christian Walton's goal, none of which were on target.
But a much-improved display after the interval saw the Reds muster 15 shots, five of which were on target with 12 coming from inside the penalty area.
And with Brentford up next in the Reds' first home game of the new season, Jota said their second-half showing has given the team a solid foundation to build on.
"Yeah, a positive performance. Obviously, the first half was a bit harder, they were really on it [and] pressing almost man-v-man," Jota said.
“The fans were there and we knew it was going to be a difficult first half because they would give it all – [it is] a long time since they have been in the Premier League.
“And then the second half they started giving us a little bit more space, which was enough for us to start building and start creating those spaces in behind.
"We created a lot of chances and we ended up scoring two, so in the end I think it's a deserved three points."
Real Sociedad president reveals Merino talks with Arsenal
Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay has revealed the club will talk to Arsenal over a potential transfer for Mikel Merino, admitting the midfielder has a price.
Merino was left out of La Real's squad for their opening match of the season in LaLiga on Sunday, a 2-1 defeat at home to Rayo Vallecano.
The 28-year-old, who was part of the Spain team that won Euro 2024 last month, has made 242 appearances for La Real since joining from Newcastle United in 2018.
Reports have suggested Arsenal are working to bring him back to the Premier League in the closing days of the transfer window, with a fee of around £29.8million mooted after Merino entered the final 12 months of his contract in San Sebastian.
Aperribay has now revealed La Real are open to a sale for the right price after Merino indicated he was unwilling to renew his deal with the club.
"Merino was clear that he didn't want to say he was renewing and then leave. It wasn't a surprise to us," Aperribay told Basque Country radio station Onda Vasca.
"Unfortunately, one of the teams we didn't want to show up showed up. We will talk to Arsenal and defend the interests of La Real.
"When we consider that the offer is good, we will say yes. We know what Merino's wishes are, so we decided that he should not be called up [on Sunday]."
Goretzka's exit from Bayern 'makes sense', says Voller
The sporting director of the German national team, Rudi Voller, believes “it probably makes sense” for Leon Goretzka to leave Bayern Munich in the transfer window.
Goretzka, who has made 221 appearances for Bayern since his move from Schalke in 2018, has played a bit-part role ahead of the new Bundesliga season.
The 29-year-old was not included in Vincent Kompany's side for their 4-0 win over German second division side Ulm in the DFB Pokal last Friday.
He was also left out of Julian Nagelsmann's Germany squad for Euro 2024 despite featuring in four of their 10 international fixtures leading up to the tournament.
Goretzka started in 25 of his 30 Bundesliga appearances last season, winning 23 of his 41 tackles, only ranking the sixth highest in the Bayern squad.
And with qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, Voller believes it is best for the midfielder to end his time with the 33-time Bundesliga champions.
“He logically still has the quality to be part of the 2026 World Cup. It probably makes sense for him to move if he still has these aspirations," Voller
“It makes sense to play somewhere else again. But in the end he has to decide for himself.”
Stefan Effenberg, who most recently acted as sporting director for KFC Uerdingen 05, echoed Voller's comments surrounding Goretzka's future at the club.
"The players Bayern have brought in will take Bayern to a new level," said Effenberg on the current state of the Bayern squad.
"It's also a fact that you still have a lot of players with whom you don't want to go into the new season. There is still a need to let go of one or the other.
"There are still many question marks at Bayern, they wanted to finish planning early. They didn't succeed.
"You won't be nominated for the European Championship, you don't play a role in pre-season and you're not even in the squad against Ulm.
"You have to be sensible enough to say, 'Wait a minute, I don't want to go to the training ground every day and know that I'm not in the squad.' That wears you down."
Maguire 'in a good place' ahead of big season for Man Utd
Harry Maguire believes he is in a "good place" and is ready to play a key role in what could be a big season for Manchester United.
Maguire started alongside Lisandro Martinez as United started their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Fulham on Friday, Joshua Zirkzee coming on to net a late winner on his Red Devils debut.
Maguire was expected to leave Old Trafford this time last year but chose to stay and fight for his place, ultimately making 22 Premier League appearances as fellow centre-backs Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof were plagued by injuries.
The England international started 18 league games last campaign, having only recorded eight starts throughout Erik ten Hag's first season at the helm in 2022-23.
A calf injury prevented Maguire from featuring for England as they finished as runners-up to Spain at Euro 2024, but he feels physically and mentally ready for his sixth season with United.
"I feel good, I feel fit. Physically and mentally, I'm in a good place and I'm looking forward to a big season," Maguire told the club's media channels.
"There are so many games this season. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of changes to come, game to game, in the starting eleven.
"When your turn is upon you, you need to take your chance. It's one that we'll need a big squad for. I feel fit and ready to go and I'm looking forward to the season."
United's eighth-place finish in 2023-24 was their lowest in the Premier League era, while they also conceded more league goals (58) than in any campaign since 1978-79 (63).
However, the Red Devils did finish the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final – a result that likely saved Ten Hag's job as the Dutchman was handed a new contract.
Maguire wants to deliver further silverware in 2024-25 but is also aware of the need for an improved league showing, adding: "Obviously, we want to be in the Champions League spots.
"We missed out for this season as we weren't good enough in the league. I think we don't really want to set any targets but I think this club demands trophies.
"We want to win another trophy, of course, and in the Premier League we know there's large improvements that we need to make from what we did last season.
"For sure, we've got to improve on last season and let's see where it takes us."
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