Soccer-Liverpool bolster defence with Leoni deal before Premier League opener
LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -Liverpool manager Arne Slot continued to reinforce his squad on the eve of their Premier League season opener, confirming on Thursday that the club had agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma.
While no financial details were disclosed, British media reported the fee for the Serie A player at 26 million euros ($30.34 million).
Slot's men kick off the defence of their title when they host Bournemouth on Friday on what is sure to be an emotional night at Anfield following the death of Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his brother in a car crash in July.
Leoni is expected to have a medical later on Thursday and will immediately join the first team, with the club ruling out any possibility of a loan move.
The teenager will join Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez -- who is a doubt for Friday having recently returned from an Achilles injury -- among Slot's centre-back options and shore up a back line that showed frailties during pre-season.
"There are reasons for it," Slot said, citing injuries, mixed lineups, and the integration of new players. "The standard here is 10/10, we are doing everything well but 'well' is not good enough. We have to go a step up.
"Come (Friday) evening against Bournemouth, there are no excuses."
Slot is cautiously optimistic Liverpool can retain their title.
"The main reason that it's so difficult is because there are so many competitors who can win the league. It's unbelievable if you are able to do it in this league," the Dutchman said.
"This year will be even harder than before. Every season and pre-season has its challenges. We have lost many starters.
"It's not always yourself but the teams you face. We've lost five to six players who played quite a lot of minutes last season, and brought in four, so it's normal there's adaptation."
TOUGH START
Liverpool have a tough start to the campaign, with games away to Newcastle United and at home to last season's runners-up Arsenal among their first three fixtures.
"We start with Bournemouth, probably the most intense team in the league last season, in running and playing style," Slot said.
There is plenty of anticipation around Liverpool's new attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz after the Reds shattered their transfer record to sign the 22-year-old German international from Bayer Leverkusen in June.
They paid 100 million pounds ($135.66 million), with a further maximum of 16 million in potential bonuses.
Slot was full of praise for Wirtz, but cautioned he might need time to adjust to the intensity of England's top tier.
"Good players always find a way of playing in a good team - he is a good player and he plays in a good team," Slot said.
"Factually we can see him as a young player, but I don't see him as one. He won the cup and league in Germany (in 2024), and his mentality is his biggest strength.
"That says a lot, because when you see him play he is so creative. He is mentally strong, he doesn't get distracted by a transfer fee or anything else."
($1 = 0.7371 pounds)
($1 = 0.8568 euros)
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
17 minutes ago
- The Star
Soccer-Isak standoff with Newcastle not ideal, says Howe
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Everton - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - May 25, 2025 Newcastle United's Alexander Isak reacts after missing a chance to score Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo (Reuters) -Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has admitted the cold war with wantaway striker Alexander Isak is far from ideal as his side prepare to start the Premier League season without their prolific goalscorer. The 25-year-old Sweden international, who has netted 62 goals in all competitions since arriving for a club record fee in 2022, appears to be determined to leave Newcastle in this transfer window. British media reported that champions Liverpool had a bid of 110 million pounds ($148.8 million) rejected for Isak, who scored 23 league goals last season as Newcastle finished fifth and qualified for the Champions League. Isak has been training away from the squad and is unlikely to feature in Newcastle's opening fixture at Aston Villa on Saturday. "It's not been ideal, I don't think it's been healthy for us, I'm not going to deny that. That's been a big, big challenge," Howe told the BBC. "For me, Alex is one of the, if not the best, strikers in the world, so to miss him from your squad is a huge gap. The situation's ongoing, but we'll have to find a way without him (at Villa Park)." Howe acknowledged that squad morale took a hit during pre-season when Isak trained alone at his old club Real Sociedad while Newcastle were on tour in Asia. "It was always going to be there when you've got a player that good, not part of your group. It's difficult for the players to fully understand it," Howe said. "But as time's gone on, there's been an acceptance that this is the squad and we've got to make the best of the situation. That's always been my train of thought. We have moved forward and the atmosphere of the group has been very good." ($1 = 0.7392 pounds) (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Wissa to miss Brentford opener due to uncertainty over future
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Fulham - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - May 18, 2025 Brentford's Yoane Wissa during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo (Reuters) -Brentford forward Yoane Wissa will not feature in Sunday's Premier League game at Nottingham Forest due to uncertainty over his future, manager Keith Andrews said on Thursday. The 28-year-old DR Congo international has attracted interest from clubs including Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. Andrews' first league game comes after a difficult summer for Brentford upheaval during which long-serving manager Thomas Frank joined Tottenham Hotspur, and key players departed. Brentford, who finished 10th last season, sold their top goalscorer Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United and captain Christian Norgaard moved to Arsenal. "I have made a decision he is not (available). It has been a very disruptive pre-season and the interest in Yoane is very clear," Andrews told reporters on Thursday. "As a head coach, I want Yoane to be in the building and be a part of the first team and the squad. But I am very understanding of his situation. I have a very good relationship with him, and that will persist, but we want him to stay." Mbeumo scored 20 Premier League goals last season, one more than Wissa. Andrews is optimistic about next season, particularly because of the signing of former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. "Jordan Henderson's come in and has been amazing around the place and the influence that he's having on the group and our younger players in particular," Andrews said. "Anthony Milambo (attacking midfielder signed from Feyenoord) was someone I was very keen on bringing in. He's a very talented young player. "At the top end of the pitch, two players spring to mind — Thiago and Fabio Carvalho. Both are so talented and have come through a really good pre-season. They are ready show what talented young players they are." (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Liverpool 'agree deal' for Parma prospect Leoni
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed today that a deal to sign 18-year-old centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma has been agreed between the clubs. According to reports, the Premier League champions will pay £26 million (RM148 million) for the highly-rated prospect, who has played just 17 Serie A games for Parma. Liverpool have already splashed out £260 million on the signings of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez to build from a position of strength after romping to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title last season. However, the departure of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen had left Slot with just three centre-backs to choose from. One of those, Joe Gomez has missed most of pre-season due to injury, while doubts remain over the future of Ibrahima Konate, who has just one year left on his contract at Anfield. "The clubs have agreed a deal but he hasn't signed for us yet. The moment when he signs for us I can go into more detail," said Slot at a press conference ahead of Liverpool's Premier League opener against Bournemouth tomorrow. Despite Leoni's arrival, Liverpool could add more centre-back cover before the end of the transfer window with reports linking them with a move for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi. Liverpool have not won back-to-back league titles since 1984 and Slot expects it be an even tougher challenge to defend their crown given the turnover in his squad. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Caoimhin Kelleher have also departed, while the club is still coming to terms with the tragic loss of Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last month. "The main reason that is so difficult is because there are so many competitors who can win the league. It's unbelievable if you are able to do it in this league, "added Slot. "This year will be even harder than before. "We have lost five to six players who played quite a lot of minutes last season, and brought in four, so it's normal there is adaptation." The fee to bring Wirtz to England from Leverkusen could rise to a British transfer record £116 million. Slot, though, believes the German international has the mentality to cope with the pressure of that price tag. "When you see him play he is so creative. He is mentally strong, he doesn't get distracted by a transfer fee or anything else," added the Dutch coach. "Good players always find a way to play well in good teams. He has to adjust to England, the league and the intensity, and his team-mates. His adjustment has already gone quite well, more than we expected." - AFP
