Liverpool sign young keeper Pecsi
Liverpool have signed goalkeeper Armin Pecsi from Hungarian side Puskas Akademia.Pecsi, 20, is a Hungary Under-21 international and was a nominee for the 2025 Golden Boy award.He made 30 appearances for Puskas last season as they finished second in the Hungarian top flight.His arrival at Anfield follows the departure of the Reds' former number two Caoimhin Kelleher, who signed for Brentford earlier this month.Valencia keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili joins the club in July to compete for the number one shirt with established first choice Alisson Becker.
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool target Kerkez ditched surprise career before life-changing phone call
Milos Kerkez looks set to clinch a big-money move to Liverpool from Bournemouth this summer and the talented Hungarian left-back has walked a long-winding road to Premier League stardom having also spent time in Italy with AC Milan Milos Kerkez originally wanted to be a swimmer - now he's itching to make a splash at Liverpool following two remarkable seasons at Bournemouth. The tenacious Hungarian left-back's spectacular growth has certainly come as no surprise to the Anfield hierarchy. Reds sporting director Richard Hughes, formerly of Bournemouth, played a fundamental role in the £15.5million deal that brought Kerkez to the Premier League with the Cherries in 2023. The explosive AZ Alkmaar starlet, now 21, had already agreed personal terms with Lazio after netting against the Italians in the UEFA Conference League before a late intervention from Hughes swung the balance. Bournemouth's pitch to the Kerkez family was centred around his development and unlocking his superstar potential. Their belief in his talent has since been vindicated in emphatic fashion after the all-action full-back was included in the Premier League's Fan Team of the Season following a stellar campaign under Andoni Iraola. Kerkez's relentless energy and impressive consistency has charmed Liverpool, who regard him as the perfect heir to Andy Robertson's throne as club-to-club negotiations continue between the parties. However, his electrifying displays had also left a notable impression upon Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, among others. Serbian-born Kerkez is no stranger to big-name interest, in fact, he already has a firm grasp and understanding of the dedication and quality that is required to succeed at one of the world's best clubs having previously signed for AC Milan from Hungarian outfit Gyor in 2021. Rossoneri legend Paolo Maldini, Milan's sporting director at the time, had studied video footage of the fresh-faced prospect upon the recommendation of club scouts and he pulled out all the stops to pip Juventus to the highly-coveted teenager's signature. In a late dash to beat the transfer deadline, the Italian icon even sent a private jet to Hungary to conclude the deal. Kerkez later explained: "They left no stone unturned, if Paolo Maldini calls you personally, then you shouldn't think too much, you have to go! As a child, I watched many videos of him, we talked a lot and he gave me lots of advice, when you're talking to the best left-back in the world, every word is worth paying attention to." While Kerkez did not earn first-team minutes besides a practise match, he trained alongside the likes of Theo Hernandez, Rafael Leao and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and also played against a Liverpool side that featured Conor Bradley and Jarrell Quansah in the UEFA Youth League. He was humble enough to concede that physically, he "could not compete" with Milan's array of high-profile stars but when the Serie A giants pushed to send Kerkez on loan, he instead opted to seal a permanent switch to AZ, where he caught the eye of Arne Slot, despite receiving various offers from Germany. The Hungarian international no longer looks, nor feels, remotely out of place on the world stage and his impending arrival at Liverpool looks poised to propel Slot's champions to even greater heights. Kerkez's stunning rise to prominence, via six different countries, is a glowing reflection of not only his sacrifice - but his monstrous mentality. Shortly after deciding to ditch his swimming aspirations to prioritise his football career as an eight-year-old, Kerkez - released from Hungary's national team camp on Saturday morning ahead of his impending switch to Merseyside - moved to Austria where he spent five years with Rapid Wien. When the world later stood still in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, he would pick the brains of Gyor team-mate and former Watford striker Tamas Priskin on what it was like to play in the Premier League. Fast-forward five years and national treasure Kerkez is already on course to eclipse Priskin's 63 international caps for Hungary, having already made 23 appearances for his country. Kerkez, whose old brother plays as a left-back for Aris FC in the Greek Super League, is poised to become the second most-expensive Hungarian ever following compatriot Dominik Szoboszlai's £60m switch to Anfield from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
JEEPERS KEEPERS: Clarke is in a pickle after Slicker's debut disaster... but maybe throwing the young goalie back in for Liechtenstein game could still be the best way forward?
ON a night in which the position of goalkeeper really did look like the loneliest one of all, words of consolation for Cieran Slicker echoed loud and clear across Hampden Park from the opposite dressing room. Iceland No 1 Elias Rafn Olafsson knows what it is like to be castigated for an absolute howler. In a Europa League group fixture away to Steaua Bucharest with his Danish club side FC Midtyjlland in November, he took a pass from kick-off at the start of the second half 35 yards from goal, whacked an attempted ball forward off opposing forward Daniel Birligea and watched it loop right back over his head towards goal. Birligea won the race to nod it in. Steaua won 2-0. Olafsson's rush of blood to the head went viral. It takes a strong constitution to shake that off and a heart of stone not to see another keeper going through similar agonies and not feel the urge to show some empathy. Olafsson did that on Friday night all right. However, he's not the guy picking the Scotland team for a friendly against Liechtenstein tomorrow evening. And the guy who is, Steve Clarke, didn't exactly offer resounding words of confidence in Slicker's readiness to be thrown back between the sticks in the wake of an absolute nightmare of a Scotland debut in which he was to blame for all three goals in Iceland's 3-1 win. Clarke did explain he will talk to Slicker back at base camp. He did not rule out the idea of him playing in Vaduz. After all, Robby McCrorie was hurt in the warm-up at Hampden, leaving the Ipswich Town keeper as the only remaining option when Angus Gunn went down injured early on. But his comments on Slicker, who had nine minutes of football all season behind him and has never played in an adult league game, not being 'quite ready for it' stood out and made you wonder why he was part of the squad at all. 'This was probably an opportunity that came a little bit too early for Cieran, but we'll be there to support him and help him,' said the national coach. Clarke has been hunting around for another keeper who hasn't disappeared on holiday and looks like he has settled on Ross Doohan. There certainly weren't many outstanding candidates. Scott Bain left Celtic for Falkirk after a spell as third-choice, but he has made only three appearances in two campaigns and didn't play at all last season. Doohan filled in for Aberdeen when Dimitar Mitov was injured, but his ambition has extended to little more than going back to former club Celtic to be the next Scott Bain. Former Rangers keeper Jon McLaughlin played only once for Swansea after going there last summer. Jon McCracken lost his place at Dundee. Zander Clark, Liam Kelly and Craig Gordon are all injured. Part of the problem is that Slicker's body language on Friday night was not good. He looked haunted from the moment Iceland's first goal went in. And if he is to convince Clarke he deserves a chance at wiping the slate clean, this is where Olafsson is unyielding. Slicker has to look the Scotland boss in the eyes and make it evident to him that he has the character to bounce back — because getting back out there on the field and showing what he can really do will be the best way to put Friday's calamities to bed. 'Playing again as soon as possible is 100 per cent the best thing, in my opinion,' said 25-year-old Olafsson, who earned just his seventh full cap at Hampden. 'To come into the game and know you're going to play. It's just about going to the hotel, then forgetting about (Friday) and moving on. 'I had one of those in that Europa League game. It was a pretty big mistake from kick-off, but that's how it is. 'To get over it, you just have to be honest and forget about it. It's a mistake by you. But it's a part of the game. 'When we make mistakes, it's very obvious — it leads to a goal. That's why it is a different position to the outfield players. 'Goalkeeper is definitely the loneliest position in the team. People see the mistakes. That's how it is. You have to be strong mentally for that. I feel empathy with him (Slicker). 'It's always tough, especially when you come into the game cold off the bench. When you come in and make some mistakes, it's hard to get back into the game. 'I feel it's hard making any debut, coming in when you don't expect to come in as a goalkeeper off the bench. 'International football is a different game as well. It's a little bit like European football. 'If you make mistakes, you get hit in the face. It's a different kind of football from the club level.' It's a tough one for Clarke. He needs to see in his weekend discussions that Slicker has been capable of putting that night from hell behind him. Let's face it, the fellow is in the wrong game if he hasn't. There's also the prospect of further damage at an early stage in his career if he fouls up again. However, it is Liechtenstein. It's a game Scotland should dominate. It's a chance for the bloke to get back on the bike, be part of a winning team and do a bit of damage limitation. Bournemouth's Callan McKenna, at 18, is too young to play and Doohan is surely so far down the pecking order that he is unlikely to have any realistic hope of an international future. If Clarke and his coaching staff really do believe Slicker can develop into someone of worth for the longer-term future — and see the right signs in him over the next 24 hours — maybe thinking the unthinkable and throwing him in again could be the biggest show of support of all.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
GB's Salisbury & Skupski beaten in doubles final
Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski's bid to become Great Britain's first French Open men's doubles champions since 1933 ended in disappointment as they were beaten 6-0 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 by Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the match got off to the worst possible start for the British pair when they were broken three times and on the wrong end of a bagel in the opening came out with renewed energy and greater resilience in the second, saving five break points, to eventually force a Granollers and Argentina's Zeballos claimed the first mini-break but Salisbury and Skupski hit straight back with a double mini-break of their own before wrapping up the remained with Liverpool's Skupski and Londoner Salisbury, who only paired up at the start of the season, in the third as they earned a first break of the serve in the opening their opponents broke back immediately to restore parity on Court Philippe and Skupski then passed up two break points at 3-3 and failed to convert a further opportunity at missed opportunity was to prove crucial as the experienced Zeballos, 40, and Granollers, 39, then earned three break points in the next game on Skupski's serve. They converted the first to win a first Grand Slam doubles title from their fourth final as a pairing.
