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'Excited to see what Frimpong could do'

'Excited to see what Frimpong could do'

BBC News14-05-2025

With the imminent departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bayer Leverkusen wing-back Jeremie Frimpong has emerged as a Liverpool target this summer.Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Liverpool fan and author Steven Scragg said he believes the 24-year-old could provide healthy competition for Conor Bradley:"He's one of the names that has been mentioned for some time now," he said, "and I think we will need a new right-back. "In Bradley, we have a magnificent player but there is a big step up to be made. He's started five or six league games this season so to go from that, to starting 30-plus is a hell of a chasm to bridge and we will need someone in there with him."In Frimpong, we are looking at a player who is more similar to Bradley than he is to Trent Alexander-Arnold. He's not going to be spraying passes - he'll be an attacking right-back in a more traditional sense."It means Liverpool will be playing in a different manner next season. Somebody will have to plug the gap of being the man to spray those passes around but we do have players that can do that."I'm pleased with the player we are looking at. I'm excited to see what he can do should this transfer go through and how Bradley would step up to the competition for the position."Listen to the full clip here

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Lionesses legends inspire next generation of women in sports media
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Lionesses legends inspire next generation of women in sports media

The former England stars turned prime-time pundits offered words of wisdom to 12 graduates from Pixel FC Academy – a landmark programme delivered by Google Pixel, supported by Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC and The FA to provide ambitious female creators with the opportunities, training and inspiration to break into the business. Developed in partnership with women's sports experts The Powerhouse Project, the five-month Academy programme has featured workshops on every aspect of modern sports media, from TV punditry, production and written press, to creating viral social content. The programme, available to women aged 18+, began in January, following research by YouGov which revealed that 70% of female sports fans aged 16-24 believe sports media is a male dominated industry, with 63% stating that they would be more likely to apply if they saw a greater number of women in prominent roles. Since beginning in January, Pixel FC Academy members have produced 120 social media posts of their experiences, with 1.6 million views in total, contributing to an average personal follower uplift of 145% on TikTok and 33% on Instagram. Rosie and Mollie Kmita, The Powerhouse Project founders said: 'It's been a privilege to work with such a talented group of young women and give them a platform to showcase their skills. The programme has provided them with unique experiences across sports media and content creation opportunities with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool FC and the FA, so it's amazing to see them utilise Pixel's AI tools and camera capabilities to produce such high quality material. We're so proud and can't wait to see what they do in the future.' Ellen White said: 'I've loved seeing all the incredible work as well as hearing about the positive impact Pixel FC Academy has had on the graduates and it's provided crucial industry experience which will set them up brilliantly for their future careers. The girls are incredibly talented, so they should believe in themselves and they'll succeed.' Karen Carney said: 'The growth in women's football has been amazing to see over the past few years and it's great to see the drive to do more in the game. I love the work Pixel FC Academy is doing, empowering more women to enter the industry.' 'My message to girls watching, who want to get into the sports media industry would be to go for it. You can see the impact that programmes like this can have and the support is now there to help you achieve your dreams.' Hannah Baptiste, Pixel FC Academy graduate said: 'Pixel FC Academy has broken down barriers and given me a unique opportunity to explore new areas of sports media, where I've been able to learn in a safe environment with an amazing group of girls. 'The support we've received from the women's football community has been brilliant and for two legends of the game like Karen Carney and Ellen White to speak at our graduation is truly inspiring.' For more information about Pixel FC Academy, visit:

Real Madrid was the only team I'd leave Liverpool for – Trent Alexander-Arnold
Real Madrid was the only team I'd leave Liverpool for – Trent Alexander-Arnold

Glasgow Times

time24 minutes ago

  • Glasgow Times

Real Madrid was the only team I'd leave Liverpool for – Trent Alexander-Arnold

The 26-year-old, who has signed a six-year deal after Real paid £8.5million to release him from a contract expiring this month, rejected suggestions he had been heavily influenced by close friend and England team-mate Jude Bellingham. He also denied he had been orchestrating the move for a long time but impressing president Florentino Perez and assembled club dignitaries by surprisingly addressing them in Spanish did nothing to calm the anger a significant section of the fanbase have felt about the way he handled his exit after 20 years at Liverpool. 'To be honest, it was never a question of where, it was whether to go or not to go but I always knew, I've probably known it for a long time, if I was ever to leave Liverpool, it would only be to go Real Madrid, that would be the only club for me,' said Alexander-Arnold, who told a press conference he had been learning Spanish 'for a few months'. 'Then it gets to a point where you have to make a decision whether to go or stay and making that decision was not an easy decision because I'd been there so long, but eventually you have to make a decision and in my mind, I've made the right one.' On Bellingham's supposed influence, he added: 'It wasn't exactly what people think it was but we spoke a lot about Liverpool and Real Madrid, that's the conversations you have as players and friends. 'A lot of people think he played a huge part in me coming here but the club speaks for itself. It was a huge opportunity for me – it felt like it was the right time.' Alexander-Arnold had to quickly correct himself after initially saying he had been 'waiting a long time' for this day, explaining: 'By waiting a long time, I mean by a couple of weeks, not years. 'If I'm honest it's not something you dream of as it's out of reach and out of reality for a lot of players, there are only a handful of players who have been able to represent this club,' he said. 'When I was younger I wasn't exactly thinking I would be here today, I was just thinking about learning about how I could be the best footballer I could be. 'It's a dream to be here but there is still a lot of hard work to do. I'm excited to get started right away.' Alexander-Arnold, wearing a black suit and tie, sat next to girlfriend Estelle Behnke as a video montage was played of his best moments at Liverpool, inevitably featuring his two assists in the 4-0 Champions League semi-final comeback against Real's arch-rivals Barcelona. His mum Dianne sat alongside his dad Michael and brothers Tyler – his agent – and Marcell and could be seen wiping away tears as the video concluded. Real president Florentino Perez described Alexander-Arnold as 'a player who has won everything, one of the best defenders and full-backs in world football. One on the greatest players worldwide is joining this club and hopefully we can write a new page in the history books'. That starts in the United States later this month at the Club World Cup, which is the reason Real paid Liverpool to release the right-back from his contract early. Trent Alexander-Arnold signed a six-year deal after Real paid £8.5m to release him from his contract (Borja Hojas/PA) 'I grew up watching this club win three Champions League in row so I'm no stranger to seeing Real Madrid winning trophies,' said the former Liverpool academy graduate, who will wear 'Trent' on the back of his number 12 shirt to avoid the confusion European fans have had with his double-barrelled surname. 'A big part of why I joined was to be a big part of the success going forward. 'I'm joining a young team with a lot of potential with the mindset to win trophies. We go to America for the Club World Cup and our ambition is to win that trophy too. I'm looking for a great start.'

Trent Alexander-Arnold's big day in Madrid
Trent Alexander-Arnold's big day in Madrid

The Guardian

time42 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Trent Alexander-Arnold's big day in Madrid

If the football doesn't work out for him at Real Madrid, Trent Alexander-Arnold can try his luck as a regular panellist on the Spanish version of Just A Minute, a popular BBC Radio 4 comedy show, in which assorted comedians and luvvies are challenged to speak for one minute on a given subject without 'hesitation, repetition or deviation'. Football Daily is prepared to concede that – written down like that – it actually sounds really boring, but readers who are unfamiliar with the show will just have to take our word for it when we say the show is actually very funny. Or at least it was when we last listened to it about 25 years ago. Of course there is no Spanish version of Just A Minute, almost certainly because most Spaniards of our acquaintance can speak for up to three hours uninterrupted on any given subject without hesitation, repetition or deviation. But we were certainly impressed when Alexander-Arnold stood behind a lectern in the bowels of the Bernabéu at his unveiling as a Real Madrid player, giving a welcome address of more than 60 seconds in what appeared to be perfectly fluent Spanish without once stuttering, pointing at a beer tap or bellowing 'EGG AND CHIPS!!!' at the top of his voice. Short of clacking a pair of castanets or missing the presentation entirely because it clashed with his siesta, Madrid's new signing could scarcely have appeared more native, and his command of a language he appears to have been taking lessons in for a while will do little to allay [or should that be olé? – Football Daily Ed] the suspicions of Liverpool fans that he has been plotting his move to the Spanish capital for a very long time. He may even have been listening to Duolingo through his headphones on the team bus to Brighton a month ago. 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