"Today is 14 years since we won the treble with Barcelona, and 14 is Johan Cruyff's number," said Pep Guardiola after scoring the treble with Manchester City on Saturday.
He never forgot the club. It's so beautiful.
Pep Guardiola has become the only coach in history to win the treble twice. Before that, he did it with Barcelona in the 2008/09 season. The Johan Cruyff reference is very relevant here. The Dutch legend's following continues to grow and Pep's recent Champions League win proves it paid off years later.
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Liverpool have lost a member of their attack as Roberto Firmino leaves the club on a free form
If there's one thing football fans love more than a transfer, it's an offensive transfer! Nothing excites fans more than having their team sign a new star who, when things go well, will score a lot of goals for them.
Liverpool have spent the past 18 months pushing for such deals as the club's bosses begin to revamp the Reds' aging attack. Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo have all entered transfer windows in succession, while Sadio Mane, Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino and now Roberto Firmino have all left.
Realistically, finding long-term replacements for Mane and Firmino is not an enviable task, but early signs from Diaz, Nunez and Gakpo suggest Liverpool have made a good deal. Adding Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota, both of whom signed new long-term contracts last summer, Jurgen Klopp can summon the talent of five quality attacking options. It might therefore come as a surprise if the Reds strengthen their attack further this summer following the departure of Firmino, apparently having signed his replacement first last January from Gakpo. Furthermore, midfield is really their last priority with Alexis Mac Allister already being the first signing to be transferred.
However, Jurgen Klopp will admit, when asked if he is looking for a new centre-back, that goalkeeper is the only position Liverpool are not ready to strengthen.
"We are looking in all departments except the goalkeeper at the moment," the German coach admitted to reporters last month. "Yes, if there's a good centre-back there, I wouldn't deny it. That is all. We are certainly looking at all areas of the pitch."
It may make sense for the Reds to sign a new striker this summer, despite five high-profile options already. After all, Diaz and Jota missed much of last season because of long-term injuries, while Nunez suffered his own setbacks as he spent his rollercoaster debut season in England.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will be without Salah in January and February if Egypt, as expected, qualify for next year's Africa Cup of Nations later this summer.
Of course, the Reds still have young players Harvey Elliott and Ben Doak on the bench if needed, and it's hard to be happy on the transfer front at the prospect of losing African players at the international midfield season. . But if Liverpool want to sign an additional senior striker, it is in fact believed that a world-class option is currently available for a reduced fee.
Paulo Dybala joined AS Roma on a free transfer from Juventus last summer, signing a three-year contract and enjoying a memorable first season in the Eternal City.
He has scored 18 goals and eight assists in 38 appearances, and also scored the opening goal in the Europa League final against Sevilla last month. Meanwhile, he will win the World Cup alongside Mac Allister for Argentina in Qatar.
Although he only joined Roma last year, Dybala's future is still the subject of speculation thanks to the release clause in the contract. The striker can join any foreign club for just €12m (£10.25m), while any Serie A side can sign him for €20m. unless Roma just cancels that by triggering a salary increase from €3.8 million to €6 million.
90min reported last month that their representatives had been in contact with several clubs, making sure they were aware of the striker's potential willingness to drop prices this summer.
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