Lucas Chevalier News

Liverpool dream starting XI next season: Five signings as Michael Olise and £120m star join

There's a lot of work to be done at Liverpool this summer. The reigning Premier League champions have spectacularly underwhelmed this season. It'll be a bitter pill to swallow seeing either Arsenal or Manchester City take the crown that Arne Slot's side worked so tirelessly to claim last year. Major surgery on a squad that is set to lose several established names will be needed. Should the Reds secure Champions League football next season, which looks likely, the club's coffers should be in a suitably healthy state to help with any rebuilding. Here, we take a look at Liverpool's dream first XI for next season , should they manage to work the summer transfer window to their advantage this season, with five new signings slotting in, including new boy Jeremy Jacquet FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page One of the biggest areas Slot will be tasked with solving is between the sticks. Alisson can make a claim to be Liverpool's best-ever keeper and still has a year left on his current contract. However, his 2025/26 season has been heavily impacted by injuries and his struggles could signal the end of his time on Merseyside. Juventus have become serious contenders to sign him. Giorgi Mamardashvili will most likely take over from Alisson, with Freddie Woodman being a competent deputy when called upon this summer. However, PSG's 24-year-old Lucas Chevalier could be a shrewd move to challenge Mamardashvili. While the Frenchman was dropped by Luis Enrique mid-season, he has showcased enough talent and could need a change of surroundings to reignite his career. Liverpool have simply failed to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, who left for Real Madrid last summer. Conor Bradley has shown flashes of his ability at full-back but has battled several injuries while Jeremie Frimpong is yet to cement the position as his own. While Tottenham Hotspur have been breached time and time again this season, Pedro Porro is one Premier League-proven defender who shares many of Alexander-Arnold's attributes . Under former Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, Porro was adept at winning possession back high up the pitch, pulling off defence-splitting passes and was handy in his duels. A stint at a club with a functioning back four could propel the Spanish star to new levels. On the other side of the pitch, Milos Kerkez has come on leaps and bounds since joining from Bournemouth last summer, and with Andy Robertson's departure, the left-back spot is now his to lose. It goes without saying that with so many veteran names departing Liverpool, keeping Van Dijk in the heart of their defence is imperative. The Dutch's captain's leadership qualities will be vital for Slot as his team beds in several younger players. While Ibrahima Konate could sign a new deal to keep him at Anfield, incoming 20-year-old centre-back Jacquet, who signed for the Reds in January for around £55million, will most likely be eyed to partner and learn from Van Dijk. There will be a fierce tussle for Nottingham Forest's Anderson this summer. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder, who it has been reported could cost potential suitors as much as £120million this summer, would bring a new dimension of steel to Slot's midfield, something that has been deeply lacking this season. Alexis Mac Allister has struggled this term and could be sacrificed for transfer funds this summer. Curtis Jones seems to have fallen out of favour with Slot, while Wataru Endo will most likely leave the club. While Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton is also a contender to slot into Liverpool's midfield, it's Anderson who could partner Ryan Gravenberch in a double pivot or take on defensive duties alone, with the ever-impressive Szoboszlai helping him out. Wirtz, while struggling to live up to his £116m price tag so far, should be given a free role so he can showcase his undeniable talent. On paper, it's a dream proposition. Olise, with 41 goals in 104 appearances for Bayern Munich, seems a direct replacement for Mo Salah, who is leaving the club this summer. The mere sight of the Frenchman marauding up the right flank this season, tormenting and probing with his deadly left foot, will have given Liverpool fans food for thought. Joining Olise, should Liverpool be able to prise him from Bayern for upwards of £100million – one report has even put his price at £173m – is Ekitike cutting in from the left. The Frenchman's season has been cruelly cut short with a brutal Achilles tendon injury, but his 17 goals in his maiden term prove the 23-year-old is up to the task. Complimenting them is Alexander Isak. While it's been a far from perfect debut season for the British record signing, the Swede is still one of the deadliest strikers in Europe and it's surely only a matter of time before he discovers his rhythm and gels with his new team-mates. Liverpool's dream first XI for 2026/2027: Lucas Chevalier, Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet, Pedro Porro, Milos Kerkez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Elliot Anderson, Florian Wirtz, Michael Olise, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike. Buy Blood Red, our monthly Liverpool FC print publication for just £3.50 by clicking here

2026-05-09

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Donnarumma breathes a sigh of relief For Manchester City, Gianluigi Donnarumma has always been a case of risk and reward. Perhaps only Thibaut Courtois is as fine a shot-stopper as Italy’s Euro 2020 hero, though many goalkeepers are better with the ball at their feet. Claudio Bravo, let alone Ederson, would be unlikely to dither in the fashion that alerted Kai Havertz to the possibility of pressing City’s keeper as close as possible for Arsenal’s goal. Donnarumma was the signing who bucked the Pep Guardiola doctrines, and his goalkeeping has been crucial to City’s revival but such mistakes have always been part of the giant Italian’s makeup. Paris Saint-Germain would not meet his wage demands, and opted for Lille’s Lucas Chevalier, a better ball-player as an ill-starred replacement. Donnarumma smothered a good chance for Havertz in the second half. His big mistake, seconds after Rayan Cherki’s opener, did not, after all, become the key twist in the title race. John Brewin Match report: Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal Jones slots in nicely at right-back It was an indication of Liverpool’s evolution over the course of this season that the central midfielder Curtis Jones started the Merseyside derby at right-back, while summer recruit Jeremie Frimpong was left on the bench. Jones has played in the position before and produced an accomplished display. His calm nature makes him suited to the role; he read the danger instinctively and faced up against Everton’s trickiest attacking player, Iliman Ndiaye, without being intimidated. When Liverpool were in possession, Arne Slot gave permission for Jones to move into more familiar territory, shifting into the centre of the park where he could receive the ball and try to create overloads. There was never a chance he would look to overlap Mohamed Salah, something Frimpong takes great pride in. Jones is the more conservative option at full-back, a trait Liverpool require as they look to grind their way to Champions League qualification. Will Unwin Match report: Everton 1-2 Liverpool De Zerbi puts faith in Simons to save Spurs To stand any chance of avoiding relegation, Tottenham will need Xavi Simons to put in the kind of performance he managed against Brighton on Saturday. The Netherlands attacker has struggled for consistency since joining last summer – hardly a surprise given that he has played under three different managers in his first Premier League season. Simons set up Pedro Porro’s opener before scoring a brilliant goal that looked like being the winner until Georginio Rutter’s late strike. Roberto De Zerbi praised Simons’ efforts and thinks he can unlock more from the 22-year-old, as Spurs prepare for five games that will determine their destiny. “He needs to feel confidence from the manager. And I stay here to transfer all the confidence he needs,” said the Italian. “Because [when] I was a player, I was No 10, and I think I know what he thinks. I think I’m lucky to have this player on my team, but also he’s lucky because with No 10, I can understand better than other coaches.” Ed Aarons Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Brighton Heaven shines brighter than Garnacho At a reported compensation cost of £1m-£1.5m, the signing of Ayden Heaven is the type of deal Chelsea’s brains trust would love to pull off. Think of the resale value. Those not yet in the grip of placing dollar signs against everything could celebrate Heaven’s performance in leading Manchester United’s rearguard effort at Stamford Bridge, and the promise of more to come in a red shirt. Similar expectations were once held in Alejandro Garnacho who, after arriving as a first-half sub for Estevão, showed United what they have not missed. Successive United managers were exasperated that the Argentinian’s attacking talents were not balanced by dedicated work off the ball. Liam Rosenior will have similar thoughts on Garnacho’s role in allowing Bruno Fernandes to breeze past and supply Matheus Cunha for United’s goal. Rosenior may not be suitable for his position but like his predecessors under the BlueCo regime, he must work with players bought as assets rather than footballers. Garnacho cost £40m. Think of the resale value. JB Match report: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United Signings pile pressure on Howe Eddie Howe’s biggest problem is not Newcastle’s dismal results – although eight defeats in 11 Premier League games remains damning – but last summer’s £220m transfer market spend. Given Newcastle’s manager has a much bigger say on signings than most of his Premier League peers, he is largely culpable for blowing the £125m gained from Alexander Isak’s sale on Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey. As Bournemouth won 2-1 on Tyneside, with the outstanding Alex Scott running midfield, Elanga and Ramsey were alarmingly poor before being withdrawn. Woltemade stepped off the substitutes’ bench for the last few minutes and Wissa stayed on it. Afterwards Howe admitted he struggles to accommodate the £69m Woltemade’s unique skills in his 4-3-3 system. It all contrasted unfavourably with Bournemouth where, despite losing a raft of leading players last summer, shrewd recruitment has left Andoni Iraola’s side challenging for Europe. Tellingly the scorer of the winning goal, the left-back Adrien Truffert, arrived from Rennes for a bargain initial £11.4m last summer. Louise Taylor Match report: Newcastle 1-2 Bournemouth Should Burnley stick with Parker? The end is nigh for Burnley as they prepare to return to theChampionship, and the manager’s position is bound to come under scrutiny again as Scott Parker approaches the final year of his contract. Despite spending last season in the second tier, only five teams have endured more than Burnley’s 45 defeats from 71 Premier League games over the past three years. The last time they went down, Vincent Kompany departed for Bayern Munich, and they’re not doing too badly. Is it the manager’s responsibility for a mid-sized club like Burnley yo-yoing between the two divisions? Parker led them to promotion before; perhaps he should be offered another chance. Peter Lansley Match report: Nottingham Forest 4-1 Burnley Arsenal lacking killer instinct Now for the run-in, where Arsenal somehow have to recover ebbing confidence. Mikel Arteta’s formula for success was going so well. And now it no longer is. Those scenes of Kai Havertz’s missed header being followed by Arsenal’s manager hitting the deck in agony may come to define another near-miss of a season. Not enough chances of that quality were created by Arteta’s team, severely lacking in creativity in the absence of Bukayo Saka and with Martin Ødegaard a reduced force. What appeared a bold, attacking selection did not match the verve of City players such as Rayan Cherki and Nico O’Reilly or the doggedness of Bernardo Silva. When it came time for expression, assuming responsibility, grasping the nettle, a team drilled by a prescriptive coach could not find the necessary inspiration and killer instinct. With a Champions League semi-final to come and five more Premier League matches, the “fire” Arteta declares is within him and his team must be relocated. JB Farke deserving of more love Leeds are not mathematically safe yet but, after Tottenham’s draw with Brighton on Saturday evening, there is now an eight-point buffer between Daniel Farke’s men and the relegation zone. Which raises the question: does Farke deserve a little bit more credit than he gets? He has not only guided Leeds back to the Premier League but barring an extraordinary sequence of results – 39 points has been enough to survive in each of the past eight seasons – he has kept them there too, as well as taking them to a first FA Cup semi-final since 1987. There’s often murmurings of discontent on the Elland Road terraces about whether Farke is the right man for the club. If, as now expected, he takes them into a second successive Premier League campaign, there is perhaps a conversation to talk about him in a more positive light. Aaron Bower Match report: Leeds 3-0 Wolves Abraham proves his worth with key goals Tammy Abraham is still only 28 but he returned to England in January as a largely forgotten figure; certainly nobody is tipping him to be in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. His previous loan spell at Villa was in 2018-19, when he scored 25 league goals to inspire promotion via the playoffs. He has been nowhere near as prolific this time round, but he has played his role perfectly, coming off the bench and scoring two vital late goals: an equaliser at home to Leeds and Sunday’s winner against Sunderland. Without those four points, Villa might not look quite so secure in the Champions League qualifying slots. The question, then, is whether Villa sign the striker from Besiktas on a permanent basis. That may depend on whether they can afford him, which in turn may be dependent on Champions League qualification. Abraham is doing his bit to ensure that happens. Jonathan Wilson Match report: Aston Villa 4-3 Sunderland Fulham drawing blanks at wrong time It finished goalless in this west London derby but only Brentford looked capable of nicking it at the close. Marco Silva wanted his Fulham side to attack, too, bringing on Oscar Bobb, Josh King and Raul Jiménez in the second half. “We wanted to win the game, we needed to win the game and it was a moment to take that type of risk,” said Silva. Yet his side failed to test Caoimhín Kelleher all game, with Fulham’s substitutes unable to change the tune. An injury to Alex Iwobi added to Silva’s frustrations, as did Harry Wilson’s failure to hit the target when he found space in the area. Fulham remain in that tight mid-table pack, European football still on offer – but it’s time to work on those shooting drills, for someone to help out Wilson, their headliner this season. They’ve now failed to score in five games out of six. Taha Hashim Match report: Brentford 0-0 Fulham

2026-04-20