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France defender devasted by deaths of Jota and father‘Depression is personal; it’s deep inside you’Ibrahima Konaté has spoken about the struggles he faced in a year of personal tragedy in which the death of his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota was followed by that of his father.The France international’s form was affected but it was not until January, when his dad, Hamady, died after a long illness, that it became apparent the personal turmoil the 27-year-old had been dealing with.“There are low points, there’s depression,” said the defender, who appears poised to join Real Madrid after not renewing his Liverpool contract. “You can suffer from depression in football too; there’s no need to be ashamed to say so.“It’s true that I’ve often heard players say they were suffering from depression and that fans or people on the outside didn’t understand because they were earning a lot of money. But no, that’s rubbish and you shouldn’t say that.“Depression is personal; it’s deep inside you. When you’re depressed, it starts in the heart, goes up to the brain and takes over your whole body. For me, that’s what’s hard, and we need to talk about it.”On the crash which killed his neighbour Jota and Jota’s brother André Silva on the eve of pre-season training Konaté said: “It devastated me. I didn’t have any interest in anything else at that point.“You go back to football because you have no choice. We’re employees at a club that pays us every month, so we have duties. We had no choice but to go back on the field and play for him and his family – as well as ourselves. There’s no way of getting over it, but you learn to live with it.”Konaté was also carrying the burden of knowing his father was seriously ill. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know whether I should go home and stop playing, because the team needed me too.“I didn’t know who to talk to about it, so I kept it all to myself. And this is the advice I’d give to everyone: when you’re feeling down or something’s going on, you need to talk to those around you.“It can help you and do you good. I didn’t talk about it and kept it to myself. The doctors then told us he didn’t have long to live, but we didn’t know it would happen so quickly.”While on compassionate leave Konaté called Liverpool’s then head coach, Arne Slot, to say he was returning to help the team in a defensive injury crisis, and he scored on an emotional comeback against Newcastle at Anfield. But the centre-back knew things were not right.“There was never a moment when I felt like I was on the mend,” he said. “All of these tragic events happened so quickly and as soon as I felt like I was getting my head above water, something else happened.“I had the support of all these fans, who are exceptional at Liverpool, my teammates and especially my family but I also had to learn how to get back on my feet on my own because the team needed me more than ever and I know that my father would have wanted me to get back.” In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. You can contact the mental health charity Mind by calling 0300 123 3393 or visiting mind.org.uk

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Scotland great, 75, mistakenly posted on social media‘Treatment is going well’ says former player and managerSir Kenny Dalglish has revealed he is receiving treatment for cancer. The Liverpool legend, who is 75, confirmed the diagnosis on Tuesday having mistakenly posted about his treatment earlier in the day. Liverpool have said: “The support, best wishes and love of everyone at Liverpool FC are, and will be, with Sir Kenny and his family.”Dalglish wrote: “As my inadvertent social media post has indicated, I am currently undergoing treatment for cancer. Unlike my mobile phone use, the treatment is going well. Ideally, this would have remained private because that’s the way it should be, but my useless technology skills have forced my hand.“Obviously I did not mean to make this matter public so I would appreciate it if the privacy of my family and myself are respected. As ever, thank you to the wonderful medical staff who have shown incredible care and discretion, not just for me but for many, many others. They are a credit to themselves.”Liverpool have also requested privacy for Dalglish as he continues his treatment. The Scot, who started his playing career with Celtic and also managed Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle, is widely considered Liverpool’s greatest player and is the most revered, not only for his outstanding talent as a player and a manager but in how he led the club through the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.

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Spaniard is clear front-runner to replace Arne SlotLiverpool want to make hire before World Cup startsLiverpool have opened formal talks with Andoni Iraola over succeeding Arne Slot as the club’s head coach.Iraola is the clear frontrunner for the Anfield vacancy with his style of play fitting Liverpool’s criteria for the front-footed, aggressive approach they felt was lacking in Slot’s second season in charge. The Dutchman was sacked from his post on Saturday.Liverpool sporting director, Richard Hughes, who appointed Iraola to take charge at Bournemouth from Raya Vallacano in 2023 is leading the negotiations with the 43-year-old. Hughes retains a strong working relationship with Iraola’’s agent, Inaki Ibanez, and talks are expected to progress quickly.The Spaniard is available after leaving the Vitality Stadium at the end of last season, upon the expiry of his contract, and Liverpool want to complete the hiring process before the World Cup starts on 11 June. Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Pierre Sage of Lens have also been considered, but Iraola has always been seen as the leading candidate.Liverpool have not made any approaches to further additions to their coaching staff despite being linked with their former midfielder Thiago Alcântara, who has just left Barcelona. Those moves will only be made once talks with Iraola reach the final stages. Iraola will want to bring his former assistant at Bournemouth, Tommy Elphick, with him to Anfield.

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75-year-old says he has ‘top doctor’ working on his caseNewcastle send ‘heartfelt support and warmest wishes’The former England and Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has revealed he has stage four cancer. His family had said in January the former England, Liverpool and Newcastle player had been diagnosed with cancer and the 75-year-old provided an update on his health during a weekend appearance at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House.“They said we have a top doctor with this new way of fighting what you have got, which is stage four cancer,” Keegan said, in quotes reported by the Daily Mail. “He was a Liverpool supporter so I went to meet him. I knew I wouldn’t be walking alone, if you know what I mean.”Newcastle, where Keegan spent two years as a player before having two spells as a manager, sent their best wishes to Keegan in a post on X on Monday, saying he would “always be warmly welcomed” at St James’ Park.“We send our heartfelt support and warmest wishes to Kevin Keegan and his family following his recent diagnosis of stage four cancer,” the club said. “Kevin holds a unique and cherished place in the history of Newcastle, and in the hearts of our supporters. His passion, leadership and connection to the club and city have shaped some of our most memorable moments.“Everyone at the club is behind Kevin and sends strength and best wishes to him and his family for the journey ahead. Kevin will always be warmly welcomed at St James’ Park and we hope to see him again soon.”Keegan began his career with Scunthorpe and was signed by Liverpool in 1971, winning the First Division three times along with two Uefa Cups, the FA Cup and the European Cup in 1977. He won the Ballon d’Or – then called the European Footballer of the Year – twice while at the German side Hamburg, where he featured in another European Cup final, and played for Southampton and Newcastle before retiring in 1984. He scored 21 goals in 63 England appearances and played at the 1982 World Cup finals.As a manager, Keegan took charge of former club Newcastle in 1992 and led them into the Premier League, where they came close to winning the 1995-96 title but missed out to Manchester United. He had a spell as Fulham’s manager before becoming England manager in 1999 but, after a disappointing Euro 2000 campaign, Keegan resigned following a World Cup qualifying defeat by Germany. Keegan then took charge at Manchester City before leaving in March 2005 and made a return to Newcastle in 2008 that lasted eight months.Speaking at the event, Keegan stated he would like to return to St James’ Park to say goodbye. He said: “I want to say goodbye. I didn’t get the chance when I left the club last time.”

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The Basque made his Bournemouth superbly watchable, just what the Reds need after Arne Slot’s meek title defenceBravery. It is the recurring theme in conversations with those who have worked with Andoni Iraola at close quarters and the thing, they say, that sets him apart. It was evident in the manner his Bournemouth side illuminated the Premier League.Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, has been here before. This time, though, rather than asking Iraola to replace Gary O’Neil and inherit a team that scrambled to safety, the challenge is to recondition one of the biggest clubs on the planet and help them rediscover the swagger that made them champions.Arne Slot ultimately paid the price for a meek title defence. Bournemouth simply did not know how to leave quietly under Iraola. Well, barring his first nine winless games in charge, a bruising start that these days is hard to comprehend. Iraola will be the first to recognise Liverpool are unlikely to be quite so forgiving if they have to wait three months to win a Premier League game next season.“It has been hell of a ride,” Iraola said, addressing Bournemouth’s fans after the club qualified for Europe for the first time. He alluded to that barren run, November fast approaching. “We didn’t start well and, probably, you were thinking: ‘Who the fuck is this guy?’”“This guy” has established himself as arguably the hottest head coach on the market and is fresh from leading Bournemouth to another record-breaking season. Iraola’s approach has been the envy of the rest of the Premier League for some time, his body of work across the past three seasons a triumph for coaching. Together with his staff, he has polished countless players, schooling them in aggression and recovery runs, elevating many into different footballing levels, none more so than Antoine Semenyo, who arrived from Bristol City as a raw talent. Marcos Senesi, available on a free this summer, is another example, while James Hill is the latest player to make others sit up and take note, not least staff at England.Hughes pushed Iraola’s case at Bournemouth having watched his endearing Rayo Vallecano side excel after promotion to La Liga and then convinced him to put his imprint on a team that had just finished 15th, five points above the dotted line. “The first thing from the club was more than [about] the result but changing the style: changing the approach, being more offensive, more proactive, playing with no fear,” Iraola said of Bournemouth’s plan.To that end, the 43-year-old appears to be the perfect candidate to restore the personality lacking at Liverpool in recent months. Bournemouth were superbly watchable under Iraola, who has long thought the best form of defence is attack. “When 10 players are behind the ball, I don’t feel very comfortable,” he said at the end of his first season. Take their home win over Fulham last October. They trailed 1-0 on 78 minutes. At that point Iraola withdrew Senesi, a centre-back, and Tyler Adams, a defensive midfielder, and introduced attack-minded players in Ryan Christie, another player transformed by Iraola, and Ben Gannon-Doak. Bournemouth levelled almost immediately and won 3-1.It was a similar story the previous week at Elland Road, where Eli Junior Kroupi rescued a point in second-half stoppage time. That night Bournemouth finished with two out-and-out defenders on the pitch. In his first season, they beat Luton 4-3 despite trailing 3-0 at half-time and in his second, at Everton, Bournemouth scored three goals after the 86th minute to win 3-2. “We put Dango [Ouattara] at left-back, but he was playing everywhere but left-back,” Iraola said.A senior member of staff at Bournemouth says: “Andoni’s idea is to win every game – and that gives you a real platform and identity. The way he uses substitutions … very rarely has he not brought on almost every attacker at his disposal with enough time to affect a game. He wants freshness to keep the rhythm and tempo the same as when the match started. If he has players to bring on and keep the level high, it is the perfect scenario for him – you can never say he’s not trying to win every game. Andoni’s style lends itself to entertainment.”Funnily enough, it was after a stoppage-time victory against Liverpool in January this year, in which they led 2-0 and won 3-2, when Iraola conceded his side had learned the art of picking their moments. “Normally we go full gas from the beginning and try to go until the end,” he said.It is a message he relayed as Bournemouth went unbeaten across the second round of fixtures against teams, an achievement that gave him immense satisfaction and only enhanced his reputation. He told his players to value every point during a run of six draws in seven matches.A summer of change at Anfield is unlikely to bother Iraola, who, while frustrated privately, seamlessly absorbed the sales of more than £250m of talent across last season. Bournemouth even avoided defeat after selling Semenyo to Manchester City in January, having allowed Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez to depart for Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively last summer. At the end of Iraola’s first season, Dominic Solanke was sold for a then club record £65m fee. Now Iraola is accountable for the bigger valuations on the heads of Alex Scott, Kroupi and Rayan, all of whom have flourished this season.Iraola once made light of links to Real Madrid, suggesting he had little interest in massaging the egos of household names, but do not be fooled by his warm next-door-neighbour charm.After training he enjoyed playing football trivia with his analysis staff and last season volunteered to run the line at his daughter’s under-11s match in Dorset. He is fascinated by culture and travel, be it the Sandbanks ferry or the Shinkansen. But he is also intelligent, demanding and ruthless, days off for his squad at a premium. As a player, he lived elite standards across 16 years at an institution in Athletic Bilbao, his home town club, before hanging up his boots alongside Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo at New York City FC. As a coach, the Basque’s next step was never going to be dull.

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Club’s former head coach proud to have won titleHe praises ‘spirit of compassion and unity’Arne Slot has said the connection he shares with Liverpool and their fans “goes beyond football” after leaving the club. The Dutchman was sacked as head coach on Saturday, 12 months on from winning the club’s second title in 30 years, after a pitiful defence ended with a fifth-placed finish.In an open letter to fans in the Liverpool Echo, he said winning the Premier League title was “beyond special”. He wrote: “The connection we share goes beyond football, beyond European nights under the Anfield lights or the sound of You’ll Never Walk Alone being sung from The Kop.“You made me feel welcome from the start and helped me on the path. That is something I cherish.”Slot said winning the title was “even more meaningful” because fans were able to share in the celebrations after the 2020 title success during the pandemic.He described the “shocking” events when 134 supporters were injured as Paul Doyle drove into them on Water Street in the city centre during celebrations. Doyle was jailed for 21 years and six months after he pleaded guilty to 31 offences.“I was privileged to witness first-hand your spirit of compassion and unity,” Slot wrote. “It is a spirit that has carried this city through difficult moments before, and one that I hope will help bring the justice and accountability so many have campaigned for over many years.”Slot also described the “love, compassion and support shown by the Liverpool family” after the death of the forward Diogo Jota in a car crash as “extraordinary” and that the way the fans honoured the player would stay with him for ever.As well as thanking fans, Slot paid tribute to players, staff and the club’s owners. “It has been a pleasure working with you all,” he said. “Liverpool’s 20th league title belongs to all of us and it will remain an important chapter in its history. For that we should all be proud.“I leave with complete confidence in what lies ahead. The players who have given so much to this club, who have upheld its values and helped create so many unforgettable moments, have built foundations that will endure.“At the same time, a new generation is emerging, ready to write its own story and embrace the responsibility that comes with wearing this shirt. Change is part of football, but I know that this club will continue to make its people proud.”

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Club want to name Slot’s successor before World CupStuttgart’s Hoeness and Lens’s Sage to be sounded outLiverpool will hold formal talks with Andoni Iraola over their managerial vacancy this week and hope to install Arne Slot’s successor before the World Cup begins.Liverpool are planning to move quickly in their search for a new head coach and intend to speak to their preferred candidates at the earliest opportunity. Contact has been made with Iraola’s camp and formal talks are expected over the coming days. The club are also likely to sound out Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Pierre Sage, of Lens, but the former Bournemouth head coach, who was brought to the south coast by Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, is the frontrunner to replace Slot.Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace have all made approaches to Iraola since he left Bournemouth after three impressive seasons, his final campaign delivering European football to the Vitality Stadium for the first time. There could also be rival interest in Sage from Palace. Liverpool, therefore, need to act swiftly and want to conclude the entire process before the World Cup starts on 11 June to give the new man ample time to prepare.That schedule also enhances Iraola’s claims. Liverpool would have to pay compensation to extract Hoeness, Sage or another employed coach from their current clubs whereas the 43-year-old Basque is out of contract and available now.Slot was informed his Liverpool career was over approximately 90 minutes before the club announced their decision at 12.30pm on Saturday. He was sacked following a review into Liverpool’s troubled season that was led by Hughes and Michael Edwards, chief executive of football at the club’s owner, Fenway Sports Group. FSG continues to back the pair to lead Liverpool’s football operation despite the disappointing return on last summer’s outlay on new signings of almost £450m.Hughes and Edwards are understood to have started their review before the end of the season. Slot was assessed along with the data behind the team’s performances. Players were not consulted and, although supporter unrest was taken into account, it is not believed to have played a decisive role in their final conclusion that the team were unlikely to improve under Slot. FSG then signed off Hughes’s and Edwards’s recommendation.On Sunday Virgil van Dijk became the first and so far only Liverpool player to pay tribute to Slot with captain writing on Instagram: “We’ll never forget winning the Premier League in our first season together. Thank you, Trainer, and best of luck to you and your family for the future.”

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Fan discontent boiled over last season but the head coach wasn’t the only one who made mistakes at the clubInevitable and necessary. Despite the continual briefings coming out of the UK side of the club’s operation, the silence from Liverpool’s American ownership was deafening. No vote of confidence, no contract extension talks and – most significant – no official appointment of Etiënne Reijnen to Arne Slot’s coaching staff. According to multiple reports last week, Slot was bringing in his old mucker to help turn the ship around, but the longer that remained unconfirmed it began to feel as if something was afoot.Eventually, on Saturday lunchtime, six days after the final game of a season in which the Reds lost 19 games, Slot was gone. Regardless of what happens next, it was the correct decision. If the next guy does not do well, that does not mean sacking Slot was a mistake. It made no sense for Liverpool’s ownership to allow this to continue, regardless of how much Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes reportedly wanted to stick with the status quo.I can’t remember Liverpool fans being more united in wanting a trophy-winning manager removed. Usually there’s a split in the fanbase and it can get quite ugly (the Rafa wars were particularly harrowing!) but this time it was pretty unanimous. We all knew. Some may have half-heartedly railed against the idea of “sacking a league-winning manager” but when it happened there was very little condemnation. Mostly it was relief.Anfield had started to become toxic with open revolt against Slot on display in the recent draw with Chelsea. It had threatened to get that way a few times previously (there were some boos after Burnley) but for the most part the crowd had shown great patience given the sterile football and disappointing results being served up. There’s no coming back from the position Slot found himself in. It was over, and virtually everyone knew it.That makes the constant briefings coming out of the club that his job was safe very worrying. This wasn’t some clever bluff by the smartest guys in the room to keep Slot focused until Champions League football was secured. By all accounts, Edwards and/or Hughes were prepared to let him carry on. That is until John Henry stepped in. That’s alarming to me, but then as much as I wanted Slot gone, I’d rather Edwards had gone first as I think he’s a bigger problem. Hughes too, although it’s hard to judge him when he’s no doubt being micro-managed by Edwards, FSG’s big boss man of football.A lot of outsiders think Slot has been treated harshly as it was only 12 months ago he was leading us to our 20th title. I get that to some extent, but he won the title with another man’s squad, and that squad has since been completely dismantled by Slot and those above him. Some fans get prickly and defensive when you say he won the league with Jürgen Klopp’s squad, but it’s a fact. I don’t know why saying so is seen as somehow denigrating his achievement, because to me it’s the opposite. Taking over somebody else’s team and delivering a title in your first season in a new league is an incredible accomplishment.If that same squad were still in place then maybe you could roll the dice on Slot in the hope that he could rediscover past glories. That isn’t the case, though. Much of that squad is gone or going and, despite a huge amount of money being spent to supposedly take the club to even greater heights, it’s gone backwards at an alarming rate. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz flopped, there were no signs of any plan or identity and nobody really knows what Slot’s preferred style is. Then you get Mohamed Salah telling the world how bad it is and most of the squad agreeing with him. It looked like mutiny.The dream is that our real dad (Klopp) comes home but it’s probably going to be another stepdad – this time a fun Spanish one. Andoni Iraola ticks plenty of boxes, but not all of them. He hasn’t experienced the goldfish bowl of a big club like Liverpool, he hasn’t had to navigate the demands of playing twice, or three times, a week and teams don’t set up against Bournemouth in the same way they do Liverpool.It would be a risk, but the upside is huge as Bournemouth play the most exciting football in the league. The Premier League has become boring but I enjoy watching the Cherries because they always have a go. They run, they press, they play on the front foot. Dare I say they play the “heavy-metal football” Salah called for a return to? Leading Bournemouth to sixth after losing his four or five best players is remarkable, so if it’s Iraola, sound. David Usher is the editor of the Liverpool Way

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We look at the fault-lines within Anfield and what is needed in the aftermath of the head coach’s sackingMaybe Mohamed Salah’s style of communication was not the slickest but he was correct that Liverpool need to redefine the style of football they play. Everything on the pitch last season under Arne Slot felt very placid as Liverpool failed to dominate opponents and were often found overrun. The new head coach will want to demonstrate his plans and implement an attacking style to best use what is available to him. Anfield does not want to witness back-foot football, fans want to see a swagger to those in red. Supporters and Slot suffered from a disconnect in the final months. The Dutchman was hindered by not possessing the vivacious personality of Jürgen Klopp nor the results in the end, and the aforementioned tedious style. The successor will want to put fans at the forefront and build a strong bond between stands and dugout, built on a platform of attractive play.After spending so much last summer trying to build a squad capable of dominating the Premier League for years to come, it was difficult to pick out someone who thrived. Hugo Ekitiké was the best of the new arrivals but record signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak barely made the season’s footnotes. Isak could at least attribute his struggles to fitness and injury problems, including a leg fracture, but the German’s first taste of English football was a sour one. He never looked comfortable as a No 10, physically finding it tough going as speed on the ball and strength in battle were lacking. Getting the best out of a clearly talented player must be a priority, because Wirtz has the capabilities to open defences and help Liverpool control games but needs a confidence boost and an arm around the shoulder.Wirtz is part of a wider midfield issue that lacks physicality and an obvious No 6. Ryan Gravenberch was elected as the man for the role by Slot, which worked well when the possession stats were in Liverpool’s favour but finding someone who can break things up effectively is advisable. Every other team have someone who can break up play but Liverpool lack someone in that role. Not since Georginio Wijnaldum or Fabinho have the club possessed someone capable of overwhelming opponents with their physical attributes and in an evolving sport, this oversight must end. Dominik Szoboszlai being moved around the pitch was unhelpful because he can be one of the best central midfielders in the world but needs a defined position to make his own.The players departing Anfield are weighed down with individual and team trinkets, thanks to the success they have enjoyed with Liverpool. Arguably, the influence of Salah and Andy Robertson on the pitch waned in their final season with the club but their experience and winning mentality will be a huge loss to the dressing room and training ground. Ibrahima Konaté is another exiting, providing a recruitment headache the club were not fully anticipating. It does beg the question if it is the right time to allow Alisson Becker, who has suffered from injury problems in recent times, to be sold and allow a new generation to start afresh, with Virgil van Dijk leading the transition. There are plenty of potential internal candidates who can take on greater responsibility but it may require a change in transfer strategy to acquire players in their late-20s with Champions League experience to help give the right balance.Konaté’s contract expiration will be softened by Jérémy Jacquet’s impending arrival but further investment is required. Van Dijk’s longevity is unknown so finding a partnership for the long term will be critical; a more rugged centre-back like Nottingham Forest’s Murillo could be an ideal choice to offer balance and greater aggression. Competition for Milos Kerkez will be important, but if Andoni Iraola does take the job the reunion could get the best out of the Hungarian and get him to flourish after a mixed first year on Merseyside. On the opposite side, continuity would help everyone because Slot was forced to trying numerous people in the role, many out of position. Ideally, Conor Bradley or Jeremie Frimpong can make it their own, having struggled to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, although both have suffered with injury problems. If they can stay fit, they both possess the quality to be a solution, especially if clever coaching can embrace their attacking prowess and incorporate more defensive discipline.Slot insisted that new wingers would change the dynamic next season but he will not be the one to benefit. Salah is off, Federico Chiesa cannot carry on as a bit-part, so will almost certainly leave too, freeing up some space on the flanks. Rio Ngumoha offered brief teenage glimpses of excitement as someone with the pace and trickery to get past full-backs. Frimpong, brought in as a right-back, was more often found on the wing because he possessed the speed Slot desired in those areas, while also offering a further indication that the transfer dealings left a lot to be desired. They did not replace the maverick tendencies of Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo has never looked a natural winger. Targeting new wide men will be imperative. RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh or Athletic Club’s Neco Williams would be ideal candidates to bring thrust to a side lacking dynamism and get supporters off their seats.