Liverpool part company with Welsh midfielder
Some impressive form for Wales at the recent Euros has failed to convince Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to keep midfielder Joe Allen.
Instead, the 26-year-old has been sold to Stoke City for $24.3 million.
Allen, who was named in the Euro 16 tournament team, never really found a regular starting spot in the first team, despite former manager Brendan Rodgers bending over backwards to sign him.
However, it appears clear Klopp does not see Allen as capable of providing what he wants in his midfield as he shapes the squad he wants to try and improve Liverpool’s mediocre league placing from last season.
‘‘It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours for me but I am delighted to have finally been able to put pen to paper,’’ Allen said about the five-year deal.
‘‘I was really excited as soon as I heard of the club’s interest and it wasn’t a difficult decision to make.’’
Allen was Stoke’s second signing of the day after Egyptian winger Ramadan Sobhj joined the club from Al Ahly for a fee that get close to $9.35m.
Liverpool rejected a $15m offer from Swansea in June but Allen will now link up with Stoke’s Welsh manager Mark Hughes.
■ With the Premier League season just over a fortnight away, expect clubs to intensify their bids for the final places in their squad.
Manchester City’s endless well of money is nowhere near empty and it appears the club are about to make a $93.5m bid for Everton defender John Stones.
While Everton would be sad to lose him, the Toffees stand to make a massive profit on Stones who they bought for just $5.6m in 2012.
Remember, this is for a players who could not make the starting England side in France.
Still, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who made headlines this week after he banned his players from eating Pizza, gave a big hint he wants Stones this season.
■ On the subject of ridiculous prices for players, and we could fill a whole column with them, Manchester United have offered $186m for France midfielder Paul Pogba and hope to finalise the deal by the end of the week.
Speculation has been rife for the past month that United are on the cusp of signing Pogba, with most football fans hopeful that the deal will be finalised sooner rather than later so we can stop hearing about it.
The fly in the ointment could be Real Madrid who several UK mastheads have reportedly entered the bidding war.
Imagine though, what sort of pressure that price would put on the player himself? It would be intense.
■ Things don’t appear to be on the improve for Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho after he was sent home early from the club’s pre-season tour of the United States after he was late for a flight. Having already let the club down when he tested positive to a banned substance before the Europa League final, you would have thought Sakho would be doing everything he could to impress manager Jurgen Klopp who reportedly is a real stickler for rules and regulations, especially around being punctual.
Apparently the story got out after the club released a clip of the squad visiting Alcatraz when Sakho interrupts Klopp who retorts ‘‘only one of us turned up late for departure from Liverpool’’.