Iraola didn’t want to sell departing Liverpool star as ‘best player’ claim made on Tottenham target
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has revealed he didn’t want to sell a player he’s allowed to leave, amid a suggestion about one of his “best players” who’s linked with Tottenham.
Iraola is gearing up to lead the Reds for the first time in competitive football. They face Newcastle on Sunday in his first game, and the manager has held a press conference ahead of the fixture.
In it, he addressed the situations of Curtis Jones – who’s been sold to Inter Milan for £30million – as well as Spurs-linked Cody Gakpo.
On Jones, Iraola said: “Yes [I wanted to keep him], Curtis is a good player, but I understood this. He is coming for some years in the same situation, so I knew from that moment it could happen.”
Gakpo might not be far behind amid links with Spurs, but Iraola has not spoken on transfer links, rather the forward’s potential with Liverpool.
He said: “Cody is performing really well, has been training very well since first day, understanding everything we need. You can feel it straight away, he is smart, understands the game.
“He has been one of our best players in the friendlies, definitely performing very well. I cannot tell you the XI [against Newcastle], the players do not know it, but he is in a good shape.”
Gakpo talks ongoing
In recent days, it’s been revealed Tottenham – who have been in for Gakpo for months – are continuing to push for the Dutchman.
Fabrizio Romano said: “For Cody Gakpo, Tottenham remain in conversations. I know in the last 24, 48 hours, the rumours around the story are that the deal is not happening, the deal is off, the deal is not going through.
“But my understanding is that the negotiation for Cody Gakpo to Tottenham is still ongoing. Cody Gakpo is open to joining Tottenham and personal terms are not a problem.
“So the deal remains on. The deal remains underway and Cody Gakpo to Tottenham Hotspur is still absolutely on.
“Then they need to reach a financial agreement, and that’s not a detail. Remember that if Gakpo is going to Tottenham, Liverpool will sign two wingers, top target Bradley Barcola plus one.
“So it’s still a long story in a short time because now there are less than two weeks of the summer transfer window. We’ll be following the situation. These days, anything can happen.
“But what I can guarantee at this time on Tuesday is that nothing has changed yet. There is no deal off. The conversation remains ongoing and we have to follow the situation to understand what’s going to happen.”
Spurs have since agreed to sign Savinho from Manchester City, but it’s long been suggested they want to add a couple of attackers, so Gakpo likely remains on the radar.
READ MORE: Liverpool ‘actively hunting’ striker as four targets emerge with Barcola transfer ‘surging forward’
