Bobby, Milner, Naby and Ox set leave Anfield: Liverpool will say goodbye to Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita at the end of the season. The four substitutes have expiring contracts and will leave the club on a free transfer. Especially in the case of Keita, that is quite painful.
Liverpool now let former record purchase go on a free transfer
Liverpool went very far in the summer of 2017 for the arrival of Keita and put a transfer fee of around sixty million euros on the table. The midfielder then came over from RB Leipzig a year later. At the time Liverpool and Leipzig agreed on transfer terms, Keita was the most expensive signing in English history. Liverpool broke that record six months later for Virgil van Dijk.
Keïta could never fully live up to the high expectations that came with the hefty transfer fee. The fifty-time international from Guinea played 129 games for Liverpool in five years and had to make do with a substitute more often than desired. This season, Keïta only played in eight league matches. After this season he will leave Anfield behind.
The same goes for Firmino, Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain. The departure of the former had already been announced, while Milner seems to be well on his way to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Gambling scandal costs Toney dear: months-long suspension
Staying in the Premier League, Brentford striker Ivan Toney (27) has been suspended for eight months. The FA announced this on Wednesday. This is due to a gambling scandal.
The exclusion of the Brentford striker takes effect immediately. Toney has been banned from all Brentford football matches, as well as being barred from any football-related activities. In addition to the suspension, Toney has also been fined. The Englishman must pay an amount of fifty thousand pounds.
Toney was charged with breaking the FA’s gambling rules 262 times. This happened between February 25, 2017 and January 23, 2021. Due to his role as a player, the attacker could use too much knowledge, which made it forbidden to bet on football matches.
The penalty means that Brentford can no longer welcome the top scorer until at least September 17. From then on, Toney can train again, but until at least January 16, the attacker cannot be used during matches. A bitter pill for Brentford, because the one-time international of The Three Lions has already scored twenty league goals this season. He also provided four assists.
