Liverpool continued its push to end the season with silverware by putting five past Norwich in the FA Cup at Anfield. The Reds swept the Championship side away in what was Jürgen Klopp’s first match since announcing he will leave at the end of the season.
The final at Wembley in May could turn out to be Klopp’s last ever game in charge, if Liverpool makes it, as they face Southampton or Watford in the fifth round. They were joined in the hat by a host of Premier League sides, who negotiated tricky fourth-round ties.
Manchester City edged out Tottenham on Friday night, while Manchester United, Newcastle and Brighton also picked up wins. And the focus will now shift back to the title race with some huge matches coming up.
Liverpool hosts Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night and that is followed up with a trip to the Emirates to take on title rivals Arsenal. It could prove to be a pivotal week for the Reds. Here, Liverpool.com takes a scan around the other big sides in the Premier League and around Europe to take a look at the news going on at the other clubs.
Barcelona eyes Klopp
Just days after announcing his decision to leave Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp is reportedly being lined up by Barcelona to replace Xavi Hernandez. The former midfielder has been under increased pressure and confirmed he will leave the Camp Nou at the end of the season.
That has led to links to Klopp, with key members of the Barcelona board reportedly keen on the German as Xavi’s replacement. RAC1 (on X/Twitter) reports that Klopp is highly thought of by the La Liga giants and they could test his resolve about an immediate return to management.
Speaking after announcing he would leave Anfield, Klopp said: “If you ask me, ‘Will you ever work as a manager again?’ I would say now no. But I don’t know obviously how that will feel because I never had the situation. What I know definitely [is that] I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool.”
Michael Olise makes up his mind
Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is widely expected to leave Selhurst Park this summer with a host of Premier League clubs interested. Liverpool has been monitoring the 22-year-old, according to the Daily Mail, who has been mooted as a potential long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah.
The Reds will face competition for his signature though, with Chelsea and Manchester United both expected to step up their interest in the summer. Football.London reports Olise has a preferred destination though and would favour a move to Old Trafford over Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea activated Olise’s $44m (£35m/€41m) release clause last summer but Olise opted to sign a new deal with Palace. He has a new release clause that becomes active at the end of the season but the exact figure remains unclear. Olise has struggled with injuries for most of this season but Palace will hope to have him available in the coming weeks ahead of a crunch run of matches in their fight to stay up.
