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Liverpool will look to get the midweek loss against PSV Eindhoven out of their system when they face Bournemouth on Saturday.
The game against PSV was always going to be the least important of these two fixtures, with the Reds having already qualified in the Champions League.
Nevertheless, nobody likes to lose and although very few of the senior Liverpool squad were involved in Eindhoven, they’ll want to get back to winning ways immediately.
One of the reasons the defeat against PSV stuck in the craw a little was because of the antics of some of the Dutch team’s players.
Manager Peter Bosz slammed his players after game, suggesting that their ‘gallery play’ – essentially unnecessary flicks and tricks when the match was already won – was ‘disrespectful’ towards Liverpool.
The main offender in this regard was goal scorer Johan Bakayoko.
And with Bakayoko rumoured to be on Liverpool’s radar, we think the 21-year-old may have just ensured that he never plays for the Reds.
Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images
“I don’t think the coach will be happy about it,” Bakayoko said after being pulled up about his showboating on Wednesday.
He was right.
It is also highly unlikely that the Belgian’s lack of respect towards his opponent will have gone down well on Merseyside.
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Reports claimed that Liverpool were keen on a £43m deal for Bakayoko during last summer’s window and – being a left-footed forward – there are natural comparisons to Mohamed Salah.
However, the Reds do take note of how potential targets fare against them, and although Bakayoko took his goal brilliantly on the night, his insistence on taking the mickey out of a very young Liverpool team was the standout takeway.
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“I definitely think that I can join Liverpool,” Bakayoko commented after the match, when asked whether he feels up to the standard of a move to Anfield.
While that may well be true, we’d suggest that the Belgium international will never get the chance to prove it.
Despite the irritation towards Bakayoko for Wednesday’s antics, football is of course a business and if Liverpool feel that he is the right player for them, a little impudence surely won’t stop them.
According to information gathered by Rousing The Kop, though, there is no suggestion that a Liverpool move for Bakayoko is imminent.
SeasonApperancesGoalsAssists2021/224002022/2333752023/244814142024/252783Johan Bakayoko at PSV Eindhoven
The Reds are understood to be aware of the youngster and have done their homework on him as a player.
But, for the time being it’s understood that interest has not gone any further than that.
If Liverpool were waiting for Wednesday to make their final decision on Bakayoko, then we think the forward may well have made it for them.
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