Milos Kerkez is glad to stay with Bournemouth despite interest from Liverpool and other Premier League clubs.
Milos Kerkez has vowed to remain at Bournemouth despite interest from Liverpool. The left-back’s impressive form for the Cherries has piqued the interest of the Premier League’s top clubs.
Liverpool are targeting left-backs in an effort to bolster Arne Slot’s team. Andy Robertson’s ability has decreased over the last 18 months, and Kostas Tsimikas has battled to establish himself as a regular under Slot and earlier Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool and Manchester United are allegedly interested in signing Kerkez. Bournemouth do not want to sell the 21-year-old, whom they paid £18 million to get from AZ in 2023.
Fans on the south coast may finally breathe a sense of relief as Kerkez announced that he will not join Liverpool. He chatted to fans via a live YouTube stream. One Reds fan wrote, “Come to Liverpool,” while a Bournemouth fan encouraged him to stay.
“Yes, yes,” Kerkez replied to both comments. “I shall not travel to Liverpool. For everyone who is listening, I will not be going to Liverpool.”
It is a significant blow for Liverpool as they seek to bolster their left-back position. Kerkez was particularly certain that he would not move to Anfield.
Liverpool has only made two signings under Slot’s tenure. Federico Chiesa came last summer, and a deal has been reached to bring goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia at the end of the season.
Slot has preferred to rely on his current group, and with good reason. His side leads the Premier League by six points with a game in hand over second-placed Arsenal. Not making drastic adjustments is a sound strategy.
Despite their recent form, a more conservative playing approach than Klopp’s has raised some concerns. Slot admitted that even his father thought Liverpool’s Champions League victory over Lille was not ‘exciting’.
“That is difficult for fans,” Slot acknowledged. “My father is also a fan, and when I call him after the game, he says, ‘It wasn’t as exciting as other games.'” Then I have to explain to him that these games are easily lost if you start forcing all types of difficult balls. He doesn’t always agree with me!
“As a manager, I was pleased with our performance against Lille since they are a well-organized and controlled team, and there was one time in the game when Curtis [Jones] attempted to play a ball near the halfway line that was a touch risky. We lost the ball, and they counterattacked.”
