Liverpool midfielders Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai were seen in an animated argument with defender Kostas Tsimikas on the Yankee Stadium pitch after Wednesday's 1-0 win over Wrexham in New York, but the pair moved quickly to show there was no lasting rift.
Online speculation followed within hours. One theory held that Jones was unhappy Szoboszlai had handed the captain's armband to Tsimikas rather than to him. Another linked the clash to reported interest from Inter Milan in signing Jones. The more likely explanation is that tensions were simply running high after a demanding pre-season of travel and tough training sessions.
At Liverpool's training base at Chicago Fire's headquarters outside Chicago, Jones and Szoboszlai were the first two players out for the session, walking onto the field together with Tsimikas as the trio did keepy-ups. The three had also reportedly been spotted together earlier in the day at the team's downtown hotel.
Jones's Future Still Unresolved
Inter are pushing hard to sign Jones and have informed Liverpool, through intermediaries, that they are willing to pay around £30 million, about £5 million short of Liverpool's asking price. Head coach Andoni Iraola has publicly said he wants the locally born midfielder to stay, but Inter, who have already signed John Stones this summer, appear ready to press on after having a couple of earlier bids turned down.
Absentees and Transfer Business
Jones's possible exit has sharpened the focus on incoming signings. Defenders Joe Gomez, Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni missed Friday's training session to work on recovering from fitness issues in the gym, where long-term absentee Conor Bradley also remains.
Sporting director Richard Hughes has been working from the United States on signing Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, among other transfer targets. Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon is also understood to be in the country, and both may need to back Iraola financially before the new season begins.
A New Intensity
Szoboszlai said a day earlier that Liverpool now have "the intensity that had been missing" last season, a comment made without naming former head coach Arne Slot directly. Journalist Lewis Steele posted footage on July 31 describing Iraola as animated during the session.
The former Bournemouth manager was hands-on throughout training, directing drills and pulling players aside for individual chats, coming across as a coach who compliments rather than berates. Assistant Tommy Elphick, a former Aston Villa and Brighton centre half, pulled on a yellow bib to join a set-piece drill, heading away corners delivered by Florian Wirtz. Fellow assistant Shaun Cooper was also heavily involved in those drills, where Alexander Isak looked sharp and young forward Josh Sonni-Lambie stood out at the back post.
Lewandowski Sighting
Also training nearby was Robert Lewandowski, who has just signed for Chicago Fire and was working through a shooting drill on an adjacent pitch. The striker has scored 662 career goals for clubs including Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
With Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike out for several months and Isak having had fitness issues of his own, observers wondered whether Lewandowski could be a short-term loan option for Iraola. He then put a penalty attempt well over the crossbar.
