‘This Is Not Us’: Klopp Switched off TV When Liverpool Fans Booed Alexander-Arnold

23 May 2025, United Kingdom, Liverpool: German football manager Jurgen Klopp attends the LFC Foundation Ball at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. (dpa)
23 May 2025, United Kingdom, Liverpool: German football manager Jurgen Klopp attends the LFC Foundation Ball at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. (dpa)
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‘This Is Not Us’: Klopp Switched off TV When Liverpool Fans Booed Alexander-Arnold

23 May 2025, United Kingdom, Liverpool: German football manager Jurgen Klopp attends the LFC Foundation Ball at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. (dpa)
23 May 2025, United Kingdom, Liverpool: German football manager Jurgen Klopp attends the LFC Foundation Ball at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. (dpa)

A disappointed Juergen Klopp turned off the TV when he heard fans of his former team Liverpool booing Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is set to leave this summer after two decades at the club, during a 2-2 home draw with Arsenal earlier this month.

Liverpool-born Alexander-Arnold, who joined the club in 2004 when he was six, debuted for the senior team when Klopp was the manager.

The 26-year-old, who is regarded as one of the best right backs in the world and can also play as a midfielder, has made 353 appearances for Liverpool, winning the Premier League, the Champions League and the Club World Cup during Klopp's tenure.

"I watched the game when he came on and I heard the booing," Klopp said at a fundraising event for the LFC foundation on Friday.

"I am old so I thought it might be my hearing, so I switched up the volume ... I needed another 10 seconds to realize and I switched the TV off. I honestly couldn't have been more disappointed in this moment. This is not us, 100% not us."

England international Alexander-Arnold also featured prominently as Liverpool won the Premier League again this season under new manager Arne Slot.

Slot earlier said he was not sure if Alexander-Arnold would make his final appearance for the club in Sunday's home game against Crystal Palace, after which Liverpool would hoist the Premier League trophy.

Klopp, who is set to attend Sunday's match, held up an Alexander-Arnold Liverpool shirt to show his support for the player.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who leads the league's scoring charts with 28 goals, also spoke out earlier in support of his teammate, saying Alexander-Arnold did not deserve the boos.

Klopp said Liverpool fans should not forget what Alexander-Arnold has done for the club.

"I don't tell you, you should not be disappointed, you should not be angry. I tell you, don't forget. This club doesn't forget," he said.

"Every day he gave absolutely everything for this badge ... after 20 years he decided he wanted to go somewhere else. If somebody should be angry about this, it's the owners, but they're not."



Leipzig Signs Bakayoko, Maksimovic and Diomande in Triple-Transfer Blitz

Leganes' Yan Diomande, center, and Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior fight for the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Leganes at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, March 29, 2025. (AP)
Leganes' Yan Diomande, center, and Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior fight for the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Leganes at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, March 29, 2025. (AP)
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Leipzig Signs Bakayoko, Maksimovic and Diomande in Triple-Transfer Blitz

Leganes' Yan Diomande, center, and Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior fight for the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Leganes at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, March 29, 2025. (AP)
Leganes' Yan Diomande, center, and Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior fight for the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Leganes at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, March 29, 2025. (AP)

Three in one day.

Leipzig has delivered a statement of intent for the new Bundesliga season by signing Belgium winger Johan Bakayoko, Serbia midfielder Andrija Maksimovic, and Ivory Coast youth international Yan Diomande all on the same day.

The 22-year-old Bakayoko's arrival from PSV Eindhoven was the last of the three announced by Leipzig on Wednesday, following that of the 18-year-old Maksimovic from Red Star Belgrade and Diomande, also 18, from Spanish second-division team Leganés.

All three players signed deals through June 2030, the Bundesliga club said.

Bakayoko, who had also been a target for Bayer Leverkusen, will wear the number 9 at Leipzig.

“We have had Johan Bakayoko on our radar for a couple of years now and have tried to sign him time and again,” Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer said. “We’re even happier that he’s chosen to join Leipzig despite many teams vying for his signature.”

Bakayoko helped PSV to back-to-back Dutch league titles with nine goals in 30 league appearances last season, and 12 in 33 the season before.

“With his power, explosiveness, pace and eye for goal, he’ll improve our play down the right wing and has his strengths both on and off the ball,” Schafer said.

Maksimovic made his professional debut aged 16 in Serbia, then Champions League debut and Serbia debut a year later. He has already played eight games for the national team.

“We’ve followed his progress closely during his first season at senior level and are convinced he’s already ready to take the next step,” Schafer said of Maksimovic.

Diomande spent just one season at Leganes after moving from Florida-based club AS Frenzi. He made his league debut against Real Madrid and scored two goals in 10 La Liga appearances for Leganes, which was relegated at the end of the season.

“He’s a left winger with outstanding pace, strong dribbling, athleticism and a real eye for goal. On top of that, he never gives up on a ball and plays with great team spirit. With these qualities, he fits perfectly into the type of football we want to play this season,” Schafer said.

Leipzig missed out on European qualification last season and will be targeting a top-4 finish in the Bundesliga to reach the lucrative Champions League.

Yussuf Poulsen, who joined Leipzig when it was still in Germany’s third division in 2013, has left for promoted Hamburger SV. Other players, including Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda, are also candidates to leave.

Leipzig was founded in 2009 when energy drinks manufacturer Red Bull bought and rebranded fifth-tier club SSV Markranstadt and financed its rise through the lower divisions.