In the papers: Liverpool

Considering the fact that the transfer window is well and truly over and there is no activity expected until January, it will be little surprise to hear that the newspapers are struggling for Liverpool content. However, some of the big outlets have at least published a few stories today, as we take a look at some of the best pieces.

The first major article comes from the Liverpool Echo, who have run an interview with Daniel Agger about his injury problems. The defender has revealed that he thought his season was over after his injury against Manchester United, with scans revealing that he suffered a minor fracture in his knee cap. However, due to the nature of the problem, Agger is permitted to keep on playing as long as he can fight his way through the pain barrier. This is something that he says he is comfortable with and claims that he is not struggling too much at the moment.

In other news, Caught Offside are reporting that Brendan Rodgers is desperate to tie down his young stars to new contracts. It’s a well-known fact that discussions have already begun about Raheem Sterling’s future, although the outlet is now speculating that the likes of Suso and Andre Wisdom are both set for new deals.

The next story comes from talkSport, who are claiming that Liverpool are battling alongside Tottenham to try and land Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace. It would be fair to say that Zaha has been catching the eye of many top flight clubs over the last year and the fact that Bolton reportedly had a bid of £7m rejected last season suggests that Brendan Rodgers might have to shell out a lot of money to land the player.

Finally, various outlets have run a report focussing on Jonjo Shelvey. The 20-year-old has told the press that he has apologised to Sir Alex Ferguson following his outburst last week and hopes that the Manchester United boss has accepted it.

SAGNA WILL STAY

The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that he does not expect the departure of the French defender Bacary Sagna from the club in the January or the summer transfer window. The 29-year-old recently questioned the transfer policy of the club after they sold the star players like Robin van Persie and Alex Song for a combined transfer fee of just under £ 50 million. Even though they have spent some money on players like Lukas Podolski during the summer, Bacary Sagna has said that no other club will be looking to sell the high quality players like Robin van Persie.

The French defender is currently out with a long-term injury problem and is expected to return to the first-team action in the next few weeks. However, it remains to be seen if the manager Arsene Wenger will be able to get him back into the first-team after his public criticism of the transfer policy of the club. Despite this, the manager has said that he is convinced of the fact that player will sign a new deal with the club before January. It is expected that Arsenal will offer him a two-year contract so that he will be able to stay at the club until he is 31 years of age.

‘Did I speak to Sagna? Yes. I believe any player or any employee always has to defend the company he works for. And if he is not completely happy with it then he has to go somewhere else. That is basically what I think. That is what I say to everybody. You have the freedom to say what you want in life but it is also important you understand what people feel about the club,’ admitted Wenger. Wenger has also confirmed that another long term absentee Jack Wilshire is back to first-team action.

MALOUDA GIVEN LIFELINE

The Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda has been given a lifeline by his former club Lyon, who have said that they will be open to getting the former midfielder back at the club. Chelsea managed to secure the signature of the 31-year-old French international for £ 13 million back in 2007. He has been hugely influential player within the Chelsea team for the last couple of seasons. However, he has been outcast by the new manager Roberto di Matteo all of a sudden. Florent Malouda featured as early in the Chelsea first-team last season under the interim manager Roberto di Matteo, who was given the permanent job in the summer.

Now, he has been evermore removed from the first-team picture after the winger claimed that he has been forced to play with the under 21 team and also trained with them. The French international has said that he is extremely disappointed with the way Chelsea have treated him. The player is entering into the final year of his contract and has already stated that he will not sign another deal. However, he failed to secure a move to another club in the summer due to his excessive wage demands.

“Our door is always open to former players. Malouda has been in contact with our coaching team recently. We’ve also spoken with Jeremy Toulalan, who has been having problems at Malaga,” said the Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas in a recent interview after rumours started about the possible return of Florent Malouda. Florent Malouda had a hugely successful spell with Lyon when he won many titles before his departure in 2007. He has lifted the likes of the Champions League and Premier league titles with Chelsea during his five seasons with the London club. He also has numerous FA cups to his name as well.