Liverpool

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Former midfielder Mikel Arteta says he was "excited every morning" to attend training and play for Everton.

The now Arsenal manager joined the Toffees in 2005 from Real Sociedad - with whom he had struggled to get regular game time - and made 209 appearances for the club.

It was the second time the Spaniard had played for a British club having previously spent two years at Scottish Premiership side Rangers between 2002 and 2004.

Speaking to Spanish football journalist Guillem Ballague in an exclusive BBC interview, the 42-year-old said: "David [Moyes] calls me. Again, [he was] a Scottish manager and he was very close to Alex McLeish, so because they knew each other from Glasgow, he knew what I did in Glasgow [for Rangers].

"[Moyes] said 'you can come in, this time will be different, but it will suit you and I think you will be a great fit here'."

So it transpired as Arteta played a key role in helping Everton finish in the top four in the Premier League and also to qualify for the Uefa Cup during his time at Goodison Park.

He won the club's player of the season award in two consecutive years in 2007 and 2008

"I went there on my first day and there in that stadium presentation, it feels good," he said. "Sometimes you don't understand why it feels good. You get in the dressing room and when you open the door and people are looking at you, you see the body language, faces, it feels good straight away.

"You connect with the team, you connect with the players, you connect with the staff, you connect with the supporters and it flows.

"That feeling is needed. You feel confident, you feel excited every morning to get out of your bed and go to training. We had some unbelievable years together."

Listen to Mikel Arteta’s People and Places' on BBC Sounds

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Mayor of Greater Manchester and Everton fan Andy Burnham spoke to BBC Total Sport Merseyside about Sean Dyche:

"You've got to take your hat off to him. Let's also mention Steve Stone, Ian Woan and Sean's backroom team. They've all been in the most difficult circumstances imaginable and haven't they come through it. Fantastic resilience and for what they've done for our club, we're all in their debt. We should all say that and really appreciate Sean.

"I was honestly staggered to see that [Dyche not being nominated for Premier League manager of the year] and staggered that Jarrad [Branthwaite] wasn't in [the Premier League young player of the year nominations].

"I was in the lower Gwladys on Saturday [against Sheffield United] and I've never heard it happier in a long time, it was unbelievable. It was a place with a weight lifted off its shoulders and everyone was in great voice. It was a real good day in the sun at Goodison."

Listen to the full interview with Andy Burnham here on BBC Sounds

Liverpool's 31-year-old Egypt forward Mohamed Salah and Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker, 31, are among the top targets for Saudi Pro League clubs this summer. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Manchester United are interested in signing 21-year-old English defender Jarrad Branthwaite and Belgian midfielder Amadou Onana, 22, from Everton. (Manchester Evening News), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Neil Pullar, from Formby, lives near Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and serves on the management committee of fans group The Spirit of Shankly.

Despite being a lifelong Red, he said it was not the footballing achievements that earned Klopp a special place in his heart.

He said he would never forget the messages Klopp sent him after he had a cardiac arrest in 2022.

While he was recuperating, he was sent a Liverpool shirt signed by Klopp, his wife Ulla and the team.

He said the completely unprompted act of kindness showed Klopp's "place within the local community", which meant "a great deal" to him.

• Read more local reflections on Klopp here

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Colette Halliday said her partner Stephen Murphy received a similar gesture from Klopp just weeks before he died of pulmonary fibrosis.

She said that "out of the blue came this absolutely beautiful letter", which she added was written in Klopp's "unique Scouse-German".

"We just all burst into tears when we read it," she said.

"I was so pleased Stephen got to see it because he died about three weeks later.

"The kindness that [Jurgen] showed in writing that letter when he didn't have to is the measure of the man."

She said the letter ended with a message about how the "managers, players, owners, directors, staff and supporters" of Liverpool were "all supporting" Mr Murphy "and the best thing about this I know is what a difference it can make".

"We're all with you," Klopp wrote.

"You'll never walk alone."

It will be that exact phrase that many of the city's residents will hope he carries with him himself beyond his final game.

Goodison Park was a different place on Saturday. No sign of pain or anguish etched on fans' faces as they prepared for a match that, on the face of it, had very little riding on it.

Sheffield United were already relegated and Everton already safe, but there remains genuine fear for the fans that they are never too far away for another negative, doom-laden story.

That is why three points were still necessary. They banished the threat of Luton Town finishing the season within nine points of them. Everton are confident that despite their current financial problems, as well as their longstanding ownership uncertainty, they will avoid having to go into administration and avoid another points deduction that could have had devastating consequences.

They are now 15th in the Premier League, and 14 points clear of third-from-bottom Luton.

In the whole scheme of things, it does not appear to be much worth getting excited about. But it is also worth pointing out that Everton would be above Fulham, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth but for the eight-point deduction meted out for breaching profitability and sustainability regulations.

Again, while it is not something to be making too much noise about, it remains a massive improvement on the team's points tally and final position compared with the previous two seasons.

While it has been a long and hard season, Sean Dyche has managed to get the best out of a squad that lacks depth and brought belief to the players. When the going got tough, he made it clear the players "would be paid back" if they continued to work hard individually and collectively. In the end, he was proved right.

Everton's home results had been dreadful, even if many of the performances in the should have produced more victories. Survival hopes rested on their ability to change that dramatically.

That is precisely what they did.

Five straight home wins is not the form of relegation candidates, especially as one was against title-chasing Liverpool. The fact they were achieved without conceding at all serves to underline the feat.

Dyche has managed to re-establish the "fortress Goodison" mentality among players and fans.

Given all that has happened this season, that is quite a remarkable achievement.

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Dominic Calvert-Lewin says he wants to return to the England squad after finding goalscoring form for Everton.

Speaking to Everton's official website, external the striker, who has 11 England caps, said: "I want to get back to where I belong in the England team. It’s been a slow build-up this season, I feel like I’ve got there eventually and now I just want to continue this form.”

The 27-year-old has scored four goals in his last six games after going 23 games without a goal earlier in the season and he now looks at the season "in a much better way" than he might have done "six to eight weeks ago" during a "difficult spell".

"I needed to get a goal and I was plugging away, working hard and then when I got my goal, I knew once I got that one that would be it then. That's how it goes in football being a centre-forward," he added.

“It’s been a different kind of battle for myself. The previous two seasons were plagued with injuries and were just all about being fit - getting fit, staying fit and getting to play as many games as possible, whereas this season, at the start of the season it was a case of that - just wanting to be out there, playing and almost do myself justice, in a way, because I felt like I hadn’t been able to do that for a long time."

The Toffees face Arsenal in their final game of the season, and Calvert-Lewin will be hoping to add to his seven Premier League goals so far this campaign.

It will be a strange feeling for Liverpool fans on Monday morning, waking up to the fact that Jurgen Klopp has said his goodbyes. He’ll want to win the final match against Wolves of course, but for once, the day will not be about the game or the result, it’ll be about Klopp. And rightly so.

From the moment he walked through the doors, describing himself as “the normal one” he somehow had an instant connection with the club and especially its fans. It’s been a special relationship, a relationship so rare in football these days because even in defeat and disappointment, they went through it together and came out stronger next time.

A world class coach, he built a team full of world class players who crucially played in a way few could live with. He gave them an incredible mental strength, a belief that Liverpool COULD win the title again. He delivered on that and much more. And don’t forget, his Liverpool teams TWICE lost the title by one single point, with 97 and 92 points respectively.

Klopp deserves all the plaudits that have come his way and there may not be a dry eye in the house on Sunday. The “normal one” has been far from normal. Special in fact.

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Jurgen Klopp says he "needs to have a look" at life away from being a football manager and did not want to wait until he is in his seventies to experience it, as he prepares for his final match in charge of Liverpool.

Klopp became Liverpool boss in October 2015 and, after a trophy-laden spell at Anfield, he will leave the club following Sunday's Premier League finale at home to Wolves., external

The 56-year-old said in an interview with The Anfield Wrap, external that he had worked "26-7" in all three of his roles with Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, in an almost unbroken spell of 23 years as a manager.

"That's how it is, it's no problem at all, it's my life," said Klopp. "But it cannot be all in life."

Asked what was next for him when he departs Liverpool, he said: "Definitely rest. Travel, relax, seeing friends... I see friends for hours, they come here, watch a game and I don't want to talk to them because they want to talk about football, and I go to bed."

He said it was important for him to spend time to "just live a life" and added later: "Coming back, watching games, still caring, getting on your toes and being on the other side of it - in the stands if possible, or sitting in front of the telly and just going wild in the living room - why not?

"I have to see it, I need to have a look at it. I can't not do it until I'm 70-something - I know that's a big difference from now to then. The rest of life - why should it start when you're 70?

"I would find a club if I want, but I'm just not available, I'm just off. And then we will see how long that takes. And I will work, I will do something 100%. The thing I understand most about is football, but maybe there is something else than doing exactly what I do now."

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All week we are asking for your Jurgen Klopp memories as the German manager nears his final game. Send your best images to #bbcfootball on X. And send your memories of Klopp in via our form here.

Mark: I am an actor and in 2019 I landed a role being filmed at Anfield. I am a lifelong Liverpool fan and this was a dream come true. I met some of the first team, I hung out with my childhood hero (Ian Rush) and best of all I met Jurgen. He is so impressive. What you see on the TV is what you get in real life.

Paul: He’s been this generation's Shankly. My son’s 26 and we’ll be on The Kop on Sunday, and no doubt shed several tears together. Klopp has educated us all on how to be better humans. Forgive and be forgiven and be gracious with a smile - how does a manager have that impact? Because he’s honest, funny and hard working. He’ll never walk alone.

Gavin: With the short termism that we all fall into as supporters, it's all too easy, with the disappointing end to this season, to forget just where we were when Jurgen joined Liverpool. He wanted to turn us from doubters to believers, and to deliver trophies. He's done that in spades. Jurgen, Thank you, thank you. Enjoy your time ahead.

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Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has been announced as the new manager of Austrian Bundesliga side Red Bull Salzburg.

Lijnders arrived at Liverpool in 2014 as an under-16 coach before becoming first-team development coach in 2015 first under Brendan Rodgers and then Jurgen Klopp.

After a spell at Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, Lijnders returned to the Reds as assistant manager in 2018.

Vitor Matos, who has spent four and a half years as Liverpool's elite development coach, will be Lijnders' assistant in Austria.

"I am very proud to become the new head coach of FC Red Bull Salzburg," said Lijnders, external.

"This is a real privilege for me. After PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto and Liverpool FC, I am now moving to another exceptional club with a really good structure and a particular focus on youth development.

"I want to develop a mentality with the team that places a lot of emphasis on attacking style of play and where passion and hunger for success are the basis of everything.

"Together with my assistant coach Vitor Matos and the entire support team, we will do our best to help the club continue to grow in an ever-changing football world.

"My family has visited the city before and was overwhelmed by its beauty and the friendliness of the people. That was the last and important step for me in choosing FC Red Bull Salzburg."

We asked our Liverpool fan contributor for their four player of the season choices and you can now vote for your top one.

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Joe Gomez

When James Milner left, I was worried the Reds would be without a real utility man in the side. Then up stepped Joe Gomez. He has been brilliant almost every time he has been called upon - whether it be at right-back, centre-back, left-back or even as a deep-lying midfielder.

Alexis Mac Allister

The Premier League signing of the summer at just £35m and perhaps Liverpool's most consistent performer over the course of the season. It looked as though his goals and contributions were going to almost single-handedly drag his team to more major honours before the wheels came off.

Mohamed Salah

While the performances do not necessarily leap off the page for Salah this season, he has once again hit 25 goals and could have 20 league goals by the time the campaign finishes. You can never turn your nose up at such consistency in front of goal.

Virgil van Dijk

Lots of these choices will be framed through the lens of a disappointing April for Liverpool, but before that, Van Dijk was back to his imperious best. A leader with the armband popping up with cup-winning goals - I'm not sure you could ask for much more from him.

Pick your 2023-24 Liverpool player of the season from our shortlist here

Josh Sexton can be found at The Anfield Wrap, external

We asked our Everton fan contributor for their four player of the season choices and you can now vote for your top one.

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Jarrad Branthwaite

At 21 years old, Branthwaite has commanded Everton's backline and forced his way into England boss Gareth Southgate's plans for the Euros. If I have any wish for next season it is that we can keep hold of him!

Idrissa Gueye

He has not been without injuries this season, but Gueye's recent performances against Nottingham Forest and Brentford have forced him into this conversation. My player of the match for those games, securing a vital nine points in a week, Gueye has showed calm and composure when it has really mattered.

Jordan Pickford

Everton rank second to title contenders Arsenal on clean sheets, and Pickford himself only second to Raya for the Golden Glove. Everton's problems have not been in defence this season, rather scoring goals, and Pickford - yet again - has been imperative to securing Premier League survival.

James Tarkowski

He has played every minute of every game for Everton this season and made an outstanding contribution to the team. Tarky is proving a worthy understudy for captain.

Honourable mentions

Seamus Coleman, who at 35 years of age continues to provide captain's performances when called upon. Also Vitaliy Mykolenko, one of the most improved players this season.

Pick your 2023-24 Everton player of the season from our shortlist here

Briony Bragg can be found at This Fan Girl, external

Liverpool have been offered the chance to sign Nice and France midfielder Khephren Thuram, 23, for £13m this summer. (Mirror), external

Feyenoord boss Arne Slot is planning to make his assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff the first appointment to his backroom staff at Liverpool when he succeeds Jurgen Klopp. (ESPN), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Everton's England Under-21s centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, 21 is interesting Manchester United, with the Red Devils prepared to offer £55m for the defender. (Daily Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column