Arne Slot confirmed that Hugo Ekicchike, who fined for his mistake against Southampton, escaped as Liverpool head coach attempted to attract the line under striker Carabao Cup fire. France International saw referee Thomas Bramal’s red whipping at the celebration while already booking after netting the dramatic winner of a 2-1 victory over the Saints on Tuesday evening.
Slot labelled “unnecessary and stupid” shortly after the match at Anfield, but revealed that the 23-year-old avoided punishment for his error in preparation for working on Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon. “What he did wasn’t clever. He realised that quickly and apologized to his teammates.”
“Players of all ages are allowed to make mistakes and make mistakes without immediate fines at this club.
“He’s a great person. If you talk to all the staff and ask them the warmest person, he’ll be in the top three.
“He wasn’t smart and didn’t hurt us on Tuesday.
This week, Chiesa has given a great performance featuring two assists against the championship outfit, and is poised for Ekitique to side-indo and rejoin the Premier League squad.
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Slot said, “We looked into (names Chiesa on Champions League teams) and we can’t tell you exactly where that process is.
“It’s not about me doing myself. If I’m notified correctly, if the player has been injured for more than two months, you’ll be allowed to replace him.”
The boss also discussed the situation in Rio Nugumoha after the 17-year-old signed his first professional contract on Thursday.
“The good thing is that if you’re a young man playing in Liverpool, there are players who are still better than you playing with you,” Slot said.
“It helps (to leave grounded) for who he is (as a person).
“But he still feels there’s a step to take when playing with Wingers like Cody Gakpo, Mo Salah and Federico Chiesa.
“If he’s on their level, it’s consistently really good. That’s why the top players stand out.”
