Kolo Toure

Liverpool performed a major U-turn after offering defender Kolo Toure a one-year contract extension with just weeks left before his previous deal expired.

It was largely thought thatToure will be allowed to leave the club on a free transfer. Liverpool were already losing top names like Steven Gerrard through this way, butToure was considered expendable a few months ago. This appears to have changed immensely following a sharp upturn inform from the Ivory Coast international. The former Manchester City and Arsenal defender was expected to provide experience to the Liverpool team.

Liverpool defender Kolo Toure is believed to be on the verge of an exit from the Premier League outfit after several clubs – especially from the MLS – have been in talks with him over the last few weeks.

The defender is out of contract at the end of the campaign and it is looking highly unlikely that Liverpool will offer him a new deal at this stage in his career. The 34-year-old has been a bit part player under Brendan Rodgers. He was signed on a free transfer from Manchester City and Liverpool will not be feeling any regrets about letting him leave in a similar fashion.

Kolo Toure’s time at Liverpool may be coming to an end at the end of this campaign after the defender suggested that he could be looking at the managerial career in the near future.

The former Arsenal and Manchester City defender is out of contract at the end of the season. However, it is understood that he has been offered only a 12 month extension whereas the player is looking for a two year deal. Toure was on the verge of leaving for a Turkish club in the summer after falling out with Brendan Rodgers in the second half of last season.

After a magical individual performance against Real Madrid, Liverpool defender Kolo Toure is hoping to achieve a positive result against Chelsea during the weekend.

Liverpool have now lost back-to-back matches in different competitions, but they go into the game against table leaders Chelsea with freshness across the pitch. Manager Brendan Rodgers to the strange decision of fielding a second string team against Madrid despite having a chance to qualify for the last 16 stage.

Liverpool were given no hope in their Champions League match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernebeu especially given that they had lost heavily to the same opponents a week ago.

Kolo Toure has confirmed that he is set to stay at Liverpool in the coming campaign after rejecting the offer of joining Turkish club Trabzonspor. The former Arsenal and Manchester City defender is one of the experienced players in the squad. He has also lifted the league title with two different teams. Despite this, there have been transfer rumours linking Toure with a move away from Anfield. The 33-year-old came to Anfield only last summer on a free transfer from City. He almost became the first player to win the Premier league with three different teams, as Liverpool finished second.

The Leeds United squad would make its way to Italy for playing the pre season games without two of the prominent players i.e. Scott Wootton and Alex Mowatt. The manager of the team, David Hockaday, made that announcement yesterday.

The Whites are supposed to play a couple of matches in Italy.

Talking to the reporters a day before taking the flight to Italy, Hockaday said, “Almost, the entire squad is going to go except the two blokes who have minor fitness issues. I expect them to be alright in a few days’ time.”

Preparations for Ivory Coast’s upcoming match against Greece where it by the news that Yaya Touré and Kolo Toure have lost their younger brother Ibrahim Toure at the age of 28. Both the Touré brothers are influential to the Ivory Coast team, but this news has left the preparations in tatters. It is understood that Ibrahim was suffering from cancer for a few years. He was also a footballer, but played in lesser-known leagues. It was not known whether Kolo Toure and Yaya Touré will be departing the World Cup 2014 in order to participate in the final duties.

Kolo Toure failure to create history by becoming the first player to win the Premier league title with three different teams after his Liverpool lost out to Manchester City in this year’s competition. Toure went into the final game of the season against Newcastle with an opportunity to win the league title with Liverpool. He has already lifted the league title with Arsenal and Manchester city in the past. After having joined Liverpool only in the summer on a free transfer, the title would have been a crowning glory to the season.

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré has said that he is impressed by the regime of Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool.

The former Chelsea youth team manager has been able to get the team, which finished seventh in the league last season, to be in a position of winning the title with only five matches remaining. City will be the visitors to Anfield to take on Liverpool in a top of the table clash. Touré will be aware that City need to win the match in order to win the title. Even though they have two matches in hand, Liverpool have a four-point advantage.