The Istanbul giants offered the Liverpool shot-stopper a footballing lifeline, signing Karius to a two-year loan deal Saturday. The Reds confirmed the move with a statement.
Karius’ move to Turkey is the result of a domino effect this summer that saw Brazilian No. 1 Alisson move to Anfield and Besiktas ‘keeper Fabri enlist with Fulham.
3 – Loris Karius made more errors leading to goals in his final four appearances for Liverpool (3) than he did in his previous 45 games for the club (2). Misfortune. pic.twitter.com/nSQIamUwuX
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 24, 2018
The change of scenery could benefit the 25-year-old after a disastrous Champions League final performance saw him make two glaring errors that resulted in Real Madrid goals.
Karius’ loan move will become permanent in 2020 if the player appears in an undetermined number of matches, according to the Liverpool Echo’s James Pearce.
CLEVELAND — The Browns escaped a preseason quarterback swap.
Tyrod Taylor isn’t expected to miss any time — and is still in line to start the Sept. 9 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers — after dislocating his left pinky and bruising his hand in Thursday’s 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Taylor’s injury initially appeared serious after he awkwardly landed on his non-throwing hand and wrist while bracing his fall after firing an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal.
Tyrod Taylor is set to be the Browns’ starting quarterback to open the season. AP Photo/Ron Schwane
Taylor immediately grabbed his hand and ran to the sideline before being taken to the locker room for treatment and evaluation. He returned and played in three more series.
“Tyrod had a dislocated pinky, but obviously, they were able to get that back in place real quickly,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said on a conference call Friday. “It takes 15 seconds to do that. He has a bruised hand. He’s sore. But he’s going to be fine.”
Jackson said Taylor will practice and there’s a chance he and the first-team offense will play in next week’s exhibition finale at the Detroit Lions. Jackson wants his starters to get as much time together as possible and is still considering playing them against the Lions.
Jackson said wide receiver Josh Gordon will participate in walk-throughs over the weekend, and it’s possible he’ll practice.
The former Pro Bowl receiver has only been allowed to attend meetings, work on the side with trainers and watch since returning from a self-imposed absence in training camp. Gordon, who was on the sideline Thursday night, has played in only 10 games over the past four seasons because of suspensions from drug violations.
The 29-year-old Taylor is in his first season with the Browns, who acquired him from the Buffalo Bills in a trade in March to stabilize a problematic position. Taylor will start until top overall pick Baker Mayfield is ready, and the Browns will gladly put that off until next season.
Taylor has been a model mentor to Mayfield so far, and the eight-year veteran has impressed everyone with his work ethic and attitude.
The Browns seemed caught off guard that Taylor, who stayed in the locker room for the second half on Thursday, left FirstEnergy Stadium before speaking with reporters.
Taylor did post a thank you to Cleveland fans for their prayers on Twitter and said he was “doing well.”
Jackson said there was relief that Taylor wasn’t more seriously hurt.
“Well, I definitely got the final thought that he was going to be fine when we decided to put him back in,” Jackson said. “Obviously, when [head trainer] Joe Sheehan came back, he said, ‘Everything is fine. There are no issues. He can go back in.’ Obviously, the player was very excited to go back in the game. Again, I felt he needed to, because our offensive football team at that time needed to play together.
“They needed his leadership. He needed to be out there playing with them. I think it is important for them to develop that chemistry, so I felt comfortable that when we put him back out there, things were OK. Obviously, when he was not there and he was inside before he came back, all kinds of thoughts go through your head. But I feel good about where he is and what he will be able to do in the future.”
London – A Roma fan was jailed for two-and-a-half-years on Friday for his part in the violence ahead of a Champions League semi-final which left a Liverpool supporter in a coma.
Daniele Sciusco, 29, from Rome, admitted violent disorder ahead of the Anfield match on April 24.
A judge at Preston Crown Court, near Liverpool in northwest England, was told Friday that Liverpool supporter Sean Cox, 53, remained in a serious condition as a result of a head injury sustained in the violence, although Sciusco was not directly involved in his injuries.
Passing sentence, Judge Mark Brown said: “The Champions League semi-final was a major international football event that was being televised across Europe, and your actions and the actions of the Italian group tarnished significantly what was intended to be a sporting and enjoyable occasion.
“It’s important to stress you are not being sentenced for the dreadful attack on Mr Cox, but it did occur during violent disorder of which you were a part, and the impact on him has been catastrophic.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Odell Beckham Jr. just might have that financial security he so desperately desires before the start of the regular season.
The New York Giants and Beckham have made progress on what is expected to be a record-breaking contract for a wide receiver, sources told ESPN, and there is reasonable optimism from both sides that a deal could get done by the start of the season.
The Giants open against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 9 at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants running back flashed his potential on his first carry of the preseason, and his hamstring injury hasn’t been the source of any panic.
Beckham, 25, has been looking for a new contract as 10 of the other 12 receivers selected in the first two rounds of the 2014 draft have received new deals within the past year.
The Giants wanted to see that Beckham had bought into their new regime and that the ankle he broke last October was healed.
After a rocky start to the year, the Giants listened to trade offers for their star receiver. He has done everything they’ve asked since.
It has been an especially successful summer on all fronts. Beckham has worked out at full speed in live drills and even participated in joint practices last week against the Detroit Lions. He has looked like his old self. He also has forged a strong relationship with new head coach Pat Shurmur, and it appears they have been on the same page this preseason.
Beckham was dreaming big last summer when he declared a desire to be the highest-paid player in football. But he seems to understand the market for wide receivers makes that impossible at this time.
The benchmarks for wide receivers are Antonio Brown’s $17 million per year with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike Evans’ $55 million in total guarantees with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Beckham should be in line to top both. He’s a three-time Pro Bowl receiver who hasn’t reached his prime and is already one of the league’s biggest stars.
“Realistically, you just got to be realistic with yourself,” Beckham said earlier this summer. “You see what happened over the offseason. I can’t really worry about anybody else, just let them figure it out and whenever it happens, it’ll happen.”
Negotiations on a long-term deal began late last month. Beckham hasn’t said much about the contract since reporting to training camp. He has left the contract in the hands of his agent, Zeke Sandhu, and has been focused on getting back into playing shape after missing most of last season because of a broken ankle.
“I definitely think it’s going to work itself out,” Beckham said last week. “When is it going to happen? You don’t know. That is the business side that is new to me in a sense. This is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with this or go through any of this.
“I believe it will work itself out. It’s a matter of time. Just like everything in life, it’s timing.”
Beckham hasn’t played in the Giants’ first two preseason games. Still without a new contract, he might not be willing to play until a deal is done.
But that is increasingly looking as if it might not be a problem come Week 1 against the Jaguars.
