Garkebo: No one can deny the Reds investment and ambition this summer, our goal is to compete for all championships

August 4th During the Liverpool pre-season tour, Reds forward Garkepo gave an exclusive interview to The Echo and The Athletic.

■Last season was Garkepo's best performance since joining Liverpool from Eindhoven for about £40 million in January 2023.

Gakpo said: "This is my best season so far, but I always pursue better. I hope the new season can go further. My goal is to score more goals and give more assists."

"It was difficult to endure the ankle injury. I hope to return as soon as possible because there were important games at that time. Unfortunately, I relapsed again in training, which led to a slow recovery progress, especially when I was physically confronted or shot."

"This disrupted my previous game rhythm, but it was also part of football, and you have to overcome it. I think my ankle condition was much better in those games at the end of the season, and now I just want to start the new season healthy."

■ Liverpool's forward line is undergoing huge changes this summer. Diaz has been sold to Bayern, and rumors about Nunes and Chiesa Jr.'s departure continue. Liverpool has introduced new players Ekitic and Wilz, and in addition, Isaac's transfer storm has not yet ended.

Gakpo said: "These changes are always a process. You join the club and slowly integrate. Everyone has different adaptability speeds. Some people are very fast and some need longer. But I think after last season, plus some adjustments on the court, we can continue to improve on this basis, be stronger than last season, and achieve greater achievements."

"I think no one will deny Liverpool's investment and ambition this summer. If you spend a lot of money to sign a group of high-quality players, there is only one purpose, that is, to compete for the championship in all competitions. The club hopes that this is the case, and the same is true for our players. We will fight for this goal."

"As for whether to improve yourself and take on more? This varies from person to person, and every player has a different mentality. For me, whether there are new players or not, my goal is to be better than last season. New players are coming, they are going to compete for jobs, but I just want to be better and see what heights we will reach."

■As the defending champion, Slot's team may not need extra motivation to defend their honor, but Garkepo said that the experience in late April and early May is still deeply imprinted in the hearts of the players - when Liverpool held the Premier League trophy at Anfield and then scrambled across the city to celebrate, with more than one million people participating, which is an unforgettable picture. It's a time they all yearn for another.

Gakpo said: "The atmosphere in Anfield is amazing, and it was another amazing experience after the last game of the season. Then we had that parade celebration, which was really wonderful, and although the accident at Water Street was not so pleasant at the end. No one happened, which was of course a good thing, but that celebration was really special, and going through such moments as a team makes you more eager to have that feeling again. We all want to have that feeling again, and that's what we're going to fight for next. Goal. "

"Not everyone has the opportunity to experience that kind of parade. I think almost all Manchester City has won in the past eight years. Liverpool won once in the middle, and we finally won again last year, so the league championship is not taken for granted. If you have the ability to win, you must do your best to strive for these experiences and trophies and become as good as possible. "

■Although Liverpool will strive for the first Premier League defender this season since the 1980s, the team has always carried the unfulfilled wish of the Champions League. They were eliminated by final champion Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield last season, and this regret still lingers.

Garkepo said: "Yes, although everyone is happy to win the Premier League, we also lost the League Cup final, which is a pity. Then we lost to Paris Saint-Germain, which is a very strong team."

"But if you can compete with those players, that's a lot. Both rounds were very intense, they played well in Paris, and we played very high in Anfield, so it can be said that it was a 55-5, but they won and won the Champions League. So we also thought, 'If we win them...' But that's part of football, and that's why we train so hard and eager to win the Champions League now."