Hugo Ekitike has insisted he will 'have to keep working' if he is to live up to iconic former Liverpool strikers such as Fernando Torres. The Frenchman scored twice in Saturday's 4-1 win at home to Newcastle, prompting club legend Steven Gerrard to compare the forward to one of his former team-mates.
Liverpool are making one final push to sign a new defender before the transfer deadline, with Lutsharel Geertruida reportedly a top target. Geertruida played under Reds boss Arne Slot at Feyenoord and is currently halfway through a season-long loan spell at Sunderland from RB Leipzig, but talks are said to have taken place over a switch to Anfield.
Pep Lijnders has revealed Jurgen Klopp would have taken his job as Manchester City's assistant manager if he himself passed on the opportunity to work under Pep Guardiola. Lijnders spent several years at Liverpool with Klopp but decided to cross the divide to City last summer when presented with the chance to coach at the Etihad Stadium.
Ibrahima Konate has revealed he returned to Liverpool earlier than expected following the death of his father to help Arne Slot's injury-hit squad after scoring in Saturday night's 4-1 victory over Newcastle United. After a three-game absence with compassionate leave, the French centre-back returned to Anfield and scored the Reds' last goal of the evening from close range, being reduced to tears in front of the Kop. With defenders like Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni all missing, Konate's availability was a big plus for Slot.
Wirtz and Ekitike stepped up for Arne Slot as the big-money summer signings helped fire Liverpool to a comeback victory against Newcastle. When the Magpies took a deserved lead, the French forward took the game by the scruff of the neck and scored a quickfire brace to flip it on its head. The Reds then pressed home their advantage and ran out worthy 4-1 winners.
Inter are reportedly in talks with Liverpool over a loan move for midfielder Curtis Jones. The Reds academy product is not a regular under manager Arne Slot and that has led to links with the Serie A giants. The 25-year-old's contract at Anfield runs until the summer of 2027, and now it seems the Merseyside outfit have a decision on their hands, with the deal potentially including a buy option.
Arne Slot complained about the "noise" around Anfield ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Qarabag - and one could understand why. As well as being distracting, some of it has been disrespectful. Indeed, Slot had even been asked a question about Xabi Alonso, the favourite to replace him as Liverpool boss, in his pre-match press conference.
Premier League legend Danny Murphy has singled out Swedish striking duo Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak as the season's biggest transfer disappointments following their high-profile summer moves. The former midfielder believes both forwards have failed to justify their massive price tags since joining Arsenal and Liverpool respectively, leaving supporters at both clubs feeling "disappointed" with their output so far.
Jamie Carragher has sought to defend Raheem Sterling from any criticism, following his release by Chelsea, with the England international considered to be seriously “underrated”. The Premier League title-winning ex-Manchester City star is now looking for a new challenge at 31 years of age, with a former team-mate from his days at Anfield hoping that a “fitting finale” to a distinguished career can be found.
Danny Murphy has hailed Declan Rice as the "most complete midfielder in Europe" but warned the Arsenal star he still has one final hurdle to clear before he can be compared to Premier League icons Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. The former Liverpool man believes the £105 million ace needs to start producing "magic moments" in major finals to cement his legacy.
Another transfer window and another highly-rated prospect is on their way to Chelsea. The club's youth policy has struck again, with the west Londoners landing 17-year-old full-back Yisa Alao from financially troubled Sheffield Wednesday. Despite his very limited experience at senior level, the teenager provoked a transfer tug-of-war between three Premier League giants, but it is the Blues who have emerged victorious.
Jurgen Klopp will make an emotional return to Anfield alongside fellow Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish later this year. The German spent nine years in charge at the Reds, guiding them to Premier League and Champions League glory. And in March, the Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull will return to the Merseyside outfit's ground for a special occasion.
Steven Gerrard claims Arne Slot’s comments on Liverpool’s 2024-25 Champions League campaign will be a “body blow” to the club’s fans, as they enjoy another European adventure this season. The former Reds skipper is also being billed as a potential successor to Slot in the Anfield hot-seat, despite enduring a tough time in management before taking a break.
So there we have it! After a mammoth 144 games that included plenty of goals and drama, the curtain has been drawn on the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League. Arsenal finished top of the table with a perfect record, while Manchester City secured automatic qualification to the round of 16 by the skin of their teeth. But three historic European giants have been eliminated already, in the form of Napoli, Marseille and Ajax.
The Premier League is firmly on course to gain a fifth Champions League place for next season after a dominant display in Europe. With five English clubs storming into the last 16 and all nine representatives still active across the three competitions, the coefficient rankings show England miles clear of rivals Italy and Spain, sparking a frantic domestic battle for the lucrative extra berth.
Virgil van Dijk has made history by recording an unlikely Champions League first. The Dutch defender etched his name into the record books when lining up for Liverpool in their European encounter with Qarabag. Despite marshalling the Reds’ back line in that game, Van Dijk made a stunning contribution in the final third of the field as he helped Arne Slot’s side to a crushing 6-0 win.
A total of five Premier League clubs secured automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City all finishing in the top eight while Newcastle United missed out. The Magpies must now navigate a treacherous play-off round alongside giants Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain after a chaotic final matchday.
The Champions League league phase drew to a predictably chaotic conclusion on Wednesday, with all of the matchday eight fixtures kicking-off at the same time. The net result was numerous positional changes over the course of 90-plus minutes of madness, though the highlight was undoubtedly Anatoliy Trubin scoring a last-second header to keep Benfica in the competition.
Liverpool may be struggling in the Premier League but they're a very different side in the Champions League, as they underlined on Wednesday by storming straight into the last 16 of the competition by hammering Qarabag 6-0 at Anfield. With the Reds' defensive injury crisis having worsened in Saturday's shocking defeat at Bournemouth, the last thing head coach Arne Slot needed was Jeremie Frimpong hobbling off with what looked like his third hamstring injury of the season after just two minutes of play on Merseyside.
Jeremie Frimpong has suffered another setback, as he exited Liverpool's Champions League tie against Qarabag after just four minutes due to injury. The Dutch international appeared to sustain an issue with his groin, and was subsequently replaced by Wataru Endo. Arne Slot's side are already short at the back, thanks to the absences of Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate.
Liverpool have been told to consider a stunning move to sign Harry Maguire from Manchester United this summer. The defender's current deal expires in the summer and United have yet to open talks over an extension, with Dietmar Hamann urging the Reds to weigh up what would be a sensational free transfer.
Liverpool
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
