Jamie Carragher remains unconvinced that Liverpool needed to sign two strikers during a summer of historic spending at Anfield. The Reds invested heavily in Hugo Ekitike, before then smashing the British transfer record on £125 million ($164m) superstar Alexander Isak. Arne Slot has to find minutes for both forwards when they are fit, with Carragher admitting that his “mind boggles” when it comes to that selection conundrum.

Alan Shearer has risked the wrath of Alexander Isak by insisting Hugo Ekitike should be viewed as Liverpool’s first choice striker. The Newcastle legend was an outspoken critic of the Sweden international’s behaviour over the summer as he went on strike in order to force through his £125 million (€144.5m/$169m) British record transfer to Arne Slot’s side.

Liverpool’s class of 2025 have earned an unfavourable comparison to the Paris Saint-Germain team that once boasted Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. The Reds have assembled a star-studded cast of their own at Anfield, splashing out £240 million ($320m) on deals for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, but are still waiting for their fearsome attacking unit to click.

Eintracht Frankfurt have earned a sterling reputation for developing players from the promising bracket to top-class and selling them on for significant profit in recent years, particularly in attacking positions. The German club made around €208 million (£181m/$242m) by transferring Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller and Randal Kolo Muani to AC Milan, West Ham and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively, and boosted that total by another €170m (£148/$198) last season when two more talismanic performers caught the eye of Europe's elite.

Ex-Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has rejected the notion his former club can’t attract superstar players to the north east after a number of big-name summer signings elected to join rival teams in Manchester and London this summer. Shelvey believes it's a mistake to look down on the region and has spoken of the love players feel from supporters at St James’ Park.