BIG MISTAKE: LIVERPOOL REGRET TRANSFER AS LUIS DIAZ STARS AT BAYERN
Liverpool's attack is misfiring, and the sale of Luis Diaz is looking costly as the winger excels at Bayern Munich.
Liverpool's summer transfers have been under the microscope, with several new players struggling to adapt.
After spending around $600 million, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Hugo Ekitike are feeling the heat to perform. But it's not just new arrivals facing criticism; some key players also left.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid was a blow, and the team has struggled to replace him at right-back. Another example is Luis Diaz, who joined Bayern Munich this summer.
Diaz, who came to Liverpool from FC Porto in January 2022, usually played left wing under both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.
In his three and a half years with Liverpool, Diaz played 148 games, scoring 41 goals and assisting 23. He was key to the team's Premier League title win last season.
His move to Bayern Munich this summer closed a chapter. While the transfer fee seemed good at the time, it's clear how much Liverpool misses him.
The attack hasn't been great, with Isak and Ekitike struggling to work together. They haven't scored enough goals in important moments, even with chances.
Diaz's good performances at Bayern Munich underscore what Liverpool is missing.
The winger has been scoring often, with 11 goals and five assists in 16 games for the German club, averaging more than one goal involvement per game.
He did receive a red card for a bad tackle on Achraf Hakimi in the Champions League against PSG, resulting in a three-game ban.
Despite this, Diaz has had a good start at Bayern, adding attacking style and working well with Harry Kane and Michael Olise.
Bayern's manager, Vincent Kompany, said recently of Diaz, "Given it's his first season and time in Germany, he's been great." His energy is a good fit for the team. He's always involved.
Slot hasn't been able to reproduce this energy, with Isak's fitness issues and Wirtz still getting used to the Premier League’s toughness.
Cody Gakpo, Wirtz, and Ekitike have all played on the left wing this season, showing a lack of balance—something Diaz definitely provided.
HIDDEN TARGET: WHY BRADLEY BARCOLA EMERGED AS LIVERPOOL’S TOP CHOICE AFTER THE SEMENYO SNUB
Liverpool rival Bayern for PSG star Bradley Barcola. See how the winger fits Arne Slot’s plans following Mo Salah’s recent outburst.
Liverpool is reportedly eyeing PSG winger Bradley Barcola as a possible signing.
PSG wants to lock Barcola into a new contract, especially with Liverpool showing interest. Since joining Lyon in 2023 for about £40 million, Barcola’s had a great run in Paris. He’s already won two Ligue 1 titles and helped PSG claim their first-ever Champions League trophy last season.
But here’s the thing: Barcola isn’t always in the starting lineup. With Khvicha Kvaratskhelia coming in and Desire Doue on the rise, Barcola sometimes finds himself on the bench. In PSG’s penalty shootout win over Marseille for the Trophée des Champions, Barcola only came on in the 72nd minute to replace Kvaratskhelia.
Still, he’s a real talent—five goals and four assists in 23 games this season isn’t bad at all.
Right now, RMC Sport says PSG has offered Barcola a new contract. His current deal runs until 2028, but his camp hasn’t given any response yet. PSG wants to know where he stands so they can make plans. According to RMC Sport, the club is preparing for anything and already has a shortlist of possible replacements if Barcola decides to leave. For now, though, he’s never actually said he wants out, even with Liverpool and Bayern Munich circling.
So, will Liverpool go for him? They probably want another winger this summer, especially since fans were surprised they didn’t push harder for Antoine Semenyo, who ended up at Man City for £65 million.
Barcola can play on either wing, which could tempt Liverpool. They need someone who can eventually step in for Mo Salah. Salah’s contract runs until 2027, but he’ll be 35 by then, and there are already questions about his future—especially after he claimed he’d been “thrown under a bus” following a 3-3 draw with Leeds. He lost his starting spot before heading to the African Cup of Nations with Egypt.
On the left, Liverpool could use more depth, too. Cody Gakpo is the only real senior option, and he’s had an up-and-down season.
"EVERYONE WAS UNHAPPY"—VIRGIL VAN DIJK REVEALS THE LOCKER ROOM REACTION TO GABRIEL MARTINELLI
Virgil van Dijk reveals Liverpool squad fury over Gabriel Martinelli's shove on an injured Conor Bradley. Get the latest scans.
Virgil van Dijk didn’t hold back—he said the entire Liverpool squad was furious with Gabriel Martinelli after he clashed with Conor Bradley.
Van Dijk was clearly angry. Martinelli dragged Bradley off the pitch, and at first, it just looked like a heated moment. But then everyone realised Bradley had actually injured his knee pretty badly.
After the match, Martinelli apologised. He reached out to Bradley directly and insisted he honestly didn’t know how serious the injury was.
Bradley left the field on crutches, wearing a knee brace. He was in obvious pain. Still, Martinelli tried to shove him off the pitch, which sparked a full-on brawl at the end of the game.
Van Dijk said, "Everyone was upset. Not just a few of us—everyone. And for good reason. Conor was down on the pitch, clearly hurt, and seeing someone push him off just isn’t a good look.
"You guys have probably seen the clips. For us, it all happened so fast. There was a long ball, Conor challenged for it and went down, then Martinelli pushed him off the pitch, and that set everyone off. We all came together, but in that moment, nobody really knew what was going on. It just looked bad, especially for Martinelli.
"Right now, we’re just thinking about Conor. He’s got medical tests in the next day or so, and we’ll have to adjust."
Liverpool ended up grinding out a hard point at Arsenal, keeping their unbeaten streak alive at ten games. Van Dijk admitted it wasn’t exactly pretty, but he was happy with how they stuck to their plan.
He said, "First, all our thoughts are with Conor. Hopefully, it’s not as bad as it looks, but it doesn’t look great. As for the game, I thought our plan was outstanding.
"We let their centre backs have the ball because we didn’t think they’d be able to hurt us that way, and that’s why they hardly created any chances.
"Sure, it didn’t always look great, but you could go all out and take risks, or you could stick to the plan. We knew a match was 90 minutes, and eventually, we’d get our chances. That’s what happened in the second half.
"We played really well with the ball. Honestly, it felt like we could’ve taken more than just a point, but I’m proud of the team, especially against a side in such good form.
"No team can press for the full 90 minutes as they do at the start, so we just kept at it, made them try to find a way through, and they really struggled.
"The guys worked so hard defensively, and then in the second half, we found the gaps and the right players in between the lines.
"We didn’t create any huge chances, but considering we’re missing two proper strikers, the lads were still brilliant. We’ll take the point and move on."