THE REAL REASON FLORIAN WIRTZ ONLY TRAINED ONCE BEFORE THE FULHAM MATCH
Arne Slot faces an injury crisis as Liverpool visits Fulham. Get the latest on Florian Wirtz's hamstring and Joe Gomez's return.
Here's how Liverpool's lineup might look for Sunday's game against Fulham in the Premier League.
Arne Slot will be happy to have Joe Gomez back for the match, even if his options are a bit limited right now.
Gomez was playing well at right-back before he had a muscle problem in the win over Brighton. He brought some stability to the position while Conor Bradley was dealing with fitness issues, Jeremie Frimpong was out, and Dominik Szoboszlai was filling in.
Gomez's defensive skills were also helpful to Ibrahima Konate in early December. Liverpool then went on an eight-game unbeaten run, which helped steady things, though questions remain about their attack.
Slot said Gomez would be back in training on Friday, so he could be in the running to play. However, Bradley will likely keep his spot. Frimpong, who has played well recently, is also an option at right-back. Slot suddenly has a lot of choices there, which is a change from recent months.
The same is true on the left, where Milos Kerkez will compete with Andy Robertson for a place in the team. Robertson started the last game against Leeds, but Kerkez could be back in for this one at Craven Cottage. Konate will continue to partner with Virgil van Dijk.
In midfield, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch are hoping to start again, but will Alexis Mac Allister return? He came on as a substitute against Leeds and hasn't been as good as he was last season.
He's not the only one, but if Szoboszlai plays on the right wing, as he has been recently, then Mac Allister should be in line to return. A lot depends on where Frimpong plays.
The big question is what Slot will do with Florian Wirtz. The German player had a good December, including scoring the equalizing goal against Sunderland and the winning goal against Wolves. But Slot said after the Leeds game that they were a bit worried about his hamstring. It's a tricky situation.
Florian only trained once this week because he still felt his hamstring a bit, Slot said. We're trying to be careful without hurting our chances of winning. Missing another game would be a bigger problem if it takes five, six, or seven weeks.
If they decide not to risk Wirtz, Cody Gakpo is ready to replace him on the left. But whoever plays there, Hugo Ekitike needs more help scoring goals. He didn't score against Leeds, and none of his teammates stepped up to help.
With Mohamed Salah at the Africa Cup of Nations and Alexander Isak recovering from a broken leg, Slot needs all the goalscorers he can get. It would be great if Gakpo could get back to his best in London.
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”
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