Arne Slot says Florian Wirtz’s injury isn’t anything serious, even though he had to pull out of Liverpool's starting lineup during the warm-up before their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Curtis Jones stepped in for Wirtz, and Liverpool grabbed a dramatic win with a goal deep into stoppage time.

Wirtz was set to start at the City Ground, but something in his back flared up during the warm-up, and he couldn’t go. Slot didn’t want to risk him. After the match, Slot explained, “We don’t think it’s serious, but he felt his back too much to start. He wasn’t close to 100 per cent. I think now, after being in this league for a while, he gets that you can’t play here unless you’re fully fit. We hope he’ll be back next week, but you never really know.”

So, Jones slotted in, and Liverpool scraped out a win thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s goal right at the end. That winner was even more impressive because Mac Allister had just had a goal ruled out five minutes earlier, but he kept going and found the net. Despite the late drama, Mac Allister wasn’t too pleased with the overall performance. Liverpool is still sitting sixth, behind Chelsea only on goal difference, and if Manchester United beats Everton on Monday, they’ll be three points ahead.

Mac Allister said, “Honestly, mixed feelings. Scoring and winning always feel good, so in that sense, it’s a good day. But we didn’t play well. There’s a lot we need to fix, but winning always makes things easier.”

About the disallowed goal, he added, “I felt like I’d get another chance, even before the throw-in. I told Hugo Ekitike, ‘This is our moment.’ I don’t remember if it was that play or the next, but I got another shot, and I’m glad it went in.”

He kept going: “We’ll look back at the game this week, but the first half was just bad. Positioning, intensity, pressing – it just wasn’t there. Maybe the only thing we did well was defending our box and blocking some shots. But overall, it wasn’t up to our standards. The second half was a bit better, not great, but we created some chances, and the main thing is we got the win.”

Slot didn’t hold back at halftime. He told the team straight up that it was Liverpool’s worst half under him so far. “That first half was the worst we’ve played,” Slot said. “But we defended our box really well, so that’s why it stayed 0-0. Forest were the better team; they pushed us back, but our defending inside the box kept us in it. We had to deal with a lot of set pieces, especially early on, so if we can take that mentality and use it all over the pitch and just keep the ball better and not lose it every time, these players can do more.”

Slot tried to fire the team up at halftime, telling them there’s no way they could be out of energy already, especially compared to Forest, who had played a tough away match on Thursday. He reminded them about the second half against Manchester City, when they managed to turn things around after a poor first half. It worked well enough; Liverpool didn’t play great, but they found a way to win.

Liverpool has a fascinating summer ahead, at least if you’re willing to trust Football Manager’s predictions.

Last year, they spent big. Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez are huge names with huge fees. The idea was to lock in a new era at the top of the Premier League. Honestly, it hasn’t panned out yet.

Now Arne Slot’s second season is slipping away from the title race, and Liverpool looks like they’re back at square one. With Arsenal and Manchester City pulling ahead, it’s easy to imagine another busy summer at Anfield. But where do they even start? And who’s actually on their shopping list?

Curiosity got the better of us, so we fired up Football Manager 2026 to see what the data gods think. According to the game, Liverpool will spend around £138 million in the coming window. That’s a lot, but who are they bringing in, and who’s heading for the exit?

Football Manager thinks Liverpool is going shopping in Paris and Barcelona.

So, here’s how the simulated summer went: Liverpool brought in four new faces. Three of them cost a fair chunk, but nothing quite as jaw-dropping as last year’s signings.

First up, PSG’s Lee Kang-In arrives for £38 million. He’s quick and technical and can play on either wing – a pretty believable move, given all the rumours about his future in Paris.

Then, for the midfield, Liverpool turned to Feyenoord’s Quentin Timber. He’s got Premier League blood; his brother Jurriën plays for Arsenal, and he joins on loan with a £49 million purchase clause. To be honest, that’s steep for Timber, but Football Manager isn’t always in sync with real-life transfer values.

Defence gets some attention too: Barcelona’s Héctor Fort, only 20, joins for £42 million. He’s a versatile full-back who can cover both sides or even slot into the middle. Right now, he’s more of a squad option than a guaranteed starter, but there’s a lot of upside there.

Finally, there’s a wildcard: Álvaro Montoro from Botafogo, a young Argentine forward. He costs £9 million and looks like a classic “one for the future” signing—numbers look good, and at that price, he might turn out to be a steal.

But who’s leaving? Let’s break it down.

No massive exits at least, according to the simulation

Here’s the surprising part: none of Liverpool’s biggest names pack their bags. Mohamed Salah stays put, turning down those endless Saudi links. Andrew Robertson signs a new deal, and Ibrahima Konaté does the same. How realistic is that? Time will tell soon enough.

That explains why Liverpool’s spending feels a bit more low-key this time. They’re patching holes, not rebuilding from scratch. Still, a few players do head out.

Wataru Endo moves to Inter Milan for £5.5 million and slots right into their midfield. Owen Beck goes to West Ham on a loan with a buy option just under £7 million. Stefan Bajčetić, who’s had awful luck with injuries, heads to Middlesbrough on loan. And Lewis Koumas, still just 18, takes an unexpected detour to APOEL in Cyprus, also on loan.

So, all in all, it’s a pretty cautious window. Honestly, it’d be a shock if Salah, Konaté, and Robertson all stick around for another year, but maybe Liverpool just need time to let this group settle, rather than tearing things up again. We’ll see soon enough.