SLOT CONFIRMS: JOE GOMEZ IS "READY TO START" AGAINST NOTTINGHAM FOREST THIS WEEKEND
Arne Slot gives the latest on Liverpool's injury crisis. Discover why Joe Gomez is ready, but Wataru Endo faces a long layoff.
Arne Slot didn’t hold back in his latest press conference. He gave Liverpool fans a full rundown on the injury front before the team heads to Nottingham Forest. With the season getting serious and every point starting to matter more, these updates hit a little harder.
Lately, Liverpool’s defence has looked like a patchwork job. Midfielders filling in at the back, everyone shifting around. Slot talked through all of it, focusing on Jeremie Frimpong, Alexander Isak, Joe Gomez, and Wataru Endo.
First, Frimpong’s still not ready. “Jeremie will not be involved this weekend. We hope he will be involved next week if things go as planned,” Slot said. So, if things go right, he’s not far off, but Forest comes too soon.
Endo’s news stings more. “Wata will be out for a long time. We don’t know exactly how long.” That’s a blow; he’s left a gap in midfield, and now the team has to get creative with the lineup in the middle of a busy stretch.
Now, some good news. Joe Gomez is back. Slot sounded confident: “I think Joe is ready to start [against Forest]. Yes, he is.” After weeks of watching midfielders juggle defensive duties, fans will breathe easier seeing Gomez back in his natural spot.
Since January, guys like Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have played at right back. It shows Liverpool’s flexibility, sure, but also the toll these injuries have taken. Getting Gomez back isn’t just about plugging a hole. It brings balance. He knows what he’s doing, and that experience matters as the pressure ramps up.
Slot kept praising the players who’ve stepped up, and honestly, they deserve it. But having a real defender back just settles things. It lets everyone else get back to what they do best.
On Alexander Isak, Slot laid out the timeline. “Alex has been on the [training] pitch with his running shoes for the first time this week, so it will still be a while… It will be somewhere around the international break. That depends on whether he has a setback. It’ll be the end of March, start of April when he’s back with the group, but it doesn’t mean he’s ready to start playing straight away.” There’s no rush. Everyone knows how important Isak is, especially after joining with so much expectation. For now, Hugo Ekitike has stepped up front, but as the fixture list gets packed, the team can’t afford to push anyone too hard.
So what’s the big picture? It’s a bit of a mixed bag. Gomez is back, which helps. Frimpong is almost there. Endo’s out for a while, and Isak’s still working his way back. If Liverpool can get through these next few games without more injuries, they’ll start getting key players back just as the season hits its peak. That could make all the difference.
INSIDE ARNE SLOT’S TACTICAL SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACT ON FLORIAN WIRTZ’S GOAL OUTPUT
Florian Wirtz has scored just four times in 25 league games, a major drop from his elite Bayer Leverkusen scoring form.
Florian Wirtz’s £116 million price tag is starting to raise some eyebrows, especially as he struggles to find the scoring touch that made him so valuable. Tony Cascarino from talkSPORT pointed out that while Wirtz is undeniably technically gifted, he’s yet to become truly clinical in front of goal since joining Liverpool.
Wirtz, who moved from Bayer Leverkusen to Anfield with big expectations, took a bit of time to adjust but began contributing to Arne Slot’s team. Yet goals have remained elusive. In 25 Premier League appearances, he’s only managed to score four times, with just one goal each in the Champions League and FA Cup. Recent missed opportunities against Galatasaray, which coincided with Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat, only highlight this ongoing challenge.
Cascarino, a former Chelsea striker and long-time Reds fan, commented on the Weekend Sports Breakfast that Wirtz’s inability to take those chances stands out. He recalled Wirtz’s decent scoring record at Leverkusen, particularly during a season when the club contended for the Bundesliga title, but said those numbers haven’t yet translated to his time in England.
Back when Wirtz was at Bayer Leverkusen, he was more consistent as both a goalscorer and playmaker. Over his last two seasons there, he not only reached double figures in goals but also in assists. For instance, in the 2023/24 season, he scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists, followed by 10 goals and 13 assists the following year. At Liverpool, however, the numbers look quite different. Four goals in 25 league matches is a noticeable drop, even accounting for the Premier League’s markedly higher level of competition. Despite having 24 shots with 15 on target this season, he’s yet to convert those chances into more goals.
Looking ahead, Wirtz will be eager to improve his goal tally in Liverpool’s upcoming match against Tottenham at Anfield. With Igor Tudor’s position at Spurs seemingly under pressure, a strong showing from Wirtz could have a significant impact. The game, scheduled for 4:30 pm on Merseyside, offers him an opportunity not only to build confidence but also, perhaps, to silence some critics questioning whether he can justify that hefty transfer fee.
FINANCIAL EXPERTS PREDICT £120M HIT IF LIVERPOOL MISS 2026-27 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPOT
Liverpool face a £120m disaster: Read about the Champions League race, Arne Slot’s anger, and the impact of the £400m summer spend.
Liverpool’s in a tight spot right now. After losing to Wolves at Molineux, they’re clinging to fifth place, usually good enough for a Champions League spot, but the cushion isn’t exactly comfortable. They’re just three points ahead of Chelsea, who still have a game in hand against Aston Villa. That race is heating up fast.
Virgil van Dijk summed it up pretty well: “Either we get it, and we deserve it, or we don’t get it, and we don’t deserve it. If you play for Liverpool, it’s always been like this. It’s down to us, together with our fans, to get the results we need to get into the Champions League.” He also mentioned that Arne Slot, the head coach, wasn’t exactly thrilled after the loss; “angry” was the word he used.
But it’s not just about pride or missing out on big European nights. There’s a lot of money on the line. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire pointed out that missing out on the Champions League could leave a big dent in Liverpool’s bank account, even if the club runs pretty sensibly these days.
UEFA’s numbers tell the story. Liverpool earned €98.1 million (£85.3 million/$114 million) just for reaching the last 16 of the 2024–25 Champions League. Compare that to the Europa League, where they only received €26.8 million (£23.3 million/$31.1 million) for reaching the quarterfinals last season. The gap is massive.
Even winning the lesser European trophies doesn’t come close. Tottenham got €41.4 million (£36 million/$48.1 million) for winning the Europa League, and Chelsea picked up €21.8 million (£20 million/$26.7 million) for the Conference League. It’s nowhere near what Champions League teams bring home.
Maguire also pointed out the other hits: fewer home match days, less broadcast cash, and sponsors that pay out less when the club misses the top tier. He reckons missing out could cost Liverpool around £120 million ($160 million). Still, he doesn’t think it’ll sink the club.
And it’s not like Liverpool have been shy about spending. Last summer alone, they shelled out more than £400 million ($534.5 million) on big names like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak – the biggest single-window spend in football history, actually.
Even with all that, Liverpool just reported record revenues of £703 million ($939 million) for the year ending May 2025, turning a modest £8 million ($10.7 million) profit. And here’s the kicker: despite that wild summer, Liverpool ranks only eighth in net transfer spend over the past five years. They’ve been splashing the cash, sure, but they’ve kept things balanced in the long run.
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