IS SLOT HIDING SOMETHING? DECODING THE MANAGER’S CRYPTIC UPDATE ON FLORIAN WIRTZ’S BACK INJURY
Florian Wirtz injury update! Read Arne Slot’s worrying admission and the latest on Wirtz’s agent's secret Real Madrid transfer talks.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has shared some worrying news about Florian Wirtz’s injury. Slot admits he has no idea when the German midfielder will be back. Wirtz hurt himself while warming up before Liverpool’s Premier League game at Nottingham Forest and won’t play against West Ham this Saturday.
Wirtz is dealing with a back problem. Slot explained after the Forest match that it’s not a “very serious” issue, but Wirtz, the £116 million signing, is still complaining about his back. The club hoped he’d bounce back quickly, but that just hasn’t happened. He’s still stuck in rehab, and there’s no timeline for his return; it could be days, it could be weeks. There’s some good news, though: Jeremie Frimpong is available again for the West Ham match. Still, Wirtz’s absence is a big concern.
Asked about the situation, Slot told reporters, “Jeremie’s trained with us a few times this week. He’s ready. But I don’t expect Florian to play. It’s disappointing. Any time a player’s out, it’s disappointing, especially when I didn’t see it coming after last week.”
When pressed about when Wirtz might return, Slot said, “Right now, I genuinely don’t know. Usually, when I say that, I do know and just don’t want to say. But this time, I honestly have no idea.”
Wirtz’s injury comes at a rough moment. He was finally hitting his best form, scoring six times in his last 13 matches. Slot praised him, saying, “It’s a big deal for Wirtz to have stayed fit this long, especially after stepping up from his old club to the Premier League and Liverpool. It shows a lot about his mentality and work rate. We’re disappointed he’s been playing really well lately.”
That strong run explains why Liverpool spent so much on Wirtz in the summer of 2025. He briefly became the most expensive player in British football until Alexander Isak broke that record. Liverpool has high hopes for him, and so do his agents. They’re convinced he’ll end up on Real Madrid’s radar someday. Apparently, there was already interest from Madrid when Wirtz left Bayer Leverkusen.
Wirtz’s agent, Volker Struth, talked about those talks: “This summer, while we were discussing Bayern and Liverpool, I called Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid and told him he had to take Florian. He said he wanted to, but I’d have to go see Florentino Perez. So I wrote to Perez and told him I had the player he needed, Florian Wirtz. But even Real Madrid has a budget. I’m not giving up, though. I hope one day Florian plays for Real Madrid.”
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.”
Must Read
