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  Diogo Jota missed Liverpool training on Thursday ahead of their return to Premier League action against Brighton at the weekend. The Portugal international has only just returned to the fold after picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season, appearing as a substitute against Everton and Napoli before starting in the 2-1 victory over Ajax, picking up an assist for Mohamed Salah's opener. Jota is now at risk of missing Brighton's visit, having previously explained why he asked to be withdrawn during Portugal's 1-0 Nations League defeat to Spain. "I didn't have a pre-season. It's only my second game as a starter this season and I was already feeling a little tired at the end of the season," he told O Jogo. Portugal coach Fernando Santos added: "Jota asked to leave. It doesn't matter now, but that wasn't the replacement I was going to make. I was going to put Jota in a different position so that the team could go up and have more possession. I b...

  The pandemic hit essentially every football club over the last two years, but several in particular were hit very hard. FSG made themselves very unpopular with the attempted use of the furlough scheme, over which they backtracked, but in truth Liverpool avoided the worst effects. Of the European royalty, Juventus, Barcelona and Inter Milan were undoubtedly rocked the most. Of course, their colossal losses weren’t just due to the effects of the pandemic. In the case of Juve and Barca, it was through reckless spending, living way beyond their means in transfer fees and In the case of Inter, it wasn’t that they were reckless in a Juventus or Barcelona kind of way, it was that they simply don’t generate the kind of revenue that allow them to compete at the highest levels of the European game. Antonio Conte’s arrival came with hefty requests from the fiery Italian in order to break the Old Lady's nine-year hegemony of the Italian game. By the end of the 2020-21 season, Inter...

  Liverpool FC and Coca-Cola are delighted to come together as official partners, uniting two of the world's most iconic brands. The long-term partnership will see LFC and Coca-Cola provide fans of the club’s men’s and women’s teams with magical matchday experiences, unique money-can’t-buy moments and limited-edition merchandise prizes.  The partnership is built on Coca-Cola’s rich heritage of supporting football from grassroots level to the world stage and comes at a pivotal moment in the sporting calendar, just ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Coca-Cola is the latest globally recognised brand to join Liverpool FC’s growing family of official partners. Ben Latty, commercial director at Liverpool FC, said: “We are delighted to have Coca-Cola join our family of official partners. We’re really excited to grow this partnership together and we extend a very warm welcome to Anfield to Coca-Cola. “We understand the vital importance of teaming up with a like-minded brand and using o...

Liverpool remains keen to add a winger to their team, and one name on their radar is Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen. The Frenchman has been in fine form since he left PSG for the Bundesliga club, and he will certainly play for a bigger team in the future. Arsenal pursued a move for Raphinha in the last transfer window as they looked to add a new wide-man to their team. However, the Brazilian joined Barcelona instead, and they signed no alternative. They could revisit that situation in January as they bid to have a strong second half of the term. Diaby is the new man on their radar, but they are facing competition from Newcastle United, and The Athletic say it is a serious one. It claims the Magpies have identified the winger as a dream signing as they look to continue rebuilding their team.

 Dominic King on Trent's England omission: "If Southgate had no intention of playing Alexander-Arnold against Italy or Germany, why pick him? “Do not think for one moment that Alexander-Arnold hasn’t been hurt by his omission. He’s a quiet soul, who reads Harry Potter books, plays chess and practises free-kicks, and he desperately wants to be the player for England that he has been for Liverpool. “If Alexander-Arnold is harbouring any feelings that he has not been given a fair crack of the whip by Southgate, they are entirely justified in light of Monday’s events. Again: why sit him on the bench at the San Siro and leave him out for Germany’s visit? “It’s a waste of talent and time. Remarkable as this may seem but since August 2019, he has completed 90 competitive minutes for England four times — Kosovo, Montenegro, Andorra and San Marino. “To give this perspective, since August 2019, Alexander-Arnold has won the European Super Cup, Club World Cup, Premier League, Carabao Cup,...

  Sixth time Champions  League winners Liverpool are readying a bid for AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer, in an attempt to lure him away from Italy. At only 24, Bennacer is an impressive player for his age and since joining Milan in 2019 he has amassed over 90 appearances and helped the Italian side win their 19th Scudetto last year, their first since the 2010/2011 campaign. The midfielder is also a full international and has played 40 times for his country, with his most impressive performances in an Algeria shirt coming in the 2019 Africa Cup Of Nations. Bennacer was subsequently named the Player of the Tournament after helping his nation achieve their first major trophy since 1990. A report from Sport Mediaset (via 90min) claims that Liverpool are preparing an offer to secure Bennacer’s signature and bring the playmaker to Merseyside. The article claims that the 24 year-olds contract talks with Milan have stalled, and that the Red’s have laid their cards on the table and...

  The 7 Liverpool players who look likely to go Let’s start with the Brazilians.  Alisson, Fabinho  and  Roberto Firmino  were all included in Tite’s squad for their September internationals with Ghana and Tunisia, and will fancy their chances of being involved in Qatar. Firmino is probably the biggest question mark, with the likes of Arsenal‘s in-form pair Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus waiting in the wings if Liverpool’s No. 9 doesn’t make the cut. Netherlands captain  Virgil van Dijk  will be involved, with Louis van Gaal’s side in good form heading into the tournament. Assuming Alexander-Arnold misses out,  Jordan Henderson  is likely to be the only Liverpool player in England’s squad. The final two who look certainties to be involved in Qatar are Portugal’s  Diogo Jota  and Uruguay’s  Darwin Nunez . Who could miss out? If  Alexander-Arnold  isn’t included in Southgate’s final squad, his absence wi...

  Salah scored twice in Egypt’s 3-0 win over Niger on Friday, with his side now scheduled to take on Liberia at 7pm (BST) on Tuesday. However, it’s now been revealed that Liverpool’s no. 11 will play no part in the match, after Egypt manager Rui Vitoria took the decision to release him from international duty early. The news was confirmed on the Egyptian Football Associations’ Twitter page on Sunday evening, with forward Mostafa Mohamed and defender Ahmed Fatouh also left out of the squad for Tuesday’s fixture. The technical staff of the Egyptian national team preferred to rest Mohamed Salah and Mostafa Mohamed for the Liberia friendly after both took part in the previous match against Niger,” the statement read. Salah’s early release can only be a good thing for Liverpool, leaving him with plenty of time to prepare for the Reds’ Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday, the start of a period that will see them play 13 games i...

  Gareth Southgate has left Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his England squad to face Germany tonight - just one day after detailing the decisions surrounding the right-back position and 'risks' involved. The Liverpool star has been away on international duty with the Three Lions, but he was an unused substitute during Friday's 1-0 defeat to Italy at the San Siro. There had been serious doubts as to whether the 23-year-old would be involved in Southgate's plans for the World Cup later this year, with a mass of competition in that area - Reece James, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier are also all involved. And now Alexander-Arnold's England future is again in doubt, with Southgate opting against seeing any of the full-back during the final international break before November's trip to Qatar. The young defender's last full 90 minutes with his country came last November, in a 10-0 World Cup qualifying win over San Marino. However, due to form and injury, the Liverp...

  Liverpool are being linked with a move for Barcelona forward Memphis Depay - which could see Roberto Firmimo go the other way. The Reds were rumoured to be in for a host of potential new midfielders throughout the summer transfer window, but the topic of forwards was relatively quiet after the arrival of Darwin Nunez. However, reports from Spain have suggested that Depay could be on Liverpool’s radar. According to Spanish news outlet Futbol Total, via Fanaticos , the Reds are 'studying' the idea of a swap deal for Depay in January. The report states that this would see one Reds player move in the opposite direction, with no transfer fee involved. It has been claimed that player could be Roberto Firmino, with talks possibly set to ramp up closer to the January window opening. This is where Depay could come into play, the report says, with both clubs unwilling to lose each player for nothing. Firmino’s contract is currently set to run out at the end of the season, meaning he co...

  Diogo Jota was on the scoresheet for Portugal in their 4-0 UEFA Nations League victory over Czech Republic on Saturday night. The Liverpool forward came off the bench midway through the second half and headed in his nation's fourth goal eight minutes before the end.  Kostas Tsimikas  was also involved in Nations League action as he started and completed Greece's 1-0 defeat by Cyprus.  At youth level,  Oakley Cannonier  scored twice to help England U19s beat Georgia 6-0, with  Luke Chambers ,  Isaac Mabaya  and  Lee Jonas  also involved in the U19 Euros qualifier.  James Balagizi , meanwhile, started for England U20s in their 2-1 win against Morocco in Spain. 

To say Liverpool have been tracking Jude Bellingham for a long time would be an understatement, with their first move for the midfielder coming a decade ago. Bellingham was only nine, and playing for Birmingham’s under-11s, when his family were first approached over a move to Merseyside.   Liverpool were one of a number of sides courting the youngster in the early 2010s, as he made impressive early forays into academy football with his boyhood club. According to The Athletic, that included a two-day trial at the academy training ground in Kirkby back in 2012, where Bellingham, accompanied by his parents, took part in training and was given a tour of the facilities. “During his stay he made a lasting impression on staff,” James Pearce explains, “not only with his ability but with his maturity.” Matt Newbury, at the time an academy scout for Liverpool, had recommended Bellingham having previously worked as academy recruitment officer for Birmingham, with a compensation deal to b...

  Liverpool are no strangers to picking up the best talents in the country at the moment. Harvey Elliott is the most obvious example of that, but there are plenty of others as well. Bobby Clark, signed from Newcastle United in 2021, has made his debut this season and Ben Doak has been impressing with Liverpool's U18s side since arriving from Celtic at the start of the summer window. Now, the next example in the conveyor belt of young talents that Liverpool are looking at could be about to emerge, with the Reds having been named as being among the clubs tracking record-breaking Arsenal teenager Ethan Nwaneri. According to The Times, Liverpool, along with both Manchester City and Manchester United, are tracking his progress with the view to possibly making a move for him in the future. Nwaneri, 15, made his Premier League debut over the weekend when he came on in the match against Brentford, becoming the youngest ever player to feature in the t...

  Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele reportedly has a release clause in his new contract stating he can leave Spain for £42million in the summer. Liverpool have been linked with a move for the Frenchman during various recent windows, including the one just gone when it looked as though Dembele would be leaving as a free transfer following the expiration of his contract. However, to the surprise of many, Dembele signed a new two-year deal to keep him at the Camp Nou - but now reports suggest the Reds could swoop in the summer for a cut-price fee. Dembele's form at Barcelona has never been better as he is now under the watchful eye of Xavi Hernandez after years of inconsistency and injuries since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund as one of the world's most expensive players. After Neymar's departure to Paris Saint-Germain five years ago for a world record fee, Dembele was brought in as a replacement for around £135m, but has so far failed to live up to that price tag. L'Equi...

  Sadio Mane  Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi are amongst those who recently left Liverpool and have discovered there are plenty of challenges away from Anfield Sadio Mane The Senegal international will always be adored on the red half of Merseyside for his vital efforts during the most successful chapter of the club's recent history. Last summer saw Mane bid farewell to the Liverpool faithful as he upped sticks to Bayern Munich for a new challenge that sees his become the main man for one of European football's biggest outfits. It hasn't entirely gone to plan, as Mane has a respectable if not exactly amazing three goals in seven appearances for the reigning Bundesliga champions who have suffered a slow start to the season. Mane's side sit fifth in the table, five points behind league-leaders Union Berlin and three points adrift of long-time title rivals Borussia Dortmund. The former Liverpool forward has now gone six matches without a strike, including two blanks in t...

James Pearce on Jude Bellingham: "Yes I fully expect Liverpool to be all in [for Bellingham next summer] and to firm up that interest, despite speculation, we knew Bellingham wasn't going to go anywhere this summer. "But we know 2023 will be a different story, Klopp is a huge admirer of Bellingham, that's no great revelation. But there will also be fierce competition for him. "You'd fully expect Manchester City to be part of the conversation if Dortmund are to listen to offers next year. We know there has been interest previously by Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea. But there's no doubt Liverpool would love to sign Bellingham." #LFC [the red agenda podcast]  

  And as Liverpool look to sign their next great centre-back, they may cast their eye back to Southampton. According to Spanish outlet Fichajes (via Sport Witness), Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are 'closely watching' Armel Bella-Kotchap. Jürgen Klopp is said to be an ‘admirer’ and supposedly believes the 20-year-old has what it takes to be Van Dijk’s heir. Bella-Kotchap only made a £9m move from VfL Bochum in June, but already he’s made a big impression. So big, in fact, that he’s just earned a call-up to the senior Germany squad for the first time. Statistically, there are a few areas where he stands out. He ranks in the 98th percentile among positional peers in the big five leagues for interceptions per 90, and the 88th for pressures. This speaks to his ability to not only read the game but also defend on the front foot.  Indeed,  Ralph Hasenhüttl employs a notably aggressive style at Southampton, positioning his defenders high up th...