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Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness has launched a blistering attack on Liverpool’s disastrous season, claiming that new arrival Florian Wirtz has been left to suffer because Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and others “want to play with their own ball”. With Liverpool in crisis after spending £450 million ($595m) on summer transfers, Hoeness insists the squad is full of “chiefs and no workers”.

• Liverpool struggling while Wirtz fails to find his feet

  Liverpool’s 2025-26 season has spiralled into turmoil despite a record-breaking summer outlay of almost £450m, leaving the Premier League giants sitting eighth and already nine points off leaders Arsenal. A humiliating 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League deepened the crisis, with fans labelling the performance one of the club’s worst in Europe in recent memory. Head coach Arne Slot now finds himself under intense scrutiny as pressure mounts and rumours of a potential exit swirl.

  The high-profile arrivals of Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike were intended to launch a new era of dominance, yet the Reds have instead struggled with cohesion, balance and consistency. Defensive frailties, disjointed pressing and ineffective attacking patterns have contributed to repeated lapses, with six defeats in seven matches across all competitions representing an alarming collapse. These shortcomings have allowed critics to accuse the squad of lacking structure and leadership, prompting scrutiny from figures across European football.

  Wirtz, signed to be the new creative heartbeat of the team, has endured an especially difficult adaptation to the Premier League, failing to score or assist in his first 12 league matches. As the Reds sink deeper into an early-season crisis, frustrations have intensified and external voices have begun to lay blame squarely at the feet of Liverpool’s expensive signings.

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  Bayern chief Hoeness defends Wirtz but takes shots at Liverpool

  Hoeness delivered one of the most scathing assessments yet, arguing that Liverpool’s fundamental problem is a squad overloaded with individualists rather than functional team players. He said: “They have spent 500 million euros and are playing a catastrophic season… In my opinion, that’s because you only have superstars. You only have chiefs and no workers.”

  Hoeness went further by accusing Liverpool’s attackers of refusing to share the ball and undermining their own playmaking unity. He claimed: “I always say: at Liverpool, they’ll soon have to play with five balls because the stars don’t want to give up a ball.”

  In what has become the most headline-grabbing portion of his outburst, Hoeness expressed sympathy for Wirtz while placing blame squarely on Salah and Szoboszlai. He added: “Poor Florian Wirtz, he doesn’t get the ball at all because Salah and Szoboszlai and what they’re all called want to play with their own ball.”

• Slot under pressure as failures pile up

  Liverpool’s slump has unfolded across multiple tactical and structural elements, creating a fractured team unable to execute Slot’s high-intensity principles. Their once-feared press is now inconsistent, leaving spaces for opponents to exploit while simultaneously limiting their ability to counter quickly and effectively. As a result, matches have been dominated statistically but lost through decisive moments, poor finishing and lapses in defensive concentration.

  The summer departure of wide man Luis Diaz have left a noticeable drop in pace and directness, stripping Liverpool of the explosiveness required to break low blocks. Even though players like Cody Gakpo remain influential in carries and build-up play, the final ball has repeatedly fallen short, preventing the team from converting favourable attacking positions. These deficiencies have fostered an overreliance on individual flashes rather than coordinated patterns, intensifying the pressure on midfield creators.

  Wirtz’s struggles mirror the wider issues, as his skillset relies on rapid combinations, synchronised movements and team-mates who recognise early passing triggers. At Bayer Leverkusen, he thrived in a system built around habit-forming repetitions. At Liverpool, he often drops deep only to find passes arriving too late or not at all.

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  Slot fighting for his job as Wirtz looks to find form

  Liverpool now face the task of stabilising their season before it drifts into an outright collapse, beginning with the need to rebuild confidence and restore structure in possession and transition. Slot must find immediate solutions within the squad, especially in creating a functional environment for Wirtz while reducing the reliance on isolated star moments. Should results fail to turn quickly, continued pressure could force Liverpool into major January decisions – both in personnel and potentially in the dugout.

  After getting somewhat back on track by beating West Ham on Sunday, the Reds will be up against Sunderland and Leeds United before taking on Inter in the Champions League.

Leeds United youngster James Debayo made his first-team debut for the club in the dramatic 4-3 win over Swansea in Wales in the Championship last month.

The 19-year-old centre-back is the latest player to come up through the academy system to play for the senior side, and he will now hope to rack up some more appearances between now and the end of the season.

Mateo Joseph, however, has been the breakthrough academy graduate of the 2024/25 campaign for the West Yorkshire outfit so far, as he has emerged as a regular option for Daniel Farke.

The Spain U21 international was a part of the squad last season but all 20 of his appearances in the Championship came as a substitute, with the likes of Georginio Rutter, Joel Piroe, and Patrick Bamford preferred ahead of him from the start.

So far this term, Joseph has started eight of his 19 outings in the second tier and has contributed with two goals and four ‘big chances’ created for the team.

Farke will now be hoping that the 21-year-old ace can kick on and emerge as a star for the Whites, to join a long list of impressive Leeds academy graduates.

Leeds United's best modern-day academy graduates

Leeds have brought through and developed some fantastic prospects in recent years and one of them currently plays alongside Joseph in the first-team – Pascal Struijk.

The Dutchman joined the academy from Ajax at the start of 2018 and became a regular, with 27 Premier League appearances, in the 2020/21 campaign. He has played 140 matches for the club to date, and started all 18 league games this season.

One of the best success stories in recent years is central midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who rose through the ranks before being sold for a huge transfer fee.

The England international joined in 2010 and eventually broke into the first-team and made 234 appearances in all competitions, before Manchester City swooped to sign him for a reported £45m in the summer of 2022.

Jack Clarke, similarly, joined the club as a youngster in 2009 and worked his way up to the senior side under Marcelo Bielsa, scoring two goals in 22 league games in the 2018/19 campaign.

After just one season with the first-team, Clarke was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £10m. In the present day, the winger currently plays for Ipswich Town in the Premier League, after joining them from Sunderland for a reported £20m in the summer.

Most recently, Leeds sold academy graduate Archie Gray to Spurs in the summer transfer window for a reported fee of £30m, after he won the EFL Young Player of the Season last term.

The England U21 international spent his entire youth career at Thorp Arch and made 52 first-team appearances in the 2023/24 campaign under Farke, which convinced Tottenham to swoop to sign him for a huge fee.

Leeds did, however, once miss out on the chance to bring a fantastic prospect to their academy set-up, and he went on to be worth as much as the fee Spurs paid for Gray.

Leeds United had Ben Godfrey on trial

Jack Clarke recently revealed that Ben Godfrey, who he described as a “top player”, came on trial at Thorp Arch but it did not work out for him, whilst he added that they had played football together as kids living in York.

The English prospect was released by Middlesbrough in 2012 and the 14-year-old went on numerous trials in an attempt to find a new academy to play for, including spells with the Whites, Barnsley, and Sheffield United across Yorkshire.

Speaking to Sky Sports in 2022, Godfrey confirmed that Leeds did not offer him a contract after his time on trial at the club, but that his rejection did motivate him to kick on elsewhere.

He said: “The moment that stands out massively is after that Leeds United trial. The coach told me they were not going to offer me anything but to go and prove him wrong. That stuck with me. I was desperate then. I could not wait to go and prove them wrong.”

The young gem eventually signed for York City and made his way to Premier League side Norwich City in the January transfer window in 2016 for a fee of just £150k, which is when his career really kicked off.

Ben Godfrey's soaring market value

After time in the U21 team at Carrow Road and a season on loan with Shrewsbury in League One, Godfrey eventually emerged as a regular fixture in the first-team for Norwich under Farke in the 2018/19 campaign.

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The head of football operations at York, Richard Cresswell, revealed that coach Jonathan Greening tipped the English brute to make it at the ‘highest level’ as a centre-back because he could see ‘similarities’ to former Leeds and Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand.

However, it was not until Farke decided to change his position from a defensive midfield role to centre-back in the 2018/19 season that Godfrey started to live up to that hype.

Appearances

31

Goals

4

Pass accuracy

89%

Progressive passes per 90

3.35

Progressive carries per 90

1.17

Ground duel success rate

63%

As you can see in the table above, the Norwich star thrived as a centre-back to help his team to win the league title, showcasing his defensive strength, eye for a goal, and his progressive play in possession.

He then made 30 Premier League appearances for the Canaries in the 2019/20 campaign, which attracted interest from teams in the top-flight. Everton then swooped to sign him from Carrow Road for a reported fee of £30m in the summer of 2020 to bolster Carlo Ancelotti’s defence.

This means that Leeds ended up missing out on a £30m-rated star in the making because they did not see his top-class potential during his trial in 2012.

They could have had their next version of Ferdinand, who was also sold by Leeds for £30m to Manchester United in 2002, if they had brought him in to develop at Thorp Arch, as a centre-back with the potential to earn the club a gigantic pay day.

Godfrey emerged as a first-team star in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons for Norwich and those were Bielsa’s two years with the Whites at Championship level, which suggests that he could have thrived under the Argentine boss’ coaching had he joined the academy as a youngster.

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The 26-year-old currently plays for Atalanta, whom he joined from Everton in the summer, and has featured twice in the Champions League so far this season, whilst Leeds may rue that they did not take up their chance to bring him in.

Whilst he may not go on to enjoy the career that Ferdinand had, with six Premier League titles for the Red Devils, Godfrey has already won a Championship title, played in the top-flight for Norwich and Everton, been capped by England, and now played in Europe’s premier competition for his current club, which speaks to how well he has done since failing his trial.

Lucknow will host the first T20I now and Dharamsala the next two. The two Tests will be played in Mohali and Bengaluru

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2022The BCCI has announced the revised dates and venues for Sri Lanka’s tour of India, which will comprise three T20Is and two Tests. The tour begins with the first T20I in Lucknow on February 24, with the other two being back-to-back matches in Dharamsala on February 26 and 27.This will be followed by the first Test in Mohali from March 4, before the tour concludes with a day-night Test in Bengaluru starting March 12. Both Tests will be a part of the second cycle of the World Test Championship.Originally, the tour was scheduled to begin with the T20I series followed by the Tests, but as reported by ESPNcricinfo earlier, the BCCI decided to change the sequence. This was done after SLC’s request to allow a smoother bubble-to-bubble transfer of their T20I squad, which will have concluded a series in Australia just four days ahead of the first T20I against India.Another change was in the venues. Initially, the first Test was to be played in Bengaluru and the second in Mohali, while the T20Is were to be held in Mohali, Dharamsala and Lucknow. Now ending the tour in Bengaluru facilitates the visiting Sri Lanka side with a direct flight to Colombo.This will only be India’s third day-night Test at home – they hosted Bangladesh in 2019 and England in 2021 – and their fourth overall, the same number as Sri Lanka. Both teams have won two and lost one of their three day-night Tests so far.

Pakistan’s team doctor has revealed that Rizwan developed a “severe chest infection” on November 9

Umar Farooq12-Nov-2021

Mohammad Rizwan hit 67 off 52 balls to lay the platform for Pakistan’s total of 176•Getty Images

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan spent around 36 hours in the ICU of Medeor Hospital in Dubai, recovering from a chest infection, before taking part in the T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia on Thursday, the team doctor has said. Rizwan made 67 to propel Pakistan to 176, but the effort went in vain as Australia won by five wickets to enter the final.Watch cricket live on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the USA. Match highlights of the second semi-final is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).

“Mohammad Rizwan developed a severe chest infection on the 9th of November following which he was admitted to the hospital,” Najeebullah Soomro, the Pakistan team doctor, told the media after the game. “He spent two nights in the ICU recovering. He made an incredible recovery and was deemed fit before the match.”The decision regarding his health was made by the whole team management. And this was about the morale of the whole team. And therefore, we kept it within the team. We can see his great determination and tenacity that shows his spirit of performing for the country. And we can see how he performed today [Thursday].”The news about the severity of Rizwan’s health condition wasn’t shared with the public until batting consultant Matthew Hayden revealed it while speaking with the official broadcaster during the semi-final.”Mohammad Rizwan was in the hospital a night ago suffering from some sort of lung condition,” Hayden said. “This is a warrior. He’s been brilliant throughout the campaign, and he has great courage.”During the 13th over of Pakistan’s innings, Rizwan also took a blow to the helmet while looking to hook Mitchell Starc. The ball hit the grille of his helmet, which pressed into his face and left a bruise in his right cheek. The Pakistan physio performed a concussion check on the field, and Rizwan was deemed fit to continue batting.Both Rizwan and Shoaib Malik had missed Pakistan’s training session on Wednesday with mild flu and were initially advised to delay training. The duo had returned negative tests for Covid-19. Rizwan was, however, hospitalised on November 9 and was discharged the next day but kept under observation in the hotel. Pakistan were not overly concerned as they believed he would recover in time to play.Rizwan has been a key batter for Pakistan at the top of the order, and an important part of Pakistan’s on-field leadership. He is the second-highest run-getter in the World Cup with 281 runs from six matches, just behind his opening partner and captain Babar Azam. During his innings against Australia, he became the first batter to score 1000 T20I runs in a calendar year: he currently has 1033 runs in 20 innings this year, at an average of 86.08 and a strike rate of 136.45.Pakistan will start their journey later on Friday for Bangladesh from Dubai. The three-match T20I series will be followed by two Tests in Chattogram (November 26-30) and Dhaka (December 4-8). The squad for the Test series will be announced by November 15.

West Ham United are looking to get a head start on rivals to the signing of a highly rated centre-forward as technical director Tim Steidten and co plot a potential £14 million offer.

West Ham's search for new forwards amid Lopetegui struggles

Manager Julen Lopetegui bought himself some much-needed time with a 2-1 win over Manchester United last weekend – which ultimately cost opposing manager Erik ten Hag his job – but an equally interesting test awaits them this afternoon in the Premier League.

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Nottingham Forest have started the season in fantastic form under Nuno Espirito Santo, losing just once and remaining unbeaten on the road, and they were responsible for Liverpool’s only defeat so far this campaign.

They’re set to ask questions of a struggling West Ham side who’ve won just four games in all competitions, and there have already been calls for Lopetegui to be sacked as David Sullivan reportedly ponders alternative options.

#11

27/10/2024

Man United (H)

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2-1 win

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Tottenham (A)

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4-1 loss

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Ipswich (H)

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4-1 win

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Brentford (A)

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1-1 draw

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Liverpool (A)

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5-1 loss

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Chelsea (H)

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3-0 loss

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Fulham (A)

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1-1 draw

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31/08/2024

Man City (H)

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3-1 loss

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28/08/2024

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1-0 win

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24/08/2024

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2-0 win

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Aston Villa (H)

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2-1 loss

West Ham have sounded out ex-FC Porto boss Sergio Conceicao, according to some reports, with former assistant coach Edin Terzic also tipped to potentially replace Lopetegui if the east Londoners do opt to sack him.

However, Sullivan is reportedly eager to give Lopetegui more time and a chance to prove himself. Their next few Premier League games could be crucial as the Spaniard looks to build upon their victory over the Red Devils last weekend, and it is believed the ex-Spain boss is also making transfer plans behind the scenes.

Lopetegui is eager to sign a new striker in January amid Niclas Fullkrug’s injury woes, with both Michail Antonio and Danny Ings also out of contract next summer. Meanwhile, it is believed Lopetegui has identified Ibrahim Maza as a West Ham target, as the Hertha Berlin forward makes his way onto the club’s shortlist for 2025.

West Ham could make initial £14m offer for Yuri Alberto

As per reports from Spain, Corinthians sensation Yuri Alberto also remains on their radar.

West Ham were targeting Alberto in the summer, but a move for the 23-year-old didn’t come to fruition. They’re now back in the mix, though, with the east Londoners attempting to leapfrog Premier League rivals in the race for his signature.

West Ham are looking to get a head start in the race for Alberto, and could make an initial £14 million offer for the attacker – who boasts 24 goals across 51 appearances in all competitions this calendar year – with the “firm intention” of sealing a deal.

Previously called a “complete forward” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, Alberto has also been praised by the expert for his speed, athleticism and aerial ability.

Sydney Thunder allrounder also believes some of the rules would work well in T20

Andrew McGlashan09-Sep-2021Sammy-Jo Johnson, the Sydney Thunder and New South Wales allrounder, believes the Hundred can benefit the women’s game around the world with the increased exposure it has given players.Johnson, who played for Trent Rockets, finished as the tournament’s joint second-leading wicket-taker with 15 at 10.26 and an economy rate of 1.14 runs per ball. She was one of a group of fringe Australia players who took part following the withdrawal of the main international names although Johnson had been in discussions with clubs before the pull outs.She is still undertaking her two weeks quarantine on return to Australia having had three flights cancelled due to the government cap on the number of arrivals, but was prepared for the potential challenges of the journey and was in no doubt of the benefits for both herself and others players who had the opportunity to make a name for themselves.”I just wanted to go over and mix it with some different people, franchise cricket allows you to mix it with some of the best in the world and I had the opportunity to do that with Trent Rockets,” Johnson told ESPNcricinfo. “I wanted to learn from those sorts of people, play in different conditions and try to advance my skill set. I think it opens up avenues, for someone like me it’s an opportunity on a world-class stage with world-class players.Related

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“Especially with the way the world is at the moment, we are going to miss England players and maybe some other internationals who can’t make it to the WBBL and some may pull out due to the restrictions.”Looking at that tournament and seeing how the second tier players like myself [performed] will only be good for them and [maybe] teams will think get them into the Big Bash. It’s like the men’s franchises, you don’t have to be a nationally contracted player to give yourself a name in this short format circuit so I think it will only be beneficial for women’s cricket around the world.”Johnson was also of the belief that some of the new rules used in the Hundred could easily find a place in T20, picking out the new batter being on strike after a dismissal and bowling consecutive overs from one end as being two particularly successful ones.Sammy-Jo Johnson celebrates a wicket for Trent Rockets•Getty Images

“In T20, you might pick up a couple of wickets at the back end but if you still have an ‘in’ batter and you can’t get the new batter on strike that’s where you struggle,” she said. “Taking wickets and having the new person face up was crucial at swinging momentum. I think it’s a great initiative and they should bring it into T20 cricket because think it can swing the game, especially at the back end.”Another hugely successful part of the tournament, which came about due to Covid-19, was the double-header match days involving both the men’s and women’s teams from the clubs involved. It is a structure the Big Bash has moved away from with the WBBL now a standalone competition, but Johnson said the brevity and timing of the Hundred helped it work.”The difference from when we had WBBL and BBL double-headers in the past, you had such a big gap which is why it never worked for us. With the Hundred being such a short game and the way they time it, I think it’s fantastic for the game over there. That real franchise feel, doesn’t matter if it’s the boys or girls team, people were showing up in droves, they wanted to support the Trent Rockets, for example, as a whole.”When Johnson emerges from quarantine she will begin preparations for Thunder’s title defence in the WBBL with the early-season WNCL matches having been postponed to December. She is prepared for the likelihood of another period in quarantine before the tournament but said that players will do whatever is needed.”That’s the common theme around the traps, everyone wants to play WBBL,” she said. “There’s the prospect that if I go home I have to do a double quarantine to then participate and that’s something girls are willing to do so we can put this competition on and keep putting highly entertaining cricket on TV if Covid is going to be around. I’m all about entertaining and hopefully we can put on another good show this year.”

The second day of the second Test between West Indies and Pakistan was washed out completely, with no action possible due to intermittent rain and a wet outfield. The start of play was delayed for a persistent drizzle, forcing the umpires into taking an early lunch. Moments after that announcement, however, the clouds scattered and the rain stopped, only to resume just before a second inspection.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

West Indies v Pakistan is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the match.

It would be that sort of day, with the weather teasing at the prospect of some cricket, before eventually match officials conceded victory and called it a day at 4.05pm local time.It leaves the match situation where it was at stumps on day one, with Pakistan having lost four wickets for 212. Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Rizwan are unbeaten, with Fawad Alam having retired hurt on the stroke of tea on the first day.Play will start half an hour early, at 9.30am local time, on Sunday with 98 overs scheduled to be bowled.West Indies lead the series 1-0, having triumphed in the first game by one wicket.

Players, match officials and TV crew will now be isolated in the hotel and retested

Andrew McGlashan22-Jul-2021

Australian players leave the ground after the match was called off•AFP

The second ODI between West Indies and Australia was postponed moments before the first ball after a positive Covid test emerged from the West Indies camp to leave the remainder of this tour and upcoming series for both teams in doubt.The toss had taken place and teams named – with Riley Meredith handed a debut – when the test result came through sending both squads, match officials and TV crew into isolation at the hotel.”The second CG Insurance ODI between West Indies and Australia has been postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test result from a non-playing member of the West Indies staff,” a CWI statement said. “This decision was taken after the toss at Kensington Oval once the result was known.”The established COVID-19 protocols stipulate that all members of both teams and match officials will return immediately to the team hotel and will be re-tested later today. They will remain in isolation in their hotel rooms until their PCR-Test results are returned.”A decision on when the match will be replayed will be made at a later date once all the test results are confirmed.”Johnny Grave, the Cricket West Indies CEO, said that it was hoped the results of the fresh round of tests would be known by Friday morning.A Cricket Australia spokesman added: “The Australian squad has returned to the team hotel and is in in-room isolation. No further comment will be made at this stage.”The status of the current game, given the toss had taken place, remains to be confirmed. The match carries World Cup Super League points.The events will put the remainder of this series in doubt with the final ODI scheduled to take place on Saturday and will also throw uncertainty over Australia heading to Bangladesh for the five-match T20I series which was confirmed yesterday.After this series West Indies are due to face Pakistan in a five-match T20I series followed by two Tests. Pakistan arrived in Barbados, where the first two T20Is are scheduled to be played, on Wednesday after their tour of England.West Indies have previously been impacted by Covid while playing with Hayden Walsh Jr testing positive on the tour of Bangladesh earlier in the year.It is the first time Australia have been directly involved during the pandemic since cricket resumed. They toured England last year before hosting India in their home summer and then visiting New Zealand for T20Is. Their Test tour to South Africa in February was postponed due to concerns around Covid-19.A number of players from both teams were involved in the IPL when it was suspended in May.

Arne Slot will be delighted with Liverpool's start to the Premier League, but he will already be versed in the perils of England's top flight and the seemingly insurmountable task in deposing supreme rulers Manchester City.

The Merseysiders put Manchester United away with dispatch before the September international break but now gear up for a gruelling chapter of action, playing five fixtures in a two-week period.

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Slot has made minimal changes to his starting lineup thus far, but there are plenty eager to make their mark. However, the form of Mohamed Salah and co present a headache for Slot, though a welcome one, such is Liverpool's depth and rounded quality.

Salah's been the main man; Luis Diaz has been in potent form and Trent Alexander-Arnold… well, he's just Trent, isn't he? But let's not forget about Dominik Szoboszlai, who has put his poor form before the summer firmly in the past.

Dominik Szoboszlai's form under Arne Slot

Szoboszlai impressed for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool last season after signing from RB Leipzig in a £60m deal, but he ebbed and flowed and finished the campaign on a lower patch of form.

Klopp had shoehorned him into a more industrious midfield role than he perhaps envisaged, whereas Slot is playing the Hungary captain in a looser, more mobile role at number ten, unshackling his creative energy.

Once hailed as a "generational talent" by journalist Marcel Moeller, Szoboszlai is still only 23 and starting to go from strength to strength, having made an emphatic start to the present term.

Matches (starts)

33 (25)

3 (3)

Goals

3

0

Assists

2

1

Shots (on target)*

1.8 (0.5)

1.7 (0.0)

Touches*

57.5

63.7

Pass completion

87%

93%

Key passes*

1.7

2.7

Dribbles*

0.7

0.3

Ball recoveries*

5.2

6.3

Tackles + interceptions*

1.5

1.3

Total duels won*

2.5 (42%)

2.0 (46%)

There's a long season ahead for the talented player, but Slot has found the formula to bring him out of his shell and he looks like a core part of the usual starting lineup. However, he must have sufficient support.

Harvey Elliott is, of course, waiting in the wings, but the 21-year-old is probably at his best in the half spaces between the centre and the right flank, where he can unleash his ball-playing quality into the danger area or shift forward and strike on goal himself.

Liverpool had a rising star who might have been the perfect understudy, but then Fabio Carvalho was sold in August after Richard Hughes received an offer he just couldn't refuse.

Liverpool may rue selling Fabio Carvalho

Carvalho made an excellent start to life on Merseyside but fizzled out during a testing 2022/23 campaign for the Anfield side, with Klopp limiting him to a sorry smattering of appearances after the autumnal months.

Liverpool rejected a £15m bid from Premier League rivals Southampton in July but were convinced to cash in when Brentford came calling toward the final stretch of the transfer window, with the Bees offering a package rising to £27.5m for the fleet-footed attacking midfielder.

He'd enjoyed a fine pre-season with Slot's side but it's important to remember that Diaz and Cody Gakpo were both absent following international duties and the 22-year-old's chances would have been more intermittent had they returned sooner.

But still. Carvalho is a quality player and he showcased as such during his loan spell with Hull City last year, joining in January and plundering nine goals from just 20 displays, also averaging 2.1 key passes per game, as per Sofascore.

Despite only really featuring across the second half of the campaign – Caravalho endured a miserable stint with RB Leipzig across the first half of the season – he actually proved to outscore Szoboszlai, who bagged seven goals over 45 matches for the Merseysiders.

His kind of playmaking quality and goalscoring prowess would certainly prove to offer some competition for Szoboszlai, and Liverpool might come to regret not having this additional dimension at their chest this year.

After all, he proved his worth against high-calibre opposition during the off-season. During Liverpool's pre-season victory over Arsenal, the Portuguese talent wasn't on the ball at every moment but he made things happen when he was, taking only 21 touches, completing a dribble, winning four duels and proving to be an all-round menace.

After joining from Fulham in a deal worth £5m plus add-ons in 2022, FSG will be delighted at having turned a sizeable profit, and his big-moment aura was felt after scoring a last-gasp winner against Newcastle United at the start of the 2022/23 season.

But Caravalho now plies his trade elsewhere, Of course, you never know what the future holds, but Carvalho – who Hull boss Liam Rosenior described as the "perfect number ten" – could have been a real difference-maker this season.

Will it come back to bite Liverpool? Some might feel that an injury to a player like Szoboszlai could cause a panic. Football's unceasing schedule is like a gaping maw, and already players are feeling its force.

Take, for example, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who was injured during international duty with Norway this week. With Declan Rice already suspended for the North London Derby on Sunday, this is a concerning situation for Mikel Arteta.

Of course, Liverpool (and indeed Arsenal) have healthy and ranged squads but all players must pull their weight in this division if Manchester City are truly going to be toppled – all the while seeking to fire on all cylinders and compete in the Champions League and domestic cup competitions.

Carvalho could have been a crucial piece for Slot – but I guess we'll just see how it all pans out.

Liverpool struck gold selling Anfield sensation for stunning 1570% profit

He’s never quite recaptured his Merseyside magic…

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 10, 2024

South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen, it appears, is not going to join the Rajasthan Royals in India for the remainder of IPL 2021. ESPNcricinfo understands that he got a visa to fly to India but failed to obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from Cricket South Africa, who cited injury as the reason for this. He was meant to replace the injured Ben Stokes.The Royals, meanwhile, named 20-year-old South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee as a replacement for England batter Liam Livingstone. Coetzee has landed in India and finished his quarantine, and trained with the Royals squad on Saturday.The Royals’ overseas roster has dwindled to just five, including Jos Buttler, David Miller, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman and Coetzee.Coetzee represents the Knights in South Africa’s domestic circuit and has also played two Under-19 World Cups. He has nine wickets and an economy rate of 7.68 in eight T20s.The Royals’ overseas contingent was not at full strength even before the IPL started. Jofra Archer underwent surgery in March and was eventually ruled out of the tournament and three other players – Stokes, Livingstone and Andrew Tye – left India for different reasons. Stokes broke a finger in mid-April, and Livingstone left India citing “bubble fatigue”. Then, Tye also returned home as anxiety about the worsening Covid-19 situation in India built up.The severe state of the pandemic in India is likely to make it hard for the Royals to arrange for replacement players for their internationals. Six games into their season they are placed second from bottom on the points table with only two wins. They play their next game on Sunday, against the bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad.