Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Title race boost as Spurs take 4-0 lead ...
Arne Slot faced the press on Friday ahead of Liverpool's return to action on Sunday, when the team travels to the South Coast to take on Southampton.
The Reds went into this weekend's round of fixtures with a five-point lead at the top of the table after Manchester City suffered back-to-back top-flight losses heading into the November international break — and the Reds will have an opportunity to extend that lead to eight points after City was thrashed 4-0 by Spurs in a shocking fashion on Saturday.
Slot provided injury updates on several players on Friday and confirmed that Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are unlikely to be available against Southampton due to injury. Captain Virgil van Dijk, meanwhile, is fine despite leaving international duty early.
Stick with us throughout the day for all the latest Liverpool FC updates as well as the fall-out from City's shock 4-0 defeat by Tottenham.
19:50Liam Corless
Manchester City's defeat by Brighton prior to the international break signaled the first time during the Sheikh Mansour era that the club had lost four successive games; you had to go back to 2006, and a period when Stuart Pearce was the City manager for the last time that had happened.
On Saturday, City's run of defeats extended to five games as Tottenham ran riot at the Etihad Stadium, registering a 4-0 victory courtesy of James Maddison's first-half brace, and goals from Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson after the break.
Read more here
18:49Liam Corless
Pep Guardiola is on course to lose five matches in a row for the first time in his career. City now trails Spurs 3-0, with Pedro Porro adding to James Maddison's first-half brace.
17:56Liam Corless
It was suggested by many that Pep Guardiola's contract extension would be prove to be the fillip his players needed after the team lost four games in a row prior to the international break.
It certainly hasn't worked out like that so far this afternoon — the champions are currently 2-0 down to Tottenham, with James Maddison scoring both goals at the Etihad Stadium.
If the scoreline stays like this — and that's a big if — Liverpool will have the chance to go eight points clear tomorrow.
16:51Liam Corless
Newcastle is reported to be considering a January swoop for exciting young PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko, who Liverpool is reportedly also interested in.
It is claimed that Eddie Howe is keen to strengthen on the right wing, with Miguel Almiron potentially on his way out of Tyneside, and that Bakayoko is viewed as a possible target that the club could move for when the transfer window reopens in the new year.
The report by TBR Football says that Brentford had a bid for Bakayoko rejected in the summer, while Liverpool and Arsenal are also said to be keeping tabs on the young winger.
The Liverpool links with Bakayoko stem from the uncertainty surrounding Mohamed Salah's future at the club, with the Egyptian's future still unresolved.
14:50Matt Addison
Former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Mario Gotze, who scored the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, has opened up on rejecting the chance to sign for Liverpool.
"In 2016, I nearly went to a famous team in England called Liverpool," Gotze writes for The Players' Tribune. "The coach there was a man named Jurgen Klopp. Maybe you have seen pictures of him? Tall, big smile, very funny. Jurgen had been my coach at Dortmund, and I did not realise how lucky I was to have him.
The full story is well worth a read.13:51Matt Addison
Aurelien Tchouameni looks set to give Real Madrid a major fitness boost ahead of its Champions League trip to Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old midfield dynamo has been out of action since picking up an ankle injury in Los Blancos' defeat by AC Milan last time out in Europe on November 5.
But according to the Spanish outlet AS, he's making strong progress in his rehab and is eyeing a swift return — though he could end up playing at center-back because of Carlo Anclotti having several injuries in that department.
12:55Matt Addison
Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast this week, West Ham United striker Michail Antonio was asked by Gary Lineker which player he found most difficult to play against.
"Virgil," he replied, without missing a beat. "Just positionally he always knows where to be. He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s strong. 100 per cent." "He’s got it all hasn’t he?" Lineker agreed. "He’s got it all as a defender."
About that new contract... it's something Liverpool simply has to get done. Hopefully there will be some positive news on that front sooner rather than later.
12:05Matt Addison
Ian Wright believes Liverpool will be able to tie down two of the three key players who are currently inside the final year of their contracts at Anfield amid uncertainty over Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
"I think so," Wright said on The Kelly and Wrighty Show when asked if the duo playing for their Liverpool futures could help the Reds win the Premier League title this season. "Not so much with Alexander-Arnold.
"Trent, the fact is Real Madrid are linked with him and he's [already] won the league and the Champions League with Liverpool. It's the kind of situation where we saw Michael Owen and Steve McManaman do it.
"Trent's in a different position [to Steven Gerrard] because he has won things. He's a hometown boy but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If someone was to ask me, I would say Trent probably leaves but Mo and Van Dijk stay.
11:00Matt Addison
Alan Kennedy, a two-time European Cup winner with Liverpool, has been hugely impressed by Arne Slot so far since the Dutchman took over from Jurgen Klopp in the summer.
"I’ve liked the way he’s approached things," Kennedy told Sports Boom. "I like the way he speaks, and he also doesn’t have any airs and graces. He just gets on with the job of what he’s good at.
"Whether you’d heard of him before he came to Liverpool or not, well you know who he is now! I think the players are enjoying playing for him, which is a great thing.
"Let’s just say if you had the choice of Real Madrid or Liverpool, well you’re hoping that what Slot has done — and the previous manager [Klopp] — they’d want to come to Liverpool.
"I often think that the game changes a lot, certainly in the Premier League. It changes every couple of years, and you’ve got to keep raising your game.
"You’ve got to find that extra yard, you’ve got to find ways of beating the age syndrome, and the players are doing that, especially the senior players. They’re raising their games every season."
10:05Matt Addison
Son Heung-min believes that Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is the best player in the Premier League at the moment. In a video for Sky Sports, he and teammate Ben Davies were in agreement.
"I'm a big fan of him," Son said. "It's unbelievable. There's a lot of other good players but Mo Salah, for many years, he has been very consistent."
Salah has already reached double figures for goals and assists in all competitions this season. And ahead of the top flight resuming, he has had a break after being left out of the Egypt squad for their latest international fixtures.
09:15Matt Addison
After signing a new two-year contract with Manchester City this week, Pep Guardiola has boldly ruled out an exit from the Etihad club even if it is found guilty of the 115 Premier League charges and relegated to a lower division.
"I read something about how we need to be relegated immediately," Guardiola told the media before today's clash with Tottenham. "75 per cent of the clubs want it, because I know what they do behind the scenes and this sort of stuff.
"I prefer not to be in that position but once it's there I love it — because you believe in your club and the people there. I believe what they say to me [about the alleged breaches] and the reasons why.
"We're awaiting the sentence in February or March. What happens if we are relegated? I will be here. But we will come up and come up and come back to the Premier League. I feel it."
08:24Matt Addison
Liverpool will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold this weekend. Federico Chiesa won't be back either but he was involved in training in some form on Friday.
Diogo Jota and Alisson Becker are both out too but they are closing in on a return. Harvey Elliott is back available again and should be in the matchday squad.
Liverpool has 4 missing vs Southampton amid Trent Alexander-Arnold and Federico Chiesa latest07:38Matt Addison
Liverpool is keeping an eye on 19-year-old PSG starlet Desire Doue, according to Anfield Watch. The French talent has not played much since moving to the Qatar-backed side in the summer for a fee of around $52m (£42m/€50m).
As a result, he could be on the move again in search of more regular game time. Whether he would be guaranteed that with the Reds, though, is hardly certain.
07:31Matt Addison
Hello! The Premier League is finally back with both Arsenal and Man City in action today before Liverpool travels to Southampton tomorrow.
We'll be bringing you updates from those games as well as the latest on injuries and transfers. Arne Slot has been offering the latest on his squad with Trent Alexander-Arnold facing a race against time to be back to face Real Madrid.
