Nathan Broadhead's super double propelled Wrexham into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup at the expense of a toothless Reading. After a docile first-half, Phil Parkinson's men jumped to life after the break to score twice and progress in the competition where they might come up against an opponent from the Premier League.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk all have just one year left on their Liverpool contracts. Nat Phillips too, though this is likely of decidedly lesser importance to FSG and Michael Edwards.
It's clear that the Reds need to bolster Arne Slot's first team this summer but the first port of call must surely be to ensure the future of some of Anfield's most important members. Losing any of that holy trinity might be detrimental in the wake of Jurgen Klopp's departure.
But others may well find themselves headed for the exit, with Luis Diaz at the front of the pack in this regard, pursued by Barcelona and transfer-listed for €75m (£63m) resultingly.
Now, though, another star looks like he might be on the way out, with interest in the wantaway Joe Gomez growing.
The latest on Joe Gomez's Liverpool future
According to The Mirror, Bayern Munich are interested in signing Gomez as Vincent Kompany seeks to revamp his squad.
The report continues that the versatile Gomez is one of Liverpool's most valued players and that efforts will be made to rebuff any intrigue, though it has emerged in recent months that the 27-year-old is considering leaving Anfield this summer.
Gomez is under contract until 2027, so if the Bundesliga giants are serious in their interest, the defender will certainly not come cheap.
Why Liverpool should sell Joe Gomez
Gomez has completed 224 appearances, placing nine assists, since signing for Liverpool from Charlton Athletic for a fee of £3.5m in 2015. He's won it all on Merseyside but perhaps this is the right time to let him search for new pastures.
Liverpool are bordering on the thin side in defence but it has been made known that signing a centre-half will be among Edwards' priorities this summer. Moreover, Conor Bradley's emergence at right-back has eased the need for Gomez's covering role there and his makeshift left-back deployment has been commendable but does call for a more suitable long-term alternative to Andy Robertson.
1.
Joe Gomez
£85k-per-week
2.
Konstantinos Tsimikas
£75k-per-week
3.
Ibrahima Konate
£70k-per-week
4.
Luis Diaz
£55k-per-week
5.
Wataru Endo
£50k-per-week
6.
Stefan Bajcetic
£40k-per-week
6.
Harvey Elliott
£40k-per-week
8.
Curtis Jones
£15k-per-week
The fact that Gomez earns more than Diaz and Curtis Jones combined is enough to suggest that something might need shuffling in the Anfield salary list.
Sure, Jones earns a 'pittance' of £15k'per-week, which is indeed paltry when running it alongside the earnings of his first-team peers, but for Gomez to also be taking home £30k more than Diaz each week highlights another element.
But perhaps most importantly, if reports are to be believed, the England international is seeking an exit from his long-time outfit. According to the Anfield Watch, Gomez has indeed informed Liverpool bosses that he is interested in a fresh challenge and hopes the Reds would entertain any offers, should they arrive.
Well, since Kompany's Bayern are showing signs of interest, it might be worth letting the 27-year-old go. Slot will need players who are determined to fight for the badge and commit 110%.
Gomez has undoubtedly been a stalwart throughout Klopp's illustrious reign but the German is all that he has known. If he wishes to leave, FSG should seriously consider letting the £19m-rated ace go.
Liverpool's most expensive signings of all time
Liverpool have splashed the cash in recent years, but who are their priciest additions?
ByLewis Thompson Sep 5, 2025
Celtic will once again have to worry about whether or not they will be able to keep hold of their top performers during the summer transfer window.
The Scottish giants have cashed in on many of their key players over the years; including the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama, Odsonne Edouard, Moussa Dembele, and Kieran Tierney, among others.
Last year, Brendan Rodgers lost electric forward Jota to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad and central defender Carl Starfelt to Spanish side Celta Vigo.
The Northern Irish head coach is now at risk of seeing another Hoops sensation move on from Parkhead with speculation over the future of his star midfielder.
Celtic place new price tag on midfield magician
According to Spanish outlet AS, Celtic value Danish wizard Matt O'Riley at an eye-catching fee of €40m (£33.7m) amid interest from Atletico Madrid.
The report claims that Diego Simeone is looking to bolster his midfield options and the former MK Dons ace has emerged as an option for the LaLiga giants.
It states that Atletico would be prepared to offer €20m (£16.9m) to sign the left-footed talent, which is only half of what the Scottish side are asking for.
AS also relays a report from Danish publication Tipsbladet during the previous transfer window that claimed the Bhoys wanted €29m (£24.5m) for the exciting gem at the time.
This shows that Celtic's valuation of O'Riley has rocketed up by £9.2m over the last few months, which could make it difficult for Atletico to get a deal done – particularly if they are only willing to go as high as £16.9m.
It, therefore, remains to be seen whether or not any team will be prepared to splash out £33.7m to land the English-born playmaker this summer.
Celtic could hit the jackpot with Matt O'Riley
If the 23-year-old maestro is sold for a fee in that region then it would represent the Scottish giants hitting the jackpot on the former League One talent.
Celtic swooped to sign the attacking midfielder from MK Dons, called "immense" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, in January 2022 for a reported fee of £1.5m, which is significantly lower than the kind of price he could go for this summer.
Selling the Denmark international, who was not selected for a place in his country's Euros squad, for £33.7m would be a staggering profit of 2,146% on that initial £1.5m outlay, illustrating how much of a blinder the club played by bringing him to Parkhead in the first place.
Sofascore rating
7.91
1st
Goals
18
1st
Assists
13
1st
Big chances created
14
1st
Key passes per game
2.5
1st
As you can see in the table above, O'Riley was exceptional in the Scottish Premiership for the Bhoys during the 2023/24 campaign with his ability to make a big impact in the final third.
Kelleher signs, £8m star bought: What Rodgers' dream Celtic XI could be
A look at what the Hoops team could be next season if they have a successful summer transfer window.
ByDan Emery Jun 15, 2024
He showcased his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals as the Atletico target led the way for the club in a host of key attacking metrics, which has led to the Hoops placing a new, stunning, valuation on his head.
Nottingham Forest are "confident" of avoiding further FFP issues this summer even without selling their very best players, thanks to a £25m injection of cash through an imminent transfer, it has been reported.
Forest walking financial tightrope
Having spent liberally since promotion to the Premier League was achieved back in 2022, Forest felt the full force of the Premier League's financial fair play rules this season.
Nuno Espírito Santo's side were docked four points for breaching the regulations, after "an independent commission found Forest's losses to 2022-23 breached the threshold of £61m by £34.5m". Though Forest contested the decision, their appeal was dismissed.
Nottingham Forest eyeing Nuno upgrade who'd take Wood to the next level
The current Forest boss may still depart the City Ground despite maintaining the club’s Premier League status.
ByEthan Lamb Jun 9, 2024
It left them fighting for their Premier League lives, and they only clinched survival on the final day of the season ahead of Luton Town and Burnley. But this summer threatened to be equally difficult, with early reports suggesting that more sacrifices would have to be made to keep them afloat and the Premier League lawmakers from the door of the City Ground.
There were fears that the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White or Murillo, both of whom starred for the Reds last season, may be forced to leave as a result of financial fair play issues. Now though, they and their fans have been handed a boost in that regard.
Forest confident of compliance
That is because reliable Forest correspondent John Percy has revealed that Forest will not have to sell either of their star men for financial fair play reasons.
Though the Midlands club still need to raise around £20m, the "amount required is understood to be lower than first estimated" in order to be compliant, and the club "are aiming to meet the £20 million figure before June 30 with the sales of fringe players".
The sale of midfielder Orel Mangala will help and provide a much needed cash injection, with his £25m departure to Lyon set to become the club's second-highest sale ever after a successful loan spell with the French side.
Nottingham Forest record sales
Player
Fee
Year left
Brennan Johnson
£45m
2023
Orel Mangala
£25m
2024*
Britt Assombalonga
£15m
2017
Matty Cash
£13m
2021
Oliver Burke
£13m
2017
Meanwhile, it is added that "former captain Joe Worrall, goalkeepers Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos, Lewis O’Brien, Emmanuel Dennis and Josh Bowler are available and could bring in further profit", with Ipswich Town rumoured to be eyeing a move for O'Brien.
Despite this, it is claimed that "one sale may be required this summer to guarantee financial stability over future seasons" when it comes to their key men, even if it makes little difference to this summer.
Meanwhile, "significant offers for their players would have to be assessed", it is added, despite the club not necessarily needing to sell for immediate safety, but rather to allow them to keep spending this summer and beyond.
Rangers have been dealt a big blow with the news that a key player will miss the Scottish Cup final clash with Celtic, according to an injury expert.
Rangers gearing up for final showdown
The Gers' Scottish Premiership title hopes received a hammer blow over the weekend, with Saturday's 2-1 defeat away to Celtic leaving them six points adrift of their rivals and needing a genuine miracle to scoop the top prize from here.
A nightmare afternoon for John Lundstram saw him score an own goal and also receive a red card, with their chances of title glory now looking extremely slim thanks to a moment of madness from the soon to be free agent.
All hope is not lost for Philippe Clement and his players this season, however, and if they do just fall short in the league, there is still another trophy on offer to add to their Scottish League Cup from earlier in the campaign.
On May 25th, Rangers take on the Hoops at Hampden Park on another massive occasion, in what could end up being a revenge mission for them. In order for them to have the possible chance of glory, however, they need as many key players available as possible, and one important individual now definitely won't be taking part.
Rangers handed injury blow before cup final
Speaking to Ibrox News, injury expert Dr. Rajpal Brar said that Danilo will miss Rangers' cup final showdown with Celtic, after hopes had risen following images of him returning to the training pitches. Brar insists that given he is still away from the full team sessions in the images, a return this season is virtually impossible.
"Considering how long he’s been out and the fact he just got back to the field and is only doing straight line running, there could still be a bit of time before he’s back in first team training.
"I would expect him to be back at the start of pre-season and he may do some individual work ahead of time in order to get back his mobility. He does seem a month away from training with the same intensity as the rest of the team."
While not necessarily the biggest shock, having confirmation that Danilo will play no part against Celtic certainly has an adverse effect on their chances of beating their biggest adversaries.
Sadly, injuries have robbed the 25-year-old of making a genuine impact this season, but he has still scored four goals in five Scottish Premiership starts – 12 appearances in the competition in total – showing that he has been fairly prolific when available. Clement is a big admirer, too, saying of him earlier in the campaign: "He has killer capacities in the box, he’s a goalscorer.
"I want to make him a striker who works hard not only thinking about scoring goals because that’s a part we need, he has the individual actions to make a difference."
James Tavernier
20
Cyriel Dessers
17
Abdallah Sima
15
Danilo
6
Todd Cantwell
6
Rabbi Matondo
5
The aim for Danilo, who is one of the club's highest earners, will be to get back to full fitness during the summer, before returning to the Rangers side next season and enjoying an injury-free campaign. Eleven goal contributions (six goals and five assists) in 21 appearances has been a promising start, but there is hopefully so much more to come.
Arsenal have now made a "formal" bid to sign a £52 million player, and he's even been called "perfect" for manager Mikel Arteta.
Edu planning Arsenal signing spree
Sporting director Edu is planning to make four key signings for the north Londoners this summer, and they're spread across a variety of areas in the squad.
Arsenal hold internal talks over signing trophy-laden £199,000-a-week ace
The Gunners are looking to shore up a key department.
ByEmilio Galantini May 14, 2024
From the defence to attack, it is believed that Edu wants to bring in a new goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward at Arsenal (Simon Collings), as they continue to build after what has been an impressive campaign – regardless of whether they win the Premier League or not.
There is a very serious case to be made that this current Man City team under Pep Guardiola are potentially the best footballing side England has ever seen, so even pushing them this far is an achievement in itself.
Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea
Sheffield United 0-6 Arsenal
Burnley 0-5 Arsenal
West Ham 0-6 Arsenal
Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace
Provided they beat Everton on the final day, Arsenal could finish the season on 89 points, which would've been enough to lift the title in 20 out of the last 31 seasons since the Premier League's inception (GiveMeSport).
The Gunners could be just one or two star additions away from near-invincibility, as some of their performances across 2023/2024 would highly suggest. Trimming and upgrading the squad is necessary, with this looming summer window set to be a crucial one at the Emirates Stadium.
Their midfield could look very different by next season. Arsenal are open to offers for Thomas Partey as he enters the final 12 months of his contract, while Mohamed Elneny appears set to leave north London as a free agent.
Arsenal have been linked with a host of potential replacements for the former, and one who's been regularly mentioned is Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi.
Arsenal now table formal bid to sign Martin Zubimendi
The Spaniard's contract includes a £52 million release clause, but it is believed Arsenal have attempted a low-ball proposal prior to the summer window's opening.
Indeed, according to Tutto Juve this week, Arsenal have tabled a "formal" £43 million offer for Zubimendi as they look to test Sociedad's resolve. This could apparently trigger an early bidding war between interested sides, but unfortunately for Juventus, they've already been priced out.
The 25-year-old has been in exceptional form for Sociedad, making 31 La Liga appearances as a mainstay under head coach Imanol Alguacil, and reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano believes he is the "perfect" midfielder for Arsenal.
“My personal feeling is that Zubimendi would be fantastic, even if [Amadou] Onana and Douglas [Luiz] have the advantage of both already knowing the Premier League," said Romano in an interview with CaughtOffside three months ago.
"Zubimendi is [a] fantastic player, he can help with his vision, quality and intelligence on the ball – he’s the perfect midfielder."
Barcelona face a significant setback with Robert Lewandowski ruled out of their upcoming Joan Gamper Trophy match due to a hamstring injury.
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Chelsea have agreed on personal terms with Alejandro Garnacho as they inch closer to securing a transfer for the Argentine winger. The Blues will now initiate transfer talks with Manchester United before placing a formal bid for the youngster. They are also pursuing RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons simultaneously.
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Stuart Broad could miss his first home Test since 2012 this summer
Matt Roller28-Jun-2020England’s bowlers have been told by the selectors that the team picked for the first Test against West Indies will be the strongest possible side, despite the acceptance that rotation will be a feature of the summer.The 30-man training group named ahead of the West Indies series includes 18 seamers, with the ECB’s performance director Mo Bobat telling ESPNcricinfo last month that “our depth will get challenged” by a “pretty brutal schedule”. England are set to play six Tests in a seven-week window across the West Indies and Pakistan series, and the team’s management are expected to give opportunities to fringe players at some stage.That could mean that Stuart Broad misses a Test match in England for the first time since 2012, breaking a streak that currently stands at 51 consecutive appearances at home. Jacques Kallis is the only pace bowler to have played more consecutive home Tests with 54. Speaking from the bubble at the Ageas Bowl on Sunday, Broad admitted that he was reluctant to miss any cricket, but accepted that there was a “bigger picture” for the support staff to consider.Stuart Broad is just three matches away from Jacques Kallis’s record of 54 consecutive home Tests•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
“We’ve been told as a bowling group that the strongest team will be picked for the first Test. The aim is to get into that,” Broad said. “The last Test I missed in England was against West Indies in 2012, when I was named in the starting XI [before the toss] but it rained for the first two days and Andy Flower decided that a three-day Test match was one to take a rest from, over which we had an argument at the time.”I don’t like missing cricket. I feel fit at the moment – my fitness tests have been as strong as ever in this come-back-to-cricket period – but we all know how hard fast bowling is. One of my strengths over the years has been to play consistently, so the body has been used to the workload, and it has never had that period of stopping, to then have that shock of coming back.”That is the period we’re in now, and Ed Smith, James Taylor [England’s selectors] and Chris Silverwood [head coach] in the selection panel have been clear that, yes, we want to play our best team as often as possible, but we’re not going to put bodies at major risk.”Broad had an argument with Andy Flower when he last missed a home Test in 2012•PA Images via Getty Images
Despite his admission that he would rather not miss a Test, Broad conceded that the risk of injury will be heightened this summer. There have already been parallels drawn with football, where the Bundesliga and the Premier League have seen a spike in injury rates, and Broad used the example of James Anderson’s injury at Newlands to illustrate the problem.”We all wear these GPS devices now, and the stats that Phil Scott [England’s strength and conditioning coach] pulls together are quite interesting. He can almost predict when an injury might happen. If you bowl 25 or 30 overs in a day, you won’t get injured the next day – it’s a bounce of two weeks when the height of risk of injury comes, which is why rest and recuperation comes into it.”If you’re in the team on July 8 and you do your job and bowl well and you bowl the team out by only bowling 20 overs in the Test then I’m assuming you’re going to play in the next game. That has got to be your aim, and I’d love the opportunity to start. It’s always going to be hard and frustrating if you’re told you’re not playing in a Test, but there is a bigger picture for them looking after us.”We can see [from when] Jimmy came back on Boxing Day – we had a bit of illness, so he bowled loads on Boxing Day and then got injured ten days later. We want to avoid those sorts of things with our bodies not feeling as tough, as cricket-hardened as they would be in a normal summer.”ALSO READ: England’s pace attack is their best since 2005 – GoughIf England do choose to rotate, they will not have any shortage of options to choose from. Players on the fringes of selection like Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Ollie Robinson will push for inclusion in the final squad for this series in a three-day warm-up match starting on Wednesday, while England have already used as many as eight frontline seamers in Test cricket in the past 12 months.”You have 30 people trying to get in 11 spots, so training has been nicely intense,” Broad said. “The coaches have been telling us to make sure we control our intensity a little, because obviously if we come in and spike our workloads and get up to too high an intensity, we risk injury.”There is certainly no panic over the strength in depth of English fast bowling. We’ve all come here fit and fresh, which is rare for a fast-bowling group. The dream ticket is to board a flight for Brisbane [ahead of the 2021-22 Ashes] and having this lot of fast bowlers all ready to go.”Can we have Olly Stone, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, these sort of pace guys, Woakes, Curran, Broad, Anderson, all fit, fresh and ready to go? If we can, we’ve got a chance of winning there.”
Liverpool's academy has been renowned as one of the world's best for some time now.
Many players who came through the ranks at the club, such as Steven Gerrard, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jamie Carragher each managed to have long-standing Premier League careers with their hometown team.
The 2023/24 season, in particular, is where the Reds' academy has been allowed to show its prowess in the development of talent.
Jurgen Klopp's men have had a major injury crisis all the way through the campaign thus far. Players such as Joel Matip, Stefan Bajcetic and even Alisson are all absent due to the long-term injuries they have sustained either during the 2022/23 campaign or this term.
Fans are unlikely to see Matip appear for the Reds again this season as the Cameroon international managed to rupture his ACL during Liverpool's 4-3 win against Fulham.
In fact, that game against the Cottagers could be the last time we see the centre-back in a Liverpool shirt at all because his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.
However, departing manager, Jurgen Klopp believes FSG will "show their class" and offer the 32-year-old an extension.
"I would say so, but it’s not my decision in the end – I cannot sign the papers,” he said.
"I am pretty sure the club will show their class, just how they should do it. I am pretty sure the club told Joël already that whatever happens as long as he is injured everything is fine. Then we have to make a decision together with Joël how it looks after that."
Although all these players being absent is far from an ideal situation for the Reds, they have still managed to find themselves on top of the Premier League table and find themselves still in contention for a historic quadruple.
Granted, they are just one point ahead of second-placed Manchester City, however, they face one another on the 10th of March in what many are calling a title-deciding game.
One positive aspect which can be taken from the absences Liverpool have suffered is the fact that some of their academy players have had their careers kick-started.
Youngsters such as Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas and 16-year-old Trey Nyoni have all made their debuts for the Reds' senior squad this term.
However, it is another one of Liverpool's academy players who has been setting the footballing world alight with his performances of late, that player being, Caoimhin Kelleher.
Described as "world-class" by his teammate Virgil van Dijk, Kelleher has been a constant around Liverpool's senior squad since his first appearance for the club in the third round of the Carabao Cup where Liverpool triumphed 2-0 over MK Dons.
|
Starting XI on Kelleher's debut |
|
|---|---|
|
MK Dons 0 – 2 Liverpool September 2019 |
|
|
GK – Caoimhin Kelleher |
|
|
RB – Ki-Jana Hoever |
|
|
CB – Joe Gomez |
|
|
CB – Dejan Lovren |
|
|
LB – James Milner |
|
|
CM – Adam Lallana |
|
|
CM – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain |
|
|
CM – Naby Keita |
|
|
RW – Harvey Elliott |
|
|
ST – Rhian Brewster |
|
|
LW – Curtis Jones |
He joined the Reds' academy at the age of 15 from Ringmahon Rangers and managed to make his way through the youth ranks at the club and eventually to the first team.
Since then, he has cemented himself as a penalty shoot-out specialist and has come out on top a total of four times, more than any other Reds goalkeeper in history.
The most memorable of those would more than likely have to be when he rounded off the shoot-out against Chelsea in the 2021/22 edition of the Carabao Cup final.
The Reds won 11–10 thanks to the heroics of the 'keeper and granted Klopp the first Carabao Cup trophy of his tenure.
The Republic of Ireland international started to make himself known during Liverpool's pre-season tour during the 2018/19 season, where he appeared multiple times.
From then on, he made sporadic appearances for the first team on numerous occasions, racking up a total of five appearances before playing his first Champions League games against both Ajax and FC Midtjylland.
It was also during the same 2020/21 season when the youngster made his top-flight debut versus Wolves, where he was filling in for the injured Alisson.
Since then, he has only been able to make the odd appearance here and there due to the importance of the Brazilian stopper within the Liverpool line-up.
However, over the last couple of seasons, the now 25-year-old has been afforded the chance to take the helm in the Carabao Cup games.
This season, the goalkeeper has appeared for the Reds a few more times than he would've likely expected to as Alisson has been ruled out for multiple weeks due to an injury he sustained.
Fortunately for Klopp's men, Kelleher has been on top form.
Thanks to his strong performances throughout both 2021/22 and 2022/23, Kelleher was linked with a plethora of clubs over the summer and January transfer windows, with Celtic even being told that a £20m bid would suffice for the 'keeper.
Klopp will now be thankful that they didn't sell their academy graduate as he has managed to perform to an incredibly high standard this season.
The 2023/24 term has been the one in which fans have seen the most of the Irishman. Due to the sheer excellence of Alisson, it's easy to understand why the 25-year-old isn't afforded as many chances as he likely should be.
Since being called up whilst the 31-year-old is injured, Kelleher has managed to perform to the same level with a handful of superb displays.
Indeed, he has made multiple world-class saves and has cemented himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League, notably shining in the Carabao Cup final, as seen below.
Interestingly, when compared to some of his top-flight counterparts, only Arsenal's David Raya has a higher clean sheet percentage (38.1%) than Liverpool's stand-in number one (33.3%) in the Premier League.
Alisson has the same clean sheet percentage as his deputy although, he has played 15 more top-flight games.
The statistics from FBRef also show that the youngster has the third-highest save percentage (71.4%) out of the sample chosen. Only Alisson (75.3%) and, somewhat surprisingly, Manchester United's Andre Onana (73.3%) have a higher amount.
Although statistics can't always be taken for gospel, it shows how well the 'keeper has played this season and outlines how strong of a backup he is.
So, it's no wonder that Klopp has struck gold with the signing of Kelleher and, more than likely, after his stellar form this season, his value will have no doubt increased considerably.