Szoboszlai out for a spell
Dominik Szoboszlai limped out of the 2–1 win at Brentford on Saturday and Liverpool will be without him for a spell (3). He is the one midfielder you cannot easily replace. Andoni Iraola has a ready stand-in lined up for the Villarreal game (3).
Villarreal at Anfield on Tuesday
Champions League night. Villarreal come to Anfield on Tuesday, 21:00 CEST, and you go in off the back of that 6–3 win at LASK Linz on October 14 and the Brentford result (3). Two wins on the bounce after the 0–3 home defeat to Manchester City on October 11. Liverpool sit fifth on 12 points from seven.
Iraola and Pérez go back to Athletic
Iraola faces a friend in the opposite dugout. "It's a special match, because Iñigo [Pérez] is my friend. We've known each other since the Athletic youth years, we played together in the first team" (7). He added that the two have not been in contact over the past few days (7).
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Araújo is enjoying the noise
Ronald Araújo has settled in fast. "People here are more intense, when you walk around the city, go into the centre of Liverpool or go out to eat. But it's fantastic" (5). The loanee says he is happy with the minutes he is getting, and he is grateful to the fans (5).
Trent back? And Jeltsch on the list
Liverpool are eyeing a return for Trent Alexander-Arnold, and defender Finn Jeltsch is named alongside him in the latest transfer talk (1). Nothing confirmed, just the link.
Ngumoha told to stay
Rio Ngumoha has still not signed a new contract since turning 18, and Bayern Munich are circling (2). The advice coming his way is to stay and keep banging on the door at Anfield (2).
Nmecha as the Scott plan B
Liverpool are looking at Felix Nmecha if the Alex Scott chase proves too difficult, with Bournemouth valuing Scott at £100m (4). Nico Schlotterbeck on Nmecha: "That's the Felix we know and want to see. If he keeps playing like this, he can become one of the greats" (4).
Balde and Banjaqui on the radar
Barcelona's Alejandro Balde is on the market for €40m after struggling for minutes under Hansi Flick, and Liverpool are among the clubs interested (6). Add Daniel Banjaqui, the 18-year-old Benfica right-back, to a crowded race that includes Juventus, Chelsea and Dortmund (8).
Fan reactions
Anfield's support for Ronald Araújo is the thread running through the fan boards, with one post calling him "the stopgap solution fixing Liverpool's problems" and another sharing his own words about being grateful to the fans. There is also a plain service announcement doing numbers: the Villarreal game is on Amazon Prime in the UK with an 8pm kick-off.
