Liverpool FC - Talk /Gossip/Rumours 25/25

Once the season starts, the days on the training pitch will become limited quite quickly. There will be 3/4 league games in the first 3 weeks of the season, before a week long international break and then the league, Champions League, league, Carabao Cup cycle of fixtures begins before the second international break.

In 2025/26, there were 6 games played between September 14 and September 30, 6 games in 17 days.

Sun 14 September - Burnley - PL
Wed 17 September - Atletico - CL
Sat 20 September - Everton - PL
Tue 23 September - Southampton - Carabao
Sat 27 September - Crystal Palace - PL
Tue 30 September - Galatasaray - CL

Again???(Thought he said he was staying!)

Oh yeah it was a lovely statement to make,probably was a bit unfair that I did not give him enough credit in the writing of it. Despite how badly this season went he will be fondly remembered by the majority of fans and I hope he goes on to have success elsewhere.

He doesn't want to stay but won't rock the boat.

He doesn't want a new deal with Liverpool. He was also considering a move last summer.

If Jaros is to be backup, it might be worth playing him in the early CL group games to build up his experience. He'll likely have to fill in for Alison as some stage, so might as well get him playing with the team early in the season in a controlled manner, the risk of failing to get out of the CL group is low.

Well it is and it isn't.

Joe Gomez expected to stay for next season,heading into his last year on his contract. Hard to see him signing a new contract so will probably leave on a free next summer.

I wouldn't be surprised if Marquihnos leaves PSG this season and Konate signs for them.

Apart from Konate / Robertson and Salah leaving the club should at least let the new manager / head coach assess the remaining squad before selling or loaning players out

It doesn't change the fact that Liverpool played 6 games in 17 days. That sequence began with 3 games played in a week: Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday.

Sun 14 September - Burnley (PL)
Wed 17 September - Atletico (CL)
Sat 20 September - Everton (PL)

It also happened twice after the International break in October.

Sun 19 October - Man Utd (PL)
Wed 22 October - Frankfurt (CL)
Sat 25 October - Brentford (PL)

Wed 29 October - Crystal Palace (Carabao)
Sat 1 November - Aston Villa (PL)
Tue 4 November - Real Madrid (CL)

You made an assertion which is false.

Liverpool don't play 3 games a week. No professional football team in the world plays 3 games a week for the entire season or even a part of the season.

It also occurred during the 2024/25 season, including the week we played PSG.

Sun 5 January - Man Utd (PL)
Wed 8 January - Tottenham (Carabao)
Sat 11 January - Accrington Stanley (FA)

Wed 5 March - PSG (CL)
Sat 8 March - Southampton (PL)
Tue 11 March - PSG (CL)

Iraola has never managed a team that has participated in a UEFA competition, it's going to be a new experience for him and he will have to adopt his methods and tactics to cope with the schedule of games.

His system is physically demanding, players are expected to complete a large number of sprints per game, that increases the risk of injury and fatigue. Bournemouth suffered a two month spell where the team struggled to pick up points in each of the past two seasons (2024/25: 5 points from 24; 2025/26: 5 points from 33).

That has to raise concerns about appointing him. The squad will need a serious overhaul in order to be able to successfully sustain his brand of football over the season.

Torn on it myself if I'm honest. I'd probably have been slightly more inclined to let him go if other experienced members of the team were still about, but futher gutting of the established squad could be detrimental, even with a new boss.

He's obviously still top class, but you can take it to the bank that he'll be missing for an increasing number of games. If we let Mamar head out on loan we are going to come unstuck at some point - even this past season it happened. But I can very much believe a scenario a couple years back that Alisson was probably figured to be out the door come 26-27 and Mamar was to be installed as the new No.1, so reports of him wanting to head out and play regularly probably has something to it.

Kelleher is gone, so there is little point in crying over spilt milk. Maybe he might be back at some point ? Who knows. But it won't be this summer. The new boss and hierarchy have something to work on straight away in any case, but it's always a hard spot to get right, and probably one we could do without with so many other issues elsewhere. Maybe the status quo right now is the right call.

Romano and Joyce saying Iraola deal is nearly done

I’m still very split on this.

Yes, I think he’s a good manager, but I’m probably scarred by all the previous lads who looked brilliant at mid-tier clubs, only to completely fall apart when they made the step up.

What Iraola has done at Bournemouth is undeniably impressive. The wider fanbase will see the results, while the football nerds will love diving into the details of his style and the way his teams play. My biggest concern is always what happens when a manager walks into a dressing room with some elite players. Getting the squad fully bought in can be the hardest part of these appointments, especially when there’s inevitably a bit of a “what has this fella actually won?” mentality among some of the bigger egos.

That said,I can also see some logic. An appointment like Iraola would probably take us back to what we’ve traditionally done best in the transfer market: identifying players who are ready to take the next step, developing them, and finding value before everyone else catches on. Instead of trying to compete with state-backed clubs by throwing money around, it feels like a move back towards having a clear identity and building a team with a long-term plan.

Whether he’s the right man or not, at least it would feel like a club making a football decision rather than chasing the biggest name available.