Liverpool is in a great position this season and is perhaps ahead of even where the Reds would have anticipated being. Top of the Premier League, the favorite for the Carabao Cup and the Europa League, and in the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup having knocked out Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal this weekend, things are going well.
But Liverpool 2.0 is not the finished product yet. That is perhaps the most exciting thing of all, with Jürgen Klopp still having more work to do before the full version is unlocked. It is promising that Luis Díaz has stepped up at the exact moment that Mohamed Salah has gone to AFCON, and Liverpool will be even better with both in the team again from next month.
Klopp’s squad does look a little light of depth at the back, however. Ibrahima Konaté was excellent against Arsenal but he and Jarell Quansah were the center-back pairing as much because they were the only two left than anything else. Virgil van Dijk’s illness won’t keep him out for too long but the threadbare nature of the Liverpool defense at the moment is clear.
Signing a left-sided defender six months before the injured Joël Matip’s contract expires would be a sensible move should the right player become available, but that has not happened yet. Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today.
Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
Liverpool ‘will hold talks’ for PSG forward Kylian Mbappé ahead of his contract expiring, according to French outlet Le10Sport. That is despite Foot Mercato reporting that a deal to take Mbappé to Real Madrid has already been agreed.
According to the Le10Sport report, Liverpool and Mbappé ‘like each other very much’ and it is claimed that the Reds have many ‘arguments’ in their favor in terms of convincing the player. But the economics of the transfer, even without having to pay PSG a fee, have always seemed far too large.
The Foot Mercato story is that Mbappé has chosen Real Madrid and a deal could be confirmed soon. It has previously been reported that the Spanish giant had placed a deadline on coming to an agreement for the middle of January to ensure that things did not drag out beyond this month.
Jordan Henderson (Al Ettifaq)
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who now plays for Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, is looking for a move away from the Middle East and back to Europe, according to the Daily Mail. But while it was pretty clear that Liverpool would no longer be an option for the 33-year-old, Klopp was still asked about the situation after his side beat Arsenal in the FA Cup.
“He hasn’t called me,” the Liverpool manager said. “We spoke actually but not about that but I really have nothing to say about that.” Liverpool has moved beyond Henderson and considering he claimed his biggest motivation for leaving was game time, it would be an odd move to return. It remains to be seen which clubs might be keen to bring him in during January.
