Liverpool kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid.

Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister ensured Andon Iraola won on his managerial debut in the competiion.

And this latest post-match podcast suggests this was a significant evening as much for the performance as the result.

Here, Iraola’s half-time t…

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The worst kept secret in football was confirmed on Sunday as Al-Hilal announced the appointment of Richard Hughes as their new sporting director.

The Scot’s long-awaited move to the Saudi Pro League has brought an end to a two-year stint at Liverpool, and was celebrated on social media by fans who blame him for the failings of both last season and the most recent transfer window.

That is quite the fall for a man who was being hailed by the same supporters just 12 months ago for having appointed Arne Slot, delivered a league title, then backed it up with a summer of unprecedented spending.

But this change in sentiment speaks to how, outside of results alone, difficult it is to fairly assess the work of sporting directors when they are so beholden to a crazy market, the limitations imposed by their owners, and of course luck.

In Hughes’ defence, he arrived at Anfield to take on the rather unattractive job of ushering the Reds into the post-Jurgen Klopp era, which comprised replacing a seemingly irreplaceable manager and dismantling his squad so that it might be futureproofed.

His first major decision was to essentially postpone the latter part of that remit for a year, and was followed by the astute call that Arne Slot could provide a degree of continuity in the dugout.

And in terms of vindication on both counts, it doesn’t get much better than the Premier League title win that followed.

But change could not be held off forever, so Hughes subsequently embarked on a remarkable summer that was overwhelmingly endorsed by supporters, even if many have attempted to distance themselves from that opinion since.

Unfortunately, it did not usher in the expected era of dominance, with Slot falling short in a job entirely different from the one he inherited, and the many expensive signings made failing to fire for various reasons.

Hughes has since overseen another big-spending summer (albeit less lavish than 2025) that many feel has left gaps in midfield and defence, ensuring he leaves with a less lofty reputation among fans than just a year prior.

Perhaps some of that ire could have been headed off had communication extended beyond a single press conference at the start of his reign, though that is hardly a unique case among Premier League executives.

Forging relationships with local journalists might also have helped, providing a platform through which decisions and strategy could be explained without necessarily conducting interviews.

Of course, that would have been easier had Hughes relocated to Merseyside, rather than remaining on the south coast for the most part.

Such arrangements never tend to go down well with fans, who want to feel that key figures at their club have bought into the area it represents.

Liverpool look to have learned that lesson with new head coach Andoni Iraola basing himself in Formby, a notable contrast to his predecessor Slot’s decision to live in Hale Barns in Greater Manchester.

Perhaps the next sporting director should follow that lead, and a sense that they viewed Liverpool as the pinnacle of the profession would not go amiss, either.

That never felt like the case with Hughes, who was linked with Al-Hilal for the entire second year of his three-year contract before eventually making the move.

Liverpool are confident that, despite speculation, he was not working for both clubs over the summer, and it is clear that would neither have been tolerated by Fenway Sports Group nor allowed by FIFA given rules relating to conflicts of interest.

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Liverpool picked up their first win of the season as they beat Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road.

And while this was a victory over newly promoted opponents, it was a hugely significant one according to this latest post-match podcast.

Here, the importance of Andoni Iraola getting his first three points on board is reflected on, …

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From the outside, it always seemed strange that, despite their clear need for an elite attacker and potential for a vacancy on the left-hand side, Arsenal never moved for Bradley Barcola this summer.

But the reality is that the Gunners knew they would be wasting their time even trying, because it is understood that the Frenchman only ever wanted Liverpool and had made that quite clear to all his other suitors.

That loyalty owed much to the duration of the Reds’ pursuit of the player, which began following his breakthrough into the Lyon first team in 2021.

A move to Paris Saint-Germain followed two years later, along with three seasons of football that featured 153 appearances, 39 goals, and 13 honours.

Yet Liverpool’s refusal to break off contact despite missing out first time around proved a wise investment, as they hope will be the case for the £106m initial fee and £17m in add-ons they have now agreed with PSG.

That Barcola arrives still aged only 23 and with vast experience of winning at the highest level arguably makes signing him now even sweeter.

And the club certainly believe they have acquired a forward with the pace and quality to reinvigorate an attack that fell short of the expected standard last season.

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Liverpool played out a second consecutive 2-2 draw as they were held by Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

Alexander Isak and Victor Munoz both scored equalisers but it was another frustrating day for the hosts.

And this latest post-match podcast shares the opinion that this was a game that posed big questions to the powers that be at Anfield.

Do they need to d…

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Liverpool scored a 99th-minute goal to snatch a point from a trip to Newcastle United in their Premier League opener.

Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty was the key moment after Cody Gakpo had also earlier equalised.

And this latest post-match podcast opines that it was game that featured plenty of positives and negatives for the vi…

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As this summer approached, it was far from certain that Alisson Becker would be Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper for the coming season.

The Reds may have triggered a one-year extension clause in the Brazilian’s contract in March, tying him to Anfield until 2027, but that was considered purely a business decision aimed at preserving value.

And it certainly did not put off Juventus, who began plotting a move that it is understood Alisson was - at the very least - open to exploring.

As such, with the transfer window approaching, there was a growing feeling that, if the right offer arrived and the player pushed to go, Liverpool would sanction a deal in recognition of his contributions.

From the club’s perspective, there would have been some sense to cashing in on a 33-year-old who has not broken 30 games in the Premier League across the last three seasons due to injuries.

The Reds have often been criticised for allowing too many players to depart on free transfers in recent history, and ultimately the only way to avoid that is to make sales that might prove unpopular, such as this one.

However, as the weeks ticked by, it became clear that factors unrelated to Alisson were influencing whether it would, indeed, be smart to let him go.

Most crucial among them was Liverpool losing two senior dressing room figures in Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate prior to the summer getting under way.

In the case of the latter, not only was his departure unexpected, it also took away vital experience from the defensive unit.

As much as there is huge belief in Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni internally, they are likely to need guidance as they take their first steps at Anfield, and it is in this context that losing both Konate and Alisson in one summer could not be countenanced.

The uncertainty around a succession plan doubtless played its part, too, with Giorgi Mamardashvili hardly inspiring confidence that he is ready to step up as things stand.

The Georgian has been at Anfield for a year now, but has yet to underline exactly why Liverpool were so keen to sign him.

Mamardashvili may have proved himself to be an incredible shot-stopper at Valencia, but it is now clear that his failings with the ball at his feet during his time in La Liga cannot be blamed on any manager’s instruction to go long.

So, was it that Liverpool thought they could iron out this problem on the training ground? Or did they feel they might be about to move away from a style where it mattered?

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Liverpool rounded off their pre-season double header against Como with a 2-0 win at Anfield.

Goals from Cody Gakpo and debutant Jeremy Jacquet secured the victory for Andoni Iraola's side.

And this latest post-match podcast reflects on the fact that they were two of the better performers across the 90 minutes, alongside Jeremie…

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Liverpool kicked off a pre-season double-header against Como with a 0-0 draw at the AXA Training Centre.

And, despite the game being largely uneventful, summer signing Victor Munoz was the clear standout.

In this latest post-match podcast, David reflects on the Spaniard’s performance and likely role in the early months of the season.

The contributions of Trey Nyoni, futures of Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott, and concerns around Giorgi Mamardashvili are also covered.

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One of the more bittersweet aspects of Liverpool’s pre-season was spelled out again during Sunday’s meeting with Monaco at Anfield.

That is the obvious brilliance of teenage defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe, whose excellent performances this summer have come with the unfortunate caveat that he will be unable to represent the Reds in official competition in the coming months.

This regrettable fact is down to the youngster’s failure to qualify for a UK work permit as a result of having only taken small steps in his budding career prior to completing a £2.6m move to Anfield.

Although highly rated, Ndukwe made just one senior appearance for his previous club Austria Wien before making the switch to the Premier League.

His talents had instead been spotted by Liverpool while he was representing Austria at the U17 World Cup held in Qatar in late 2025.

And this lack of first-team experience means he is some way short of the 15-point benchmark needed to secure a work permit through a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) from the Football Association.

Those ‘points’ are mostly earned through playing time, and are awarded based on the percentage of available minutes a player has picked up across domestic league and continental competitions for their club.

As you might expect, more points are earned for game time in Band 1 leagues (Premier League, Bundesliga) than Band 2 (Eredivisie, Primeira Liga) or below, while the same goes for Champions League versus the Europa League or Europa Conference League.

The idea now is for Ndukwe to look to earn qualification by securing a loan move that would see him feature regularly for a club in a prestigious league, one which is ideally involved in European competition.

It is understood that, with the right move, the necessary points tally could be achieved by January, allowing Liverpool to bring the defender back into the fold - though that of course creates a potential drawback for clubs interested in a loan.

Fortunately, there is also another workaround available to the Reds, one which could even have allowed for Ndukwe to feature from the start of the season: the Elite Significant Contribution (ESC) criteria.

Each season, ESCs allow Premier League clubs to use up to four players considered capable of making an impact but who fall short of work permit qualification.

However, certain requirements must be met in order to reach that maximum number, including the percentage of minutes given to English players and the number of appearances for the England senior, U21 or U20 teams from within your squad.

In Liverpool’s case, the departures of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jarell Quansah, Curtis Jones’ fringe role, and Joe Gomez’s injuries, have meant them qualifying for just one ESC spot this term having had two last time around.

And that has been given to Mor Talla Ndiaye, with the loss of Armin Pecsi’s having been worked around through a loan move to Austrian outfit TSV Hartberg.

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Liverpool were beaten 3-2 by Monaco on Andoni Iraola's Anfield debut as head coach.

However, this was another game of two halves in which they impressed before making changes and tailing off.

As such, this post-match podcast features plenty of positives to delve into, including the performances of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz …

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There is no less popular declaration among football fans than the claim that a player already at their club can be ‘like a new signing’ in the coming season.

But in the case of Alexander Isak and Liverpool, is there really anything else that can be said?

It certainly felt for the majority of the Swede’s debut campaign at Anfield that he had not been signed at all, as a tally of 1,032 minutes and four goals across all competitions attests.

As such, he is uniquely positioned among the squad to make a vast improvement this time around, not least because of his undoubted quality.

Clearly, staying fit will be key to that, and Isak will need to be carefully managed through a long season in which a lot will be demanded from him by an intense brand of football.

But, if that admittedly large hurdle is cleared, then the striker stands to benefit from being given a far better platform than he was whenever actually on the pitch last term.

That is because Andoni Iraola’s vertical football is a strong match with the Newcastle sides in which Isak announced himself as one of the best forwards in the world.

Crucially, it is also a clear contrast with the more sedate style favoured by Arne Slot, whose struggles to get the best out of the 26-year-old weren’t solely fitness-related.

Even in Liverpool’s title-winning year under the Dutchman, one of his biggest issues was getting the centre-forward involved in play, as could be seen in Darwin Nunez going from averaging 4.75 shots per 90 in the Premier League under Jurgen Klopp to 2.7 under Slot.

And, while that never felt hugely costly when Luis Diaz was operating there as a makeshift false nine, the same could not be said after a centre-forward who was supposed to be the focal point of a new-look attack was brought in for £125m.

In his last Newcastle season, Isak averaged 36.8 touches per 90 (52nd percentile among Premier League strikers) and 6.86 touches in the box (88th percentile) as he helped Eddie Howe’s side punch above their weight.

Yet at Liverpool, this plummeted to 23 touches per 90 (second percentile) and 3.8 in the box (16th percentile) - hardly the conditions to score and set up plenty of goals.

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Liverpool suffered their first defeat under Andoni Iraola as they were beaten 4-2 by Leeds United in Chicago.

But it was a classic game of two halves, with the Reds taking a deserved two-goal lead in the first before being overrun in the second.

That is why this post-match podcast features plenty of positives and negatives to t…

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Coming into this pre-season, the feeling internally at Liverpool was that Trey Nyoni held his fate entirely in his own hands.

In the latter part of last season, Arne Slot had privately intimated that the midfielder was pushing himself into contention for starts with his performances in training, but the Reds’ difficult situation made that impossible to act on.

However, as far as the Dutchman was concerned, it was no longer a question of whether Nyoni lacked readiness or quality, but only if he possessed the temperament to deal with such a step up.

That is because the physical improvements the teenager had made meant he was considered ready for senior football, teeing up a chance to stake his claim once a tricky campaign was out of the way.

And, though it is ultimately happening under a different head coach, Nyoni is not only getting that opportunity, but grasping it with both hands.

The 19-year-old has been among the standout performers in the first two games of Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States, catching the eye by snapping into tackles while using the ball both efficiently and ambitiously.

Helpfully, he seems tailor made for the style of football being implemented by Andoni Iraola, which makes the most of his knack for pinching possession and then looking to be as vertical as possible in his passing.

The latest show of those skills, which came in Wednesday’s win over Wrexham, had the new head coach waxing lyrical post-match.

Asked about Nyoni, he said: “Trey is very good on the ball, very calm, he reads the situations well. We’re forcing him in the work without the ball, in the press, and he is absolutely doing very well. I think the timings of the jumps are very good.

“He is always confident on the ball so we encourage him. Sometimes even if he loses the ball, ‘Try to find the No.10, try to find the No.9, even balls in behind, look a little bit further’ because he can do it, because he is so good.”

Clearly, Nyoni will have to keep this form up, but he has a real chance to force his way into the manager’s plans given the current uncertainty around so many key midfield figures.

Curtis Jones’ future remains unresolved with just one year remaining on his deal and Inter Milan keen, while Alexis Mac Allister is not considered to be untouchable internally after a poor season last time.

And so there is potential for Nyoni to ensure that the next step of his career comes at Anfield this season, rather than out on loan.

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Liverpool continued their winning start to life under Andoni Iraola as they beat Wrexham 1-0 in New York.

Rio Ngumoha's late deflected strike proved the difference in the second friendly of this summer’s tour of the United States.

And this latest post-match podcast hails it as another encouraging performance from a much-changed…

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Liverpool kicked off the Andoni Iraola era with a 4-2 win over Sunderland in Nashville.

Goals from Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas helped secure an impressive victory in the first friendly of pre-season.

And this latest post-match podcast focuses on the fact that it was the performance as m…

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It may be quiet in the transfer market for Liverpool at the moment, but that does not mean there aren’t deals being negotiated at Anfield.

That is because, as emerged on Tuesday, British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia is heading up a consortium hoping to acquire a minority stake in the club.

Upon that news breaking, sources close to owners Fenway Sports Group were at pains to insist that talks are at an early stage, yet it is understood they have been taking place for a number of months.

What’s more, the fact that Bhatia has now transferred his stake in Queens Park Rangers to majority owner Ruben Gnanalingam after 18 years of involvement felt instructive.

It might not just be the pace of those negotiations that FSG are trying to obscure at this point, either, but also their long-term implications.

While it is, indeed, early to draw such conclusions, this does have all the hallmarks of a move that could pave a path to the American owners eventually departing.

Clearly, that was not the case with the investment made by Dynasty Equity in 2023, which was estimated to give them just 3-4% of the club worth roughly £125m.

This time around, though, the suggestion is that a far more significant stake of up to 30% is being discussed, while the identity of the investors involved is equally noteworthy.

For starters, Bhatia is representing the interests of his father-in-law Lakshmi Mittal - once ranked the third-richest person in the world and in possession of a net worth of around £15 billion.

It is said, too, that Amazon owner Jeff Bezos - the fourth-richest man in the world with a net worth of £192bn - has been approached to join the investment group.

Given Liverpool’s standing in the sporting world is lofty enough, it is clearly not the case that a man like Bezos is needed in order to boost the reputation of the project as a whole.

Instead, it makes more sense that he might be required for his sheer financial might, particularly if an overall valuation of £4.5bn is ever to be met in the long term.

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Liverpool are closing in an agreement over a new long-term contract for Dominik Szoboszlai in a major boost to head coach Andoni Iraola.

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Had Arne Slot kept his job, then it could have been said with some certainty that Curtis Jones would be leaving Liverpool this summer.

That outcome had previously been locked in as early as January, when Inter Milan first made an approach and the midfielder’s standing within the squad was underlined by him failing to start six games in a row.

In the end, the Reds saw off that initial interest from the Italians, resolving not to lose players during what was proving to be a difficult season.

But there were few subsequent signs of Jones’ situation changing, as he remained behind Alexis Mac Allister in the midfield pecking order and only ended up in the starting XI late in the campaign thanks to an injury crisis at right-back.

For that reason, a firm summer push from Inter was expected to be enough to get a deal over the line.

However, the appointment of Andoni Iraola has offered a glimmer of hope regarding a change of heart, particularly if the Spaniard’s words at his Monday unveiling are anything to go by.

Speaking to reporters, he said of Jones: “I rate Curtis very highly. For me he is a great player. It’s very important he’s Scouse, that he’s from here. I also like the personality. I hope we can keep him, not only for this year, more time.”

And you can see why he might be keen on a player who is so efficient in terms of getting the ball back and using it wisely - surely the two most important jobs of any midfielder.

The Englishman may never pass the eye test for some, but the fact is he occupies elite company among under-25 midfielders in both duel-winning and progression of the ball on a per-90 basis.

That he sits next to Vitinha - perhaps the best ‘midfield metronome’ in Europe right now - in this particular graphic is also instructive as to both his profile and quality.

Throw in that Jones is a homegrown player in a squad that has lost plenty of local representation recently and it is hard to fathom why the powers that be at Liverpool aren’t doing everything they can to keep him.

Perhaps with a strong endorsement from the new head coach, that will change, though contract talks have been shelved for so long that you worry they can no longer be salvaged.

And, while Liverpool and Inter sources have both dismissed reports of a new bid having been tabled this week, it is interesting that it is said to have come through intermediaries, allowing for an element of deniability.

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There is rightly a focus on the fact that Liverpool need to do smart business this summer in order to give Andoni Iraola a shot at a strong start.

However, it is also worth noting that one of the key reasons his predecessor Arne Slot was dismissed was for not getting enough out of what he already had.

And there is no better example of that than Florian Wirtz, who struggled to consistently show his best following a £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen 12 months ago.

Described by insiders as a a shy, introverted character, it is clear that the German’s integration was made more complicated by arriving to a dressing room shocked by the tragic loss of Diogo Jota.

On the pitch, the fact he was rarely part of a functioning team during his debut campaign did not help, either.

But Liverpool still ended the season believing they should have seen more, and the will need to going forward if Wirtz is to prove a wise investment.

There is no question that the 23-year-old took some steps forward last term, not least in adding extra muscle to cope with the Premier League’s physicality.

The upside of that started to show around January, during a promising run of form that it was hoped marked his long overdue arrival.

Yet this did not sustain into the final months of the campaign and, in unpicking whether that was more the player’s fault or that of the head coach, Liverpool’s decision makers ultimately settled on the latter.

To be fair to Wirtz (and, one supposes, Slot), the underlying numbers suggest that a correction might well be coming.

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