Liverpool live Q&A
Lewis Steele and Ian Ladyman reveal all on the Reds' January transfer plans, and what's really going on with Antoine Semenyo, Mohamed Salah, Marc Guehi and more. To ask a question put it in the comments of this article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-15384941/Liverpool-live-subscribe-Daily-Mail-Plus.html
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Daily Mail Plus live Liverpool Q&A event. I'm in Ladyman, the Daily Mail's football editor. But more importantly, the chap to my right is Lewis Steel, our emergency side correspondent and the man in the know when it comes to everything there is to know about your favorite football club. Over the course of the next hour, Lewis and I are going to be talking about Slot and Salah and Semeno and Gaye and Warton and Canate and a whole load of other things as well. The beauty of what we're going to do over the next hour is that this is all about you. We are going to talk about what you want to talk about. You ask the questions and we will do our very best to provide the answers. I've got a ton of questions in front of me already, but please do keep sending them in and I promise you that Lewis and I will get through as many of them as is possible over the course of the next 60 minutes. Lewis, you've been waiting for this all week. Are you ready? >> I'm more than ready. My only other thing tonight was that I was going to do some Christmas wpping. So, this is much more fun than that, I would say. And I'm probably a bit better at this than Christmas wrapping, too. >> Well, let's see how much of your Liverpool knowledge we can unwrap over the course of the next 60 minutes. There's the first pun out of the way. I apologize for that. There won't be too many of those. I promise you. Let's get right to it. Let's get to the first question. This has come in from Lord knows a bit and it's a topic that a lot of Liverpool fans are talking about at the moment, and it's very simple. Liverpool need to strengthen their defense, he says. Are they going to get Mark Gay at almost any reasonable cost? >> Well, Mark Gay is probably the most sought after defender in the world right now. And that is because his contract runs out in the summer as we know. He was 99.9% a Liverpool player on deadline day. Steve Parish was having a gym class or whatever and decided to pull the plug. But he was for all intents and purposes apart from signing on the dotted line a Liverpool player. Now four or five months on it looks like a catastrophe that that didn't happen because the young Italian that they signed Giovani Leone is out for the season. Ibrahim Akenate's form has been shaky at best shall we say. And I still think Liverpool have a really good chance of signing Gahhee. The only question is is that in January for a fee or is that in the summer for nothing? I think Gayhei himself would rather it be in the summer. He's playing in Europe for the first time with Palace. I think he feels a bit of a loyalty to not leave mid-season and also if he leaves on a free then he gets good money in terms of the wages. But Liverpool aren't the only team in for gay we know Bayern Munich are sniffing around. Manchester City as Jack Gorn our colleague wrote the other day is sniffing around. I think Real Madrid would like to have a go as well. But I just wonder whether there's a sort of under the table gentleman's agreement between Liverpool and Gayhei um from September the 1st or whatever date it was because they were literally that close to him signing. Um and I think Liverpool have every chance. The word from the club is maybe caution over a January transfer, but you have to remember August the 30th the word from the club was they're not going to sign Alexander Isach and look what happened there. So, I think Liverpool have every chance of getting him in January, if not the summer. >> Yeah, I mean, if it was down to me, I think I'd be putting money on the table in January. Try and get that one done. And it's obvious watching Liverpool play, as you do all the time, Lewis, how badly they need uh a reinforcement at center half. Virgil van Djk and Ibrahim Canate play just about every single game, don't they? Yeah. And to me, I was at I was at the leads game, for example, um with you um the three all game and the two of them thus looked like they needed a a week off. Yeah. >> Just played and played and played. So, it's it's a pressing issue. And on that subject, we have a question here from um piece of eight um who talks about Canate and um and the question here is is there any chance of Liverpool removing the new contract offer that's currently on the table for Canate? Most fans would not be sad if he left. Every game is an accident waiting to happen. I think that's incredibly harsh. But let's deal with the let's deal with the question. Any chance of Liverpool withdrawing that offer that that he's been provocating over for quite a while now? >> Yeah. So, Canate and Liverpool have been in talks over a new deal for well over a year now, I'd say, but nearly 18 months. So far, they have been very far apart. Canate wants to be recognized as one of the best players in the squad, one of the most important. Liverpool aren't prepared to quite pay him the level of money that Verge of Van Djk Mo these sort of players are getting. So, the two parties are quite far apart. We haven't really ever heard from Canate whether he actually is all in on wanting to stay at Liverpool. I think his hand has been significantly weakened by his performances this season. um and Real Madrid were in the picture for him, but the noises in the last month is that they are sort of maybe based on his performances this season. They're not as keen as they once were. He's a he's a he's a French lad. Paris Sanjaman would always appeal to him for that reason, I think. And I'm sure that they would maybe consider it if they got some encouragement, but as of yet, it does seem more likely than not that he would be at Liverpool. I don't think that Liverpool would be removing any contract offering. There's certainly nothing on the table right now because they are still a bit apart. But I don't think Liverpool would do that based on, you know, 10 bad performances just like they wouldn't sack Arie Slot based on 10 bad performances. I think they take a more measured approach. And if you look at last season, he was one of the best defenders in Europe alongside Virgil van Djk. And I think Liverpool still think that's the case. They still want him, but I think they'd be silly not to sign another defender because they are right now a Virgil van Dijk hamstring away from not getting in the Champions League next season. >> Yeah, I Yeah, absolutely. I can't see for one minute that they would draw a contracts off and that would be almost un unprecedented. Personally, I think the two of them, don't know what people out there think, but I think the two of them suffer from overplaying like I've said and I think they also suffer from the fact that Liverpool, despite Ryan Graber's doing a brilliant job, never really signed a a traditional number six. No, >> you know, a holding midfield player. I think that when opposition teams have the have the ball, they get onto the back four far too often this season and those two are carrying such a such a heavy such a heavy weight. I think um he's he's not one of the best defenders in the world though, is he? >> Can no, I don't think he is. Um he was last season, but right now I think he's he looks a he looks bang average at the moment. Um I have to say he played well at the weekend and he played well in sans. So, two good performances in the last week. But overall this season, he's been shaky, a mistake waiting to happen, a walking talking mistake, I've called him a few times. Um, and he just doesn't exude confidence in the team. And you look at Joe Gomez, he's barely played a minute at center back this season. He's played mainly at right back when he's been in the team. So, I think last season, this time last year, they forwent 20 million pound offer from Real Madrid for Trent Alexander Arnold. They said no to a 60 millionish offer for Darwin Nunees from the Saudis and that was because they thought them two could help them achieve their goals in the second half of last season. I look at it now and think what's 25 million pounds on Mark Gaye if it if he gets them into the Champions League and also maybe even wins the Champions League this season or an FA Cup for example. So, I think he's absolutely worth any any money that Liverpool may pay in in January because I don't think Canate is good enough this season. And even if he was, there's still a man like in in the defense. >> Yeah, I mean, it does look like I mean, it felt negligent at the time when they didn't get Gay done on the last day of the transfer window. It definitely feels like that now. I think we all accept despite the fact there's been some teething problems with some of the new signings, Liverpool had a pretty good window up until that up until that moment, it felt as though it might come back to haunt them. Uh, and it has. I think what people didn't expect, Lewis, just moving on to a um a bigger subject. What people didn't expect when we kicked off the season at the back end of August was to get to Christmas and there being a huge debate over the future of Mo Salah. Everybody thought that that was an issue that was put to bed when he signed at the end of last season. And here we are. You were there. You heard what he said um in the interview area outside Ellen Road that rainy day a couple of Saturdays ago. And um it's a subject that's not going to go away. Um and loads of you have been asking about this one. So, you know, too many to name. I'll get straight to it with you. Um Lewis, is the rift between Mo Salah and Anna Slot healed on the back of one performance against Brighton and a victory or is that going to come back again when Salah comes back from AFCON? >> The the rift is certainly not over as far as I'm aware. I think I wrote last week, it's almost like the Christmas Day truce of 1914. They all played a game of football and then went back to shooting each other the next day. It's not quite like that, of course, at Liverpool right now. It's not it's not quite that extreme, but at one point last week, it looked like a full-blown civil war between Slot and um and Salah. I don't think that has I mean, it's certainly been eased in the last week, in the last 5 days, but it's still there. The Saudis are still lurking. Um MLS clubs are still sort of looking at the situation. If you're a European club, you probably also, although I don't think any of them could really afford his wages. Um, but I wouldn't be surprised that all of Salah and Liverpool shook hands on maybe a summer exit. >> It'll be the last chance that they have to get any money for him. Um, I always thought in 2023 when they offered 150 million Alti had, I always thought that Salah never really shut the door on a future move to Saudi Arabia and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he does end up there at some point in the next 18 months. Now, um I think everyone at Liverpool, no one wants him to go in January. No one can foresee him going in January, but we can't completely rule that out. Personally, I don't think it will happen at all. I think he'll come back from AFCON. I think he may win AFCON. I think Salah may push him there. They've got Oman Marmush as well, some really good players. And I think he'll have a good second half of the season if he stays fit and finds his shooting boots again. As for his longerterm future, Liverpool obviously want him to stay around, but let's see how long that that lasts because Stal's still agitated and frustrated at the situation. >> I think what you say there about shaking hands on and a gentleman's agreement for him to go in the summer to me seems very very likely. Manchester United did that once many many years ago with Cristiano Ronaldo, persuaded him to stay an extra season. Um, and once Ronaldo knew in his head that that was going to happen, he gave them a good season. I can see that happening with Salah. He'll know he can go give them give them a a good six months. I spoke to someone at Liverpool last week about this the Salah situation. They were at that point still unsure about what it was that Salah really really wanted on the back of what he said about, you know, being thrown under the bus, etc., etc. Did he want a move or did he just want to be in the team? Um, what do you what's your understanding of what Salah really really wants out of this? >> I got the impression from conversations I had last 10 days, two weeks that this is a deeper issue than just being benched for one game against um, well, three games it was, wasn't it? Um, Sunderland West Ham Leads. I thought it was a bit deeper than that. I think maybe Salah didn't although he wouldn't ever say it. I think he wasn't overly convinced by the summer business and how these were all being named as Floren Vertz is the man to lead Liverpool forward Alexander Each. Not that he's jealous because that's not really in Salah's character or not his public character anyway, but there was always a bit of that Salah was a bit frustrated. you're lucky he's tweeting out uh fan accounts uh who have been you know disrespecting the likes of Darwin Nunes, Lewis Diaz and the like. So I think Salah was always a bit frustrated, maybe agitated. Um, you look back on the Frankfurt game away, he came off the bench late on, he could have set up Florian verts, he didn't. He looked a bit frustrated at full time there. And it was that night that he deleted all mention of Liverpool Football Club from his Twitter profile. So this wasn't something that had just happened like that. I think the frustration was building in the background for some time, but being dropped for three games in a row really I think it was clearly premeditated. He went over to the away and we saw at Ellen Road and almost he he gave the jazz hands as if he was waving goodbye. So his comments were obviously premeditated. Um and I don't think his frustrations are completely gone, but I think he's him and Slot happy to be civil for the put the best interest of the team first. One thing that strikes me when I look at this Liverpool team and when I look at the really good Liverpool teams of the last decade, the Klopp team largely also last season slots version of last season was they they always had a they always had pace as an outlet. >> Sadadio Mané and Salah in the team at one point. Mané particular was incredible outlet. Um Salah has been an outlet. Lewis Diaz was an outlet for a while and all of a sudden I look at a Liverpool team that hasn't got that. Salah looks low low on confidence and isn't as young as young as he was. And I'm asking you this because when Liverpool signed Jeremy Fring pong Yeah. at the end of last season, seems a long time ago now, he was he was um sold in the in the media as a replacement for for Trent Alexander Arnold. But there was also an undercurrent there. People talking about whether he may play further up the field >> when Salah wasn't around and bring them that that pace. Now, we've not seen anything of Fring Pong. He's been in and out and he's injured again. Um, what news of of him and a possible return to action? >> Um, very very soon I think for Frim Pong. Maybe not quite ready to play at the weekend, but I think he'll be back in full training in the next couple of days, next certainly in the next week. He's been back on the grass for a while now. Um, doing some one-on-one gym stuff as well. Um, so that's positive update on Frian because he he offers Liverpool a different outlet. You look at this new system that they've got or newish system, the diamond as it's being called. It doesn't have much width. It's it it makes them solid. It makes them have a lot of control in midfield and it it brings the best out of the likes of Hugo Eat as we've seen with four goals in his last two league games. But it doesn't have if you look at the the right wing the last few games. Joe Gomez, absolutely brilliant servant for the club, but he's not an attacking fullback, even though he has, to be fair, created some big chances in those games. Jeremy Fong will be perfect for that system because he is absolutely an attacking fullback. I think off the top of my head, 25 assists, 25 plus assists over the two seasons before this one at Leverkusen, one of the best players in their title winning campaign. But we haven't seen him as you as you rightly say. He's had two hamstring injuries. So, it's been frustrating for him. But from everything I hear, he's a he's a really charismatic lad in the changing room, whatever. And I think that he will be a welcome addition if he can just put a run together of games. Same with Connor Bradley. He's never had a consistent run of fitness. So, the signs are positive that Frim Pong will start to come back over the Christmas period and that'll be a good boost of slot because he's not had him yet. And just a quick yes or no answer to this one. Do you think he'll play um right back or you think there's scope for him to play further up the pitch? >> Uh there's definitely scope and slot has sort of trialled him at right wing at times. Um it's a limited success it must be said, but he does offer something different in the box. >> Okay, back into onto uh issues of players who might arrive at Anfield in uh the coming uh weeks and more likely months. We've got a question here uh from Nihad LFC who asks very very succinctly any news on Adam Wharton the Christian Palace and England midfielder. >> Yeah, well nothing imminent. I can't see Liverpool signing a midfielder in January. Let's say that. But I think Adam Wharton certainly has his admirers at Anfield. Um and he could be one to watch for the summer. We know two years ago they were very close to Zuba Mendy. >> Yeah. who's now looking really good at Arsenal. Um, and they sort of parked the idea of signing a midfielder just because Ryan Gravenber's emergence as a quality operator in there. But I think they are maybe one light in that role. You look at Endo, he's only really used the last five minutes of games that they're winning. >> For me, you'd want someone who's a bit more allrounder and I watched Palace against City on Sunday. Adam Warton was unbelievable. I know he was on on the losing side quite comfortably in the end, but he he was pulling strings in the first half and I was sat there thinking he'd be perfect in this Liverpool team just getting on the ball deep and pulling the strings and yeah, from what I hear that the there's admirers of Borton at Anfield. Nothing more than that at this stage, but it could be one to watch in the future. >> Given the amount of money that Liverpool spent in the summer, is there more or have they got to sell? Well, they would have to balance the books, but I do think that there's definitely money there. That's also proven by the fact that they were this close to signing Gayy for 35 million. >> Yeah. >> Um they will probably have to sell a couple, but you look at the Liverpool squad this time last year, you're thinking, oh, they can sell him and they can sell him. Right now, there's not many sellable assets apart from obviously seller. >> There's lots of salable assets, but not ones that they were. Yeah. Um, but the money's there. They had a really strong financial period, 18 months. You have to remember as well the free transfer windows before the one just gone, they barely did anything. So, the money's there. PSR is fine. That's not to say they're going to spend another 400 million next summer. That's absolutely not going to happen. But they can certainly afford to do two or three decent signings in January and the summer. Do you get any [clears throat] sense of frustration from Slot that he was? It's hard to say that he was let down because they spent so much money and bought what appeared to be and I'm sure will prove to be very very good players in the summer. But do you have any sense of frustration that they didn't get a center half and that they didn't after the Zubamey thing fell down they didn't buy a a a natural worldass holding player or is he happy with what he has?