Bayern Munich veteran figurehead Uli Hoeneß has pushed back after his remarks about Nicolas Jackson’s loan terms were widely interpreted as a sign of distrust. Hoeneß says his intention was to clarify the mathematical likelihood of the obligation to buy being triggered, and to defend the club’s sporting director.

“What annoyed me a lot is the stupidity of some journalists,” Hoeneß told Sky Sports Germany . “They interpreted my words as if I had something against Jackson.

“These [journalists] didn’t pay attention in maths because I said he won’t play 40 games from the start. We still have 32 Bundesliga games. If we reach the Champions League final, which we hope we will, that adds 13 games. The total is 45 games. The DFB Pokal games do not count. So he would have to start all these games.

“He will go to the Africa Cup of Nations in January, so he can’t start 40 games, that’s what I said. What I wanted was to help Max [Eberl, sporting director], because he was accused of granting this [obligation to buy].

“The same goes for the fact that the player and his agent contributed to the deal. That’s something positive, because it took the loan fee down to €13.5 million. Those are positive things.”

The club calculation Hoeneß described rests on the available fixtures this season: 32 Bundesliga games and up to 13 Champions League matches if Bayern reached the final, a total of 45 matches excluding DFB Pokal. The Africa Cup of Nations runs from Dec. 21 to Jan. 18, a period the draft notes covers three Bundesliga games for Bayern, not including a fixture currently scheduled for Dec. 20. Vincent Kompany’s side are back in Champions League action on Jan. 21.

As Eberl points out, Jackson could miss as many as five games if Senegal enjoy a deep run at the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning the striker may have to start every single match for Bayern to even have a chance of triggering a €65 million (£56.2 million, $76.1 million) permanent departure from Chelsea.

Liverpool supporters saw Alexander Isak take part in his first training session on Tuesday after the club’s record signing joined the squad at Kirkby. Jon Dahl Tomasson insisted that Isak wasn’t anywhere near ready to start a competitive fixture after spending his summer in self-imposed exile. The Sweden boss gave him 18 minutes in the 2–0 defeat to Kosovo on Monday night and within 48 hours he was out on the Kirkby pitches.

Jeremie Frimpong’s presence on the training ground was another positive sign. The £29.5 million summer arrival from Bayer Leverkusen was pictured scampering around with his usual zesty energy after being sidelined through injury. The fullback missed Liverpool’s final two games of August after damaging his hamstring an hour into his Premier League debut.

Conor Bradley is also working his way back from a muscular issue. With Bradley and Frimpong unavailable early on, Arne Slot was forced to deploy central midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai in the backline. That tactical switch proved effective. Szoboszlai embraced the defensive role while retaining the stamina to contribute to Liverpool’s attacking play and his spectacular free kick decided a stale clash with Arsenal a fortnight ago.

Bradley returned to the bench for that meeting with Arsenal and was assessed fit enough to join up with Northern Ireland. He started against Luxembourg last week and then played the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 defeat to Germany. That Germany result was, incidentally, settled by another free kick from a Liverpool player, on this occasion Florian Wirtz.

The training images offered a guarded boost: Isak back on the grass after limited minutes for his national side, Frimpong moving freely following his hamstring setback, and Bradley continuing his return from a muscular problem. For now, the club will continue to manage each player’s minutes and monitor recovery as preparations continue.

Thomas Tuchel publicly commended Marc Guéhi’s response after Crystal Palace refused to sanction the defender’s late move to Liverpool. Palace were unable to find an adequate replacement on deadline day and elected to keep Guéhi, who will be available on a free transfer next summer. The 25-year-old was reportedly furious at the decision, but his behaviour since has won praise.

Tuchel singled out Guéhi after England’s 5–0 win over Serbia, a match in which the centre back scored his first senior international goal. “It’s the example of how the boys were in this camp, exactly like this.” the German coach said after the game. “They put their personal interests aside.

“He was the best teammate possible and a fantastic performance. Very strong for Crystal Palace and showed it today on the pitch.”

Guéhi also provided an assist and helped England keep a clean sheet in Belgrade. He declined to dwell on transfer matters after the final whistle and celebrated opening his England account. “I’m just over the moon,” he said. “It’s a fantastic feeling. You work really hard growing up, so to score a goal for your country is the best feeling.

“It’s been great. It’s always easy coming here, such a good group of players, good group of staff. We are all working towards one goal.”

England’s victory ensured they kept a perfect record after five matches in Group K of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying, and moved seven points clear of second-placed Albania. For Palace the immediate consequence is the retention of a key defender for the remainder of the season, even as the club faces the prospect of losing him on a free transfer next summer. Tuchel’s public praise framed Guéhi’s performance as an example of club loyalty giving way to national team unity.