Liverpool
Slot cautious as Isak limps off after goal assisted by Florian Wirtz
Slot said it was ‘not a good thing’ after Isak limped off; his left knee appeared to twist awkwardly
Arne Slot gave a guarded assessment after Alexander Isak was forced from the pitch following his goal in Liverpool’s win over Tottenham Hotspur. The 26-year-old summer recruit converted a first-time finish after Florian Wirtz slid a perfectly weighted pass into Isak’s stride, but his celebration never began. Spurs centre back Micky van de Ven’s challenge missed the ball and caught Isak, whose left knee appeared to twist awkwardly while his studs were caught in the turf.
Isak was left writhing on the turf and, after lengthy medical attention, had to be helped off with an arm draped across two physios. Slot declined to offer a firm medical update straight after the match. “We’ll have to wait and see,” he warned. “It is too short after the game to speak about it but it is never good when a player has to come off.”
“I don’t have any news on him,” the Liverpool boss reiterated in his postmatch press conference, “but if a player scores, then gets injured and then doesn’t come back on the pitch and doesn’t try to come back … that’s usually not a good thing.
“But I cannot say anything more than that, that is just [a] gut feeling. Nothing medical to say about it.” Slot had not yet spoken to Isak by the time of his media duties but worked to emphasise positives from the brief cameo.
Slot noted the link between the club’s two most expensive signings of all time. “It’s a good thing that he scored: a good goal, assisted by Florian Wirtz,” he said. “I said last week already players are getting better and the team is getting better. Again, it wasn’t perfect today, especially not in the last 10 minutes, but in the meantime we pick up points and I see the team developing in a way I like to see.”
The strike was Isak’s second Premier League goal for Liverpool and his first at Anfield remains pending. It was also the first assist Wirtz had created for a teammate in England’s top flight. Wirtz’s pass for Isak was recorded as his 27th Premier League chance created this season; the previous 26 had not resulted in goals.
Liverpool
Mbappe reveals why Liverpool move was rejected for PSG
Mbappé explains why he chose PSG over Liverpool in 2017, despite Klopp and his mother’s support.
Kylian Mbappé has explained for the first time why he chose Paris Saint-Germain over Liverpool in 2017, despite strong encouragement from his mother and co-representative, Fayza Lamari.
At the time, Liverpool had made a serious push for the forward, with Jürgen Klopp winning over Lamari during the pursuit. She visited the city, the stadium and met the people, and came away convinced the club was special. Mbappé recalled how firmly she backed the move, saying: “My mom was a big fan of Jürgen Klopp and the favourite destination for my mom was Liverpool . She wanted me to go there,” Mbappé told The Athletic . “I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I was someone. But yes, my mom was always saying ‘Liverpool—you’re going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be insane for you.’ I was like, ‘O.K.!’
“She went there [for] the first step of the negotiations. She went to the city, she went to the stadium, she met the people. She was like, ‘It’s a wonderful club, everybody’s so kind, it’s a family club, a big club.’
“She went to Anfield and fell in love with it. She watched a few games alone, to feel the atmosphere, because she wanted to imagine me in this stadium.
“All the time we were talking. ‘What do you think, Mom?’ She’d say, ‘For me, you have to go to Liverpool. I said, ‘O.K., O.K., O.K.!’ because Jürgen Klopp was an amazing manager. I met him and had a wonderful relationship with him. I had big respect for him.”
Klopp later described the attempt as “the most expensive non-transfer we [Liverpool] invested in,” and recalled the unusual private-jet meetings that took place during the chase. But Mbappé made clear that his mind was elsewhere. “I said to him, ‘Whatever decision I take is going to be a good decision because we are talking about some of the biggest clubs in the world.’
“It’s a funny story. But in the end I took the decision to go to PSG because for me, born and raised in Paris, there was no better feeling than to show I could be a star in my home town.”
His mother had one final reaction after the PSG move. “You’re a genius at football, Kylian,” Mbappé’s mother told him in the summer of 2017 when he moved to PSG. “Aren’t you going to be bored in Ligue 1?”
Liverpool
Mac Allister steps back from contract comments as Liverpool call remains unresolved
Mac Allister says his contract comments came from emotion, not criticism, as Liverpool weigh his future.
Alexis Mac Allister has softened the tone of his recent remarks about his Liverpool future, saying his comments were driven by emotion rather than any attempt to criticise the club.
The midfielder had disclosed that his agent was told during contract discussions that Liverpool are “not in a position to renew”, with his current deal running to 2028. He also said he had rejected the chance to leave in the summer transfer window, which left the impression that he was applying pressure publicly. Two weeks later, while arriving in Argentina for national team duty, he made clear that was not his intention.
“In that press conference, because they were asking me a bit about my future, it just came from within,” he admitted. “It was more about my emotions than judging the club or anything like that. In the end, they’re the ones who handle these things and make the decisions. That’s fine with me.”
Mac Allister remains under contract for this season and next, and he has previously said he would “give 100% for [Liverpool] … until the last day I’m here”. He still hopes for a new agreement, but also accepts that the situation may move in a different direction.
“Hopefully it’ll be for more years,” he said of his time at Liverpool. “But if it’s two, that’s absolutely fine. I’ll enjoy it, enjoy it with my family, because I have no doubt it’s one of the best clubs in the world.”
From Liverpool’s point of view, a long extension does not appear as straightforward as the deals handed to Gravenberch and Szoboszlai. The club is wary of committing heavily to a player who turns 30 in December 2028, especially with resale value in mind and recent examples shaping caution.
If a renewal does not happen, the most logical outcome would be a sale next summer. Real Madrid have previously been linked, while Paris Saint-Germain could also view him as a possible answer to Fabián Ruiz, who turns 31 this season.
Bournemouth
Carragher urges Iraola to confront Wirtz question after another subdued outing
Carragher says Iraola may soon have to decide on Wirtz after another low-impact Liverpool display.
Jamie Carragher has asked Andoni Iraola to make a difficult call on Florian Wirtz, arguing that the Liverpool midfielder’s level for Liverpool remains far below what was expected when he arrived last summer.
The discussion intensified after Liverpool’s narrow win over Bournemouth on Sunday. Wirtz started in the No. 10 role and was credited with three chances created, but his influence on the game was limited. He finished with 0.05 expected assists and 0.22 expected goals, while every attempt he made was blocked immediately. Carragher felt the performance offered little evidence that the player is moving closer to the standard Liverpool hoped for.
“Nothing is happening there at all,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.
“That was one of the poorest I’ve ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt. I’ve been critical of the fact that he hasn’t got the numbers. But normally when you watch Wirtz, he’s neat and tidy, he keeps possession, there’s things that you like. He gets out of a tight situation where you’re normally expecting your player to lose the ball.”
Carragher’s view has now shifted beyond form. He suggested the issue may not be temporary, but instead representative of what Wirtz actually is.
“I worry [because] I don’t think Wirtz is in poor form since he came to Liverpool. I actually think what we’re seeing is what he is. It was just in the back of my head [for 12 months].
“I don’t see how he’s going to hurt you. It’s just neat and tidy. And in some way, the price tag for that type of player should be half of what Liverpool have paid. The worry for Wirtz now is that his performances so far, or what he’s given Liverpool, is so low. Where we were expecting him was to take Liverpool to another league title, to take Liverpool to a Champions League .”
He added that the “gap” between expectation and reality is “almost too big” to close, even with improvement. Carragher compared Wirtz with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Morgan Gibbs-White and Emiliano Buendía, who he believes are adding more regular value for their teams.
That led to the question of selection. Carragher pointed out that Iraola has already been willing to leave Ryan Gravenberch out for much of the season, and said Wirtz should be judged in the same way, especially with Manchester City next after the international window.
“Wirtz wouldn’t be in my Liverpool team. Manchester City at home, for me, he can’t be in the team,” Carragher said. “The things I’ve liked so far about Iraola, he’s had the courage to make big decisions. Ryan Gravenberch has just signed a hefty contract on a five-year deal on massive money. He’s not playing. Sooner or later he’s going to have to make a decision on Florian Wirtz. I hope it’s sooner. Not because I don’t like Florian Wirtz, I’m desperate for the kid to do well. I just want Liverpool to win.”
