Real Madrid turned down a late-season loan offer from Bournemouth for left back Fran García, despite the player’s wish to move. The Athletic reported García was nearing an exit in the final days of the transfer window as he sought to reunite with former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth. The Spaniard “reflected” his wishes to the club and the staff, but was left “disappointed” when Real Madrid decided not to go through with the deal.

García’s contract with Real Madrid runs until June 2027, meaning he will remain at the Bernabéu for the rest of this campaign at minimum. That permanence, however, does not promise increased involvement. He began the season expecting to be Álvaro Carreras’s backup but has slipped down Álvaro Arbeloa’s pecking order and now occupies fourth choice on the left.

He is currently behind Carreras and Ferland Mendy, once Mendy returns from injury, and has also been displaced by a tactical switch that has seen Eduardo Camavinga start twice on the left under Arbeloa. Camavinga previously featured there in an emergency role under Carlo Ancelotti.

García has been an unused substitute in Los Blancos’ last three matches. Since Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso as head coach, the left back has made only two appearances, totaling 78 minutes. Injuries could reopen opportunities, but as matters stand García faces extended spells on the bench and will likely have to wait until the summer to pursue a possible exit from the Spanish capital.

Real Madrid’s decision to keep García is consistent with the club’s general January caution in recent years. That conservatism carries risk; last season Ancelotti’s backline suffered heavy injury problems and the club made no midseason reinforcements. Los Blancos finished 2024–25 without a major trophy, losing La Liga, the Copa del Rey final and the Spanish Super Cup final to Barcelona.

Gary Neville diverted attention to Liverpool after their defeat at Bournemouth, using the south-coast result to sum up what he described as a season-long frailty. In commentary following the match, he highlighted defensive lapses and a bewildering spell when Liverpool were effectively down to 10 men.

The former Manchester United defender pointed to Virgil van Dijk as being “slack at the back” while the rest of the side “seemed to be taken over by a collective brain fog” as they continued to play with 10 men for six first-half minutes while Joe Gomez was receiving treatment off the pitch. Bournemouth took advantage and established a 2–0 lead during that period.

Neville made his observations ahead of United’s statement victory over Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, and did not hide his view that the Reds’ troubles have been sustained. “We’ve said before that United have had the opportunity to go into the top four but there’s no doubt the teams around them are struggling at the moment,” he beamed while in discussion with Sky Sports.

“Liverpool last night, what a soft underbelly they’ve developed in the last few months.

“We were so critical of United for dropping points against teams like Burnley and Bournemouth. Now Liverpool have gone and done it and they’re the reigning champions, so they have to pick up their fair share of criticism.

“I think it was a really poor result for them last night. They looked a bit soft and not there. You’ve been able to get at them all season.”

After the Bournemouth game, Slot initially tried to stress accountability. “The only ones to blame are ourselves,” he told assembled media after the latest Liverpool setback extended their winless run to five Premier League games. He also raised concerns about the conditions on the south coast after the defeat.

Neville’s comments reframed a single result as evidence of a deeper run of inconsistent displays, while Liverpool and their manager faced questions both about personnel moments in the match and about form across recent months.

Arne Slot defended his choice to leave Hugo Ekitiké among the substitutes as Liverpool fell 3–2 at Bournemouth, saying the decision was driven by squad management rather than form. The Dutch coach described the call as precautionary after the striker had missed time recently and with a congested schedule approaching.

“As you could see in our line-up, I decided not to play Hugo [Ekitike]. That was not because I didn’t like him or he wasn’t good against Marseille , it was simply because I only have one No.9 available for the upcoming weeks and months,” Slot argued in his post-match presser. “He was out two weeks ago and with so many games to play, you have to manage his minutes.”

Ekitiké did enter the game in the 59th minute, replacing Alexis Mac Allister. At that point Bournemouth led 2–1 after early strikes from Evanilson and David Jiménez. Virgil van Dijk had reduced the deficit with a header just before half-time, and Dominik Szoboszlai later rifled home a free-kick to level at 2–2, giving Liverpool hope of turning the match.

The visitors ultimately conceded in stoppage time when a long throw from James Hill sparked a scramble in the penalty area and Amine Adli found a late winner. Slot voiced the immediate frustration: “Frustrating, of course, because conceding a goal is always frustrating but especially if there’s no time left to come back into the game,” Slot bemoaned. “I think it’s safe to say they could have scored the 3-2 also a little bit earlier and what I mean with that is I think after we scored the 2-2, we were still trying but I think it’s safe to say a few players of ours ran out of energy.

“I cannot even criticise them for that because two days ago we had to play an away game in Europe. We are the only team that played [in the] Champions League that has two days between in this time.”

Liverpool now face three important fixtures over the next fortnight and could drop as low as sixth in the Premier League depending on other results, but Slot made clear his selection was aimed at preserving his lone centre forward for the busiest period ahead.