Liverpool Round-Up, Tuesday 6th October: Man City Referee Named as Jacquet Injury Scare Overshadows Build-Up
The big team news ahead of Sunday's huge clash with Manchester City centres on Jeremy Jacquet, who missed France's Nations League trip to Belgium with a hamstring issue, leaving Liverpool waiting on further updates (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool Echo). Liverpool.com has looked at three possible options Andoni Iraola could turn to in defence should Jacquet fail to recover in time (Liverpool.com). On a brighter note, Liverpool.com's international round-up and This Is Anfield both highlighted glowing praise for Jacquet, who has been dubbed a "line-breaking" heir to Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool.com) (This Is Anfield). Elsewhere in the squad, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak are also being monitored, with the Echo and Liverpool.com both running through the latest return-date picture before the weekend (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool Echo).
The referee for Sunday's game has been confirmed, with This Is Anfield and the Echo both reporting that Michael Oliver was left off the fixture, while Liverpool.com noted the official chosen has previously angered Andoni Iraola (This Is Anfield) (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool.com). The build-up is also being coloured by Manchester City's guilty verdict in their financial rules case, with Liverpool.com reporting on a further blow to City's appeal involving new "UEFA evidence" (Liverpool.com), and on Liverpool's own stance on the fixture amid the backdrop (Liverpool.com). Jamie Carragher has given his view on the matter too, telling Liverpool.com he feels a "hot" reception awaits City at Anfield, while in a separate piece he called for a multi-year punishment so that "players would move on" (Liverpool.com) (This Is Anfield).
On the France international front, Bradley Barcola endured a tough night against Belgium, with Liverpool.com and This Is Anfield both reporting that French media rated him poorly, including a reported 4/10 score and criticism of his "erratic" finishing (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool Echo) (This Is Anfield). Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, meanwhile, impressed for Georgia, with This Is Anfield reporting he made five saves including a stopped penalty (Liverpool Echo) (This Is Anfield).
There is also fresh transfer chatter around Florian Wirtz. Liverpool.com reports that Jurgen Klopp and Germany have shown what changes are needed to get the best from the playmaker following an upturn in form on international duty (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool Echo), though a German legend has reportedly urged him to leave Liverpool for a European giant, and an ex-Liverpool man has cast fresh doubt on his progress (Liverpool.com) (Liverpool.com).
Elsewhere, Liverpool and Arsenal are both reported to be interested in Fulham's Josh King, valued at around €60m, according to LiverpoolFC.com (LiverpoolFC.com). Liverpool.com also reports interest in Mexican wonderkid Gilberto Mora, with a reported £37m bid claimed (This Is Anfield), while another report suggests Liverpool are preparing a bid for a breakout World Cup wonderkid for future windows (Liverpool.com). On the move away front, Liverpool.com reports Michael Olise has reportedly asked for a transfer clause in a new Bayern Munich contract amid continued Liverpool links (Liverpool.com), while one of Andoni Iraola's unnamed Bournemouth stars has been talked up as "a good fit for Barcelona" by the Echo (Liverpool Echo).
In squad news, young defender Amara Nallo has returned to Liverpool after his loan at HJK Helsinki was cut short by injury, as confirmed by LiverpoolFC.com, the Echo and This Is Anfield (LiverpoolFC.com) (Liverpool.com) (This Is Anfield) (Liverpool Echo). Liverpool's U21s line-up to face Doncaster Rovers has also been confirmed by LiverpoolFC.com (LiverpoolFC.com), and This Is Anfield reports the club will debut a new Adidas third kit this evening with eight first-team players available (This Is Anfield).
Away from Anfield, Liverpool.com reports on how loanee Harvey Elliott is adapting at Valencia following a tough start in Spain (Liverpool.com), while BBC Sport spoke to Rio Ngumoha about the reasoning behind his scuba diving celebration for England, with Liverpool.com separately noting Thomas Tuchel's glowing comments on the 18-year-old's future (BBC Sport) (Liverpool.com).
Finally, on the ownership side, the Echo reports that Liverpool's finances could be about to boom following FSG's sale of a 38% stake to Amit Bhatia's 1892 Holdings group, with a verdict on Manchester City also leaving rivals "floored" (Liverpool Echo), while This Is Anfield has explained the full picture of who owns the club (This Is Anfield). Steven Gerrard also continued to make headlines, with the Echo and Liverpool.com reporting on his new managerial role, a "brilliant three-word response" to a Manchester United approach in the past, his naming of Wayne Rooney as the best player he played with, and the striker he says he would have signed "all day long" at Liverpool (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool.com) (This Is Anfield).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.