Liverpool Round-Up, Saturday 24th October: Storm Boelo Casts Doubt Over Brighton Clash as Iraola Backs Wirtz
Liverpool's Premier League meeting with Brighton is under a cloud this weekend after Storm Boelo was forecast to bring winds of up to 80mph to Merseyside, with a decision on a possible postponement expected to be made in due course (Liverpool.com). Fans heading to Anfield have also been warned that while Saturday's heavy downpours should ease, Sunday could still bring tricky conditions in the build-up to kick-off (Liverpool Echo). On the team news front, Brighton are reportedly without six players for the trip, though Yankuba Minteh could be in contention after 11 weeks on the sidelines (This Is Anfield), while a wider look at the squads suggests as many as 15 players across both sides could be missing, including Dominik Szoboszlai and Kaoru Mitoma (Liverpool.com). The latest likely lineups and TV info for the clash have also been previewed (This Is Anfield), with official team news confirmed through LiverpoolFC.com (LiverpoolFC.com).
Andoni Iraola has been talking up his squad ahead of the Brighton game, naming five positions Ryan Gravenberch can play and identifying his best position (This Is Anfield). The Liverpool boss has also strongly defended Florian Wirtz amid criticism, saying cold body language "doesn't do him any favours" and offering his support for the German while praising what he's seen from Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool Echo) (This Is Anfield). Elsewhere, Virgil van Dijk has stressed the importance of Liverpool maintaining their momentum going into the game, while also singling out three teammates for special praise in a dressing room verdict (LiverpoolFC.com) (Liverpool.com). Liverpool Echo also report that Iraola has found a new 'undroppable' player, with Peter Crouch adding his own message about Rio Ngumoha's rise, while a separate piece looks at two issues Liverpool must address as the Cody Gakpo situation is explained (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool Echo). Djibril Cisse has also been discussing the squad, backing Hugo Ekitike to come back stronger from injury and tipping Bradley Barcola to soon cause problems for Premier League defences (Liverpool Echo).
On the transfer front, Liverpool.com report that the club has made contact over a $114m midfielder from Germany as part of a growing shortlist of targets (Liverpool.com), while LiverpoolFC.com note the Reds are also scouting a £50m gem (LiverpoolFC.com). Liverpool.com add that the club could instead target a $40m right-back wonderkid as an alternative (Liverpool.com). There's also a report linking Liverpool with a possible replacement for PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with the Reds tipped as the most likely destination (Liverpool Echo), while another piece revisits Kvaratskhelia's own reasons for previously snubbing a move to Anfield in favour of Paris Saint-Germain (Liverpool.com). Elsewhere, a Bayern Munich chief has taken aim at Liverpool over Florian Wirtz, though a transfer has been ruled out (This Is Anfield).
There was also contract and squad news, with reports suggesting Liverpool have reached a decision on handing Alexis Mac Allister a new deal, with TeamTalk naming him the club's best player under Iraola this season (TeamTalk). This Is Anfield add that Mac Allister rejected interest from Atletico Madrid in order to prove Liverpool wrong (This Is Anfield). Away from midfield, one Liverpool defender is said to be expected to leave in January before his contract expires, with both loan and permanent exits on the table (Liverpool.com), while the club has also made a decision over recalling Ifeanyi Ndukwe from his loan at Levante following a meeting with the Spanish club (Liverpool.com).
In the women's game, Liverpool's WSL clash with London City Lionesses was previewed with 11 facts to know ahead of the fixture (LiverpoolFC.com). On the Academy front, it was a mixed day: the U21s fought back for a draw at Chelsea thanks to goals from Wright and Danns (LiverpoolFC.com), with their line-up against Chelsea confirmed beforehand (LiverpoolFC.com), and Jayden Danns, just 15, took another step forward by scoring again (Liverpool Echo). The U18s, however, were beaten in a league clash away at Manchester United (LiverpoolFC.com), while a youth fixture against United also produced a chaotic nine-goal thriller that went the visitors' way, including a screamer from Luca Eden (This Is Anfield).
Finally, there was plenty of reflection on Liverpool's past. Jamie Carragher and Xabi Alonso reminisced about how they first struck up a friendship during their playing days together (Liverpool.com), with Carragher also recalling his foul-mouthed first impression of the Spaniard (Liverpool.com). Charlie Adam has tipped former teammate Craig Bellamy for a "top manager job" after his promising start in charge of Wales (Liverpool.com), while Steven Gerrard has emerged as the favourite for the Burnley job as he's linked with a return to management (Liverpool.com). There was also a look back at a famous Old Trafford victory on this day five years ago, with Liverpool Echo revisiting the delirious scenes among travelling fans (Liverpool Echo). Elsewhere, Curtis Jones compared his new life at Inter Milan to his old Liverpool days (Liverpool.com), Darwin Nunez was said to have sent a telling private message to a current Liverpool player (Liverpool Echo), Ronald Araujo opened up on reaching a "breaking point" with depression (This Is Anfield), an ex-Liverpool star revealed Michael Owen never apologised following a public rant (Liverpool Echo), and another former player discussed being released by Liverpool against the wishes of the manager at the time (Liverpool Echo). Fans were also invited to test themselves with a quiz on every Liverpool player to score a Premier League hat-trick (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.