Andoni Iraola will face the media on Friday afternoon as Liverpool prepare for their first Premier League match in three weeks, with Manchester City visiting Anfield this weekend. The game comes days after City were found guilty by the Premier League's independent commission on virtually all charges relating to financial breaches.
Ahead of the match, the ECHO's Reds correspondent Paul Gorst answered fan questions on key issues including Jarell Quansah's potential return, young midfielder Luca Eden, Conor Bradley's injury, and possible January business.
Quansah's buy-back clause
TonyM asked whether Liverpool will activate the clause for Jarell Quansah next summer. Academy coaches always believed Quansah would become a mainstay of the England setup, and he has become an important player for Thomas Tuchel. The decision to allow him to move to Bayer Leverkusen in summer 2025 was taken reluctantly by key decision makers, who had watched him become a senior squad member under Jurgen Klopp and then Arne Slot.
That's why the club installed an unusual buy-back clause allowing them to bring the Warrington-born Quansah home in either summer 2026 or 2027. The clause is only active during a certain timeframe of the summer transfer window, and the fee is believed to be around £56m next year. Terms have already been agreed and signed by Quansah, so there won't be an issue if Liverpool seek to activate the clause. At a relatively modest sum by modern standards, there's a lot of upside to bringing Quansah back if he progresses further at Leverkusen.
Funds set aside for Ronald Araujo's potential £47m permanent move from Barcelona could instead be used for Quansah's return, but it is still early days. Liverpool's need for a long-term centre-back depends heavily on Virgil van Dijk's future, as he is out of contract next year.
Luca Eden's potential
Dom86 asked how excited fans should be about young Luca Eden. Eden has privately earned rave reviews from Academy staff in the last year, but there is also acceptance that too much pressure cannot be placed on his young shoulders yet. Football is littered with stories of the 'next big thing' who fails to make the grade, so Liverpool are keen not to hype up the teenage midfielder too much at this fledgling stage.
He is already in the record books, having become the youngest player to feature for the U18s when he was just 14 last November. Last month, the Wirral teenager became the youngest player to feature in the Under-19s UEFA Youth League when he played against Atletico Madrid at the Kirkby Academy, beating the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rio Ngumoha to that record. It is very early days, and there is no rush for Eden right now.
Conor Bradley's injury update
Red87 asked about Conor Bradley, who has been out since January with a knee injury. People spoken to at the time of his injury against Arsenal were keen to stress it was not an ACL issue, but reporting should not downplay the problem. There was vague hope Bradley might feature for Northern Ireland if they made the World Cup, but they failed to qualify, and a long-term approach to his rehab has been taken.
It is unclear if there was a setback, but Bradley does not appear to be nearing an imminent return, with Iraola always stressing the right-back remains a long-term absentee. Giovanni Leoni's and Bradley's injuries were not identical, but both were serious knee injuries. Leoni has been sidelined for 13 months and is only now nearing a return to training this month. Bradley has been out since January, so his recovery phase might still require more time. He is in the Champions League squad, meaning Liverpool believe he has a shot of playing some part before January.
January transfer plans
Ross asked whether Liverpool will do business in January. It is probably too early to say. The club were still assessing potential right-wing options before deciding to keep Cody Gakpo, and there was talk of late interest in Lamine Camara at Monaco. The squad is at least one midfielder short and light in the No.9 position until Hugo Ekitike returns to 100%. The midfield issue is the most concerning, but a lot depends on Trey Nyoni's development. Gorst would be looking at the centre of the park for January if he were newly-appointed sporting director Julian Ward.
Man City sanctions
@TheRedReadLFC asked whether the sanctions will fit the crime at Man City. There is no precedent for Manchester City's case, so predicting an appropriate punishment is an impossible task. Their nine-year "systematic" breaking of the rules, to quote Premier League CEO Richard Masters, means the punishment has to fit the crime. This cannot be a points deduction, a transfer ban, or a fine.
Demotion to the Championship, even with the inevitable fire-sale for their big names, is also too lenient a punishment, given they would retain the framework of a super club that would absorb the sales and leave them well placed to return quickly and eventually challenge again in the Premier League. In order to send an unequivocal message that cheating won't be tolerated, City needs to be sent to the bottom of the Football League pyramid at the very least. League Two would allow the EFL additional money from TV rights for at least three seasons and would significantly decelerate the City juggernaut.
