Liverpool have learned the price tag of Brentford forward Kevin Schade ahead of a potential January swoop. The 24-year-old has been in great form for the Bees, netting three goals in six at the start of this season.
According to Sky Sports Germany, Brentford have set their price tag in excess of £59million for Schade in January. Liverpool are not alone in the race for the German's signature, with Arsenal also linked with the winger.
Wirtz's biggest hurdle
Steven Gerrard suggested that Florian Wirtz's complete lack of confidence is the root cause of his inconsistency at Liverpool. The 23-year-old has struggled to meet expectations at Anfield since his £116million transfer last year.
Wirtz delivered his best performance of the season in midweek, setting up Bradley Barcola's second goal, but he's yet to score one himself in the 2026/27 campaign.
The ex-Reds skipper discussed Wirtz's predicament on the Stick to Football podcast, but maintained that the German sensation still has the potential to shine at Liverpool. "I am not denying that he is underperforming and that we should have seen a lot more given his price tag," Gerrard admitted.
"But I just think there is a chance, and it's happened previously, that players can turn it around. I think he's got the talent to turn it around, but his confidence is shot at the moment."
Iraola reveals conundrum
Liverpool bounced back from their heavy defeat to Manchester City by thumping LASK Linz 6-3 in the Champions League. The Reds secured their second European victory of the season on Wednesday against the Austrian outfit, with Andoni Iraola's side putting on a stellar display going forward, despite some shaky defending towards the end that allowed the underdogs to slot three past Alisson Becker in the final half hour.
Bradley Barcola bagged the first senior hat-trick of his career, while Lewis Koumas netted his first goal in the esteemed competition. Florian Wirtz chalked up an assist in the match.
Liverpool's six-goal haul in Austria featured four goal contributions from defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Ronald Araujo. The Dutchman chalked up two assists and a goal, while the summer recruit bagged his first goal for the club.
Five of Araujo's nine appearances have been at right-back due to Frimpong's defensive frailties and Conor Bradley being out of action through injury. However, they partnered each other on Wednesday and Iraola conceded the stark contrast between their styles at right-back significantly impacts the performance of the rest of the squad.
He commented post-match: "It is clear the difference in the team when we play with Jeremie and Ronald. The demands we put on the players are completely different. Jeremie helps us more offensively as he can arrive in the final third positions, but that does leave more space behind because you can't cover everything."
"Ronald is the opposite because he is more comfortable defending as a centre-back, but he doesn't give us the runs in behind, overlaps, or the options that Jeremie does. It is about us seeing what we need from the game, but we need to keep them both in a good place so we have those options during games. Until we recover Conor, I am happy to have those options."
