Andoni Iraola secured his first win as Liverpool manager with a 2-0 victory away at Ipswich Town, as record signing Alexander Isak scored his first brace for the club. Two quick-fire goals inside the opening nine minutes settled the contest at Portman Road, with Liverpool comfortably seeing out the win behind an imperious performance from Virgil van Dijk and another promising outing from Jeremy Jacquet. Ronald Araujo also caught the eye with his defensive qualities, determination and aggression after being selected at right-back ahead of Jeremie Frimpong.
Barcola cameo and January plans
There was a brief cameo for new £123m summer signing Bradley Barcola, whose scintillating pace and deft footwork as a second-half substitute offered a glimpse of what is to come. However, the former Paris Saint-Germain winger may not be the last wide player to sign for Liverpool this season, as the January window offers possibilities to address squad gaps not filled over the summer.
Minteh transfer hope
Iraola appeared poised to make Yankuba Minteh his new right-winger last month, but Brighton stayed stubborn in their bid to retain the 22-year-old. The Seagulls turned down offers of £50m and £60m from the Reds, with the Gambian international staying at the Amex Stadium for the time being, according to the Mirror.
However, the Spanish coach has been given fresh hope that Minteh could head out of Brighton after manager Fabian Hurzeler suggested the £70m-rated forward might depart during the winter. The 33-year-old German boss said: "If the whole team is successful and the individual shines then Yankuba will get a lot of attention again and he can then maybe fulfil his dream in the next transfer window."
Hurzeler said Minteh, who has 10 goals in 73 games for the Seagulls, is "definitely" committed to Brighton despite missing out on a move to England's most successful football club. "He has been with us for two years now as part of the squad. He has achieved great things together with the boys," said the German. "It's also about him now to commit. In the end, we always say we want to be successful as a club and then you can shine as individuals."
N'Guessan signing announced
The Reds also received welcome news following the September 1 transfer deadline, confirming a deal had been struck to secure Djylian N'Guessan. The announcement was officially made on Friday, with the Saint-Etienne striker, 18, due to join Liverpool on a permanent basis in January in a £4.3m transfer. The youngster has been loaned out to Ligue 1 side Stade Brestois for the 2026/27 season.
N'Guessan has turned out 13 times for Saint-Etienne, netting once, and featured seven times for France during their U20 World Cup campaign last year, where they claimed fourth place.
