With the January transfer window approaching, Liverpool’s clear priority in the mid-season market has been hammered home by another injury to versatile defender Joe Gomez.

Gomez signalled to the bench just over 20 minutes into the 2-0 victory over Brighton at Anfield and was forced off with a hamstring injury.

The 28-year-old will undergo a scan to determine the severity of the issue, and while as yet unknown it is clearly not positive news for Arne Slot.

This ends Gomez’s longest run in the side – four starts, one substitute appearance – since December 2024 and comes with a mounting list of absentees for Liverpool.

And joining youngster Giovanni Leoni on the sidelines, any extended spell out for Gomez should highlight the need to sign a centre-back in January.

Liverpool’s centre-back options – and who Slot trusts

Slot has, after all, already accepted that his only remaining centre-backs have played too much football for this stage in a season.

“Sometimes players need rest as well, so look at Dominik, Virgil, Ibou, Ryan. They’ve played so many minutes because other ones weren’t available,” he told reporters before the visit of Brighton.

“So it’s good for them we go now to a run of games where there’s one week rest in between.”

Virgil van Dijk has played every minute of every game so far in the Premier League and Champions League, with Ibrahima Konate clocking the third-highest total of minutes throughout the squad (1,942).

Slot considers Ryan Gravenberch among his emergency options in the position, but not only is the Dutchman already first-choice No. 6 but he too has clocked 1,654 minutes so far – the fourth-most for Liverpool.

Wataru Endo is another of those viewed as a makeshift backup but is himself sidelined for a number of weeks with an ankle injury, while Andy Robertson continues to be rotated with Milos Kerkez at left-back.

Then consider the head coach’s admission that he is “almost happy that we’re out of the League Cup.”

It is clear that neither Amara Nallo or Wellity Lucky (pictured above), 19-year-olds who came off the bench in that 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the fourth round, are seen as viable deputies yet.

Is it really outrageous to suggest that Liverpool could be a Konate setback away from seeing Dominik Szoboszlai fill in alongside Van Dijk?

Who Liverpool could sign at centre-back: Guehi & 6 more

Therefore with just over a fortnight until the transfer window reopens it makes sense for Richard Hughes and his recruitment team to be weighing up the possibilities in the market.

An obvious solution would be to revisit the deal for Marc Guehi, who was a medical away from securing a £35 million move to Anfield on deadline day in September only for Crystal Palace to dramatically pull out at the last hour.

Guehi has restored his focus admirably, captaining Palace during an impressive first half of the season, but has already made clear his intention to leave when his contract expires.

Knowing that they will lose Guehi at the end of the season presents a conundrum for those at Selhurst Park: accept a reasonable fee mid-season or allow the 25-year-old to leave on a free in the summer.

Much would depend on their ability to source a replacement and clearly there is no guarantee.

Liverpool have been credited with an interest in a number of others, including Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande and Zeno Debast, Club Brugge’s Joel Ordonez and Wolfsburg’s Konstantinos Koulierakis.

All fit the basic profile: aged 22, 22, 21 and 22 respectively, with vast experience already at a high level including, for Diomande, Debast and Ordonez, in the Champions League and all regular starters for their countries.

Another to be heavily linked with a move to the Premier League champions is Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, while Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni is of confirmed interest.

It is however unlikely either would fall into the ‘market opportunity’ bracket when it comes to a January transfer, with mid-season moves often complicated.

Liverpool’s stance on January signings

Liverpool will avoid any snap decisions when it comes to signings, particularly as the circumstances aren’t as dire as those that prompted the arrivals of Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak in 2021.

But if the right deal presents itself, they can hardly afford to ignore it, as even with Slot’s first-choice partnership currently fit it is a situation which is precariously balanced.

With Konate yet to commit to an extension to a deal which expires on July 1 and Gomez joining Leoni and Endo on the injury list, a centre-back signing must be a priority for January.

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Hugo Ekitike has become the first Liverpool player to reach 10 goals before Mohamed Salah in any season since 2019/20, highlighting his early impact at the club.

Ekitike made it back-to-back braces in the Premier League when he followed up his double in the 3-3 draw with Leeds with another against Brighton on Saturday.

Per Opta’s Michael Reid on X, with the Frenchman hitting the 10-goal mark, he is the first player to reach double digits before Salah since Sadio Mane did in the 2019/20 campaign.

Salah’s struggle for consistency in front of goal came before his issues with Arne Slot became public and Liverpool have needed another forward to step up.

That player has been Ekitike, with stats via FotMob underlining the impact the £79 million signing has already made.

Ekitike’s record shot count vs. Brighton

Though he opened the scoring with his first effort just 46 seconds into the game on Saturday, Ekitike was far from clinical.

In fact, his shot accuracy over the course of 78 minutes on the pitch was just 29 percent.

But that belies the expectations around a centre-forward: even if they miss 71 percent of their shots, if they score two and win the game that is all anyone will care about.

Not only is Ekitike the first Liverpool player to reach the 10-goal mark before Salah in six seasons, he is the first striker to be the first to 10 since Daniel Sturridge in 2013/14.

That comes with the 23-year-old averaging more shots per 90 minutes this season than any of Slot’s other regular starters (3.53).

Ekitike attempted seven shots on goal against Brighton, which is the most of any player in any Liverpool game so far this season:

• Hugo Ekitike – 7 vs. Brighton
• Dominik Szoboszlai – 6 vs. Burnley
• Mohamed Salah – 6 vs. Atletico Madrid
• Cody Gakpo – 5 vs. Burnley
• Cody Gakpo – 5 vs. Man United
• Mohamed Salah – 5 vs. Brentford
• Dominik Szoboszlai 5 vs. Real Madrid
• Alexis Mac Allister – 5 vs. Nottingham Forest
• Virgil van Dijk – 5 vs. PSV Eindhoven
• Hugo Ekitike – 5 vs. Leeds

Of Liverpool players to attempt 10 or more shots in all competitions this season, their No. 22 has the highest rate of goals per shot (0.19).

From his fellow forwards, Cody Gakpo is third in the list (0.11), Salah and Federico Chiesa joint-fifth (0.09) and Alexander Isak joint-sixth (0.08).

Hugo Ekitike vs. Alexander Isak

Ekitike partnered Isak in a two-man attack for only the second time in the 1-0 win over Inter Milan in midweek, but with forward options short Slot reverted to a one-striker setup at Anfield.

That continued the battle pitched between Ekitike and the most expensive player in British football history.

But while Isak sparked more concerns with the lack of urgency he showed in a 12-minute cameo against Brighton, Ekitike displayed the all-round game that makes him a more viable starter at present.

Not only did he top the charts for shots and, of course, the decisive goals, the France international made six defensive contributions and won six of his eight duels (75%).

Isak has so far started 10 times for Liverpool and the most defensive contributions he has made in a single game is four – against both West Ham and Sunderland – while he is yet to win more than 50 percent of his duels in any game.

There is, however, a sign of improvement in the Swede’s work off the ball: in his last three starts he has made a combined 11 defensive contributions, while in his previous seven starts he managed a combined 13.

It is not the primary function of either player, but a Liverpool striker is expected to put a shift in both on and off the ball.

And with fond memories of Roberto Firmino still lingering, it is telling that Ekitike is far more involved and comfortable in buildup play.

That it comes with question marks over Salah’s future and Isak yet to get going signals that a player who appeared an afterthought when that £125 million deal was struck on deadline day may well be Liverpool’s new attacking star.

FotMob is an essential app for every fan to keep up to date with their team or follow football worldwide, their incredible features provide all you could ever want and information you never knew you needed! You can download the FotMob App here.

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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has sung the praises of Hugo Ekitike, with the Frenchman in superb form after his two goals against Brighton.

Ekitike was the Reds’ match-winner on Saturday, scoring a bracing to seal an important 2-0 win in the Premier League.

He has now netted four times in his last two league outings, and in an interview with Stan Sport, Slot lauded his impact, following his latest star turn for Liverpool.

“I think he was impressive in moments today,” Slot said.

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“The goals he scored were in themselves good goals, but I think there were other moments where I thought ‘wow’.

“And there were a few times when he made a sprint, you could see how fast he is compared to others. That is, of course, why we wanted him, apart from the goals he can score.

“It’s good to see that he and many others who have come during the summer are making steps and making progress.”

Also speaking to Stan Sport after the game, Ekitike assessed a good afternoon, even though he didn’t manage to bag a hat-trick.

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“I wouldn’t say perfect because I know I could score way more today, but obviously the most important thing was to win in front of our fans,” Ekitike said.

“So it’s a good day at work, yeah.

“I was looking for the hat-trick, but it’s going to be another time, but two goals is good.

“We try to stick together, work together. Even today wasn’t easy, at the end of the game we had to stay compact.”

When asked what the aim for the season is now, Ekitike added: “When you play for Liverpool, you just have to win games, so it’s hard to answer.

“But when you see the games coming, we are Liverpool, we need to win.”

Ekitike Liverpool’s surprise signing of the summer

Ekitike’s arrival at Liverpool almost went under the radar this summer, considering Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz both arrived for record-breaking fees.

The 23-year-old has been the pick of the Reds’ new signings, however, scoring seven goals in 15 Premier League appearances, only 10 of which have been starts.

Touches Ekitiké took before his Liverpool goals this year:

1, 2, 1, 3, 3, 1, 2, 1, 3, 3.

20 touches for 10 goals. One goal started from the halfway line as well. Elite touch efficiency. pic.twitter.com/0OQU5JcPfA

— hT ?? (@half_turn) December 13, 2025

Ekitike’s combination of pace, trickery and nerveless finishing make him a potent weapon for Slot, and he is the clear first-choice striker over Isak at the moment.

At 23, there is still so much more to come from him, and he will hope to lead the line for France at next summer’s World Cup.

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Liverpool’s record goalscorer Ian Rush is recovering from flu in hospital, having spent two days in intensive care.

The 64-year-old was taken to the Countess of Chester hospital last week after suffering from breathing difficulties.

Rush then spent a couple of days in intensive care with flu, but is now on the mend after recovering from the worst of it.

A Reds spokesperson has said that “everyone at Liverpool wishes him a speedy recovery,” also thanking the hospital for “providing the best care possible for our legend and ambassador of the club.”

Rush is Liverpool’s leading scorer of all time, finding the net 346 times in 660 appearances – a record that may never be broken.

He once joked that Mohamed Salah is frustrated by how many goals he scored for the Reds, in terms of making it too big a tally for even him to catch.

“I speak a lot to Mo Salah, Mo keeps saying why did you score so many goals!” Rush said.

“He is thinking he might break my record. He would have to be there a good few more years if he is going to break that record.”

Only five players have appeared more times for Liverpoool than Rush – Ian Callaghan (857), Jamie Carragher (737), Steven Gerrard (710), Ray Clemence (665) and Emlyn Hughes (665).

• READ: Ian Rush’s beautifully heartbreaking message in honour of Diogo Jota

He also won five league titles and one European Cup with the Reds, as well as scoring 28 times in 73 caps for Wales.

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Rush moved to Anfield from Chester City in 1980 for £300,000, spending six years there before joining Juventus for a couple of seasons.

Rush then returned to Liverpool in 1988, where he remained until the end of the 1995/96 campaign, prior to sealing a move to Leeds.

We’re wishing you a speedy recovery, Rushy.

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There was plenty to feel positive about from Liverpool’s 2-0 win at home to Brighton, but has Mohamed Salah played his last game for the club?

The Premier League champions picked up three much-needed points on Saturday, thanks to Hugo Ekitike‘s well-taken double.

Here, This is Anfield’s Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) and The Redmen TV’s Dan Clubbe (@dan_clubbe) discuss a positive day for Liverpool and Salah’s future at Anfield.

The good

DAN: Three more Premier League points and unbeaten in five!

A few weeks back, I’d have scoffed at such a run and hankered for a more swashbuckling performance, but as things stand, I’ll take them as they come.

In terms of the overall display, there appeared to me more fluidity in attack and slightly more collective solidity in defence.

Certain individuals have certainly raised their game in the last fortnight – Jones and Ekitike stand out, and dare I say even the much-maligned Ibou has looked slightly more composed.

HENRY No defeats in five – it all feels a bit happier, doesn’t it?

The performance may not have been a classic, but the Reds got the job done and showed that they are still playing for Slot.

I’m with Dan that Ekitike and Jones were the best players – what a signing Hugo is looking. He just has that X-factor.

Jones has added a lot to the midfield of late, too, and looks a more mature player than he ever has.

Seeing Mo back in the squad, and on the pitch, was clearly great, too. God I hope he stays.

The bad

DAN: Note how I didn’t mention the clean sheet in the good. This was a clean sheet by name only.

Fortunately, Ali is boss and Brighton left their shooting books on the south coast because the ease with which they got between our lines and into dangerous areas was still a little alarming.

It’s not quite crisis mode yet with injuries, but fast approaching it.

Gomez has been superb recently and we can’t seem to keep a right-back fit, so any layoff would be a hard pill to swallow.

Fingers crossed we get positive news on Szoboszlai.

HENRY The Gomez injury was a rare negative – the poor guy just cannot catch a break.

Losing Dom, easily our best player this season, for the festive period would also be a massive blow.

As Dan says, it was still too easy for Brighton to create chances, and on another day, the result could have been very different.

But I’ve had enough of moaning recently, so it’s wrong to focus on too many negatives!

Has Salah played his final game for Liverpool?

DAN: Whatever Salah’s send-off was, it was just nice to see him out there, doing things slightly resembling him!

I didn’t read much into the serenading of him post-match. If this were to be goodbye, I feel like he would’ve gone a step further.

Inclusion in the squad, and an introduction inside 20-odd minutes, feels like an olive branch from Slot and the club, so I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Mo just yet.

There was enough from his performance to give hope that we can at least kick the can down the road until the summer.

HENRY I’m actually very torn – my head says he could still leave but my heart says he’s staying.

I agree with Dan that it would have been a more emotional goodbye if Mo was off, which gives me hope.

He is still clearly a player well short of his best, but Liverpool will always be better for having him around.

Hopefully, AFCON sorts him out and he returns in much better form, which admittedly often doesn’t happen when he plays in it.

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Alexander Isak continues to struggle in a Liverpool shirt, with supporters concerned by what they saw from him against Brighton.

Hugo Ekitike was the Reds’ match-winner on Saturday, scoring both goals in their 2-0 victory over the Seagulls, but Isak had to settle for a place on the bench.

Liverpool’s record signing replaced Ekitike in the second half, again looking off the pace, as has been the case since joining from Newcastle.

A 31, 33 & 34 year old on the counter-attack… not sure what else I expected ? pic.twitter.com/vUoWFYiMLD

— Couch Nish ?? (@CouchNish) December 14, 2025

Every other player would shoot from there, but Fede Chiesa was trying to find Salah ?

My guy, he plays for vibes ?? pic.twitter.com/4IaCNwOI3o

— Living Liverpool (@Livin_Liverpool) December 13, 2025

The 26-year-old twice looked sluggish on counter-attacks in the space of five minutes when he came on, not busting a gut to get forward, and these Reds fans have aired their frustration.

Apart from Isak’s rare goal he’s been easily the worst signing in history so far, he’s so off the pace it’s unbelievable. It’s as if he’s aged 80 years during his strike. Three glorious counter attacks today and he was too slow to read the game and actually get his legs running

— Stü Smith (@StuSmithlfc) December 13, 2025

Our main striker Isak jogging while we're on a counter is a sight to behold

— LFC NEWS (@LFCTransferNRS) December 13, 2025

Why is Isak nowhere in these counter attacks?

— Arne Slot (@JosephPepper) December 13, 2025

5 counter attacks in the last 15 minutes and Isak wasn't there for any of them.

Last one even featured Van Dijk.

— Mush (@TalkingTooMush) December 13, 2025

Isak is such a lazy footballer.

— O L A W A L E (@Wale_XYZ) December 13, 2025

Crying at Isak just giving up on that counter attack when this was only 5 mins after he came on https://t.co/cy2Az9oROK

— Marvin (@_MarvinOnyango) December 13, 2025

VVD and Robertson is sprinting forward on a counter, with Isak nowhere to be seen on the screen. Absolute joke.

— Ryo – Bonjour Sports (@ryo_bonjour) December 13, 2025

we cant keep blaming isak on slot coaching when every time he comes on he looks like the slowest player on the pitch

— CJ (@a_radioheadache) December 13, 2025

The frustration with Isak is understandable, considering he arrived as a world-class signing and the most expensive player in Liverpool’s history.

The Swede has looked a shadow of the player who shone so often for Newcastle, scoring 62 goals in 109 appearances, looking short of form, fitness and confidence.

That said, there is no need for an overreaction with Isak, who still has every chance of becoming the game-changing signing many expected him to be.

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His lack of a pre-season will surely be playing a part in his struggles, and once he reaches full match sharpness, the goals will hopefully start to flow.

Isak has a lot of work to do if he is to oust Ekitike, though, with the Frenchman Liverpool’s best signing of the summer.

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