Liverpool news: Marc Guehi transfer plan grows clearer as alarming Mo Salah message sent

View 4 Images

Liverpool have continued to contend with criticism this week following their tough start to the season. The reigning league champions endured a horror October that saw them fall to four defeats across all competitions.

Arne Slot's side are already down to three competitions following their 3-0 home loss to Crystal Palace , which saw the Reds boss make wholesale changes to his squad. That defeat certainly hasn't helped speculation surrounding his future.

Mohamed Salah's surprisingly below-par performances have led to the Egyptian facing unprecedented scrutiny from media in what could be his penultimate season at Anfield after signing a two-year deal earlier this year .

Mirror Football now takes a look at some of the latest news coming out of Anfield, with Slot handed a transfer hint over a key target, a former Red claiming Mohamed Salah's decline has already long been happening, while Florian Wirtz is told his absence from the starting line-up could be a positive.

Liverpool's defensive issues would perhaps have been solved, or at least helped, if Marc Guehi's deadline day transfer didn't collapse. While a deal in the range of £35million had been agreed for Guehi's move to Anfield, Igor Julio's rejection of Crystal Palace in order to join West Ham saw the Eagles pull the plug.

It was last month that Oliver Glasner confirmed that the Palace captain would depart the club next summer upon the expiration of his contract. The admission no doubt saw rumours float about a potential January exit for Guehi in what would be Palace's last chance to capture a transfer fee for the prized possession.

That, however, was seemingly shut down by Palace chairman Steve Parish, who hinted the England defender will not be leaving Selhurt Park in the winter transfer window. In an interview with Men in Blazers , he said: "We needed to keep Marc because the difference between us having a stellar season and having a relegation-threatened season is us winning five games or not.

View 4 Images

"So the margins in the Premier League are very tight and you have to remember that Michael [Olise] has gone, we’re OK, Ebbs [Eberechi Eze] has gone, we’re OK, Wilfried [Zaha] went, we’re OK. There’s a limit to how much you can keep doing that before you break down the fabric of the team."

Discussing the last-minute breakdown of Guehi's Liverpool move, Parish showered praise on his captain's character in the face of missing out on a significant transfer. "It was a very marginal call," the businessman explained.

"Marc was great about it as a person. Liverpool made the offer. It was a massive club, he was obviously interested in going. But he was fine about it, staying, if that was the decision we made. Obviously it means all of the ball is in his court tremendously as a player and he’s got the choice of wherever he wants to go. It was a very difficult one but I think definitely the right one."

It's certainly been a strange start to the season for the Reds and especially Salah, who has taken the league by storm every year since his Anfield arrival in 2017. The decline of his goals and assists has not only negatively impacted the club's fortunes on the pitch, but has also looked to have caused a major drop in his confidence.

While he did score a stunner in the Reds' 3-2 loss to Brentford, his overall performance was uninspiring yet again and perhaps a reminder that Salah is 33 years old and can't remain at the top echelon of the sport forever.

It was ex-Liverpool star in Emile Heskey who suggested Salah's decline has been going on for three seasons, despite recording a record-breaking season last year of 34 goals and 23 assists. The former England striker told 10bet Casino: "I think it’s a bit of both. Yes he’s out of form, but there’s some decline that is inevitable as you get older, too.

View 4 Images

"Anyone who is in their 30s, you start to see a bit of a decline. It won't be massive, because he’s such a professional, and he looks after himself very well. I think for me, this isn’t anything new. It’s not sudden, it’s been going on for two or three seasons.

"There have been games where he hasn’t done well for the most part, but he’s scored a goal and we overlook the rest of the performance. Whether it’s one or two goals, just a penalty, or a tap-in at the end of the game. We forget about the game because of the goal.

"Now, we’re in a position where for the most recent period, he hasn’t scored goals, and he hasn’t contributed. Now we point the finger at him, and it isn’t a new phenomenon. Mo, though, is interesting.

"He’s one of those players that you never want to take off, because he always is a threat regardless of his form. That’s the problem with him sometimes. It’s difficult for a manager, because you always want to leave Mo Salah on. He’s a goal threat, but if he doesn’t score, he can look anonymous, like you’re playing with 10 men."

Among many Liverpool issues, the form of Florian Wirtz has been one plaguing Slot throughout the season. The £100million man has yet to showcase the form that saw him become one of the world's leading players at Bayer Leverkusen.

It was only in the Reds' 5-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt that the German finally recorded a goal contribution, aside from the assist he got for Hugo Ekitike's goal in the Community Shield back in August. While Slot hasn't shied away from benching Wirtz in games against Chelsea and Manchester United , Joe Cole believes it may be time for the Dutchman to hand Wirtz a prolonged period of time on the sidelines.

Speaking to Paddy Power , the former Reds man cited the disjointedness of Liverpool's midfield and said: "Yes, Florian Wirtz’s signing has disrupted the Liverpool midfield, but not in a way that can be laid at Florian Wirtz's feet. There's no doubt he's a top player.

View 4 Images

"You don't play number 10 for Germany, and win the league over in the Bundesliga, and produce what he did at Bayer Leverkusen, without being quality. We know he's quality, and he's shown it in flashes. Don't lay the blame on the four players coming in, or the four players coming out, or the manager, it’s just a collection of everything."

Cole suggested reintroducing Wirtz into the starting line-up come January, but admitted it'll be an incredibly tough call for Slot to make given how much of the summer's expenditure was spent on the German's arrival.

“In hindsight, if Liverpool could do a restart of the season, they'd have probably put one or two players into the team, and we'll keep with what we're doing, and just gradually change it, and by January, you'll start looking to get Wirtz into the squad, into the team regularly, giving the time to come off the bench," he explained.

"It's all well saying that, but Slot trying to explain to the owners who just bought you a £100 million player while he's on the bench is going to be a difficult sell. It's a collection of about three or four different things, but Wirtz is a quality player."

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.