Ryan Gravenberch has suffered a heel fracture and remained on Merseyside as we travelled to Istanbul, while Alexis Mac Allister has revealed he was told last season that the club had no immediate plans to renew his contract. Over in the opposition camp, Fenerbahçe have finally found their new head coach, and it isn’t Sérgio Conceição.
Wednesday’s Champions League game kicks off at 5.45pm UK time. On the transfer front, Rio Ngumoha’s Bayern link comes from a Bild opinion column, and there’s a thin new left-back link.
Gravenberch: fractured heel
Andoni Iraola confirmed at his pre-match press conference that Gravenberch has suffered a heel fracture. The 24-year-old wasn’t in the 22-man travelling squad and is being treated at the AXA Training Centre.
“It’s a fracture of the heel. It’s about the pain. He has been with some discomfort,” said Iraola. “The other day against Arsenal he was warming up and he was not fully confident. He hasn’t improved since then.”
Asked about Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace, he said: “I don’t know, it’s a day-to-day thing… If he can be available for the weekend, lovely, he would be a very good help for us. But I cannot tell you right now.” The club haven’t given a return date.
Mac Allister: ‘Anything can happen’
Mac Allister has spoken about his future in an interview with Argentine journalist Gastón Edul. “We’re in a situation where I have a year and a half left on my contract,” he said. “Last season I was told that the club’s idea was not to renew it, at least for now. And obviously, that was a painful, unpleasant situation.”
The 27-year-old says staying at Liverpool remains his priority, although he believes his situation could change: “The reality is that the manager has now changed, the sporting director has changed, and new investors are coming into the club. So I think I’m now in a position where anything can happen.”
His contract runs until the summer of 2028. There’s been no comment from the club.
Fenerbahçe: Emre, not Conceição
This morning’s reports had Conceição closing in on the Fenerbahçe job, but the move fell through during the day. Turkish media say the two sides couldn’t agree on the length and value of the contract, while Fabrizio Romano, aka Rent-a-Tweet, says Conceição would rather wait for a job in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahçe have instead confirmed the appointment of their former midfielder Emre Belözoğlu as head coach in an official stock exchange filing tonight. The filing doesn’t state the length of his contract, although Turkish reports suggest an 18-month deal. The 46-year-old former Newcastle midfielder previously managed Fenerbahçe on an interim basis in 2021 and returns from Kasımpaşa.
Dirk Kuyt fronted today’s press conference as interim head coach, calling the game “a very, very special occasion” for him. There has been no official word on who will take charge against us on Wednesday. So much for all that Kuyt homework.
Iraola and Gakpo in Istanbul
Iraola wants a fast start: “We have to start the game strong and try to kill the confidence and the momentum they can have with the supporters.” We’ve won all three league-phase games so far, and he added: “For us, it’s a good chance to get to 12 points.”
Iraola also praised Trey Nyoni: “He is playing most of the games, or even all the games lately, so we trust him. He is doing very well.” He also confirmed he hasn’t asked for an explanation of Sunday’s penalty calls: “I don’t have time.”
Cody Gakpo admitted the Arsenal decisions were frustrating, joking that “maybe we should dive some more like the gaffer said”, before insisting: “But no, like I said we play pretty fair.” On the title race, he was blunt: “At the moment, nine points.”
Team news
Gravenberch is out of the Fenerbahçe game and a doubt for Crystal Palace. Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo are unavailable after being omitted from our Champions League league-phase squad. A muscle issue is sidelining Jeremie Frimpong, while Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitiké and Giovanni Leoni continue their recoveries from long-term injuries.
Fenerbahçe will be without injured pair Nathan Aké and Marco Asensio. Kojo Peprah Oppong is doubtful, while Jayden Oosterwolde has been sidelined since August. France’s Clément Turpin is the referee, and our Under-19s face Fenerbahçe in the UEFA Youth League at 11am UK time.
Transfers
It’s been quiet from the likes of David Ornstein and Paul Joyce.
Rio Ngumoha: Bild’s football chief Christian Falk has suggested Bayern Munich should move for either the 18-year-old or Manchester United’s JJ Gabriel in January, rather than wait until next summer to strengthen their wing options. However, Bild’s own news report says Bayern’s bosses aren’t planning to buy in January, with chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen answering “No, I don’t think so” when asked. Ngumoha’s contract runs until 2028. Credibility: Low.
El Hadji Malick Diouf: Senegalese outlet D Sports reports that we, along with Chelsea, have made contact over the 21-year-old Brentford left-back, with an eye on next summer. The claim originates from a single Senegalese outlet, and Brentford only signed him this summer. Credibility: Low.
Lamine Camara: nothing new since this morning. Credibility: Medium on the long-standing interest, Low on a January deal.
Murillo, Alejandro Balde and Nico Schlotterbeck: nothing new.
Apart from Mac Allister’s comments, we’ve identified no other significant developments from reliable sources concerning contracts, ownership, investment or senior club staffing today.
Fixtures (UK times)
Wednesday 4 November: Fenerbahçe v Liverpool, Champions League, 5.45pm
Sunday 8 November: Crystal Palace v Liverpool, Premier League, 2pm (Sky Sports)
Sunday 22 November: Liverpool v Manchester United, Premier League, 4.30pm (Sky Sports)
Wednesday 25 November: Club Brugge v Liverpool, Champions League, 8pm
Sunday 29 November: Everton v Liverpool, Premier League, 12pm (TNT Sports)
Wednesday 2 December: Liverpool v Sunderland, Premier League, 7.30pm (Sky Sports)
Saturday 5 December: Chelsea v Liverpool, Premier League, 12.30pm (TNT Sports)
Wednesday 9 December: Liverpool v Porto, Champions League, 8pm
Week beginning 14 December: Liverpool v AFC Bournemouth, Carabao Cup quarter-final (date and time to be confirmed)
All kick-off times are GMT.
