Liverpool

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We asked you to tell us one thing - good or bad - related to Liverpool that nobody else is talking about.

Here are some of your replies:

Robel: Darwin Nunez. Where does he fit in this team and what is his part? Given his wages and price tag, will he be OK becoming a back-up? Diogo Jota seems to be (rightly) first choice for Arne Slot and he can also play false none. So what's to become of Darwin?

Chief: No-one is talking about the ruthless dumping of Wataru Endo. He worked wonders last season to pull us out of a dire situation, after we missed out on our primary targets. Now he has been cut off at the knees, with apparently no way back into this style of play. I feel for the guy.

Anthony: The one thing I don't think people are talking about is the players who are yet to play. Harvey Elliott, Endo and Nunez, to name a few, have all been sparingly used in the first three games. After the international break, we move to two games a week and that is when we will have a better understanding of where we are in terms of potential. The next few games will tell all.

Smudger: There were a couple of interesting signings at the end of the window - but what does that mean for Caoimhin Kelleher? He is a talented goalkeeper who is Premier League quality, but will be spending another season as our number two and then what? Will he stay and be number two behind Giorgi Mamardashvili or will he leave? Has Mamardashvili signed to be number two behind Alisson?

Brendan: Luis Diaz's sensational form. He looks like the player he was before injury and his father's kidnap - with his pace, trickery, guile, link-up play, ability on the counter-attack and clinical finishing. Mo Salah gets the headlines, but Diaz has been every bit as good.

Jay: Nobody is talking about how Trent Alexander-Arnold is nailed on to go to Real Madrid. Yes, he is a Red through and through, but he is also good enough to be playing for Real, especially as a couple of old hands have retired from there this summer. As a life-long Liverpool fan of over 40 years, I would gladly wave him off with thanks and good wishes, knowing he will do fantastic there.

Liverpool are keen to offer defender and captain Virgil van Dijk a new deal to extend his stay at Anfield beyond the summer. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Saturday's full gossip column

There's always so much noise at the start of the season and 2024-25 has been no different.

We've even asked you this week where you think Liverpool will finish, based on their start to the season and how the transfer window unfolded.

But now we'd love a little more detail. When it comes to the Reds, what is the one thing nobody is talking about yet - good or bad?

Tell us over here, external

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Liverpool fan and broadcaster Dan Clubbe says a situation where Mohamed Salah is in the final year of his contract "should never have been allowed" to happen at the club.

Salah has made a fine start to the season, with three goals in his first three games under new manager Arne Slot, but fuelled talk of a possible exit by saying this is his "last year" with the Reds after Sunday's win over Manchester United.

"He [Salah] said Liverpool haven't spoke to him yet [about a new contract] which I think is crazy," Clubbe told Total Sport Merseyside's Phil Munns.

"A little bit crazy from a Liverpool perspective that we haven't done that.

"When you look at what Salah is doing on the pitch there's no real thought that enters your mind that there isn't more to come from him.

"Optically, to not give somebody like Mohamed Salah a new contract would not be a good look. There was £150m on the table deadline day last season from Saudi Arabia. Liverpool have been very good with their finances but letting someone of that calibre and that ilk leave the club for free wouldn't be that.

"He's in the final 12 months of his deal and it should never have been allowed to get to this - nor with Trent Alexander-Arnold, nor with Virgil van Dijk.

"I think it's primarily just to do with a bit of disorganisation in the backroom which isn't associated with Liverpool in general. There has been strange handovers."

Despite the talk over his future, Salah looks energised on the pitch after a summer of rest and has been a shining light in Slot's fast start.

"I was guilty maybe last season of starting to question whether we had seen the best of Mohamed Salah," Clubbe added. "Write him off at your peril.

"As a footballer, he's very much still at the peak of his powers. He is just sublime.

"He has normalised what he's able to do on a football pitch in terms of sheer numbers and sheer output. Not only that, his all around play is still very much of the highest order. He's just a constant threat, a constant thorn in sides."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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This has not caused a major stir yet but give it time. Some of the greatest players in Premier League history, who are currently playing brilliantly for their clubs, have been allowed to run into the final year of their contracts without any sign of renewal yet.

Kevin de Bruyne, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk to name but three, have not been offered new deals and no negotiations have yet started.

This would appear unthinkable stupidity regarding any top player because they will be free agents when their contracts run out. But there is that one vital obvious factor: their ages.

Salah is 32, with Van Dijk and De Bruyne both 33. These guys are paid fortunes and huge new contracts going forward are rightly perceived as a potential risk.

Players cannot stay at the top forever. Age and injuries catch up with us all in the end, however much they play like Supermen.

But surely these guys' performances at this level cannot fall off the edge of the cliff that quickly?

Try saying that to any top-level Premier League executive and he will probably answer with a one-word, rhetorical question: "Casemiro?"

Pat Nevin was writing for the BBC Football Extra Newsletter

The joy and despair of football.

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Just the despair.

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Some things you wait for.

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And others never take long to arrive.

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There are awkward moments.

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There are planned moments.

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Chaotic moments.

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Sometimes there are moments of genius.

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And, occasionally, the moment just calls for romance.

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Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is keen on signing a new deal to extend his stay at Anfield. (Liverpool Echo), external

Liverpool are planning to open contract talks with Salah in the near future. (Talksport), external

The Reds hope to have the 32-year-old's future settled before the January transfer window. (Football Insider), external

Alternatively, Liverpool expect Salah, defender Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson to all move to Saudi Arabia next summer. (Caught Offside), external

Meanwhile, Liverpool and Newcastle United are likely to have to pay a release clause - of above the current £70m asking price - to sign 24-year-old England defender Marc Guehi, if he signs a new Crystal Palace deal. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

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We asked you for your views on how Liverpool have started the season - and where you thought they might finish.

Almost half of all respondents believe the Reds will win the Premier League title, and your comments suggest supporters are happy with how Arne Slot's reign at Anfield has started.

Here's a snapshot:

Gus: I think the team looks good. Mohamed Salah looks really sharp. My only concern would be down the line if and when we get injuries, which will happen for sure like every season for every team. It would be good to have another defensive midfielder like everybody is already saying, but I will agree with those who say don't buy for the sake of buying.

Richard: When Jurgen Klopp announced he was leaving, I said that whoever took over was inheriting a club run at grade A from top to bottom. Slot has stamped his own way on the squad but subtly, tweak here, tweak there. I even said the squad just needs a couple of tweaks, nothing too drastic. Let's see what the autumn brings - so far, so good.

Toby: Amid a summer of anticipation but uncertainty with the departure of Klopp, I don't believe many people were expecting the start we've had. While the likes of Salah and Trent Alexander-Anrold have continued to play with their flowing confidence and superb technical ability, it is Gravenberch who has arguably been the biggest success story. Title race is on!

Joel: It's a good start by Liverpool and Slot, but it's only three games in so I'm not getting carried away. Slot seems to have the measure of the Premier League and its big players. I've been impressed by him. Now we just need Mo, Trent and Virgil van Dijk to get their pens out and sign.

Gez: Gravenberch has been sensational in his new defensive midfield role, to the point that we're no longer missing someone to play the number-six position. In fact, he could arguably be the best number six in the Premier League, especially when he bursts forward with skill and pace before threading a pass through to Liverpool's quality forward line.

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Liverpool look really strong.

I am not surprised by their results so far this season - my surprise comes more from the fact Arne Slot has managed to change and implement his style of play so soon.

We all know Liverpool to be a high-intensity team because that is how they were under Klopp, but they look more controlled now.

I really like what Slot is doing because they do still pick their moments to break with fast transitions, while also being more controlled. He has managed to get the players on board with this new style so quickly and they have adapted really well to it. This shows he clearly has great leadership and that the players respect him.

Slot seems like a very calm man and he clearly trusts in the squad that he has got. When he was questioned by the media about bringing players in, he always spoke about the quality that they have within. That is because he has inherited a very good squad from Klopp.

For any manager to go into Liverpool and replicate what Jurgen Klopp did, would be a big ask. Pressure comes with that, along with the fact Klopp was a fans favourite.

But they look very good this season, and very much like what they did a few season ago.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Ian Kennedy
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter

Liverpool could probably have done without the international break, such is the momentum they have gathered in the opening weeks of the season. Three games, three wins and no goals conceded.

Ipswich away was awkward against a newly promoted side. Brentford had the dynamic of Arne Slot’s first home game, and Manchester United at Old Trafford was seen as Liverpool first big test. In the end, the Reds have come through all three with relative ease.

Federico Chiesa watched from the stands on Sunday, no doubt relishing the prospect of playing in that team, but also knowing competition for places will be fierce. Ryan Gravenberch was again excellent and the midfield in general looks strong and, although it is only three games, Slot has not tinkered much with his starting XI. No need to, I suppose.

And whatever the future holds for Mohamed Salah, his early form suggests he is as hungry as ever for goals, and Luis Diaz has been superb, as he was again at Old Trafford. A razor-sharp forward line and a solid defence certainly augers well for the season ahead.

Slot has had a dream start.

The dust has settled on the transfer window, the Premier League is well and truly back, and we are into the first international break of 2024-25.

So we want you to predict where Liverpool will finish in the Premier League this season - thinking about the start to the campaign and summer transfer business.

Submit your prediction here

And also, please tell us what is the one thing - good or bad - you have learned about the Reds so far in the campaign?

Let us know your thoughts here, external

Liverpool are planning to open contract talks with 32-year-old forward Mohamed Salah, after he said this was his "last season" at the club following their win against Manchester United. (Football Insider), external

Pumas UNAM manager Gustavo Lema says Liverpool tried to sign their 23-year-old Mexico winger Cesar Huerta. (TUDN - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah says that nobody at the club has talked to him about a new contract.

If not resolved, then the Egypt international will depart Anfield next summer for free.

Speaking on the Football News Show, Reds fan Dan Clubbe says they must "move heaven and earth" to keep Salah.

Watch The Football News Show here

Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

Liverpool didn't buy a new number six this summer, much to the dismay of the fanbase.

But if we had done and they had performed as well as Ryan Gravenberch in the opening three matches we would be losing the plot.

The Dutchman has been sensational.

The new formation under Arne Slot, and his role in a double pivot, suits him perfectly. He is unbelievable on the ball and completely ran the show against Manchester United.

So dominant was Gravenberch in midfield, Casemiro was subbed at half-time and Kobbie Mainoo - who stayed on - must have wished he had not have been.

The 22-year-old struggled last season to influence games. He made odd decisions and could not fulfil the offensive and defensive demands of Jurgen Klopp's roaming number eight position.

But under Slot, Liverpool keep the ball more and take less risks in possession. Gravenberch can tick the game over but also inject pace into it, with a surging run through central areas or an incisive pass.

Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have formed a lovely partnership at the base of midfield, with Dom Szoboszlai given a more attacking role ahead of them. All three have started the season on fire - looking fitter and sharper than the end of last term when their form fell off a cliff.

Whatever Slot and his fitness team have done so far, it is working. But with Liverpool light in terms of bodies in central midfield, he will now be crossing his fingers nobody gets injured during the international break.

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

New York Times journalist Rory Smith says it is "very surprising" that Liverpool haven't spoken to Egypt international Mohamed Salah about a new contract, with the forward's current deal at Anfield set to expire next summer.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Smith said: "We should take Mohamed Salah at his word - he said that this is his last season at the club and this is his last time at Old Trafford.

"I don't think it was an attempt to lure Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes to the negotiating table.

"There is no reason to disbelieve Salah that no-one from Liverpool has talked to him about a new contract. I feel like that is something that probably should have happened by now."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

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Italian football expert Rav Gopal says new signing Federico Chiesa "is perfect for Liverpool" and his style of play suits the Premier League.

The 26-year-old, who has joined from Juventus, will complement a forward line already boasting Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz.

"Liverpool fans should be very excited," Gopal told BBC Radio Merseyside. "They have got a player who can contribute a great deal.

"They have signed him at the right time as he is getting back to his best following his ACL injury and his further niggles. At around £10m, it is a bargain price."

So what makes him such a promising prospect?

"He is very much a front-footed and direct player so he will suit the Premier League," added Gopal. "He likes to beat his man and occupy the spaces, so the deal is perfect for Liverpool.

"He has been playing as a second striker, but the football Juventus have been playing is very pragmatic. They have not been explosive, so their supporters feel he has been a little repressed.

"What he will offer Liverpool, maybe more than anything else, is his mentality. He is very strong willed and he loves to change the game. He isn't arrogant or cocky, but he believes in his ability and he might feel he has a point to prove in this Liverpool team. That will give him another edge."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

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Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton says "it is still early days but it has been a perfect start" for Arne Slot at Liverpool.

The Reds are unbeaten in their opening three games of the season and go into the international break second in the table behind Manchester City.

"I don't want to go overboard about Liverpool because we are only three games in and they have beaten, with respect, Ipswich, Brentford and an awful Manchester United side," Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "We don't want to be getting the bunting out yet!

"The most impressive thing is that Slot has come in - understated and cool - and they have slightly changed the way they play as it is not so frantic. They were great to watch under Jurgen Klopp but there seems to be greater control.

"All of the club talk in the summer transfer window was about getting a defensive midfielder in, but in the opening games all of the players who have been put there have been so intelligent.

"They have shown that the number six position will not be too much of a problem because they have talent that is adaptable."

Listen to Monday Night Club on BBC Sounds

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.

Christian asked: Given the opposition so far (including a poorly performing Manchester United), can we really read much into Arne Slot's start at Liverpool?

Phil answered: Very fair question, Christian. What we can say is that Arne Slot could not have done any better.

He has inherited a superb squad from Jurgen Klopp, which is a rarity for a new manager taking on another job, but you can see the buy-in from the players already.

And while it is very much business as usual, there are also subtle differences. Liverpool look a bit more controlled under Slot as opposed to the thrilling, but occasionally chaotic, approach under Klopp - that did bring great success.

The signs are good. He is doing it his way without trying to be Klopp. He also has an air of authority.

A superb start... although just a start.

Liverpool and Arsenal are among the clubs closely monitoring Palmeiras' 18-year-old Brazilian centre-back Vitor Reis. (Caughtoffside), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Manchester United and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

United fans

Barry: Liverpool were better than us. Time will tell if we're heading in the right direction. Remember Jurgen Klopp and Sir Alex Ferguson won nothing until their fourth seasons, so it takes time. To finish in the top four you don't have to beat Liverpool, but you do need to grind out results when not playing well and this United team seems incapable of doing that.

Lawrence: An absolute disgrace. I have been a United supporter for 63 years in good and bad years but this is an absolute disgrace. People say players are to blame but they’re not the ones picking the team. Erik ten Hag is just not good enough.

Kieran: What are my thoughts? Sorry BBC but I'm going to need a lot more than 350 characters - can I have another six or seven boxes please? Full-backs too far forward too early; one central midfielder has got no legs; the other has got no real experience yet; wide players scared to take anyone on. Bruno Fernandes' weak mentally; Joshua Zirkzee dropping deep and offering nothing; no patterns of play...

James: Simply outclassed. Out-muscled in midfield, chances taken by Liverpool and missed by United. No improvement on last season so far. Just hope there will be some improvement as the season progresses. Casemiro is too slow and Marcus Rashford has lost his enthusiasm.

Liverpool fans

Mark: Liverpool are the dark horse for this title. A lot of people are talking about Manchester City and Arsenal as the main contenders and I'm sure that will suit Liverpool well. United are nowhere near challenging with this manager.

Ilias: I do believe Arne Slot has organized the chaos. This is particularly evident in defence and midfield. The team looks confident and calm, and Virgil van Dijk was imperious. Nice times ahead for us Liverpool fans.

Rooks: Slot-ball is looking very good from a fan point of view. Defensively, we are looking so good right now. Other than the first 10 minutes, at no point was I concerned that United would score. If Ryan Gravenberch can play this well and makes that defensive midfield position his own, well we will have a lot to cheer about come May time.

Rob: Controlled and aggressive. An excellent performance by the team. As Mohamed Salah mentioned post-match, they are running more, being more aggressive and more considered with the ball. I'm probably in a minority by saying Jurgen Klopp had run his race, and the players looked done, but the change has definitely worked wonders.

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Liverpool fan Neil Atkinson of the Anfield Wrap speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast: "Liverpool looked really, really sharp, worked hard, looked like they knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing and and were clinical. In real contrast to Manchester United.

"Manchester United were never going to pose that much of a problem. The gap between Manchester United and Liverpool is bigger than the gap between Liverpool and Manchester City and Arsenal at this point in time.

"Yesterday's game confirms that there's some sides are in the race for fourth at best and Liverpool are in the pack with Manchester City and Arsenal looking to see who lifts the title."