Liverpool are leading the race to sign Bournemouth and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, 25, but Tottenham Hotspur cannot be discounted. (Teamtalk), external
Meanwhile, Barcelona are closely monitoring Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, 25, but Liverpool are still favourites to sign the England international. (Cadena SER), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.
We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.
Here's BBC Sport's Liverpool fan writer Jordan's effort.
And you can ask us about the Reds using the Liverpool Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here
Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external
Liverpool's hopes of signing Antoine Semenyo, 25, from Bournemouth in the January transfer window have been dealt a blow with the Cherries unwilling to sell the Ghana winger during the season. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.
While some players were automatic selections (Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Mohamed Salah), other positions were a touch more difficult.
Jamie Carragher just gets the nod over Sami Hyypia while Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez were tied for votes.
Given Gerrard has always cited Suarez as the best he played with at Anfield, we've gone with the captain's nod in this instance but lovers of Torres, at least you know your man was close.
As for the base of midfield, Ryan Gravenberch's impressive form sees him included ahead of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Dietmar Hamann.
Another title incoming?
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesThe statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?
So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.
On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.
However, this has not been the case for all teams.
For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.
In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.
"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.
"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.
"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.
"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."
The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?
Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.
"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.
"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.
"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."
The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?
"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.
"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."
Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here
With Mohamed Salah due to play for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in December and January, Liverpool continue to be linked with a January move for Bournemouth's 25-year-old forward Antoine Semenyo, whose country Ghana failed to qualify. (Liverpool Echo), external
Liverpool are planning a serious bid for AZ Alkmaar's 19-year-old Netherlands midfielder Kees Smit. (Soccer News via TeamTalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images"Home advantage gives you an advantage."
It is a quote - among many - attributed to the famous former England manager Sir Bobby Robson - a simple, yet fair reflection of a historical format of football.
For as long as teams have played in leagues, games taking place home and away has been the norm, with the idea that playing at home will be to the benefit of that team.
But what is the impact of playing at your own ground in front of your own fans?
In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "Home impact can be viewed in two ways. Sometimes it does have a positive impact, and what happens is there is an elevated motivation.
"What that means is the crowd energy increases adrenaline and that creates a momentum in effort and intensity in the players. It is also a familiar environment for the players, so that means it reduces the cognitive load. They don't have to think as much about anything else other than their play because they know the pitch, they know the routines, they feel settled.
"However, there are a couple of potential negative impacts as well, with the potential intensification in pressure in the home fans, most times, expecting dominance from the home team. That can lead to mistakes from players feeling bigger to them.
"There can then be what we call a threat state. The players might perceive consequences as high, so they feel they might be facing more criticism when they are at home."
While those who watch football know there are more factors than just where the match is being to take into consideration, the statistics do suggest the influence is there.
Since the Premier League started, the home win percentage has outweighed the away win percentage in all bar one season - the Covid-hit 2020-21 campaign in which fans were largely not allowed admission saw a 38% home win rate compared to 40% away win rate.
So how a team handles this additional crowd pressure seems to be a key factor.
"In psychology, there is something called the challenge and threat theory," Cartwright said.
"In reality what that means is a 'challenge state' can push the player into thinking, 'I've got this, I've got the resources to cope with this'. That leads to better decision making and quicker reactions.
"The threat state, on the other hand, players might think the consequences outweigh their ability to cope. In any match context, that can mean they have a narrow sense of focus, the focus is not quite the same, so the play becomes slower because of overthinking."
"It can also be called 'red brain or blue brain' - with red brain being the one with fear-based dialogue and internal negative self-talk, while blue brain is the cool, calm and collected one that can handle its emotions.
"What sits in the middle of these is distraction. How a player responds to distraction and filters out the noise, like the crowd, can impact which of these mindsets they move into and ultimately how the team performs."
Read more from Marie in part two of her chat about why teams some teams play better away from home and how it impacts managers - that will be on this page early next week.
We wanted your suggestions for Liverpool's all-time best Premier League XI.
And you delivered!
Here's some of your selections:
Carl: 4-3-3. Alisson. Trent, Sami, Virgil, Robbo - very easy to pick that back four. Steve G, Xabi, Mascherano - tough leaving out Hendo, Gini and Fabs. But the others are world class. Sadio, Suarez, Salah - what I would give too see them play together in their prime! It's obvious to me that our greatest Premier League team in general has been the last seven years, but we've had world class midfielders before then - and Suarez is Suarez.
Kyle: 4-2-3-1. Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Agger, Van Dyke, Robertson, Gerrard, Alonso, Salah, Suarez, Diaz, Torres. Balanced squad full of absolute ballers, Agger and VVD solid at the back, Gerrard and Alonso spraying passes, Salah and Diaz taking on defenders. Suarez and Torres banging goals!
Dan: Alisson, Trent, Hyypia, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gerrard, Alonso Mac Allister, Salah Suarez, Mane. Maybe the only surpirse would be Mac Allister but imagine that midfield three with Alonso and Mac Allister sitting slightly deeper than Gerrard!
Marc: Alisson, Rob Jones, Hyypia, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gerrard, Alonso, Wijnaldum, Salah, Torres, Suarez. Jones was a phenomenal player, Giggs never got anything. The rest of the defence speaks for itself, the midfield has everything and the forwards would score bucket loads for fun. Unbeatable.
George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist
In a recent addition of the Football Extra newsletter, Roger asked BBC Sport: Players are frequently injured on international duty - such as Chris Wood for New Zealand last season, which may have ultimately cost Nottingham Forest a Champions League place. Are clubs compensated by the country or does insurance cover compensation?'
Since 2012, Fifa's Club Protection Programme has covered the salary of players injured on international duty - although there are some conditions.
Firstly, the player must be out of action for a period of at least 28 consecutive days and the injury must have been sustained during an "accident", which is defined in very boring and legally-specific detail in Fifa's guidelines, though it covers most of the examples you could think of.
The scheme pays the salary of an injured player up to the maximum amount of €7.5m (£6.6m) until they are declared fit to return for their clubs.
Transfermarkt lists Chris Wood as missing 18 days - three games - with the hip injury you mention from last March, suffered on international duty with New Zealand. As he returned inside 28 days, Forest would not have been eligible to claim compensation.
There are a couple of clubs who will currently be beneficiaries of this scheme though, including Newcastle United, whose £55m summer signing Yoane Wissa is yet to make an appearance since suffering a knee injury while playing for DR Congo.
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George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesThere is no getting around the fact that £116m is an awful lot of money.
Even in today's football economy, where a few shirts and a keyring at the club shop might set you back a similar amount, £116m is a startling sum.
Given the same figure would be comfortably enough to buy an entire football club anywhere outside the Premier League, it is the sort of price tag that demands an immediate return on investment.
It is for that reason, among a myriad of other issues at Liverpool, that Florian Wirtz is fast becoming the most worrisome.
Briefly a British transfer record signing, Wirtz has been thoroughly underwhelming since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, but let's preface this with a slight concession: he hasn't been dreadful.
Despite the obvious challenge of adapting to his new surroundings, Wirtz has cut a busy figure for Liverpool, determined to show his worth.
According to stats compiled by Fbref, of Premier League players in his position the 22-year-old is well within the top 10% of performers for passes attempted, progressive passes and shot-creating actions, and is just outside the top 25% for touches in the penalty box.
There have been moments of excellence too - a little turn here, a crafty ball there and his flick to Mohamed Salah at Chelsea may have been the best of the lot.
He is certainly not hiding.
Yet 'not awful' doesn't cut the mustard after a nine-figure outlay. Nor should it, even mitigating for relative youth and the challenge of adapting to a new league.
Though his price tag was not his choosing, expecting him to begin conducting the orchestra rather than simply chiming the triangle is not unreasonable.
The German started five of Liverpool's first six Premier League games, a streak that has flipped to just two of the last five since the start of October. He's also yet to contribute a goal or assist domestically.
Head coach Arne Slot has moved Wirtz across multiple positions, playing both centrally and more recently at left wing. As a result, it is perhaps understandable that consistency has not followed.
But part of the reason he has been shifted out wide is a response to his impact in the number 10 position that he was ostensibly signed to play in.
Slot has already figured out that Liverpool currently lose more than they gain from playing Wirtz centrally, and that's what should concern supporters hoping to see him succeed.
Technically, he undoubtedly has the ability to succeed but physically, he has been bullied and bounced to the periphery of far too many games already.
Speaking after Liverpool's 3-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday, Gary Neville likened him to a "little boy" while former England star Joe Cole branded him "lightweight".
At 22 years old, Wirtz could yet find his feet in the Premier League, though a year of beef burgers and deadlifts might be just what he needs.
Image source, Getty ImagesLiverpool fan Abigail Rudkin speaks to BBC Radio Merseyside about the Reds' current league position and title prospects: "I don't want to be that fan that says 'yes it's over' and then everyone is laughing at me in the future when we do some miraculous comeback and Arsenal slip.
"There's that thing inside of me that they can slip up. But then Manchester City are there and you know how Liverpool fans feel about City - they are relentless.
"For us to be able to be up there, it just feels like an impossible task now. To have five defeats... we only lost four last season.
"There's lots of points to be had but it just feels like there are too many problems there. There is so much wrong. I hate to feel so negative."
Listen to Abigail here and get more clips from Radio Merseyside on their BBC Sounds page
Watch a clip of Abi below where she jokes she hopes Liverpool boss Arne Slot doesn't use the international break for a holiday having frustrated some fans with a trip to Dubai during the last break in the calendar.
Liverpool and Tottenham are eyeing Bournemouth and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, 25, to reinforce their attacks. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesWe wanted your suggestions for Liverpool's all-time best Premier League XI.
And you delivered!
Here's a first bunch:
Gary: 4-3-3. Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Hyypia, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, Suarez, Salah. Just the best of the best.
Jamie: 4-3-3. Reina, Arbeloa, Van Dijk, Hyypia, Robertson, Alonso, Gerrard, Henderson, Mane, Suarez, Salah. I think the defence would give us protection and stability. The midfield would be able to cut defences open and run all day. The forward line will score lots of goals and torture defences.
Matt: 3-1-4-2. Alisson, Carragher, Hyypia, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Alonso, Riise, Gerrard, Salah, Suarez. Three top centre-backs with physical and technical skills with wing-backs to provide crosses. The midfield three have energy, leadership, playmaking abilities and can defend wide if the wing-backs bomb forward. Salah is a little out of position but both him and Suarez will drift wider, leaving gaps for Gerrard.
Mark: 3-4-3. Alisson. Hyypia, Van Dijk, Matip, Gerrard, Alonso, Barnes, Gravenberch, Fowler, Salah, Rush. At their peaks, no-one is getting past those defenders. The midfield is so solid and creative. The attackers are just goal machines. Simple.
Paddy: 5-3-2. Alisson, McAteer, Carragher, Hyypia, Van Dijk, McManaman, Gerrard Alonso, Barnes, Fowler Suarez. Far too many people are quick to forget 1992-2010. McAteer was a fantastic wing back,and I had to get Macca in there. Fowler and Suarez would be a perfect duo and the rest need no introduction.
Ian: 4-3-3. Alisson, R Jones, Carragher, Van Dijk, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Alonso, Gerrard, Barnes, Suarez, Salah. Most speak for themselves. Rob Jones is in because a) he was great and b) he might actually get on the score sheet in this team. Peak John Barnes was untouchable.
Josh Sexton
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesLiverpool were beaten on three fronts by Manchester City.
City battered them, first and foremost. From their creeping press to cut off passing lanes when Ibrahima Konate had the ball, to Jeremy Doku not giving Conor Bradley, or anybody who rushed to his aid, a moment's peace, they executed their gameplan perfectly.
As a team that tends to get more positive and confident in their football as the season goes on, they are certainly back in title contention now.
The second front Liverpool were beaten on was by themselves.
It felt a little like they were satisfied with how they sat off Real Madrid at times last week to keep their shape and decided to replicate it against City, forgetting that the reason they could be a little more passive on the European stage was that they had earned the right to play after a fast start.
The defeat at Etihad Stadium saw no fast start. Arne Slot's side got more and more passive as the first half went on, with the game fading further and further away from them, so they were there for the taking and deserved a two-goal deficit at half-time.
It was a disappointing climbdown from what had been a really purposeful week up until kick-off on Sunday.
The third front Liverpool were beaten on was in the margins. In truth, the Reds created their own bad luck - Virgil van Dijk's outstretched foot that deflected the second goal past Giorgi Mamardashvili was a perfect symbol of their half-hearted attempts to keep City at bay.
Slot and his team may feel they are watching a lot of VAR decisions made in grey areas of the rulebook go against them right now, but if you earn your right to play a game and take it to a team, you can reverse those margins in your favour - as both Manchester City and Brentford have found at our expense recently.
All is not lost for Liverpool's season, but a title challenge feels so far beyond the realms of possibility right now.
The talent is clearly there, but Slot needs to find a way to have his team ready to sustain a consistent attack on the trophies and qualification stakes that remain.
Find a way. Sustain consistency. Attack.
Earn the right to play, Liverpool. The rest will take care of itself.
Find more from Josh Sexton on outlets including The Anfield Wrap, external
Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist
Defeat by Manchester City means Liverpool have already lost five Premier League games in the current campaign, one more than their final total in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. In fact, only the league's bottom six have been beaten more often than the Reds this term.
The last time the Merseysiders had lost five top-flight matches by this stage was in 2014-15, when they went on to finish sixth in Brendan Rodgers' final full season in charge.
The history books suggests it is highly unlikely Arne Slot's side can recover to retain the title.
Not since Manchester City in 1967-68 has a side been crowned top-flight champions after five defeats in their opening 11 fixtures. Going back even further, Liverpool themselves managed the feat in 1905-06, as did Sunderland in 1912-13.
Because Slot's team have yet to draw, they are only eight points off the top and have winnable games against Nottingham Forest and West Ham after the international break.
But they will need to kick the losing habit swiftly or else the gap to Arsenal and Manchester City will quickly become insurmountable.
Image source, Getty Images
It's international break so let's have a bit of fun to pass the time.
Now we know football existed before 1992, but for the purposes of this little exercise, keep it Premier League please.
So tell us, who would be in your dream Liverpool Premier League XI?
The debate starts here.
Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty ImagesThey say the league table never lies, but that does not mean it is always easy to get the entire truth out of it.
With second and ninth being separated by only two points, it is ridiculous to take too much out of a league position. Even so, Liverpool going into the international break in eighth is a bit of a shock, at least on The Kop.
There is also the eight-point gap between themselves and Arsenal to consider. For goodness' sake they are only three points - one win - above the rejuvenated Everton.
Everyone is looking for the cause of the problem. Certainly the planned revolution rather than evolution of the squad by Arne Slot this summer, has unsettled the group.
Mohamed Salah is not getting them out of the holes the way he has regularly done in the past either - his four league goals so far is a respectable return but not his usual super-human level.
But it is the way their midfield has been made to look sluggish and lumbering that is a concern. That is not who they are - they are young and vibrant. Slot has to make sure the display we witnessed in the first 45 minutes at Manchester City does not recur.
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Image source, Getty ImagesThere was drama at Chesterfield, where Liverpool Under-21 came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against the League Two side, and then won the mammoth subsequent penalty shootout 11-10.
Liverpool, managed by former Wales boss Rob Page, went behind in the second half when Bailey Hobson's shot bobbled past Fabian Mrozek in the visiting goal, before Dylan Duffy doubled the lead two minutes later.
It looked like Kaide Gordon - a previous scorer for Liverpool's first team in the FA Cup - had only netted a consolation goal to make it 2-1, but then he struck again in added time to force a shootout.
After 24 penalties, Liverpool finally prevailed when former Premier League midfielder John Fleck hit the bar with Chesterfield's 12th - and his second - penalty of the shootout.
Even though the win secured an extra point for Liverpool, Page's team still finished bottom of their group, while Chesterfield progressed to the knockout stages as one of the top two teams.
Sin bins? Bonus points? Two goals if you score from distance?
Imagine a world in which you could reinvent football.
It's a dream, of course. Just a bit of fun. But stick with us.
What if you had the power to change any of the game's laws and potentially bring to an end countless hours of discussion about handball, offside, video assistant referees, or anything else you want to?
Some of BBC Sport's familiar football faces have offered their own potential rule changes.
Watch them above or read more here
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Observer's Rory Smith has been discussing the potential reasons behind some of Liverpool's "leggy performances" so far this season on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.
"The number of times we've heard people say Liverpool look 'leggy' this season is extraordinary," Smith said. "Sometimes that aspect is understandable, though.
"There is a human aspect of Diogo Jota's passing and a practical impact in that their pre-season got knocked back a couple of weeks.
"Whether or not the players are feeling the knock-on effects of that still, I don't know. It feels a bit unlikely that they shouldn't be up to speed by now.
"There are still individual players who aren't playing well, and it is completely fair to mention that it could be for reasons that aren't to do with just not 'liking' Arne Slot's tactics.
"But I'm really uncomfortable with this idea that Liverpool's Premier League title last season wasn't to do with Arne Slot. I think that's a really weird standard to hold people to."
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton also voiced his concerns that the majority of Liverpool's summer signings - worth a total of £415m - have not hit the ground running at Anfield.
Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds
Image source, Getty ImagesLiverpool defender Andy Robertson has admitted the Reds have given themselves a lot of work to do to defend their Premier League title.
Arne Slot's side were beaten 3-0 at Manchester City on Sunday - a fifth league defeat already, having only lost four in 2024-25. The result left them four points behind City and eight off leaders Arsenal after 11 games.
"Obviously, we've given ourselves a huge uphill battle, but I don't think any of the teams will really look at the league table until we're halfway through," said Robertson.
"We have got to pick up points on a more consistent basis - then let's see where we are after Christmas time or whatever.
"I don't think you can talk about the title this early on in the season, regardless of what position you're in, but you need to then consistently start winning games again for that to even come into question.
"It's definitely not a question that's getting spoken about in the changing room or anything."
Meanwhile, speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, captain Virgil van Dijk reflected on the defeat at Etihad Stadium, including his headed goal that was disallowed for Robertson standing in an offside position inside the six-yard box.
Liverpool have made contact with Professional Game Match Officials Limited to raise their concerns over the decision, which was upheld by VAR.
"The goals we conceded and the decisions we made could have changed the game, but the reality is that it didn't and we lost 3-0. Now we have to deal with it," said Van Dijk.
"The officials at the stadium and behind the screen have to make the right decision for the game and they gave the decision that the goal didn't stand.
"I think the goal should have stood, but I am not the one making the decision."
