BBC Sport'sJohn Bennett assesses why Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold could be a transfer target for Real Madrid next summer, with the England international having less than a year remaining on his contract with the Premier League club.
Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesLiverpool are closing in on a move for Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Reports suggest, external the fee will be about £30m.
The Reds are aware they have a world-class keeper in Alisson and the 31-year-old remains their first choice.
Mamardashvili, 23, played in Georgia's four games at Euro 2024 before they were knocked out by eventual winners Spain at the last-16 stage.
Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer
Mo Salah is back.
Towards the end of last season, the Egyptian King couldn't find his world-class level, looking visibly drained and unable to completely get over the injury that he picked up at Afcon.
As Liverpool's title challenge faltered, Salah struggled to score or assist and fizzled out quite dramatically.
But Salah always starts the season better than he finishes it. He enjoyed a big summer of rest where he didn't have to play international football and it has clearly done him the world of good.
Against Ipswich Town on Saturday, he was a menace. Salah looked fast, making clever runs in behind from his starting position on the right wing.
It was this that made Liverpool's opener, with Salah perfectly squaring for Diogo Jota.
He then cleverly finished after tidy work from Dominik Szoboszlai.
How will Liverpool ever replace him? It might be Salah's final season at Liverpool, with his contract expiring in 2025. There have so far been no talks about him renewing.
Despite his age, if Salah can continue to be the most prominent attacker in Arne's Slot side, sporting director Richard Hughes may have to make sitting down with Salah's agent and thrashing out a deal his absolute priority.
Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external
Izzy Christiansen, Chris Sutton and Daniel Storey discussed Liverpool's victory against Ipswich and Arne Slot's ruthless start to his reign as boss on the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.
Christiansen said Slot sent a message with the half-time substitution of defender Jarell Quansah and Chris Sutton agreed, saying: "I really like Arne Slot for making that decision - if he wasn't happy with Quansah, he's quite within his rights to show strong management and make a point.
"I know people could look at that as the knock-on effect on Quansah as a young player, but it's about setting standards. From Quansah's perspective he'll be disappointed in himself but he'll have to work his way back and make sure he's strong enough in those one-versus-one situations."
Liverpool are the only Premier League side yet to make a signing this summer, but Storey, the Independent's chief football writer, spoke about the positive impact this could have had on preparations: "My caveat for any criticism about them not signing any players yet - if you've got a new manager and he's coming after a dynasty manager who has left such an imprint on the club - coming in and not having the players change at the start of the season can be a real positive, it means not everything is changing.
"It means the players are having to deal with the manager in a completely new environment, but not having to deal with four or five new team-mates - so training feels the same other than the manager is doing different things.
"I was really glad that they've got the same team," he added.
Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds
Newcastle United are considering a move for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez if they are unable to land Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. (i Sport), external
Image source, Getty ImagesDiogo Jota believes playing centrally is what he does "the best" after scoring first in Liverpool's opening day win over Ipswich Town.
The Reds beat the newly promoted side 2-0, with both goals coming in the second half after struggling to find a breakthrough in the first 45 minutes.
The 27-year-old, who had an injury-hit season last term, was deployed in a central striking role in Arne Slot's first Premier League match in charge.
As the side looked to breakdown an impressive Ipswich outfit, Jota spent more of his time out wide in the first half before a transformed Liverpool side in the second half saw him focus his efforts in the opposition box (as shown in his heatmaps).
"It's obviously a bit different from [Jurgen] Klopp where I maybe was useful out wide," the Portugal international told club media. "I think here he [Slot] wants our wingers a lot more in one-v-ones and I think we have better options than myself.
"If I stay in the middle and wait for those chances to come in and score them, I think that is what I do the best so you can take that into the season."
Image source, OptaJota's first and second half heatmaps against Ipswich
The win was the perfects start to new boss Slot's reign after taking over from Jurgen Klopp in the summer and Jota believes it is the ideal building block for the season ahead.
"[It was] a positive performance. Obviously the first half was a bit harder, they were really on it [and] pressing almost man-v-man," he added.
"We created immediately a lot of chances [in the second half] and we ended up scoring two, so in the end I think it's a deserved three points.
"It's massive [to start with a win]. I think we are still adapting to the way he [Slot] wants us to play and coming here to a newly promoted team, it's never easy and we end up with a clean sheet and three points so I think building on top of the wins is always a lot easier."
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Ipswich and Liverpool.
Here are some of your comments:
Ipswich fans
Sam: Really not unhappy with our performance. We stuck to our core principles and created some decent chances in the first half. Liverpool upped their game in the second half but if we play like we did in the first half then results will come. We kept going.
Simon: McKenna rightly selected players who have brought Ipswich this far over the past two years. That we were the better team for 45 minutes shows how far they, and the club, have come. Liverpool found their mojo in the second half and we couldn't match them, but we were trying to match a top-four side and we are newly promoted. A positive start for Ipswich.
Jan: Ed Sheeran needs to get his priorities sorted. We were the better team while he was there!
Liverpool fans
Eddie: It was a slow start against a very good Ipswich team who ran themselves into the ground in the first half. What I liked about this game was that Slot changed things for the second half and we really did start to play good football. We still need a couple of players in - definitely a left-back and a left-sided centre-half, and extra cover in midfield.
Tommy: Liverpool were agonisingly slow in the first half and very fortunate not to be a couple of goals down by half-time. The back four were horrendous. There was a big improvement second half but if we start a match like that against one of the big teams we will get picked off.
Garry: A good result, and it was probably expected that newly promoted team would want to give an account of themselves. Liverpool usually take time to get going, but I worry that our passing needs to improve overall. It seems we get closed down too easily and are subject to mistakes in passing. However, we've retained our ruthless counter-attacking strategy. Great team performance.
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Premier League right-back Stephen Kelly had high praise for Trent Alexander-Arnold after his performance for Liverpool at Ipswich Town on Saturday.
"I have him in that right-back position because he can see the whole pitch and he could probably put it on any point you want with any pace," said Kelly on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.
"His vision and his delivery is sensational. The pass for Mohamed Salah is honestly one of the best things I've seen. He gives it to him so Salah can cross it in first time.
"I think Trent is one of the best technicians I've ever seen play football - and that's going back as long as I can remember. So you have to play him in that full-back position, where he can drive forward, because once he has the whole game in front of him he is sensational.
"I put him there all day long and let Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson just sweep up the dirt. Let them deal with that and you do your stuff. That's how you play."
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Premier League goalkeeper Asmir Begovic says Liverpool have to strengthen their squad before the end of the transfer window if they are to give themselves the best chance of competing for the title.
Reflecting on Arne Slot's opening win, Begovic told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast: "From their point of view it is probably one of the worst games you can have for an opening game as Ipswich are a newly promoted side and their place was rocking.
"The Ipswich players were up for it and full of energy, so for Liverpool to survive the first 60 minutes the way that they did was the most important thing. Then as the game went on they could use their quality to be more ruthless. That is when you expected them to go on and win the game.
"On another day the result could have been different. I did not think Liverpool looked overly convincing, they just had that extra quality at times. They are still a work in progress and it is a squad that needs to be strengthened if they want to challenge Manchester City and Arsenal at the end of the season."
Listen to the Football Daily Podcast on BBC Sounds
Liverpool will wait until the January transfer window to sign a star midfielder after the club's move for Spain's Martin Zubimendi, 25, from Real Sociedad fell through. (Football Insider, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Liverpool's win at Ipswich Town on Saturday saw the Reds transform during the interval.
Manager Arne Slot later revealed he told his players at half time there was "no point talking about tactics" if they were unable to win their duels. He also substituted Jarrell Quansah to introduce Ibrahima Konate in a bid to win more duels.
The second period was wholly different.
The Reds ran in 15 shots compared to three before the break, with 41 touches in the opposition box compared to seven in the first 45 minutes.
Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Manchester United and Fulham.
If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.
Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:
Image source, Getty ImagesArne Slot spoke to TNT Sports after Liverpool's victory over Ipswich: "The first taste [of Premier League football] in the first half was maybe as expected because they were all on top of us, very aggressive. Second half was a joy to watch."
On what he said at half time: "First thing was we don't have to speak about tactics if you don't lose so many duels. I think we needed to win the long balls through the air. That helped and gave us control. I don't think Ipswich could keep up with the tempo in the second half."
On the second half improvements: "If a team plays all over the pitch 1v1, do not always play the ball short constantly. I didn't see them fighting for it in the first half, we lost almost every long ball. In the second half they were ready and then gas opened up and you could see we can play quite good football."
On Liverpool's midfield: "I don't think our problem in the first half was midfield, our problem is we lost too many duels. A lot had been said about our signings but I saw three or four players coming off the bench and they were already good to play"
Image source, Getty ImagesLiverpool’s Mohamed Salah has now scored the most goals (nine) and registered the most goal involvements (14) on the first matchday in Premier League history.
Salah has now both scored and assisted in 32 different Premier League games, with only Wayne Rooney (36) doing so more.
Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist at Portman Road
Image source, Getty ImagesIt's only four months since Mohamed Salah was involved in a very public spat with Jurgen Klopp after Liverpool's 2-2 draw at West Ham.
"If I speak today there will be fire," said the Egypt forward at the time.
Salah's first competitive game under new boss Arne Slot ended in an assist for Diogo Jota's opening goal before the 32-year-old sealed a 2-0 win at newly promoted Ipswich Town.
Salah has looked fresh, sharp and happy in pre-season.
Yet the clock is ticking and the scorer of 18 Premier League goals in 2023-24 has yet to sign a new contract.
Salah is one of three key players who could sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in just five months time, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk the other two who are out of contract next season.
Could Salah's performance against Ipswich bode well for the future?
One thing is certain - the sooner Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah sign new deals, the more relieved Liverpool's fans will be.
Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?
Ipswich fans, have your say on the team's first game back in the Premier League, external
What did you make of it, Liverpool fans?, external
Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies
There are six games on the opening Saturday of the 2024-25 Premier League and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction throughout the day.
*All times are BST
A new season, and a new challenge for BBC Sport's prediction expert Chris Sutton.
Sutton faced off against a guest for each of the 38 game weeks in 2023-24 and triumphed 21-10 (with seven draws) to secure his second predictions title in a row.
In the first week of the new season, his opponent is The Courteeners frontman Liam Fray.
The pair have both given their prediction for newly-promoted Ipswich v Liverpool on Saturday.
Sutton's prediction: 1-3
I love the job Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna has done, with back-to-back promotions, and they have brought a few players in, including goalkeeper Arijanet Muric from Burnley. Kalvin Phillips is set to sign on loan for the season too.
The way they start the season is going to be so important to get some confidence and a foothold in the top flight, as it is with all the promoted clubs, and Ipswich have got it tough because after facing Liverpool they go to Etihad Stadium next weekend.
Liverpool have not signed anyone yet under new boss Arne Slot but their firepower is incredible and I don't see Ipswich keeping them out.
Liam's prediction: 0-2
I've heard Ipswich are quite gung-ho and a good watch, but I don't know how that will work out for them in the Premier League. I can't see anything other than a Liverpool win.
