Liverpool

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"The reason Mohamed Salah is where he is now is because he works on his mental strength daily," says former Tottenham and Egypt striker Mido.

"He is the greatest ambassador for Egypt and for African players as well. He made European clubs respect Arab players.

"I think a lot of European clubs now, when they see a young player from Egypt, they think of Salah. He has made our young players dream."

Egypt's first global football superstar has won every domestic honour as well as the Champions League with the Reds, but has yet to taste success with his country.

With the Africa Cup of Nations in December and the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, BBC Sport visited Egypt to discover what Salah means to the people of the football-mad country of 115 million, and how a small boy from humble beginnings became a national icon.

Read all about Salah's origins

Have you got a question about Liverpool or is there a topic you want more information on? Have you spotted a Reds theme or trend that needs further investigation?

Well, this season we're making it easier for you to get in touch and ask - and we will do our best to use our expertise here at BBC Sport to give you direct answers.

Our team can call upon a network of contacts - including our reporters, pundits and other experts - to find out everything you need to know.

No question is too big or too small, so fire away using the link below and we will answer the best of them throughout the campaign.

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And find out more about BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything service here

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We asked for your views on Liverpool's centre back targets, with moves for Marc Guehi and Giovanni Leoni in the works.

Here are some of your comments:

David: Sign both - we are light in defence and it is an opportunity to sell a couple to refresh. However, it does pose the question that so many new faces take time to blend and settle, which may make the Premier League title a step too far.

Marc: They should sign both of them. You're only as strong as your weakest link and at centre-back there's a weakness. Virgil van Dijk will not go on forever, and Konate and Gomez are injury prone. Konate is also threatening to run down his contract, so both options mentioned are very much needed and would strengthen the squad.

Pam: Guehi would be a great signing for £35m. I would say he has huge potential to take over from Van Dijk when he finishes.

Steven: If it were a choice between Isak and Guehi... definitely Guehi. Another solid defender is a must for Liverpool and the fact he is a captain of his team proves his calibre.

Brent: It is blatantly obvious from pre-season that Liverpool are desperately short in the centre-half position, and the signing of Guehi from Palace should go full steam ahead. Gomez is injury prone, Van Djik is off the pace at present and Konate is less than inspiring at times. Liverpool should prioritise the signing of a centre-back immediately.

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Ultimately for Marc Guehi, it is Liverpool or nothing this summer.

That is not an ideal scenario for Crystal Palace, who were hoping for an auction. But the alternative is losing him for nothing next summer - when he may end up joining the Reds on a free transfer anyway.

While Palace ideally want £40m for Guehi, it may be that they get a deal worth about £35m plus add-ons.

The south London club have reluctantly engaged in talks to sell their captain and if all goes to plan, an agreement should follow in the coming days.

Palace chairman Steve Parish will sanction Guehi's sale through gritted teeth.

He would like the defender to stay and sign a new deal, but the likelihood of that is virtually non-existent.

Selling to Liverpool - or losing Guehi for nothing - now appear to be Palace's only options.

Could it be two in for Liverpool?

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Meanwhile, Liverpool are also trying to sign 18-year-old Parma centre-back Giovanni Leoni.

The Italy Under-19 international is not seen as a potential rival for Guehi but more as one for the future.

He began his career at Padova and had a short spell at Sampdoria before joining Parma last summer.

So what do you think? Would Guehi be a good signing for Liverpool at about £35m? And what about Leoni? Should it be a case of one or the other - or both? Or would you prefer someone different?

Get in touch with your views here

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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Only 36% of teams who are top at the end of September win the title - including Liverpool last season.

So how much does a good start indicate who will win the league?

The record amount of points after 10 games is 28 (nine wins and a draw). All those four teams - Manchester City (2011-12 and 2017-18), Chelsea (2005-06) and Liverpool (2019-20) went on to win the title.

But the two teams who had the next best starts, with 27 points - Newcastle (1995-96) and Arsenal (2022-23) - failed to convert it into silverware after infamous collapses.

Newcastle were top after 10 games in three consecutive seasons and did not win the title in any of them.

There are plenty of examples of teams picking up 26 points in their opening 10 games and not going on to win the title.

That includes Tottenham, who had a stunning start to life under Ange Postecoglou in 2023-24 before eventually finishing fifth.

However, seven teams have not even been on 20 points after 10 games and still won the title.

Manchester City came back to win the title by a clear 12 points in 2020-21. They were sixth, sitting on 18 points and three points off top, after 10 games.

That was the first of City's four titles in a row - and they were not top after 10 games in any of them.

Liverpool have no intention of selling defender Ibrahima Konate in this transfer window, despite working on moves for two centre-backs to strengthen their squad. (Mail - subscription required), external

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

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Jamie Carragher has warned Liverpool that "spending lots of money" won't guarantee them the Premier League title after the Reds won the trophy with four matches to spare last season.

Arne Slot has so far recruited five senior players this summer in Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Armin Pecsi and it is looking increasingly likely that Newcastle's Alexander Isak could join.

The Reds are also pursuing Crystal Palace central defender Marc Guehi but Liverpool legend Carragher believes any success comes down to balance over spending.

"I don't get this narrative that Liverpool are going to run away with it," Carragher said.

"If you look at history, it could tell you that it's not just about having the best players, it's about having the best team, and sort of making that balance right, and at the weekend [in the Community Shield] it didn't quite look right.

"I think we will have a title race, and I think there's a lot of talk. I think the great thing about football is what we actually saw on Sunday with Liverpool. It didn't look right. It tells me it's not just about spending lots of money and buying the best players, you've still got to manage that team and make it work and have a nice balance to it."

Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

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I'm hoping that Liverpool win either the Premier League and Champions League, or potentially both. This sounds brash, but I've never entered a season with as much hope.

It's a strange feeling. Even with Jurgen Klopp's best teams, we were still second favourites behind Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

But Arne Slot's Reds are the heavy favourites for the Premier League and second behind Paris St-Germain for the big European honour. I guess that's what happens when you sign the best attacking midfielder on the planet in Florian Wirtz and two potentially world-class full-backs in Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.

Hugo Ekitike is an upgrade on Darwin Nunez, but the real excitement is about the potential Alexander Isak signing. I still think that by the end of August he will be a Liverpool player.

Mo Salah, the best player in the country last season, teaming up with Wirtz to feed the most electric striker on the planet? And all this supported by a spine of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai? It is a potentially all-time team.

The only worry is that Liverpool have made too many changes from a side that won the title. And with these changes comes huge expectation, pressure and media coverage.

One defeat early on and the narratives will begin, so Liverpool's new players, most of whom are young, will have to deal with this.

Slot is so tactically astute and grounded though that there is no other manager I would prefer to mount this challenge. Bring it on!

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

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Football journalist Rory Smith says judging Liverpool's performance this season is "delicate" following the death of Diogo Jota.

"I don't know what will happen with Liverpool this season," said The Observer's football correspondent Rory Smith on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"I think they are the most unpredictable club in the Premier League.

"Their pre-season was delayed and they are a club and squad in mourning. That is going to be a real test for them on a personal and human level.

"We are going to have to get used to judging Liverpool, for some time, not just on a sporting level, but as a club who are grieving for someone they have lost.

"I think that is really important to remember.

"The club are doing all they can to memorialise Jota as he is clearly in their thoughts as an institution, but for the players they have to deal with the absence of their friend and the presence of his absence.

"It's not a football story, it's human loss."

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

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There are two sides to every story and we haven't heard from Alexander Isak yet, or anyone inside the Newcastle United striker's camp, other than him saying he wants to explore his options.

We don't know when he told the club that, how he told them, or what his feelings are about exactly why he wants out. What we do know is that Liverpool have offered £110m for him.

In recent years we have seen Enzo Fernandez, Declan Rice and Jack Grealish go for about £100m so, if that is the bar, they are never going to get Isak - a 25-year-old striker who has scored 44 Premier League goals across the past two seasons - for £110m.

I don't think you'd get Dan Burn for that, to be honest.

Newcastle have named their price, which is nearer to £150m, so we will have to see what Liverpool do next.

The top and bottom of it is that if Newcastle don't get the money they want, or the two strikers they need, then Isak stays.

Read more from Shearer here

Chelsea have lodged a £43m offer for Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate. (Defensa Central - in Spanish), external

Meanwhile, Alexander Isak will only consider reintegrating at Newcastle or signing a new deal if Liverpool directly inform the 25-year-old Sweden striker a deal is impossible this summer. (Givemesport), external

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

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We asked for your views on whether Liverpool are ready for the new season.

Here's what you said:

Paul: There are going to be bumps in the road as the new recruits settle in and the existing squad develop and adapt to the different skills (and weaknesses) the new players bring. Hopefully we can polish out the blemishes and create a new jewel of a squad (emphasis on squad). We have learned a lot pre-season - now let's get the polish out!

Fraser: Almost ready. Players still need a bit of time to gel together and get used to playing with each other. The defence weren't quite on the same wavelength against Crystal Palace so that needs to be ironed out. Plus, we still need a centre-forward (hopefully Isak), a centre-back and maybe a winger. Once we have those sorted and get those players in, then we are good to go.

Ryan: My concern is how we keep being linked with attackers (which I'm not totally sure we need), yet nothing concrete about any defensive reinforcements. If we don't improve at the back, we can kiss our title defence goodbye. We 100% need a centre-back. Wing/full-backs and goalkeeper are covered, but we have looked so exposed at the back in pre-season and against Palace. All well and good being an attacking force, but totally redundant if you ship goals in at the other end. Sounds negative but my word I'm excited about the new season!

Oliver: Liverpool showed flashes of brilliance during the Community Shield, with all the new signings having a positive first 'competitive' outing, especially Wirtz who looked like he's been in the team for years. However, just like last season, we still look poorer for not having Gravenberch as the rock in the midfield and Mac Allister dictating the pace through the number eight position. Another centre-back, such as Guehi, is definitely needed for that extra cover as Konate can't be relied upon to have a whole year without injury. On the whole, very positive signs for the season with some small areas we can still improve on!

Callum: I think the first team are ready but the back-ups are not. More specifically, we don't have a good striker to replace Ekitike - that was obvious from the Palace game. A striker for the bench is needed.

John: It is clear we need to tighten up the clear gap in defence. Equally, we need to more clearly determine the role that Salah has in the attacking line-up. From a psychological point of view, he must feel the challenge of the arrival of the new members of the team. If his role is not sorted then he might as well have been sold.

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Former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live about the Reds' transfer business with three weeks of the summer window left to go: "I think the one thing you would say, and Liverpool fans have touched on it, they've lost a lot of goals and have lost a lot of creativity.

"Obviously they've lost the creativity and assists of Alexander-Arnold, replacing him with Frimpong and Conor Bradley.

"At the same time they've lost - which is the uncomfortable conversation - Diogo Jota. They've lost his goals either on or off the bench.

"They've lost Darwin Nunez, who got a couple of goals at St James' Park and scored a couple of goals against Brentford. They lost Luis Diaz, who I thought was Liverpool's best, I say number nine because he played in that false nine last season.

"So, they're a little bit light if you can be light with all the fire power that they've got.

"That's why the news of Alexander Isak is not going away because when you looked at the bench today, even though the bench was quite impressive, their best goals and their best numbers was in the starting 11, so they do need more."

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Captain Virgil van Dijk has called on Liverpool to improve defensively after their Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace.

During half-time in Sunday's Wembley showpiece, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher's posted on X to highlight the Reds' attacking threat but defensive vulnerability.

He posted: "LFC looking great going forward but susceptible defensively, as we've seen all pre season. A lot of the goals conceded by LFC have come from going man to man really aggressively and leaving space in behind."

Van Dijk echoed those concerns in his post-match comments after his side's shootout defeat, stressing the need for collective improvement in the team's defensive setup.

"We have to be very honest with ourselves," Van Dijk said to BBC Radio Merseyside.

"Obviously, it is disappointing at the moment because we lost, conceded two goals we could have avoided. I think there were plenty of moments where we looked very good, especially in possession, on the break, and between the lines. But yeah, you stand without the trophy, and that is the main thing that is disappointing today.

"I think it is the collective defensive part that we have to work on. Everyone has the quality, obviously, otherwise you won't play for Liverpool. The absolute reality is that we all have to improve in terms of our defensive setup in order to not concede goals; it is not only the backline, not only Alisson, but together.

"We all take responsibility, I take responsibility, and that is how it should be. There is a reason we had the most clean sheets in the league last season, and we have to get back to that."

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We asked for your views on Liverpool losing to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on penalties.

Here are some of your comments:

Jimbo: A big game knock against Slot, who erred in his substitutions. Palace were always going to go for it in the last 15, so to bolster the midfield and weaken the attack only encouraged their momentum. Needed a flying 16-year old on the pitch to pin them back more at the death. Strange to see such nerves on the faces of Mac Allister and Salah during the penalties.

Graham: It was one of those football days, unfortunately. I'm sure Salah will score next Friday and we'll give Palace their hour of glory, as I doubt they will be anywhere near us come May. Onwards and upwards, Redmen.

Leslie: Our defence was all over the place. Is Kerkez really a defender? Poor old Van Dijk has lost his pace. To beat us, you just have to run at us with speed. Salah was a passenger. His penalty was a schoolboy error. Difficult to know what to make of it all. Just so disappointed.

Dapo: The lapse in concentration at the back needs to be fixed, as this was shown in the pre-season matches. Liverpool evidently needs Isak and a central defender.

There were a couple of messages coming in suggesting that Arne Slot needs to shoulder the blame a bit more.

Homie: Liverpool fan for 55 years. With the money spent, thought they were absolute rubbish, out-coached and out-played. Lucky last season, they will need more than luck this season. Sorry, Slot is not good enough.

Stephen: Here we go again! Spend £265m, other teams spend nothing, and they win another trophy. What is wrong with Liverpool? Fell away at the end of last season, is this again another year when the Reds get found out! Look what happened when Klopp won the league. The Liverpool manager needs to wake up quickly before it goes horribly wrong.

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Former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison believes the "exceptional" performance of Florian Wirtz wasn't enough to stop Liverpool "toiling", as they lost the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on penalties.

Liverpool have already seen five incomings so far this transfer window, and it was the club's record signing that caught the eye at Wembley.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Hutchinson said: "Florian Wirtz was the player who got me off the edge of my seat today. I thought some of his one touches and his awareness was brilliant.

"He always plays checking his shoulders and wants to play a forward pass and I thought he was exceptional for 40 minutes".

The Reds had twice been in front but saw Crystal Palace get back in to the game to pick up a second trophy in three months.

Despite Mohamed Salah missing an opportunity to win the match in normal time, Hutchison believes the game shows there is plenty of work still to do as the season begins.

"I think what the game told you about Liverpool is that they are slightly behind in terms of bedding players in to a team and a system," he added.

"Once Hugo Ekitike came off, they tried to gamble with Wirtz as a false nine and you will see that this season - and I'm sure he'll do well in that position - but today I thought it was a bit too much for him."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds here.

Pre-season is completed and the countdown to the 2025-26 season is on.

Liverpool start the season at home to Bournemouth on Friday - but are they ready?

Get in touch

Liverpool are keeping a close eye on Brentford forward Yoane Wissa, with the DR Congo international viewed as a potential alternative target if a move for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak does not materialise. The 28-year-old has attracted interest from Newcastle. (Caught Offside), external

Kostas Tsimikas is edging nearer to leaving Liverpool after being left out of their Community Shield squad, with Nottingham Forest having been interested in the 29-year-old Greece left-back. (Echo), external

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

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Emma Smith
BBC Sport journalist at Wembley

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Water and oil. Ketchup and ice cream. Mohammed Salah and Wembley. All things which do not mix.

The Egyptian is so often the most dangerous player on any pitch. Last season, Salah registered 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 games across all competitions for Liverpool.

However, since scoring against Spurs in October 2017, he hasn't registered a single goal involvement in any of his last eight games at Wembley.

It was a similar story against Palace. Despite playing the full 90 minutes unlike the new boys, Salah was in the shadow of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.

He did not have a shot on target until the final few minutes, and struck straight at Dean Henderson. Then in the shoot-out, the less said the better.

Salah's new contract was greeted with joy and fanfare last season, and this was only one game. But it was a very inauspicious start to the new campaign.