Eight Liverpool players will be unavailable for Sunday’s FA Cup third-round trip to Arsenal due to injuries and international commitments, and an even more peculiar reason has further limited Jurgen Klopp’s options for selection.

The Athletic has reported that Owen Beck, who was recently brought back, is not allowed to play in the encounter at Emirates Stadium because he has not yet completed the one-match ban from his loan stay at Dundee, which ended during the New Year’s holiday.

The 21-year-old will not play in the FA Cup against the Gunners due to a puzzling bit of bureaucracy. He received yellow cards in the Dees’ Scottish League Cup matches against Bonnyrigg Rose and Inverness Caledonian Thistle last July, and he failed to observe the cup suspension because his loan club did not advance past the group stage in the previous competition.

Klopp will undoubtedly be planning on plenty of squad rotation for the Arsenal and Fulham games given the two cup ties in four days this coming week and the large number of injured players. Therefore, he will be disappointed not to have Beck available for selection tomorrow due to an odd piece of legislation and an unfortunate circumstance.

The 21-year-old will also find it unfortunate that he will not be able to start against the Gunners in a match when, had he been able to play, he could have sent a strong message to his manager.

Thus, it appears likely that Joe Gomez will remain at left back, particularly if Liverpool opt for a young center-back duo of Jarell Quansah and Ibrahima Konate, with the Welsh teenager perhaps joining the squad for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup match.

It’s unbelievable that Beck won’t be allowed to participate in this weekend’s FA Cup because of a few yellow cards from six months ago, in a competition that was overseen by a separate national association.

I hope he gets the chance to play for the Reds soon and that his teammates can win tomorrow in North London.

Liverpool may be pleased with their season thus far as they prepare for their FA Cup match against Arsenal this coming weekend under the direction of manager Jurgen Klopp.

Leading the Premier League standings, going into the Carabao Cup semi-final, performing as brilliantly as they have ever done under the German manager…

There’s every chance that the 2023–24 season could be a historic one if they can maintain their current standing while Mo Salah is playing for the AFCON and can stay mostly injury-free when the Europa League returns.

At this juncture, Liverpool must be motivated by the possibility of winning the Premier League again in front of their supporters, given their lone championship to date was mostly earned without the support of the crowd.

Thiago Alacantara is one player who hasn’t contributed fully this season or, to be honest, in any other since he entered.

Due to a number of hamstring, hip, and thigh issues, the dynamic and inventive Spaniard never fully got going in a Reds shirt, despite showing glimpses of his talent.

Fabrizio Romano has moved swiftly to refute recent speculations that his former team, Barcelona, could be interested in bringing him back.

“I’m not aware of any movement for Thiago Alcantara right now, despite the rumours,” he stated in his CaughtOffside Daily Briefing exclusive.

He hasn’t had many conversations in January and has been concentrating on Liverpool because he wants to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.

“It’s very quiet right now, but the story might change in the summer.”

Roberto Firmino, a former star of Liverpool, is rumoured to have had offers from several Premier League teams as Al-Ahli looks to let go of the attacker only months after signing the Brazil international.

The 32-year-old ended a remarkable run at Anfield at the end of the previous campaign to join Al-Ahli of the Saudi Pro League, but things have not gone as planned for the forward in the Middle East.

Firmino hasn’t scored a goal since, but the Liverpool superstar had a fantastic start to his new club after being named captain and scoring a hat-trick on the first game.

Furthermore, the 32-year-old Brazilian has not started a Saudi Pro League match since October 27. It is now being stated that the player is dissatisfied with his circumstances and is willing to leave.

According to TalkSPORT, Firmino has been offered to a number of Premier League teams, including Sheffield United and Fulham. The 32-year-old has also been linked to Sheffield United.

Football Insider claims that Firmino is not expected to play in the Premier League again this month, thus any possible transfer will have to wait until the summer.

Is Firmino planning a January move?

Firmino would be a fantastic addition to either English team, and his Premier League background would enable them to meet their season-long objectives.

The 32-year-old won the competition in 2020 and made 256 appearances for Liverpool in the English first flight, assisting on 50 goals and scored 82 goals himself.

Since making his debut as a juvenile prodigy, Kylian Mbappe has been destined for super success. Now that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are playing elsewhere, the Frenchman and Erling Haaland of Manchester City can compete to be named Europe’s finest player in the upcoming campaigns.

The Norwegian, who is currently dominating the Premier League, was a fully paid part of the team that won the treble in 2022–2023.

In contrast, the French World Cup winner’s future seemed to have been under constant discussion throughout the previous few seasons.

Prior attempts to pursue Real Madrid have always resulted in PSG making the player an offer he can’t turn down. In his most recent interview, he again backed away from Los Blancos, maybe giving supporters Liverpool new hope for an incredible coup.

Mbappe Kylian
“I have not yet decided what to do. Following PSG’s victory in the French Super Cup, Mbappe was cited by MARCA as stating, “I have not chosen.”

“What matters is that, with the deal I struck with the president this summer, we were able to safeguard everyone involved and maintain the club’s composure in the face of upcoming difficulties, regardless of my choice. Everything else is incidental.

“I didn’t know my choice in 2022 until May. I shouldn’t wait to make a decision if I know what I want to do. It would not be logical.

“My situation is not discussed in the club; not many people are interested in it,”

Additional Tales / Up-to-Date News
Whether or not Mo Salah departs Merseyside in the summer, the opportunity to recruit Mbappe—a player of a generation—would undoubtedly thrill Reds supporters and terrorise the opposition in the Premier League.

Everyone is on tenterhooks in the interim as it’s unclear when the gamer would reveal his next location.

Mo Salah is attracting more attention from Saudi Arabia, and it seems Liverpool has decided who will take the position of the Egyptian star.

Salah’s value to his team was demonstrated by another outstanding individual performance against Newcastle in the New Year’s Day match at Anfield, but Liverpool faces challenges due to Salah’s rising age and a possible £100 million+ bid from the Saudi Pro League.

Such a bid is unlikely to come around in the future if they don’t cash in on him now or in the summer. On the other hand, Salah is so crucial to Liverpool that it’s hard to see how Jurgen Klopp could change the dynamic of the team without him.

Maybe the Reds can take a cue from Tottenham.

Additional Tales / Up-to-Date News
It’s arguable that nobody associated with Spurs wanted to think about losing Harry Kane, but they’ve thrived without him because they made smart use of the proceeds from his sale.

Although it is not a pleasant idea right now, Salah leaving Merseyside could end up being a benefit down the road.

Regardless of the intense scrutiny and potential lack of success, whoever steps in his place will have every possibility of succeeding if they can view the transfer as an opportunity rather than a death knell.

The Olise Crystal Palace
Liverpool wants to replace Salah with Michael Olise of Crystal Palace, according to Football Insider (via Fichajes).

According to the site, Olise has five goals in nine appearances in 2023–2024. Chelsea is also keeping an eye on him; the Blues and Olise worked out a deal last summer before the Eagles were able to convince Olise to sign a new contract.

On New Year’s Day in 2024, Liverpool defeated Newcastle 4-2 to take a three-point lead atop the Premier League. Interestingly, Mohamed Salah was seen performing a superstitious deed, which may have contributed to his late penalty against Newcastle.

During their match against Newcastle, Liverpool showed off their superiority with an amazing 34 shots and a record-breaking 7.27 anticipated goals. This number is the highest that has been documented since Opta started gathering this kind of information in 2010.

Salah gave up a penalty in the first half, but he soon made up for it by giving Liverpool the lead. But Newcastle’s Alexander Isak answered with an equaliser.

With two goals each, Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo restored Liverpool’s lead. But Sven Botman’s header against the flow of play made the match’s conclusion more suspenseful.

After Liverpool’s Diogo Jota won a contentious late penalty, Salah converted his second spot-kick to seal the win.

Remarkably, supporters on social media noticed that Salah switched his shoes throughout the half, a move that matched his performance in the second half and his successful penalty kick following the first half’s miss.

The Egyptian forward was questioned on Sky Sports following the match if he changed his shoes out of superstition. He replied, “I just trained with the ones I missed a penalty with yesterday.” Although it’s not superstitious, I wanted to alter them. My mind was at ease after I made the change.

Roberto Firmino, a former star of Liverpool, is supposedly returning to the Premier League to take part in the relegation fight.

The Brazilian has reportedly had difficulties since leaving Liverpool to join Al-Ahli, a Saudi club, according to talkSPORT.

Behind the scenes: Arsenal and Liverpool’s exciting Anfield draw

Numerous European teams expressed interest in the former Premier League player, but he ultimately chose to relocate to the Middle East.

Firmino scored three goals in his first game for Al-Ahli, but he hasn’t scored since, and the Saudi team is allegedly not happy with him.

According to talkSPORT, Sheffield United had already expressed interest in hiring the beloved Liverpool player. It will be interesting to see if they maintain the interest they had before Chris Wilder took over as manager once more.

He played a key role in his Liverpool career, and Sheffield United would be thrilled to have a player with his calibre and experience join the team, should the player be interested in moving.

Firmino led a struggling Liverpool team under Jurgen Klopp last season, scoring 11 goals in the Premier League and dishing out four assists.

Along with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, he was a member of the renowned Liverpool assault that helped the team win both the Premier League and the Champions League.

The Brazilian was Jurgen Klopp’s favourite player at Liverpool, providing the German manager with the goods when he needed it most.

Firmino’s capacity to connect with and improve his teammates may prove to be critical to Sheffield United’s relegation struggle.

Although there are others who argue that Firmino’s relocation to Saudi Arabia was driven by financial considerations, things aren’t always better on the other side.

According to 90min, Liverpool has started talking to Fulham about perhaps purchasing left-back Antonee Robinson in order to expand their left-back lineup.

With Kostas Tsimikas injuring his collarbone and Andy Robertson suffering a dislocated shoulder, Liverpool are lacking natural left-backs. As a result, Joe Gomez has been the starting left-back for Jurgen Klopp. Given this, Antonee Robinson has been highlighted by Liverpool as a possible left-back signing, and the club is actively considering this possibility.

As per 90min, Antonee Robinson is purportedly amenable to a transfer to Anfield, and Liverpool is currently striving to arrive at a deal with Fulham for the 26-year-old left-back.

Liverpool is taking a big risk by depending solely on Joe Gomez while Robertson and Tsimikas are both sidelined for an extended period of time. Although Liverpool would have wanted to strengthen other places, they must address the left-back situation right away. It is urgent to sign a suitable left-back like Antonee Robinson in the January transfer window since they risk losing this season’s championship campaign by waiting for Robertson and Tsimikas to return.

With Jurgen Klopp preferring to play a high defensive line, Robinson’s speed might assist cover off the through balls in behind the Reds’ back four. The signing of the American international would provide Liverpool some more pace down the sides.

According to reports, Liverpool is aiming to acquire a Premier League player in order to address a problematic position in Jurgen Klopp’s team.

Due to injuries sustained by Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas—the latter of whom will be out for a lengthy amount of time after breaking his collarbone against Arsenal last weekend—the Reds are currently without a natural senior left-back (Premier Injuries).

Graeme Bailey of 90min reports that LFC will be turning to another London club next month for a possible answer.

“Understand Liverpool are looking at Fulham’s Antonee Robinson – as they look to solve their left back issues,” the journalist wrote on X on Wednesday morning.

Recognise that Liverpool is considering Antonee Robinson of Fulham in an attempt to address their left back problems.@90min_Football

Robinson last played at Anfield not too long ago, and he did so with one of the greatest away performances of the season against Liverpool.

The 26-year-old, according to Sofascore, not only won seven duels and four tackles, but also set up Harry Wilson’s goal in the first half of Fulham’s 4-3 loss to the Reds earlier this month. He also recorded a stunning total of 13 interceptions in a defensive masterclass.

Unsurprisingly, the USA international has placed in the top 1% of positional peers in the five major leagues in Europe for that particular metric over the course of the previous year. He has also placed in the top 20% for successful take-ons (1.3), aerial duels won (1.32), and progressive carries (3.06) per game (FBref).

Even though Joe Gomez played admirably at left-back against Burnley last night and young players like Luke Chambers and Calum Scanlon have seen first-team action thus far this season, Liverpool would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to bolster that position in the January transfer window.

They seem to have their sights set on Robinson, a player who has previously terrorised the Reds recently and who left a lasting impression on Klopp at the beginning of December.