Liverpool head to Brentford in need of a domestic reset

Saturday's trip to west London carries real weight. Back-to-back Premier League defeats have the pressure rising around Andoni Iraola, and while a 6-3 romp in Europe gave the fanbase a brief moment to breathe, returning to winning ways in the league is an altogether different proposition. Brentford under Keith Andrews have been one of the division's most pleasant surprises, sitting fourth with an unbeaten six-match run to their name. The Gtech Community Stadium will be a hostile and awkward venue, and Liverpool know it.

For Iraola, this is the kind of fixture that defines the early chapters of a managerial tenure. He needs a performance that shows character as much as quality, and he needs it now.

Hamann lays down a grim verdict on Liverpool's season

Dietmar Hamann is rarely short of an opinion, and his latest one won't land well among Liverpool supporters. The 53-year-old, a Champions League winner with the club back in 2005, has publicly stated he does not see Iraola guiding Liverpool into the top four this season, drawing a painful parallel with the struggles that cost Arne Slot his job last term. "Finishing in the top four for Liverpool this season will be a success, but I don't see it happening," Hamann said. "I don't see closing that 25-point gap with Arsenal from last year."

He expanded on the challenge ahead, pointing to the competition Liverpool face for those coveted Champions League spots. "This season they've got a fight on their hands to finish in the top four. City and Arsenal are guaranteed if there is no points deduction this season, Chelsea doesn't have European football, and you have the likes of Brighton and Brentford, who have made an impressive start. Then I expect Man United to turn things around at some stage, depending on what happens with the manager."

Hamann then turned his focus to Liverpool's spending, which the source material puts at more than £300m across Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola alone. His assessment was blunt. "Liverpool's only chance is Iraola getting a tune out of those players brought in last year but so far he hasn't managed it," he said, adding that only Hugo Ekitike, prior to his injury, had genuinely stepped up. "So they didn't just overspend, they badly overspent." Strong words from a club legend, and not the kind that are easily dismissed.

Alex Scott link gathers real momentum

Amidst the noise around results and Hamann's pessimism, there is at least one story generating genuine excitement at Anfield. Liverpool are reported to be in the driving seat to sign Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott in January, with the Mail suggesting the Reds are now ahead of the field in the race for his signature. The 23-year-old England international previously worked under Iraola at Bournemouth, which makes the potential reunion all the more compelling from a tactical standpoint.

Bournemouth are said to be open to selling Scott, though their asking price is a firm £100m. Chelsea made their move in the summer, with their highest bid reportedly reaching £68m, but that proved insufficient. Liverpool showed interest during that same window and now appear to be the frontrunners. The complicating factor is that Scott has just 20 months left on his current contract, which gives Liverpool some negotiating leverage, though Bournemouth will not let a player of his calibre leave cheaply. Whether the club's hierarchy will sanction another nine-figure outlay so soon after recent heavy investment is the central question, and one that will shape Liverpool's window considerably.