After winning the 2024/25 Premier League title, confidence was high at Anfield going into the 2025/26 season, but Liverpool endured a difficult campaign from start to finish. The tragic loss of Diogo Jota hit the Liverpool squad hard, with the squad never reaching the highs of the previous season. They were wildly inconsistent, but managed to finish fifth and claim the extra Champions League place because of England’s coefficient ranking.
Arne Slot ultimately departed the Anfield managerial hotseat and was replaced by Andoni Iraola. The new Liverpool manager has been dealt a huge blow ahead of the club’s opening day fixture against Newcastle United, with Joe Gomez ruled out through injury.
Andoni Iraola Targeting Big Improvement from Liverpool Squad
Joe Gomez Ruled Out of Liverpool PL Opener
Andoni Iraola was named as the successor to Arne Slot, whose Liverpool tenure ended with a whimper. The Merseyside club finished the 2025/26 season without a major trophy and will be eager to be back competing this coming season.
Jeremy Jacquet and Víctor Munoz are the new arrivals for Liverpool so far. Iraola will have to do without the experience of Ibrahima Konate, who decided to leave the club and join Real Madrid.
It remains to be seen who else will move to Anfield, but Iraola has suffered a blow in defence with the muscle injury sustained by Gomez on the club’s tour in the US, ruling him out of the opening-day Premier League game against Newcastle.
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His injury leaves the Reds noticeably light at centre back, with Virgil van Dijk starting his pre-season back on Merseyside this week rather than travelling to the US.
New signing Jeremy Jacquet is still building his fitness up, and has yet to feature for Iraola’s side, while Giovanni Leoni is still in rehab after a serious injury. So far on tour, teenagers Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye and full-back Luke Chambers have been filling in at centre back.
In a report from The Athletic, it’s revealed that Jacquet, 21, is expected to make his debut against Leeds on August 2.
Andoni Iraola Addresses Joe Gomez Injury and Centre Back Situation
Discussing the injury to Gomez, Liverpool head coach Iraola said:
“Joe has a muscle injury. It was quite clear since he complained straightaway, so he will be out for some weeks.”
“It’s difficult to say (in terms of a timescale) – normally one month. If it goes very well then a little bit less. If it goes bad then a bit more. It’s not massive. But I think it will be impossible to have him for the start of the season because we are not so far from that but it shouldn’t be a lot more.”
“You’ve seen in these games that we are pretty thin in the centre-back position,” Iraola added regarding the centre-back situation at the club.
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“We still don’t have Virgil. The only centre-backs we have right now are Mor and Ifeanyi who are 18, just arrived at the club and are doing incredibly well.
“Yesterday Luke Chambers played there (against Wrexham). He’s not a centre-back, but he played really well. Until we recover some bodies, I think Jeremy is ready to go.
“We will recover Virgil, but I’m happy that playing against Sunderland and Wrexham with 18-year-old centre-backs, the team has shown composure and solidity at the back and it speaks very well about them.”
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IMAGO / Propaganda Photo