REUTERS/Scott Heppell
Liverpool have made a positive start to the campaign, although Andoni Iraola would rather have turned some of their draws into wins.
Liverpool recorded impressive wins in the Champions League and EFL Cup against Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, but they have drawn three of their five Premier League fixtures to date.
Still, Iraola remains unbeaten as manager of the Merseyside outfit, and the Spaniard will look to build on that when they host Manchester City at Anfield immediately after the extended international break, before travelling to Austria to face LASK in the Champions League three days later.
The Merseyside outfit completed some good business during the summer transfer window, with Bradley Barcola arriving in another big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain, while Jeremy Jacquet is already looking like a top signing after he arrived at Anfield in the summer following Reds chiefs agreeing a deal for him in the January transfer window.
One of the other major arrivals was Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan from Barcelona, with the Uruguay international known for being a versatile defender.
The 6ft 4in monster's primary position is at centre-back, but he is able to play at right-back too, and it is something he has already shown during the early weeks of his Liverpool career.
||
Araujo for Liverpool in the Premier League
Appearances
Starts
Minutes
Goals conceded while on pitch
xG against while on pitch
Clearances
Duels won
Aerial duels won
The 27-year-old has started Liverpool's last four matches in the full-back position and impressed, as he keeps Jeremie Frimpong out of the team.
The Netherlands international continues to flatter to deceive following his move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025, and has featured for just 18 minutes of their last three Premier League matches.
While Conor Bradley is still making his return from injury, right-back is looking like a key area for Iraola and Liverpool to fix in 2027, and they may have already found the perfect candidate to do it.
Liverpool Can Complete Quansah Transfer
Jarell Quansah
Jarell Quansah
If Araujo continues to make a positive impact at right-back, it could give Liverpool a decision to make when it comes to signing him at the end of the season.
There will continue to be links with Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is still struggling to nail down a regular spot in Real Madrid's starting XI after a year in the Spanish capital, although it's likely his potential return to Anfield could be met with some opposition.
Perhaps then, the sensible 2027 move would be to bring back another former player in Jarell Quansah.
Like Araujo, the 23-year-old's natural position is at centre-back, but he is continuing to make a name for himself at right-back for Bayer Leverkusen and England.
||
Quansah Record for Bayer Leverkusen
Appearances
Goals
Assists
It wasn't a vintage performance by the Three Lions' defence in the 3-2 Nations League defeat to Spain at Wembley on Saturday night, but Quansah was one of the defenders to come out of the game with some credit.
He did have a couple of moments where he really switched off, including for one of Ferran Torres' misses and the third Spanish goal, but he also had some success going forward on the right.
The Warrington-born defender also had a great chance to score his first goal for his country when he headed over unmarked in the penalty area, and Tuchel was impressed with what he saw from the 23-year-old.
We needed Jarell Quansah’s speed and ability to think as a central defender. He [Quansah] was top class at the World Cup, he was top class in training this week, he was excellent in this game.
Liverpool failed to take up the £60m buy-back clause they had for Quansah this summer, but it stays in place and drops to £55m in 2027, which gives the Reds another chance to bring him back to Anfield.
There are a lot of positive reasons to do that, one being that Arsenal were also looking at him prior to landing Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa.
The Gunners are currently one of the best defensive teams in Europe and if they are looking at him, that is confirmation that he is a very good player.
With Virgil van Dijk another year older, Joe Gomez's injury issues continuing, and no guarantee Liverpool will sign Araujo permanently, they are short of both centre-back and right-back depth ahead of the 2027-28 campaign, and Quansah kills two birds with one stone.
The other big positive is that he counts as a homegrown player, which is so important for top Premier League clubs in the modern era.
Seemingly, Quansah is ready to make the move too, given the Liverpool Echo claim that personal terms are already agreed, should the Reds choose to exercise their option.
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch