A difficult January ahead at Anfield in light of Isak Injury and Salah drama
The busy fixtures of Christmas have come at the wrong time for Liverpool. While they have returned to winning after losing every domestic game in the month of October, the atmosphere around the club remains mixed.
We are seeing this mix of outlooks in betting patterns at Missouri sportsbooks too, as Liverpool look simlataneously out of the title race, but still a contender for the Champions League.
Between a record-breaking injury blow and the bad blood between Slot and Salah, January could be the defining month for the season ahead.
A season of high expectations
The weekend win over Tottenham was supposed to be the moment Alexander Isak announced himself as the record transfer that he was. Scoring an important goal while getting injured in the process just about summed up his start to Liverpool, which was already shrouded in controversy. Stretchered off, it’s still unclear how long he will be out for. It was his first big-game goal…
Any transfer with such a large financial outlay is pressurising – even Viktor Gyokeres is feeling it, and that was “only” €63.5 million – under half of Isak’s £125 million. But, perhaps more pressurising is that it was a topper, coming after €80m for Hugo Ekitiké, who has had a good start to his Liverpool career. It was already proving tricky for Isak to push his way into the team, and now it’s been set back until possibly April or later. A disastrous first season after so vehemently pushing for a move.
Will they be in the market for reinforcement during January? It’s difficult to imagine having just splashed £200+ million on strikers only a few months ago.
The Salah departure
Compounding the issues is the ongoing drama with Mohamed Salah. After his public outburst after the draw with Leeds United earlier this month, where Salah suggested his relationship with the club hierarchy had reached a breaking point, the Egyptian is now heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations after spending many games on the bench.
Salah has faced a lot of criticism from the likes of Jamie Carragher, and it appears he has not apologised to manager Arne Slot. It’s clear that the Saudi Pro League remains not only interested in Salah, but also an extremely lucrative option. It’s not impossible that Salah has played his last ever game for Liverpool with the January transfer window looming.
While Ekitiké looks promising, it’s difficult to imagine losing both Isak and Salah – two of the best attackers in the league. It puts a top-four finish into question, despite a return to form recently.
Adjustments for the 2026 push
Arne Slot’s controlled style of play has stabilized the defense, but the lack of depth in wide areas is becoming a glaring weakness – particularly as fatigue sets in due to the packed fixture list over Christmas. Even then, though, it’s not clear that January will be for reinforcements because there is also an expectation on £100 Florian Wirtz to come good. The criticism of overspending on too many expensive attackers in one window appears to be moot now – the depth is welcome in light of Salah and Isak’s absences.
As we head into the second half of the season, Liverpool are in a situation where we may see them push desperately for the Champions League – not just for the trophy, but to ensure their place in the competition next season.
