Colorado Rockies Off to MLB’s Worst 50-Game Start in 130 Years

Weep for Colorado Rockies fans.

With Thursday's 2–0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Rockies were swept in four games, falling to 8-42 this season. That is the worst 50-game start in the modern MLB era, which dates back to 1901.

But that's not all.

In order to find a worse 50-game start in MLB history, you have to go all the way back to a time when sustained, engine-powered airplanes didn't exist and starting pitchers routinely threw 600 innings per season.

The 1895 Louisville Colonels, who started 7-43, are the only team in recorded MLB history to compile a worse record through the first 50 games of a season, according to .

The 2024 Chicago White Sox set the modern-era record for the most losses in a single season, with 121. But the Rockies are unfortunately cratering past the White Sox, as Colorado is on pace for 136 losses, which would surpass the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who lost more games (134) than any team in MLB history.

The Rockies on May 11 fired manager Bud Black one day after losing by 21 runs to the San Diego Padres, with team owner, chairman and CEO Dick Monfort stating his belief that the club is "capable of playing better."

The Rockies are 1–9 in the 10 games since firing Black and turning managerial duties over to third-base coach Warren Schaeffer.

Colorado's next nine games are against the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets—clubs that boast a combined .575 winning percentage this season.

Phillies Reliever Hit With 80-Game Suspension for PEDs

The Philadelphia Phillies were dealt an unfortunate blow to the bullpen on Sunday after veteran right-hander Jose Alvarado was suspended for 80 games after violating MLB's Joint Prevention and Treatment program, per multiple reports.

As part of his suspension, the 29-year-old will be ineligible for the postseason even if the Phillies qualify. Alvarado tested positive for exogenous Testosterone.

This season, Alvarado has made 20 relief appearances and owns an ERA of 2.70. He's recorded a team-high seven saves and has 25 strikeouts across 20 innings on the mound. Considering the team has played 45 games this season, Alvarado won't be eligible to return until there's just 37 games remaining.

This is Alvarado's fifth season with the organization, having joined in 2021. Last season he had a 4.09 ERA with 13 saves and 63 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings.

With Alvarado out of the mix, it's possible Jordan Romano or Matt Strahm will be called upon to handle the bulk of the late-inning work, while the team will likely explore options to add another arm to the bullpen.

As it stands, Philadelphia sits second in the NL East with a 27–18 record, just 1.5 games behind the division-leading New York Mets.

'Spend some money!' – Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac urged to splash the cash in January to give Wrexham 'real opportunity' of promotion to Premier League

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been urged to dig deep once again, with calls growing for Wrexham’s Hollywood hierarchy to make a decisive financial splash in the January transfer window. The Red Dragons arrive at the third international pause of the season in 13th place in the Championship, a mere four points shy of the play-off picture in what has become one of the tightest second-tier campaigns in recent history.

  • A rocky start gives way to belief

    Despite investing around £33 million ($43m) in fresh talent following their dramatic rise from League One last season, Wrexham began life in the Championship with uncertainty hanging overhead. Early stumbles suggested the learning curve would be steep. But that perception has shifted in recent weeks, and the feeling around North Wales is that momentum is finally starting to build. Even so, the pressure on Reynolds and McElhenney has quietly intensified. Their long-stated ambition is to propel Wrexham all the way to the top flight, and with several traditionally strong Championship clubs, Southampton and Leicester among them, struggling to impose themselves, observers believe the coming window could be crucial. 

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    Goodman: 'This might be their best chance'

    Sky Sports analyst Don Goodman has been forthright in his assessment. Speaking to the former Wolves and Sunderland striker urged the club to act decisively but intelligently. 

    "What you are seeing at the minute is loads of teams that are evenly matched and that gives a real opportunity. It could be that Wrexham might not get a better opportunity," he opined. 

    Goodman suggested that while the club’s summer activity was sizable, particularly given the volume of new arrivals with Championship experience, January should be about precision, not bulk.

    "With that in mind, I think there probably will be money available in January, if necessary," he said. "Their summer recruitment was massive in terms of Championship experience and quantity, a lot of new players came in. If they go and spend money in January, I would expect it to be quality over quantity. I would expect maybe it would be a couple of players brought in that would go straight into the starting eleven and improve them rather than players brought in for the squad.

    "When I look at that table, they are one of four teams, from 11th to 14th, on 21 points, which is four points off a play-off spot. I would expect them to have a real go, and spend some money in January."

    However, Goodman also warned about the Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), and added: "I don't know whether financial fair play will kick in and play a part so they'll have to really be careful and get some out before getting some in. But I would expect them to have a go."

  • CEO Williamson confirms January backing

    Any concerns that the owners might hesitate in January were quickly dismissed by Wrexham chief executive Michael Williamson, who recently set out the club’s strategy. 

    Speaking to , he said: "When you bring in a player in January, you're bringing them in hoping that they have an impact on your current season, but you're also thinking about if they will be ready for the next season. We brought in [Ryan] Longman and [Sam] Smith during the last January transfer window. We did that knowing that Longman had experience in the Championship already, and we felt Smith was a player who was going to be ready for the Championship and to have an impact there.  

    "You see him coming off the bench having an impact and Longman having some starts and also coming off the bench. That's the type of approach that you would take in January [looking at] who can help us in the Championship but also help us for when we arrive to the Premier League."

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    What comes next?

    Under Phil Parkinson, Wrexham have become one of the most progressive clubs in the EFL. Three promotions in quick succession have transformed expectations, with Reynolds and McElhenney eyeing the Premier League as their long-term destination. The Championship’s congested mid-table has kept Wrexham in touch with the frontrunners, quietly helping sustain belief. They resume their league journey on November 22 against Ipswich. 

Nuno says West Ham have a "really good" talent who's "massively impressed" Carrick

West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo has lavished praise on a Hammers academy graduate who possesses “so much talent”, and one who ex-midfielder Michael Carrick also holds in very high esteem.

Saturday’s clash between West Ham and Burnley at the London Stadium could be seen as a relegation six-pointer already, with just three points separating the two struggling sides as both are likely to be battling the drop come May.

The hosts sit 18th with just two wins from ten matches, while Burnley sit a place above with just one more victory to show for their efforts since promotion from the Championship.

West Ham finally ended their miserable run last weekend with a morale-boosting victory at the expense of Newcastle.

The Hammers came from behind to defeat Eddie Howe’s side 3-1 at home, with Lucas Paqueta, an own goal from Sven Botman and Tomas Soucek securing a much-needed three points and Nuno’s first win since taking charge.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

Remarkably, over half of West Ham’s shots on target since Nuno’s arrival came in that Newcastle win, nine out of 16, while Burnley have attempted the fewest shots out of any Premier League team this season, according to The Analyst.

Nuno’s side will be desperate to claim back-to-back home victories for the first time since February and climb out of the relegation zone, and history actually favours West Ham.

West Ham are unbeaten in their last six top flight meetings with Burnley, three wins and three draws, but more impressively, the east Londoners haven’t lost any of their last eleven top-flight matches against Burnley when scoring at least one goal (11v11).

Away from the stats, Nuno finally found a winning formula against Newcastle that gifts West Ham plenty of encouragement heading into this weekend.

A key part of their impressive performance last time out was the introduction of highly-rated young midfielder Freddie Potts, who was finally handed his first Premier League start after many calls to do so.

The 22-year-old, who spent the last two seasons playing regularly on loan at Wycombe and Portsmouth, put in an excellent display next to Paqueta at the heart of West Ham’s engine room, and he’s surely in line to start again when West Ham meet Burnley.

Nuno praises West Ham youngster Freddie Potts ahead of Burnley

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Nuno was effusive in his praise for Potts after his Newcastle display, but insists the West Ham gem still has some way to go.

Nuno isn’t the only man to stand up and take notice of Potts’ performance either, with Carrick explaining how “massively impressed” he was by the Englishman on Match of the Day.

Potts looks like the latest in a fairly steady line of exciting West Ham talents to come through in recent years, and going by his last outing, 25/26 could be his breakout campaign.

Jacks, Sam Curran combine to deny Sussex last-eight berth

Will Jacks, with a magnificent 58-ball century, and Sam Curran and Chris Jordan, with some canny late bowling, inspired Surrey to their 11th victory in 14 Vitality Blast games and snuffed out Sussex hopes of winning the last quarter-final berth from the South Group.Jacks powered three sixes and a dozen boundaries as he put on 65 for the first wicket with Ryan Patel and then 97 with Jason Roy as Surry scaled the 200 mark with a last ball six from Tom Curran over long-off off Tymal Mills.It all looked too much for the Sussex Sharks. But they were heroic in defeat. Knowing they had to win go qualify for the latter stages of the competition, with results going against them elsewhere, they strove valiantly for victory. Daniel Hughes, who has been disappointed with his return in the competition this year, plundered 75 from 43 balls, keeping his side in the hunt as he hit former Sussex man Jordan for four fours in over, before lofting Jamie Overton for a straight six.At the halfway stage Sussex were 81 for 1, ten runs behind the Surrey score. When Hughes was bowled, backing away to cut Jacks, it again looked difficult for Sussex. But Coles and Tom Clark changed all that, with a partnership of 58 in just four overs.Coles, in great form this season in red and white ball cricket, hit Jamie Overton for successive sixes, one over long-off and then over long-on and with 33 needed from three overs, and then 21 from two, the home side were favourite.But Surrey turned the game in the last two overs, as Curran took two in three balls, taking a brilliant return catch to dismiss Coles for a delightful 39 off 18 balls and then having Danny Lamb caught behind. That left Sussex needing 13 off the final over and even with captain John Simpson on strike they could not manage it against the clever Jordan, as he changed his paces.Surrey had already qualified for the latter stages with a guaranteed home draw while Sussex, after four losses on the spin, had been given a lifeline with their last-gasp victory over Gloucestershire the previous day and knew they could qualify by winning here.Surrey’s powerhouse batting line-up had shown a liking for Hove’s short boundaries in the past and they again got off to a flyer after choosing to bat, with openers Jacks and Patel thumping 47 off the first four overs, with 65 coming off the six-over powerplay as Brad Currie – replacing the injured Ollie Robinson – Nathan McAndrew and captaian Tymal Mills all coming in for severe punishment.Sussex pulled it back through the spin of Coles and with Henry Crocumbe and Lamb both impressive as they took pace off the ball. But then Surrey powered on again through Jacks, and with Jason Roy finding form to set an imposing total. But it was only just enough.

Dermot Gallagher reveals why "lucky" Arsenal star wasn't sent off v Newcastle

Dermot Gallagher has now revealed why one Arsenal star wasn’t sent off in a controversial moment during the 2-1 victory against Newcastle United on Sunday.

Gunners come from behind to win at St. James' Park

Prior to Sunday’s encounter, Newcastle had won four of their previous five matches against the Gunners at St. James’ Park, but Mikel Arteta’s side sent out a statement by ending their hoodoo, picking up all three points in dramatic fashion.

Arteta has received widespread criticism for his decision to persist with Mikel Merino in recent weeks, but the Spaniard rewarded his manager for his faith by bagging a late equaliser, before Gabriel headed home in stoppage time to secure an important victory on the road.

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Speaking after the match, Arteta insisted his side thoroughly deserved the victory, saying: “When you get what you deserve at the end there’s no better feeling. I’m so proud of the team and the way we controlled our emotions and navigated through the different stages of the game. We showed the conviction, the courage the desire and the quality we need to get where we want to be.”

However, things could’ve been very different. Gabriel may not have even been on the pitch to bag the late winner if Nick Woltemade had made more of a bust-up with the Brazilian earlier in the match, where the defender appeared to punch the Newcastle striker away from the ball.

Speaking Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, Gallagher said: “I think he’s lucky he didn’t actually strike him properly, because where he’s got lucky is is the referee hasn’t seen it, it’s gone to VAR and the VAR say red card or nothing, and it’s decided it’s not a red card. I don’t think it’s a red card, but I think if the referee sees it he’s certainly going to get a yellow card.”

Gabriel fortunate Woltemade didn't go down

Had the Newcastle striker made more of the incident and gone to ground, the Arsenal centre-back could have been in trouble, given that he clearly makes contact with the German’s face, albeit without a great deal of strength.

That said, the Magpies can also consider themselves fortunate that the decision to award Arsenal a penalty in the first half was overturned, with VAR getting involved after Jarred Gillett pointed to the spot for what he perceived to be a foul on Viktor Gyokeres.

Decisions went against both teams during the match, but Arteta’s side ultimately showed great character to come out on top, moving just two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool in the process.

Significant Rangers manager update shared out of Ibrox after positive talks

One Ibrox manager target has ruled himself out of contention to return as Rangers boss, the PA news agency understands.

Significant Rangers manager update from Ibrox

Steven Gerrard had been the front-runner to replace the sacked Russell Martin as head coach, but it is understood that after holding constructive discussions with the club, he felt the timing was not right for a return to Ibrox.

PA understands the conversations were positive, and both sides agreed to leave the door open for the future.

Martin was sacked last weekend after just four months in charge, with the team having won just one of their opening seven William Hill Premiership matches.

Gerrard, who left his role in charge of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq in January, is a hero to many Gers supporters after leading them to the title in 2020-21, which remains the only time they have won the league since their financial implosion in 2012.

Games

192

Wins

124

Draws

41

Defeat

27

He left the club later that year after three years in charge to take over at Aston Villa. In an interview with the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ podcast released this week, Gerrard revealed he had “a bit of unfinished business” in management and wanted “to be at a team that’s going to compete to win because I think that suits me better”.

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Another concern for the Gers.

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Rangers Under-19 coach Steven Smith is currently overseeing first-team training on an interim basis along with B team coach Brian Gilmour, goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo and head of performance Rhys Owen.

Other names to have been touted as potential successors to Martin include Hearts boss Derek McInnes, former Rangers player Kevin Muscat and ex-Everton boss Sean Dyche.

'I can work with Jose Mourinho!' – Ex-Arsenal academy chief says history with Arsene Wenger and Louis van Gaal shows he's right man for Benfica as presidential candidate reveals plan

Former Arsenal academy chief Adries Jonker has claimed that he has the capability to work with Jose Mourinho. Having worked as a deputy to top coaches like Arsene Wenger, Louis Van Gaal and Jupp Heynckes, Jonker might be brought on board after the elections at Benfica if Martim Mayer, the presidential candidate, wins this year's vote.

Jonker eyeing Mourinho partnership at Benfica

After working in Arsenal and later on with Netherlands women's team, Jonker is aiming for a new role in football. Mayer, who will be fighting against current president Rui Costa and other candidates for the presidency, has announced the Dutchman's name as his choice to take on a background role after submitting his candidacy for the election, as he believes Jonker will be the right man to work alongside Mourinho and current general director of football Mario Branco. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWhat did Jonker say?

Jonker has endorsed the idea, saying his history at the Arsenal academy alongside his experiences as an assistant at Bayern Munich and Barcelona show he can deal with a coach like Mourinho.

"If I worked with Louis van Gaal, Arsene Wenger and Jupp Heynckes I can also work with Jose Mourinho. Benfica hasn't won enough in recent years, and if we look at Jose Mourinho's record, we see that he's been extremely successful. Therefore, what we need to do is support him. Let's hope he can win, become champion, win the Portuguese Cup, and perform well in European competitions," he said.

Potential new Benfica supremo has faith on Jonker

Jonker has a vast resume, boasting big clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona, and Bayern on his CV, as well as spells as a head coach at Wolfsburg and Willem II. At Bayern, he even worked as the interim manager after Van Gaal's departure. Mayer, whose fate depends on the elections on October 25, said: "They are coaches with different profiles, with different characteristics. We have to know how to adjust the team. This is the right person to work with Jose Mourinho and Mario Branco. What is behind us was part of another coach. And, therefore, that had to be left behind. [Jonker] is someone I'm sure will bring this project, this support to Benfica's football, which has been lacking. We can't just be behind the coach, just organised. We need more than that. Andries is that person who will bring a lot of value to the first team."

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Getty Images SportCan Jonker bring lost glory back to Benfica?

A club that boasts of Eusebio's legacy, Benfica have never won a Champions League title after it was rebranded in 1992. The club, however, won it as the European Cup in two successive seasons back in 1960-61 and 1961-62. Their latest achievement, meanwhile, was the domestic Super Cup, and the most recent league title came in 2023. Jonker, aiming for an important role at the Lisbon-based outfit, will be expected to help bring back the glorious years at the club if he ultimately signs for them.

كلوب ساخرًا من إنفاق ليفربول في ميركاتو الصيف: لم يخبرني أحد بإمكانية حدوث ذلك

سخر يورجن كلوب، المدير الفني السابق لفريق ليفربول، من حجم الإنفاق المالي الذي قام به النادي في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي لعام 2025 للتعاقد مع لاعبين جدد.

وأنفق ليفربول أكثر من نصف مليار دولار على لاعبين جدد، هذا الصيف، حيث تعاقد مع نجوم مثل ألكسندر إيزاك، هوجو إيكتيكي وفلوريان فيرتز، إلى جانب جيريمي فريمبونج وميلوس كيركيز.

ولم يتمتع كلوب بقدرة ليفربول على مثل ذلك الإنفاق الضخم عندما كان مدربًا لـ ليفربول، بل سبق وأن صرّح في عام 2022 أنه من المستحيل على ناديه منافسة فرق مثل مانشستر سيتي في سوق الانتقالات.

وقال كلوب، في تصريحات خلال بودكاست نشرته شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” الإنجليزية: “لم يكن لدي أدنى فكرة أن هذا ممكن، لم يخبرني أحد قط بإمكانية إنفاقنا بهذا الشكل!”.

وأضاف: “كان هذا آخر عام لي في ليفربول، كانت هناك صفقة أديداس والملعب الجديد، كل هذه الأمور تُدر على النادي المزيد من المال، لكنني لم أكن لأطلب هذا المبلغ أبدًا، لكن ذلك لم يكن مشكلة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رد فعل غريب من كورتيس جونز بعد إهدار محمد صلاح هدفًا محققًا أمام مانشستر يونايتد

وواصل: “أحب حقيقة أننا حققنا هذا النجاح، وبنينا مدرجات جديدة وملعب تدريب، لأنك تتحدث الآن عن سوق الانتقالات بالطريقة التي تريدها، لا يوجد نقاش حول المدرجات، ولا حول ملعب التدريب”.

وأردف: “إنها قصة رائعة وستبقى خالدة، أريد أن يستفيد النادي من الفترة التي عملنا فيها معًا بعد رحيلنا”.

وعن النتائج السيئة للفريق حاليًا، قال: “التغيير دائمًا له تأثير، كما أن التغيير يحتاج دائمًا إلى وقت، لو ظل نفس الفريق كما في العام الماضي، مع نونيز ودياز، ووقعت مشاكل بمجرد مشاركتهما، لقال الناس( نعم، كنا بحاجة إلى التغيير)”.

وشدد: “اللاعبون الجدد جيدون جدًا، الأمور لا تسير على ما يرام حاليًا، التطوير يحتاج إلى وقت، والناس بحاجة إلى التكيف، إيزاك مهاجم مذهل، ستندمون على كلامكم بشأن فيرتز، إنه موهبة مذهلة، إيكتيكي لاعب مذهل، إنها تشكيلة رائعة حقًا”.

واختتم: “لو لم يصب قلب الدفاع الشاب (جيوفاني ليوني) بإصابة، لكان الفريق مثاليًا، ظهيران أيسران رائعان، وظهيران أيمنان رائعان، لا داعِ للقلق بشأن ليفربول، سيكونون بخير”.

Liverpool's homegrown Guehi: FSG may regret selling Anfield "monster"

Now that the summer transfer window is done and dusted, Liverpool will feel they are in a strong position to retain the Premier League title they won so confidently under Arne Slot’s management last season.

The Reds had just parted ways with iconic manager Jurgen Klopp, and many expected his successor, who had found success with Feyenoord in the Netherlands, would fall by the wayside in keeping with comparable circumstances at Arsenal and Manchester United.

And despite opting against a trigger-happy transfer window, Slot’s Liverpool knuckled down with the options available, giving rise to new heroes such as Ryan Gravenberch in the number six role.

Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo for Liverpool

But now that Liverpool are at the top, they are determined to stay there, bolstering their ranks with superstars like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, as well as many more, including Hugo Ekitike, Isak’s rival at number nine and with three goals and an assist from his first four outings in Red.

However, it didn’t all go the way of sporting director Richard Hughes, with a deadline-day deal for Marc Guehi falling through after Crystal Palace failed to land a suitable replacement and Oliver Glasner threatened to walk.

Could it prove a significant blow for the Merseysiders?

Why Liverpool wanted Guehi

Over the past four years with Palace, Guehi has gone from strength to strength and established himself as one of the Premier League’s standout centre-backs.

Said to have been an “absolute gem” by former Reds coach Michael Beale, who also coached him during his formative years in Chelsea’s academy, from the start, it’s no surprise that Guehi’s performances for club and country over the past few years have earned Liverpool’s vested interest.

Crystal Palace's MarcGuehicelebrates scoring their second goal

With Ibrahima Konate now in the final year of his contract at Anfield and Virgil van Dijk having turned 34 in July, it felt necessary that FSG green-lit the signing of a new centre-half, and indeed Liverpool pushed to sign Bournemouth prodigy Dean Huijsen before he signed for Real Madrid.

But Liverpool did win the race for Italy star Giovanni Leoni, who, aged 18, is regarded as one of the best defensive prospects in the world, and put pen to paper on a £30m transfer.

But Guehi would have added proven quality to the ranks, and it’s anticipated that Liverpool will return for the Three Lions star next summer.

However, maybe Liverpool’s worries would have been eased if they had kept their homegrown version of Guehi at the club this season.

Liverpool already sold their own Guehi

Much of the reasoning behind Liverpool’s decision to sell Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen in a £35m deal this summer made sense, but the centre-half had showcased his potential under Klopp, and he may yet become one of Europe’s leading defenders.

However, much of Quansah’s gains made across a brilliant breakout year in 2023/24 were undone when Slot took Klopp’s place, hooking him at half-time during the opening game of the season, a 2-0 win over newly-promoted Ipswich Town.

Slot commented post-match that Liverpool were struggling for success in the duel, but it perhaps proved a psychological blow for the up-and-comer, who thereafter was benched for 11 successive league fixtures and started only three further matches before the end of the campaign.

Still, he had previously been hailed as an “absolute monster” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and certainly boasts the range of passing and movement on the ball to emulate the style Liverpool were going for with the signing of Guehi.

Integral in winning the Carabao Cup as Klopp bowed out after nearly nine years, Quansah started regularly toward the end of the Premier League campaign, completing 89% of his passes, winning 64% of his duels, as per Sofascore, and looking very much at home alongside the redoubtable Van Dijk..

Taking that term and comparing it with Guehi’s recent effort with the Eagles, you perhaps begin to see that Liverpool might have already had their own version in the ranks.

Goals + assists

0.15

0.15

Touches

97.11

62.70

Pass completion

88.6%

83.5%

Passes attempted

88.64

51.93

Progressive passes

5.07

3.94

Progressive carries

0.98

0.65

Shot-creating actions

0.98

1.29

Ball recoveries

5.45

4.30

Tackles + interceptions

3.18

2.62

Clearances

2.95

4.80

Blocks

1.21

1.62

Aeriel duels won

3.40

2.00

Sure, Leverkusen offered a sizeable figure for the 22-year-old, and Liverpool knew his chances of consistent minutes across the season were slim, but Quansah could have played a part, allowed to develop further as his experience grew under Slot’s wing.

While he remained a fringe player throughout, the England U21 international stepped into the campaign and popped up with some big moments after the new year, especially when the Reds came under the cosh against Wolverhampton Wanderers and required some big defending.

While it would be anticipated that Guehi’s ball-playing and other more progressive metrics would increase upon leaving Palace for Liverpool, the fact that Quansah managed to showcase a proficiency in such a system makes an interesting comment on the player he could now become in the Bundesliga.

FSG will be content after inserting a €60m (£51m) buyback clause into his contract with Die Werkself, but having now missed out on Guehi, the Anfield side might look back with hindsight at having allowed a player of significant potential and similar attributes to have left earlier in the window.

Leoni is a potential superstar, but Liverpool will need to ensure they do not overburden the teenager after only a few steps on English shores.

Had Quansah, a defender who has played 58 matches for Liverpool, scoring three goals, providing three assists, and winning several titles, stayed put, Slot’s side might have that final bit of quality and depth needed as they stare at a promising season with many forks in the road.

Perfect for Isak: Liverpool may regret selling Klopp's "world level player"

This former Liverpool star could have been a difference-maker in Slot’s squad this year.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 3, 2025

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