Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has backed Florian Wirtz to come good at the club this season.

Wirtz completed a £107M transfer move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer as part of a bold squad rebuilding project from Arne Slot.

However, the Germany international struggled for consistency in his maiden campaign on Merseyside, with just five Premier League goals scored.

Slot struggled to find his best position, after he thrived in a narrow left-sided No.10 position at Leverkusen, and Andoni Iraola is in a similar dilemma.

He’s yet to score in seven appearances so far in 2026/27, and Gerrard believes allowances should be made to continue his development, and the 23-year-old cannot play out wide.

“His best position is a No.10. I don’t think he’s got the speed to play out wide. I’m not sure this Liverpool team is set and ready for Wirtz to thrive.

“If Liverpool can get Barcola, Isak, Muñoz, Rio and Ekitike all firing and fit, Wirtz will feel better because he will have more forward runs, and better players around him.

“His confidence is shot. He’s not playing well enough. I agree with Jamie Carragher to that extent. But, the boy needs help from the manager and senior players. He’s a major talent in my opinion.”

Mikel Arteta said Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi would both miss Arsenal’s Champions League match with Lille after suffering freak ankle injuries in their warm-down after Saturday’s win against Leeds.

Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie, a late substitute in the 2-1 victory at the Emirates, was carried off the pitch after hurting himself in the post-match session.

Arsenal boss Arteta told his pre-match press conference on Monday that Spain midfielder Zubimendi also suffered an injury in the warm-down.

“We had a training session planned after the game for the players that didn’t have enough minutes to get everybody the recovery day on Sunday, and to get everybody in the right rhythm, and in two very unfortunate actions, we lost two players, and yeah, not great,” he said.

“We need to assess them. Today they have further scans to see where they are, and they will have a timeframe for how long they’ll be out.”

The Spaniard added: “What can you do? If I knew I had a crystal ball, I’d say, ‘Guys, go in the jacuzzi, everybody, and see you tomorrow.’”

Arteta confirmed both players would miss the home game against French Ligue 1 team Lille on Tuesday, adding: “Piero’s one looks a little bit more serious, I think, but we have to wait and see.”

Last season’s Champions League finalists beat Napoli in their opening match in the competition last month.

Arsenal are second in the Premier League, three points behind Manchester City.

Bukayo Saka’s start to the 2026/27 season has triggered mixed reviews as Arsenal seek to defend their Premier League title.

The 25-year-old has scored three goals in six appearances for the defending champions – with the academy product racking up over 300 appearances and bagging 84 goals in North London.

Mikel Arteta values him as a vital part of his future plans at the Emirates Stadium, and the club rewarded the England international with a huge new contract at the start of the year, which makes him the Gunners highest paid player.

However, former Arsenal captain David O’Leary has admitted to concerns of Saka’s form, after watching the 2-1 weekend win over Leeds United.

“I really like the guy but I honestly don’t think he’s in the best form,” Arsenal’s all-time record appearance maker told talkSPORT.

“I do think one thing, seeing him grow up and get into the team before everyone knew how good he was, I think he goes down too much now.


‘I think he’s looking for that touch to go down, and the player I saw before that was much more positive, he was not going to let the full-back put him on the deck, or anybody else.

“He’s not the player he was, without a doubt. He’s still a top player, but is he the player that got this fantastic new contract at Arsenal to make him one of the top-paid players in the country? I don’t think so at the moment.”