Liverpool will come up against one former transfer target when they face struggling Wolves on Saturday
Liverpool’s title defence has admittedly not gone to plan so far this season, with the Reds currently down in fifth in the Premier League table as we near the midway point of the campaign. A six-game unbeaten run in all competitions in December has at least seen them slightly recover in recent weeks, but they still trail league-leaders Arsenal by 10 points thanks to a run of nine defeats from 12 games.
Such form had seen Arne Slot come under increasing pressure, despite leading Liverpool to the title in his first season in charge.
However, stalk has since quietened considerably thanks to the Reds moving back in the right direction.
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But the same cannot be said of Wolverhampton Wanderers ahead of their visit to Anfield on Saturday, with Liverpool’s own struggles this season paling in comparison.
The West Midlands outfit sit bottom of the Premier League table and, boasting just two points, are yet to win a top-flight game all season. Their only victories have come in the League Cup, against West Ham United and Everton, while you have to go April 26 when they thrashed relegated Leicester City 3-0 for the last time they picked up maximum points.
Consequently, since the start of May, they are on a 21-game league winless run and have only picked up points at home to Brentford on the final day of last season and away at Tottenham Hotspur and at home to Brighton & Hove Albion this year.
That point at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is also the only time they have avoided defeat on the road all season, in all competitions, with their last away win coming at Manchester United back in April.
With Wolves heading to Anfield off the back of 11 straight defeats, it would be a huge setback for Liverpool if they were not able to see off the Premier League strugglers next weekend.
After all, another defeat for the West Midlands outfit would see them break the record for the Premier League’s worst ever winless start to a season.
Wolves’ dismal form saw them sack Vitor Pereira at the start of November and replace him with Middlesbrough boss and former player Rob Edwards.
But, yet to pick up his first point and with his side already 16 points off safety, it is already looking like it would be the biggest ask for him to guide them to a ‘great escape’.
To further add to the chaos, under-fire chairman Jeff Shi stepped down from his role last week following ongoing supporter backlash.
Admittedly, Wolves’ woes were not aided by their summer transfer window as key players Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri departed for Manchester United and Man City respectively.
While Jorgen Strand Larsen was signed permanently from Celta Vigo after a successful loan, an outlay just over £100m on Fer Lopez, Jhon Arias, David Moller Wolfe, Jackson Tchatchoua and Tolu Arokodare has not paid off.
Following defeat to Brentford on Saturday, Matt Doherty called on his team-mates to stand up and fight to survive rather than take the easy way out and look for a move away from the club in January.
“This is the worst I’ve felt in a long time,” he admitted in a brutally honest interview. “It’s not hopefully (we sign players in January), it has to be. We’ve got no choice, we’re going to need something, whether that’s in the loan market, or whatever.
“People who can see our situation and still want to come and want to help. We’re just going to need something. We’re going to need some fresh energy.
“We’re going to need everyone who’s here now also to find the level of where we were last season, because a lot of us are still here from last season, and last season, we got ourselves to a good level of performance to stay in the league, because we were in a tough spot this time last year as well.
“Obviously, this is a lot worse, but we need to find the levels, myself included. We need to do some soul searching and have a look in the mirror and just figure out what we want to be remembered for at the club
“Do we want to be remembered for fighting all the way to the end of season, or do we want to be remembered for being cowards and taking the easy option, maybe trying to leave in January, or not fighting and training, and letting other people take your position?
“We need to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out how we want to be remembered at the club.”
Understandably, that has not stopped players from being linked with an exit. And with relegation to the Championship growing in likelihood, further key players look set to follow Cunha and Ait-Nouri out the door.
Having been denied a summer move to Newcastle United, Strand Larsen is reportedly of interest to both Crystal Palace and West Ham United in January. Meanwhile, the former are also said to be eyeing a potential swoop for Joao Gomes.
Only time will tell if they are to depart for mid-season or oblige to Doherty’s passionate plea. But if Wolves do indeed suffer relegation, it would be no surprise to see the pair join new clubs in 2026.
And the same could be said for former Liverpool transfer target Andre Trindade.
The Reds were interested in the Brazilian back in the summer of 2023 when looking to revamp their engineroom, only to switch attention to Wataru Endo once Fluminense made it clear that the midfielder would not be allowed to depart until the end of the calendar year.
The 24-year-old would go on to join Wolves in a deal worth up to £21m in August 2024, and impressed in his first season at Molineux as both Liverpool and Manchester United continued to be linked with his services up until last summer.
While such transfer talk has quietened amid Wolves’ ongoing woes, Andre would still be one of their more highly sought after assets – especially should they suffer relegation.
And with 2026 being a World Cup year, and the midfielder only featuring once for Brazil since March 2025, he would have extra motivation to seek a mid-season departure.
There is no suggestion of the Reds revisiting interest in the Brazilian at this time. But given their struggles at times this season, there have been calls for Liverpool to strengthen their defensive midfield options.
But hypothetically, should the Reds still hold interest in Andre, it would not be the first time they have gone back in for a former target with Mohamed Salah the most successful example.
Meanwhile, they have also had great success when signing from relegated sides in recent years, with Andy Robertson, Gini Wijnaldum, Xherdan Shaqiri and Danny Ings all being snapped up following demotions to the Championship.
With Liverpool ever the opportunists in the transfer market, Wolves’ struggles could merely open the door to another opportunity.
In the meantime, Andre and Wolves will be looking to avoid making unwanted Premier League history at Anfield on Saturday.
And with the transfer window looming and Doherty’s stern words ringing in ears around Molineux, only time will tell if a clash with the Reds is also treated as a potential shop window.
