Arsenal continued to apply pressure on Liverpool in the Premier League title race on New Year's Day with a 3-1 victory at Brentford

Real Madrid are keen to seal a move for Trent Alexander-Arnold this month but Liverpool have made their stance clear over the defender's future

Real Madrid are keen to seal a move for Trent Alexander-Arnold this month but Liverpool have made their stance clear over the defender's future

Liverpool enjoyed a quiet summer transfer window but the Reds could have a busier January as rumours swirl involving both incomings and outgoings at Anfield

Liverpool enjoyed a quiet summer transfer window but the Reds could have a busier January as rumours swirl involving both incomings and outgoings at Anfield

Liverpool are yet to officially appoint a specialist set-piece coach after posting a job advert over the summer, and it transpires that they missed their No. 1 target.

Back in May, it emerged that Liverpool were seeking to follow the likes of Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea in appointing their own specialist set-piece coach.

A job advert was posted on the club’s official channels as well as LinkedIn, only for their search to be paused in September, with first-team development coach Aaron Briggs filling the role.

That comes after Liverpool failed to land their priority target in Feyenoord’s Etienne Reijnen, who was at one point believed to be close to a move to Merseyside.

When Liverpool appeared set to land Reijnen, it was unclear exactly which role he would take up on Arne Slot‘s staff, but it would in fact have involved leading set-pieces.

Speaking to Algemeen Dagblad last month, the Liverpool head coach highlighted the role of his former colleague.

“Etienne Reijnen is still at Feyenoord and I recently read that Brian Priske (Slot’s successor) was full of praise for him,” Slot said.

“The set-pieces are a strength at Feyenoord and Reijnen still takes care of them.”

Feyenoord have scored the fourth-most set-piece goals so far in this season’s Eredivisie with eight, which would be joint-second in the Premier League and considerably more than Liverpool who have the second-fewest with two.

Reijnen’s proposed switch fell through due to work permit issues, with the 37-year-old instead remaining in his position as analyst and technical advisor for the Dutch club, but Liverpool could revive their interest in the future.

That would explain their decision to park any search for a specialist and rely on Briggs to fill the role for the time being.

Briggs’ duties within Slot’s staff are wide-ranging, including leading training sessions and bridging the first team and academy squads, and his time is understandably divided.

That makes it likely that Liverpool will eventually appoint a new set-piece coach and that could come if Reijnen is eventually eligible for a UK work permit.

The club faced so no such issue in acquiring a work permit for Slot and support staff such as Sipke Hulshoff, Ruben Peeters and Roderick van der Ham, who all moved to Anfield from Feyenoord.

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The very latest on Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool future amid a fresh Real Madrid development

The very latest on Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool future amid a fresh Real Madrid development

Maxi Rodriguez, who turns 44 today, became a Liverpool cult hero during his time with the club

Maxi Rodriguez, who turns 44 today, became a Liverpool cult hero during his time with the club

How Liverpool's players have been rated by the ECHO so far this season with Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo causing a stir

How Liverpool's players have been rated by the ECHO so far this season with Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo causing a stir

The Red Devils will welcome back Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte for the trip to Anfield on Sunday

The Red Devils will welcome back Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte for the trip to Anfield on Sunday

Arne Slot is waiting on an update on several of his Liverpool players ahead of the Premier League clash against Manchester United

Arne Slot is waiting on an update on several of his Liverpool players ahead of the Premier League clash against Manchester United

Real Madrid is considering making another move for Trent Alexander-Arnold this month, according to reports.

The Spanish giant made a shock bid for the Liverpool vice-captain on New Year’s Eve before the January transfer window opened. The Reds though quickly rebuffed the approach, with the club having no interest in selling Alexander-Arnold this month.

The right-back is set to be out of contract at the end of the season, and has been heavily linked with a move to the Bernabeu. Although a pre-contract agreement is a possibility now, Real looks to be going all in on signing Alexander-Arnold this month amid an injury crisis in defense.

According to the Mirror, Real is considering another approach and is willing to pay up to $26m (£20.7m/€25m) to do a deal this month.

Despite recent reports in Spain suggesting Alexander-Arnold has told Liverpool he has decided to make the move to Madrid, sources at the club have indicated that he hasn’t had any such conversation, and that the club is still hopeful he will sign a new contract at Anfield.

The 26-year-old has been offered a new deal by the club, with talks ongoing. Real though is keen to get a new right-back in this month, with first-choice option Dani Carvajal set to be out for the remainder of the season.

Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to air his frustration at recent speculation over his future during Liverpool's win over West Ham (Image: Getty Images)

The European champions though are wary of upsetting Alexander-Arnold, with their main aim being to sign him either now or in the summer. The defender seemed to air his frustration at recent speculation when he celebrated his goal at West Ham by making a talking gesture with his hand.

Liverpool is obviously keen not to have Alexander-Arnold’s head turned, with the Reds leading the way in the Premier League and in a strong position in the Champions League as well. With Conor Bradley injured at the moment, Arne Slot can ill-afford to see his first-choice right-back leave this month.

Liverpool.com says: It’s pretty obvious what Liverpool needs to do if another offer arrives from Madrid. The Reds simply cannot let one of their key players leave in the middle of a title race, especially one that they’re leading.

It does seem like an effort from Real to unsettle the player, and hopefully that might backfire on them. Considering Alexander-Arnold has said he doesn’t want his future being played out in public, you can’t imagine he’ll be best pleased with becoming the center of attention at the moment.

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Arsenal has narrowed the gap to Liverpool at the top of the Premier League as the title race looks to be developing into a two-horse race.

The Gunners found themselves sitting nine points behind the Reds ahead of their clash with Brentford on New Year’s Day, with Arne Slot’s side having closed out 2024 in style with a 5-0 win at West Ham.

It looked at one stage like Liverpool would maintain its eight-point advantage at the top of the table after Bryan Mbeumo put the Bees ahead, but Gabriel Jesus equalized midway through the first half before Mikel Merino and Gabriel Jesus struck after the break to secure Mikel Arteta’s side a 3-1 win.

That puts them within six points of Liverpool, although of course the Reds still have a game in hand. Nevertheless, it looks as if the title race could now be between just the two sides.

With Chelsea suffering a shock 2-0 defeat at Ipswich, the Blues have fallen 10 points behind Liverpool, while Manchester City sits 14 points back on the Reds, leaving both of those sides a mountain to climb.

Liverpool fans will therefore be keeping a close eye on Arsenal’s fixtures over the coming months, hoping for a few slip-ups in order to aid their title hopes.

Arsenal's next 5 Premier League fixtures

• 4 January : Brighton (A)
• 15 January: Tottenham (H)
• 18 January: Aston Villa (H)
• 25 January: Wolves (A)
• 1 February: Man City (H)

Arsenal has overcome one tough test in Brentford, although there are plenty more lying in wait now. A trip to Brighton is certainly not to be underestimated, although the Seagulls are without a win in their last seven outings.

Tottenham and Aston Villa will pose a threat, although the Gunners do have home advantage in those two games, while Wolves is certainly a different prospect now after picking up seven points in their last three games under new boss Vitor Pereira. Liverpool might well be hoping Manchester City can rediscover its form in time for its trip to north London next month.

Liverpool's next 5 Premier League fixtures

• 5 January: Manchester United (H)
• 14 January: Nottingham Forest (A)
• 18 January: Brentford (A)
• 25 January: Ipswich (H)
• 1 February: Bournemouth (A)

Liverpool gets 2025 underway by hosting its greatest rival Manchester United on Sunday. Given the mess Ruben Amorim’s team is in, they shouldn’t pose much of a threat to the Reds, although you wouldn’t want to call it just yet.

A trip to Nottingham Forest is quite the daunting prospect this season, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side sitting third, and having the boast of being the only side to have beaten Liverpool this season. Slot will no doubt want some revenge there.

Trips to Brentford and Bournemouth either side of hosting Ipswich will be tricky, although the Reds will be expected to take maximum points. If they can come out of the other side of these next five games with their lead over Arsenal intact, or even having grown, that title might well be getting closer to Anfield.

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Arsenal moved to within six points of Liverpool with victory against Brentford on Wednesday, and Mohamed Salah posted on social media to update fans during the game

Arsenal moved to within six points of Liverpool with victory against Brentford on Wednesday, and Mohamed Salah posted on social media to update fans during the game