Arne Slot has given Liverpool a welcome injury lift ahead of Newcastle United by confirming Jeremie Frimpong will miss “a few weeks” rather than the kind of absence that can swallow a season.
The Dutch head coach spoke at the AXA Training Centre with the transfer window closing next week, and the headline from his briefing was that Frimpong’s problem is “not as bad as we thought”, even though the Netherlands international will still be unavailable for Saturday night at Anfield.
“Not in the squad tomorrow, so he’s out for a few weeks, but not as bad as we thought he would be out” our boss said via Liverpool FC on YouTube.
That creates an immediate selection headache, because Liverpool will face Newcastle without a recognised right-back, and Slot may have to improvise again, with Wataru Endo a realistic option after covering multiple roles recently, or Dominik Szoboszlai once again.
Slot’s Frimpong, Konate, Gomez and Jones update before Newcastle
Slot also offered positive news on Ibou Konate, with the France international back training and expected to be involved for the weekend.
“Ibou trained with us yesterday… today and we’ll be in the squad tomorrow.”
There is also a boost on Curtis Jones, with the England midfielder available again after illness, “Curtis is again available… he is available.”
However, Joe Gomez will not feature, with the 28-year-old still sidelined, even if Slot suggested the wait shouldn’t be long, “Joe will not be available… but that doesn’t have to take much longer anymore.”
And for Alexander Isak, Slot’s words underlined how long this one is going to take, with our No.9 still not ready to step onto the grass.
“No, he’s not even on the pitch yet… he’s just out of his walker… it’s gonna take a while before he’s back.”
Slot also addressed Jayden Danns’ stalled comeback and Stefan Bajcetic’s stop-start recovery, stressing both the quality and the need to manage expectations after repeated setbacks.
Slot’s transfer message as the deadline approaches
Unsurprisingly, Slot was pushed on the market, and his answer was familiar: Liverpool will only move if the right player is available, affordable and fits the longer-term plan, but he did little to suggest a late scramble is coming.
“If we think we’ve addressed a player that can help us and we think it’s possible, then we would do so.”
That feels especially relevant because the Premier League has been the problem area, even as Europe has provided respite, and Liverpool need to turn the confidence of Qarabag into a domestic run that drags us back towards the top four.
Liverpool’s latest results
Date Competition Venue Opponent Result
21 Jan 2026 Champions League Away Marseille 3-0
24 Jan 2026 Premier League Away Bournemouth 2-3
28 Jan 2026 Champions League Home Qarabag 6-0
31 Jan 2026 Premier League Home Newcastle Upcoming
The last time we saw Newcastle, we edged a chaotic 3-2 at St James’ Park in August, and Saturday is set up as another serious test of whether Slot’s Liverpool can carry Champions League sharpness into the league when the pressure returns.
