Slot 'counting on' star to explode in second half of season as trusted source rules out double deal

Arne Slot is determined to block two players from leaving Anfield this month with a trusted source revealing all about strong interest in both Ben Doak and Federico Chiesa, though the Liverpool manager has left open the possibility of signings of his own.

The Merseysiders are flying high under the management of Slot, who has effortlessly stepped into the shoes vacated by Jurgen Klopp. And with Liverpool well on track to win only the second Premier League crown of their history, supporters are gearing up for what they hope will be a hugely successful 2025. In addition to Premier League glory, the Reds are also 100% in the Champions League and this week take on Tottenham in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-finals.

The results Liverpool are enjoying so far is made all the more remarkable by the fact that it is all being done with largely the squad Slot inherited. And while only one man was added to the squad this summer – the bargain £12.5m (€15m, $15.7m) capture of Chiesa – the Italian has rarely been seen so far, having been limited to just four appearances across all competitions.

As a result, Chiesa is being strongly linked with the Liverpool exit door, just a matter of months after his arrival. But while reports in Italy claim Napoli are leading the charge and are keen to sign the former Juventus man on an initial loan deal, trusted journalist James Pearce has revealed that any such move is likely to be blocked by Slot.

‘Federico Chiesa has been linked with a loan move to Napoli but Liverpool have no intention of sanctioning a temporary switch for the Italy international who they only signed in the summer. Arne Slot is counting on Chiesa for the second half of the season,’ Pearce wrote in The Athletic.

At the same time, Liverpool have also fielded plenty of interest in another winger, Ben Doak, who has been impressing on a season’s loan at Middlesbrough.

Over the last week, the Reds have turned down two bids to prise the young Scot away.

Revealing their plans for him going forwards, Pearce added: ‘Liverpool rejected several offers for young winger Ben Doak.

‘Crystal Palace (£15m) and Ipswich Town (£16m) both had bids turned down for the Scotland international, who has impressed on loan at Championship outfit Middlesbrough this season.

‘Liverpool believe his value is considerably higher. Unless they receive a much-improved offer, the plan is for Doak to stay at Middlesbrough for the rest of the season and then return to Kirkby next summer.’

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Chiesa hoping for dramatic improvement as Slot hints at possible deals

While Doak’s progress at Boro has been everything Liverpool will have hoped for and more, the same cannot be said by Chiesa, who has barely featured since his signing from Juventus.

The fact he has made just one substitute appearance in the Premier League totalling just 18 minutes tells its own story. Underneath all that, and with Slot revealing his sympathy for a player who has struggled to get up to speed with the fitness demands needed in the Premier League, the player has cut an extremely frustrating figure.

And with reports growing louder that he too wants to leave, at least on a temporary basis, and to enhance his chances of regular football, it is little wonder that the player is seemingly unhappy at how things have gone for him at Anfield.

Yet Slot’s decision to block a potential move, coupled with the fact that he is counting on him over the second half of the season, will at least give him some hope.

At the same time, Slot is also open to the possibility of adding to his squad this month if the right opportunity becomes available.

And speaking at his press conference to preview Wednesday night’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Slot commented: “It would be a bit weird if I told you something different than we are happy with the team, but we always look at the market. If there’s a chance, this club always brings someone in.

“Joe Gomez’s injury means we go from four centre-backs to three. I’m very happy with the team and that is trust from the club.”

Latest Liverpool transfer news: Two choices for Salah; flat ‘no’ for Van Dijk

Meanwhile, there has been a sizeable update on the future of Mo Salah with our reporter Rudy Galetti revealing the player has ruled out the possibility of a move to Saudi Arabia and will only leave Anfield for one destination, with the player’s stance on a potential exit revealed.

This comes after the debate over Salah’s future sparked a brilliant bit of back and forth between both the Egyptian superstar and Jamie Carragher, with the former claiming the latter was ‘obsessed’ and then for the Sky Sports pundit to hit back with a brilliant line of his own and claim over how a new deal now appeared close.

Elsewhere, another of Liverpool’s soon-to-be out-of-contract stars, Virgil van Dijk, has reportedly been rejected by a European giant who has given him a flat ‘no’ amid claims his agent had sounded them out over a possible high-profile free transfer.

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