Born in Basingstoke in 1997, Solanke was a star performer for Chelsea under 18's in 2013/14, scoring twice in the final as they won the FA Youth Cup. He was then promoted to the first team squad but only appeared once in 2014-15, as a substitute in a Champions League game. He was prolific in the under-21's though,...
Anfield | Sunday 24 May 2026
| Liverpool | Brentford | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 1 |
Profiles of every player named in a Liverpool matchday squad since 1892/93 — from legends to one-game substitutes.
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When I saw fans burning an old No 17 shirt by the Shankly Gates, it did my head in. Show some respect. Don't you know how this is tearing me apart?... ‘Steven, don‘t go,’ Dad begged. ‘But, dad, look at the TV, fans are burning my shirt at Anfield. The club aren't stopping them, Liverpool don't want me any more.’... I stared at the rolling news through flowing tears. I was suffocated by stress. My energy had gone, lost during all those frustrating trips in and out of Benítez‘ office. My head was banging. I was eating paracetamol like Smarties... It was the lowest point of my career. I broke down. Panic breakdown, complete mess... Could I hand in that Liverpool armband? Could I look the father I adore in the eye again? Could I really put on a Chelsea shirt and face Liverpool in front of the Kop?... No. No. No. I couldn‘t jump over the edge of the cliff. I could see the great possibilities of Chelsea, but my heart wouldn't let me leave Liverpool. Finally, my mind was made up. I‘d walked through the storm. At eleven p.m., I called Struan. ‘Tell Rick I want to sign, ’ I told him. ‘I want to stay. ’ Struan contacted Rick. ‘Is that offer still available?’ ‘Yes‘.‘Stevie will sign it.’ Thank God it was over. My heart stopped racing and I relaxed. I put the paracetamol away. I awoke on the morning of Wednesday 6 July with a smile on my face for the first time in weeks.
If you've ever stood on the corner of Walton Breck Road as the team bus pulls in, you'll know that there’s something about Anfield that defies simple logic. People talk about the "aura" or the "12th man" as if it’s some mystical force field that physically pushes the ball into the net at the Kop end. For years, rival fans laughed it off as mere sentimentality, but if you look at the cold, hard numbers, there is a very real statistical anomaly at play.
Liverpool's summer schedule for 2026/27 is taking shape, and it carries the kind of fixtures that quicken the pulse of any supporter who pores over the club's results and history. Four pre-season friendlies are now lined up between 25 July and 9 August — Sunderland, Wrexham, a meeting with Leeds United at Soldier Field in Chicago, and a closing night against AS Monaco at Anfield. For a fanbase that knows its FA Cup nights, its European epics and its roll-call of captains and managers by heart, the off-season quiet is lifting, and the anticipation that has defined so many Anfield summers is stirring once more.
The Liverpool team will be well represented at the 2026 World Cup, with many players traveling across North America. The competition starts on June 11 and runs until July 19, making it the perfect opportunity for fans to see familiar Anfield names on the biggest international stage.
The departure of Liverpool gaffer Arne Slot at the end of the 2025/26 Premier League season was not a great surprise, as our top flight title defence campaign went horrifically wrong - and was in no way helped by the massive overspend in the summer transfer market as the players just did not gel well enough for way too long.
