Liverpool news: Two transfers that 'hurt' club as ex-star wants to apologise to Mo Salah

Liverpool have been largely defined by their transfer activity this season. The Reds twice broke the British record last summer as part of an eye-catching squad overhaul. Following the wave of new signings, manager Arne Slot has consistently found himself in the spotlight as the reigning Premier League champions battle for a Champions League place . The club’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at the weekend saw Liverpool leapfrog Aston Villa into fourth place and effectively earn their spot in the competition. However, Reds legend Steven Gerrard believes that missing out on two key targets in the previous transfer window significantly harmed the team’s ambitions. The 45-year-old has admitted it stings to see Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo, who were both linked with moves to Anfield, thriving at Manchester City . Meanwhile, one of Mohamed Salah ’s former team-mates hopes to deny him a perfect send-off as he prepares to leave Liverpool at the end of this season. Here, Mirror Football looks at some of the stories surrounding the Reds. FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FB PAGE! Latest Reds news and more on our dedicated Facebook page Gerrard is still mulling over Liverpool missing out on Manchester City duo Guehi and Semenyo in the January window. Former Crystal Palace captain Guehi was previously in a long-running transfer saga and seemed set to join the Reds as a free agent next season. Ex-Bournemouth star Semenyo also found himself in demand after an impressive start to the season with the Cherries. However, it was City who won the race for their signatures, snapping up both players for a combined £95million, much to Gerrard’s disappointment. “They should be playing for Liverpool, so that hurts even more,” Gerrard told TNT Sports. “We were linked with two of those players and that would have made a big difference to Liverpool. “But I’ve said it before on record. Two top, top players. And for the price that they got them in as well. One on a free. One was, you know, £60million. "In today’s market, they’re two bargains. They’re two bargains. Quality players, experienced, ready to go into the prime years of their career. International-level players. And what they’ve done is they’ve just helped kick City on at the right time.” Former Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has admitted he is hoping to deny Salah a perfect farewell. The Brentford shot-stopper could face the veteran forward on the last day of the season, should Salah return to fitness , but the 27-year-old is intent on spoiling his leaving party. Kelleher wants to keep Salah off the scoresheet as the Bees aim for European football. “Hopefully I’m apologising to him (Salah) after,” Kelleher told The Athletic . The Republic of Ireland international left the Reds last summer in search of regular football. However, he hugely benefited from previously coming up against the iconic front three of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in Liverpool training. “If you’re making saves off them, that gives you confidence,” he explained. “They were the best in the league. Just to see how they finished and the pace they finish at… you have to get used to it. Join our LFC WhatsApp community and get all the latest LFC news, views, transfer gossip and more, as it happens We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.