Liverpool Q&A: why wasn’t a forward signed, will Reds hand Mo Salah £500k p/w, Kelleher or Adrian at Leeds?

The end of the international break means all eyes will very much be back on the Premier League this weekend, with Liverpool travelling to Leeds United on Sunday (16.30 BST).

Ahead of the upcoming round of fixtures, we’ve asked our football writer Will Rooney to cast his eyes over fans’ most pressing questions at Anfield.

Will Liverpool regret not signing an additional forward on deadline day?

There were swathes of Kopites who felt the Reds were light in the attacking areas.

Beneath the quartet of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota, there is a marked gulf in class.

Xherdan Shaqiri was sold to Lyon, it hasn't worked out for Takumi Minamino so far and Divock Origi's been left out of the past two match-day squads.

Fears the Reds are short in the final third were intensified when Firmino limped off against Chelsea and Minamino suffered an injury on international duty with Japan.

In truth, there’s been an argument for the past three years that there's not enough adept cover up top. Granted, Origi has had his moments that have etched him into Anfield folklore and Shaqiri delivered quality at times.

But stiffer competition, particularly for Salah and Mane, is non-existent.

It's a situation Klopp is obviously comfortable with, especially as Harvey Elliott's now stepped up and can play further forwards if needed.

Even still, another attacking option wouldn't have gone amiss.

A report suggested Mo Salah is demanding £500,000 per week to sign a new contract. Would Liverpool pay that?

When the report first emerged, it certainly raised a few eyebrows.

What we know is that talks are ongoing and Klopp didn’t say too much more about it when asked.

Let's be frank, Salah and his agent will know what they want from a new contract and Liverpool will know what they're willing to pay.

Half-a-million pounds per week does seema tad fanciful, though, as Salah will be aware of the Reds’ sustainable approach and the pay structure at Anfield.

Could I see Liverpool paying that much? Honestly, no. Owners, Fenway Sports Group, are steadfast in their beliefs.

Make Salah top earner, by all means, he deserves it and the players couldn't argue with that.

To throw the wage bill completely out of kilter, however, would be folly.

It risks breeding dissonance in the dressing room that could ultimately bleed over onto the pitch.

In addition, to pay someone the sort of money talked about means you’ll have to reap significant commerical revenues from it.

Salah’s one of the best in the world - but as big of a “brand” as the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and even Kylian Mbappe? I’d suggest not.

Should Caoimhin Kelleher replace Alisson against Leeds or is Adrian a better choice?

With Alisson banned after Liverpool blocked him playing for Brazil during the international break, you would think that it will be Kelleher who Klopp turns to.

The Irishman has established himself as second choice for some time now and was rewarded with a new long-term deal in the summer.

With Liverpool not sending him out on loan, it underlines they're comfortable with him developing behind the scenes under the tutelage of goalkeeping coach John Achterberg.

The Reds clearly feel he is good enough to be understudy to one of the world's best stoppers.

Kelleher probably is a better keeper than Adrian and has a bright future ahead.

The caveat to playing him at Leeds, though, is that it will be his first game in front of an intense crowd.

His five outings last season were all behind closed doors. Before that when spectators were present, his appearances were either in the FA Cup or Carabao Cup.

It will certainly be a baptism of fire for Kelleher if he’s named in goal at Elland Road.

In truth, I'd rather have seen him go out and hone his craft on loan and learn what it’s like to be under pressure for three points every week rather than be confined to the bench.

When might we see Ibramina Konate make his debut?

Liverpool's only summer signing has had to be patient since completing a £36 million move from RB Leipzig.

And you'd imagine he'll have to continue doing so in the meantime.

The centre-back partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip have conceded only one goal in three games so far. Even that was a special header from Chelsea's Kai Havetz.

In behind them is Joe Gomez, who's back fully fit and is a top-class option.

Ultimately, Konate has been signed with an eye on the future. He's only 22 after all.

Klopp often lets his signing bed in and get used to his demands before throwing them into action. He did so with the likes of Andy Robertson, Fabinho and Kostas Tsimikas last season.

Konate will get chances in cup games and when others are injured. But in terms of regular starts in the Premier League, he'll have to bide his time.

So to come back to your question, his debut might be against Norwich in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday September 21.