Summer transfer thread

[Steveo]

Up to a point - I would be really surprised if we were to go up (numerically) in numbers in terms of the midfield, so again, having both Wijnaldum and Thiago simultaneously seems unlikely - though there are a few variations of what will happen in the Wijnaldum/Thiago area as I pointed out.

There will also be things like the Home-grown quota to consider I'm sure.

Guesswork leads me to think Wijnaldum goes, Grujic goes for slightly less than the £20m we want and Thiago comes in, with us breaking even or making a very small Net profit from such deals.

Don't foresee us buying m/any players when it comes to Depth - Modus Operandi very much seems to be to reserve spending (where possible) for the first-team and to promote Youth for back-up positions. Youth can later become good enough to play for us, or sold to reinvest in the Squad - we've bought a few Academy-age players this Summer.

In terms of age profile for the Midfield we have Fabinho, Keita and Ox lined up as the "next" core of our Midfield. I doubt all three will work out in the long-run in terms of injuries (Ox I think will eventually be replaced) but all three are good players. Milner will need replacing at some stage as a midfield member and Henderson is 30 now too so his position will be assessed in the next 2-4 seasons as well. Perhaps we have high hopes for Curtis Jones for one of these slots and an acquisition of someone else in time.

Due to our Midfield numbers I still think there is the possibility of a calculated gamble at centre-back, ie promotion of a Youth player and/or dropping Fabinho deeper.

Not that I agree with these points Sid - but everything in here points to an unsustainable model long term. Beyond Klopp there is a current Arsenal at best scenario. Discuss

[Insidious]

Not that I agree with these points Sid - but everything in here points to an unsustainable model long term. Beyond Klopp there is a current Arsenal at best scenario. Discuss

Is there a specific aspect to the model you want me to talk about (6 players for 3 midfield positions / prudent spending without Klopp / youth promotion) so as to narrow the chat down a bit? I never plan to, but I can be a bit "wall of text" at the best of times and I think discussing everything I touched on there would be an essay and nobody (myself included before work ) has time for that.

[ianlfc]

Was Klopp's downfall at Dortmund because the owners failed to back him after selling star players ?

[Steveo]

Was Klopp's downfall at Dortmund because the owners failed to back him after selling star players ?

Not sure but seem to remember injuries to key players compounded a lack of squad depth.

[TheDOC1979]

It would be interesting to see what their (FSG) model is like with the Boston Red Sox. Not sure how they (MLB) go about transfers, but it might be a similar one they implement here?

Or do they see the baseball aspect as a more lucrative offering with titles than football? That’s the only thing I worry about, is there a conflict of interest ?

[skyebo]

All our managers have had money to spend since they bought the club, so i'm not concerned with what happens in America and their other team. I'll start to worry if they do what the previous owners did and try to fleece the club and stop spending money, though i don't see it happening as they seem to want what we all want, a successful team.

[Steveo]

All our managers have had money to spend since they bought the club, so i'm not concerned with what happens in America and their other team. I'll start to worry if they do what the previous owners did and try to fleece the club and stop spending money, though i don't see it happening as they seem to want what we all want, a successful team.

Agree to a point skyebo - but there is just the slightest nagging worry ( due to Klopp talking about bills last season and relative inactivity this season allied to his tiny net transfer spend vs rivals ) that Klopp has put us in a bracket which the owners are not prepared to help us sustain.

[Steveo]

Is there a specific aspect to the model you want me to talk about (6 players for 3 midfield positions / prudent spending without Klopp / youth promotion) so as to narrow the chat down a bit? I never plan to, but I can be a bit "wall of text" at the best of times and I think discussing everything I touched on there would be an essay and nobody (myself included before work ) has time for that.

No specific aspect at all - just suggesting that the template you painted illustrated a slightly worrying balancing act. Hoping that youth come through and that IF not they can be shifted to generate funds is plenty of gambling. It isn't a viable model to generate long term success IMO.

IF Keita and the OX doesn't worry the pants off you as the core of our midfield going forward then I doubt you are easy to scare.. Hats off to you sir...brave man...

[teesred]

Joyce has just tweeted that Thiago depends on wether Klopp wants to sell Gini (who hasnt expressed any desire to leave).

[teesred]

No specific aspect at all - just suggesting that the template you painted illustrated a slightly worrying balancing act. Hoping that youth come through and that IF not they can be shifted to generate funds is plenty of gambling. It isn't a viable model to generate long term success IMO.

IF Keita and the OX doesn't worry the pants off you as the core of our midfield going forward then I doubt you are easy to scare.. Hats off to you sir...brave man...

Fully on board with your second paragraph. Inconsistency and regular injuries aplenty there.