Other Games, July 2025

[Red October]

Was always going to be a summer where the defense would be rebuilt, and a few other additions may arrive.

• Replace Trent & upgrade for Robbo - what everyone said needed to be done. Frimpong & Kerkez.
•Upgraded on Elliott - who rarely featured under Slot - with Wirtz.
• Upgrade on Quansah with Guehi.
• Diaz wants out & will need to be replaced.
• Fans want Núñez sold and Slot looks he wants him to be moved on too & replaced.
• Fill the void left by Jotas passing, Ekitike arrives.

The core of the team is still here, our top5 players last season all retained, as per voting/scores on LFConline:
Salah, VVD, Grav, MacA & Gakpo.

Outside of Jota's untimely death, its a case of replacing wantaways like Trent & Diaz (maybe Konate) and upgrading on lesser selected players - that fans mainly want to be moved on.

Yes. So basically, changes on an unprecedented and huge scale across the team? I don't remember such a huge summer of change other than 98/99 with houllier.

Edit: it might have been 99/00

[CCTV]

Yes. So basically, changes on an unprecedented and huge scale across the team? I don't remember such a huge summer of change other than 98/99 with houllier.

Edit: it might have been 99/00

Well if all the mooted transfers occur there will be some amount of turnover for sure.

As of today, it's not too much when you consider we knew Trent was off & Jota has died unexpectedly.

For me the key man for 25/26 was VVD.
Signed up.
Many had Salah rated as pivotal, or more pivotal. For me Salah was clearly less pivotal than VVD.
Signed up.
Trent was deemed least pivotal by all. But a bad loss in terms of asset value.
Replaced with Frimpong.

For me the key men are here and committed to the coming season under Slot

So if all these other transfers Konate (sign up lad ) & Diaz out (he's gone imo) included occur.
I still think the 1st team will have its key characters & leaders, and the upgrades would be significant for Slot in the coming season.

For me if VVD hadn't signed up that would have been a massive departure, upheaval and turmoil.
I finished last season saying it looked like we were in pole position to win the league in 25/26, and it felt like we were rather miffed at our exit to PSG. So I'm thinking we'll be aiming for number 7 next year and 21.

If all goes to plan or thereabouts, or not, we should be fairly well set for 25/26 whatever transpires between now and the end of the window.
That's to say add Guehi for Quansah on top of Ekitike for Jota,
and I'm happy to go for 25/26 with Konate, Diaz & Nunez or their replacements

[Diego20]

well in fairness, this had needed to happen, we had a big job this summer for, our lad from portugal got took away from us.

if we didn't do this now, imagine what next summer would be like possibly needing 2 new cbs, and someone to help salah out on the right more, possibly, with vvd & salah getting older....

[Red October]

well in fairness, this had needed to happen, we had a big job this summer for, our lad from portugal got took away from us.

if we didn't do this now, imagine what next summer would be like possibly needing 2 new cbs, and someone to help salah out on the right more, possibly, with vvd & salah getting older....

Absolutely needed yes. Just surprising. Let's hope they don't go 5 years with no investment after this!

[Red October]

Well if all the mooted transfers occur there will be some amount of turnover for sure.

As of today, it's not too much when you consider we knew Trent was off & Jota has died unexpectedly.

For me the key man for 25/26 was VVD.
Signed up.
Many had Salah rated as pivotal, or more pivotal. For me Salah was clearly less pivotal than VVD.
Signed up.
Trent was deemed least pivotal by all. But a bad loss in terms of asset value.
Replaced with Frimpong.

For me the key men are here and committed to the coming season under Slot

So if all these other transfers Konate (sign up lad ) & Diaz out (he's gone imo) included occur.
I still think the 1st team will have its key characters & leaders, and the upgrades would be significant for Slot in the coming season.

For me if VVD hadn't signed up that would have been a massive departure, upheaval and turmoil.
I finished last season saying it looked like we were in pole position to win the league in 25/26, and it felt like we were rather miffed at our exit to PSG. So I'm thinking we'll be aiming for number 7 next year and 21.

If all goes to plan or thereabouts, or not, we should be fairly well set for 25/26 whatever transpires between now and the end of the window.
That's to say add Guehi for Quansah on top of Ekitike for Jota,
and I'm happy to go for 25/26 with Konate, Diaz & Nunez or their replacements

It's been great to see. Let's hope we can hit the ground running. It's good to see the club send a message for once. We've won the league and we're going to try and retain it. We were in a bad situation last season with those big-hitters in doubt which creates uncertainty regarding new signings, attracting talent etc. As you say once VVD and Mo signed up it sent a signal that we mean business. Seeing what we've done with Wirtz really cements that. Just hope they can gel and we don't suffer a slow start.

[Insidious]

Absolutely needed yes. Just surprising. Let's hope they don't go 5 years with no investment after this!

I think we'll move towards an aspect of Real Madrid's model if we stay on top for a bit.

If we end up with most of the side comprised of a lot of players that have plenty more years in the tank, we can be patient with certain targets.

Have "that" conversation with them "listen, one more year, join us on a free" - if we can win number 21 or number 7 soon, we potentially make ourselves the second or third most desirable project to join in World Football.

Real Madrid (and to a lesser extent Barcelona) will always have a certain appeal for targets, but with the Premier League being deemed the "best" in many quarters and us (potentially!!!!!) on the verge of showing we're the best club to join within it, then it opens doors.

Man City might(?) not be as strong as they were previously as some Guardiola burnout is inevitable, Arsenal have the huge "always finish second" weight around their necks and sides like Chelsea and Newcastle aren't QUITE there yet, though Chelsea are dark horses. Tottenham need time, Villa need money and Man United are cut adrift for the moment, so the door is ajar to become a bit of a force domestically if we conduct ourselves right whilst you'd always give us a fighting chance in European competitions.

Nothing is guaranteed - we might not become as strong as we'd like - but the next couple of seasons represent massive opportunities as we'll still have lads like Alisson, Van Dijk and Salah around whilst the next leaders within the group (like Mac Allister?) continue to impact the side as young, exciting talent that fits our system comes through.

So we might - MIGHT - be able to do what Real Madrid do at times and supplement the side with free transfers that are of the higher levels, rather than those nobody wants to pay for. We should still spend of course, but we might be able to do a "best of both" if we take the huge opportunity that's in front of us over the coming couple of seasons.

[Red October]

So we might - MIGHT - be able to do what Real Madrid do at times and supplement the side with free transfers that are of the higher levels, rather than those nobody wants to pay for. We should still spend of course, but we might be able to do a "best of both" if we take the huge opportunity that's in front of us over the coming couple of seasons.

Yeah, it'd be great to see us build on what we've done recently. I hope we see a bit more exciting football next season. Slot seemed a lot more pragmatic than Jurgen. I miss that "blow teams away" thing, though we saw it at times last season. To get No. 21 or No. 7 would be mind-blowing thinking back to where we were before Jurgen came.

[Insidious]

Yeah, it'd be great to see us build on what we've done recently. I hope we see a bit more exciting football next season. Slot seemed a lot more pragmatic than Jurgen. I miss that "blow teams away" thing, though we saw it at times last season. To get No. 21 or No. 7 would be mind-blowing thinking back to where we were before Jurgen came.

Well, one thing that could really please fans (in terms of exciting footie) is that Wirtz, Frimpong and Ekitike are all wonderful at carrying the ball in transition - so we are definitely going to get our chances when gaps appear that will get people off their seats.

Though I don't think Slot's pragmatism will be going anywhere and to be fair, nor should it, given the effectiveness. One of my very small list of complaints about us under Klopp for much (but not all) of his tenure was being 2-0 up with not long left and trying to get the ball forward quickly for a third, rather than knocking it about and sucking the hope out of the opposition while our players rest. There's no need to be sprinting around at the stage of the game when injuries are most likely. Hold it, work it back to the keeper and centre-backs, triangulate, recycle, rest.

Not to mention that seeing us greatly reduce the concession of chances when the opposition counter was great - we looked safe as houses for most of last season. Klopp's footie was undeniably more exciting, but that level of control we saw both with and without the ball last season under Slot (very "European football") is exactly what we need for the likes of the Champion's League and should help to minimise injuries for our marathon of a League campaign.

[Red October]

Well, one thing that could really please fans (in terms of exciting footie) is that Wirtz, Frimpong and Ekitike are all wonderful at carrying the ball in transition - so we are definitely going to get our chances when gaps appear that will get people off their seats.

Though I don't think Slot's pragmatism will be going anywhere and to be fair, nor should it, given the effectiveness. One of my very small list of complaints about us under Klopp for much (but not all) of his tenure was being 2-0 up with not long left and trying to get the ball forward quickly for a third, rather than knocking it about and sucking the hope out of the opposition while our players rest. There's no need to be sprinting around at the stage of the game when injuries are most likely. Hold it, work it back to the keeper and centre-backs, triangulate, recycle, rest.

Not to mention that seeing us greatly reduce the concession of chances when the opposition counter was great - we looked safe as houses for most of last season. Klopp's footie was undeniably more exciting, but that level of control we saw both with and without the ball last season under Slot (very "European football") is exactly what we need for the likes of the Champion's League and should help to minimise injuries for our marathon of a League campaign.

Yeah, I'd agree that Klopp didn't really know when to cool the jets. Which led to burn-out sadly. It was great to watch though. As you say maybe that combination play with Szobo, Macca, Wirtz, Eki working their magic could be a thing of beauty. We've missed that interplay that we had when Mane, Bobby and Mo were at their peak. Was a joy to watch.

[Insidious]

Yeah, I'd agree that Klopp didn't really know when to cool the jets. Which led to burn-out sadly. It was great to watch though. As you say maybe that combination play with Szobo, Macca, Wirtz, Eki working their magic could be a thing of beauty. We've missed that interplay that we had when Mane, Bobby and Mo were at their peak. Was a joy to watch.

I think you will be very pleasantly surprised with Ekitike's vision, touch and ability to incorporate those around him into play. Think of a world where Matip pretends he's Firmino for a day and you won't be a million miles out.

The odd Darwin-esque headache with finishing but he'll be worth it.

[shminkyred]

Very strange. Can't get my head round it. There must be something behind all this. They've always sold to buy which for the most part has worked, particularly with VVD and AB and also the midfield re-build. The worry I have is that we may still end up being toothless up front unless we do get Isak. Can't see us getting Isak though. We could potentially have a load of midfield/number 10s and wingers with no-one to put the ball in the net. Salah had a great season last year but went off the boil after Christmas and has had dry spells before, in which we don't have many others to step up. He will be a year older this time round and getting a bit slower.

Is it possible that it was Klopp who didn't want to pay stupid money?
I know he loved team development ....

With the success he enjoyed, he must have been in a position to push harder for more money if had had felt the need.

[CCTV]

Fun fact...

Over Klopps last 4 seasons he had a net spend of €76.7376 mill per season

In Slots 2 seasons he has a net spend of €72.69 mill per season

[Insidious]

Is it possible that it was Klopp who didn't want to pay stupid money?
I know he loved team development ....

With the success he enjoyed, he must have been in a position to push harder for more money if had had felt the need.

Fairly plausible.

There's a lot of information our there (how much can be trusted and to what extent is hard to say) about Edwards and Klopp not being aligned in terms of transfer policy.

Jürgen is said to have wanted more choice over transfers (Núñez a Klopp buy, not a committee buy) which is understandable given how ridiculously good he was as a Manager - he'd back himself. Edwards is very heavily oriented towards stats and data (which are great when taken in correct context) whereas someone like Núñez was more likely brought in because he caused our defence a headache over two legs when we played Benfica.

Klopp's also renowned for being fiercely loyal to his lads (wanted to keep/extend with Milner, Henderson and Wijnaldum apparently) whilst Edwards is more oriented to freshening things up and trusting analytics.

Disagreement in, for want of a less over-used word - "philosophy" are said to have been a big factor in what Edwards felt was a diminished/weakened role at the club, whereas now it seems he has a much greater say about the direction of things.

We wouldn't be where we are without either man, though you can't get anywhere without excellent coaching/management - so to say that Klopp deserves huge credit is the most massive of understatements.

A brilliant time to be a Red. Thankfully it looks like having Slot at the coaching helm with Edwards and Hughes working on recruitment is going to be a winning combo as well - which is something we all want.

I'll be fascinated to see tidbits of info coming out in books in the future regarding some of the back-and-forth claims.

[Red October]

I think you will be very pleasantly surprised with Ekitike's vision, touch and ability to incorporate those around him into play. Think of a world where Matip pretends he's Firmino for a day and you won't be a million miles out.

The odd Darwin-esque headache with finishing but he'll be worth it.

Hope you're right. It's great winning stuff. That's the point of the game, but to do it with style. That's the joy. Teams that stand out in my mind are the 1988 team, 2013-14 - some of the best football ever at times; 2018+ under Klopp - great football - often unplayable when they started well. Honourable mention to Roy Evans' side in the mid/late 90s.

[Insidious]

Hope you're right. It's great winning stuff. That's the point of the game, but to do it with style. That's the joy. Teams that stand out in my mind are the 1988 team, 2013-14 - some of the best football ever at times; 2018+ under Klopp - great football - often unplayable when they started well. Honourable mention to Roy Evans' side in the mid/late 90s.

I think we'll entertain, never worry. It's just that with Slot's football you'll see more patience/pragmatism before the "go" moments. We'll have lovely interchanges stemming from the central areas just outside the "D" (going to need to as sides will low block us a LOT) whilst we still have the players and muscle-memory/DNA for great work in transition.

Benitez used to talk about himself not as being a defensive manager, but a balanced one. Controlling space ensured we conceded less, which was our platform. I think of Slot as something of a Benitez in a sense, only that he is more focused on control of the ball, than control of space.

You can see Pep's style in Slotball, whilst we still retain much of the Klopp DNA for transitional play when required. That's potentially perfect - having multiple gears and multiple tools in the box. The next thing I think we will see more sides trying to emulate is the rotational play that Enrique's side produces and I wouldn't be at all shocked if we see Slot integrate aspects of that into us given the versatile forward targets we seem to be after.

I'm very optimistic. I tend not to go into a season with expectation of winning XYZ but I am very confident that we will be challenging on multiple fronts and being engaged with the season (rather than being mentally checked out by January or February) is half the battle.