Summer transfers

[Steveo]

For a lighter look at what some will see as the inevitable lowering of expectations... It does have the look of "train risotto' about it all from here on in.

Once again 'Alan' delivers the most succinct of appraisals...

...'and...most of them get it'

[Red October]

Hahahaha - in hindsight after that window, I wonder how many Reds wish we had done one of our more "normal" windows of buying potential or on-the-cusp players rather than the attempt to massively elevate our attack?

It's a pity we sacrificed the depth that we did. Also the Diaz thing - I still think accepting a big fee for a player like Diaz was fine - it was the subsequent lack of replacing him with a 22-25 year old with a high ceiling and electric pace (and/or intense work-rate) that was the issue.

Recruitment will be fascinating this Summer. Not sure if this will be a Summer where I mentally check out from it and see who we bought when the season starts, or if it'll be one where I find myself googling Liverpool transfer links every hour

Hindsight is 20/20 as always but I really wish we had. The big problem as you highlight is that we leveraged a lot of squad players to pay for a limited number of first teamers. On paper that doesn't sound too unsensible but in practice it's led to us having very little on the bench to give players a rest when needed.

Diaz
Nunez
Quansah
Kelleher
Trent
Elliott
Tsimikas

Some were understandable. Diaz was a highly-rated player who could command a good fee which he might not in a year or two. Nunez had never quite done it. Trent - was a frustrating player with undoubted talent but a lot of shortcomings defensively.

However, with hindsight I think keeping Diaz and Kelleher at the very least would have helped us a lot this season. Mamardashvili hasn't looked great when he's come in and without looking at the stats I think we've dropped a lot of points when Alisson is missing. Diaz was a great outball and a great presser. Would have been a different season if we'd had him I think. Trent has been a big miss too but not a lot we could do about that.

[Red October]

Just to add: had a look at Mamardashvili's league games this season.

We lost to Palace in the game before but him coming in did coincide with out awful run in the Autumn.

Lost to Chelsea, Man u, Brentford and City with him. Then Alisson came back and we lost to Forest.

After he came back in for the second stint, we lost 1 out of 3.

[jozza800]

Diaz
Nunez
Quansah
Kelleher
Trent
Elliott
Tsimikas

Diaz - ?
Jota - Ekitike
Nunez - Isak
Quansah - Leoni
Kelleher - Marmar
Trent - Frimpong
Elliott - Wirtz
Tsimikas - Kirkez

Diaz is the big one we miss. Ngumoha should have been given more opportunities than he has, but Diaz aside I think it's an upgrade overall. Isak and Leoni being injured for 90% of the season hasn't helped. And Frimpong missing chunks of the season.

The manager just hasn't got enough out of them this season.

[jozza800]

There's half a thought that Ekitike might have been brought in to replace Diaz longer term. It was something that was discussed on here preseason that he could fill in on the left.

Obviously Diogo's death changed all that, and as usualy FSG have tried wing it without replacing him.

[Ravo19]

Crazy i know but wish nunez had made it at liverpool

[RedMagic]

Diaz - ?
Jota - Ekitike
Nunez - Isak
Quansah - Leoni
Kelleher - Marmar
Trent - Frimpong
Elliott - Wirtz
Tsimikas - Kirkez

Diaz is the big one we miss. Ngumoha should have been given more opportunities than he has, but Diaz aside I think it's an upgrade overall. Isak and Leoni being injured for 90% of the season hasn't helped. And Frimpong missing chunks of the season.

The manager just hasn't got enough out of them this season.

Ekitike started off well, but he'd not been at his best in the last few games that he played. Isak still has a lot to prove whilst wearing our shirt, especially given the injury he sustained, whilst Leoni had only played a few minutes before he sustained his own serious injury, so who knows how he's going to perform when he comes back.

Kelleher was doing well, but he was never going to be happy just being our backup keeper. Marmar has come in and he currently doesn't look like he's going to be an adequate replacement for Alisson. Frimpong is neither a good out and out FB or RW. TAA at least had one obviously good facet to his game. Wirtz's ceiling is obviously higher than Elliott's, but he still has a lot to prove just like Isak. Kirkez is similar to Frimpong in that he hasn't exactly excelled in either half of the pitch.

As it currently stands Ekitike is the only player that has done enough thus far to say that they are possibly an upgrade on those they've supposedly replaced. We need more upgrades in certain positions, and we also need to get in long term replacements for a number of previously top drawer players who look to be nearing the end of their top level careers.

Currently there are far too many unknowns, far too many areas that still need addressing, and justifiable concern that we're not going to get in top quality players who can replace those who may not be at our club for too much longer.

[jozza800]

All fair points. It's not being helped by the manager hamstringing them. Just as the new lads haven't really convinced, the rest of the title winning team, Szoboslai aside, have been equally poor.

It's hard to judge any player when they're playing in such a poor set up. It's hard to figure out who's genuinely playing poorly and out of form or rather just being a victim of the system.

[RedMagic]

I agree that our players are being hamstrung by Slot. I also think that they're having all the life, belief and confidence sucked out of them by him.

We'll only get a better indication of how good or not our player are or could be if we get in a manager who knows how to correctly utilise our players and how to get the best out of them.

[miller0863]

Sorry to those who still support him but I think our Head Coach is absolutely clueless.

Slot did his usual on Saturday at 2-0 up he takes off his CF and brings on a midfielder to try and hold on to the lead, at home against Palace intstead of taking the game to them. That tactic has not worked all season, as has been underlined by us breaking the record for conceding point dropping goals after 90 minutes.

And as for “tactics” there was an incident towards the end of the game where Szoboszlai and MacAllister were arguing with each other in our box about where and what exactly they were supposed to be doing.

This is league game 34 and two senior players are still not understanding wtf they are supposed to be doing.

[teesred]

Who's still supporting him? There can't be many surely?
A pal of mine is convinced the talk of him staying is rubbish and they're going to peddle him when the seasons done. Very unlikely now in my opinion. There's too much smoke for it to be a ruse.

Been watching Utd Brentford. I don't see us getting a win at the weekend. Utd aren't great but they work hard and defend reasonably well.

[justme]

I think Slot will probably go in the summer, the thing he said in his press conference about being here for a short period.. makes me think, he has done what was necessary and both parties will move on, Secondly there are rumours hes struggling to live apart from his family in the Netherlands. That's always the issue for players and coaches who go abroad. it does mess around with your family life.It's amazing Jurgen was able to live in England for 9 years. Considering it's not his own country,
I know myself. I could never live in another country.
But that's just my opinion, Slot maybe here comes August..

[justme]

Man united will struggle again next season. It's ok when you have a week to prepare for a game.. you can't play with that amount of intensity 3 times in a week., when the fixtures start rolling in..
We haven't been great of late.But the players do seem to have a bit more energy, since we are only playing once a week at the moment.

[Insidious]

Crazy i know but wish nunez had made it at liverpool

Should have kept him and Slot should have trusted him more.

Yes, he would still have done our heads in with blasting it straight at the keeper and so on, but he's got a good injury record, has the pace to keep a back-line honest, had a decent on-pitch understanding with Salah, would have probably proven a great outlet for through-balls from Wirtz, worked his socks off and would set an example when pressing. Also capable of playing up top AND on the left, which would have been invaluable given our injury issues this season.

Genuine rotation with Gakpo or whoever would have been welcomed.

Oh well, it's done now. In an alternate reality I'd love to have seen what someone like Benitez could have done with him and/or pay an elite finisher (Henry, Owen, whoever) to come in for some sessions with him. He lacked the first touch you'd want at this level and lacked composure when he had time to think one-on-one but he was physically everything you could want from a number 9 and if he could have just trained and trained and trained two or three muscle memory finishes (Henry for example had the opening up of the body and the curled instep into the bottom corner) rather than thumping it, he could have been Dynamite.

Also one of the most natural volleyers of a ball I've seen. Michael Owen commented on it once in some analysis (don't rate Michael overall as a pundit, but he speaks well when it comes to finishing and movement in the box, understandably) about how he'd never seen a player catch a ball on the volley with such consistency yet couldn't do the simple stuff.

Same with one of his lobbed finishes. Owen described it as a ridiculously difficult technique (Darwin did score in this instance) and how he should absolutely have been rounding the keeper and tapping it in.

That lack of predictability had peaks and troughs and unfortunately for Darwin it worked out for him less often than was ideal.

His potential was wild though. Think he came to football quite late (aka wasn't with a youth team or Academy etc) if memory serves and if that's true, it would explain a lot about his first touch and his decision-making.

One goal he had (think it was Bournemouth in the Cup, I remember he had the white and green kit with black shorts on) sums the best of him up - took a HORRIFIC first touch, gets jeered for it, goes and gets it, then absolutely blams it in.

Quite amazing that such an inconsistent player has scored against Arsenal, Man United, Man City AND Real Madrid

[Ravo19]

Didnt think right back would be a priority but rumour that liverpool ready to bid 69m for barca RB Kounde.
With slot prefering sozbo and jones at RB ahead of frimpong could be something in it,kounde has also played CB.