Reply With QuoteFair enough if that's so. The rumour that I was meaning was about the 66 2028 seat coverings in the Anfield road end, not so much about him signing a new contract per se.Originally Posted by justincredible
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Maybe that will get Garef's attention...
First Team
Fair enough if that's so. The rumour that I was meaning was about the 66 2028 seat coverings in the Anfield road end, not so much about him signing a new contract per se.
First Team
True, and the new manger might be happy with what he has inherited and wants to see them all back training before making any moves.
In my opinion if we leave it until the last week of the window then we are either desperate or going to pay over the odds (or both)
Squad N0 1
Well the World and its brother knows we’re after a CB and we have just sat back and watched two of our main rivals buy the best two CB’s that will move this summer.
Both were affordable both would have strengthened us.
We’re going to be panicking to grab the last minute damaged out of date reductions that no one else wants, before the window shuts.
First Team
Here's a ball-park guesstimate of where I think we're at in terms of approach, reasons for the approach and what we might expect from the window. Purely a buck eejit with a keyboard throwing out some speculation and in all likelihood I will get multiple calls wrong. I appreciate I can be perceived as over-optimistic and can only say that I don't think our squad is "perfect" but do feel we have depth or youth depth for many positions and I freely admit to preferring to see young players given a chance (with the obvious caveat of if they're good enough) before rushing to the market, so bear the fact that I see football through that lens in mind.
I'll also state that I don't believe in "statement" signings in the sense of a big name for a big name's sake - fitting the system is way more important. The goal is always to essentially purchase points in the League via the right system and the right players, rather than purchasing names.
Strategy, the market and the timing of business
Clubs are spending at the moment and in my eyes, somewhat above value. Man United signing Leny Yoro for £52m when he could very well end up not getting that much better than a Quansah (already on our books) will impact perceived value in the market, as will deals conducted by clubs trying to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules. I think this will lead to a lot of moving parts in the transfer market and that there will be opportunities that arise which we will wait to exploit. This may be the selling of fringe players we don't need for above market value, or may be incomings from sides that need to balance the books. I think we're partly waiting for these opportunities, whilst also not wanting to bloat the squad for size - whether you think all of them are good enough for LFC (several won't be) we currently have a lot of players who will want a place in a 25-man squad and we probably need to make a bit of room.
Contracts
Van Dijk
Trent
Salah
They're the 3 we need to get sorted and I suspect the club views nailing these as being more important than transfer incomings, mainly because we wouldn't want to invest a lot of cash into signings to then find out that some of above players aren't signing on and we have blown money that could have been held in reserve for replacing the above.
My gut instinct is that 2/3 or 3/3 will all extend. I'm actually leaning towards 3/3 at the moment. We'll see.
Goalkeeper
Doesn't feel like a position where we will need to buy, unless Kelleher were to leave. I don't know loads about Jaros, but it seems pointless to purchase a keeper when he will replace Adrian, not Alisson.
Centre-backs
In many ways, I'd love us to buy one, high quality, 23-26, largely due to Konate's poor luck with injuries and feeling that the keeping of clean sheets slash prevention of going 1-0 down in every bloody game will get us more points than targeting any other area. My instinct is that we won't - not yet.
- I think Van Dijk and Konate are viewed as first-choice if Konate is fit
- I think Matip had become third choice through lack of availability and his replacement is from within, in Quansah.
- I think Gomez is perfectly fine as 4th choice.
- I think Sepp may stay and be given a chance as a utility option (similar to Gomez's situation) where he can rotate and get games at both right-back and centre-back.
If Sepp were to leave, I think we might buy.
Full-backs
I don't think we buy, unless an opportunity arises. Robertson and Tsimikas, Trent and Bradley - with the possibility of Chambers or Beck being not far from a step-up akin to what Bradley achieved. I think we'll wait.
Defensive midfield
I think this is potentially the area we'll make the most significant push for the in the market. Endo is older than the 23-26 bracket we so like and Bajcetic is younger, so targeting a "peak" or "about to become peak" player seems sensible. We also probably need a bit more athleticism and play-making capacity from deep, so I foresee an attempt for an all-rounder - though if we go the "specialist" route I think it may be more of a Busquets than a Mascherano. Won't make a call as to who the player will be, but I think the most likely position to see a £35m+ sort of fee in the side is here. I really like Endo, but he isn't the long-term solution, so at some stage we'll upgrade in the midfield area and I think it may be this window.
Creative midfield types
Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Elliott, Szoboszlai could all be interpreted as being capable in these areas and I just don't foresee an acquisition.
Attack
With the changes to the Champion's League and the never-ending push for more international fixtures, I think 6 attackers are required. As of now we have 5 in Diaz, Núñez, Salah, Gakpo, Jota. I think a depth/eventual replacement option on the right-hand-side is the area to invest. The question is, do we do it now? Doak, Blair and Kaide Gordon will all get assessed you'd imagine and forgotten man Carvalho may yet fit into the squad somewhere depending on how Slot views the squad. I don't foresee a "big" move in this area unless Salah decides not to extend OR Diaz leaves - but foresee business if either of those happens.
Guesstimate prediction
- Acquisition of a midfield player in the final two weeks of the window
- A youth player or two acquired if opportunity arises
- Squad essentially given a chance until January to see how it's getting on
- No other big incomings unless big outgoings occur
- Stop-start beginning of the season
- Getting into a rhythm as season goes on
- Finishing 3rd or 4th relatively comfortably, but a bit behind Arsenal and Man City
- Worth remembering that due to changes in the Champion's League format that there is a good chance that 5 sides will get Champion's League football for the 25/26 season. This is said not to lower expectations, but to highlight something of a "safety net" at a time when Newcastle, Chelsea and Tottenham are still in transitions of sorts, whereas we (largely) have a pretty good squad that just needs a couple of quality additions in the next season or two.
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First Team
We still have Philips. Insidious will add him to one of the choices for the starting 11...
Cleaning up the Scots since the 13th century
First Team
Betcha one of the deals in the Trent contract is that he gets to play inside from the fullback area. it ruins our over all play.. but who cares when players get to chose what they want to do.
Cleaning up the Scots since the 13th century
First Team
They probably want to see how he fares with the squad he has this season before giving him a load of money to spend, in case he's a disaster and they have to bin him next summer.
Master Tactician
With Slot likely to use 2 central midfielders and an advanced midfielder, the necessity for '6' is less than it would be for Klopp.
Mac, Jones and Endo can play those central postions, with Szobo, Elliot and Grav in the advanced position.
Finding an alternative and eventual replacement for Salah would be my priority this summer.
We certainly have the numbers and adequate quality to have decent cover in all positions, other than RW.
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Public Enemy #666
Jayden Danns: Season long loan at Plymouth is being reported....
Reckon that's a smart little move for him tbh....
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