Definitely shows the strength of squad when our two 'worst' players are Lovren and Lallana.
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Definitely shows the strength of squad when our two 'worst' players are Lovren and Lallana.
Hi Sid.
I know it's easy with hindsight on the above.
But a lot has changed.
Matip, Origi, your thoughts now?
Mignolet, Solanki gone.
Just shows nothing in football is certain.
The contracts now look all neat and tidy.
I like the thought process throughout.
Since klopp here; the 1st team strengthened, then the squad, the youth, the loans, the end of contracts, the sales.
Then recently the contracts.
Suspect Lovren and Lallana will leave in the summer, lallana could even go in January.
“We have to change, from doubters to believers—now.”
Little update. Any errors as regards to dates can be corrected.
Expiring Summer '20
Adam Lallana (optional additional year) - suspect he'll see out his contract but nothing further. Excellent player on his day, but his day isn't often enough due to injuries and when he does have a poor game, it's particularly poor. Wish him luck and hopefully scores against the Mancs for another club.
Nathaniel Clyne - looks to be on his way out of the club. Once invaluable and now comparatively looks like a footballing Dinosaur in terms of style of play. Would wish him the best - it is only fair to remember that he was an important cog in the machine that got us back into the Top Four to get this process started and it isn't his fault that Trent's star shines so incredibly bright or that we're a hyper-modern outfit. Hope he can enjoy a few years of injury-free footie elsewhere and get free pints for life from Liverpool fans - he was an important leg-up in our initial climb towards the Sun. 41 appearances in all comps (37 in the League) in 16/17, which was Klopp's first FULL season and the season where we finally got back on track. So unlucky to be robbed of his peak years. Deserves our thanks.
Expiring Summer '21
Dejan Lovren - I suspected he would see out his contract, but now I think a sell to a buyer in the Summer looks increasingly likely. A player that can be under-rated due to brain farts, but can look very solid when alongside Van Dijk. Personally trust Matip and Gomez more, whilst also wanting to see youth come through. Happy to sell.
Georginio Wijnaldum - would very much like to see his contract extended and suspect it will be. Press-proof and industrious. Would happily keep him for a few more years, yet also foresee that we will eventually find a way to improve our midfield yet further and he may be the player we feel is expendable. I trust the club - if we sell I would accept it, but would be very happy for him to stay for the foreseeable.
Expiring Summer '22
James Milner - valuable servant that turned 34 this January, meaning he will be 36 come the end of his contract. Would happily let him see out his time with us as he can give cover in multiple positions. May be a window into Henderson's long-term future. Hopefully can pass his attitude onto a few more of our players yet and one day be involved with coaching or fitness staff, or an ambassadorial role.
Expiring Summer '23
Mohamed Salah - excellent player, one to keep for 2-4 more years unless we receive an astronomical offer.
Sadio Mane - excellent player, one to keep for 2-4 more years unless we receive an astronomical offer.
Roberto Firmino -excellent player, one to keep for 2-4 more years unless we receive an astronomical offer. Would hate to sell.
Naby Keita - has potential to revolutionise our midfield but needs to overcome injury issues. Monitor situation.
Fabinho - excellent player. Hope he sees out his contract with us.
Jordan Henderson - excellent player. Hope he sees out his contract with us. Physicality is a big part of his game so there may come a "right" time to sell but that hopefully isn't soon.
Xherdan Shaqiri - a very, very good player. Not as natural a fit to our style as some and prone to injury. For the right price and the chance to find a younger, fitter, more natural alternative I would happily sell but wish him all the best.
Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain an excellent player that can contribute to our midfield when not fighting fitness worries. Would listen to bids above his transfer value, but it would take a very large amount for me to want to see him sold.
Andrew Robertson - excellent player. Hopefully has many good years with us. Would not sell.
Expiring Summer '24
Divock Origi - a cult Hero and often surprises with his skill. Probably unlikely to be the Kluivert-esque player that we would love him to be. Can do no wrong as a human being or against Everton. Would very begrudgingly listen to serious offers simply so as to help us get to the next level of quality-in-depth and yet would happily have him around for the length of his contract.
Takumi Minamino - hopefully does great things for us and in terms of the numbers may very well "replace" Shaqiri and Lallana in one fell swoop, though in terms of role will be more akin to Firmino. Sample size of minutes means it is unfair to judge him either way with us. Hopefully contributes plenty in time - no better environment to do so.
Joel Matip - very, very good and often under-appreciated player. Very happy to have him around. Would never fetch a good price despite his quality. Keep for as long as he is willing to be here.
Alexander-Arnold - good chance he will be a one-club man and I hope it's the case; excellent player. Would not sell.
Alisson - excellent player, hopefully has many good years with us. Would not sell.
Expiring Summer '25
Virgil Van Dijk - incredible player, hopefully can finish his career with us.
Last edited by Insidious; 22nd January 2020 at 01:01 AM.
Your hobbies are rollerblading and you're also a bit of a rat-hound? Steel Wool
Sid knows he's crazy and he likes it. Balinkay
Interesting read
A lot of effort huh
I dont agree with Wijnaldum; he should be on a new 4 or 5 year contract
Absolutely brilliant player. When he was at Newcastle he had a different role
I liked very much Winjaldum and Sissoko
Winjaldum has excelled and exceeded expectations
World class player
Don't get me wrong Dicko, I really like Wijnaldum. I view our midfield three set-up as being similar to our front-three set-up in that I want them to stay as long as possible, but am open to the idea of selling one (for big money) to freshen things up a little bit, on the condition that we have the right target to replace them - younger, higher ceiling, can do the same job plus more, financially prudent and so on.
The only real reason for being open to this is not wanting all of our players to hit the "need to replace" mark at a similar time as we can't replace them all and could find ourselves in a nasty position. Ferguson was very good at getting things right. Teams like Real Madrid sometimes hold onto the same crop of talent for too long - or indeed if we look at the problem that is coming further down the line for this current Barcelona team - or mid-00's AC Milan.
No desire to see Gini leave - just feel/sense that at some stage in the next 2-4 years that we will find someone who is essentially able to work as hard as our front three whilst also contributing in the way that a De Bruyne type player can and if/as/when we identify such a target, a sale of someone (provided the price is right) to avoid stagnation would be prudent.
Hopefully the contract extension happens so we have the option of him seeing it out, or the option of selling for big money if conditions make that a suitable route forward.
The average footballer’s wage in England’s top division has climbed from £20 per week in 1961 to £33,868 per week or thereabouts 50 years later (2011)
This week (2011) marks half a century since the abolition of the maximum wage in English football, as has been noted by a variety of media coverage, including the piece linked here, written by my Mail on Sunday colleague Joe Bernstein, published earlier this month.
Footballers’ wages have grown massively over time, and this is shown below, season by season, in a table researched using a variety of sources, not least Professional Footballers’ Association documents and records.
The numbers are most reliable for the past 20 years because we have detailed information about individual clubs’ wage bills in the Premier League.
Using analysis honed over many years of close study of footballers’ pay, we can demonstrate quite precisely how average top-flight earnings have changed.
Before 1992, a series of landmark figures were used as a basis to estimate averages as accurately as possible; inevitably there has been some ‘filling in’ in between those landmarks. Nonetheless, the numbers and the progression are as close as we can come to showing how pay has changed. Indisputable is how much pay has rocketed since the formation of the Premier League – with its TV riches from 1992-93 onwards.
Some markers along the course of the steep climb include:
When Kevin Keegan joined Liverpool from Scunthorpe in May 1971, Bill Shankly’s first wage offer was £45 per week.
In his 1977 autobiography, Keegan recalled: ‘I wanted to sign there and then but remembered that my father had told me not to sell myself cheap.’
Keegan told Shankly he expected more than £45. Shankly replied: ‘That’s upsetting.
Don’t forget, young man, we’re paying £33,000 for you.’ Keegan’s basic wage at Scunthorpe, in the old Fourth Division, had been £30 a week, with £8 win bonus and £4 draw bonus.
Keegan and Shankly eventually settled on a starting wage of £50 a week at Liverpool. Regular first-team football, appearance money and win bonuses added £80 a week to that basic figure, for £130 a week for one of England’s best players at one of its biggest clubs
£50pw in 1971
£200,000pw in 2020
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