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Thread: Other Games, July 2025

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Daffydd View Post
    And he can do it on a cloudy Sunday in Stoke
    Hehe - allegedly ended up 5-0 with Chiesa getting the fifth.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
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    Had no ideas the lads played behind closed doors against Stoke.. anyway 5-0. Nunez finished nicely in a couple of his goals. Hes got the ability just never showed it consistently enough
    Cleaning up the Scots since the 13th century

  3. #23
    Join Date
    May 2005
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    I've heard a rumour we're keeping Darwin and signing Ekitike and Isak.

  4. #24
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    I doubt the players will be happy.. 2 of them won't get games most of the time. If one forward is in form. You can't drop them.
    Though i can understand us letting Diaz go and use Ekitike on the left some times. So the rumours of Rodrygo won't happen. Saying that if we cash in on Konate we may get him as part of the deal. Nothing really sorted i guess
    I think Diaz and Nunez will go personally.. I rather we kept Diaz.. Nunez may look good but hes just not reliable and we've given him enough chances.
    Cleaning up the Scots since the 13th century

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by teesred View Post
    I've heard a rumour we're keeping Darwin and signing Ekitike and Isak.
    Not sure how that works. Assuming Isak is your centre-forward with Ekitike as your depth, then you either have to -

    - Make Núñez the cover for Salah, selling Chiesa. An availability upgrade for sure (Núñez has a better fitness record than Chiesa) but not Darwin's natural position
    OR
    - Make Núñez the left-side cover for Gakpo, selling Diaz to get a good player in who can play on the right (depth with Salah) but also other positions as well so they can get enough minutes
    OR
    - Núñez is the centre-forward depth to Isak, with Ekitike played from the left-hand side as rotation with Gakpo
    OR
    - Make Gakpo part of the cover for Salah on the right (would really rather not have Gakpo out there, doesn't seem a natural fit at all) so that Núñez is cover to Diaz's replacement (Rodrygo?) on the left

    None of it looks particularly ideal/natural. Having not seen your rumour, I wonder if there's a slight miscommunication and the idea is keeping Núñez (for this season) and acquiring Isak, but with Isak being bid for NEXT Summer.

    There's the Sunday night over-think but yeah, I just would be gobsmacked if we had Núñez, Ekitike and Isak all on the books at once given the current make-up of the squad. Still, if Darwin stays and finally turns into the Torres-clone we all want him to be (receive through-ball, score with a low finish) like he did today and very famously against Newcastle.....yes please Just wish he could sort his mind out in the seconds where he is faced with a goalkeeper and had two or three muscle-memory finishes under his belt as he could be an absolute Monster and (unfortunately) looks like he'll never reach his full potential in our colours.

  6. #26
    Ironic we win the league and we're going to end up replacing half the first team by sounds of it

    after years of doing little as possible (apart from midfield re-work)

    and suddenly splashing the cash like man city

    Klopp must be thinking, what de geezeeee?

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
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    1,389
    Quote Originally Posted by Diego20 View Post
    Ironic we win the league and we're going to end up replacing half the first team by sounds of it

    after years of doing little as possible (apart from midfield re-work)

    and suddenly splashing the cash like man city

    Klopp must be thinking, what de geezeeee?
    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.
    From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down, I convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend on reading it. Groucho Marx

  8. #28
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    Nov 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Red October View Post
    Very strange. Can't get my head round it. There must be something behind all this.
    - Champion's League money (including win bonuses for those League phase wins)
    - Premier League winner money
    - Adidas money
    - Not paying the stadium off anymore
    - Two larger stands mean more funds coming in
    - Have assets we can sell
    - Slot ruthless about players he doesn't want
    - Edwards and Hughes seemingly being trusted
    - Spent very little last Summer
    - Might be planning for a comparatively quiet window next season ahead of the 26/27 season?
    - Calculated gamble to invest now when Man City aren't in the peak of a cycle to increase chances of further League wins generating further money?

    Last two are speculative but a lot of those things compounded will all add up.

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by Insidious View Post
    - Champion's League money (including win bonuses for those League phase wins)
    - Premier League winner money
    - Adidas money
    - Not paying the stadium off anymore
    - Two larger stands mean more funds coming in
    - Have assets we can sell
    - Slot ruthless about players he doesn't want
    - Edwards and Hughes seemingly being trusted
    - Spent very little last Summer
    - Might be planning for a comparatively quiet window next season ahead of the 26/27 season?
    - Calculated gamble to invest now when Man City aren't in the peak of a cycle to increase chances of further League wins generating further money?

    Last two are speculative but a lot of those things compounded will all add up.
    Yeah, possibly that simple. Just seems so out of the blue doesn't it though? Maybe they've seen that the investment in the midfield a couple of seasons ago really paid dividends and are looking to the same across the team. Good to see regardless. Just hope we can work out a way to score goals regularly without just relying on Mo. Also, hope the team is not too disrupted with all the changes. At least the midfield should have continuity. Also the centre-backs and goalie unless Konate goes.
    From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down, I convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend on reading it. Groucho Marx

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    28,420
    Quote Originally Posted by Red October View Post
    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.
    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.

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