Enter Shaqiri (Done Deal!)

[Brizzle]

I'd love to know how Klopp lined this up with him. Surely being pretty clear that it is a bit part role. There is one area I felt we were poor in last season which was making substitutions that inevitably took off an attacker for a defensive minded player, leading us to sit deep. What we need is to be able to bring on forward players who can keep up the intensity of our press and I feel he is an option here.

 

[Woland]

You haven't been overly critical, you've stuck to an unwavering agenda, as you have with quite a few players. But it's done now, peace out. Same with Lucas.

Yeah but Lucas really is shite.

 

[Peatcheo]

Back on the Shaqiri topic: does anyone else feel as confused about the prospect of him signing as I do? I've bounced around between various shades of positivity and negativity about it and I'm still completely incoherent as to what to think. The squad needs more options, so in that sense I'm inclined to be optimistic about it, but otherwise you may as well ask the cat.

I'm really happy with signing him. He scores goals, gets assists, and is much better than pretty much all of the players outside our strongest eleven. The price is a steal too for a player who has proven that he can play in this league. He also has the pace (maybe not as fast) to keep our usual system if one of the two wingers gets injured.

We need squad improvement as our bench towards the end of last season was dire.

 

[tombrown]

Yeah but Lucas really is shite.

I Like Lucas, Lallana & Henderson. I'm in everyone's, and no one's, camp.

 

[Woland]

I was just trying to start an argument

 

[tombrown]

I was just trying to start an argument

I argue with myself, its less stressful & I have more chance of winning

 

[The Nomad]

Whilst I didn't want him.. I'll give him a chance to impress.

Hendo however... Sorry sorry.. Couldn't resist.

 

[RedStar]

Back on the Shaqiri topic: does anyone else feel as confused about the prospect of him signing as I do? I've bounced around between various shades of positivity and negativity about it and I'm still completely incoherent as to what to think. The squad needs more options, so in that sense I'm inclined to be optimistic about it, but otherwise you may as well ask the cat.

I think its a good squad signing, nobody expects him to be a first choice pick ahead of Mane or Salah when everybody is fit. If he can get 30 mins a week and the occasional cup game to keep the others fresh I think he will be a qualified success. He seems like a bit of a prat but if we were to refuse to sign players on that basis we would barely be able to field a team.

 

[dee]

I'd say he IS sufficiently different that he could be a starter against certain teams - particularly ones that have ambition only for a draw. Say 10 good EPL starts, regular impact as a sub and game time in the cups and he'll have been a success.

I'm quite ok with his signing. More than I was with Oxlade-Chamberlain and he proved to be a cracking one. Who've is making the transfer decisions is doing more than okay currently

 

[davud graham]

Just tell him every team we play are Serbian and he might move his arse a bit more.

 

[Hyena]

Isn't he pretty fast?

As for playing time.., we'll if he had been on our bench against Real he may well be a CL winner by now.

 

[Markeh]

He's a match winner on his day, I don't think we had any of those on our bench last year. If we played Serbia every week he'd be pushing for the first XI.

hopefully he's mature enough to know this might be his last crack at the top level

 

[Bradley]

Wanted him years ago. Hopefully he's realised this is his last/2nd chance with a big team having spent years in the wilds of Stoke.

 

[6TimesaRed]

 

[6TimesaRed]

 

[Rosco]

 

[JurgenKlopp]

 

[peekay]

the only risk with this one is his attitude.

He'd be a good option off the bench and a reasonable back up option to give Mane and Salah rest during the season. If he accepts that as his role and buys into the way we play we're laughing.

Would have preferred some younger talent like Brandt, Pulisic, Bailey to play that role but they would cost close to 100 million. At 14 million, he seems good value assuming he buys into the Klopp philosophy. Klopp almost always improves attacking players contribution if they buy into his style. This signing will provide cover for a year and we can use the monies to fix more critical needs like a goalkeeper.

 

[hmmmmm1]

Klopps pennant. Premiership ‘proven’

 

[Oncy]

Klopps pennant. Premiership ‘proven’

Jesus Christ

 

[jan]

I thought that was Salah

 

[Rosco]

Would have preferred some younger talent like Brandt, Pulisic, Bailey to play that role but they would cost close to 100 million. At 14 million, he seems good value assuming he buys into the Klopp philosophy. Klopp almost always improves attacking players contribution if they buy into his style. This signing will provide cover for a year and we can use the monies to fix more critical needs like a goalkeeper.

I would have liked us to try for Kluivert, admittedly having never seen him play and only on the basis of whose son he is.

I wouldn't envisage any of your preferred options being likely unless Mane was on his way.

I'm absolutely fine with Shaqiri. It's neither an obvious glaring error in judgment nor a brilliant signing but Edwards and Klopp seem to be having a good run with signings and have earned a bit of trust on these things.

 

[doctor_mac]

In for a penny, in for a pound:

 

[moron]

Klopps pennant. Premiership ‘proven’

The same Pennant that helped us get to a CL final ? - well if he is that good then I am all for this transfer.

 

[Ijg]

Official then...

 

[mwake]

I'd love to know how Klopp lined this up with him. Surely being pretty clear that it is a bit part role. There is one area I felt we were poor in last season which was making substitutions that inevitably took off an attacker for a defensive minded player, leading us to sit deep. What we need is to be able to bring on forward players who can keep up the intensity of our press and I feel he is an option here.

This is a great post! Yes I felt this too. We had a massive drop on quality whenever we had to rotate the front three. Now with Shaqiri is not to bad, and maybe he could even surprise us and really excell, who knows? He definitely has all the tools to do so. It also means we can turn the screws on teams, if Shaqiri his the ground running they nobody is going to relish the thought of Shaqiri replacing Mane or Salah especially late on in a game.

Klopps pennant. Premiership ‘proven’

This says it all, lots of people last year were saying Salah was the 'New Pennant' but I guess nobody is saying that now.

Also lots of comments about Mane being lazy/going missing for half the season at Southampton. The only time Mane went missing in his Liverpool career is when he had been injured and when he went to AFCON.

Lallana too had a reputation for not being able to complete 60 mins and needed and previously inhaler for asthma related issues. But the season before last he was one of the most hardworking pressers in the team.

Ox Chamberlain had a rep for not playing to the best of his ability, and then becomes one of the key reasons we made the CL final.

As you can see there is a pattern. Klopp improves the workrate of most players he signs. Expect the same with Shaqiri, a player who has a reputation for laziness, he soon will have tv pundits praising his intelligent pressing and determination after three months.


Klopp is a magician, he will sort the Shaq out!

 

[mark1975]

 

[ibromurph]

I'm not particularly excited by the signing.

But i'd sooner bring on Shaqiri for Mane/Salah than Ojo/Solanke.

He's the talisman for his country, good on set pieces and has CL experience.

For 14m, if it enables us to buy an AM (Fekir) and Allison, and plug those gaps, I'm satisfied with the window. (kind of feel Salah would be played through middle, if Bobby F needed a break).

And if Sturridge is sold, i'd expect another CF.

 

[The Nomad]

I'm not particularly excited by the signing.

But i'd sooner bring on Shaqiri for Mane/Salah than Ojo/Solanke.

He's the talisman for his country, good on set pieces and has CL experience.

For 14m, if it enables us to buy an AM (Fekir) and Allison, and plug those gaps, I'm satisfied with the window. (kind of feel Salah would be played through middle, if Bobby F needed a break).

And if Sturridge is sold, i'd expect another CF.

I expect Brewster may force his way into the frame. Already been tapped up by Borussia Monchengladbach. Reported getting attention from teams such as Juve and PSG, although that may be his agent saber rattling to get the contract sorted.

 

[reuque]

It's gonna take some time for him to adjust to Klopp's system so I'd expect him to be restricted to a bench role in the first few months like it was for Ox.