I will post it this evening
Let's Talk Centre Backs ...
- Thread starter Frogfish
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It's a really horrible situation to manage.
It's always hard to know how players come back after a season ending injury and we've got to handle our top three first-choice centre-backs in that situation.
Unless we get crazy offers, players want away or we desperately need to free up the wage bill, I'd keep all the senior guys just to give ourselves options.
If everything as ends up being as it was prior to this season - by no means guaranteed - the first one out the door for me is Matip. Great player but he's getting on and has never been able to stay fit.
If we had the money, I'd buy Kabak and loan him out, Chelsea style. 18M is fuck all and we can either guard against the other guys coming back shit / injured or sell and make a profit.
It's always hard to know how players come back after a season ending injury and we've got to handle our top three first-choice centre-backs in that situation.
Unless we get crazy offers, players want away or we desperately need to free up the wage bill, I'd keep all the senior guys just to give ourselves options.
If everything as ends up being as it was prior to this season - by no means guaranteed - the first one out the door for me is Matip. Great player but he's getting on and has never been able to stay fit.
If we had the money, I'd buy Kabak and loan him out, Chelsea style. 18M is fuck all and we can either guard against the other guys coming back shit / injured or sell and make a profit.
To be fair, we used to do that 4-5 years ago. Didn't we buy Origi and loan him out? Keita also arrived one year later, right?
I agree that Kabak's value will only rise on loan. Maybe to someplace like Arsenal? And then we can either sell him for profit or have him replace Matip or Gomez if their injuries continue.
If we're buying Konate and keeping Matip then its Kabak vs Phillips. Ironically because of Phillips great performances we could sell him and use that money to buy Kabak. Or keep Phillips and save the Kabak money, either way we shouldn't lose any money.
I haven't watched Kabak as much as Phillips, I know Phillips is a bit older than Kabak so that maybe explains why Nat is a bit ahead. At the same time remembering that Kabak is only 21 you can see that in a few years he will turn into a monster of a defender. Tough choice.
I haven't watched Kabak as much as Phillips, I know Phillips is a bit older than Kabak so that maybe explains why Nat is a bit ahead. At the same time remembering that Kabak is only 21 you can see that in a few years he will turn into a monster of a defender. Tough choice.
I expect it all depends on how VVD, Gomez and Matip are looking in terms of their respective recoveries.
Davies is a strange one - because he pretty much got injured when he arrived and we haven’t seen him yet.
Again- he’s just a senior home grown option - Rhys, etc’f future depends on whether we think a year out on loan would aid his development more than being 6 or 7th in line.
Kabak and Konate will come down to what money we have to spend.
Honestly though - I wouldn’t be surprised to see Matip retire - his body seems broken.
Davies is a strange one - because he pretty much got injured when he arrived and we haven’t seen him yet.
Again- he’s just a senior home grown option - Rhys, etc’f future depends on whether we think a year out on loan would aid his development more than being 6 or 7th in line.
Kabak and Konate will come down to what money we have to spend.
Honestly though - I wouldn’t be surprised to see Matip retire - his body seems broken.
He is probably another Matip. Move on. The Watford defender Romain Saiss is available on a free. Get him and sell Matip maybe?
You mean Wolves and no.
I do mean Wolves. I've seen him a handful of times and thought he was okay.
We should sign Kabak as we know he fits in and it is a great price. If we also sign Konate then there is no place for Matip in the squad at full quota. I could see a situation however where we might actually cash in on Gomez, in the way we have done for Coutinho/Suarez in the past. A London club would pay > £50m for him, and that might be appealing if we are getting in Kabak & Konate for the same price we are selling Gomez.
For me - next season best case scenario is selling and having this:
VVD
Gomez
Konate
Kabak
Phillips
If we sell Gomez then the below.
VVD
Konate
Matip
Kabak
Phillips
I would be shocked if we didn't sign both Kabak & Konate.
For me - next season best case scenario is selling and having this:
VVD
Gomez
Konate
Kabak
Phillips
If we sell Gomez then the below.
VVD
Konate
Matip
Kabak
Phillips
I would be shocked if we didn't sign both Kabak & Konate.
Prepare to be shocked.
Pearce already saying that we're unlikely to sign Kabak. Klopp is happy with Big Nat, and our main CB target is Konate.
I expect the CB situation to thus be:
VVD
Gomez
Konate
Phillips
Matip
Think Kabak was never our first choice. We were clearly desperate to just get someone in on the last day of the transfer window in Jan, and tried for Caleta-Car, David Carmo and Kabak. Kabak was the deal which materialised. I doubt that any of these players were on on our long-term shopping list.
Had missed the comments about Kabak. Surprising he seemed to settle well in that back line, and would be good value too. As long as we get one of the two in, and don't sell Gomez we should be in a good place.
I can sort of understand the reason for priortising Konate above Kabak especially with funds, assuming if Van Dijk and Gomez aren’t fully fit then the current lot leave us extremely short of pace at the back.
Phillips deserves his chance but we do need to sign CB with pace and gather Konate is the fastest player in RB Leipzig squad.
Phillips deserves his chance but we do need to sign CB with pace and gather Konate is the fastest player in RB Leipzig squad.
Kabak worries me as he could be another crock who see's more of the physio room than the field. Romain Saisse would be adequate 4th choice. Gomez could be sold to fund Lumptey (a thought).
Saiss seemed to be decent in a back 3 but doesn't play when they have a back 4, you sure he's the one?
Kabak could be available Sunday.
I’ll explain again.
Kabak doesn’t need to be registered in the senior squad this season - he can be selected as an U21 player.-
We have one spare spot for an non-Home grown player - which currently belongs to Minamino. If we bring him back from Southampton - then someone has to be moved on.
Selling Gomez doesn’t open up a spot for Konate in the squad - it opens up a spot for another home grown player to be added.
No-one in their right mind is buying Matip until he has reached fitness - he may retire or we may let him leave on a free - but again - who would sign him?
However with Adrian & Gini our of contract, we could add Konate without selling.
Here’s the thing.
There’s another possibility that we start next season with Phillips as the only fit senior CB - if VVD, Gomez, Davies & Matip aren’t fit and we fail to secure Konaté or Kabak
Neither of the injured CB’s, bar VVD, is likely to sell say at anything other than way under their value - because they’ve been out injured so long and represent a risk.
Additionally - if I were any other team in the market for a CB and knew we’d turned down an opportunity for Kabak at £20m - I’d be all over that before looking at any of our crocks.
There’s another possibility that we start next season with Phillips as the only fit senior CB - if VVD, Gomez, Davies & Matip aren’t fit and we fail to secure Konaté or Kabak
Neither of the injured CB’s, bar VVD, is likely to sell say at anything other than way under their value - because they’ve been out injured so long and represent a risk.
Additionally - if I were any other team in the market for a CB and knew we’d turned down an opportunity for Kabak at £20m - I’d be all over that before looking at any of our crocks.
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