I just can't fathom us signing 5-6 top class players. It's arguably what we'll need to move on from some of our aging players, including those who may not re-sign.
Liverpool related transfer speculation
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I just can't fathom us signing 5-6 top class players. It's arguably what we'll need to move on from some of our aging players, including those who may not re-sign.
I’m not sure where you’re going with this - if we keep churning players we’ll stagnate because we’ll never achieve consistency and equally we’ll stagnate if we never replace players.
That’s not in question - it’s about the balance and it’s not particularly radical.
The ideal model is to get together a group of players with high skill ceilings and have them playing together for a 4-5 year period while in their prime.
Also, I reject that Nunez wasn’t a massive investment and also that we won’t lose out - unless you’re viewing this purely as asset management and not what relying on him has actually cost us - which is no different to us relying on Kieta and what he cost us - and these “costs” bear no relation to the transfer fees or wages.
I don’t really want to single out Nunez, he’s far from the only one, but he’s in the most critical position to have failed and not be easily replaced. That’s just an example of getting a transfer wrong.
Like I said earlier we can, to a certain extent, choose whether we replace loads of players or only a few.
It’s like the Salah or Van Dijk conundrum - you can’t bring in a top quality player to cover their positions because that player is going to sit on the bench picking splinters out their arse for 90% of games unless there’s an injury.
As always, iffy example, but City won 4 on the spin (including a treble) by bringing on roughly 1 or 2 players a year to slowly cycle out leaving/poorer players.
If you want to win 1 league, then we can keep doing what we're doing. If you want to defend a title, you need to develop
If you want to win 1 league, then we can keep doing what we're doing. If you want to defend a title, you need to develop
Sometimes I wonder what people are looking at with the massive criticism, 'change them all' attitude to our forwards. Anyone looked at the PL table recently? We've scored 17 goals more than the next highest scorers. Seventeen !
For me we need to assess where we have been weakest this season, not strongest, and overhaul or upgrade.
Forwards : Resign Mo., change Nunez (hopefully for Saudi money) and maybe maybe Jota.
Midfield : Add one top quality MFer, we can afford to lose everyone on the bench bar Elliott and Jones (and even Elliott if we are strapped for cash).
RB : Trent is gone, a new starter to compete with Bradley.
CB : Resign VvD. Sell Gomez. Bring in one highly rated youngster.
LB : Sell Tsimi. Bring in Kerkez. Robbo to backup.
Ali : Sell Kelleher, bring in the Georgian.
Bring back the Badger (cover for DM, RB and CB).
4 new starters (or competing to start) and 2 backups. That's already a LOT but it's not a massive overhaul, causes minimum disruption and should even strengthen the team to get the best out of VvD's and Mo.'s last years. Money-wise it may be £200+m but half of that is easily recoverable and £100+m well within budget. Even better it means we bring in players more suited to Slot's system.
For me we need to assess where we have been weakest this season, not strongest, and overhaul or upgrade.
Forwards : Resign Mo., change Nunez (hopefully for Saudi money) and maybe maybe Jota.
Midfield : Add one top quality MFer, we can afford to lose everyone on the bench bar Elliott and Jones (and even Elliott if we are strapped for cash).
RB : Trent is gone, a new starter to compete with Bradley.
CB : Resign VvD. Sell Gomez. Bring in one highly rated youngster.
LB : Sell Tsimi. Bring in Kerkez. Robbo to backup.
Ali : Sell Kelleher, bring in the Georgian.
Bring back the Badger (cover for DM, RB and CB).
4 new starters (or competing to start) and 2 backups. That's already a LOT but it's not a massive overhaul, causes minimum disruption and should even strengthen the team to get the best out of VvD's and Mo.'s last years. Money-wise it may be £200+m but half of that is easily recoverable and £100+m well within budget. Even better it means we bring in players more suited to Slot's system.
I think I had a scheme of this goal as my avatar for some time. Klopp-ball at its finest.
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Thats unrealistic if we dont hit 100% in the transfer market and spend a massive amount of dosh.
It’s always top. No matter the situation the answer is 1st place, Kelly’s Heroes and all that.
That's what people said about this season too.
This season we have Trent, Virgil and Mo. Next it could be maybe 5 new starters.
Its just a hypothetical question, but given how we negotiate their contracts I'm starting to feel like FSG deliberately want to reset this after winning the league.
Doesn’t it depend entirely on who we sign and how they play?
This is where I am - with the addition of re-signing Virgil might kick a new CB back a season.
Yeah, thats what I mean. Can we expect that to be good enough to finish near the top?
The answer’s the same - it depends on who we sign - we could challenge again or slip out of the top 6.
I mean, everyone predicted a drop off this season after Klopp and it hasn’t happened.
And this season we have Trent, Virgil and Mo. With 5-6 new starters its a different ball game.
Given how Slot worked at Feyenoord (they sold 4-6 of their starters every season) he's deffo the right manager, but not many teams hit 100% in the transfer market.
If we resign 1-2 and add 2-3 starters we go back to back imho.
If we let them go and add 5-6 starters its probably 5th. Unless the stars align and we hit on every signing.
We need to keep hold of Virgil and Salah so we can blood their replacements at our own pace, but we do need to sign their long term replacements this summer, ideally, players who can replace them in cup games etc. We can't just assume they'll be able to play week in week out at a high level for the forseeable, even if they're doing so this year.
We need three starters, really, if Trent leaves and the other two stay. A LB, a LW and a CF. Then a RB for when the Tayto Terrier is injured, another midfielder possibly (unless the Badger is staying and another youth player can step up next season) and a CB and RW to start relieving Virgil and Salah. I'd sell Nunez and Diaz. And then expect Tsimi to leave.
We need three starters, really, if Trent leaves and the other two stay. A LB, a LW and a CF. Then a RB for when the Tayto Terrier is injured, another midfielder possibly (unless the Badger is staying and another youth player can step up next season) and a CB and RW to start relieving Virgil and Salah. I'd sell Nunez and Diaz. And then expect Tsimi to leave.
I agree with the first premise (resign 1-2 add 2-3) but disagree with the second (finish 5th) as there is no reason to expect 4 teams to be better than us next season whatever happens. Still Top 5 but too many variables to accuracy forecast anything.
I agree… mostly.
The only thing I’d say here, is you can’t effectively “blood” replacements for Virgil & Mo because they will play almost every game and they likely won’t accept rotation.
It’s a nice theory that doesn’t work in practice.
For me it’s a “rip the bandaid off” moment - when the time comes - let them go and sign the best possible replacement.
They play almost every game right now because we don't have alternatives. I think if Slot had options and they weren't in this area of renewing/not renewing then he wouldn't have an issue playing others. If they get, say, new 2 year deals there is no way that by the end of those two years they're still playing every single game at their age.
Nobody is going to come here and want to sit on the bench and play 7 cup games. Especially if they are at a level where they are expected to come in and replace those players.
Those 3 going opens up £40 million-ish a year in wages. Add on our cash for transfers we can get a good few really good players in.
For me it's because I just trust him to remain top class for another 3 years or so. It doesn't seem that much of a risk.
Salah's going to be 33 in the summer, and for a pacy winger that's like being 36/7 for a CB - really pushing it, basically. So much depends on what he actually wants. If it's £500k a week for 3 more years or something, that's a massive risk for us.
Agreed. Really hope we get Virgil done.
I see it more like having a team that doesn't require us being carried by Salah is essential. We hopefully win the league because for a large part he carried us
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