Summer Clear-out

[Frogfish]

Rodgers is also linked with snapping up Borussia Dortmund striker Ciro Immobile in the summer according to Sport Bild.
The Italian ace has struggled in the Bundesliga following his move from Torino last year.
The 24-year-old has netted seven goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for Jurgen Klopp's struggling side.
And reports from Germany suggest Dortmund will look to cut their losses on the £15m striker and force him out of the club in the summer.

 

[rurikbird]

Yes to Adriano, no to Immobile. For 7-8 million Adriano would represent the same kind of bargain as Remy. Hope we don't fuck up this time.

 

[cloggypop]

We have enough Immobile strikers ta.

 

[dmishra]

Yes to Adriano, no to Immobile. For 7-8 million Adriano would represent the same kind of bargain as Remy. Hope we don't fuck up this time.

Yep, I like Adriano.

I wonder how much Balotelli is going to influence our striker activity in the summer.

The way I see it is this:

Lambert will go.
Origi will come in for Borini.

That leaves us with Sturridge, Balotelli and Origi.

Can we give playing time to 4 strikers? Especially if we're playing with this new formation? Ordinarily, my rule of thumb is you can never have too many good attacking players. But 4 strikers, all of whom would demand playing time might create a bit of a logjam.

Or will we try get to rid of Balotelli as well? Offloading 3 strikers isn't going to be easy.

 

[keniget]

Yep, I like Adriano.

I wonder how much Balotelli is going to influence our striker activity in the summer.

The way I see it is this:

Lambert will go.
Origi will come in for Borini.

That leaves us with Sturridge, Balotelli and Origi.

Can we give playing time to 4 strikers? Especially if we're playing with this new formation? Ordinarily, my rule of thumb is you can never have too many good attacking players. But 4 strikers, all of whom would demand playing time might create a bit of a logjam.

Or will we try get to rid of Balotelli as well? Offloading 3 strikers isn't going to be easy.

We'll see Origi out wide at times, Sturridge will get injured and if we're in Europe again (especially if it's the Europa League) there will be enough games to go around.

 

[TheRedCrusade]

I would keep all three of Balotelli, Allen and Lucas...I have always said that it is never a good idea to make wholesale changes in the team in one season. We really Need experience at the club when Gerrard leaves. Also Balotelli needs one more season to prove himself. I think he will come good

😗

 

[Skullflower]

with sterling having shown he can fill in, i think we'll stick with three specialoist strikers next season

 

[Dreambeliever]

Fuck me. He's signed for his boyhood club in the summer, a chance he didn't think would come round (certainly not at 32 years old), is a hardworking pro who has scored goals for us, is happy being backup and has nothing approaching a negative attitude around the club and you're slating him for not wanting to move to Aston Villa, one of the worst teams in European Football after only six months at the club because it will cost us a bit of cash?

All correct except the hardworking pro part. He's overweight, unfit, loves the ale and fatty foods and didn't mentally prepare to start for us by his own admission.

 

[Red Mullet]

That would be incredibly funny if true.


As for our deadwood, I read somewhere that Aspas is already a done deal to Sevilla for 6m euros. I'd hope for at least £10m for Borini and Lambert, plus the £5m for Assaidi already secured. Johnson and Gerrard will free up another £14m or so a year in wages.

That's not a bad little kitty to be starting off with.

So the new players will play for free?

 

[peterhague]

So the new players will play for free?

No, but they won't be on an average of £135k a week, either. The point is their salaries are grossly disproportionate to their contribution.

Let's say you sign a player on a salary of half that, on a 5 year contract. The remaining amount budgeted but not spent over that period equates to around £17.5m - effectively available as a subsidy of their fee.

 

[Judge Jules]

We have enough Immobile strikers ta.

Arf.

Don't want him though. NO more Italians please (sorry Wizzy).

 

[localny]

Arf.

Don't want him though. NO more Italians please (sorry Wizzy).

They never work out.

 

[Hansern]

Linked with Adriano from Barcelona. Could be a good replacement for Johnson/Enrique.

 

[keniget]

Linked with Adriano from Barcelona. Could be a good replacement for Johnson/Enrique.

I've been saying he'd be useful squad addition for the past few seasons now. I'm not sure they'd let him go with Dani Alves legs going and the transfer ban though.

He's not the greatest defender but he'd be a perfect fit for the system we're currently using.

 

[the count]

I've been saying he'd be useful squad addition for the past few seasons now. I'm not sure they'd let him go with Dani Alves legs going and the transfer ban though.

He's not the greatest defender but he'd be a perfect fit for the system we're currently using.

I have been saying for two seasons now that Nat Clyne is the one.
I think we have left it too late now.

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

All correct except the hardworking pro part. He's overweight, unfit, loves the ale and fatty foods and didn't mentally prepare to start for us by his own admission.

Source?

 

[Mystic]

All correct except the hardworking pro part. He's overweight, unfit, loves the ale and fatty foods and didn't mentally prepare to start for us by his own admission.

What a load of unsubstantiated bullshit.

 

[C/O]

Dreamy, that man that was buying you drinks just said he was Ricky Lambert so you'd trust him.

 

[peterhague]

I have been saying for two seasons now that Nat Clyne is the one.
I think we have left it too late now.

Might as well stick with Ibe, no?

 

[the count]

Might as well stick with Ibe, no?

I am happy with what I have seen of Ibe but what is behind him leaves me worried.
I always advocate adding quality to the squad.
Besides I ultimately see Jordon playing further forward in seasons to come.

 

[peterhague]

I am happy with what I have seen of Ibe but what is behind him leaves me worried.
I always advocate adding quality to the squad.
Besides I ultimately see Jordon playing further forward in seasons to come.

Yeah me get you. I like Clyne a lot too, and would defo advocate him if we're to revert to 4 at the back. But if we don't I'd stick with Ibe cos a) in that system I'd prefer the accent of those wing backs to be on attack and b) I think it's a convenient way of getting him into the side, which I think he definitely should be. Basically just a way of fitting in as many of our best players as possible, with only a relatively small cost in terms of solidity.

 

[keniget]

The idea behind Adriano is that he'd be cheap (in theory) and can play anywhere on the left or right wings. A good squad player.

What would Clyne cost?

 

[Hansern]

20 mill + is my guess.

I really like Clyne but we should have bought him earlier.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

20 mill + is my guess.

I really like Clyne but we should have bought him earlier.

Looking up transfermarkt, I've just realized that Clyne has only a year to go on his contract. That's him gone from Southampton then, if they don't make the CL at the end of the season.

 

[dmishra]

On the subject of bolstering our wing-back options next season:

 

[Brizzle]

This is surely the window we go big for a central midfielder? With Gerrard going, uncertainty over Lucas and Can potentially becoming a more permanent feature at the back I'd expect that to be main focus - especially given we have already lined up our striker signing. The only way I could see us not going big for a CM is if we get in another defender and Can is moved back to the middle.

 

[peterhague]

Well surely Can is more likely than not to move to CM fairly soon, even if not next year, so that answers that.

As for spending big to replace Gerrard in CM...... hasn't it been about 5 years since he was an important player there? Whether we need an expensive new CM or not, I don't see the question has much to do with Gerrard.

 

[Whirly]

This is surely the window we go big for a central midfielder? With Gerrard going, uncertainty over Lucas and Can potentially becoming a more permanent feature at the back I'd expect that to be main focus - especially given we have already lined up our striker signing. The only way I could see us not going big for a CM is if we get in another defender and Can is moved back to the middle.

I think it'll happen, in the form of probably two new midfield players. I figure one of Allen and Lucas will get pushed out, and losing Gerrard as well hurts our depth a lot. Teixeira is close to making the squad I think, but he's more of a forward thinking player than the ones we're losing.

 

[doctor_mac]

We need a CM anyway. Lucas is picking up injuries more regularly now which leaves us with just Hendo and the also injury-prone Allen. If Rossiter was just a little further developed I'd hesitate to sign a new player in this position, but I think he needs a year or two more in all likelihood.

 

[Brizzle]

Well surely Can is more likely than not to move to CM fairly soon, even if not next year, so that answers that.

As for spending big to replace Gerrard in CM...... hasn't it been about 5 years since he was an important player there? Whether we need an expensive new CM or not, I don't see the question has much to do with Gerrard.

I think it does as just his presence in the squad is a number in the midfield is pretty key. And before last season I think very few had entertained the thought of replacing him. Even last year he was an important player there, he just also caused other problems but to say he wasnt important is a bit OTT.