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Transfer rumours

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I don't have a lot to go on , but I can't shake the feeling that Sancho and Havertz are both mentally weak and are not suited for adversity
 
As long as we stay away from Sancho, he's just bad news...
I've never seen him play! I've seen a 10 minute highlight reel on YouTube and the only thing that stuck out was how bad the defending is in the Bundesliga.
 
Looks great, though some of the defending in that video is incredibly bad.
He also looks a bit awkward with the ball. Nah, I'm not convinced. A lot of players have had great highlight reels in League 1. Look at what Arsenal got with Pepe.
 
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He also looks a bit awkward with the ball. Nah, I'm not convinced. A lot players have had great highlight reels in League 1. Look at what Arsenal got with Pepe.

That was my takeaway too.

I've never seen him play and know he's well regarded but most of that video was him in acres of space and he doesn't seem to have that grace on the ball that convinces you it'll be a seamless transition.
 
I don't understand your Wan-Bissaka example. Are you saying we should have bought him when he was at Palace? Or that he's too expensive now? Or unattainable because he's at United?

Because Palace sold him at 21 years of age for £50m, which already made him one of the most expensive full-backs in the world. It's not hugely dissimilar to the deals we put together for Mane and Salah, although they were a bit older.

And let's not forget that the fees we paid for Alisson and Van Dijk were world records too

I think Utd went for him a lot earlier in his development than we would have, but Utd signing him effectively means that we won’t ever be likely to sign him.

So, what I’m saying is, yes signing players around the age of 23 when they have significant experience behind them and are “more first team ready” or signing them under the age of 18 or 19 as prospects before their cost soars, is a good strategy - but not all the top quality players are going to be achievable signings by the time they hit 23 and at the prospect age they represent more of a risk.

It’s a point I’m trying to make about selecting eggs from all the baskets rather than one or two.
 
I think Utd went for him a lot earlier in his development than we would have, but Utd signing him effectively means that we won’t ever be likely to sign him.

So, what I’m saying is, yes signing players around the age of 23 when they have significant experience behind them and are “more first team ready” or signing them under the age of 18 or 19 as prospects before their cost soars, is a good strategy - but not all the top quality players are going to be achievable signings by the time they hit 23 and at the prospect age they represent more of a risk.

It’s a point I’m trying to make about selecting eggs from all the baskets rather than one or two.

Yup, I largely agree with that. Except that the prices for top 18-19-20 year olds already "soar" – effectively the market forces clubs to take unjustifiable risks by spending an equivalent of a small country's budget on a teenager (Dembele, Joao Felix, soon Sancho) and then saddling them with excessive expectations and media attention just as they need to focus on learning and adapting and plain growing up. I'm sure Klopp, as someone who cares deeply about the well-being of the players, absolutely hates this system and that insider journo quote about Sancho potentially coming here "not as a star, but as a youngster with a lot to learn" kind of shows our attitude.

But you're right, if we always wait until a player is 23-25, most of the good ones will be already taken by clubs with financial resources to make these kinds of expensive gambles.
 
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It's a weird market at the moment. As @rurikbird said, there is no meaningful difference in price between an elite youngster and a world class player.

Consider that Hazard cost around 150M whilst Felix cost 125M.

This is only really a big problem for top tier clubs or those wanting to establish themselves as top tier.

There has only ever been a small group of clubs that could attract a player like Hazard. They've always had to pay a premium and that remains the case.

Now if they want to sign top youngsters - which everyone does more and more - they have to pay similar prices. And they can't always do that, which opens the door for others to get in on the action.
 
I think part of the reason for the insane prices for top young players now is that clubs look at players as a commodity now as opposed to just a player. A 21 year old with potential to be world class is worth gambling on, even if they dont work out you can sell them on at 23 for huge money. A massive transfer for a player at 27/28 has to work out or you are writing off a huge percentage of the fee two years later when you move them on.
 
Yup, I largely agree with that. Except that the prices for top 18-19-20 year olds already "soar" – effectively the market forces clubs to take unjustifiable risks by spending an equivalent of a small country's budget on a teenager (Dembele, Joao Felix, soon Sancho) and then saddling them with excessive expectations and media attention just as they need to focus on learning and adapting and plain growing up. I'm sure Klopp, as someone who cares deeply about the well-being of the players, absolutely hates this system and that insider journo quote about Sancho potentially coming here "not as a star, but as a youngster with a lot to learn" kind of shows our attitude.

But you're right, if we always wait until a player is 23-25, most of the good ones will be already taken by clubs with financial resources to make these kinds of expensive gambles.


Yeah - agree with that - I guess that’s the sweet spot for the selling club - FOMO on the next big thing, allied to some evidence they might be the next big thing, and not enough evidence that they won’t be in the elite player range.

The younger they are, the less likely they are to be an elite player in the making - the older they are the more likely it is that their peak has been hit.
 
Seems to me he's just another penalty merchant, look at his stats at international level when Ronaldo takes all the pens.

He's already scored 6 pens this season...20 of his goals in total have come from the spot.

Basically the portuguese Luka Milojojevic 😉

Fernandes is a very good midfielder. Everything for both Sporting and National team goes through him. He completely dictates flow and tempo. The goals are a bonus and not a rarity.

Only question I have on him is the whether he fits the speed and physicality of the premier league.
 
Roma are still trying to sign Shaqiri apparently https://tribuna.com/en/liverpoolfc/news/3548033/

Not sure how I feel about this to be honest. Wanted to see him at Liverpool since World Cup 2014 but it's sort of obvious that he'll never be more than just an option from the bench for us. Probably would be smart to let him go and bring in someone younger as a backup option.
£40m or just fuck off, you skint cunts
 
We should never allow a player to leave to a club that loans players like Chris fucking Smalling.
 
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