a number of reports today saying we've agreed a player deal with Ndidi from LCFC, although the clubs haven't settled the price yet. I hope the reports are accurate.
My guess is he most likely wants a move to Bayern, would take a move to RM, but if they don't come off, he's happy to stay at LFC. Money shouldn't be an issue as neither of those clubs are going to offer him anything we can't match.
Originating with with Guinean journo who had the inside info on the Keita deal so likely talk is coming from Ndidi agent. Could be real link or could be agent talk putting his player on the market.
Would be a smart pickup - he's one of the top 2 in the league in tackles and interceptions IIRC. He's only 21. He's one hell of an athlete. And wouldn't be expected to be #1 immediately - he can take his time making the base of the midfield his own.
He's not much of a passer is he? I've never been impressed with him apart from his physical abilities. That said, his physical abilities seem to be paying off pretty well this season in terms of his play.
51 passes per game, 76% completion in a team that is defensive in its setup. Can certainly be improved - and he's only 21. Let Klopp have at him in training and in six months he'd be a changed player.
Can needs to STFU..... Another day, another story about the lack of a definite summer destination for Emre Can. With his contract winding down, the 24-year-old has remained consistently tight-lipped about his plans for the summer, and that trend isn’t changing today. In an interview with German publication Sports Bild, Can reiterated his stance that he will not make a decision until season’s end. In fact, he seemed to indicated an openness to possibilities beyond what has been rumored previously. “I have the self-confidence to say that my qualities are sufficient to play in a very big club next season,” Can said in the interview. “I’m doing great in England. Here it is is physical and that suits me. The Spanish league is also attractive. The same applies to Germany, where tactics are concerned, and Italy, which has recently caught up. “Incidentally, the same applies to France, this league has now established itself as one of the best in Europe. Therefore, I do not want to exclude anything because I do not know what I will do from summer. My goal is to play a lot, more often, and to be a leader.” Great. Clear as mud. Either England, Italy, Germany, Spain, or France. Unlucky Portugal. This interview seems to only raise more questions than answers, not just about where he wants to play, but about what he wants from his future employer. He is essentially a nailed-on starter as it is, especially for the biggest games, and even with the arrival of Naby Keita, that is unlikely to change at Liverpool. And certainly no one is stopping Can from being an on-the-pitch leader (even if he is behind at least Jordan Henderson and James Milner for armband duties). Money? Well, Can also addressed that issue in the interview. “The Premier League has the power to spend more money on players than the Bundesliga. This is very, very important for players.” Liverpool, no doubt, has offered Can quite the lucrative deal, but maybe one of the giants (from one of the four or five biggest leagues!) has offered more. There is also the matter of the buy-out clause, which has been pointed to in the past as a sticking point between the parties. Anyway, for now the situation is as murky as ever.
He's not really saying anything new. He's going to assess his options at the end of the season. The 2 quotes above are really the most important. Playing time and money are the 2 most important things for him. We can offer both. Not sure RM or Bayern can offer PT and a leadership role, even if they can offer more money. He'd likely be a squad player for either of them. Do Barca or PSG come in for him? I haven't heard any noises, but they both may have more room for a new player in CM. Juve can't offer more than us without breaking their wage structure and I doubt they will be willing to pay him more than their current stars. Right now City may be the biggest threat. They can clearly offer him more and he knows Pep from his Bayern days. They are looking for a long term replacement for Fernadinho who is 32 or 33, so its possible they could offer him that role. They've been linked with Fred from Shakthar for that role, but who knows. I'm a fan of Can and think he is really good. That said, he's currently fighting to be the 6 or 7th CM for Germany and most of the players ahead of him currently play at clubs he'd like to play for. There are at least another 8 or 10 CMs better than him. He's maybe in the top 15 CM in Europe. Maybe. So fair play to him for looking at his options. Fair play to him for the commitment and performances he continues to show for LFC. Hopefully he realizes the best club for him in the future is LFC. If not, we'll find someone quality who does.
“I have the self-confidence to say that my qualities are sufficient to play in a very big club next season,” someone should remind him what club he plays for now. I don't give him any credit for putting in strong effort for us at all. apart from that being his damn job, he doesn't want to run the risk of getting dropped which would hurt his WC chances. if this wasn't a WC year my guess is he'd be sulking around Melwood and training by himself due to poor attitude. I don't think he's so good a player that there's gonna be a scramble to sign him in the summer. yes he's talented but he goes missing too often and rarely stamps any real authority on a game. when have you heard a commentator talk about him controlling a game? I don't think I ever have. he seems to think he's a lot better than he is. I'm at the point where I just want him to go, and ride someone's bench for the rest of his career, which he will at any of the clubs you mention. PS I think we have found someone who can take his place and be an improvement - Keita.
I doubt that clubs would be fighting over him if there was a 50 million price tag on his head. However, as a free signing he is very attractive. You can add a versatile and young midfielder to your squad and save your transfer budget for other targets.
It's frustrating to deal with, but that's how it's going to go with some/certain foreign players; Liverpool will never be their first choice assuming ALL options are on the table. And for Can on a free, basically all options are on the table. If he leaves he'll have to be replaced. Ndidi probably not a bad shout in that situation. Rather keep Can if possible.
If he leaves - it means he doesn't want to be at LFC - so let him go (there is no choice) and get someone in who wants to be at LFC and play for Klopp
I keep forgetting he's on a free. however, I do think he has an inflated opinion of himself. any of the clubs he thinks will be fighting over him, won't see him as a key part of their machine.
I’m seeing a lot of links to Timo Werner. He would be an exciting signing. His pace and finishing would make him a good fit for our front 3. I trust that Klopp wouldn’t go for him unless he had a vision for how he and Firmino could play in the same team. I imagine that Firmino would keep his center forward role and Werner would start from the left side and be able to cut in on his right foot. Salah proved you don’t have to play through the middle all the time to score goals. I think that it’s important that we have 4 players of equal quality who could rotate and compete for the front 3 spots.
I'd rather have Forsberg. He'd be better from the wing than Werner. And on the days Firmino is rested and Forsberg is on the wing, Salah would be better through the middle than Werner.
Its not even clear which clubs are really fighting over him anyway. Juve wants him, but nothing concrete from anywhere else. I think he's hoping a bidding war starts. That said, in traditional FSG fashion, it seems the club is starting the PR battle with the Mirror/Echo pushing stories, clearly sourced from the club, that he is after at least 200k/wk. I know, that sounds like a lot of money. Until you do the math. Considering the increase in wages we are seeing across the board, it wouldn't be unrealistic for him to expect a base salary in the 125K/wk range. Also, considering buying a replacement is likely to cost 30 - 40M, his agent would be doing him a disservice if he wasn't negotiating for a 20M sign on bonus. He's likely be signing a 5 year deal, that's 260 weeks, so that sign on equates to about 75K/wk, which is how you get to 200k. That seems like a reasonable deal for the club, IMO.
you're joking, right? you'd pay him more - a LOT more - than any other player we have? more than Mo, Bobby, Mane, Virgil, Hendo, etc etc? did you get this from an online course on How To Create Dissent In A Dressing Room 101?
200k for Emre Can! Whew... What does Bobby come forward and want, at that point? I think the other way to go is offer him the sign on bonus and have his wages kept in check -- at least that only incentivizes players to run their contract all the way down, as opposed to coming in expecting to get near what Can is getting paid every week.
Are you guys thick? Would it make you feel better if it was reported as 125K/wk and 20M sign on bonus? Would it be a better decision to go spend 40M on a replacement and pay them 125K/wk? The only way he gets 200K is due to the signing on bonus, which going to be substantial because of the cost to buy another player of his quality. He took the risk to run his contract down. What if he did his ACL? He'd be out of luck as I'm sure the deal on the table from all clubs would be quickly withdrawn. That's the way this works. You sign an extension early, you get a sign on bonus but its not very big, say 5m, but you have the security of that contract in the event of a career ending injury. Or you run your contract down and get paid less for a longer period of time in order to give you bargaining power with whoever you end up signing with because they don't have to give money to another club for your services. He's taken a personal risk by employing this strategy. His teammates are professionals. Its a job to them. They understand all this.
Imo Erner needs to stay away from EPL as far as possible. He's like the guy from unbreakable and 60 games each season will shatter him to pieces