Let's continue here. I really think we need something this winter - but if we get healthy - there is a strong chance FSG rolls the dice and says let's wait. Love the Alphonso Davies rumors (old poster Bobinhood - has been banging the drum on RAWK for months). He's on a free and covers a position of major need. Yes - he will be expensive as hell between signing fee and wages - but he's a unicorn of a left back. As Suss noted, would soften the blow when Trent leaves.
I could live with that. as for overall approach, Arne was talking up the Academy / fringe players this morning (as he should be) and made oblique references to the buy-vs-grow strategies. ppl will read what they want into those tealeaves
It’s totally possible that Davies wage demands are lower than Trent’s. They are both game changers at fullback but in completely different ways. Davies might be a better fit for Slot’s style. I could see us signing a right back who is really strong defensively to compete with Bradley and having the left back be super attacking in Davies. Ideally we would keep Trent, but it’s an exciting Plan B.
Because we need a left back as well. So if we can’t sign one star fullback to a big contract we could sign a different one on the other side.
Midfielder in Jan? Davies in Summer would be a dream. Sadly likely to join Trent in Madrid...or maybe we make big offers to both
I see Zubimendi incoming. He’ll have had an entire half season to realise he can always visit and see the mountains but may never get the chance to play Anfield.
It will be interesting to see if we go back for him. We tried to sign him before anyone has seen Gravenberch in that position. Gravenberch has proven to be one of the best in the world in that position and he’s only 22 years old.
Yep, it is. Never gave up on him. And there are murmurings he’s realised that folksy, homespun rhetoric doesn’t satisfy ambitions. Gravenberch’s, who is an even better number 8 than a 6, being the revelation he’s been changes little in my view. We need that calm pivot.
I still think MC will throw obscene money at Zubi - on and under the table. hope I'm wrong of course.
well well ..... Bayern Munich and Canada left-back Alphonso Davies, 24, who has attracted interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid, is open to a potential transfer away from the German club to Liverpool. (Caughtoffside)
Think Madrid will probably just get both Davies and Trent. Lots of work to do at FB for LFC, will be interesting to see which way it goes. And yes, an Endo replacement (but better) would be a great investment. Whether that's Zubimendi or not, I don't know. It does seem City might throw the kitchen sink at him, but that said there hasn't been a better time to be bidding against City for probably 15 years.
A Liverpool approach for Brighton and Brazil forward Joao Pedro is likely to have to wait until the summer as the Seagulls' demands for the 23-year-old will make a January move difficult. (Football Insider)
Pedro seems like he would really fit the bill, in terms of keeping this versatile attack-by-committee approach going. Chiesa I have to assume (and indeed hope) is odd man out here. But I do wonder if Nunez only having 1.5 years left is a factor to moving on from him prematurely.
The optimistic and conspiratorial side of me wonders if it might not be a really cool thing to have come to quiet agreement with TAA, VvD, and Salah that we will offer competitive wages to whatever concrete offers they get from competing clubs, but then keep this gentleman's agreement quiet. This then leads other interested teams to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to negotiate terms with these players - time and funds that might be spent lining up contracts for other players. Then, when push inevitably comes to shove, we come in and re-sign these players, leaving the recruitment teams of these other clubs scrambling to find backups at a late stage. That couldn't really happen could it? Unfortunately, the more rational part of me thinks our owners have simply worked through the numbers and decided that they will only play a certain premium for these three, and somehow we're better off letting these players all leave on a free than try to tie them down to new contracts... One hopes they really have worked through these numbers know what they are doing. The pessimist in me worries that they don't know what they are doing, and we simply don't have the financial ability to keep these three from moving on to teams who can (or are willing) to pay a higher premium for these three...
Despite rumours, Liverpool forward Luis Diaz, 27, is happy at Anfield and not planning a move away. (Sky Germany)
The crazy thread on RAWK is impossible to keep up with re: Contract Renewals. But - I have some items that are really baffling to me: 1. How do you let 3 of your world class players all expire the same year? 2. How do you not make offers at all until their last seasons, and allegedly with 6 months left? 3. When do you take sheer reliance on analytics out of the equation? Same with just looking at the bottom line? 3a. Can Richard Hughes walk and chew gum at the same time?
Think Klopp leaving really complicated things, in terms of getting these extensions signed. For both parties.