Liverpool are interested in signing Australian centre-back Lucas Herrington. Turkish Süper Lig champions Galatasaray are tracking Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones. Liverpool are at risk of missing out on RB Leipzig star Lutsharel Geertruida, as Arsenal are reportedly planning a rival move.
When Klopp was here each season it seemed that Klopp acquired more authority over the team which kind of made Edwards role redundant. FSG then decided to go the multiclub route and rehired Edwards with the idea for him to oversee the multiclub set up. Since then FSG have abandoned those plans and once again Edwards doesn't have the role he was hired for so we could see his departure as just a matter of time. Apparently Mike Gordon will take over his duties now. Its disappointing to see the club undergoing so many changes in personel both on and off the pitch. I like stability .
Lots of moving parts behind the scenes effects our ability to be efficient in putting out a team capable of challenging for a title this season. Arsenal were not a dominant champion. City are in transition with Maresca. United are capable of finishing 3rd or 12th. Chelsea are all over the place. Three seasons ago we were up for a quadruple. Two seasons ago we won a title. Last season we had a historic transfer outlay. There is no reason we shouldn't have a title as our goal, still.
There has also been rumblings of Hughes leaving for Saudi Arabia. The one thing that frustrates me is the timing. Why not leave after the transfers are sorted. We have a new manager, help settle him, then leave.
Got to see his first ever professional goal. I live about 20 minutes (without traffic) from the border so I try to go down to Tijuana F.C. games at least once a season. They have a rule in the Mexican league that you have to give youth players a set number of minutes every season. The youth players have triple digit numbers so they can easily be identified. Well I went to a match a couple of years ago at the Iran National Training Center (Estadio Caliente). After about 20 minutes Tijuana were already up by a goal and a man so the manager swapped in a bunch of triple digits to give them minutes. A little while later one of these triple digit numbers scores an absolute screamer. Turns out the kid's 15 in only his second match. That was Mora. Obviously no signing is guaranteed, especially when it's a 17 year old. But this isn't a "he had one good game against England" situation. He's been starting regularly in Liga MX since he was 15. He's been playing regularly for Mexico since he was 16, and has been linked with a big European move since then. The Mexican League is probably the second best league in the hemisphere behind Brazil. The big Mexican clubs have a lot of money so the top Mexican players tend to stay home, and they attract a lot of South American players north. Also the league is physical with lots of shithousery. This kid is going to be the opposite of some coddled academy product. Having said that my biggest fear would be homesickness. He's been brought up in a tight community, just today my social media was full him coming home and graduating HS. And moving from Northern Baja to Northwestern England would be a huge shock. So I'd be nervous about that. But he speaks English, and has been at the center of the crazy Mexican National team media circus for a year, and handled it well, so I think he has the intangibles. Maybe it's just bias wanting a Tijuas kid to play for Liverpool but I say sign him!
Great insight / scouting report owian! I may be dreaming this .... but does the club have a history of supporting family moves (temp basis) to help young lads arriving from abroad?
Arsenal and Liverpool are facing a transfer battle for 25-year-old RB Leipzig and Netherlands defender Lutsharel Geertruida, who was on loan at Sunderland last season. (Caughtoffside)
He's the guy we tried to get in on loan in January but it fell apart. Same name though so your point still stands.
Manchester United and Liverpool have made contact over a move for Wolves' Brazil midfielder Joao Gomes, 25, after a switch to Atletico Madrid fell through. (Globo - in Portuguese) yes, please.
Chelsea are looking at a move for Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton after Liverpool and Manchester United both cooled their interest in the 22-year-old. (Caught Offside)
I took some time yesterday to access the state of the team. I am tired of the endless rumors. I just want FSG to be intentional with this rebuild. I asked myself where the goals will come from? We really need to replace Mo's goals, we need a dedicated rw, a destroyer, a physical rb. I hope they pick the right players, I have not been impressed with the named links. Physicality must be a criteria because to me, we have become a soft team. Either they are playing this close to the vest, or they are trying to figure out things on the fly.
Goals? I think thats why we signed Isak and Ekitike. The thought process I've read is its nigh on impossible to replace Mo like for like .Goals from the strikers and supply and service from pacey wingers . Agree re physicality especially in midf.
Hugo will not be back till December and might still need extra time. This is why we can't entertain selling Cody, not sure Isaak can bear the entire burden. We have capable but reluctant shooters in mf. Hopefully Iraola can change that mindset. I would like to run the rule over Will Wright, this preseason.
At the center of these considerations is (among other things), how do we use Wirtz? Do we deploy him as a winger (he's not particularly fast and rather small), or in some other role? Or make the bold move of getting some money for him to secure players more suited to the system Iraola wants to install?
Wright is a talented lad but still only 18 so he won't be able to contribute much. The caution shown with Rio will apply (appropriately) even if he knocking our socks off. Jayden Danns is back from injury and training - hope he can stay fit and win some minutes. He looks like he has all the tools needed.
Frank Lampard was nowhere near as good or Scholes. His cousin Jamie Redknapp was a better midfielder than Lampard. Lampard's thing was that he was a constant goal threat in any already strong midfield. But stick him beside Steve Gerrard instead of Alonso, or Beside keane instead of Scholes, or Vieira instead of Petit and it wouldn;t work so well. Is he among the 20 best midfielders to play in the premier league? Nope....
If it's me, I'm getting rid of him. He can't play at top of a midfield 3 due to lack of physicality. He isn't suited to the wing in the PL. He's an expensive luxury we can't afford when we have other glaring needs
Yeah - Spain is a better destination for a young player of that culturalk background. The issue with players like that though (as proven by even guys as good as James Rodriguez in his early 20s) is that joining Real or Barca isn;t the best idea for getting playing time
How come David Silva and Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil could do that? They didn't have any physicality either...