The debate over Klopp’s midfield options intensified with Thiago’s latest setback. Liverpool’s plan was to sit tight until 2023 before reinforcing that area of the squad - but they may need to think again. Latest Thiago injury heaps pressure on Klopp's midfield. Rather than sitting tight until 2023 you could make a strong case for Liverpool needing to sign one midfielder now and another in a year. -James Pearce
“You could make a case for … “— is that his own personal musings or was there a whisper, a wink and a nod?
It's not like we're the only club without a long preseason. I don't see other clubs shoehorning friendlies into this time. The players have presumably been run into the ground for 4 or 5 weeks of preseason. Probably better to let their bodies enjoy some recovery so they're raring to go rather than breaking down. If Konate needed some extra sharpness, couldn't he play in a u23 match in a week or two?
Inter Milan's Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, 29, is Liverpool's number one target as a short-term midfield reinforcement. (Sport - in Spanish) never heard of him .....
Out of Portugal today, Correio Da Manha, is reporting today that Liverpool are preparing to send in an official bid for Matheus Nunes & the deal would be for €45 million + €5 million in add ons. Who knows?
That amount, if he’s as good as being made out, is a snip and a fraction of what Bellingham would cost.
The front line has been refreshed with the additions of Diaz, Nunez and Carvalho. The back four is a good mix of experience and youth with VVD/Matip,Robertson and Konate/Gomez, Trent, Kostas and now young Ramsay. But its the midfield where we have a mix of over 30's on the downside of their careers now Hendo,Thiago,Milner . A few late 20's who have had their share of injury issues like Fab,Keita and Ox . Then we have some exciting but still raw talent in Elliott and Jones. A real mix of quality , experience and potential but also many of them also have questions over ability to stay fit or whether they are capable of contributing consistently. I believe it's the midfield which needs addressing most now . I'm of the same opinion as Newterp that we need to be adding at least two though I doubt that could be accomplished this summer.
Championship clubs Watford, Burnley, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United are vying to take Liverpool's Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg, 20, on loan.
Klopp at today's presser: “I’m happy with the strength, size and quality of my squad,” he told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Friday, ahead of Liverpool's home clash with Crystal Palace. “We have injuries, that’s how it is. Now it’s a question of how long will the players be out. “There are different solutions for it. One of them, there are plenty I would say, one of them is the transfer market. The transfer market only makes sense if you can bring in the right player. The ‘right’ player, not ‘a’ player. “It’s easy to bring a player in but that doesn’t help. If you bring the right player then it could make sense. We always would have done that from the first day of the transfer window, from the first day of pre-season but in some cases it’s not possible and in other cases it’s extremely difficult. "That’s why I don’t have to think a lot about it. If something’s not possible why should I constantly think, “'f not, we cannot exist.' We can. All the other solutions are inside the squad.” He continued: “I understand the question but I don’t understand it as well. If there would be the right solution for us, we would have done it already. We are not stubborn and say, 'Now?! No way! We don’t bring in anybody!' It’s just about the right thing to do. “When people told me at the beginning of the season we lacked a specific kind of midfielder, I don’t understand that. If you search for this specific thing, you always lack something. If you have technical players, you miss the fighters. If you have the fighters, you miss the technical players. If there would be the right player and the opportunity, we would have done it. We would do it but I don’t see it because we had a lot of conversations and it doesn’t look like something will happen.”
Our midfield used to be know for its athleticism. A midfield three that would do the job of four players. The two number 8’s would do so much running to press the opposition and also cover the fullbacks. First it was Milner and Henderson. Then it became Wijnaldum and Henderson. Gini has moved on and Milner and Henderson are not the same athletes they once were. Is Fabibho’s form suffering because he doesn’t have the athletes either side of him that he used to? We know that the club wanted to sign Touchameni which would have gone a long way towards solving this. I guess there are no players with a similar skill set that the club thought were worth pursuing. We have definitely started to go in a new direction with our midfield by featuring more creative and technical players like Thiago and Elliott. Jude Bellingham would be another step in that direction. But I still think that another super athlete in midfield would be a great addition. Someone who can fill in for Fabinho as a 6, but also do the graft work as number 8 when needed. I don’t know who that player is. And maybe that player isn’t out there right now.
100% We need a whole new midfield + Harvey and Curtis Milner, Henderson, Thiago - all getting old; Keita - utterly unreliable and not dynamic enough post injury