07 Jun 2023 13:28:38
Long time reader of the site, only occasional contributor. Howz Harry doing? Anyone heard from him?

Anyway, been having a think about our situation this summer. I know lots of us are crying out for a big rebuild but I am not sure that it is required. We showed towards the end of the season that we still have all the qualities to compete, the thing we're lacking is reliable backups and options when we need to change things up. So this is how I see it re transfers etc

GKs

We have the best GK in the business in my opinion, and he isn't losing his place any time soon.

Kelleher - Clearly too good to be a backup and I really feel for him. Klopp seems insistent on keeping him and I can see why, he's the best No2 in the league imo. Is there any chance of a season or 2 out on loan like Courtois had at Atleti? Cech was about the same age as Allison is when Courtois went on loan. He deserves to be first choice somewhere, but it would be a shame to lose him completely.

Adrian - Seems like a great guy and by all accounts lovely to have in the dressing room. Plenty of clubs now have this older 3rd keeper (Carson at City for example), so it makes sense. But, he is using up a foreign player spot and that seems like a waste to me. Happy for him to stay, but would rather he were English to free up a spot.

Defenders

I don't think we need a massive overhaul here. We need effective competition for Robbo so if Tsimi were to leave he should be replaced. And we need to start looking at the future without VVD. He has fallen off a cliff in terms of his performances (as often happens after such a serious injury), and if he doesn't get back to his previous levels he can't be a long term option imo.

Timber - For me this would be a really shrewd signing. A CB who has also played very well at RB, would provide proper competition to VVD and Konate, and would be the perfect player to have in the squad if we want to experiment with TAA pushing up into midfield as well. With Matip likely leaving (or at least being injured for half the season as normal), he would get plenty of games and his existing relationship with VVD/ Gakpo would help him integrate with the squad. This one makes sense to me, wouldn't break the bank like Gvardiol and would give TAA much needed cover at RB. Makes a lot of sense.

Inacio - This guy will be a star. But would expect to go straight into the team and I don't think we can offer that right now. VVD deserves another season and Konate is really starting to kick on and become a really solid player. Much like Gvardiol I don't see where another guaranteed 1st choice CB fits without causing issues.

Midfielders

We clearly need new midfielders. But I don't think we desperately need 3, especially if we are going to look at pushing TAA further forward more often next season. If we were to get a Defender like Timber then I think 2 midfielders would be sufficient. We have to remember that Curtis Jones is still a Liverpool player and played some excellent football towards the end of the season. With Harvey Elliot still here too and with Bajcetic coming back from injury I think throwing a load of new midfielders in would block their development and not add much to the quality of the first 11.

Mac Allister - Seems to be pretty much done (As I was writing this it's been confirmed and what a bargain) and I think this is a very good signing. I had originally thought that he was an attacking midfielder and I was wondering where he would fit but as the rumours grew I watched him a bit more and he actually looks more like a proper box-to-box midfielder. He's high energy and covers a lot of ground. He doesn't have huge pace and isn't going to fly past players but he's clever, skillful and puts a shift in defensively as well. Will be a very useful player for us and I see him playing a big part next season.

Kone/ Thuram - These 2 seem to be doing the rounds as options. I must admit I haven't seen much of either but for me Thuram really stands out as potentially a great player. Very raw at the moment and will need time to settle I think, but looks the real deal. If the prices being quoted for him are about right then I think he would be a very good signing.

Gabri Veiga - Looks an excellent player but I suspect that we are likely going to priced out due to the sheer number of clubs who consider him an option. Would be a good signing, but we don't want to get into a bidding war and much like Tchouameni last season I suspect the bright lights will pull him elsewhere. If everyone else pulls out and we haven't signed anyone else then he'd be a good shout.

Lavia - Not a huge number of links here (The Athletic have suggested it) but I think he would be an excellent signing. Only 19 years old, has had a full season in the Prem where he looked head and shoulders above most of his teammates (albeit they were terrible) . Would be relatively cheap and has huge potential in my view.


Mac Allister and 1 other looks most likely (Unless Thiago leaves) and frankly if I was going to pick it would probably be Thuram. If we have the cash then Lavia in addition, potentially with a loan out, would be great, but as much as I think Lavia will be a top player, Thuram looks more ready to me.
Ideal world we would get Mac Allister, Thuram and Lavia (and combined they'd cost less than Bellingham. don't shout at me re money talk Ed002)

Forwards

Unless Jota leaves I don't think we need any forwards this summer. Gakpo has looked excellent and now has a full pre season as well. Nunez should hopefully kick on and start showing his obvious potential, and with Diaz back from injury I think a front 5 of Salah, Diaz, Nunez, Gakpo and Jota is really very strong. Especially when you consider that we have Carvalho (unless he leaves) and also Elliot who can play there if desperate, and some good youngsters that will likely need some game time.

If Jota were to leave then I don't really know where we'd look, there doesn't seem to be anyone available at the moment who would be a good fit. Perhaps Marcus Thuram? But the lack of any obvious replacement and the fact that previous interest seems to have moved on means I think Jota will stay, and I'm fine with that.


So there's my view on it all. I don't think we need a total ground up rebuild as some people have suggested. 3 quality signings would be sufficient in my view.

If we were to get Mac Allister, 1 other midfielder and a versatile defender then I think that would be a good window. Anything more than that would be a great window.

Have an excellent summer fellow Reds, enjoy the sunshine!

1.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 15:04:36
If liverpool go into season with konate, vvd, matip and gomez they will struggle again. Need a top cb with pace. Vvd doesn't look the same still a great cb. Konate injury prone. Matip doesn't have the pace to cover for trent if they play new system and gomez is a liability.

{Ed002's Note - Koumetio and Quansah are well liked.}

2.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 15:11:12
Good summary but I disagree on the midfield issue. We need 3 midfielders not 2. Baj will still get plenty of minutes even if we sign 3 players in the middle of the park. As for Fabinho he has regressed so bad it’s almost beyond comprehension. Over the whole season if you take 15 of his tackles in a match he will foul his man 14 times and the 1 time he wins the ball it’s not even a clean tackle. That’s to say he even wins the ball in a match. He is also 3 or 4 seconds slower to react than the opposition or anyone around him and always looks like he is running in led boots. Been a great servant but time to be ruthless and get rid. That’s not to mention his wages, which if some don’t know currently sees him as joint 4th with Trent at £180k per week. Or we can make the same mistake Edwards and Klopp have done by keeping him until his contract runs out and receive absolutely no transfer fee.

Thiago is a class player but let’s all be real here. He is injured all the time and it’s not like those injuries are 1 big or small injury in a campaign, it’s multiple injuries throughout the season. He is also on £200k per week so for the number of injuries and wages he is on, does it make any business or footballing sense keeping him? Or, we can keep him another season until his contract runs out and repeat our past mistakes by receiving no transfer fee. Would rather sell him at a cut price and move his wages off our books and bring in a midfielder who will be available for most of the season but also suits our style of play. Then there is Hendo our captain and what a captain he’s been and still is. I love the guy but he is not the same player. Seeing as Milner has departed Hendo should take up that role of only being a bit part player.

At some point players have to move on and the squad needs to be refreshed. This should have been done progressively over the last few years. But now that it’s all come to a head despite the clear warning signs, we are having to do it in one window. That in itself is staggering and also slightly alarming for a club our size. Personally speaking I would go and get both Thuram and Kone also alongside Mac Allister then focus on bringing in defenders. That would see us going into the new season with Mac Allister, Thuram, Kone, Baj, Jones and Henderson which should be enough when you consider we can also bring Trent into the middle of the park if needs be making it 7 midfielders. Having said that Trent is practically playing there with this new system despite on paper playing at right back but you get what I mean.

As for the defenders Kostas should be sold. Lovely guy but I have zero confidence with him being out starting left back for a prolonged period of time if Robertson was to suffer a serious injury. Even more so that our shape at the back transitions into a back 3. Sell, raise some funds and find a young player that is comfortable playing both left back and centre back. Apparently there is no chance of it happening but the guy that fits the bill to a tee is Gvardiol. Again, I know his signing is not happening but he would allow us to phase out VVD and phase in Owen Beck at the same time as an understudy to Robertson. Two bird with one stone, which is even more baffling, especially with RBL interest in Carvalho that we are not looking into the possibility of seeing if we can make a transfer work. Anyways, we need a right sided defender as well that is comfortable playing both right back and right centre back. Those 3 signings in the middle of the back in addition to the 2 at the back would see us challenging again. I do have a feeling Jorg Schmadtke will get it right and I’m excited to see how this summer plays out.

3.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 15:19:40
Red Dawn - good to see you dipping your toes into posting.

Agree with a lot of that, a good assessment of the squad ??

Don’t know much about Timber but a Centre back that can also cover fullback and is pacy would be useful based on our shape towards the end of the season.

4.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 15:38:54
A ready-made CB would be nice but I have a feeling one of the young fellas will step up if we don't get any CB signings.

5.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 15:46:27
I like Quansah from what I've seen.

6.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 16:00:58
I stopped reading after:

'don't think we need a massive overhaul here'

SMH.

7.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 18:02:37
It's just incredibly unrealistic to think that we're in a position to buy half a team of new players every summer Fandamonium.

If you'd read the rest of the post you'd have seen why thought that a total rebuild wasn't necessary.

3, possibly 4, players is the most we should expect, would fix the majority of our issues and is seemingly within the financial reach of the club.

How do you think the club should proceed this summer?

8.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 17:27:29
Hello ed2. When u say koumetio and quansah well liked, do u mean by liverpool? as in 1st team material. Or well liked by other clubs who would b interested in loaning/ buying them?

{Ed002's Note - By their coaching staff and Ian Foster has spoken well of him.}

9.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 18:28:21
Surely they'll replace rhys Williams and nat Phillips. I would imagine they'll bring a in a center back but I'm probably wrong.

10.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 19:27:06
Welcome mate.
It’s possible, but I don’t see us drafting in this DOF fella In for 3 signings. One that’s already done.
Klopp quotes about being a very busy for him on the phone etc.
Milner gone, Keita gone, Ox gone, Thiago never fit, Jones never fit, Hendo run into ground, Fabinho run into ground, that Athur bloke whoever he was, Gone.
Bajcetic only 18. Elliot’s no midfielder.

Jurgan will not like being 5th at all, I won’t be surprised if we get 4 midfielders and he flogs a ton of players.

11.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 20:25:37
RedDawn pal - all I meant was, if the OP doesn’t think our defence needs a proper look (overhaul) that is me done with reading. We have a watched the games - we couldn’t defend all season. Ideal world: Matip and Gomes (sorry ST) are replaced and Atleast one of the two replacements that is brought in is to to push and take VVDs spot if he carrys on how he has this year. Defence would be an equal priority to me, with midfield.

12.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 22:22:17
@Fandamonium, if you only read half a book you only get half the story.

Anyway, imo when we decided on the way we wanted to play and the midfield actually started getting to grips with what we were doing our defence - with the exception of the last game of the season when neither side had anything to play for and mentally speaking looked like they had clocked off - looked a bit more solid and I think there was a reasonable fin of games where we didn’t concede a goal.

We have right and left back covered and three of VVD, Konate, Matip and Gomez will stay. Williams and Phillips should leave with Koumetio and Quansah, as mentioned by Ed02, being likely candidates to step up. What we seem to need is a predominantly left footed centre back to challenge VVD’s spot in the team.

The priority this window is to sort out the midfield. We have seen four mids leave already and there is a possibility that one of the established starters - Thiago, Fabs or even possibly Hendo (although I reckon he’ll have the “I’m the new Millie” t-shirt) losing at least four first team squad mids has to be addressed. We are lucky that Baj looks ready and that Curtis has started to show what he can actually do, which has probably saved us a possible £ 60 - 80m in not having to sign players, but after Mac Alister is officially confirmed by the club we definitely need another midfielder and probably a third midfield signing ready made to slot into the first team squad.

2, possibly 3, mids and a defender is probably just about financially do-able especially if, like seems to be the case with Alexis Mac, we only have to pay half of what the fans believe is the asking price. If we get it right in market d field then the defence becomes the priority in the Jan and July 24 windows.

13.) 07 Jun 2023
07 Jun 2023 23:12:03
‘D field’ is code for ‘with the midfield’.

14.) 08 Jun 2023
08 Jun 2023 00:29:45
I live in Brighton and there local club journo is saying 53m. I think the fee will be undisclosed Liverpool will say 35m Brighton will say 53m when it's really somewhere in the middle maybe 43 with add ons. Still a bargain. Get one maybe two more in there and a CB and we've had a great window. Sad about Jude but we need a whole Midfield not 1 superstar.

15.) 08 Jun 2023
08 Jun 2023 04:59:20
Good post RedDawn and I share the same thoughts as you do. Without any further outgoings, 2 CMs and 1 CB should do nicely for us.

@Fandamonium, it depends on what you mean by 'overhaul'. For me, that would mean something like what Nottingham Forest did last season, where they literally bought an entirely new team. We don't need to do that. We just need to refresh the team to make it running again.

16.) 08 Jun 2023
08 Jun 2023 06:29:47
@alonso1786, read your post, and I think you are agreeing rather to disagreeing with @reddawn.
You were talking abt how bad Fab has been, and how unreliable Thiago is.
Reddawn said, 2 is enough unless Thiago is sold.
You are suggesting that Thiago and Fab can be sold, in which case, Readdawn will say 3 is needed.

And @alonso1786, I am with you here. Totally.
I am disillusioned with both Thiago and Fab.
I would simply look at it from a commercial angle and sell whichever makes most sense.
And then we go for 3 midfield.

Look into both Kone and Thuram.
Both looks raw.

17.) 08 Jun 2023
08 Jun 2023 10:34:10
Full time reader, occasional responder.

Good assessments going through this thread. Really enjoyed reading all of them.
I think two things happened -

1. Klopp was obviously too loyal to older players who were part of the squad and
2. This allowed other teams to catch up last season as a result of this.

I agree that, as a result, we need a complete midfield rebuild. Quality players are either too old, inexperienced or just stay on the treatment table -

Henderson, 32. Incredible captain but knackered.
Thiago, 32, Incredible passer but always injured and age is a factor
Fabinho, 29, Looked a shadow of his former self for most of the last season.

I think Klopp's style of play and the demands it puts on players showed last season with the three above, and more.

Elliott has huge potential but the pressure can't be placed on his shoulders at just 20.

Mac Allister is a perfect fit for us and a bargain if reports on a c. £35m fee are to believed.

Thuram looks quality too, as does Kone. But where does that leave TAA? Surely a move into the middle is inevitable - he has all the right skills and his defending/ positional play leaves a lot to be desired at times.

For me, I'd move him into the middle, with Kone and Mac with the thought of using Ramsey/ buying a right back.

18.) 08 Jun 2023
08 Jun 2023 10:51:15
Nice one, RedDawg.

Disagree on Timber/ Inacio priority. A left sided centre back is needed more than a right sided one so I would make Inacio (or others like Colwill, Van Der Ven) as priority. Also, Timber is very small. Let someone else take a risk on that.

Slightly disagree on the number of midfielders but that is because I think Curtis and Elliott have had plenty of time to own a position in the team and Bajcetic is just a child that will need time to grow into his body. I would sign 3 and if one of Fab/ Thiago/ Hendo move on, then so be it.

19.) 08 Jun 2023
08 Jun 2023 12:55:44
I see it like this : 8 midfielders like last season but refreshed and more balanced.

Mac Alister in for Henderson
Henderson in for Milner
Jones in for Oxlade Chamberlain
Bajcetic for Jones
Tchouameni in for Keita
Fabino
Thiago
Elliott
TAA - still RB but allowed more freedom

Calvalho - loan.

20.) 08 Jun 2023
08 Jun 2023 02:23:01
Ed you mentioned Koumeito and Quansah as upcoming defenders. If I may ask what happened to Van Den Berg and Rhys Williams? Are they out of the picture entirely?

{Ed002's Note - Sepp van den Berg (CB) Another loan with Schalke 04 is possible as he won't get a chance at Liverpool.
Rhys Williams (CB) Will need to find a new home which will likely mean dropping down a tier.}