08 Apr 2023 17:38:39
Klopp has talked about 'smart signings'. Obviously, that translates into cheap ones. I'm for it if they work out as Robertson did.

1.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 17:47:59
Or it could be translated as not spending obscene amounts of money like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
There's nothing obvious about it unless that's your mindset.

2.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 17:56:28
As ever the most difficult part of the equation will be offloading the fringe players even taking in to account the six first teamers that are out contract on June 30th.

3.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 18:17:46
If 6 first teamers are out of contract and don’t re-sign then why would any more players need to be moved on? That leaves plenty of space for new additions surely?

4.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 18:38:48
There is hardly any good player available out there who is available for “Cheap” flash red!
Smart signing simply means we don’t have the money to stretch BVB for Jude and others! He has said it in the past as well.

5.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 18:55:51
I’m all for it. We don’t need to spend £400m to improve this team.
Genuinely think we could improve that midfield with Loans and Freebies, which is why I’m still absolutely astounded we stood still for 2 windows.

6.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 19:11:10
It is worrying when he says stuff like this, how smart do you have to be.

To simplify things all you have to do is buy players that are better than what we have (which is not difficult) Is that what he’s saying you need to be smart for?

What he means is we need 4/ 5 expensive players which fsg won't provide the funds for so yeah I’d say he’s going to have to be pretty smart to buy what he needs with next to nothing.

Whole club acts like a small club, anyone thinking this summer will turn the club around are in dreamland.

7.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 19:36:02
OP, and how do you draw that conclusion from that that part of the quote or did you just pick that one without taking the whole statemnt into consideration via the actual true context?

IMO, Smart has NEVER meant cheap in any way shape or form and vice versa so again, it seems you are projecting or drawing the conclusions you like rather than what is actually there to be deduced which is open to all sorts of interpretations hence, means NOTHING specific.

8.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 20:58:19
Smart as in value for money, enhance team spirit, add to the strength of the team / squad, right age profile.
What's the problem with being smart all of a sudden?

9.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 21:05:44
Robertson was 8m in 2017 how much is that today? 20m or so? More? I think we need to move forward with the market like you wouldn’t get Mane and Gini for 60m combined now it’s probably the equivalent of buying Mitoma and Mac Allister.

10.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 21:09:02
Assuming that our (or at least Klopp’s) preferred starting team is

Ali, TAA, Konate, VVD, Robbo, Hendo, Fabs, Thiago, Diaz, Nunez (or Gakpo) and Salah

It is hard to see any of them being sold, with perhaps the one exception of Fabs.

I’d say Adrian, Keita, Ox and Millie won’t be renewed and that Kelleher will be sold, Phillips and Williams will be sold and possibly one of Matip or Gomez.

I think it’s possible that Tsimikas and Jota may be sold to help balance the books. I also think it’s possible that Jones may be sold if we receive what is considered an acceptable offer.

Assuming I’m right I also think that a couple of this year’s preferred starting 11 will become squad players rather than starters, with the most obvious candidates being Hendo, Fabs and Thiago.

On the plus side Elliot, Bajcetic and perhaps Doak look like they will feature regularly in the squad next season although with one or two others of the more promising youngsters - Bradley, Chambers, Quansah at the back, Morton in midfield ….

Looking at next season’s PL squad of 25 (and ignoring the HG and Club developed players’ rules which are too hard for me to understand) our squad might well be

GKs : Ali (*), Pitulaga, Signing (experienced old head)

Def : TAA (*), Bradley, Konate (*j, VVD (*), Matip / Gomez, Signing, Robbo (*), Tsimi / Signing

Mid : Signing (*), Signing (*), Baj (*), Hendo, Thiago, Fabs / Signing, Elliot, Jones

Att : Diaz, Nunez, Gakpo, Salah, Jota, Doak

So three mids and a defender to come in if I’m on track which is a reasonable number and doesn’t require the entire dismantling of the squad which just isn’t feasible anyway. It’ll be fun to see how far away I am from what actually happens at the start of next season.

11.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 21:20:20
Manchester United spent the majority of the last decade splashing the cash on players - where did it get them?
It isn't how much you spend, it's how wisely you spend it.
I'm not sure what's "small club mentality" about that, more "common sense with large sums of money".

12.) 08 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 22:26:24
United are just one example though there’s been plenty of teams who’ve spent big and won big. Even ourselves hadnt won anything until we broke all kind of transfer records on players. There’s nothing wrong with spending money you don’t get an extra shiny trophy for spending less. It’s just how football is now.

13.) 09 Apr 2023
09 Apr 2023 00:42:54
Buying the right players in the correct positions for our style of play is smart. Buying players with the right mentality who will integrate seamlessly with the rest of the team and not disrupt team spirit is smart. Not paying above the club’s valuation for players is smart.
Klopp could have meant anything by his comment but avoiding doing what Chelsea or Forest did last summer seems smart to me.

14.) 09 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 21:56:34
Look at Chelsea, spent half a billion and end up where they started with Lumplard. If that isn’t funny then nothing is - I loved his comment after the Wolves loss ‘it’s going to take time to fix the problems’ - it’s deja V4 all over again Frank ???

Not to worry though, Big Ted is on track to spend another half a billion in July and bring Maureen back. I really am going to need a really big bowl of popcorn.

For those of us wishing for an obscene amount of money to be spent just be careful of what you wish for …….

15.) 09 Apr 2023
08 Apr 2023 21:59:04
Forgot to say in my ramble about next years squad that the asterisks are the starters, and I’d forgotten myself before I got to the attackers ??.

16.) 09 Apr 2023
09 Apr 2023 02:16:52
At the risk of filing some of the board members, couldn’t ‘smart’ mean the right player at the right price?

17.) 09 Apr 2023
09 Apr 2023 02:46:24
Filing = riling.

18.) 09 Apr 2023
09 Apr 2023 08:42:24
We’ve always bought smartly and boxed clever in the TW. Buying a Robbo for 8m is not cheap. That was his value in the market BUT we saw his immense potential and upside that nobody else saw cos his value prolly meant he was not worth even looking at ability-wise. This is the very essence of Moneyball.

We did NOT sign Robbo cos he was cheap as that is not what Moneyball is, you can ask Billie Bean himself. We signed Robbo cos his potential and upside was undervalued due to his going rate so clubs prolly thought he was pants and looked elsewhere. We identified that Robbo had the potential to outperform those valued higher than him and well, we know the results.