10 Oct 2022 12:11:56
Being linked to the likes of Tielemans Laimer Berge and Luiz again for potential January moves we are desperate but i hope we don’t bring in some short term average players Laimer maybe would be a decent squad option but we’d need better starting.
10 Oct 2022 12:34:18
25 year old Laimer would be pushing the 29 year old Fabinho hard for a first team spot.
He is exactly the sort of player we need, albeit we do need more than 1 midfielder.
{Ed002's Note - I would not hold your breath.}
10 Oct 2022 12:36:05
Laimer was a no-brainer in the summer with him having only 12-months left on his contract. Sounds like we approached RBL way too late in the window.
He can talk to non-German clubs in January. Let's see how we get on, although Eds have suggested Bayern are most likely so it may be futile by now.
Not really a fan of the others. Douglas Luiz looks ok from time to time but not sure he's what we're looking for. The less said about Tielemans and Berge the better.
{Ed002's Note - Liverpool spoke to his agent.}
10 Oct 2022 13:39:19
I’ve only seen Laimer a few times and he didn’t seem anything special but as i said only a handful of times. Doesn’t like passing forward much i noticed. I can’t believe we didn’t try sign Enzo Fernandes for less than 20m he looks the real deal. Guimares was about 40m too i just can’t for the life of me think of a logical reason as to why we sat on our hands? is the club skint? is it lack of ambition? there’s no way Klopp is stupid he must have been able to see what most fans could see.
{Ed014's Note - I read the other day you were in for Bissouma, no idea if it’s true or not but for £25 million would have thought he was just the player you needed.
10 Oct 2022 14:56:26
Laimer simply isn’t an option. He’ll go to Bayern. It’s as good as done. We’d be wasting our breathe, as we did when we spoke to his agent in the summer.
Any of the others named would be a complete waste of money and wouldn’t make the slightest difference as they’re not good enough. Just more mediocre midfield signings to add to the pile.
10 Oct 2022 15:07:12
Enzo looks good. Probably €80m price tag on him now. Not sure he’s what we’re missing (physicality) but he looks good.
Bissouma became unlikely after he expressed his preference for Arsenal, and the concern about baggage probably put the tin lid on it.
{Ed014's Note - he must have been gutted to end up at the spuds then! ?
10 Oct 2022 17:11:12
Laimer is on the record in an interview saying he was never going to go to a new team and especially a new country in haste. Decisions like these are big decisions that have major personal and family implications, and being approached by Liverpool near the end of the window was never going to materialize into anything.
10 Oct 2022 20:47:32
Ed02 - I have to disagree with you - I think it would improve the site tremendously if one or two people did hold their breath.
11 Oct 2022 01:21:12
For me, we need 2 or 3 new midfielders, a winger who can play on either flank, a centre back and possibly another full back if the right option emerges.
11 Oct 2022 03:06:12
I think we have a ready made midfielder in Trent, he would be class in midfield, can beat a man one on one and his crossing etc would be second to none, great passing range too. We need a RB for definite!
We need a solid injury free number 6 and a flair number 10 with finally a striker to replace Bobby next summer.
Contentious but I would also look at Matip being replaced preferably with Kounde.
11 Oct 2022 08:29:42
I would start to have a look at Trent In midfield, a type of de Bruyne role, he has the passing and running and strength to perform, but might take a bit of time to acclimatise to it. Would leave at right back a couple of youngsters though, Ramsay and Bradley, so I would go for a seasoned pro, who wouldn’t block there path, and hopefully not cost a bomb. Midfielders, we lose keita, ox and Milner, but gain Trent as a mid, Morton comes back from loan, hopefully integrate him back in as a 6 as seems to be doing well at Blackburn, and then maybe bring in at least 1, but really 2 mids, ideally Laimer and Bellingham, which would leave us then elder players having reduced time, Henderson and Thiago, Fabinho the sitter switching with laimer, then the 6 and 8 roles you have Trent, Thiago, Morton, Bellingham, henderson and jones. Would get bajcetoc a loan for next season to get him game time and progression. Forward line, expect to see firmino depart, and salah being off his game, Definately need 1 who can play right the way across. I would look at gnabry on a free, and try that position along with Harvey, entrap strikers would be Nunez and jota, left Diaz and carvalho. Centre half, was hoping van den berg could show what he was all about this season, but that nasty injury has put paid to that. Hopefully he can come back and pick back up, but failing that, would sell matip and bring in another.
11 Oct 2022 09:45:44
The noise around Trent is tiresome but much of it is unfortunately justified. You can only be at the scene of the crime so many times before questions have to be asked. I don't know whether it's a coaching or concentration issue but he just doesn't sense impending danger consistently in the box - more often than not he just needs to hold his position and do his job but he gets drawn to the ball too easily.
It also doesn't help that there is no alternative rightback. Gomez is a centrehalf, Milner will be whatever he's told to be but isn't a viable option for any length of time. The young Scottish lad we just bought is clearly not yet ready.
But that speaks to a wider recruitment issue. I certainly don't want to question the general transfer policy too harshly - it is a part of the club that's worked almost without fault for years - but there is maybe a little too much trust in continuity.
There has been talk of the odd crack appearing though. The signing of Arthur was weird and shows the club (or specifically Klopp) knew they needed midfield reinforcements.
Klopp will, as he always has done, come up with solutions and we won't continue to be this shonky and easy to play through all season, but he needs to sort it soon or it'll be a wasted season.
11 Oct 2022 11:06:21
WDW
Even dating back to their title win, Liverpool's edge has mostly been Klopp's "mentality monsters" factor. They've won so many critical games by the odd, late goal, which is down to a relentless winning mentality.
There are factors for the drop in form this season: injuries, players leaving, replacements still bedding in, individuals out of form. But I think the biggest problem has been that the mentality isn't there. Part of that is probably due to the huge disappointment of coming so close last year. But also, Liverpool have found themselves off the pace very early on. The psychological impact of being 14 points off the top so early in the season is that the players will already know they can't win the league. Once you lose that prize, the psychological will to run those hard, nausea-inducing extra yards is diminished, and with it goes most of Liverpool's edge.
11 Oct 2022 11:08:37
The issue they have is that the margin for error is finer. City and other clubs can afford the odd swing and miss on a 40m to 70m player. While Liverpool's resources are massive compared to most teams, 100m on Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlin for not a lot of production over the last 2 years is more difficult to work around, hence Jones and Elliott getting so many games.
Additionally, while I think Darwin will come good, for that kind of money you really need someone who can hit the ground running to keep up.
11 Oct 2022 12:37:30
@Spaceman, the title may be gone but the thought of CL football going to should kick them up the A. Also the fact they are paid a little more than min wage should make try their best regardless.
11 Oct 2022 14:02:10
Knighty…. VDB was on the verge of signing for Blackburn I believe, everything agreed, when Liverpool pulled the plug at the last min. Blackburn have confirmed this, I don’t think there’s going to be a med/ long term future for him at LFC.
Morton is however impressing at Blackburn earning a recent MOTM.
I think we should be looking at releasing/ selling some of Keita, Melo, Ox in Jan and go in hard for one of the midfielders on our list.
The fact we’ve only brought in 2 midfielders since we won the CL, one of those Melo, is scandalous. I’m not counting Carvalho here as he playing more as an attacker for us.
I don’t think this recent transition has been handled at all well, with too many players leaving on a free (or soon to be) and not enough brought in the requisite positions. Just my opinion.
12 Oct 2022 19:15:47
Laimer, we already have a shedload of "LAME_ers"?