Liverpool Banter 2

26 Aug 2026 20:56:03
It's summer of 2028 and I've just heard Liverpool are preparing a bid of in excess of £100m for Orozco from Brighton.

Cheers

DjimiT.

26 Aug 2026 23:19:12
Carra, VG, Robbo & Thefields, any news on this yet?

26 Aug 2026 20:55:54
Long time reader, first time poster as I've heard that Barcola is done. My source is a mate who is a parent of one of the under 18's players. Make of it what you will!

Whilst I'm here, I wanted to pass on my thoughts on this window which in my opinion has been not far off disastrous.

In my opinion, you could make an argument we needed nearly TEN players in this window:

Two left wingers unless Rio improves a few facets
Two right wingers
Two midfielders
Two centre backs
Two full backs
One backup keeper, if not two also.

This is with the idea of Mamardashvilli, Tsmikas, Robertson, Konate, Mac Allister, Jones, Elliott, potentially Gakpo, and Salah moving on. Maybe even Frimpong, Endo, and Gomez plus a few of the youngsters on loan.

Mamardashvilli is not good enough as back up let alone to replace Alisson. A goalkeeper is needed. I'd actually argue we should keep one of the youngsters around instead of Woodman personally but not overly fussed I suppose.

Frimpong is not good enough at right back. Bradley has not proved he can stay fit for a period of time albeit last year's was unlucky, but I'm personally not sure he's a starting right back in a league winning / champions league winning XI anyway. But definitely great cover behind a top player. I refer you to Arsenal's stack of nine defenders.

Tsmikas is not good enough to cover Kerkez unless it's for 5 minutes here and there. We should have competition if we want to compete on all four fronts, especially from a player who wasn't excellent last season albeit I like him!

Thank god Konate has moved on. I actually like the Jacquet and Araujo acquisitions although Araujo wouldn't have been top of my list. We'll see.

A midfield four, for two spaces, of Szobo, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones is not good enough, I'm sorry. It was in Slot's first season with an on-fire Mo and Virgil, a squad with a new manager bounce and freshen up, and Arsenal/City not at their peak, plus still relatively fit and intense from Klopp's days. But they've plateaued. Dom hasn't but I'd still argue his best position is not known. We were crying out to replace Macca and Jones with a defensive minded player like Camara and a midfielder with elite passing OR legs whatever the manager's preference is. But what have we done? Added nothing and let one leave . absolutely ridiculous.

We are still yet to replace Diaz. We are still yet to replace Salah. So a first team winger is needed on both flanks. I also think their cover should be upgraded too. Munoz has arrived to upgrade on Chiesa, in fairness, so I'm happy with that. I think Gakpo should stay as the cover on the left, but given Ekitike's injury, I think Gakpo should instead cover centre forward as it would be harsh to expect players as robust as Suarez, Salah, Mane and Mo to do 3 games in a week let alone bloody Isak!! So left winger COVER is needed as well as a starter in my mind!

This is before even considering that Alisson will likely need replacing next season, and Virgil. Plus the question marks of Wirtz and Isak though I do trust them to come good.

To end the window with Munoz, Araujo on loan, and MAYBE Barcola and MAYBE if things go incredibly, another winger is not good enough. Especially Minteh, Sarr I mean, . I know it's different but look at PSG, look at Real, look at Barca, look at Chelsea, look at Arsenal's numbers, this is our competition, and one we sat alongside if not above during Klopp's reign.

A squad of:

Alisson, new keeper, youngster
Kounde, Bradley
Jacquet, Araujo
Van Dijk, Leoni
Kerkez, new left back
+ Gomez + MAYBE Frimpong

Camara, Nyoni
Gravenberch, new midfielder
Szoboszlai, Wirtz
+ MAYBE Endo

Barcola, Rio
Isak, Ekitike
New right winger, Munoz
+ Gakpo

Is a squad to challenge on all four fronts!

This thin, fodder squad with several gaps and question marks that we have now is NOWHERE near the level. I can't see us doing anything other than a bit of improvement to the footy and hoping for Top 5 yippee. To think we won the league two years ago, and held the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, and Super Cup at the same time six years ago is very crushing to think of how much this setup has destroyed what we built.

I don't live in dreamland. I know these deals would be VERY hard, and we don't have unlimited cash. The argument of "name the players out there" is not valid. We have an elite scouting network setup - or should do - to be able to go and find them. Arsenal are stacked, Chelsea are, City were, we were (for once) in 21/22 the year we nearly won it ALL. PSG and Real are now.

I think FSG run the club well, I can't knock that. But we are nowhere near active enough in the windows gone are the days of doing 1 or 2 additions that leaves you far far far behind, which is where we are now.

Not happy, and hoping for a big finish to the window but cannot see it!

My username is a joke!

Go well!

{Ed666's Note - welcome to the site mate. I’ll get back to you with my thoughts in 2029 when I finish reading it. 😁

26 Aug 2026 21:33:11
Ed, bringing a breathe of fresh humour that is not only hilarious has a sense of class.

Wonderful.

26 Aug 2026 21:44:30
Longest ever post surely???

26 Aug 2026 21:49:01
Ironic, his first word was long!

Welcome on board, though.

26 Aug 2026 21:58:09
Great post, I enjoyed reading it and echo the sentiment.

{Ed666's Note - liar you didn’t read it 🤭

26 Aug 2026 21:59:21
Welkommen! Enjoy the circus!

26 Aug 2026 22:03:43
That's why I won't let my son play for Liverpool under 18's because Richard Hughes kept trying to tell me all the ins and outs of the club's transfer business whilst I was trying to have a pee in the training ground toilets.

26 Aug 2026 22:15:17
Dedication.

26 Aug 2026 21:41:27
Ed666, haha 😂. I've put more work into that post than Hughes into this window though

{Ed666's Note - Touché mate 🤣🤣🤣👊🏼

26 Aug 2026 21:46:46
Dying here Ed. 😅

26 Aug 2026 23:27:09
You'd need an ark for those signings.
That post made War and Peace seem like reading the back of a cereal box.

26 Aug 2026 20:44:24
Club just put something on FB saying testing for tomorrow. Could be player announcement.

{Ed0666's Note - maybe they’re testing Richard Hughes’ aptitude for Transfer negotiations??

26 Aug 2026 20:53:56
I reckon it'll be a 3rd kit release. Just what we need to get the fans onside after an awful transfer window. 🙄

26 Aug 2026 21:04:30
Could be third kit release with Barcola in it perhaps.

26 Aug 2026 21:14:28
More kits than signings.

26 Aug 2026 21:24:41
He failed, Ed. He should've never abandoned all that weird IKEA stuff from last summer imo.

26 Aug 2026 20:23:02
Is Wirtz our new Smicer? Both cost big bucks, and were tidy enough players - but just not gamechangers.

{Ed0666's Note - I’d have prime Smicer over Macca now

26 Aug 2026 20:42:38
Smicer was 4.2 million. Pocket change in the football world.

26 Aug 2026 20:47:29
Never rated Smicer whatsoever, but he had a helleuva game in the 05 final.

{Ed0666's Note - what did you not like about smicer mate?

26 Aug 2026 20:53:15
Last season. It was obvious from about October, that this current crop of players cannot, and never will, be able to play 4/3/3.

So now Hughes has cocked up another window. Wouldn't it be easier, to switch to a 442 diamond (like we should've done last year) to accommodate the squad, rather than spend £80m on dross wingers.

Pack the midfield. Protect the defence. And our attacking fullbacks provide the width.

We've let Iraola down and thrown him under the bus here.

Hughes has turned us into a laughing stock. Embarrassing window for Liverpool Football Club. He should never have lasted a day into this new campaign. It's a disgrace.

Nobody leaves, nobody signs, just go as we are and wait until that Clown has gone, and do business in January, switching back to Iraola's preferred formation with 2 new wingers, a defensive midfielder, and a friggin right back.

{Ed666's Note - irrespective of the formation we play we are still lacking in quality.

26 Aug 2026 20:56:02
4.2m back then was massive.

26 Aug 2026 21:02:21
4.2 is massive in every day and age, mate... At least that's what I tell my girlfriend.

{Ed666's Note - Every millimeter counts mate

26 Aug 2026 21:03:33
He's Czech..
He's great..
He's Patrik Berger's mate..
Vladimir, Vladimir.

26 Aug 2026 21:14:20
Czechs had a good team then, of the two at Liverpool, I preferred Berger. They both had injury problems, if I remember, but were good players.

Around 2000 we had a very good team when everyone was fit, goalkeeper aside, it was better than the team now by some distance. Hyypia and Henchoz were a great centre back pair, Macallister, Hamann, Gerard, Fowler, Owen, Heskey upfront.

{Ed666's Note - Hamman was seriously underrated

26 Aug 2026 21:17:13
I found him bit lightweight and not much end product with him ed666. What did u think of him Ed?

{Ed666's Note - I thought he worked his socks off. Got into pockets and scored some important goals. Would have a young smicer in the squad today without any hesitation mate.

26 Aug 2026 21:35:44
He was inconsistent, but what balls to bury that penalty the way he did in Istanbul.

26 Aug 2026 22:01:12
I agree with all of what ED0666 said! Well put Sir.

{Ed666's Note - Thanks ghost

26 Aug 2026 23:40:31
I didn't rate Smicer and his transfer fee was nowhere near the one we paid for Wirtz (even allowing for them being different eras).
He wasn't great in Istanbul either. We got battered apart from eight minutes when we scored three goals. And Dida should have thrown his cap on Smicer's shot for our second goal, but that was the first time I was on my feet that night! I still get goosebumps & Smicer's expression was a picture!!
I'm also remembering, probably wrongly, that we started the second half with Smicer as right wing back but put Gerrard there when we'd got back level.

{Ed666's Note - I bet Smicer will live off that goal for the rest of his life and so he should. I still can’t get over the Dudek double save at the death!! How did shavchenko not score?? Absolutely mind blowing.

27 Aug 2026 00:28:31
You're absolutely right, Ed666.
Shevchenko shot and caught it well, Dudek just stuck up his hand, it hit it and went over the bar!
Me and my mate looked at each other & both said "wtf just happened? "
He then said "we'll win this now" and he was going home at halftime to watch The Usual Suspects 😂.
The best night of my footballing life. The 4-0 against Barcelona was a close second but that was a semi and I wasn't in the pub.

Smicer's celebration was almost Tardelli 1982-like.

{Ed666's Note - And don’t forget the Chelsea semi when Gudjonson missed a golden chance right at the death at Anfield which would have sent them through…Let’s hope we can taste nights like that again under Irola.

26 Aug 2026 20:18:31
Every day my mood gets lower with this transfer window.
Now that it's taken so long to get the PSG deal over the line and our recruitment team are clutching at straws we look like amateurs.

Didn't Hughes learn anything from the last 2 widows? Crystal Palace have you in their pocket, lad.

The first sign of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

I agree with some people saying it may be best to just stop now. Get to Tuesday with what we have. Get Stc out the door and start again in the winter.

Useless.

26 Aug 2026 19:34:06
Liverpool are all in for Bruno Cheyrou, young midfielder from Lille, for whom he scored 11 goals in 27 league games. Strong, good vision, and has a shot in him. Full French international too.

26 Aug 2026 20:17:08
The next Zidane if the pundits were to be believed.

On a side note, Newcastle are losing at home to West Brom. They'll probably turn it around, but shows you we weren't up against greatness on Sunday.

26 Aug 2026 19:29:26
James Pearce has said we are looking at Yevhen Konoplyanka as an option on the RW, after ruling out a return for Andrei Voronin.

26 Aug 2026 20:25:22
Arda Turan has been spotted at Blackpool Pleasure Beach with Richard Hughes. Arda was having a coffee while Hughes was on the tea cups, eating candy floss.

26 Aug 2026 21:34:51
Nabil Fekir, how excited I was.

26 Aug 2026 22:17:49
Simao Sabrosa was sat on the plane. 😳

26 Aug 2026 23:42:53
If Hughes is schmoozing players at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, there'll be no transfer budget left.

26 Aug 2026 19:01:21
Evening ed001,

Would love to hear your opinion on the whole Richard Hughes debacle

I understand the club couldn't just replace the above with immediate effect, but some have mentioned Julian Ward should have stepped in? I'm not so sure mate

Cheers
Drogie

{Ed001's Note - I think some two should have stepped in, maybe even 3 - Gordon and maybe Hogan to do the negotiating and someone from within the recruitment set up (whether Woodfine or someone else) to produce the targets for them to get. Ward would have been much better than Hughes as well.}

26 Aug 2026 18:17:54
On the off chance the club is monitoring this site today- ed1. If you were richard hughes- who exactly would you go for at this late hour when addressing our issues. Asking for a stc

{Ed001's Note - I think it might be a bit late to go for what I would suggest, Hughes can't even get a deal done in a full window! But ok:

Sadiki/Lamine Camara - we desperately need someone to put a foot in somewhere in that midfield.
Rayan though he might be impossible so maybe we need to take a punt on someone like Bala. Best player I have seen in Asian football by a margin, since Son. Fast, strong, good technique and skill, though his tendency to throw himself down looking for fouls is annoying. He works extremely hard and is very well versed in a pressing system after working under Paulo Sousa. The options are very sparse, so I think that we need to take a chance on someone like him. He can play all over the front line as well and wouldn't cost the earth I would expect.}

26 Aug 2026 20:17:25
Doubt Richard Hughes is online tbf, he's still trying to figure out his abacus.

26 Aug 2026 20:23:46
Cheers ed1 mate. Much appreciated. Who knows maybe he'll pull something out of the fire .deep sigh

{Ed001's Note - that worries me a lot. It will probably end up being a world record move for Mathias Tel or some other dog muck donkey. Still, least we haven't sunk low enough to have to loan Jack Girlish to rescue our season.....yet.}

26 Aug 2026 20:55:03
What is Bala's full name Ed. Not a name I heard before.

{Ed001's Note - Guilherme Bala - plays for Shabab Al Ahli so I get to see him every week here. He was the best player in the AFC Champions League Elite by a mile last season. Hard to be sure how well that will convert to European footie, but he has looked good against Saudi and Qatari teams with much bigger budgets and some excellent players. I am astonished he is still there to be honest, I thought someone would come in last summer and it is even more astonishing this summer no one has gone for him when there is such a paucity of wingers out there. His workrate, especially when you consider the heat he is playing in, is top class.}

26 Aug 2026 21:33:48
Very very interesting Ed. Thanks for this. I know we're not linked but I'll enjoy researching him so appreciate the name.

{Ed001's Note - I will actually be genuinely gutted when he leaves as he is such a good player to watch but he does deserve a step up in level I think.}

26 Aug 2026 21:50:01
That worries me too, taking another punt and overpaying. Hopefully someone at the club says "nahh dickie lad, see you later". Off you pop.