18 Dec 2024 00:29:47
I would play for Liverpool for free.
For ONLY £100k a week you could use me as the ball. I’d curl up in a ball and you could kick the rubbish out of me for 90 mins and then I’d say ‘see you next week’.
If I was already a multi millionaire nothing could drag me away from playing for the team I’ve supported all my life and trying to win trophies.
Trent has a choice of being a Liverpool legend or an Owen/ McManaman type character.
18 Dec 2024 02:39:53
Depends what you mean by ‘legend’. How many legends are there from before, say 1950?
I understand what you mean - and like you - I’d play for free. The thing is, as a player Trent could quite feasibly think that he has done everything he wanted to do either Liverpool. If he feels that he has done everything he wanted/ wants to do the I’d say good luck to the lad and thank you for all the brilliant memories - still the best corner I have ever seen taken for Big Div to knock it in. If he has goals and dreams he wants to pursue elsewhere then I wish him all the very best. If he decides that he wants to stay and see how far he can get with Liverpool, then brilliant.
I’d just say that for me I want everyone who pulls the shirt on to be fully committed to playing the best game they’ve ever played for us and not somebody who doesn’t have his heart set on the honour it is to play for the club.
18 Dec 2024 02:50:05
The time for holding the players responsible for this situation has LONG passed. Whatever happens from here, Liverpool FC are entirely responsible for the contract situation of our three best players.
Ed001 has explained multiple times that Trent was ready to extend his contract and actually had to ask the club about doing so - laughable, absolutely, inexplicably laughable.
Trent, and for that matter Salah and Van Dijk, is well within his rights to think that a) Liverpool don't value him as much as they probably should, and b) Liverpool explored the possibility of replacing him on much lower wages. The club may well discover that low-balling the world's best players never works.
18 Dec 2024 03:44:22
Lowe, you have hit the nail on the head. One thing I don't care about is the money side of things because we know little to bugger all about it. What I do care about is keeping our best players, it's gone on for far too long and it's not the players who are at fault is it?
Suddenly because there's talk about Trent leaving people try to think of excuses to justify it. Truth is, there's no justifying it - we've handled the whole situation horribly.
If I were him I would be off even as a Liverpool fan, why stay with a club not willing to do what should've been done ages ago and then to know tons of your own fans are suddenly turning on you who could blame him. All we've heard is he can't defend or he is greedy etc and when people talk about the money they have nothing to go on because we know literally nothing but nonsense spouted by the media and it's apparent many people believe it.
Give the lad a break. One thing for certain is if he does leave he'll be missed. People talk about Bradley like he's ready? he's a very promising youngster who I believe will one day be special and maybe even better then Trent but he's not there yet.
I say credit to him and if he leaves then good luck to the lad, he's remained professional throughout and deserves respect.
18 Dec 2024 05:54:26
Rubbish @Lowe - do you remember McManaman, or Owen or Coutinho or Suarez? If a player wants to move on the club are powerless when the player’s existing contract ends. If Ed01 or anybody else has said multiple times that Trent wants to re-sign then why hasn’t he re-signed?
18 Dec 2024 06:32:29
WDW - rubbish? Your four examples have almost no relevance to the current issue.
Firstly, Trent is not the only player in this situation - in fact, he isn’t even the only world class (! ) player in this situation. Are you telling me that all three of Salah, Van Dijk, and Trent want to leave? Because none of them have signed a contract so far.
Secondly, as I explicitly stated above, there are reports Trent was ready to sign a new deal and had to ask the club about it. Again, the club have messed up.
The club were desperate to get rid of Suarez; the fee offered for Coutinho was way too good to reject; while Owen and McManaman left a badly-managed, unserious operation.
18 Dec 2024 06:36:19
He's a right back, get over it, he's had his head turned by Agent Jude, I get quite nauseated by these situations but he will be replaced, and in time we'll forget about him, if he goes on a free it'll be annoying but if we bring in Davies on a free what a replacement, and he can defend which in case any of you haven't noticed, Trent is a questionable defender brilliant going forward but a bit of an ale house in defence.
18 Dec 2024 06:44:24
Pretty certain if Trent wanted to extend his contract and the figures were agreeable for both parties then it would have been done, my opinion. There lies the problem. I mean do the club give him £300k a week if that’s what he’s looking?
18 Dec 2024 06:56:31
Do we need an expensive replacement? Connor Bradley has been quite impressive defensively, and quite surprising going forward.
No, he can't pass the ball like Trent, but few can.
18 Dec 2024 07:01:37
Football is a ruthless business, from owners to agents to players to fans, not sure loyalty is top of the agenda in either 4 sections.
If u take our 2 most loyal players of modern era, carragher + gerrard, I would guess 80% of comments on here are negative about them.
18 Dec 2024 08:04:22
Fans always say that they would play for their club for free, but that's absolute rubbish. If you were good enough to play for a club of Liverpool's stature you would absolutely not be wasting the opportunity to secure your family's future for generations for a club that would drop you in a heartbeat if you suddenly lost form or couldn't fully recover from a serious injury.
You might defer wages if the club were in trouble. You might even take a huge pay cut to help your team bounce back from a relegation. Ultimately though, there is a reason why players don't play for free for any kind of sustained period during their prime years. When I see a player who blatantly loves his club suddenly frozen out to force them into leaving or not offered a new contract past a certain age even if they want to stay, I always think of a quote from Resident Evil Apocalypse. When the Helicopter clears off and leaves all the special forces soldiers behind in a City set for Nuclear demolition Carlos turns to his shocked comrade and says "We're assets Nikolai, expendable assets. And we've just been expended".
Footballers are treated as assets by clubs every day, so the notion that a player should feel some kind of undying loyalty to a club to an extent they could even play for free is a fantasy at best. Let's try and live in the real world and not take it personally every time a player 'allegedly' wants to leave the club.
18 Dec 2024 08:33:35
@salah always like your posts but Connor is ready now. Only a few games ago he outclassed arguably the best player in world football and pretty much every time he has played he has been great.
Different player to Trent and I’d love both to stay but if a player leaves another gets a chance. Such is life.
18 Dec 2024 08:50:31
KD7, as an average footballer who has loved Liverpool all my life and used to pretend to be Rush, Hansen, Beardsley, Barnes, Staunton or McMahon in the back garden, I certainly get your sentiment. I'd give money to play for Liverpool, wouldn't ask to be paid a penny.
However, if you view this through the lens of somebody who has played for the Liverpool for seven years already and made hundreds of appearances and already achieved all of those things we dreamed about, maybe the perspective becomes slightly different. And then on the money, it's something we often hear about footballers. They already earn X million a year, why do they need more? With a few exceptions, I just don't think human nature works like that. Moving on a free transfer as one of the top footballers in the world is incredibly lucrative. Signing on fee of many millions and probably (at least) double your salary. If somebody is dangling that in front of you, I think it would be a compelling offer for anybody, regardless of how much money you're already earning.
And then there is the football side. It's Real Madrid. Perhaps the only team in world football that can truly claim to be bigger and greater than us (yes, I know many others would try to argue the same) . And if you spend five or six years at Real, it's almost certain that you will win a few league titles and have a good chance of winning the European Cup almost every year.
18 Dec 2024 08:54:31
As far as I remember macmanam said he was signing a contract, Owen left it till January after messing us about forcing a cheap sale .
18 Dec 2024 09:18:30
Love trent, reàlly hope he stays but i would not be going to 350k a week for him. He'd be earning the bones of a 100m over the next five years. He is not worth that and "IF"thats what he is looking for i don't blame the club not paying up.
18 Dec 2024 09:41:42
There could well be a lot of posters on here eating humble pie when Salah and VVD pen new deals. Regards to Trent, if he wants out, I wish him all the best. I don't blame the club if that we're to happen.
18 Dec 2024 09:49:51
* were.
18 Dec 2024 10:57:27
@Lowe, you’re making assumptions that you have no proof for. You chose to believe that somebody not in the employment of the club passes on as heresay and then make a massive leap based on an unproven assumption that the club is entirely at fault. As I say, it’s rubbish. Any negotiation involves two parties. If the proposition that Trent wants to stay is anywhere near correct why hasn’t he re-signed? Perhaps the original heresy was not entirely accurate, perhaps he’s changed his mind (people do you know) or perhaps the club aren’t willing to pay what he wants because they have a sense of financial responsibility. As I say there is plenty of evidence in recent history where players have forced their way out. As an aside, if Liverpool were that keen to get rid of him why did they turn down Arsenal’s bid?
18 Dec 2024 10:58:54
Why will they be eating humble pie? It’s been handled badly but Salah and VVD will both sign in the end. One major reason for this is Madrid don’t want them.
18 Dec 2024 11:12:59
markp08, I, personally, couldn't care less as long the outcome is what we want. Most people (if not all) on here has no clue what's going on behind the scenes. Maybe things could've been handled better, I don't know, or particularly care. What I do know is our owners have developed Anfield into a fantastic 60,000 capacity stadium. They haven't always got things right, for sure, furlough as one example of that, but I consider us to be a well run club. If things aren't sorted come January 1st I'll have custard with my humble pie.
18 Dec 2024 11:35:27
"Fans always say that they would play for their club for free, but that's absolute rubbish".
Exactly, MKS. Also, would you want to work your dream job (a job you always wanted cos of the passion you always had for it) for free? If that is a no then sorry, you wouldn't play for LFC for free, let alone work a job for free either.
Nobody plays nor works for free. We can all imagine it as a fantasy. The reality says the contrary.
18 Dec 2024 11:55:27
WDW - you have no idea how people get their information, why they get it nor who they get it from. I’m not going to speculate for a second on that. There are hundreds of thousands of things about the inner goings-on of football that the mainstream media are clueless about.
As for Suarez, we rejected Arsenal’s bid in 2013 for a number of reasons, one being that selling him for 40m to a direct rival would have been a horrendous mistake (how we spent the eventual Suarez money would have compounded it) . In any case, it wasn’t until Suarez bit Chiellini in 2014 that the club needed to sell him once and for all.
18 Dec 2024 12:40:25
WDW you are also making assumptions.
18 Dec 2024 12:59:33
I don't think anybody will be eating humble pie, Rome. Also, nobody is talking about the owners mate and what they've done with the stadium, it's about the contracts which has nothing to do with them.
'Maybe things could've been handled better'? it absolutely should of been handled better mate, negotiations started one month before they can sign a pre-contract agreement. I don't care what anybody says and bugger peoples opinions as well - it's not the way to do things at a club like ours when we're wanting to try and win everything at the most elite level yet we leave it til last minute to get negotiations started? for three players at their level? it's rediculous.
18 Dec 2024 13:07:59
What about not getting on his back if he does decide to leave?
You know, you don't have to get on someone's back if they don't do something that you want. The same goes for the club.
What happened to players being transient and employees of the club?
We've lost players, so get over it.
18 Dec 2024 13:10:52
Salah, I was generalising when I mentioned the owners as they do come in for stick on here, which people have every right to do so.
We disagree on this matter, which is what this site is all about. All the best, mate.
18 Dec 2024 13:18:11
This isn’t a dig at the owners but surely people can’t believe they are not in the loop of these contracts the same as the players.
I’m not saying the owners are the ones negotiating but they are probably the 3 biggest contracts in the clubs and players history to date and are well over 100 million in value.
If we think that elite business men or players are completely in the dark and leaving very key decision to their employees or agents then good on you.
I can’t imagine John Henry, Salah, Virg and Trent are all sat at home waiting for any updates like we are.
If I was a betting man I think Salah and Vvd stay and Trent goes.
If that happens then only Trent will know why.
18 Dec 2024 13:20:13
Shake his hand and give him a warm welcome when he visits.
A club legend he is not. Do I believe he is worth the reputed 350k a week; I do not (See Fulham second goal)! I wish him the best fulfilling his dreams and maximise his earnings.
We have an off the shelf ready made positional replacement. Let's spend the money on where it may be most
required.
{Ed001's Note - the Fulham second goal? You mean when Quansah was weak and allowed Muniz in easily to score? How is that anything to do with Trent? The twisted attempts to blame him for anything and everything that goes wrong are ridiculous.}
18 Dec 2024 13:33:28
Yeah poor Trent hasn't already secured his childrens childrens childrens chilrends futures eeh MK? Come on mate the guy is on 200000 a week! Couldn't read the rest of your post when you start it like that. Am i supposed to feel sorry for Trent for not making 300k a week? What a joke mate. Sleeping with the woloppies tonight mate (in Ange P. Voice) hehe.
{Ed001's Note - he is not on 200k a week.}
18 Dec 2024 13:47:47
@oli you give great disservice to the 1000s of people that work for free in this country.
There's many a man/ woman that gives their time to charities and such things.
18 Dec 2024 15:19:38
He is on 180k a week my friend, and with top players they have apparence fee, win fee, clean sheet fee etc. He is probably on more than 200k when available and playing :)
18 Dec 2024 15:28:26
How does anyone know if this has been handled badly or if it could’ve been handled any better? We don’t know enough about it to have any kind of educated opinion.
What if the salaries that these 3 players are asking for will put us at risk of a PSR breach and a possible 10 point deduction? You lot would be the first to moan about the club then and how they got into that situation!
We simply don’t know so it baffles me how people think they can blame people and criticise how the contracts are dealt with from a position of complete and utter ignorance.
The only criticism that we could possibly have would be that we gave 3 big players contracts that all end at the same time. You can criticise that because it’s the only fact that you actually have. Anything else you seem to think you know, you actually don’t.
Why don’t we just wait and see what happens before we all start sharpening our pitch forks.
18 Dec 2024 15:43:43
A lot of the Trent stuff seems like sour grapes. Firmino Wijnaldum Matip Mane etc didn't get half the criticism and insults about them when they left. Trent should have been extended years ago. Its the clubs fault we're in this position. You can call him greedy for wanting big wages but id argue he's been earning less than players he's far better than in the league and the rest of europe for years.
18 Dec 2024 16:06:24
I think the club dropped a bollock leaving it so late. I am of the view that come January 1st if Trent hasn’t signed a contract then it should be a final take it or leave it offer, if he says no, then he’s benched for the remainder of the season and Bradley or whoever can take the spot. Having seen the likes of McManaman, Can and Wijnaldum coast through the last games of their Liverpool careers to preserve their moves and avoid injury, we can do without passengers.
18 Dec 2024 16:08:01
Fiskesprett, I didn't even mention Trent once in my post, so not sure what you're popping off about to be honest "mate" (in Ange P accent) . I didn't ask you or anybody to feel sorry for him, so stop paraphrasing to try and win a debate I didn't even start. I was quite obviously just calling out the total nonsense of when fans say "I'd play for free". However, if you want to make it about Trent, fine. Because absolutely nobody on here would play for free in Trent's situation if they had his ability, andon the off chance he is asking for a massive pay rise, I personally think he does deserve to be paid the same as Mo Salah. As does Van Dijk to be honest with you. They're our 3 best and most reliable players over the last 5 years and they're all the best in the world in their respective positions. They rarely ever miss games and they perform at an elite level nearly every game. Whether I agree that any footballer deserves £350k a week is another debate entirely, but wages in football are not my problem so Trent can ask for what he wants and it's up to the club if they agree with what he values himself at.
OliRed, I honestly don't even care what Trent earns or what he's asking for. It's none of my business. That's between him and the club. Same as my salary is between me and my employer. If Trent leaves, I'm not going to be bitter about it and start kidding myself with statements like he wasn't worth the money, he's not a legend, he's not that great defensively anyway etc. He's the best RB in the world in my opinion so he's entitled to be paid the going rate for a world class footballer. Liverpool set the precedent of what they think that rate is, by putting Salah on a £350k wage (reportedly) . Trent ultimately owes Liverpool nothing because the club would drop him like a stone if he suffered an ACL injury and was no longer Premier League standard after his recovery.
18 Dec 2024 16:21:14
Always the same 4 posters.
Onekiss, completely agree with you I also believe it's sour grapes mate. Suddenly the knives are out for Trent because people are crying at the thought of him leaving, it's their coping mechanism - to judge instead of support. Stupid if you ask me but each to their own.
18 Dec 2024 16:58:58
Salah only got the reported £350k in his last 3 year deal and well deserved given his consistent world class stats. Only other world class players we have are Alisson and VVD who could argue deserve close to it. Imo, Trent is not close to the performances of those 3, has no where near as much impact on our seasons as they do, so doesn’t deserve close to it.
18 Dec 2024 17:15:46
Well said MK, very well said.
18 Dec 2024 18:54:31
I just meant in the case of Trent that he and his family are set for life. But i will be very very sad if he leaves, unlike many on here i think he is a fantastic player and has improved his defending a lot this season too, before the last injury lay off. So it is what it is, sadly i don't think the club gives a toss about what the fans think.
18 Dec 2024 21:23:52
This isn’t on the club, he’s been offered more than he’s on (considerably more), he just needs to make a decision whether to stay or not. If he chooses to go to Real Madrid good luck, I’d be sorry to see him go as he’s a real talent but if we can’t offer what he wants (and can’t raise additional sponsorship or whatever is needed to cover it and the increases every other player would then ask for) we need to accept he’s gone. Real Madrid aren’t funded like we are, it’s a completely false market once they’re interested in a player.
18 Dec 2024 23:25:03
What’s the point in the ‘I’d pay money to play for Liverpool’ debate? You could pay a million pound a week to play, reality is you’re crap so you won’t. People call footballers greedy, to an extent I agree, but the reality is the clubs are greedier than anyone and I’d rather the money in the players pockets than the clubs as long as we remain sustainable. If they leave, it sucks but nobody is bigger than the club.
18 Dec 2024 23:39:21
Just not with the "I'll play for free" analogies lol
c'mon guys - you, me, all of us - we SUCK!
We haven't sacrificed to get to that level, so sorry, we can't relate to their mindset.
19 Dec 2024 07:12:23
Players are not fans generally speaking.
They might have a favourite club, but they’re not fans like we are, they can’t afford to be. It’s a ruthless business and you’re one bad tackle away from retirement.
The closest player we have to a fan is Elliott in my opinion. He loves the club.