05 Dec 2025 09:51:51
POV from an LFC Fan Forum - discuss.
PR around Edwards and Hughes is insane.
Edwards' job pre Klopp: spot signings for LFC's ridiculed committee – and it was disastrous.
Klopp arrives, Edwards builds his massive reputation, leaves 2022.
Klopp gone, Edwards returns with Hughes (zero credentials) .
They then deliver potentially the worst transfer window in Premier League history.
Why is Edwards so highly rated by some because without Klopp he looks a shambles?
TBH he wasn't even main person identifying players under Klopp – Ian Graham was.
05 Dec 2025 10:08:27
I don’t think that’s fair. They’ve brought in players we all said at the end of summer are the perfect signings for us and we were singing them praises.
Slot hasn’t tactically got it right and the players haven’t had the chance to shine.
If they are played in a similar fashion to how they are used to then suddenly Edwards and hughes have done a fantastic job again.
05 Dec 2025 10:15:14
But everyone (practically) said it was the best transfer window ever?
05 Dec 2025 10:17:07
We were all praising Edwards and Hughes 3 months ago. Long on the brightside, Brightside.
05 Dec 2025 10:23:14
I’m pretty sure we were all buzzing about the transfer window (for good reason) . Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz, Kerkez and Frimpong are all top tier players. If Slot can’t get a system to work that is nothing to do with Edwards and Hughes. The personnel is crying out for a 4-4-2 diamond with Ekitike and Isak up top ahead of Wirtz, Kerkez and Bradley/ Frimpong offering the width and Gravenberch tucking in as a 3rd CB. You could even do a flat 4-4-2 with Wirtz LM and Chiesa RM.
However Slot seems obsessed with letting Grav charge forward and unwilling to drop Gakpo. He also has a stubborn refusal to pick players in form like Chiesa or Ekitike.
Slot’s job as head coach is to make a system work with the players he is given. If he can’t do that, he needs to go and we’ll find someone who can.
05 Dec 2025 10:27:16
Im of the thinking that a diefferent manager, along with 3/ 4 of the right kind of players (ie prem ready) and we will be competing once again.
Slot's vision for the game is just not suited to this league, and his ego is getting in the way of putting it right.
05 Dec 2025 10:28:37
*look on.
05 Dec 2025 10:46:29
The worst transfer window in premier league history? Surely you jest.
05 Dec 2025 10:52:44
I was happy with the signings but I wasn’t pleased with the signing of Frimpong, and felt that rb would be a weakness…. I wasn’t expecting this awful form and dreadful performances. This is reminiscent to the hodgson days, but other than Gerrard his team was playing at its level, this team is full of top talent and they are as dull as dishwater.
They really are uninspiring to watch and I don’t understand it. What’s worse is slot doesn’t seem to recognise the issues or know how to fix them.
05 Dec 2025 10:54:49
fact is few of their calls were questionable.
1. Marma signing and loaning - don't know why? He is very poor with his distribution to say the least.
2. Chiesa - We all like him but over two seasons has he even started two times in the league.
3. Biggest of them all - Isak, why? (after getting Ekitike) and they way they went about it left a bad taste.
4. Kerkez - one season wonder? still has time in his hands to improve.
5. Wirtz -- hopeful he will come good after some silky displays. the key with his signing is FSG made money available and Wirtz declined Bayern Munich to come to us. credit not to Edwards/ Hughes. the player wanted to come and we splashed bucket loads of money.
If they can unearth real upcoming talent, then they will get due recognition.
05 Dec 2025 11:09:28
At what point does it become the managers fault? How many managers in the league would have been happy with getting the players signed in the summer?
05 Dec 2025 11:14:25
Hughes signings so far:-
Slot who won us the league albeit fallen off a cliff now.
Chiesa who we all love and is hard done by the manager.
Mamadasvilli a young highly rated goalkeeper who has done great, although maybe doesn't suit our system.
Pesci Hungary's next big goalkeeper.
Isak the leagues best forward after Haaland, again the system isn't being played to his strengths.
Ekitike the best young french forward who has been great so far.
Wirtz Germany's superstar who we got ahead of Germany's biggest club. Again the system isn't being played to his strengths.
Kerkez who was one of the leagues best lbs last season and played in a system similar to ours.
Frimpong a great value signing albeit maybe to lightweight and not used to the system.
Leoni who is touted as Italy's next big defender and we seen his potential from one game. He also chose us over Italy's biggest clubs.
potential Jan signings of Guehi who has been fantastic for Palace and England and with so many options still wants us. Semenyo who is Bournemouths best player and is exactly who we need.
Linked with Ordonoz Ecuadors great young talented CB, Toth Hungary's next Dom, and many more young talented players.
The players are being brought for the manager but if he's to stubborn to change his system and adapt that isn't his bosses fault.
05 Dec 2025 11:20:25
I think all of our signings will come good.
05 Dec 2025 11:21:33
Most fans were excited after the last window particularly with Wirtz and Isak, and also on Ekitike from those that knew anything about him. They seemed like good buys, and still do although we've overpaid.
We were fed a line that Diaz wanted out, so most were accepting he had to go, and most were ok with Nunez going.
There were differing views on the defensive buys though, with doubts about both Kerkez and Frimpong. Hardly anyone knew about the Palma player. There were also a few doubts about Connors fitness and readiness for being first choice right back, and doubts about centre mid. So it wasn’t seen as perfect, but a good window from an attacking point of view.
In the round most posters thought that the two main contract renewals were needed.
I think the excitement took away any focus on the system and particularly how Wirtz was going to be slotted in, and what that would mean for team balance. Also the excitement about the attackers drowned out the doubters who were worried about the lack of the right defensive reinforcements including Guehi.
05 Dec 2025 11:25:05
As individual players, each one that came in was seen as an upgrade on a player that left, was perfect for the next generation of this team and most other teams wanted or would have liked these players.
Most of us were really excited to add these players to a title winning team/ squad.
The reason they have not done as well as expected is the tactics, formation (s) and chopping and changing of both.
It also shows that a good signing is only great with the right manager.
For me, at the moment, the issue is Slot.
05 Dec 2025 11:37:28
I would say Mickey is neither a clown or the messiah. But, he is exactly the type of person FSG, the owners of the club, want in the football operation due to their obsession of being data driven. He understands their language and puts his trust in clever guys like Will Spearman to help make better decisions for the club.
I will say the club under Mickey's leadership has managed the whole Jota tragedy with class and care. I think the signings of Wirtz, Isak and Leoni are excellent. I question the profiles of the goalkeeper and fullback signings and the lack of preparedness for the Guehi deal to collapse.
I would say that it is difficult to say how much rope Mickey has given to his mate Dicky with the signings given some seem at odds with the way the coach wants to play.
When Mickey was sporting director, the number of signings may have been small, but the strike rate was very high. We rarely signed players who were not a fit for the way we wanted to play.
As Ed said a few times, our expectation was Dicky would be finding rough diamonds/ gems to add to the squad. So far though it's been mostly household names, bar Giovanni Leoni.
And all the current links are with other household names like Semenyo, Guehi, Wharton, Anderson etc. We should be using our scouting networks better than that.
We haven't signed a player from South American in so long. I might be wrong but I think Allan and Pitaluga might be the last ones.
Aside from South America, we are also missing a massive trick by not sourcing players from the French league.
Perhaps we are simply waiting for this second club before attacking those markets?
Who knows what is happening behind the scenes and what is really leading to these shocking performance levels. Most probably a collective underperformance by everyone.
05 Dec 2025 12:16:42
Hard to judge a transfer window after a third of a season ??.
05 Dec 2025 12:26:59
Every player signed last summer will do well at Liverpool. Reality is we've hardly seen Isak, Frim nd Leoni because of injury. But a top player every one of them.
{Ed025's Note - nice guessing there FM, Isak yes he is proven but the other 2 im not so sure, Frim cant defend for toffee, and we have only seen an hour or so of Leoni mate, as i say you are guessing..
05 Dec 2025 12:47:03
Players get judged after a third of a match @Ron.
05 Dec 2025 13:24:23
But what an hour Ed, sometimes you just look at a kid playing his 1st game and know he's class.
{Ed025's Note - looks as though he has got potential FM and im in no way running the kid down mate, but i will have to see a lot more of him before i start calling him "class"..
05 Dec 2025 13:26:53
On paper an amazing transfer window. On the pitch - the opposite. Slot should be the one getting pelted the most.
05 Dec 2025 13:48:16
Good Lord, worst transfer window ever?
MrB, it became clear towards the end of last season that TAA would not be signing a new contract and Diaz wanted to move. Darwin just wasn’t cutting it, Robbo was declining, the Scouse Greek was never going to be first choice, sadly Diogo passed and it was obvious a new CB and midfielder were needed. None of that is disputable, so incomings, multiple were not only necessary, but essential.
The unfortunate thing is, so many were necessary at once, and that the young CB got injured so early in the season, he looked good in the brief bits I saw of him.
There can be no disputing the quality of some of the new signings, Isak’s drawn out saga I think has played a big part in his slow start, to be honest, I now don’t think he was worth the money or trouble, I wish Eki was bought as our starter and someone else as the backup. But there is no doubt, Isak was recognised as one of the worlds best strikers when at Newcastle and I was delighted when he signed. Wirtz and Eki will be stars for years to come, so to say their signings were disastrous is clownish.
The fullbacks, that’s a different matter, neither has shone, but let’s not forget, Robbo played second fiddle to Moreno I think it was for 6 months, at the time no one was saying he was a world beater, though Moreno was worse than either of the new signings.
Looking back, I think the disastrous part of last summer’s window was not getting a quality CB rather than any of the signings who did come in. I know it wasn’t LFCs fault that CP refused to sell, but had the deal been done early in the summer, CP would have had more time to buy a replacement. It was also just bad luck that the young CB got such a bad injury, nothing LFC could do about that.
It has been awful viewing the last 2 months, I can see why it is very challenging, as a business owner, when I take in new staff there is always a learning/ bedding in period where other staff have to do more to get the newbies up to speed leading to disruption. But that alone can no longer excuse the more glaring issues, lack of fitness, intensity and the decline in senior players like Virg, Mo and Mac. I think those 3 need to be moved on, along with Arne unfortunately. I don’t buy into the Ireola hype, LFC need a manager from the top rung to manage a team full of winners.
05 Dec 2025 22:29:22
How did we get from the Best transfer window ever, to the Worst transfer window ever?
Must be that whole "hindsight 20/ 20" a. k. a "I will flip my opinion due to where the wind is blowing so I can keep up with the trend" nonsense.