02 Jul 2026 12:18:27
Ornstein saying Hughes is definitely off after the window closes. Also Leipzig value Nusa at £55m. Worth a shout.
02 Jul 2026 14:19:32
Can't understand why we kept him on, unless the chosen replacement is unavailable. The rumours were it was going to be his understudy, which makes it more baffling.
02 Jul 2026 14:34:30
Good riddance, imo. Best get Big Jorg Schmadtke on the horn.
02 Jul 2026 15:00:43
@Keegan, wasn't it Ornstein who was apparently told by the club that Slot was staying...
@Overkill, we all agreed that Hughes did very well in the market last summer. If he's been working on bringing players in for this window, it would make sense to keep him on until the window closes.
There were rumblings on social media that Hughes's replacement is his current understudy, but nothing that you could trust.
02 Jul 2026 15:02:14
Too late in the day for planning etc for the window to change.
Once the window is completed, a change can be made.
Planning for transfer windows takes months of work.
02 Jul 2026 15:21:55
West Derby Wanderer IV, what do you mean "We all agree Hughes did very well in the market last summer?" Is that a joke?
02 Jul 2026 15:40:47
Tbf Chewy, he said "agreed" not "agree", which is an important distinction because at the end of the summer window, without a doubt the vast majority of people were happy with the players that we had signed.
Of course, now in hindsight that perception is totally changed and there were big issues with the squad.
02 Jul 2026 15:41:06
WDW, of all the players Hughes bought last year, the only ones I thought were good buys were Isak and Kerkez, and that was from MOD highlights to be fair, as I don't watch a lot of other clubs. And it was evident Kerkez was raw, and Isak, injury-prone, so there was risk.
I'd never seen Wirtz or Ekitike play, I don't think, or Frimpong, unless it was against us. Neither had I seen Leoni.
Some posters on here watch a lot of football and were better informed, and I think the PlayStation generation base a lot on that side of things.
I'd struggle to plug one in.
So overall, some posters will have been positive about the business, a lot of that was due to buying names rather than thinking, or knowing how they would integrate and play, I suspect. We also bought in volume, which gets folk excited.
02 Jul 2026 16:05:59
Overkill, I was positive about the business we did. What I don't like about Hughes is that when it was time to really do his job and get Slot out, he folded. Just like Edwards did, so I wanted both of them gone, as a result.
02 Jul 2026 16:20:05
Hughes has done a good job. He has. We've gone from signing the next level down and hoping we can turn them in to world beaters to competing for the best players in the world.
Everyone was buzzing after the last summer window, if you say you weren't, you're lying.
It hasn't worked out yet but it's a rebuild so it was always going to take time.
02 Jul 2026 16:37:49
I agree, Oli, on the Slot thing. I have thought and said consistently about whether the structure was right at the club, the lack of accountability at times both on and off the pitch was a worry. I don't get that sense with Iraola at all. Hopefully that translates quickly to the pitch and last season can be put behind us.
I've heard things about the lack of professionalism of a few of our players, so sorting that type of thing out is key for me in rebuilding confidence. If anything, that's more important than shiny new things. Sometimes they're not as shiny as you think when you scratch the surface.
02 Jul 2026 17:32:12
Not sure we need another LW?
And I'd rather give Elliot a go as an alternate CAM to Wirtz, plus being left footed, he would provide a different problem for teams if he subbed on for Wirtz during a game.