05 Aug 2026 13:00:35
Morning Ed's and Reds,
I have a couple of questions about some concerns I have regarding the transfers and the players we're being linked with. I'm hoping the Ed's can share their expertise, and any posters here can offer their own insights too.
Right wing: A lot of the players we're being linked with for this position are right-footed. Is having left-footed players on the right (and vice versa) no longer as important, or is the "inverted winger" trend starting to fade? Over the last 10 years it almost felt unusual to see a naturally right-footed player on the right. Has football moved away from that now, with players being more adaptable and capable of playing either side?
British core: We seem to have moved on several British players who could have formed the backbone of the squad (Morton, Quansah, Trent etc.). I'm not sure whether that's more down to Slot, Hughes or Edwards, but with the discussions around Jones potentially leaving and Gomez seemingly nearing the end of his Liverpool career, do you think we should be actively looking to bring in more British players to maintain that core within the squad? I saw someone post on here the other day that we technically only have 1 spot for non-HG players.
Interested to hear everyone's thoughts
05 Aug 2026 14:19:52
I don't think there is a notable trend on winger profiles. However, there is a change in full-back profiles, with some clubs preferring fullbacks that are a) taller and b) able to invert into midfield. Maybe that trend has a knock-on effect on the types of wingers you might want in your squad.
In addition, with press resistance and press baiting being the anti-pattern to the gegenpress, you will get teams that are naturally set up a bit deeper at rest. You would then want to ensure your wingers have the ability to take on their defenders from a standing start, rather than running at speed into space in behind.
As for the British core - I think that is a big challenge for the elite teams. The best English players are extremely expensive to buy - Elliott Anderson and Morgan Rodgers are the latest cases in point.
Ultimately, the best way to solve this is through the academy. But we also know the gap between academy league football and the senior game is not trivial. Loans, sales, sales with options or having a multi-club model are some solutions. Rio and Trey are at a crucial moment in their careers. They need to take their chances.
The big question you then have to ask is whether you are producing enough good young players that are good enough to regularly play for Liverpool Football Club, a club that expects to challenge for honours every season. And if not, are you able to continue to buy the best ones at the inflated prices?
05 Aug 2026 14:32:45
If you look at how many very good left footed RW players there are under the age of 28, it's very few and far between. You basically have Yamal, Olise, Saka, Mbeumo, Neto and Adeyemi. Only Neto is realistic of those options.
If you're prepared to take a hit on age, you could include Mahrez, Salah or Bowen.
Or you could look at the up and coming options who're potentially very good such as Minteh, Estevao, Conceicao or Savinho.
Personally I'd sign Neto, but I don't really care what preferred foot the new RW is. Mbaye is a top talent who Iraola can mold into the kind of winger he wants. A bit like he did with Semenyo, I suppose.
05 Aug 2026 15:18:39
Some coaches gravitate to a style which is more linked to a nationality. So the Dutch definitely play a certain way, Arne believed in it, and the team was being constructed that way with more Dutch players.
England have a certain style which has evolved, but is still fairly direct at times and physical. That wasn't his style at all, really, so, legacy-wise, there's not much homegrown talent for Iraola to pick up on. There's the English premium as well, on top of the style point, which has made it difficult to get the English or British core.
For whatever reason locally, we're not producing any top drawer players recently.
Trent was the last real local talent at Everton or Liverpool, I think. We used to have a couple in both teams who were there on merit, although that equally applied to Scottish, Welsh and Irish, which have almost disappeared completely from the picture.
It's partly due to it being a global game where the clubs are almost like franchises which could be based anywhere, tactical set ups tend to follow the flavour of the year, and coaches and players are very transient.
Who thought long throws would come back around, so maybe we're due a winger revolution as well.
05 Aug 2026 16:52:36
Mks, I would sign Mbaye before I touch any of the Estevao's, Savinho's, and most defo the absolutely awful Neto and Minteh.
05 Aug 2026 20:07:39
MKS, forgot about Rayan.