14 Aug 2026 04:29:56
Gavi - incoming.
14 Aug 2026 05:28:14
Confident on that Nevada?
Shame we don't go after their RB too. ?
14 Aug 2026 07:28:48
Our squad balance really seems to be a haphazard plan. Last season, it seemed we just picked up good players that we had no definitive plan for, and how to get the best out of them. Now we gonna do it again.
I like Gavi, but we have no need for him. It almost seems we are planning (if that's possible) to keep it tight in the middle, not use wingers, and have attacking mids move wide with fullback support.
It seems even more likely the idea, if Bellinghend was a target too.
In the end, I wouldn't mind our structure being changed to suit the team, if that's what AI is thinking to do. Just feel we need to target the correct players for the correct system we are going to use. Not scattergun grab as many excellent players we can and shoehorn them in.
14 Aug 2026 07:51:33
Tremendous player pre-injury. Not sure if he'll ever be the same.
Has a EUR1B release clause. ?
14 Aug 2026 07:54:14
I'm sure I heard someone say "there's rumblings that Gavi's on".
Or it could possibly have been "my tummy's rumbling I need Gaviscon"?
14 Aug 2026 07:59:36
That's what happens, Mr Jones, when your CEO of football leaves and your sporting director has one foot out the door. At this point, it seems to be about getting numbers in rather than a cohesive plan.
14 Aug 2026 08:01:08
Mr. Jones, with all due respect, what makes you say we have no need for a mobile ball winner in midfield? It is one of the biggest gaps in the squad, and I think 90% of fans would probably agree with that. Camara, Sadiki and Bouaddi have been names on everyone's lips all summer.
Gavi has huge red flags about his injury history, but he is exactly what we lack in midfield. He'll get absolutely all over the pitch and be aggressive hunting to win back possession. Grav is too passive, Macca is too slow to get around the pitch, Szobo can't do all the running on his own, Endo is too old to get around the pitch, Jones is also too passive and Nyoni is only 19.
A fit Gavi is exactly what we need, in my opinion. He'll get stuck into tackles, he'll challenge for headers, he'll press, he'll track his runners etc. It's also another clear indicator of Iraola impacting our transfer targets if it happens with another raid on La Liga, and I'm pretty sure AI knows what we need to implement his system.
14 Aug 2026 08:01:42
Yeh, I would have been much more excited a couple of years ago. Would be big money on a huge risk unless we got another loan to buy option type deal.
We need robust bodies, especially in the middle. Especially as the Prem is more physical than La Liga too.
14 Aug 2026 08:08:44
I like Gavi as a player, but I do worry if there is anything left of his knee.
14 Aug 2026 08:25:08
Gavi's injuries are all from impact, so I wouldn't necessarily label him injury prone, just unlucky.
Personally, I only pay attention to injury history if it's repeated muscle injuries, because they're likely to reoccur for their whole career.
I tore my ACL and it never bothered me again, but I've strained my left neck and shoulder numerous times and know that, no matter how much work I put in, I will probably do it again at some point.
The versatility of Gavi and Szoboszlai behind Wirtz gives me a lot more confidence than the other options in the squad right now, and I can't imagine the fee would be crazy.
14 Aug 2026 08:54:26
I love how people not involved in the club know unequivocally that a certain target isn't what our squad/tactics need. Tell me how au fey you are with exactly what Andoni wants his team to do and the gaps in said player profile he's identified?
We bought some great people last window who Slot didn't know how to get the best out of.
We've been linked with Wharton and the premise of that is someone who can receive the ball and get it forward quickly. I imagine that's exactly the type of role we have in mind for Gavi.
14 Aug 2026 09:03:10
How do you strain your left neck.. I hope your right neck is still good?
14 Aug 2026 09:05:06
Would have been over the moon to get him 3 years ago. Would be very very wary of going near him now for obvious reasons, smashing little baller, just doubt he would hold up in England. We've just brought in a player who managed just 11 starts for Barca last season (for context, Gomez started 11) and have the likes of Gomez, Bradley and Frimpong at the club who, to say the least, are injury prone.
We need players who have a past record of been available and starting games.
14 Aug 2026 09:05:31
Hey MK, hope you are well and always appreciate your insight.
I've always been under the impression when I've watched Gavi, he is very similar to Wirtz in his work rate, lung-busting running and tight ball control and passing. I'm no expert at footballers, so I hold my hands up with my opinions and happy to learn.
With his injury record he doesn't seem to be robust, and that's what I think we need. My pref would have been Anderson or Sadiki.
One of my all time favourite players was Sissoko. Wish we could clone him.
14 Aug 2026 09:12:26
Bigh81 - Presumably the same way you would strain the right side of your back and not the left side. ?
14 Aug 2026 09:14:17
We don't need any more injury concerns. Gavi is a major injury concern. As major as it gets.
14 Aug 2026 09:17:01
Changingofthegvardiol, with all due respect, everyone is entitled to their opinion. And your comment sounds like every single signing in LFCs history has been an utter success. Maybe we sign him and maybe he goes on to prove a lot of people wrong. Maybe he doesn't, but why do you get an opinion but then take issue when others post theirs?
Artur, for example, the coaching team wanted...where everyone from the outside world could see it was a disaster waiting to happen.
I'm not saying I'd be against signing Gavi, and certainly if there was a similar arrangement to Araujo, but I'd definitely have my doubts based on the amount of appearances he has in a lesser league for physical demand. No doubting his ability, but for me it would be a huge gamble if we spent big on him.
Of course, one that could really pay off if he does the business given his age, but also could be another Thiago, who I loved as a player, by the way. But people have rose tinted glasses of Thiago based on how good he was and his character (seems like a top bloke to have around). But the cold hard facts is for the wages Thiago was on, he didn't play enough games for us (unfortunately).
In the middle of the park in the prem, we need bite. I feel like we have good technical players like Gavi, Wirtz / Macca, for example.
But again, the beauty of being a fan on these boards is one person's opinion shouldn't be bashed because you don't agree with it.
14 Aug 2026 09:32:56
You could say that Brown Jesus, but he's also an intense player that will get himself into lots of situations where impact will happen. Great terrier-like presser, v press resistant, and a very neat and tidy passer. But a big risk unless the fee is reasonable, given he's had 3 knee injuries in the last couple of years.
14 Aug 2026 09:44:12
Mr Jones, Gavi can play as a left winger, so maybe you’ve caught those games where he was playing a similar role to Wirtz for Germany.
However, he is predominantly a ball winning midfielder. Creativity and scoring goals is something he can do, but not what he specialises in.
He's a lot like Joao Neves at PSG. A real midfield battler.
The problem is his knee. If Nevada is correct, then that medical better be water tight.
14 Aug 2026 10:09:36
We lack physicality in midfield, and bringing another weedy injury prone lightweight isn't fixing that. The fact he's had two serious injuries on the same knee that has kept him out of competitive football for over 100 games in the last 3 seasons should be enough to bin this daft idea off.
That issue is just going to get worse and worse over time in a more physical league. One of the best ability is availability, and this lad just doesn't have that. We're a football club not an orthopaedic hospital or a charity. Signing a sicknote is not a "market opportunity".
14 Aug 2026 10:20:42
He's neither weedy nor lightweight, VV. Tay assessment is way off the mark.
But at least we agree on the concerns about his knee.
14 Aug 2026 10:57:35
He's not weedy or lightweight at all. He's all action. Similar to Joao Neves or Valverde, I'd say.
14 Aug 2026 11:59:10
Have we all just watched the same YouTube profile of him?
14 Aug 2026 12:11:05
Haha, love that Vik: "The best ability is availability." Sounds like something the missus would say in a huff after missing her call.
14 Aug 2026 12:32:46
By all means have your opinion, I'm obviously not blocking that.
I'm just pointing out it's funny that armchair fans imply that people at the club have no plan for what they're doing (pure conjecture).
So many people on here seem to think they know better than people who actually get paid to do the job. There's zero chance the average fan watches anywhere near enough games to deem certain players not good enough.
They've either watched a handful of games, googled their basic bitch stats or YouTube highlighted them.
Someone who is flavour of the month now will be deemed dog turd by the same "experts" on here in a few years time.
{Ed001's Note - to be fair most of the people on here could probably do a better job of coaching than Roberto Martinez, but he gets very well paid to be so crap at his job. So why do you think that people are better at it simply because they get paid to do it? Most of them are in the job simply because they used to play football, rather than because they show any aptitude for the job. Sammy Lee was a case in point, absolute dog muck on the coaching course but somehow sailed through them with top marks.}
14 Aug 2026 13:08:51
Change, sorry mate, if my differing opinion made you so angry. I'll point out that it seems you're implying you're a far superior fan who has better opinions than "armchair fans", what fans are allowed to have an opinion on the club?
Regardless, and without turning this into a s*** flinging match (I have already ha), I'll keep posting my views and I know many will be incorrect, but that's why this is a discussion page and like MK so graciously did was show me a different angle and not just moan because he didn't agree.
And I'll stand by my view that that our transfer plans have been haphazard at times with not replacing glaring weaknesses in the squad.
And I'll also still stand by my view that I would prefer Sadiki over Gavi.
14 Aug 2026 13:24:51
Your post hasn't made me remotely angry?
I'm also not suggesting I'm a superior fan (I'm really not).
I'm just pointing out that accusing the club of a lack of a plan is quite different to a fan not being privy to what the plan is.