Liverpool Banter 4

08 May 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Manchester United v Liverpool - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

08 May 2026 09:07:24
After that first 15 minutes, I thought it was going to be a 7-0 thumping.

08 May 2026 14:20:32
i don't think anyone in a Liverpool shirt came out with anything from this game it was dismal. could have been 4 or 5 in first half, A good summary Ed

08 May 2026 07:24:12.
Thoughts on short term striker solutions for next season with Ekitike being out, Isak fitness issues and Gakpo not really suited? Lewandowski on a free, Endrik loan or dare I say it Nunez could be available on a free. Otherwise do we look to youth, Wright or Danns if he gets up to speed fitness wise.

08 May 2026 07:41:03
Hahahaha good one.

08 May 2026 07:40:43
The only reason to get Endrick is so Ibou can get revenge in training and put him out for months

08 May 2026 08:03:57
Danns and Wright need to have a chance, but I'd have Nunez for free too. Off the bench, a pumped up Darwin in a game where we slow and need a spark, but Danns and Wright need game time.

08 May 2026 08:11:38
Signing anyone on massive wages to cover 3-4 months of injury is for FIFA. That would be the time to see if your youth are good enough. Otherwise, Gakpo, or maybe one of our summer winger signings may be able to do a job there too.

08 May 2026 08:28:26
Danns needs a loan. He's played 230 mins of men's football in the last 2 seasons.

We've seen what a non pre-season did for Isak.

Relying on a kid who's hardly played in 2 years would be throwing him to the wolves.

08 May 2026 08:33:02
Nunez???? 🤚 Nowayz!!!

08 May 2026 08:51:13
A near 37-year-old Robert Lewandowski? I love "Lewa" to pieces, but we're doing too much here, honestly.

Like @Change, I think if you let Gakpo know he will (also) be a striker going into preseason, he can perform there if the right tactics (hence, another manager) are in place. That will simply mean we get a lw in the summer.

08 May 2026 08:51:41
Lewandowski on a free would be a good idea in my opinion. It's not to cover 3-4 months of injury. An Achilles rupture takes 12 months to recover from, which means Ekitike is due back in about April 2027. That's pretty much the entire season. Lewandowski has 18 goals in 24 starts this season (he's also come on as a sub 18 times for a total of 42 appearances). More importantly, though, he is a player who drives standards. We could do so much worse than Lewandowski as a back up on a 12-24 month contract, seeing as he's a free transfer. Look at the impact Milner has had at Brighton or Henderson at Brentford. Lewandowski is a supremely professional athlete who will easily play until he's 40 and will not stop scoring goals.

Teddy Sheringham did it to a similar age in English football, back when it was properly physical, and he was half the player Lewandowski is.

Alternatively, we put our faith in Lewis Koumas, Will Wright or Keyrol Figueroa for a season as back up to Isak, and utilise Gakpo in the cf role when needed. Jayden Danns is done in my opinion. His body has let him down. I would not be putting any faith in him to suddenly step up and shrug off all of his injuries. As someone else said, he's barely played for 2 years now. We're also not going to get a good enough striker on a loan deal. Teams aren't readily loaning out strikers who can score 10-15 goals a season as a back up.

08 May 2026 09:20:13
Danns got no minutes because he was out injured for most of this season. Start of next season, there will be no excuse for not having a fully fit Isak and Danns. With Will Wright there too, and wide players (possibly new ones) who can fill in, that should be more than enough to cover us until Ekitike is back.

As MK says, there are also some other promising youngsters in our youth setup. I can't see any chance that we loan/sign a centre forward when there are other parts of the team that need far more attention.

08 May 2026 09:31:02
Shipley, he's been more or less injured for 2 seasons.

Going from hardly any football in 2 seasons to right you're playing first team football for LFC is quite some step.

I suppose time will tell though.

08 May 2026 09:34:28
We should look at a player that can play across the front three, so when Ekitike and Isak recover, he can, excuse the pun, slot in on either wing without being surplus to requirements.

08 May 2026 09:52:50
Ekitike is going to be out for about a year. I'd say we need to bring in someone as well.
Ekitike may well take a lot longer than a year as well if there are setbacks and he's going to have to come back up to match fitness.
Isak has had half this season out, so has Danns.
Yep, defo need to bring in a striker.


Not suggesting it, but Nunez is an interesting one, he wasn't suited to how we played but had heart, it would be interesting to see how he would cope as a pure 9 with wingers giving him cutbacks from the wide areas.
Then again, his timing and positioning was terrible, wasn't it? Yeah, that's torpedoed that idea. Lol.

08 May 2026 10:47:59
@mk. Yeh let him go play first team football for someone else. Doesn't need a loan no one said start him full time.

08 May 2026 11:29:09
If there is an opportunity for Lewa, then go get him. We are entering a period where the turnover in leadership needs to be managed carefully, and bringing in experienced will be valuable for the squad.

He doesn't need to start every game but you'd do it for standards and leadership.

08 May 2026 11:55:31
Not gonna happen. Gakpo will be deemed suitable to fill in where needed.

08 May 2026 11:58:13
Aye, a 37 year old that's never played in the PL on incredibly high wages, no doubt, doesn't seem like the smartest idea for me. Far from it, actually.

08 May 2026 12:20:20
Nunez on a free is way overpriced.

08 May 2026 12:22:52
Mention of Lewandowski gave me a flashback of how it was with Jari Litmanen.

08 May 2026 12:36:55
Definitely needs to be no-nez than Nunez.

08 May 2026 13:32:47
Henrik Larsson played for United when he was 36, despite not having ever played in the PL, and I thought he did quite well.

08 May 2026 07:08:15
That Villa v Firrest game last night reminds me of Liverpool 5 to 6 years ago.

Fast, aggressive, direct etc.

Quick passing with some clinical finishing.

Everything we ain't right now.

08 May 2026 08:54:42
I watched the game as well, OP. Great perf. from Villa and I'll be rooting for them in the final.

But frankly, Gibbs-White's absence hurt Forrest a lot from an attacking standpoint, IMO. Which begs the question:

Why on earth did Pereira play him in the Chelsea game where he got injured, and where Forrest were smoking Chelsea from all angles with their B team, for that matter? Seriously, why? I don't get it cos they did not need him at all in that game.

08 May 2026 09:59:09
Gibby White had his boots in his hands at one point, probably wanted on lol.

His face was a right mess.

08 May 2026 13:52:29
Anywoni played against Chelsea and scored two, yet could get a minute last night, bizarre, especially when they needed a goal, they brought Lucca on.

08 May 2026 05:59:10
Hi All

I think Anthony Gordon could actually be a good fit on the left flank for Liverpool. At times, our pressing from the front line just doesn't feel intense or coordinated enough, and Gordon would definitely help in that aspect with his work rate and energy.

I know his goal contributions aren't outstanding and he can seem a bit one-dimensional at times, but he still brings balance and intensity to the team. If we went for someone like Barcola instead, I'm not fully convinced about the overall balance of the side. Curious to hear your thoughts on it, Ed01

{Ed001's Note - no, he is a brainless presser, in fact just brainless. He is simply not good enough and would be a massive downgrade from where we were and an acceptance of mediocrity. I am not a fan of his at all.}

08 May 2026 07:15:07
Not convinced on Barcola either Ed.
Who would you bring in Ed for LW?

{Ed001's Note - what about Fofana or Godts?}

08 May 2026 07:20:27
Couldn't agree more ed1

08 May 2026 07:46:09
We don't play in a way that suits Gordon at all. He needs space to run into, and teams defend quite deep against us.
He's not a very good CF either. He just has pace.

08 May 2026 08:12:51
Diomande looks some player.

08 May 2026 08:14:25
I hadn't heard of Godts. what a season he's having!
Him and Fofana both very young and raw though Ed, we already have Rio.
I think we need a starting LW, to replace Gakpo. Not to many realistic options out there

{Ed001's Note - Rio is not as good as them.}

08 May 2026 08:56:29
I keep saying it. Barcola ain't it and Newcastle can go find another club to fleece for 80m for Gordon. Not and has never been good enuff, imo.

08 May 2026 09:24:01
I read Bayern have opened talk for Gordon. Diaz is probably eyeing up his dream move to Barca again.

Diomande and Fofana would be amazing. I'm now just off to Google Godts.

08 May 2026 09:33:32
Surprised we aren't interested in Godts Ed001. Looking at the metrics/data side of things, him and Diomande are the most similar to Dembele/Kvara across the big 7 leagues. Obviously data doesn't tell the whole picture but it seems to be the way Edwards has worked historically, and the apparently style of play Slot wants to follow

08 May 2026 11:17:43
A bit funny for Diaz to be pining for Barca now when they were in for him previously, but he rejected them for Bayern because Bayern were offering more money.

08 May 2026 11:30:34
Can't really pick any players without knowing who our manager will be next season.

If it's Slot then we might as well keep Gakpo on the left because anyone else would be throwing good money after bad.

08 May 2026 11:58:02
I'm sure he can demand more from them now, Dracred, considering his current wages and form. It was actually a smart move.

08 May 2026 12:28:08
Yeah, Mika Godts of Ajax is getting noticed and people talking about him more and more. Maybe someone to consider seriously. But he operates mostly on the left. So an option if Gakpo or Ngumoha are being moved on, I would think.

07 May 2026 23:34:40
MK Scouser, if he's half as decent as Molby was, I'm happy for us to sign him.

07 May 2026 23:15:39
Looks like Tchouameni might be available again soon. Does he golf though? We haven’t had a proper clubhouse brawler since Bellamy.

{Ed001's Note - to be fair to him, he did come home and find a team mate banging his burd. The club didn't exactly back him either, so this has all been coming.}

08 May 2026 06:42:35
Hi Ed, I thought that was BS and the account going on about it was fake?

{Ed001's Note - so did I, but it seems there is some truth to it.}

08 May 2026 07:22:36
Bloody hell, I thought it was just an ordinary training argument getting out of hand. As good a player as Valverde is, if he acted like that on a teammate, he should be out the door.

{Ed001's Note - I don't know about the fight, whether that was true or not. Sorry should have made that clear, it is just the issues between players that is true.}

08 May 2026 08:37:20
What do you think of both of those as players ED01? Tchoumeni and Valverde that is, not suggesting they are a target but I remember there was some link previously with us and them at some stage in the past.

{Ed001's Note - Valverde is a fantastic player but I wouldn't touch either with a bargepole. The way Madrid treats its players is not good, they are in a fantasy land there and it can be difficult for them to adjust afterwards.}

08 May 2026 08:58:20
"He did come home and find a team mate banging his burd."


Wow, that is some stuff, Ed. I don't even know how both players look each other in the eye after that.

{Ed001's Note - ask Jermaine Pennant, he would have just been the other end high fiving him over her back....}

08 May 2026 10:19:45
Courtois and de Bruyne similar situation, I think, and they played together for Belgium for years afterwards.

08 May 2026 10:20:27
It would depend on what position they are doing, for both players to look each other in the eye.

07 May 2026 22:58:13
I’ve read a lot of negativity of players we are supposedly
interested in. So who can the majority agree would be good for us?

08 May 2026 01:11:07
Kayode
Sadiki
Diomande
Barcola
Sangare
Wharton
Lunin (GK)
Lewandowski (Short-Term)

Take any of the above.

08 May 2026 02:47:05
Stiller for me in midfield.

08 May 2026 04:31:52
I would take the top 5. Pace and power are desperately needed in the squad, especially to get the best out of Wirtz.

08 May 2026 04:49:15
Is Barcola really that good? Seen him a few times, and every time he's sloppy, bad ball control and don't perform well at all. Doue on the other hand, what a player.

08 May 2026 06:24:39
Kayode,
Sadiki,
Diomande,
Gomes,
Toure.

08 May 2026 09:02:05
C0ffan, imo no, he isn't. Some of the other guys on the list, I can get behind.

08 May 2026 12:25:05
Don't we want a keeper if Ali is off?

07 May 2026 22:48:19
An English team in every European final. How do you think they'll do?

I think PSG will beat Arsenal, I think Villa will beat Freiburg and Rayo will beat Palace.

07 May 2026 23:36:28
PSG. ✅
Villa. ✅

I do think Palace will win though.

08 May 2026 05:00:09
I think Villa and Palace will win their respective finals. A bit hard to call PSG vs Arsenal, personally. PSG should win but Arsenal have a great team as well. A lot depends on Arteta and how he sets Arsenal to play. If they sit back, they will struggle, but if they take the game to PSG, I think they'd have a chance.

08 May 2026 05:54:18
As much as I hate to admit it, but I think Arsenal will beat PSG...

I'm putting that entirely down to them possibly wanting it just slightly more than PSG...

PSG won it last year, so Arsenal will be hungrier.

08 May 2026 07:26:19
An English team in each final and the Premiership has been the worst quality that I can remember. Either European football is equally as poor, or the prem is outrageously good, in that even when it's bad it's still producing as good of teams as there is.

08 May 2026 07:43:32
Digger, for all their supposed lack of qualities, what does that say about us? We have been garbage, saved by occasional individual brilliance.

08 May 2026 08:38:52
PSG will win the final. imo. They deserve to be European Champions again.

08 May 2026 09:04:51
You make a more than very good point, Digger10. Just goes to confirm that old saying that football is not an exact science.

08 May 2026 09:27:12
If Arsenal do beat PSG, it will be a very sad day for football.

08 May 2026 10:31:34
Yeah, we've had an awful season, from demoralising to watch us, no head nor tail on what we are trying to do.
The 1 positive I would take out of the season is that as poor as we've been, I've seen 90% of our league games and honestly Sunderland away was the only performance I could pick out as being really good.

We probably will finish 4th, so we're not million miles off the top team in the country. With correct changes in management and 3r4 good signings we could once again be competing for the title.

08 May 2026 12:34:29
We have been very poor but, with respect to Arsenal, we achieved a win and a draw against them in the PL. It's been a strange season, but it's not strange enough for Arsenal to beat PSG.

07 May 2026 19:05:04
It is Monday the 25th of May 2026 and headlines read, "Arne Slot and Liverpool FC mutually agree to part ways after securing UCL football."

We can only dream.