Liverpool banter 9

18 Aug 2026 03:13:03
The lack of a RB is shocking from the club. I cannot believe it!
Bradley is erratic and extremely injury prone.
Frimpong is not a RB at all.
Ramsey needs selling to the Scottish Highland Leagues coz that’s his level when he can stay fit.


Araujo is a CB and has spent only a little amount of time playing RB.
Kayode, Kounde were there for the taking, but we didn’t move and I guarantee this will remain our biggest weakness this season.

18 Aug 2026 08:00:30.
From what I saw on Sunday, Frimpong did quite well and could be suited to the new way of playing under Iraola. Whilst I'm firmly in the camp of improving that position, if possible, I'd be equally as happy if we could get someone working well from within the squad, would allow money to be spent elsewhere.

18 Aug 2026 08:10:43
Agree, Johnny
Sometimes people seem to forget that the job of the coach is to improve players. Frimpong has good attributes that can be developed into a decent right back. Z Trent couldn't defend, but no one was saying let's get rid and buy a right back.

18 Aug 2026 08:10:49
Funny, Frimpong is a rb who has played in 2 of the best leagues in world football, and for clubs at the top end of those leagues.
Sure, he might be more of an attacking wing back, but that's his position.


Staying fit would be more of a concern after last year. I don't know where people got the info from that he can't play rb, because he didn't stay fit long enough to see him play there.

18 Aug 2026 08:17:44
I wouldn't describe Bradley as "erratic", to be fair. He's been unlucky with his last injury, but I feel he has the potential to be a very good player. As others have said above, isn't it the job of the coach to make the players better?

18 Aug 2026 08:23:53
Football is about partnerships and team mates working well in tandem. Frimpong looked back to his best next to Jacquet and Araujo. His best game in a red shirt.

Maybe what we're about to see is that our right backs have been taking the flak all along for Konate being the actual problem?

18 Aug 2026 08:38:09
Been saying that all along, Shughes.

18 Aug 2026 08:40:54
Also, the lack of midfield protection last season, MK.

VVD can no longer single-handedly dominate like he used to, but he's still a damn good CB compared to what's available out there, just needs more help than he used to get.

18 Aug 2026 08:44:01
I think we should sign a top class CDM. You can buy any defender in the world, but if your midfield is poor then teams will cut us through at will.

18 Aug 2026 08:51:11
I always wanted Palestra, but if Frimpong keeps putting in those kinds of performances, we can all sleep easy on the RB front.

18 Aug 2026 08:53:49
@WHNDM, Can we just rake it for granted that you want us to sign a DM? Reading the same thing posted every 15 minutes is overkill.

18 Aug 2026 08:55:18
I really don't understand the Ramsay hatred on these forums. Did we need to buy him? Almost certainly not. Is he amazing either offensively or defensively? Again, not really. He's hardly played for us yet people seem to think he's awful.

Some might say there's a reason he hasn't played much and that's fair, but judge with your eyes. Every time I've seen him play in red, he's hardly put a foot wrong. Seems a capable, albeit very average and unexciting full back to me.

18 Aug 2026 09:31:40
Ramsey's fine as a third choice and, when Bradley comes back, he'll be back up to Frimpong. I don't know why OP is so frustrated, especially after the performance he had vs Como.

18 Aug 2026 11:20:21
Ramsay is a League 1 player imo. He didn't get many games on loan for League 1 clubs even when he was available & healthy.

18 Aug 2026 11:29:57
Because it was v Como, that's why.

18 Aug 2026 18:53:47
Kayode signed a new contract and Kounde hasn't moved anywhere, how exactly were they both "right there"? It would easily have been £60m+ for either of them, which would have completely changed our budget for wingers, and then you have Bradley coming back, not getting a game, and being sold on the cheap.

17 Aug 2026 19:11:06
Scanlon starting for Cardiff tonight vs Wrexham.

17 Aug 2026 20:02:33
Mbaye agrees five year deal.

17 Aug 2026 23:26:04
Ok, random sentence time...

Gakpo hasn't signed for Spurs.

18 Aug 2026 00:23:54
I love lamp.

18 Aug 2026 00:50:55
Captain Insano shows no mercy.

18 Aug 2026 01:39:11
I hate haggis.

18 Aug 2026 07:28:39
Unique New York

18 Aug 2026 08:39:48
Lamp is life, Westwood.

18 Aug 2026 09:00:43
I see dead people

18 Aug 2026 11:36:37
I am legend.

18 Aug 2026 18:55:07
I am the one and only, nobody I'd rather be.

17 Aug 2026 18:51:17
After watching the preseason games, what I come to is:
We badly need an out and out six, teams will run through us.
We are brutal without the ball and we need someone to marshal the mid.
Sobo is a great engine, but he goes on a mad one and out of position.
Wirtz looks a bit lost.
Grav is tidy but he’s not the 6 we need or does the job of a 6 we need.
As it stands we’ve no rw as Rio just looks all over the shop when he switches.


We’ve Isak up top will.
He last 4 games on the bounce 90mins?
Leaves Cody who seems to want out after the witch hunt and he’s our last leading goal scorer who I'd not be letting go.
One good game in preseason doesn’t excite me with Frimpong I still think we need a rb.


Gomez Elliot Endo Chiesa jones the Greek should have been gone long ago I’d rather youth in than any of them.

Just my 2 pence worth.

17 Aug 2026 19:01:36
Blimey that's cheered me up no end.

17 Aug 2026 19:11:24
And what about the negatives?

17 Aug 2026 19:20:48
Yeah, Jay Dub. And the sun might not rise tomorrow either.

17 Aug 2026 19:22:55
I think we've just gotta accept it. We know we're short.

I can't believe we haven't fixed the RB issue though that plagued us all last season, that's a bad one

But we don't have to watch Slot-Ball, we will be entertaining, we'll enjoy the football, and Anfield will be bouncing again under Iraola.

17 Aug 2026 19:52:48
It needs to be Wirtz or Szoboszlai in midfield. It doesn't work with both. Szoboszlai is so poor off the ball in the deeper positions, but it's to be expected, he's an attacking midfielder.

17 Aug 2026 19:56:32
I can see the club competing for 2nd or 3rd. Which in the toughest league in the world isn't that bad of a thing.

I agree there's lots of areas for improvement, but I also look at 18 other clubs and could say the exact same thing for them.

Minimum expectation is CL qualification again.

17 Aug 2026 20:02:38
It is what it is, guys, no point glossing over it! Joe Gomez still being relied on speaks volumes; would any other club put up with it!
We need to take the rose tinted glasses off.
I'm not here to cheer you up; a matter of watching the preseason games speaks a lot.


Of course there are upsides, like the youth pushing through, that's great to see, but a wk before kick off we've no RW CDM, it's not great reading.
I hope we bring in a few before the window closes.

17 Aug 2026 20:04:42
Exactly right, JK. We are very insular because we don't really care about other teams, but all of the teams in the league have 'holes' in the squad too.

A squad will never be complete because there's always improvements that can be made.

A lot of the time, what looks like an improvement on paper can actually make you weaker.

We have a competitive team, and if Iraola gets them going and we have a bit of luck with injuries we'll be right up there.

17 Aug 2026 20:56:49
Simi should have been sold last year but as ed1 said he loves it here and doesn't want to leave

17 Aug 2026 21:37:53
We have had two months to plug most of the gaps. Just saying.

17 Aug 2026 21:48:33
Is that the same Gravenberch who was the star midfielder in a title winning team?

{Ed025's Note - or the same Gravenberch who decided to take last year off and was as much as an ashtray on a motorbike?..

17 Aug 2026 22:15:15
Ashtray on a motorbike - you wanna patent that quick.

18 Aug 2026 00:21:12
Grav's not currently the 6 we need, but he's the 6 we have, that's not going to change, we're not going out to spend £100m on a DM and pay Grav £280k a week to sit on the bench.

18 Aug 2026 03:28:25
It doesn't matter if it's 2 years, 2 months, or half an hour, if the right player at the right price (in the club's estimation) isn't available then there's no point spending money just for the sake of it.

18 Aug 2026 06:10:00
Think someone needs to go Specsavers if they think we are that bad.

18 Aug 2026 06:31:29
And who is this right player, WDW? Some 48 teams play in the UCL and similar numbers in the EL. Are you saying there isn’t one good CDM in the whole of Europe? Then I have nothing to add. Why don’t you just accept the club isn’t pursuing a CDM? If you are fully behind the board, then you should retain them.

18 Aug 2026 08:27:27
This is such an unbalanced assessment, it is unbelievable. If you read this without any context you'd genuinely think Jay was talking about a team that's in danger of relegation. It's honestly not even worth anyone's time to reply to the individual points that have been made.

18 Aug 2026 09:01:22
The right player is decided by the club, @Whndm. Not by us. How do you think AI is going to set the team up to play? Once that is decided, the scours and analytics team can be given an idea of the player profile that we want. Then it depends if a targeted player wants to come, if his club are interested in selling, if we can agree terms and if our priorities don't change for things like the need to buy a player for a position where we've lost, say, two or three players to an injury.



A lot of people think we need players at RB, RW and DM, but they want a name, in a lot of cases, not really seeing what the club sees in terms of need rather than want.

Who do you think should choose the players we buy?

18 Aug 2026 09:01:33
In terms of an assessment of where we are right now, I'd say we've got a fairly strong starting eleven. That should be good enough to finish somewhere from third to fifth.

The main reason I doubt we'll finish higher is that defensively we've still got holes, both in midfield and at fullback. I'm not convinced with either fullback defensively, or our midfield.

The second reason is that last season we didn't score enough goals. We need to average two per game to finish higher.

We haven't filled the right wing spot, and that, together with a lack of RB, hasn't been addressed, which will mean the right side won't function in a creative sense. I also don't think Isak will last more than a half dozen games without injury, so we'll have to patch it up.

Obviously, there's a couple of weeks left in the window, and we should start with a win, but over the course of a season I think we're light squad wise.

17 Aug 2026 17:50:42
Is there any code for Fantasy league?

17 Aug 2026 20:03:06
If you were in it last season, Bhav, you'll automatically be added this season. 👍

17 Aug 2026 20:50:12
Thanks, I was there last season but it seems a new app. And I don't see new LFC Rumours League.

17 Aug 2026 22:56:45
I'd like the code if there is one. 🤞

17 Aug 2026 17:49:15
🚨‼️ "I had a conversation this morning and I think, the way it was phrased to me, there is close to 0% chance of a midfielder being signed, even in the event of Curtis Jones leaving"

[@davidlynchlfc on @AnfieldIndex]

17 Aug 2026 18:52:50
I would be stunned if we didn't purchase at the very least one midfielder.

17 Aug 2026 18:54:26
Forget competing for anything if we don't improve Midfield. Good luck.

17 Aug 2026 19:01:01
So there's still a chance then. 😁

17 Aug 2026 19:13:28
We are in discussions around a midfielder, but that doesn't mean we will a) sign one and b) sign the one you want.

17 Aug 2026 20:03:44
What if a new midfielder comes in and passes sideways, like Sideways Henderson?

17 Aug 2026 21:19:50
Who's the midfielder going to be?

17 Aug 2026 21:21:05
Haven't we got interest in Camara?

18 Aug 2026 07:27:14
Very impressed with L. Camara and Sadiki.

17 Aug 2026 16:14:15
Definitely not ITK but Endrick sounds like a good option to me. Striker and left footed right forward. Seems perfect cover to me.

17 Aug 2026 17:40:24
He's a bellend on and off the pitch. Hard no.

17 Aug 2026 18:02:05
What Metal Mickey said.

17 Aug 2026 18:26:28
So am I, to be fair, so maybe me and Endrick could be mates.

17 Aug 2026 16:14:04
Is anyone else feeling like there stuck between a rock and a hard place?

On my ne hand I want us to keep everything under wraps and randomly announce a signing to surprise us.

On the other I want minute by minute updates from the trusted info (the fields, Macca, Carra, VG, Ned ect).



I do just want to say however how massively appreciated the itk’s are for all there information wether good or bad.

Cheers.

17 Aug 2026 17:57:32
BetterHelp. You deserve to be happy!

17 Aug 2026 15:49:39
Spurs have apparently offered a larger wage, longer contract and that he will be their main CF.

17 Aug 2026 17:53:41
Selling Gakpo to sign Bracola is like shifting the wound from your right leg to the left leg. It cancels out. FSG doing their usual balancing act.

17 Aug 2026 17:58:10
Wild, isn't he already on 300k pw?

17 Aug 2026 18:03:17
Not if you're right footed.

17 Aug 2026 18:15:07
Gakpo is on 250kpw. Spurs gave Robbo a 4 year deal, so offering good terms.

17 Aug 2026 18:21:13
I saw a piece over the weekend on how Gakpo would work perfectly for De Zerbi as a 9 because he would drop deep and link up play.

Not sure if I've missed those games, but every time I've watched him with his back to goal, his second touch has always been a tackle.

17 Aug 2026 18:53:54
"His second touch has always been a tackle." Hilarious.

17 Aug 2026 19:31:06
Spurs will still be bad this year with or without Gakpo.

17 Aug 2026 20:14:12
We tried Gakkers as a false 9 when we first signed him. He was rubbish, so we binned that idea.

We've tried him as a 10 and as an 8 too. He wasn't great there either. LW is his best position, but he needs to play with a false 9, so he can cut into the space left when he drops deep.

Good luck, Spurs.

17 Aug 2026 16:26:45
Hi Ed01,
Just wondering what your thoughts are for this season? Any predictions? Chelsea look a bit stronger (and only have PL to concentrate on), Citeh look a bit weaker, Arsenal about the same or slightly improved. If Barcola and Mbaye/Rayan arrive and another midfielder then I'd say we've strengthened and we should improve from last season (which isn't saying much). Thanks

{Ed001's Note - I expect us to be much better this season, but it will take time to get going most likely. Arsenal have the best squad and should win easily, their biggest weakness is the manager still and his caution will stop them running away with the league this season. With a bit of luck, it might be enough to give us a shot, though that is unlikely.

City will likely be hampered by Maresca, who is not a top class manager by any means. His inability to organise a defence is likely to be their undoing. Chelsea can be a threat, but they lack players at their peak. Everyone is either young or veterans, which is an issue for a team aiming for a title.}

17 Aug 2026 17:37:37
Spot on Ed1
Don't underestimate Villa and I think Spurs will be stronger this season. I think we will get a CL spot and be much closer to Arsenal than last season. May need to do business in the winter window to deal with a lack of squad depth.

Ido think all our new signings look promising so better than last window and last seasons signings are looking better. Overall we are looking like a stronger team and most importantly we are looking a lot fitter.

{Ed001's Note - Spurs will be stronger? They were battling relegation last season, of course they will be stronger, but they are still full of trash and have a manager that falls out with his own shadow.}

17 Aug 2026 17:36:34
Thankks Ed, I completely agree and I think we will try to strenghten in January

{Ed001's Note - we are always looking to strengthen. Last January we signed Jacquet, for example. We never stopped trying to improve.}

17 Aug 2026 17:57:49
Couldn't agree more with Maresca comment Ed001, I can't believe that's the route they have taken. If I have to eat my words then so be it but he seems like he needed time at a club where he can show his worth, he's destined to fail at a City team no where near as strong as they used to be. AI might succeed and he might not but he's shown what he can do with Bournemouth therefore earned this shot. Same with Xabi earning this opportunity though I think his is also a big jump. It's so open if the top teams play to their best ability but it's rare that happens.

Only discouraging thing this season is that the mid table teams that were causing upsets last year seem to have all weakened, personally I think that's gutting as being tested every game makes for such a better season. We should be there or thereabouts come Christmas and hopefully that gives us opportunity to tinker with a few places in the market. Just can't look past Arsenal with that squad. Terribly boring but effective and depth to last the whole way in all comps.

17 Aug 2026 19:36:21
Arsenal def stronger, but won't be so aided by the refs at set pieces. We will def improve. Our defense will be much better, but we still need to sort the midfield. Chelsea, the unknown.

Spurs will start well, but fade. We have a favourable fixture list to bed in players and get fitness levels up. Newcastle was a tough one initially, but imo they will struggle this season.