Liverpool banter 10

06 Aug 2026 11:09:53
Akilouche on his ways to Paris to complete the move according to Fabrizio.

Dominoes about to fall it seems.

06 Aug 2026 11:25:02
Let's hope so!

06 Aug 2026 16:21:43
Hopefully, Taurus pal so we can get a few closed off.

06 Aug 2026 11:07:18
Ed1, you have any idea if any of the youngsters manage to impress Iraola during the pre season? I've not watch a single pre season games, but have seen a lot of good comments on Nyoni.

{Ed001's Note - I don't mate sorry.}

06 Aug 2026 11:35:19
These next games will tell us a lot about who he rates once we have all the World Cup players back.

Could see Nyoni starting first game of the season potentially or coming off the bench. Depends on what Gravy shows Andoni.

06 Aug 2026 11:50:57
I get the impression that Chambers has impressed and I wonder (hope) he will be considered as an alternative lb option. It will be great to start bleeding through some youth again. I also have high hopes of Nyoni. He has certainly grown and now looks physically strong enough to be considered an option and squad player.

06 Aug 2026 11:51:53
Ndukwe, Kouamas, Nyoni are the main 3 and Chambers has done a very good job filling in at CB when needed.

06 Aug 2026 11:53:47
I can see Nyoni starting next to Grav for the opener. With transfers moving at snail pace, I wouldn't be surprised to see Wirtz or Szobo covering on one of the wings, with the other in midfield alongside Nyoni & Grav.

I'm not sure that there is much point in guessing yet, though.

We don't know who will come in (Barcola?, Mbaye?, Wharton?) or, indeed, who will leave (Macca?, Gakpo?, Curtis?). Will any new signings be up-to-speed in time? I think we will know more after these upcoming Anfield friendlies on what kind of lineup Iraola is likely to put out for the opener.

06 Aug 2026 12:18:00
All of them have acquitted themselves pretty well in the grand scheme of things.

Nyoni and Ndukwe the clear standouts.

Rio was very rusty but looked better in the last game. The quality of the pitches won't help his dribbling.

Shout out to Koumas and Chambers for showing their desire to force their way into the gaffer's reckoning.



Abe is really really young. Ndiaye is very raw. Morrison struggled to get into games, though I did like his RB covering effort in the last game. Wright did ok in the few minutes he got. Scanlon has loads of pace but lacks the technical skills. Sonnie-Lambie didn't really have enough minutes to show anything.

06 Aug 2026 12:43:27
I don't understand this viewpoint of Szob starting on the wings. He is our best player. Why would we move him out to the wings, especially when Ai wants pace and directness out wide - I think both he and Ai, with their recent comments, have made it clear he will be in midfield.



Barring injury, I reckon our line up vs Newcastle will be (4-2-3-1)
Isak
Barcola, Wirtz, Rio/Munoz
Szob and Grav
Kerkez, VVD, Jacquet, new signing
Alison.

06 Aug 2026 12:49:51
I don't think Wharton will come in now, unless Jones/Macca leave. We had the whole summer to do the deal. He didn't go to the WC either.

06 Aug 2026 13:42:53
It's a possible need rather than a preference, @MOT. You have Barcola and 'new signing' in your lineup, which would be great, but I can't see any players not already signed by now starting that first game. Barcola doesn't even start his pre-season until next week, and the start of the season is rapidly approaching.

Hopefully Munoz can get up to speed by then, but he only started his pre-season this week, so we will need to see how his injury that he had at the World Cup reacts. Same goes for Jacquet. He hasn't been fit enough to play any pre-season games as yet, so we will have to see.

06 Aug 2026 10:14:58.
Apparently Rodri is close to agreeing a deal with Barcelona…. Maybe Madrid will now come in for Macca?

06 Aug 2026 10:31:38
Enzo Fernandez will be their next choice, I think. I think Macca will end up at Atletico Madrid, but I also wouldn't rule out him staying, and we don't sign a midfielder.

06 Aug 2026 11:41:09
If they wanted Rodri because they want a defensive minded midfielder, I can't imagine that either Macca or Enzo would be great alternatives.

06 Aug 2026 11:41:38
Didn't he (Rodri) want to go to Real Madrid?

06 Aug 2026 12:44:47
I wouldn't be against Macca staying, especially if he wants to.

If that eventuated, I would hope that Iraola's plan is to play Macca higher up the pitch.

06 Aug 2026 12:52:53
Can we entice them with a 20% off or something? He's gotta go, man.

06 Aug 2026 13:02:11
Keep hearing that Macca's hair today, gone tomorrow. I think it's important that we keep him, as he can plug the gap and weave his magic.

06 Aug 2026 12:44:23
Imagine going for Rodri and ending up with that rat faced knobhead Enzo.

06 Aug 2026 13:18:05
Is diving Magic?

06 Aug 2026 14:08:10
VV, that's some nasty work.

06 Aug 2026 09:38:12
Hello guys,

Anyone got anymore info abt a marquee signing in midfield that was brought up a few days ago?

06 Aug 2026 10:14:27
Apparently it's a midfielder.

Ta.

06 Aug 2026 10:16:52
It would be just guesswork, mate. Nobody apart from Victorgoddamn would know! Hehe.

06 Aug 2026 10:42:33
I'm thinking Valverde but that's a complete guess.

06 Aug 2026 10:43:38
I would guess it's not really going to progress anywhere, seeing as it's 3 weeks until the window closes.
A transfer of such scale should take many weeks and many man hours to negotiate. There would probably be some info coming out. We don't really have the time to dedicate to one player, we need several players.

That's my uninformed take.

06 Aug 2026 11:17:54
Maybe he could just tell us? Crazy, I know.

06 Aug 2026 11:29:29
Could be related to Rodri moving. If he moves to Barca, maybe it's Gavi/Casado.

06 Aug 2026 11:50:18
Florian, if he did tell us and it didn't come off, can you imagine the pelters he'd get from some on here. "But you said...."
Also may compromise the person he gets the info from.
If it happens and a top player is signed, great.
If it doesn't, that's football.

06 Aug 2026 12:29:50
To be fair to VG, he did say that he wasn't going to divulge that info because it could compromise his source.

He also said it was in the works and the club are confident of a deal. At no point did he say it was a definite.

It's all a bit of fun really and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

06 Aug 2026 16:08:44
Seems like nonsense to me.

06 Aug 2026 08:08:53
I hope our players are also "fuming" after the Leeds loss, just like the Gooners players after their defeat yesterday.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

06 Aug 2026 08:49:35
It's always been the Liverpool winning way:

"To get ye own house in order first"

Jealousy gets you nowhere?

06 Aug 2026 08:58:09
I've really enjoyed oppo fans trying to banter us about that Leeds result. If you look at the team that finished the game, it's not going to be remotely reflective of the team that plays for us next season.
GK Mamardahvili - will play >20 games next season.
RB Ramsay - probably will leave.
CB Ndukwe - will leave on loan.
CB Ndiaye - will play >10 games next season.
LB Tsimikas - probably will leave.
CM Jones - probably will leave.


CM Gravenberch - his first minutes back from holiday.
AM Elliott - probably will leave.
RW Scanlon - an actual LB, who will probably leave.
ST Chiesa - probably will leave.
LW Koumas - probably will leave.

Mama, Ndiaye and Gravenberch are probably the only 3 on the pitch who will play for us next season and one will be 2nd GK and another will be 5th or 6th CB. Gravenberch is the only one I was concerned about.

06 Aug 2026 09:16:26
Who cares about training matches?

06 Aug 2026 09:37:31
Whilst I agree with the principle, Adam. But realistically, we won't be losing 7 of that team, in my opinion.

I think individuals who then get drafted into the first team over the season because of injuries etc won't be quite as exposed with lots of first teamers around them.

06 Aug 2026 09:50:22
Anyone who allows themselves to be wound up by opposition fans after losing a training match where we literally had one potential first team player on the pitch needs to give their head a wobble.

It didn't even point to a lack of squad depth. Some of those on the pitch were 5th choice or worse.

Take it for what it is and move on.

06 Aug 2026 10:22:40
I think we will, Zedd. The way I'm looking at it is we will sign another 3 or 4 players and most of them are academy kids who were filling in for senior pros. Tsimikas is the only one I was debating to myself, but I think Chambers has done enough to be the new back up for LB/CB. Even, if you take out those 8 players I said won't be here, this would still be the 28-strong squad with 4 new signings.

GK: Alisson, Mama, Jaros, Woodman.
RB: New, Frimpong, Bradley.
CB: Jacquet, Leoni.
CB: Virgil, Gomez, Ndiaye.


LB: Kerkez, Chambers.
DM: New, Nyoni, Endo.
CM: Szoboszlai, Gravenberch.
AM: Wirtz, Morrison.
RW: New, Munoz.
ST: Isak, Ekitike, Wright.
LW: New, Rio.

(Hopefully Kounde, Camara, Mbaye and Barcola).

If any of Ramsay, Ndukwe, Tsimikas, Jones, Elliott, Scanlon, Chiesa or Koumas are still here when the window closes, I'll be staggered. Ndukwe aside, they've just not done enough in pre-season, in my opinion, to justify keeping them; and Ndukwe can't get a work permit.

06 Aug 2026 10:25:35
Btw, even that is assuming Gakpo and Mac Allister leave on top of those 8 I listed.

06 Aug 2026 10:27:21
More worrying thing is we seem to be doing pre-season matches for non first-team players.

We all saw last season what the importance is of a pre-season, and with the WC and players yet to sign, the best case scenario is some first-team players might get minutes in our last 2 pre-season games, and worst case 1 or none prior to the season starting.



Realistically I'd imagine all top leagues would like to see a later season start after World Cups etc.

{Ed025's Note - i agree JK..

06 Aug 2026 10:59:38
I agree with that in principle, JK, but I would say that players coming back from a World Cup have still maintained their fitness until late July.

Last season we had players clocking off in late April after we'd won the league and then coming back to the devastation of a lost team member and friend.

Like Robbo said, they just didn't feel like playing football, so any preseason we might have had would not have been conducted at full intensity.

It's just a totally different scenario than this season and so shouldn't be compared as if it's the same thing.

06 Aug 2026 11:05:01
If Infantino manages to keep hold of his job and he gets his way for a 64 team World Cup, it'll rake months to stage the tournament. The following season won't start until Christmas !!

06 Aug 2026 11:19:29
Couldn't give the slightest toss about pre-season results. Good or bad.

06 Aug 2026 11:43:11
1jj, people who have some sense.

06 Aug 2026 13:46:18
We were cack in the 2019/20 pre season. That didn't turn out so bad.

The real game to be looking at is Newcastle.

06 Aug 2026 14:09:58
Exactly, Lofty1979. Anyone losing their ship over a preseason game is doing his/her own head in.

The rest of us don't have to participate in their own madness.

06 Aug 2026 15:32:55
Bp, I suppose it depends on when they were knocked out of World Cup, I suppose, mate.

Dutch lads we've seen Grav get minutes but not Virg or Gakpo.

You agreed in principle and then argued against it lol. Always good to debate with you.

06 Aug 2026 07:06:13.
Morning Reds.
Really big fan of the site, looking forward to the new season under the new manager. Hopefully we will get some of the transfers over the line soon.
All the best.

06 Aug 2026 11:32:28.
Rather Koumas stays, MK. Need the HG status, and he's versatile; all attacking positions including AM.

Two-footed (dominant left), quick, direct, hardworking and tough, above average finishing, pressing machine, Wales regular.

Covers Isak and would trust him earlier in the game before putting Chiesa in for the final 10mins.

With the possibility of Elliott and Jones leaving, HG status is replaced by Chambers and Koumas.

06 Aug 2026 06:46:14
Signings are a bit slow this window. Are the Newcastle scouts on strike?

06 Aug 2026 08:00:03
Don't worry, they will be looking for dm soon.
And we can swoop in and take it.

06 Aug 2026 08:49:40
And at the same time we can take their current RB off their hands...

Wouldn't mind Livramento at LFC.

06 Aug 2026 09:26:58
JLC, Livramento is pretty injury prone, I'm afraid.

06 Aug 2026 09:35:14
Livramento would become good friends with Gomez and Bradley.

06 Aug 2026 09:57:33
I've heard the Newcastle scouts have some big plans for this weekend.
Washing cars and packing bags in a supermarket, I believe.

06 Aug 2026 11:44:30
JLC, Livramento is more injury prone than Gomez. Let that marinade, a lil' bit.

06 Aug 2026 01:37:29
Eds Just out of curiosity, has Trent been considered to come back? 1st thing Jose done at Madrid was bring in Dumfries, surely Trent knows he's going to be a bench warmer. Would fellow fans welcome him back?

{Ed001's Note - not that I am aware of, no.}

06 Aug 2026 07:30:57
There was a poll done on him returning a few days ago BDG but I can't remember the final result.

06 Aug 2026 07:57:01
Jose wants to use him as a RM not a RB. He might change his mind in 6 months, but that's the plan right now.

06 Aug 2026 09:28:22
Poll result.
Would you take Trent back?
Yes 60%
No 40%.

06 Aug 2026 00:14:38
Please Mr John Henry go and get Jules Kounde for the club and Zabaryni whilst we are effing around with PSG and funding their summer spend.

06 Aug 2026 09:15:50.
My sauce tells me that John Dubya is ringing round trying to buy Diamonde and Jules.
Belly Barcola has already been gift wrapped.
Watch this space.

Tartare for now.

06 Aug 2026 11:22:44
Doesn't any club that buys a player off another club fund their summer spend?