04 Oct 2020 14:23:10
Hi Eds. Has the Work Permit situation changed for Grujic? The reason I ask is that if the tabloids are to be true and another Premier League club wants to buy him, surely they would have the same Work Permit issue? Thanks.
{Ed002's Note - No they would not have the WP issue Liverpool has.}
04 Oct 2020 15:44:13
Is the WP issue for us the fact we lied before or that he wouldn't be a first team starter?
{Ed002's Note - He doesn't qualify for a WP for Liverpool and previously got one on the exception rule where someone from Liverpool lied. Another English side would not have a problem.}
04 Oct 2020 16:12:31
Thanks for the reply. I never realised that.
04 Oct 2020 21:24:25
Don't sell Grujic
Don't sell Shakiri
Sell Keita.
05 Oct 2020 03:08:47
Would love to have a time machine and just not sign him in the first place. Keita is the biggest waste of money the club has ever made. Of course we should sell him but the problem is who is going to buy him? Certainly no English team, and his reputation in Germany is not as high as some people seem to think. The club will have to bite the bullet and make a considerable loss if we are to get rid of him. Total fiasco.
05 Oct 2020 09:57:27
Keita has looked sharper than ever as of late but admittedly does seem to just lose concentration at times in games. He has never really reached full confidence hence never reaching the potential that he shows glimpses off, for me it makes more sense to give him more opportunities to build his confidence than to sell him for what would clearly be a loss given his form and the current economic climate. I still think there is a class player in there somewhere and playing alongside Thiago may help his game.
{Ed025's Note - i dont know what games you have been watching CS, but he has been awful from day 1 mate..
05 Oct 2020 10:54:20
Your optimism is admirable CS, but if a player is still not confident after 66 games, he never will be. I think the confidence problem may be due to the fact that he knows he's not good enough for this team. I could go on, but I've been grumbling about him from day one on other sites and the guy is just exhausting me!
05 Oct 2020 10:57:35
I watch most of our games Ed025 and also follow the stats, a player who was only given 814 mins in the prem last season returned 2 goals and 3 assists, granted he is playing in one of the most attacking teams in Europe but a solid goal creation ratio for someone you consider to be "awful". I'm not claiming he is the finished article but he has shown glimpses of a top player and with more confidence and opportunities may be able to achieve some consistency.
{Ed025's Note - im not convinced CS, loved him at RBL but he has been a bitter disappointment for me mate..
05 Oct 2020 20:05:20
I'm with CS, don't understand the Keita hate at all. Think he will turn good for us and Thiago will only encourage that.
07 Oct 2020 00:41:18
I know keita has left many fans annoyed and frustrated but I for one am still backing him to become a success and improve. His last 2 seasons have been completely disrupted by injury setbacks and never got a run together to settle in. His few periods where he enjoyed some consecutive games have shown promise. He made his first start in December last year and was MOTM against Bournemouth notching a goal and assist. He then scored in our next game in CL and also scored in CWC and for those couple of weeks where he played before another setback he was arguably our most in form player. When he next got a run of games for us he was a top performer in a couple of games with key goal involvements to make the first 2 goals against Brighton and against Chelsea also. A few games he was in contention for the MOTM. This season he has not yet hit the heights but in midfield we have also seen wijnaldum perform below par, Henderson and fabinho have enjoyed sloppy games also from midfield.
We shouldn't write him off just yet when klopp clearly sees something that leads to him being a starter in our midfield to date this season. If keita continues to disappoint while playing and being fit for a long period that's when I will say enough is enough but I personally can see him improving and having more impact in his role while gaining more confidence once we get settled as our midfield has lacked any sort of rhythm to date with a rusty hendo starting twice and needing to be replaced early, fabinho hardly been involved in midfield beside him and thiago yet to offer that calm in our midfield where keita can thrive. Leeds, Chelsea and arsenal were not easy opponents either and keita can be far more productive in the fixtures ahead when we play teams who he can damage when bringing the ball beyond midfield. I sincerely believe he has plenty yet to show us that can stop the constant criticism as every game now the automatic scapegoat is keita. Curtis Jones and gini wijnaldum were just as guilty over last 2 games as being off the pace. Against arsenal keita was impressive in our 3-1 domination yet any praise seemed reluctant to be made towards him. Let him have a chance with a run of games and see how he does when up to speed.
AOC has also been largely innecective for the amount of time keita has but always gets the backing from us. Keita is only 25 so has plenty of room left for improvement. Just remember Henderson, wijnaldum who've been vital to our midfield were still far from reaching their peak when they were at keitas age. Salah mane firmino AOC VVD alisson weren't yet world class or even at the top level in the 2 seasons they were playing as a 23 and 24 year old. Let keita prove that he either can or can't make it while he's fit and available instead of letting his injuries define his ability as a player.
{Ed001's Note - I am not sure sorry, I know there were rumblings a few more might have to go into isolation but it is impossible to separate fact from fiction right now as you need to know who had contact with whom to have any kind of clue. There were a few knocks in training, as there usually is, but not sure how bad they are. The games are coming so thick and fast it is not giving much time for anything to be definite. The problem is that there might well have to be players missing for freshness reasons, which can get out as 'X has an injury', when it is just rotation to avoid injury.