21 Jul 2024 09:40:40
Rumours today that Saudi PIF are trying to make a move for Virgil happen. Sticking point is Liverpool asked for €55m and they could walk away at that price knowing that in 6 months he's free to negotiate a pre-contract. I think we need to drop that asking price significantly if we want to make a sale happen this summer. Virgil is apparently interested though.
Might explain why we suddenly switched to Inacio being No.1 target and put everything else on the back burner.
21 Jul 2024 10:08:43
Great info Mk thanks for sharing mate ??.
21 Jul 2024 10:09:18
I sincerely hope it doesn’t happen, Virgil in his decline is still probably the second best center back in the league and one of the 5 best center halves in Europe, also my concern is that even though inacio is excellent in possession, he doesn’t have Virgil’s other qualities defending the box, near invincibility one on one, mobility covering huge amounts of space in transition, he’s considerably smaller and not as intimidating of a physical specimen as Virgil is, so I really don’t know how that’s going to work out. That being said I haven’t seen inacio play much, every time I’ve seen him sporting have loads of the ball and he steps out into midfield.
21 Jul 2024 10:34:27
PB we have to replace vvd at some point in the very near future mate he is 33 and can walk for free in 12 months and only going to get slower so why not replace now why we can still get some money to help cover the cost of he’s replacement.
21 Jul 2024 11:03:42
Virgil is still the best CB in the world, by some distance. Bar the game at the Emirates, he had an excellent season last year. We should give him a new deal.
Inacio is not a patch on our captain. Behave.
21 Jul 2024 11:16:55
Am sorry but vvd isn’t even the best CB in the prem never mind the world. Ever heard of Saliba!
21 Jul 2024 11:53:31
I get that longthing, but losing our most important player and captain besides Ali while getting accustomed to a new coach and way of playing might prove rather too much for us to handle in a short span of time, Virgil‘s skill set is very difficult to replace (not to mention he’s always the biggest threat on any set piece in the box), and from what I’ve seen inacio is a brilliant player in the buildup but probably not capable of filling in for Virgil in other respects.
Who knows, maybe slot will play much more conservatively than klopp did and not use his two center backs (especially Virgil) as a get out of jail card, but from what I’ve seen of feyenoord his center backs do have a lot of responsibility on and off the ball, so I’m dubious to say the least.
21 Jul 2024 12:15:53
MK can the club not do two things at once? Just like last season a bid at a time and waiting until the last minute. If Virg is going get a CB while sorting Trent’s contract and putting offers on a DM. Seriously, imagine only being able to negotiate one transfer at a time. Worst thing is with inacio there is nothing to negotiate, they just need to pay the buyout in full.
21 Jul 2024 12:21:56
Longthing - Saliba is good at ground duels but he’s average at best in the air. Virgil was and is much better than Saliba, even with the massive protection Saliba gets from his teammates.
21 Jul 2024 12:23:59
I’d be gutted to see him go but I know it’s sooner rather than later now.
21 Jul 2024 12:41:02
All that from a rumour.
quality stuff.
21 Jul 2024 12:45:58
We will concede so many set pieces if VVD leaves. We have a soft centre already. I would fear for a top 4 finish if he does leave.
21 Jul 2024 13:28:56
Disastrous to lose Virg this summer, would seriously jeopardise our hopes of top 4.For me staying in the champs lge is worth more than €55m.
21 Jul 2024 13:35:16
I’d rather he went for free next year than sold now. To much of a transition new coach and tactics it’s not rocket science nor is it like he is terrible and has to go. Football and winning over saving money.
21 Jul 2024 14:16:07
Yeah I’d rather he stayed for another year and left on a free than accept €55m.
21 Jul 2024 15:00:08
I've not seen Inacio play but worries me that a 41 year old was played ahead of him for Portugal at the Euros.
21 Jul 2024 17:12:40
Where does this waiting till the last minute come from, Mac and szob were signed early in the window last year.
21 Jul 2024 18:04:24
Lads it’s just a rumour, don’t go at each others throats. For the record I’ve been one of the main posters on here saying we should keep Virgil, Salah and Trent. They’re all world class in my opinion.
Again, just a rumour I’m sharing on a rumours site. No dramas.
21 Jul 2024 18:16:09
VVD is a leader and a big personality in the team. Good luck replacing that with someone who can pick that up straight away.
21 Jul 2024 18:38:35
There is a very good explanation as to why the Portuguese manager would choose a 41 year old ahead of him. The Portugal manager is Bob Martinez and we all know how clueless he is.
21 Jul 2024 19:44:15
I don’t can you give me a rundown as to why he is clueless, please @Victor?
21 Jul 2024 23:30:10
Roberto Martinez is possibly the best example of a manager failing upwards. He has left every position he's had worse than he found it.
The Belgium team he was the manager of was probably the best selection of Belgium talent on their history and repeatedly underachieved while also playing terrible football, a routine he's repeating at Portugal.
21 Jul 2024 23:38:38
Theslotmachine, I wouldn’t judge him based on the Portugal team given it was basically set up around Ronaldo, having said that Pepe had a pretty good tournament.