10 Jan 2025 12:30:56
Hi Ed001, I highly appreciate the effort you put into this site and I'd imagine your work load has vastly increased since the unfortunate passing of Ed002. I do have a question though if you don't mind please? Lots of rumours that Doak and Elliot could well be off very soon, I don't agree with that one bit and think we should be keeping highly promising young home grown players like them. Do you think there is a chance they will be sold and if so why? Thank you.
{Ed001's Note - there is a very good chance because both would make a significant accounting profit to enable the club to finance signings and neither are seen as reaching the level required.}
10 Jan 2025 12:56:39
Even Elliot Ed001 mate? I understand the injuries, but really a shame for him if he’s not able to show what he can do under slot. What do you think is lacking from Slot and his coaches’ point of view mate?
Interesting though, love the lad and can see his passion for the club.
{Ed001's Note - I think the injury just came at a bad time for him. Personally I would sack off Mac Allister before him, but it is not my decision and Elliott is better from an accounting point of view.}
10 Jan 2025 13:06:42
I get that Ed, but even though I rate Elliot above Jones I would imagine that Jones would cost more to buy? Seems a shame, I really like Elliot as a player, he always looks and drives forward when he has the ball. Do you know if there is anyone in particular we are looking to buy if we get money for Elliot or Doak or is just a case of balancing the books? Thank you.
{Ed001's Note - I don't know who we are looking to, but it does seem to be a case of raising cash to buy players, rather than balancing the books. I would have assumed a midfielder anyway, but if Elliott is going that need increases. But we still face the prospect of having to replace 3 key players as well.}
10 Jan 2025 13:25:42
This has the same ring to it as Chelsea and Newcastle where they are selling their best youngsters to bank roll the 1st team. an unforseen effect of PSR.
10 Jan 2025 13:26:35
I think Elliott is really technically gifted but he lacks the strength to be in the centre and the speed to be on the wing. I would sell Jones before Elliott who is still too hot and cold and is prone to muscle injuries but it's not my decision either.
10 Jan 2025 13:47:48
I would sell all three and get some money to invest in the squad now that it’s clear we don’t have cash available. All those years of dominance on the pitch and CL and we are down to bare bones.
10 Jan 2025 13:57:24
It would be a tragedy to let Elliott go. His work rate is superb as is his mentality, you see how much it means to him playing for us every time he takes to the pitch. I very much hope it’s not true, I like him so much I bought an Elliott kit right after preseason.
10 Jan 2025 14:18:08
FSG_PR, we’re cobbling enough pennies together for the summer window after next for that big all out assault to sign Snoogie Doogie and Bozo Texino.
10 Jan 2025 14:27:55
It doesn't surprise me that Elliott could be sold. The last two games have shown us how much with Szobo's energy/ legs. What chance does Harvey have here?
If Brighton are interested in Elliott then there's a couple of players they have that we like the look of.
Really happy that Doak is making the most of his loan and attracting attention. Hope he gets a move where he can build on that rather than sit on the bench.
10 Jan 2025 14:37:07
I'd imagine Elliott, Doak and Morton are all for sale at the right price. They are all great sales for the accounting side of PSR and none of them are contributing to the first team right now so it's not like we would even be desperate to replace them. McConnell and Nyoni arguably step into the place of Elliott and Morton as 6th and 7th choice midfielders. Doak isn't even in the squad to need replacing. Yet their sales probably fetch close to £80m, which is nearly all profit within the PSR guidelines.
Be interesting to see what goes down but ultimately, a huge mistake Klopp and Edwards repeatedly made was to hold on to players too long and eventually their values fell until they left for peanuts or ran down their contracts. Edwards and Slot have to get that side of things right. City have actually done it to great effect in recent years. Yes, it bit them in the backside with Cole Palmer but it also did them a huge favour with Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres, Olek Zinchenko, Raheem Sterling etc. who all fell apart as footballers after their sales but still raked in over £100m.
10 Jan 2025 14:40:16
The mad thing is that United are now open to selling mainoo because of the pure profit thing too, and he’s pretty much their best player and future. Bizarre how these psr regulations have created such a strange consequence.
10 Jan 2025 13:08:32
Mac Allister? Really Ed? I think he’s class!
10 Jan 2025 14:48:04
Elliott’s a lovely guy and his attitude is spot on . Nice skill levels as well, but hasn’t got the physical attributes to play for us as a week in week out starter. That’s why he’s surplus, and the profit angle helps us right now as we need to buy desperately.
Ben Doaks got the physical side, but not the decision making at the moment, not at elite level anyway. Again that's why if we can turn a surplus we’ve got to let him go unfortunately.
If we want to be elite, and be able to keep investing in new players and pay others crazy salaries to keep them, we have to make these harsh calls. The club probably ideally want to keep them, but equally would prefer not to pay Trent and others £250k plus a week. Not sure how else they can balance the books.
10 Jan 2025 15:08:46
Rather we sold Jones than elliot.
10 Jan 2025 15:30:58
I imagine we have to raise funds to be safe on the FFP front as it looks like our losses are big from last season with no Champs’ league plus signing 4 midfielders.
Which leaves me so confused about how Arsenal and Man U have been able to spend so much.
Martin Samuel at The Times does drone on an awful lot about the unfairness of FFP as he feels it makes it impossible for ambitious clubs to compete with the big 6. He does have a point, but I do like the idea of clubs being self-sufficient.
10 Jan 2025 16:18:47
I ultimately wouldn’t mind if we sold Curtis but probably one to revisit in the summer. I think he’s a step up on Harvey given the system we play, so don’t mind keeping him as a rotation option, and he’s also got a good attitude and work ethic.
As we’re looking to bring one more in in the central positions that will push him further down the pecking order, so he may start to look elsewhere anyway.
10 Jan 2025 16:33:05
Thank you Ed, sorry for bugging you with another question but if it was up to you, which players would you move on in order to make money?
{Ed001's Note - Mac Allister, Jota, Quansah, possibly Nunez.}
10 Jan 2025 16:48:07
I think it would be a massive mistake to sell Harvey myself. The lad always gives 200% is a mad liverpool fan (that matters to me) and will run through brick walls for the team and we need players like that. He’s obviously a bag of tricks as well and has a wicked shot on him.
I really hope we don’t sell in Jan and give him some time to bed into this new set up under Slot as he’s not really had the chance as of yet.
10 Jan 2025 17:01:21
I think Doak could play a role as Salah’s understudy he’d have offered us more than Chiesa has.
10 Jan 2025 17:29:16
Well if we need to sell elliot and doak who haven't even been chances this season but keep players like Jones and buying keepers for 30m who aren't even that good then sorry but i might just call this club a day. If that's how bad we are ran as a club then the future is far from bright. I'd sooner elliot plays than injury prone jota, nunez and Jones all day long.
10 Jan 2025 17:48:09
I agree with the poster who mentioned Jones before Elliot as he blows too hot and cold for me for a player reaching his mid-twenties.
Ed001, would Jones make your list of players to release for profit? I'd imagine he'd carve out a great career at a mid-table club.
{Ed001's Note - I would prefer to sell neither, but if it is necessary I would consider Jones as well, yes. And Morton.}
10 Jan 2025 19:02:52
Curtis probably suit Fulham, not sure how good Morton is yet and whether his value is peak level or whether a final loan may help him. Curtis will probably decline value wise, so a decision will need to be taken soon. He was linked with Arsenal last season, whether true or not I still think he’s a top ten in the Prem level player. Ironically if he didn’t play for us we’d probably like him more.
I like Mac in a more advanced role and would keep until summer at least, still like to see Darwin given a run until end of season, but if no improvement let him go then.
10 Jan 2025 22:17:01
If Jones wasn't a local lad he'd be gone . He's not getting any better and isn't likely to at this stage either. Cash in on him now and get a decent fee for him. No point in sentiment getting in the way of business.
11 Jan 2025 07:49:45
Curtis has two bad games and folks pile on him saying he’s only in the team because he’s a scouser, does anybody appreciate him on here?