28 Jan 2025 06:50:39
Morning Eds
Do you see the lack of acidity down to a lack of desire to want to make the deals, as in a conscious decision by the club that we don't need players, or do you think it's the lack of the right players being readily available at the right prices?
Also, do you think the lack of signings means the club are more confident than less about the three contracts? As surely if three of your guaranteed first team starters were leaving in the summer you would at least like one or two of the replacements to be recruited in advance.
{Ed001's Note - it will be about not being able to bring in the players they feel are right for the right price. The club knows it needs players.
I hope it is because the contracts are expected to be sorted, but I think it is unlikely that it is related to it and more about the difficulty of making deals at this level.}
28 Jan 2025 07:15:23
I put it down to an excellent antacid.
28 Jan 2025 09:01:31
We could end up being a victim of our own success. And then we really are in the poop. IF we do win the league and CL and Cups with this squad and on the little money we’ve spent, the club haven’t shown in the past that by committing to a small a refresh (2/ 3 players) of the squad will sustain winning ways.
Plus the big contracts that are up, those players might think “well I’ve won everything now so I might as well move on”. The club clearly don’t want me hanging around.
I know the club don’t want ageing players on big money and long contracts so there is a balance to be had. Say we sign Virg and Mo on 2/ 3 year deals on big money and both fall off a cliff next season, you’re stuck with 2 players on big money with little influence over results.
28 Jan 2025 09:02:32
Liverpool has a PH of more than 7, Zed.
28 Jan 2025 09:05:48
With regards the contracts. Is this possibly just the club taking as long as possible to agree contract extensions to save the wages until later in the season? If they all wanted for example an extra 100,000 a week, agree this at the end of the season then you save circa 6 million quid! Dangerous but maybe a reason?
28 Jan 2025 11:12:35
Well at some point, the club need to understand that you have to pay what the seller's club wanted. Otherwise, we might end up not getting the player we want and end up short on body in certain positions.
The club also seems to be lack of backup plans if we fail to get our top targets. Zubimendi is one example for last transfer window. It all turn out to be well as Gravenberch is playing so well now. But you can't expect to be lucky like Gravenberch situation everytime we fail to have backup plan.
28 Jan 2025 11:44:51
Maybe the club just don't see it as money well spent? The chances are that City will still win the league next year even if we spend £300m and resign all 3. This year is just a bonus.
Keep the club ticking over nicely until they can sell it for a massive profit.
28 Jan 2025 12:22:28
Jimble, I really hope we become victims of the success you speak about.
Winning the league and Champions league would be sweet. Putting it mildly.
28 Jan 2025 12:28:03
Are the deals difficult or have we just hired a director that finds these things more difficult than others?
28 Jan 2025 14:06:36
Right now the squad has two players injured (Jones/ Jota) our fifth choice attacker is Nunez, our fifth choice midfielder is Elliott. We have the two best goalies in the league. We have great CB cover and fullback cover.
It’s a really hard business case to say “hi, can we have loads of money, I know we are top of everything and through in the cups, I am aware we only have two injuries and when the back ups are called on they’ve done really well as is evidenced by our performances and league positions BUT @NabySZN69 said we aren’t a serious club if we don’t spend money every window”.
The reality is in summer there will be signings and it’ll be very interesting, right now there is very little sense in buying players.
What I feel isn’t factored in is the message it sends. Slot saw this squad and said “you’re good enough” the mental boost given by that is huge. There is this clamour for a six. No club has two because that’s a position you try not to rotate in (like GK and CB) . No club historically has interchangeable sixes. Fabinho, Rodri, Busquets, Viera, Keane, Casemiro et al - if fit they play. So we sign this much needed six, what does that tell the one we have, you know, the best performing six on the planet? It tells him we don’t trust him - that also tells Real to phone his agent.
When you have a great six, you nurture it. For every 100 central midfielders - 10 can play six well, the rest can be 8’s. It’s such a unique role.
Right now, trust and loyalty matters, that’s the message we are sending. In summer we may see four players leave. We will replace them.
{Ed025's Note - for me WOW you dont have any tangible left back cover and your centre back cover is less than adequate imo mate..
28 Jan 2025 14:55:52
For left back we have Robbo, Tsimikas and Gomes.
CB we have 5 players (if you count Endo) .
I’m not saying that these positions can’t be improved on…. but it’s not like we are playing 16 year olds either!
I’m sure if the right player is available at the right price, we can go in for someone. If not, then wait until the summer.
28 Jan 2025 15:14:59
We really do.
We have Robbo and Tsimikas who are interchangeable and playing in the best performing team on the planet.
We also have Gomez who was superb as cover last year in that position.
We have on loan Beck and Scanlon and Chambers will be back soon.
So we have three FULL internationals ready to go.
28 Jan 2025 15:25:24
Part of me thinks it'll all be ok and the contracts will be renewed and that we can then turn out focus to upgrading a couple of positions eg LB, DM and no9.
The other part of my thinks Edwards would be happy for all 3 to go so he can do a bigger rebuild, including the recruitment of young south American players into a second FSG club.
Not liking the second scenario as Chelsea is an example of too much change.
28 Jan 2025 15:33:19
To clarify:
We’ve conceded 21 goals in the Premier League (joint best)
We’ve conceded 2 goals in the Champions League (best, by a mile)
All this with no viable left backs and no decent centre back cover in a season in which Konate and Robbo have been injured.
Every other team must be rubbish, right?
23 goals conceded in 29 games.
69 scored.
28 Jan 2025 15:18:39
Hi Ed25 - agreed but isn’t that why you have young players busting a gut to get minutes? Chambers is at the club, readying him for loan again. Doesn’t he deserve a run out? Seems optimum opportunity for him.
Gomez is back and I am happy with Joe and Jarrell as cover. I am not sure we are light in that position.
Anyone signed now would likely be a panic buy but I am expecting no late action (in the transfer market) from Liverpool.
{Ed025's Note - i like the idea o playing youngsters StEA, but they have to be ready mate and its a lot to put on a young guys shoulders, Joe is ok but always has a mistake in him and Jarrell is just not very good imo..
28 Jan 2025 15:19:36
Also: Quansah and Gomez are far better than the back ups at United, Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle, Villa and better than any player at Everton.
Quansah, a kid, has made two mistakes but has largely been superb. Gomez was brilliant until he got injured and there was a case for him keeping Konate out.
I suspect your view is jaundiced.
{Ed025's Note - it must be WOW, Jarrell is very very poor for me mate and his future will probably be in a couple of divisions down, Gomez gets nowhere near the Everton side and certainly not Quansah...Branthwaite and Tarks piss all over them 2 neer do wells mate..
28 Jan 2025 16:10:56
Quansah is a good player. He's only 45 appearances into his Liverpool career. He turns 22 tomorrow so he's still very young and has lot's of time for improvement. On the ball, I think he's excellent most of the time but sometimes this becomes overconfidence and it has led to a few goals. Only through experience will he learn from those mistakes. He was only given a new long term contract in October 2024, so clearly Hughes and Slot see his future at Liverpool. He reminds me a lot of Joel Matip who also was heavily criticised on here when he first joined Liverpool as a 24 year old ball playing CB. Patience is lost on some people.
28 Jan 2025 16:10:59
Well, with all due respect, that’s daft.
He’s played at every level for an excellent England youth set up.
Playing at the highest level he’s made two poor pass choices that cost us. This is a kid who will reach his prime at 27.
If you were to build a player in a lab to be a CB, you’d build him.
Maybe you’ve seen us in patches, I’ve seen every minute of every Liverpool game since about 2015. He is a top CB prospect.
I’d place a bet that out of the two of them, Quansah has the better career than Branthwaite. He’s of the ilk of Evan Ferguson and Adam Wharton - a young player from the British Isles grotesquely overhyped. Brainthwaite will be a great servant at Stoke in three years. He’s the heir to Shawcross.
{Ed025's Note - take the red spec,s off mate, Branthwaite will leave Everton and we will receive around £70m, you may if you are lucky get £7.50 for Quansah..
28 Jan 2025 16:22:54
If you say so ed025, if it makes you feel better thinking branthwaite and tarkowski are better than quansah, who still has the potential to be a great center half, and Gomez, one of the most underrated players in the premier league, then whatever helps you sleep better as a blue nose at night…
For me branthwaite is the definition of overrated, at least we weren’t calling quansah the reincarnation of Maldini like Everton fans were with branthwaite when the two of them were being touted as England’s defensive partnership of the next 10 years when quansah was flying last year.
{Ed025's Note - you are having a giraffe PB, Branthwaite is a thoroughbred mate and Quansah a cart horse, listen and learn my friend...Quansah will be working in McDonalds in a couple of years time...mark my words
28 Jan 2025 17:04:28
I’ve been to the year 3,000, not much has changed but we live underwater - and the universal currency of the Galaxy is the Quansah. His career attracted the attention of the Galactic Hegemony who when they saw his perfection, declared him the paramount being in all creation.
When Jarrell heard this, he nearly Brainthwaited himself.
28 Jan 2025 18:24:36
Quansah shouldn't be anywhere near a liverpool team. 2nd division player at best and I'm being generous.
28 Jan 2025 18:31:59
It's the year 3000 and there is still one guy who says "two things can be right at the same time".
We are a good team/ squad.
We have a good coach.
We have a great stadium.
We are financially sound.
We are facing the prospect of losing three of our best four players for nothing in a few months time and struggling to agree deals for Ibou and Lucho too.
28 Jan 2025 18:46:44
No, you’re being silly.
He should be and is IN the squad and performs very well. Hence two of the best managers on the planet rating him.
28 Jan 2025 19:53:07
To be fair Ed 25 even if Gomez doesn’t make your starting back 4 which is highly debatable he could probably get more goals up front for you than Calvin Lewin.
{Ed025's Note - now that i cant argue with Ibiza, even though he has got 2 left feet mate..
28 Jan 2025 20:08:18
This is ridiculous. all remarks about red specs go out the window when claiming the quality of tarkowski. Branthwaite was himself p. poor until recently . he looked at his best playing alongside Quansah at youth level. Quansah was excellent last season, and is a kid who had a difficult start but has improved recently when played. He may or may not have a future but
The remarks by Ed025 are frankly childish and churlish .
{Ed025's Note - its called banter Ben....have a day off mate ffs..
28 Jan 2025 18:35:51
Eds what r your feelings on the 3 contracts? I know it’s been asked trillions of times but I’m an impatient person lol. Hopefully it’s not an annoying to answer again.
{Ed001's Note - I am still of the opinion they will stay.}
29 Jan 2025 00:37:43
Don’t rate Tarko one bit. Braithwaite ok for me but let’s face it they ain’t blowing the prem away with their ability to defend a bottom 6 finish.
Quansah I like at least as much as Braithwaite but more than anything o like that Slot is using him moderately and trying to build his confidence.
Remains to be seen if he will ultimately make it, same with Braithwaite. Tarko has and will continue to be (as long as he continues) a relegation battler!