13 May 2025 10:06:55
Reports surfacing from Italy today that a deal with Atalanta is being explored with Federico Chiesa and Ademola Lookman involved. Unclear whether it would be a swap or two separate deals (seems more likely) . We know Hughes is apparently very in tune with the Italian market so this might have legs.
Lookman as been playing as a striker this season, but he plays mostly in a 3-5-2 up top with a 6ft plus striker partner (Retegui) . He can obviously play across the frontline though and crucially, qualifies as homegrown. He has 20 goals and 7 assists this season in 39 games. He's come on a lot as a player under Gasperini. Another who'd likely go to the AFCON though.
He is a big game player though. Since his hattrick in last seasons Europa league final vs Leverkusen, he's scored against Real Madrid x1, Roma x1, Napoli x3, Juventus x1 and AC Milan x1. You can never have too many players who show up when it really matters.
Possibly one to keep an eye on, given our potential loss of multiple Homegrown players this summer (Kelleher, Trent, Gomez, Quansah, Elliott etc) .
13 May 2025 11:24:48
I would LOVE if we signed Lookman, really good player. And wouldn't break the bank either. But Afcon is a problem!
13 May 2025 11:26:10
Brilliant, this is a wonderful rumour including the classic “sources say”.
I miss these. Remember Aouoar the boy with all the vowels we were signing from Lyon? Now we are after a 27 year old who will be 28 in October to booster the area we have real strength in.
Are we after another keeper as well? Five keepers on the bench.
I am hearing (another classic) that FSG are ready to push the button on Phillips Mexes and Simao in a double transfer. They’ve been spotted in Ryan Babels BabelCopter flying over Ainsdale.
13 May 2025 11:32:46
I can get onboard with Ademola Lookman to replace Jota and Chiesa, as long as we still replace Darwin with a top class no9. Almost seems sensible.
13 May 2025 11:40:33
Lookman? No thanks, mediocre Everton reject, the fact he’s knocking 28 should be a red flag on its own. Plus there’s the fact he couldn’t take fair criticism (and it was fair criticism as he is a terrible penalty taker) from his manager over missing a penalty which helped to cost the match, suggests he’s got a fragile ego. I’d hope we can do better than him, he seems like the kind of signing Spurs make.
13 May 2025 11:57:56
Ah he goes to AFCON. Forgot about that. Scratch that then.
13 May 2025 11:58:37
He plays from the left mainly.
Same place as Diaz and Gakpo.
He’s 28
Yeah, let’s go all in.
13 May 2025 12:00:13
Ederson would be the one to part-ex for. Get some muscle in there, samba style.
13 May 2025 12:02:23
Give it a rest Viktor, his manager is a well known **** buddy! Some of his managers comments over the years are shocking. Like German football in the 90's some people are from a very different close minded era.
13 May 2025 12:03:03
You’re scraping the bottom of the barrel now @Viktor. What’s wrong with being 28 ( we just re-signed a 32 and a 33 year old) snd if the player is crap at taking penalties we just don’t chose him as a penalty taker or am I missing something?
13 May 2025 12:06:15
But Atalanta would want money plus Chiesa for Lookman. A straight swap would be okay for me.
13 May 2025 12:11:43
Not for me either, might be having a purple patch but I’d rather keep Chiesa.
13 May 2025 12:14:03
I’m loathe to agree with VV but Liverpool don’t tend to buy 28 year old players. Thiago was a Klopp passion project. Extending contracts is very different to a transfer.
Also, which Universe are you all in where Lookman is in anyway good enough for Liverpool. He’s not a patch on Gakpo OR Diaz.
In your Universe is Taco day also on Tuesday?
13 May 2025 12:20:33
I think you probably haven't seen him play in years, Viktor, again your use of hyperbole to mask a lack of any real analysis of the player is evident. So bloody what if he is an Everton reject? Salah is a Chelsea reject. That players like lookman and Salah bounce back from difficult periods in their careers to become African player of the year and win trophies should be seen as merits in the players favour rather than otherwise.
13 May 2025 12:37:13
See this is frustrating.
“I bet you haven’t seen him play” now I won’t speak for anyone else and I know that wasn’t aimed at me, but yes - I have.
Go watch Danjuma at Villareal, looked wonderful.
The Premier League is a level above. The fourth and fifth worst teams in it are competing for the Europa League trophy. Chelsea will win the conference league with their u23 side. That’s the vast ocean of difference. Lookman is a fairly decent player - but really, you’d look at Chiesa, see his 37 minutes played all year and think “let’s get him instead of our best attacker” and you think this reflects well on Lookman.
That’s like looking at a 17 plate Mondeo with 160,000 miles on the clock and offering a Ferrari Roma for it. Math ain’t mathing lads.
13 May 2025 13:16:30
Rather just give Chiesa and actual chance than replacing him with another squad player personally.
13 May 2025 13:40:27
Why0why - And yet no PL team in the CL final. PL may be the most competitive from top to bottom but let's not act like it's the be all end all of football. Most of our squad has come from these "lesser" leagues and I think we've done alright.
I'm not saying let's go for Lookman but these league comparisons and "we need prem proven" stuff are going a bit too far.
13 May 2025 13:50:59
City are not City. We, Villa and Arsenal lost to the team, a super team, who will win it.
I mean, that’s not really something that bears scrutiny. Look at how far English clubs have gotten over the last 10 years, Christ we went to three of four finals.
We are arguably the second/ joint best team in Europe. We won this league at a canter. To be good enough for Liverpool is a very high bar. You put Diaz in Atalantas side, he’d be signed by a major club after six months. It’s really hard to find talent at a level that would make it here. Nunez was a massively sought after player…. hasn't been what we hoped.
To think a 28 year old who is decent (but no one else wants him and they’ll swap him for Chiesa) is Liverpool level shows an under appreciation for who we are.
I know people are craving signings, desperate for any signing, take a punt on any player just please scratch that transfer itch, but Lookman ain’t it.
Put Sterling in Atalanta, he’d shine. Nkunku at Inter, he’d shine.
13 May 2025 14:14:56
I usually just ignore why0why posts. Lookman 3-4 season purple patch. Like Salah is a one season wonder.
13 May 2025 14:16:35
In his last 3 seasons he has 15, 17 and 20 goals. Similar if not slightly better numbers than Chelsea reject Salah was racking up in the same league. That’s some extended purple patch that! Won African POTY and a Europa League in that timeframe too. He’s only 27 and he’s on an obvious upward trajectory, he’s not some washed up wreckage ? with all due respect Victor, last summer when I said Raphinha would be a good signing you called him a bang average Leeds reject. Your ability to spot talent is extremely questionable at best.
13 May 2025 15:41:48
And don’t forget MK who can’t forget another Victor classic at the start of the season when he said Liverpool won’t make top 10,because and I quote “Salah can’t run, Diaz dad wants him gone and Konate is made of crisps”, without a doubt one of the most knowledgeable poster on this site.
13 May 2025 15:54:38
And how many goals has Lukaku got over the years in Italy.
Hjolund and Zirkzee were sought after.
Lookman is 28, Liverpool won’t pay for that profile, they simply won’t.
But yeah, he’s that good Atalanta want to swap him for Chiesa. No one else is into him, but they want to improve their squad by losing him for Chiesa.
Seems perfectly logical.
13 May 2025 16:58:33
If chiesa heads back to Italy his most likely destinations are Napoli and Fiorentina. Napoli have scouted, can afford but aren't sure.
Fiorentina are sure but can't afford.
13 May 2025 18:17:47
I hate us trying to deal with the Italian clubs for our players. They only want a loan with an option to buy and rarely take it up. Or they try to renegotiate the price. Easier to just let him go for free if Chiesa will hand in a transfer request.
He was fantastic in Italy before his injury but I doubt that Chiesa will ever make it in the PL, unfortunately.
13 May 2025 18:30:30
Zirkzee I think is actually still a very good player, he needs the right system and the right environment to thrive. I watched bologna a lot last year and he was excellent as a false 9/ 10 linking the play. I think he could still do well for a good team.
And nkunku would not shine at inter. Are you saying he's the same level as lautaro and thuram? Chelsea aren't even the same level of team as inter. And that sterling would dislodge lookman and de ketelaere? I think your disrespect for other leagues and players is a bit much to be honest, there are excellent players in other leagues and not everybody is lining up to come to the PL.
And mk, I will never forget viktor's comments on raphinha. I was kind of hoping Barcelona would win the cl and raphinha the ballon d'or for that very reason lol.
13 May 2025 20:37:30
Inter - play in a league.
Inter are good. The league isn’t.
And Zirkzee is good. Oh that’s so very, very amusing. Superb. Thanks.
14 May 2025 00:25:09
@Why0, totally agree with you about the level Liverpool are at and the need to bring in quality players.
I disagree, however, about fans judging players. It’s the club’s job to determine if a player has the quality to improve the overall squad. Most of the time it’s easy - if you pick off the top shelf, like Ali or VVD you pay a premium for buying proven class. Other players - lower down in the pecking order - are harder to find and from a fan’s perspective might not be considered ‘good enough’. That’s the club has the scouting team in place and people like Hughes. Say what you want about him but we are really keen on buying two players he brought into the PL that most of us - certainly me - had never really heard of 18 - 24 months ago. In this case perhaps someone at the club sees something in the lad that, in the context of the planned squad, he could improve that we can’t.
14 May 2025 01:50:48
Just re-read what I wrote. and need to clarify what I meant. When I say I disagree about fans judging players, I should explain a bit more. Of course fans should judge players - that’s a big part of what fans should do. BUT, fans’ judgements need to be taken with a pinch of salt, as it’s only really the club’s judgement that matters.
14 May 2025 02:37:10
Has it not occurred to you that maybe zirkzee has been used wrong by both ten hag and amorim (and even then he has been their most important attacking player besides amad under amorim)? Gakpo didn't look great as a false 9 under klopp either. Your comments about players totally in isolation of whether they would actually fit those respective teams makes no sense to me- zirkzee is a case in point, but would nkunku do the hard miles against inter when he shows no interest in doing so at Chelsea, can sterling do the relentless man marking at Atalanta? 'shining' means you perform both on and off the ball, every inter player has shown that on the highest stages.