05 Jun 2026 21:45:25
Latest name one I’ve not heard being linked.
Francisco Trincao, 26 year old Sporting Lisbon winger - imagine this is one of the Liverpool want wingers so we get linked to everyone on the planet.
Anyone else heard anything on this one?
05 Jun 2026 22:41:07
Yeh, I heard of this a few days ago, but I don't think he's good enough. He struggled when at Wolves, & I haven't seen much lately to say he's improved.
05 Jun 2026 22:46:00
Lightweight and one paced.
05 Jun 2026 22:56:42
Saw an article on this a couple days ago, only seen him in highlight reels, looks a decent player, nothing crazy impressive, a little lightweight, but has a very good assist rate and a keen eye for a through ball.
05 Jun 2026 23:38:01
Mentioned him as an option several weeks ago. Great scoring record and rarely injured. Full of fitness. Great backup option but not first choice for me.
06 Jun 2026 00:48:09
If hope we avoid, mediocre as f***.
06 Jun 2026 04:54:13
When you think about signings, just ask yourself if you'd be confident starting away at the Etihad with them in the lineup. This is not FIFA, where you can win at the Nou Camp with Joe Allen utterly outclassing Xavi.
Trincao is nowhere near good enough for a team trying to win everything. No go, not happening, never happening.
06 Jun 2026 06:49:49
Gonna cost some money to have a squad of 25 like that, though, Lowe1FC. There's a lot to be done this summer. I doubt everyone we sign will be a superstar.
06 Jun 2026 07:51:08
Florian, you don't sign backup players unless it is a goalkeeper in an emergency. If you need a backup, give a chance to an academy prospect and coach them. Top class squads are built upon buying better than what you have and gradually phasing out players that are on the way down. It works on both sporting and financial sides.
06 Jun 2026 08:19:38
Trincao can do a job in a squad, same as Harvey Elliot, Curtis Jones, Divock Origi, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Joe Gomez, Tsimikas and countless others I can't think of right now.
"X" player is nowhere near good enough is the laziest, most useless form of analysis of a player in a squad.
Not every player we're going to sign is going to be the level of demanding a start, and academy players cannot be relied on to be back-ups.
06 Jun 2026 08:43:15
Thanks for educating me, Lowe1FC. Who said anything about backup players? Although I very much doubt every signing we complete this summer will be a first 11 regular.
06 Jun 2026 09:20:00
Yes, Faith, let's just waste non home grown spaces on mediocre expensive dross, what a great idea... He's too slow, too lightweight, and doesn't look exceptionally good at anything. He's about as Spursy a player as you could find.
06 Jun 2026 09:31:04
"Can do a job as backup" - goes on to list a bunch of players that largely proved to be either expensive, not up to standard, or homegrown (Elliot, Jones, Gomez).
You do not sign players to "do a job" in a squad, Faith - period - you will simply end up with an overpaid squad lacking in quality.
It is much better to sign two superstars a season and rely on the academy to fill in.
06 Jun 2026 09:51:28
Our formula to be competitive has been to have a very good first team including two or three superstars on huge money, with the rest of the squad beyond the first twelve or thirteen players on much lower money who are hardly ever played except in cup games.
This has been the blueprint since Jurgen got established and has served us pretty well until injuries hit. We've been pretty lucky with the likes of Mo and VVD as they've been fit for most key games.
We moved away from that approach when we bought Isak as he was never going to be an ever present, and he was in the superstar bracket in terms of money. Wirtz seems to fit the profile fitness wise, but hasn't hit the heights yet.
Unless there's a big bump up in commercial revenues I can't see us moving away from the model and building a bigger first team squad in terms of depth. I think we'll basically replace like for like and retain a streamlined squad of about 12/13 first teamers, with the rest academy products and a few fringe players like Gomez if they're still around and the occasional free transfer like Matip.
Hopefully we move away from carrying players we're looking to rehabilitate and move on like Chiesa. We always seem to have one or so of them, it doesn't work and is a complete waste of money, and a waste of a place in the squad even though Hughes thought it was a market opportunity.
06 Jun 2026 15:04:25
Would be a strange signing.
06 Jun 2026 15:43:29
My point is that we're not going to be buying starting calibre players to pad the squad.
We're going to have a mix of players capable of stepping in off the bench, starting their share throughout a season, and to, yes, do a job for us.
06 Jun 2026 16:26:13
Surely buying somebody like Summerville would be a better use of money?