07 Aug 2026 08:19:39
Any truth in rumours City are interested in Macca to replace Rodri.
07 Aug 2026 09:00:28
Going to get stoned to death for this, but Macca is a player. Swear our squad gets weaker every year when we think we are strengthening it.
Ok, he wasn't great last year but who was?
Apparently we all keep overlooking Grav is on 300k a week nearly, and what exactly does he do?
07 Aug 2026 09:07:32
Grav has shown he's one of the best midfielders in the league when used properly. Macca has never shown that.
Maccas scored a few decent goals over the years, but that's masking his poor overall performances.
Grav absolutely bosses games when he sticks to the 6 role.
07 Aug 2026 09:12:40
I don't care how much a player Macca could be, he banged us at the end of last season, and I've no time for players like that at the club.
And alongside Mo, Grav was the reason we won number 20. If he's given the freedom to play, his potential is huge.
{Ed025's Note - he played great to get that new contract Kjh...then regressed and was a bag of crap last season, forget positions mate if a professional cant track back, make a 5 yard pass, tackle or just strolls through games it does not matter what number he has on his back, the only number to consider is 300,000 because once he got that contract he fell off a cliff, that is the measure of the guy and tells you all you need to know..
07 Aug 2026 09:12:56
Grav is not on nearly £300k a week, that was fake news. We discussed that months ago, and I can't remember who it was, but one of the posters debunked that rumour.
But why ruin a good story with the truth?
07 Aug 2026 09:13:39
When’s Grav been used properly then, Mikey? For the first half season under Slot?
07 Aug 2026 09:17:10
Grav was good in the 6 role when he was made to stay in position, but to say he bossed the midfield is a stretch of the truth. The balance of Grav, Macca and Sobz together in the season we won the league was the main factor, not one player.
07 Aug 2026 09:17:48
Macca to replace Rodri? They are not even the same type of player.
Not sure that rumour is credible, OP.
07 Aug 2026 09:23:15
The duty is out on Gravenberch for me. First season under Slot, he was impressive. Last season, he was dire. I have said it before, I think, as a ball carrying 6 he can be very effective, but he must focus and work hard on the defensive side of the game. Last season, he was trying to join in with goals and he is not good in the final third; as a result, he was constantly caught in the half spaces.
He has the build and athleticism to play and cover ground as a 6... I just think he needs the focus, and to be told that is his role.
07 Aug 2026 09:37:58
Macca does not fit an AI team due to his lack of pace. Also, his rolling around in agony at the slightest push is not the Liverpool way and is embarrassing.
07 Aug 2026 09:40:36
Well, everything I see says it was £280k a week, if you know something different and that's the truth, fair enough.
Klopp didn't rate him, and out of 2 seasons under Slot, he was good for a quarter of that.
Not sure why Macca gets singled out for hate when they all played their part in being absolute s**** at times. Every single one of them!
07 Aug 2026 09:53:53
Not a popular opinion, as everyone seems to be in the "Macca out" camp, but I'm with you, OK!
In a wildly overinflated transfer market I think we could do worse than Macca. I'd be giving him another season to see how he gets on.
Not like we'd be losing any value as his stock is low currently given the rhetoric our own fans have been pushing that he isn't good enough.
07 Aug 2026 09:57:33
True, OK, Gravenberch was no better than McAllister last season. McAllister seems to get more hate over the play acting, think people forget it's the Premier League and most teams have half a dozen worse than him. Arsenal just signed someone twice as bad for it this week, don't hear their fans complaining.
07 Aug 2026 09:57:49
I don't know, OK. I have no idea how to look up players' salaries. I'm sure it's pretty simple to do, but I really don't care.
As I understand it, his salary was reported as £280k, but some news outlets and, of course, the hotbed of truth, social media, say someone looked on an official site and it was actually more like £180k.
Like I said, I have no idea, and, quite frankly, I couldn't give a toss what he earns.
07 Aug 2026 10:05:15
Fully agree OK, have said it a few times and I know I'm in the minority who still rates Macca. His ability to keep the ball in tight spaces is often overlooked. Although I don't like the play acting, as Florian said, Bruno is one of the worst in the league for it, and if he signed for us, everyone would be creaming themselves over him despite it.
If we're selling to replace with a top class midfielder, then fair enough, but there aren't that many around, even let alone ones that are available.
I really hope Grav gets back to his form under Slot's first season, because I think he was a huge problem last season, and can't blame Macca's legs for him not even trying, as Grav is not lacking in legs, it's just whether he's bothered to use them at times.
Again, clean slate for me for them all tbh under Iraola, see what he can do.
07 Aug 2026 10:06:44
I wouldn't like to be with you boys in the trenches if yous think that MacAllister is a player. He's the total opposite. Zero heart. Zero commitment. Zero interest. Consider those attributes before proclaiming him to be an asset to the club. Get him and the rest of his like out of the club. The ultimate bad apple.
07 Aug 2026 10:16:37
Rio, it was me and I got it wrong. On Capology, his new contract length had been confirmed, but his salary was down as £180k/week (unverified). It's now down as £280k/week (still unverified) plus bonuses.
He's on the same as Isak (per Capology) and only behind Virg.
Szob and Gakpo are on £250k (unverified), Ekitike and Wirtz are on £200k (verified) and then comes Alisson, Macca and Chiesa on £150k.
It's not gospel, though. For example, they have Konate still there on £150k with a contract expiry in Jun 2027. I think their algorithm kicks the contract end dates forward another year once a date has passed.
All a bit confusing, but Gravy's salary seems to be more in line with reports now.
07 Aug 2026 10:21:14
You talking about Grav or Macca there, Shankly? Hell you could be talking about nearly every player last season with the exception of Szobo really above...
Not saying Macca is untouchable by any stretch, but to say he's that much worse than Grav is wild enough, but we're all entitled to our opinion, I guess.
07 Aug 2026 10:27:47
Grav was the out ball in 2024 and he could play a bounce pass back to a CD, half turn and release a bombing WB or turn fully and hit any of the advanced midfielders or either winger. From the time the league wrapped in 2025, through all of last season, none of those options were good. Vvd was static, Konate a liability on the ball.
The only decent outball from the number 6 position last year was Dom at right back. Jones and Macca marked themselves out of games, Gakpo and Salah had no idea how to hold onto a ball and Wirtz couldn't find space. Grav will look a damn sight better this year either back in that pivot role or with Dom and Wirtz unleashed.
07 Aug 2026 10:33:06
Btw, decent article on The Kopite View (just an opinion piece) on how Iraola plans to use Ryan and Dom this season.
07 Aug 2026 10:42:24
I hope you're right, KJH. I do think Grav has all the ability, and the way he pivots out of trouble with the drop of the shoulder is one of the best in world football. Reminds me a bit of Moussa Dembele (Spurs one) with his running power and acceleration. I also think he's key, as if he plays as the 6 he needs to know when to go and when to protect, and that was the difference last season; it seemed all at sea. But as I say, hard to blame any single player as they were all pony.
Klopp never really knew how to get the best out of Grav tbf, so that's one thing Slot got properly right, although last season was back to the Grav under Klopp with shades of pure quality masked by being a bit headless and positionally all over the place.
Here's hoping we get the balance right this year, Virg is getting older and I still think he's right up there but needs more protection than he got last season, hopefully Jacquet / Leoni or whoever else is used alongside him can prove to be a big improvement on Ibou too.
Just excited to see us attack again hopefully and play with more intensity which was seriously lacking last season!
07 Aug 2026 11:25:14
Zeddicus, is that the one I saw yesterday about him thinking Grav is wasted just sitting back? Said he reckons they cant be a top partnership in this league.
07 Aug 2026 11:36:48
I was referring to MacAllister Biot. His attitude is appalling. Plus the fact that he actually isn't that good at football. I'll shed no tears the day he departs and the sooner that day arrives the better. imo, only of course.
07 Aug 2026 12:11:16
Can be.
07 Aug 2026 12:42:59
I think last year it is very hard to single people out. There was a lot wrong. This started even before the end of the previous season and during preseason last year.
On the Gravenberch thing. He didn't have a great season last year (same as most players) but he is a talented lad. He is definitely part of the solution going forward rather than the problem.
Macca annoys me with the play acting, but he is good in possession. He has that ability of dictating the pace of a game. He is not a 6 and tbh has been played out of position since he came to the club. I don't think he will be overly suited to AI game but with the changing dynamic of our squad I don't think it would be sensible to get rid of him at this time.
Last year was a massive year of transition in terms of players.
This year we have lost 3 first team, to a degree, senior players, so I would rather see some sort of continuity.
This isn't FIFA or Championship Manager. Yes we need additions (rb and a senior cb) plus a winger with blistering pace would be great. I would ideally like a no6 but I think with the market the way it is we will likely wait on that.
At the end of the day whoever wears the shirt should be given our full support at least until they leave the club. I personally like to see the best for our ex players. (Unless you do something like Diouf).
When you have seen some of the ahem players, ahem, that have been through our club over the past 40 years a Macca and a Gravenberch are the least of our issues lol.
07 Aug 2026 13:12:04
I think a strong argument can be made that Grav's issues last year were tactical, as Slot instructed his whole midfield to push up on the opposition box to create overloads.
It's why, for the first half, every man and his dog just knocked passes over it and into the space vacated by our midfield for quick counters.
Let's see how people do with a different set of instructions.
Basically, any time you see a player doing the same thing over and over, it's because that's what the manager has instructed, unless he's ignoring instructions and doing what he wants, which usually results in getting dropped.
07 Aug 2026 14:31:50
Fair play Zed. Like I said, I really couldn't care less what players earn.
I like Grav, but he needs to play in the 6. He was a revelation there in the title winning season, and I was really looking forward to him cementing that position and becoming one of the best in the world there.
Then Slot decided to allow the midfield to rotate at will, and it all went wrong. Hopefully Iraola plays him in his best position again.
He's a real player there, he sucks players in and turns out of trouble brilliantly, which opens up the whole pitch. It's such a weapon.
07 Aug 2026 15:24:57
FM, yeah that's the one, essentially Ryan and Dom taking turns, rather than just being told to 'stay there'.
Reminds me more of a Klopp team (unsurprisingly!), as he gave the players the freedom on the pitch to make intelligent decisions during a game, treating them like grownups.
My personal view is that Slot let them be for the first half of 24/25 and then tried to impose his view more in 25/26.
It's like the difference between painting by numbers and painting free hand. Not many masterpieces were painted by numbers.
Agree with Rio and Nevada - there is a really decent player there in Gravy and I hope to see more of that player this season.