Liverpool Discussion posts 4

01 Sep 2026 11:42:26
If it wasn't for the, frankly unbelievable, lack of strengthening in the full back and central midfield positions, I could find a way to put a positive outlook on the transfer window.

Jacquet: Promising start. Given how erratic Konate was last season, I am optimistic we'll be better off at centre half this season than we were last.
Munoz: Promising start; won the penalty that allowed us to salvage a point in our first match, and scored the equalizer in our second match. Fast, direct and can score.
Barcola: Obviously haven't seen him kick a ball for us yet (which means we have to wait and see – e.g. Wirtz and Isak showing us that £100m+ doesn't necessarily bring immediate stellar output) but if we say, as things stand, he's the replacement for Salah (even if he ends up playing on the other flank), we have to think of it in terms of Barcola replacing the 2025/26 version of Salah, not the all time great version of Salah.
Gakpo: Will surely deliver more than he did last season. Maybe a move to the right will help him and we'll see him play more like a traditional winger putting crosses in, which may in turn help Isak. Goal and assist in first two matches.

So Isak (fit) + Munoz + Gakpo + Barcola + Ngumoha + Ekitike to return, arguably compares favourably to Isak (mainly unfit) + Ekitike + Gakpo (horrendously out of form) + Salah (nowhere near his best) + Ngumoha (rookie).

All of that said, if we don't address the full back positions and add some steel in midfield (or at least try to play someone in the holding role), we're going to be too open and concede too many goals regardless of how good we are in attack.

01 Sep 2026 11:40:34
Free Agents available (aged 30 and below):
Striker:
Benzema

Midfielder:
Bissouma
Ndombele
Bennecer

Wing Forward:
Reiss Nelson

01 Sep 2026 12:35:16
Isn’t Benzema about 36?

01 Sep 2026 11:12:15
Long time first time. Anyone know why we haven’t gone in for Alan Varela (FC Porto)? Apparently we’ve been linked with him for years. Plays a mean long ball and loves a Brexit tackle.



Just want to feel something @richardhughes?

01 Sep 2026 10:38:21
If that’s our business done, ok.
Raging, no RW or CDM in anyway.
As it is, what’s everyone’s predictions for the season:
Mine are:

EPL: 6th
LC: 1st round (brutal draw)
FaC: 1/4’s
CL: 1/4’s

01 Sep 2026 11:42:00
It isn't over. Shh

01 Sep 2026 13:15:48
4th at best in the league and haven't a clue in the Cups. Depends on the draws.

01 Sep 2026 10:19:24
One thing I would like us to address long term is the absolute state of our list of homegrown players. Not a single one of them is first team quality aside from Bradley if he's ever fit. There are a few U21s we have high hopes for (Trey, Rio, Leoni) but as it currently stands the lack of talent for these 8 spots is why we are constantly discussing the 17 non-homegrown positions.

If you look at our 2 title rivals, Arsenal have: Raya, Saliba, Eze, Saka, Rice, Martinelli, Madueke, White, plus MLS and Nwaneri U21s likely to make the step up.



City have: Anderson, O'Reilly, Foden, Guehi, Semenyo and when they're 21, Rico Lewis and Bouaddi.

Until attempts are made to rectify this we essentially go into every season with a 17 man squad plus a few kids, and with the intensity of Iraola's football this is a recipe for disaster.

01 Sep 2026 11:43:21
I’d rather our homegrown come from the academy. Starting with Rio and Trey and hopefully continuing with the likes of Abe and Luca Eden, we can get that level up. Personally I’d go with Chambers over Tsimi as well.

01 Sep 2026 12:36:57
I have no issue with us buying them rather than producing them because for a club our size it's almost impossible to give them enough minutes until they're of a certain quality.

But not having enough that are viable options to start games hamstrings us quite a lot imo, probably 4 or 5 Arsenal or City starters are homegrown every week... we have Frimpong.

01 Sep 2026 13:22:45
But you don’t need them to be starters. You just need them to be of the required quality to be part of a squad at a club trying to win trophies. I agree ours are of a weaker standard, big time. Hopefully the likes of Rio, Trey were the start of a long term plan to help us bridge the gap.

01 Sep 2026 13:32:42
That does mean a significant number of them should be first 11 quality though rather than just there to pad out the squad.

But yea it looks like we are potentially heading in the right direction with Rio, Trey and Leoni... a real shame Ndukwe couldn't get a permit because he would have also qualified if he was registered in England for the next 3 seasons.

01 Sep 2026 14:02:49
Agree with you there, FM. Only you forgot Koumas. I think this kid could be low key important for us as a squad option.

01 Sep 2026 22:04:33
It’s a business, not a game. It doesn't matter where a kid is born, if they have talent they are a valued asset. The days of the ‘one club man’, playing for his home town are about as relevant to modern day football as Latin is to the English we use these days.

I’m not saying it’s a good thing, it’s quite the opposite but, sadly, it is what it is and we were all happy enough when our manager was a German and our front three came from Senegal, Brazil and Egypt.

01 Sep 2026 10:11:09
Long time, first time. Anyone know why we haven’t gone in for Alan Varela (FC Porto)? Apparently we’ve been linked with him for years. Plays a mean long ball and loves a Brexit tackle.

Just want to feel something @richardhughes. ?

01 Sep 2026 09:54:02
Why don't we play a system that suits the players we have?

We currently try to play square pegs in round holes - then complain when the pegs don't perform well.

A 3-4-2-1 (like Chelsea) would suit our current squad.

GK: Alisson
CB: Van Dijk / Jacquet / Araujo
MF: Kerkez / Mac Allister / Gravenberch / Frimpong
AM: Wirtz / Szoboszlai
CF: Isak

01 Sep 2026 10:22:43
Nowadays managers seem to have one system and they stick with it. Football is much more like a chess game where players are drilled in "patterns of play" rather than playing their individual natural game.

This makes adapting new systems difficult. The current problems we have are more to do with players trying to work to AI's system than with some of the players we have who do not suit that system.

01 Sep 2026 10:28:52
Probably didn't spend 106m to have BB sit on the bench. Nobody put BB on the bench.

01 Sep 2026 10:36:13
We struggle to get the ball to Isak when we have proper wingers on the pitch, I can't imagine what it would be like if that responsibility were left up to Kerkez and Frimpong.

Tell me, what do we do with our stack of wingers in that system? Do you think PSG will give us a refund on Barcola?

01 Sep 2026 11:12:03
I thought our stack of wingers weren't up to being wingers.

I know what you are saying tho - but to me it seems myopic to just stick to a system that you like, rather than being flexible enough to adapt to a formation/set up that brings out the best in what is already there.

01 Sep 2026 09:48:34
Hello,

I mentioned about my mate who works security it was not Barcola who he was asked to be available for it was his representatives and he had sod all to do as they bought their own drivers.

He has been asked to stay up until today but is already on his way back up here after being told that he's not needed anymore.

I'm not saying Liverpool are done with signings but he won't be involved in any security and neither are the others from the security firm, It may be that the signings don't require it or we simply aren't expecting anyone else.

I can provide a image to the admin if they want to verify that I'm not chatting sh*te ??

I know it's vague but I'm just passing it on

01 Sep 2026 07:57:32
Sarr?

I seriously hope this one doesn't turn up at Anfield. Comparing his Stats to Mo Salah last season, Mo was actually better than Sarr - and that is for last season, when Mo was clearly past his sell by date.

Mo played the same amount of games as Sarr and actually provided more assists than Sarr did, roughly the same amount of goals.

And that was last season. Sarr is 28... He won't get better.

Whatever happened to Mbaye?
He looked genuinely an exciting young prospect.

01 Sep 2026 10:11:49
Ross do Mo’s stats were probably better than most RW’s in the Prem last season. Which really shows the lack of talent in that position throughout the league. And across Europe in general.