Topic: Kabak signs

[eeekaj]

Bit of a cliche, but he's a bit Lovren-esque.

One minute he looks solid and doesn't put a foot wrong, the next minute he's cocking up. Expected from a young player? Yes. Would he look much better next to Van Dijk? Yes. Would I prefer us to go for Konate for slightly more? Yes.

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

I feel a bit sorry for him.

Imagine playing in *this* Liverpool side and being judged solely on it. One week playing next to a lad who has been plucked from B.2 and is probably at Championship level, the next playing next to a midfielder who can do a job but has stated on several occasions that he doesn't like it, all infront of a midfield who offer as much protection as a bulletproof vest made from paper. I think he has handled himself as well he he possibly could, given the circumstances. it is a shame we didn't get to see him next to a VVD or Gomez for 4 months.

I still don't see how we end up with 2 new centre halfs. Assuming Matip, Gomez and VVD are fit for pre-season and we sign Konate, then that would be it surely? Unless there is a concern that we have 3 lads coming back who will still be in the recuperation phase.

[pathetic]

After an understandable slow start, I think he has been excellent, especially considering his age. The thing is most of the things he's lacking in are not gonna get better with age, if anything they're gonna get worse as he ages. It's unlucky for the lad but I don't think we're gonna keep him

[eeekaj]

I feel a bit sorry for him.

Imagine playing in *this* Liverpool side and being judged solely on it. One week playing next to a lad who has been plucked from B.2 and is probably at Championship level, the next playing next to a midfielder who can do a job but has stated on several occasions that he doesn't like it, all infront of a midfield who offer as much protection as a bulletproof vest made from paper. I think he has handled himself as well he he possibly could, given the circumstances. it is a shame we didn't get to see him next to a VVD or Gomez for 4 months.

I still don't see how we end up with 2 new centre halfs. Assuming Matip, Gomez and VVD are fit for pre-season and we sign Konate, then that would be it surely? Unless there is a concern that we have 3 lads coming back who will still be in the recuperation phase.

I'd imagine Klopp has learnt his lesson and will want 5 senior CB's going forward, especially considering Matip is crocked 9 games out of 10.

VVD, Gomez, Matip, Konate? and Phillips/Kabak (permanently)

[pathetic]

I'd imagine Klopp has learnt his lesson and will want 5 senior CB's going forward, especially considering Matip is crocked 9 games out of 10.

VVD, Gomez, Matip, Konate? and Phillips/Kabak (permanently)

In that case I can see Phillips being that 5th choice. He's free, I don't think he would mind being 5th choice and he's useful to throw on when we're being bombarded with crosses into the box in the last minutes of the game.

[Sinyoro]

Seasoned professionals have taken months to get into a Klopp side- Fabinho, Ox, Robbo

Here is a 20 year old from a relegation bound team being thrust into a team without its entire first choice centre backs , no preseason, new country and people expect him to set the league alight.

Madness

[classycarra]

Seasoned professionals have taken months to get into a Klopp side- Fabinho, Ox, Robbo

Here is a 20 year old from a relegation bound team being thrust into a team without its entire first choice centre backs , no preseason, new country and people expect him to set the league alight.

Madness

WHo's expected him to set the league alight?

So far as I can tell, the discussion has been around is he the best value £25 mil defender available the club want to pursue.

My personal feeling is the club will only try to sign him if they negotiate the price down a fair bit. So we'll get past the deadline date for the clause, which I think I remember being June, and see what pressure Kabak can make for a move and see if other clubs can offer Schalke what they want.

Ultimately think it's a bit of a tossup, but if we can get a quicker and more accomplished passer for less or similar I'd prefer that.

[jepovic]

If we're sticking with the strategy of recruiting injury-prone CBs, as it seems, we'll need at least one of Phillips and Kabak.

I'd rather keep Phillips. They're both pretty slow, but Phillips wins his aerials. I don't see Liverpool starting 11 talent in any of them, but we're not gonna get that kind of talent to be 5th choice

[Jookie]

After an understandable slow start, I think he has been excellent, especially considering his age. The thing is most of the things he's lacking in are not gonna get better with age, if anything they're gonna get worse as he ages. It's unlucky for the lad but I don't think we're gonna keep him

I think Kabak has done pretty well given the situation he landed in, I also think he has huge potential to grow into a very good centre back.

My issue is that his current strengths don't necessarily seem to align with what you'd want in this system or this league. Or maybe that should be reversed in that it's his apparent weaknesses that make him feel like an unnatural fit to our system currently. His lack of aerial ability is also going to be a concern in this league at centre back. I think he'd be great as a 5th choice option but wonder whether that suits Kabak's long term development, or whether we have the desire to spend 18-25M on a 5th choice centre back.

I think there's a very real possibility that we pass up on Kabak this summer, he goes elsewhere in Europe and develops into a top centre back by the time he's 24-25. One that may be better suited to the system we are playing 3 or 4 seasons down the line, potentially under a new manager. That wouldn't necessarily make any decision to swerve him this summer for a better suited centre back to our current system the wrong call either.

[Agent99]

At that price no way. He hasn’t shown that level.

Neither has Konate who we are apparently willing to spend £32m on.

[classycarra]

If we're sticking with the strategy of recruiting injury-prone CBs, as it seems, we'll need at least one of Phillips and Kabak.

I'd rather keep Phillips. They're both pretty slow, but Phillips wins his aerials. I don't see Liverpool starting 11 talent in any of them, but we're not gonna get that kind of talent to be 5th choice

Why do people think Phillips would want to stay as a fifth choice? THere's next to zero chance. He sounds ambitious in his interviews and will want to play first team football rather than sit on the bench all season.

If he was content not playing, we wouldn't have been close to finding him a move last summer.

[Gaz123456]

It's a very tricky decision with no one knowing how well VVD or Gomez (or Matip for that matter) will be able to play when they return.

Kabak seems to have a higher ceiling than Phillips to me, and is a bit younger, but whether he will reach Elite level I doubt

[kaesarsosei]

I'd be keeping Kabak even at £25m, and even if we sign Konate.

LCB
VVD
Kabak
Fabinho

RCB
Gomez
Konate
Philipps

Thats the kind of depth we need and this is even assuming VVD and Gomez have no major issues in their recovery. I'm assuming Matip and Davies are not here next season.

[classycarra]

I'd be keeping Kabak even at £25m, and even if we sign Konate.

LCB
VVD
Kabak
Fabinho

RCB
Gomez
Konate
Philipps

Thats the kind of depth we need and this is even assuming VVD and Gomez have no major issues in their recovery. I'm assuming Matip and Davies are not here next season.

Would think it's highly likely Matip is here. Be much more shocked if he isn't

[Bobinhood]

I think Matips one of the top 5 in the world when hes right on his game, and he played hurt to try and help the team in need. and some people want to get rid for nothing because hes unavailable as a result.

Well if we can pick up another top talent for free somewhere on the same reasonable wage, sounds good to me. Except even then id keep him.

Kabaks a tough one to figure but hes not bad at all , if hes a 5th cb for cup games and cover under normal circumstances thats a very good level for me. cb #1 is a bit of a different situation but hse done admirably if slightly uneven.



 

[harleydanger]

For a 20yo, he has done incredible.

[Djozer]

Been shite for a 21 year old though.

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

I'd be keeping Kabak even at £25m, and even if we sign Konate.

LCB
VVD
Kabak
Fabinho

RCB
Gomez
Konate
Philipps

Thats the kind of depth we need and this is even assuming VVD and Gomez have no major issues in their recovery. I'm assuming Matip and Davies are not here next season.

Isn't Konate LCB?

[OOS]

VVD is Godly levels. Gomez and Matip are a tier under, but still one of the best center backs in Europe. Its a very high bar to compare players too,  but that's the level that's been set. Who knows what the market looks like come summertime, I think he's been an okay January loan signing to keep us ticking over. Long term future, no idea.

[Sinyoro]

Funny how Kabak’s interview on the official club website has been ignored here

[Welshred]

In a blow to everyone who says he's too slow he's actually pretty quick, in fact up there with some of the quickest centre backs in the league

[Knight]

In a huge graph reading fail I read your comment without noticing 'percentile' below the x axis and thought 'you what, he's the 95th fastest CB in the league.' But yes, in reality, he's actually pretty quick! Interesting.

[tubby]

Yeah I don't think he's slow, he's just no speedster like VVD or Gomez.  Who are the other speedy centre backs in the league, there's not a lot of them around and it's difficult to judge.  I'd rather see graphs showing pace over 10 yards as opposed to top speed, because football is all about short, quick sprints.

[classycarra]

In a blow to everyone who says he's too slow he's actually pretty quick, in fact up there with some of the quickest centre backs in the league

Quite a bizarre set of metrics, except for top speed.

Which isn't really all that relevant. It's how quickly you get close to your to speed that matters (except in situations he's chasing back a counter from a corner we've taken)

EDIT: tubby beat me to it

[MD1990]

Im not that suprised.
It is not realistic to expect a defender in our system to never get beaten 1v1 at times. They are up against lightening fast forwards.

Kabak has got a good turn of pace & since the Chelsea game has done very well. Made some mistakes which is normal for a 21 year old.
He clearly has more potential than Phillips.

For 18m I hope we sign him. Would be a mistake not to.

[Welshred]

I don't think it just depends on him though. If signing Kabak meant we didn't get Konate I'd rather we didn't sign him.

[newterp]

his standing time and walking time are embarrassing.

he also needs more goals to compensate for the midfield.

[RedSince86]

Soyuncu was clocked at 37kph last season which was the quickest sprint.

Anyway I hope we sign him, basically costs peanuts and he's adapted well without a senior experienced CB at his side.

[jackh]

I think Matips one of the top 5 in the world when hes right on his game, and he played hurt to try and help the team in need. and some people want to get rid for nothing because hes unavailable as a result.

Well if we can pick up another top talent for free somewhere on the same reasonable wage, sounds good to me. Except even then id keep him.

Kabaks a tough one to figure but hes not bad at all , if hes a 5th cb for cup games and cover under normal circumstances thats a very good level for me. cb #1 is a bit of a different situation but hse done admirably if slightly uneven.

The impression I get reading on here and in bits of news/rumour (I don't know a lot about him myself) is that Ibrahima Konate is consider a little 'more senior' than Ozan Kabak.

My assumption is that we hope to start next season with Gomez and Van Dijk, with Matip and Konate as the other senior centre-backs competing for a place.

I'd like to see us do the deal for Kabak and - fitness issues all being okay with the senior centre-backs - send him on a decent loan spell for the second half of 2021-22.  Inclined to think we probably look to move Matip on (for issues much more to do with fitness than ability!) next summer, rather than this summer, and go into 2022-23 with VVD, Gomez, Konate, and Kabak as our 'senior' centre-backs.  Phillips sort of as emergency/specialist cover for as long as we need/he's happy.

I think Kabak's settled in really well in very difficult circumstances, and that we're going to want to pick up two 'senior' centre-backs in the next eighteen months - makes sense to buy (at a very reasonably price) one who's got a lot of promise and is already involved with the club rather than pressing reset and potentially spending a lot more money.  £50m-ish for the pair, but we sort out our centre-back positions for a good few years.

[Coolie High]

Quite a bizarre set of metrics, except for top speed.

Which isn't really all that relevant. It's how quickly you get close to your to speed that matters (except in situations he's chasing back a counter from a corner we've taken)

EDIT: tubby beat me to it

Yes long stopped taking these type of graphs seriously.

[mickeydocs]

Im not that suprised.
It is not realistic to expect a defender in our system to never get beaten 1v1 at times. They are up against lightening fast forwards.

Kabak has got a good turn of pace & since the Chelsea game has done very well. Made some mistakes which is normal for a 21 year old.
He clearly has more potential than Phillips.

For 18m I hope we sign him. Would be a mistake not to.

Except it's not 18m. It's 18m + add ons.
There is alot of transfer work required. We need to be absolutely ruthless.
He's played poorly in a number of games and had a few ok games as well. Nothing points to a cornerstone of our defence other than he is young and may improve.

[Dave McCoy]

Plan for the worst and hope for the best.  If the best were to happen in 21/22 then Kabak isn't on the field ever when it actually matters.  Is that really the best use of what I'm guessing will be a limited set of funds?  We also don't even know what the market will be this summer.  If Konate's buyout is the top of the market then is spending 80% of the same amount on Kabak worth it?  I guess we'll see but for me it's pretty low on the totem pole of squad issues for next season.

[Agent99]

Might not see him play for us again. Out for the rest of the season.

Ian Doyle
@IanDoyleSport
Jurgen Klopp says Ozan Kabak won't play again this season for #LFC

[Phineus]

Yeah shame. Hopefully not last of him we’ve seen in a red shirt.

[Machae]

How long does he have left on his contract with Shalke. Might be shitty to try and lowball a figure already agreed, but that's business. If he doesnt have long left on his contract, can see us picking up a bargain, especially with question marks about our other CBs

[Jake]

Thats a shame. He was much more reliable than Williams.

How the fuck are our defenders so broken.

[Fromola]

Thats a shame. He was much more reliable than Williams.

How the fuck are our defenders so broken.

It's ridiculous. I thought we missed him the last few games but have won them, whereas we missed Phillips the 2 games before it and lost the points late on.

We haven't been able to even use the Kabak/Phillips pairing since going out the CL. Again, it seemed an injury too many for us (along with now Jota) but hopefully it proves not to be.

[phil236849]

Any chance there has been a falling out as Kabak told not getting signed up

[klopptopia]

Any chance there has been a falling out as Kabak told not getting signed up

why would there be? hes been very good since he settled in. he was getting subbed early in some games so must have been an issue they were managing that got worse

[Passmaster Molby]

Either injured or possibly something in his contract that meant if he played more times for us we would be obligated to sign him?

Seems to me like we have decided to go for Konate over him if the rumours are true.