Topic: LIVERPOOL TRANSFER THREAD - 2023 (FSG posts = get muted)

[DelTrotter]

Orny just said on a pod he's "heard from multiple contacts Liverpool are looking for a wide player" which is good to hear.

[MD1990]

Orny just said on a pod he's "heard from multiple contacts Liverpool are looking for a wide player" which is good to hear.

just what we need really.
We dont need that many signings or to sell our forwards either

[DelTrotter]

just what we need really.
We dont need that many signings or to sell our forwards either

Yep, a wide player, a god of a DM and another defender would be excellent then hopefully another bonus or two on top.

[[new username under construction]]

What's everyone's problem with Tsimikas?

I asked him to mow the lawn last week and he's STILL not done it

[QC]

Olise would be my choice, but hard to see him willing to move over with Salah still in the picture

[Draex]

Olise would be my choice, but hard to see him willing to move over with Salah still in the picture

Nunez

Diaz - Salah - Olise

Tasty

[Samie]

Orny just said on a pod he's "heard from multiple contacts Liverpool are looking for a wide player" which is good to hear.

We're looking for a fat man? Wel RAWK is at the top of the list of recruits then.

[classycarra]

"Liverpool's overhauled midfield has been a big talking point this season, with Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister sharing the duties of the holding role. But with Slot often using a double pivot in that area of the park and questions over whether Endo is a long-term solution for Liverpool in that department, an additional defensive midfielder seems like an obvious transfer target this summer.

That would free up Mac Allister to play in a No 10 role more akin to what he had at Brighton but perhaps also give Liverpool's defence some more security - they have, after all, fallen 1-0 behind in 23 matches this season."

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/15117/13125659/arne-slot-s-in-tray-at-liverpool-mohamed-salah-s-future-darwin-nunez-s-finishing-and-defensive-midfield-transfer-among-dutchman-s-priorities-at-anfield

The article focuses on DM and finishing, but I think sorting out the former automatically does a great deal to sort out the latter.

We had 28 shots vs West Ham, and throughout the season we have had similar totals in games. But as in the West Ham game so many chances have been difficult with the slow build up through our disjointed/weak/timid/flaky unbalanced midfield. Even the United game, those much talked about breaks, look where we picked up the ball, deep inside our own half. When the midfield was firing (pressing the opposition) we'd have picked up the ball much closer to goal in midfield, making the breakaway much easier. Having to run three quarters of the length of the field is not a gimme, even though we did mess those up. We are also overplaying in midfield (and attack) which happens when it's slow. It becomes infectious. It allows the opposition time to get back into position and get set. The slow play has especially hindered Nunez. He has never looked clinical, but we are making it doubly difficult for him in our play

Being so open through the midfield and conceding chances and goals as a result also impacts the forwards from a mental standpoint as they know they need to be scoring two, three, four for the team to win, and that added pressure every game affects their composure infront of goal. We would have needed eight goals in two games to win those games at OT, yet all the talk was about the forwards. Crazy. Always going behind also ramps up the pressure on forwards, a pressure that finally took its toll in the Palace game (the decision to start a goosed Endo, less than 72 hours after being done by Atalanta, to play against the same opponents who targeted him at their ground, I think will go down as Klopp's worst selection in his 9 and a half years at the club). We lost the first half comprehensively, and that was on Klopp. The desperation in the second half was evident (reminded me of the Chelsea game under Rodgers, another game where we were wide open defensively (the focus on Stevie's miscontrol in that game I felt was always overplayed, as no team should leave half a field for an opposing player to run into if the midfield loses (makes an error) the ball, but that team under a defensively non existent coach which conceded a whopping 50 goals that season was relying on the forward to win us the league).

In releasing the shackles from the attacking 8s (or 10 as Mac is referred to) by not having them stay close to the slow 6 to babysit him, this can only make the attacking play much sharper. A slow 6 hinders Mac in what he is allowed to do, and in contrast to the start of the season when he was fresh, Dom to me looks mentally and physically drained in having to carry some of the workload of the 6. Having to carry any player at this level will inevitably leave you knackered. Dom's decision making has been off, as opposed to the first two months when he looked the part.

The main reason I've been loathe to be critical of the likes of Dom (and even the forwards) is their game is being impeded by having to carry a weakness in the team, and rather than target (and rectify) the weakness for dragging them down, the focus instead has gone on those impacted by it. Same applies in the 22-23 season, I'd have shut off all pretty much all of the player threads (bar Fabinho, and to a lesser degree Hendo as his decline had already been there), as without a functioning midfield its impossible for the others to operate to their level. Trent for example, he has always been suspect defensively, he didn't suddenly get worse in the 22-23 season, what happened was the protection he previously got had gone (not just from the DM, also Hendo), so he got rinsed on a regular basis through no fault of his own. Nothing changed in him personally, what changed was those around him.

I've been away so have been catching up the odd thread here and there, and keep spotting good posts and looking to the side and seeing "KC7". I see it's your first week, so welcome! Keep up the posts, they're a well expressed perspective and good read

[MD1990]

saw an article Slot loves wingers good at 1v1s was mentioned in the Athletic piece.

[BER]

What's everyone's problem with Tsimikas?

It's just football. We need better than or if you're being kind, competition for Robertson, who's still worth keeping and is a better player than Tsimikas.

[HeartAndSoul]

just what we need really.
We dont need that many signings or to sell our forwards either

Surely if we sign a forward, one of the current players will leave? Salah, Nunez, Jota, Diaz, Gakpo plus a new winger seems quite a lot then you have the likes of Doak and Elliott as well who can play there.

[Egyptian36]

Olise would be my choice, but hard to see him willing to move over with Salah still in the picture

Can't see his hamstring issues getting better.

[DelTrotter]

Surely if we sign a forward, one of the current players will leave? Salah, Nunez, Jota, Diaz, Gakpo plus a new winger seems quite a lot then you have the likes of Doak and Elliott as well who can play there.

Harvey should never play there, Diogo will spend half the season out, Darwin doesn't miss many but feels like we are always "managing" him, Mo getting on so will need resting a bit more, tournament summer and 8-10 CL games before the good stuff starts and there's defo room for another easily.

[Sangria]

We're looking for a fat man? Wel RAWK is at the top of the list of recruits then.

Fallout's been on TV recently, so people are naturally interested in Fat Man.

[Barefoot Doctor]

saw an article Slot loves wingers good at 1v1s was mentioned in the Athletic piece.

Yep. Basically said he absolutely rinses them so they always get subbed, hence needing several of them. Assuming we don’t sell anyone, Diaz is by far our best winger but maybe he’d see Gakpo and Szoboszlai as ones too? Definitely need one more but an argument could be made for two.

Don’t know who we’ll target but some exciting options. If you’re going pure winger, then Neto is the one that jumps to mind but presume the injury track record rules him out. Same with Olise potentially. Summerville looks good but it’s a huge step up.

[killer-heels]

Yep. Basically said he absolutely rinses them so they always get subbed, hence needing several of them. Assuming we don’t sell anyone, Diaz is by far our best winger but maybe he’d see Gakpo and Szoboszlai as ones too? Definitely need one more but an argument could be made for two.

Don’t know who we’ll target but some exciting options. If you’re going pure winger, then Neto is the one that jumps to mind but presume the injury track record rules him out. Same with Olise potentially. Summerville looks good but it’s a huge step up.

It depends what they want the wingers to do. Summerville isnt really a wide, take the full back on type winger he is more of a forward who plays wide.

[Draex]

It depends what they want the wingers to do. Summerville isnt really a wide, take the full back on type winger he is more of a forward who plays wide.

Really? Any videos I've seen he's dancing through 2-3 players.

[Garlic Red]

Orny just said on a pod he's "heard from multiple contacts Liverpool are looking for a wide player" which is good to hear.

Can’t wait to see who it is. I think we should be looking within the league, but nearly every top prospect/player has question marks around their fitness, or the ones that don’t I’m unsure if they’re quite at the level we’d like.

Reading a lot about Slot liking to get his wingers isolated 1v1 against their full backs. Our wingers have been able to do it but I’ve always felt off ball movement has been our wingers’ greater strength rather than 1v1 isolation dribbling. I’m really intrigued to see if we change our profile of player to suit this and whether we sacrifice a bit of the output merchant stuff for a bit of flair.

[JackWard33]

Can't see his hamstring issues getting better.

Why not?
A it’s not uncommon to have hamstring problems early in a career and get past them

[rafathegaffa83]

The more I think of it, wouldn't Geertruida just be similar to Gomez (with the added benefit of being able to play in midfield). I guess if you can get him for under £20m it might be fine, but considering VVD needs to be replaced sooner than later couldn't that money be used elsewhere?

[Draex]

The more I think of it, wouldn't Geertruida just be similar to Gomez (with the added benefit of being able to play in midfield). I guess if you can get him for under £20m it might be fine, but considering VVD needs to be replaced sooner than later couldn't that money be used elsewhere?

He was quoted around £33mil last summer and now has a year left, can see why he'd be attractive, he's now playing for the national team regularly.

[lionel_messias]

Kudus has a buy out clause, which is why Brighton failed to sign him. Look at his goals and assists, I don't see why he wouldn't be a great as right attacker for us, presuming Mo Salah goes to the middle.

Mo money!

Double the Mo!

Many on here don't like Kudus as they didn't scout him from the Uzbeck league or something...

17 goals, 11 assists is it?

[JackWard33]

Kudus has a buy out clause, which is why Brighton failed to sign him. Look at his goals and assists, I don't see why he wouldn't be a great as right attacker for us, presuming Mo Salah goes to the middle.

Mo money!

Double the Mo!

Many on here don't like Kudus as they didn't scout him from the Uzbeck league or something...

17 goals, 11 assists is it?

Kudus isn’t at our level … his underlying numbers are bad … in fact, like Antony, the drop off from the Dutch league is huge and instructive as to the minefield of buying players from that league

[Haggis36]

Orny just said on a pod he's "heard from multiple contacts Liverpool are looking for a wide player" which is good to hear.

Think it will be Summerville (based on literally nothing other than vibes).

Kudus will be expensive even with a clause and he strikes me as a player who looks aesthetically pleasing when he plays well but who hasn’t really delivered all that much this year. I imagine Olise’s new release clause is a decent bit higher than the £35m it was last season (£50m+?) and that might put us off given his injury problems this season. Summerville will be a fair bit cheaper than both I’d expect.

Seen nothing of Geertruida but I’m not sure defensive utility player is really what we need, so unless he’s dirt cheap with it being his last year, I’d be looking to spend elsewhere. This is the weakest Netherlands side in a generation really so not sure being a full international says all that much.

[mikey_LFC]

The more I think of it, wouldn't Geertruida just be similar to Gomez (with the added benefit of being able to play in midfield). I guess if you can get him for under £20m it might be fine, but considering VVD needs to be replaced sooner than later couldn't that money be used elsewhere?

Having two Gonez’s would be great. Particularly if Trent is shifting positions. Helps resolve so many issues if we get any injuries.

I don’t think Van Dijk is going anywhere. Will still be a starter here for 4 years minimum I think, as long as he gets no injuries.

[Jookie]

Wonder if we’ll firm up our interest in Archie Gray with a bid this summer?

Might depend on a couple of factors. Firstly if Leeds get promoted or not. Secondly is he a  better prospect than some of our existing players.

From people I know in and around Leeds the noises are that we really like Gray. Like him enough to make a bid? Probably find out in the summer.

[Tobelius]

Olise would be my choice, but hard to see him willing to move over with Salah still in the picture

Mine too,i've little doubt he's going to develop into that 'world class' or similar bit worn phrase,bracket of players or close to that level injuries permitting.

[Barefoot Doctor]

Reckon there’s a fair chance of Mo moving more centrally if it’s a 4-2-3-1 style setup. Think that probably necessitates any winger being someone who plays off the right, and given that Slot apparently favours inverted wingers it probably means a lefty. That makes Olise all the more attractive…Neto too although think Wolves play him as an orthodox winger rather than inverted. Zhegrova at Lille is left-footed too and numbers look intriguing. Kudus, but others seem down on him… maybe Kubo at Sociedad.

[Knight]

I've been away so have been catching up the odd thread here and there, and keep spotting good posts and looking to the side and seeing "KC7". I see it's your first week, so welcome! Keep up the posts, they're a well expressed perspective and good read

Agreed. This is excellent.

[killer-heels]

I wouldnt rule out Bakayoko if we want wingers who do winger things. Might be lacking in some end product, might be the Dutch league, but even in Europe he demonstrated his ability to go past full backs. Plus his name has been mentioned before in relation to us, so he is on a list.

[Knight]

Id quite like to see Salah as a 10 behind Nunez/Jota, Diaz, Szoboslai left and right forwards. MacAllister and a new monster athlete as dual 6s. Trent plays right back or nowhere. We need another CB and a new LB as well as the new CM. Might need another player for the right sided forward role too.

This but with Olise wide right is even more tasty. Not quite sure where it leaves Szoboslai. Guess he could take minutes as one of the 6s, as the 10 or the wide right role when Olise’s hammy goes.

[rafathegaffa83]

I don’t think Van Dijk is going anywhere. Will still be a starter here for 4 years minimum I think, as long as he gets no injuries.

He's 33 in June. I can't see him being here in 3 years time.

[JackWard33]

https://fbref.com/en/players/c4486bac/Michael-Olise

Olise is at 0.67 npxg + xa in the league this season.. that's Foden levels of production at 22 playing for Palace (!!) .. every big club with an analytics department will be in for him.
Assuming there isn't a chronic injury problem 60 million is a steal for his age/level of player

[Phineus]

https://fbref.com/en/players/c4486bac/Michael-Olise

Olise is at 0.67 npxg + xa in the league this season.. that's Foden levels of production at 22 playing for Palace (!!) .. every big club with an analytics department will be in for him.
Assuming there isn't a chronic injury problem 60 million is a steal for his age/level of player

Hopefully we’re in for him and moving Salah into a new role more central, where he doesn’t need to cover as much ground and basically get him as close to the oppositions box as possible.

In summer, I’d look/hope we do something like the below:

Ait Nouri/Maatsen.
Ederson (Atalanta one).
Olise.
Summerville (if we move more than one on from attack).

For CB, tricky one. Diomande would be ideal, but that’s likely a Van Dijk level fee. Wonder if we’ll go in for Colwill or maybe even Araujo with their clubs in a money bind. Would be much bigger wages though. If there’s any deal to be made around Romero at Spurs, hope we’d look at that.

If Rodrygo isn’t gonna be happy with new playing time after Mbappe and Endrick join, I hope we’re keeping an eye on that too.

[Coolie High]

I remember people having questions in regards to Olise like a year ago, what’s changed? His production gone up a level?

[Draex]

Diomande is shite in the air, I really doubt we are going to get central defenders who can't win a header.

[Phineus]

Diomande is shite in the air, I really doubt we are going to get central defenders who can't win a header.

I saw an article in Jan saying he has 72% arial success rate - that’s pretty good.

[wemmick]

Just saw us linked with Geertruida. So instead of a dedicated 6, we might have our own version of John Stones? I wonder if Slot would play a 4 CB system like City -- Gomez, VVD, Konate, and Geertruida? Seems like Geertruida plays on the right for Feyenoord. Maybe Trent will move into one of the 3 attacking midfield spots? Interesting link.

Also hope the Koopmeiners link is true. He could add more goals from midfield. Sweet left foot. Would be good in the double pivot if Trent moved forward.

Edit: Garlic Red mentioned in the new manager thread we might be getting creative with the 6 because of the lack of elite prospects at that positions. That's a good point. 

[Sheer Magnetism]

This but with Olise wide right is even more tasty. Not quite sure where it leaves Szoboslai. Guess he could take minutes as one of the 6s, as the 10 or the wide right role when Olise’s hammy goes.

Szoboszlai and Harvey would both be decent choices in the hole IMO. I'd also rather see Salah in the middle where his drop off in pace would be a lesser issue.

[Draex]

I saw an article in Jan saying he has 72% arial success rate - that’s pretty good.

https://fbref.com/en/players/394be156/Ousmane-Diomande

compare him to Van Dijk who wins 4 times as much in the air.