Liverpool FC Forum

Why Lee, Citeh have a full squad available, not a single injury? We just screwed up by playing the same lads over and over until they ran out of ags and their bodies gave up.

so we wouldn't of had to go through the season we've just had.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/f ... e-20243821

Barca have apparently slashed the asking price for coutinho    He would be a bargain for 35 mil.

Also read in that article that whatever debt Barca owe us for that deal was sold on to a 3rd party    .

red till i die!! » Wed Mar 24, 2021 2:48 pm wrote:https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/philippe-coutinho-liverpool-barcelona-price-20243821

Barca have apparently slashed the asking price for coutinho    He would be a bargain for 35 mil.

Also read in that article that whatever debt Barca owe us for that deal was sold on to a 3rd party    .

As good as he was, we improved once we sold him as we replaced him with hard working midfielders, something he was not. Would he be a replacement for Thiago? Could he play the Firmino role? I think it would mean changing how we play to accommodate him. My view is never go back, move on instead, Barcelona’s problem. It is funny though how Barcelona views the sale... it’s called karma and I’m glad they got shafted.

No doubt we have improved and won stuff without him but we still would have made that jump if he had stayed and we signed Ali and Virg.

Personally I never thought he was lazy. Some players are just better at tackling but he made up for it with goals. We have a world class goalkeeper, world class centre half and a world class DM sitting in front of them so do we really need 2 plodders backing that up.  Even if he was a squad player for us he would still be better than either Ox, Keita or Shaq.

red till i die!! » Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:30 pm wrote:No doubt we have improved and won stuff without him but we still would have made that jump if he had stayed and we signed Ali and Virg.

Personally I never thought he was lazy. Some players are just better at tackling but he made up for it with goals. We have a world class goalkeeper, world class centre half and a world class DM sitting in front of them so do we really need 2 plodders backing that up.  Even if he was a squad player for us he would still be better than either Ox, Keita or Shaq.

I would never say he was lazy but he was not a workhorse either, something we rely on to help the defense. Sure, being backed up by a world class holding midfielder will help him but then where would he play? If he was a squad player replacing for example Ox then I’m all for it as he is far better, is he better than Thiago? I don’t think he is.

Bottom line is he refused to play for us so that is that.

From the Echo

Liverpool might not need a complete overhaul this summer but this season has certainly shown the Reds would benefit from a few new faces if they are to challenge for the title again.

For Jurgen Klopp and their fans, simply having a fully fit squad from which the manager can select a starting XI would feel like a big step forward at the moment.

And with the huge loss in revenue caused by the coronavirus crisis, Fenway Sports Group may not be able to sanction a summer of huge transfer spending but if a few key signings are made, how could they fit into the Reds' squad?

it’s still fun to speculate who might be part of Liverpool’s squad when the 2021/22 Premier League gets underway on August 14.

Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

There’s no issues in the goalkeeping department, with Alisson Becker certain to be the Reds’ number one.

Caoimhin Kelleher has impressed in his five appearances this season so he should be the back-up option, with Adrian expected to move on at the conclusion of his contract.

Full-backs: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson

The full-backs would appear to be settled too. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson will continue as the first choices, with Neco Williams and Kostas Tsimikas providing cover as their respective deputies.

At the heart of the defence is where the first question marks lie. Many Kopites felt Liverpool went into 2020/21 light of a senior centre-back, and the injuries sustained by Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk only emphasised this notion.

Centre-backs: Ozan Kabak and Virgil van Dijk

At this point, it’s impossible to know when the absent trio of central defenders will be able to return to action, and neither can we be certain when – or perhaps even if – they will recover their very best form. It would certainly be prudent to recruit further cover.

The Reds have missed the passing ability of van Dijk, with the Dutchman adept at spraying long balls vertically to the forwards or out wide to the full-backs.

If Van Dijk is ready at all though then surely he starts the new campaign.

It may even be that Liverpool sign Ozan Kabak on a permanent basis and the young Turkish defender is able to learn from his idol while Gomez and Matip return to fitness.

Midfield: Steven Alzate, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson

It seems likely that Liverpool will need to sign a new midfielder too, as Gini Wijnaldum appears set to move on after five great years with the club.

His durability has been crucial during a difficult campaign, with the number five having made the joint-most appearances alongside Mohamed Salah.

While there have been rumours linking Yves Bissouma with the Reds, the player comparison algorithms of smarterscout and FBRef suggest a different Brighton player would be a good squad option with a similar skillset as Wijnaldum.


Steven Alzate may have a limited sample of 741 Premier League minutes this season, but he has spent that time retaining the ball and pressuring opponents more frequently and more successfully than Wijnaldum has.

Brighton’s lower possession average accounts for the higher pressing rate but he appears to have the abilities required for a Klopp side.

It could be an ask for him to slot in and replace Wijnaldum immediately but Thiago Alcantara is still coming to terms with Premier League football and can easily rotate with the new signing, along with Curtis Jones.

Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will also be in the mix too as options in the squad.

Forwards: Mohamed Salah, Patson Daka, Sadio Mane

It will be a similar story up front. It seems possible that Diogo Jota will replace Roberto Firmino on a more regular basis, with Sadio Mane and Salah regular first choices too.

Perhaps Klopp will decide to make a new maybe as a squad option, replacing Divock Origi or more like Jota's signing from Wolves, it could be one to disrupt the typical front line altogether.

Patson Daka has been linked to Liverpool and he has a superb record in Austrian football. If he were available to sign, the 22-year-old would be an ideal option.

There could be other options if the Reds had to sign someone else, and were open to an older player, then Lyon’s striker Karl Toko Ekambi might fit the bill. According to Statsbomb’s data on FBRef, he’s currently one of the top five most similar players for both Mane and Salah.

It’s easy to see why. His underlying attacking statistics (non-penalty expected goal and assists) have averaged 0.82 per 90 minutes across the last year, where the Liverpool pair have both recorded 0.60.


The trio all average at least 2.8 shots per match too – which puts them in the top 13 per cent of wide forwards in Europe’s big five leagues – so they are all clearly doing a lot of the same things well.

These signings aren’t complete fantasy football. All supporters would love to see Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe running out at Anfield next season, but such moves will surely remain a pipedream.

Adding a sprinkling of fresh talent into a fully Liverpool squad should see the Reds well equipped for the 2021/22 season though.

David Ornstein at the Athletic, who is generally considered a reliable source, claiming this morning that we are working to finalise a deal for Ibrahima Konate.

Exclusive: Liverpool working to finalise deal for Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig. Not done but significant progress made + #LFC pursuit of 21yo French centre-back now advanced. Likely his ~€40m release clause will need paying
@TheAthleticUK
#RBLeipzig

https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/stat ... 3938573312

Seems to be a lot of journos saying it now so must be some truth to it.

Dont know much about him tbh but I did have a look at his stats on transfer market and he has been missing a fair bit through injury. Happy to see us signing players but would prefer they hadn't missed the best part of a season with a serious injury. Klopps methods are demanding so I would think we need more robust players able to cope with it. We wont be making a wave of signings so its important the ones we do make are able for it.

The kiss of death for a player to be linked to Liverpool, usually we only get to hear about it once it's done and dusted so to hear rumours in March is likely unrealistic....

The Echo's a joke these days FWIW, they link us to half a dozen different players every week.

red till i die!! » Mon Mar 29, 2021 2:22 pm wrote:Seems to be a lot of journos saying it now so must be some truth to it.

Dont know much about him tbh but I did have a look at his stats on transfer market and he has been missing a fair bit through injury. Happy to see us signing players but would prefer they hadn't missed the best part of a season with a serious injury. Klopps methods are demanding so I would think we need more robust players able to cope with it. We wont be making a wave of signings so its important the ones we do make are able for it.

I think they are just jumping on what Ornstein has said rather than have their own source. Quite a few tap in merchants in the world of journalism! Ornstein is pretty solid so there is likely some truth to it.

Haven't seen Konate play myself but looks like he has a lot of good raw attributes. He's 6,4, has the highest win percentage of headers in Germany, and clocked as one of the fastest CBs in Europe supposedly. He's only 21 so probably seen as a long term replacement for van Djik and Matip who will both be 30 by the time next season starts.

The names mentioned in that Echo article posted by Kazza are hardly inspiring, they sound like the type of transfer targets a Newcastle or West Ham would go for not a team genuinely wanting to compete against the City’s, Bayern Munich’s and PSG’s of this world for the biggest prizes in the club game.
Head in the sand stuff by the hierarchy of this club if they think all our woes are just down to the injury situation as well, when the goals dried up after Christmas our front 3 were playing week in week out the forward line wasn’t decimated by injury, in fact it would have been easier to rationalise the 2 goals in 8 home games if it was. We have players at this club who clearly aren’t the same players they were 2-3 years ago.

Wouldn't mind if we went for Aguero , he's available end of the season.

Would be pleasently surprised if the club consider him

Wouldnt like to see Aguero here at all.  The lad is finished and will just end up on the physios table for the year. He would be no use to us at all.