Liverpool FC Forum

Talk of Mo being the next target of the Saudi Super league. It says he could get similar money to Benzema which is reported to be 3.2 million a week   

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2023/06/s ... d-to-wait/

red till i die!! » Thu Jun 22, 2023 12:32 am wrote:Talk of Mo being the next target of the Saudi Super league. It says he could get similar money to Benzema which is reported to be 3.2 million a week   

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2023/06/s ... d-to-wait/

To be fair, how could he turn that down, that is ten times what he makes now. He won all the trophies he could and he will never get anywhere near that in any other country, also he will be close to Mecca and I’m sure that is how he will justify it. If it’s real he would be a fool to turn it down, hopefully we can get 200 million for him.

It's absolutely crazy money for anyone to be earning but if it's on the table he would be a fool not to take it.  I don't think he wants to go though as he has it sweet here. I don't think we can do without him tbh but if they were offering 200 I'd say FSG would snap their hand off.  Getting that kind of money would be tempting but no guarantee we will sign a replacement for him and not use the money or most of it to cover losses.

The Saudi sports washing is just getting started. In another 5 years their viewing figures will be right up there.  Then they will be signing young top talent and the best managers. .  Clubs will also start to go there for preseason tournaments to boost the leagues profile. Probably beam it round the world for free as well in the beginning. They will get what they want because they will just keep throwing obscene amounts of money at people and it doesn't matter how much as they will just pump up the oil price to pay for it.

Reg » Wed Jun 21, 2023 8:54 pm wrote:'Kai Havertz: Arsenal agree £65m deal with Chelsea for German forward'.
Chelsea paid £70 million for him and sold for £65 when it became apparent it wasn't working out. Instead we let Keita's £53 million contract run down and got zippo for him.

Maybe a better comparison is Chelsea spending £40 odd million on Tiémoué Bakayoko from Monaco and he hardly ever played for them and just left on a free. Also, £30 odd on Kante who leaves on a free, I think Andreas Christensen was an academy player but was in the prime of his career and went to Barcelona on a free, Rudiger free, Marcos Alonso free, Drinkwater free,  Willian free, etc. So not sure Chelsea are the best example of cashing in on players before they run their contracts down.

The fact Keita has ended up signing a 30k a week contract at a club that narrowly avoided relegation from the Bundesliga tells you a lot about his market value.

red till i die!! » Thu Jun 22, 2023 12:32 am wrote:Talk of Mo being the next target of the Saudi Super league. It says he could get similar money to Benzema which is reported to be 3.2 million a week   

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2023/06/s ... d-to-wait/

Can't see Salah being excited by the possibility of going to Saudi at this stage in his career. Maybe if the opportunity is there when he's 34/35 for a big paycheck before he retires. He's in peak condition, touch wood has no injury issues, breaking records, and banging in goals.

Hope we sign a quick CB to do for us what Walker does for City. If Trent is going to spend more and more time in the middle of the park we are going to need pacey, athletic defenders who can cover the ground quickly.

Eagle » Fri Jun 23, 2023 8:42 am wrote:

Reg » Wed Jun 21, 2023 8:54 pm wrote:'Kai Havertz: Arsenal agree £65m deal with Chelsea for German forward'.
Chelsea paid £70 million for him and sold for £65 when it became apparent it wasn't working out. Instead we let Keita's £53 million contract run down and got zippo for him.

The fact Keita has ended up signing a 30k a week contract at a club that narrowly avoided relegation from the Bundesliga tells you a lot about his market value.

Agree. Let's be honest, all things considered, Keita turned out to be a pretty ***** signing overall. I'd also like to see his birth certificate because not convinced he is in his 20s.

Eagle wrote:

red till i die!! » Thu Jun 22, 2023 12:32 am wrote:Talk of Mo being the next target of the Saudi Super league. It says he could get similar money to Benzema which is reported to be 3.2 million a week   

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2023/06/s ... d-to-wait/

Can't see Salah being excited by the possibility of going to Saudi at this stage in his career. Maybe if the opportunity is there when he's 34/35 for a big paycheck before he retires. He's in peak condition, touch wood has no injury issues, breaking records, and banging in goals.

Can't see it either Mate and by all accounts he wants to stay and become top goalscorer for us. As I said in a previous that I don't think we can do without him atm but do think his time playing at this level will come sooner than he thinks. It's a big challenge for the rest to show next season that they are capable of producing the numbers he does. We need at least one player to be scoring 30+ a season.

If someone else can step up alongside Mo and match him then we will stroll back into that top 4 and dare I say it but we would be contenders as well.

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb wrote:Hope we sign a quick CB to do for us what Walker does for City. If Trent is going to spend more and more time in the middle of the park we are going to need pacey, athletic defenders who can cover the ground quickly.

I watched Virgil in the recent Nations League games and he is never getting that yard of pace back. He wasn't great tbh and drew a lot of criticism for it.

I don't think we can afford to gamble here which is what we will do by signing someone for the future. We had that with Van Den Berg, Williams etc but fast forward and none are to be seen. We have to be thinking about the season after this because Van Dijk won't be an option imo.

The version of Virgil pre that injury at Goodison Park was the best defender I’ve ever seen play for us (and I go back a fair way), yes the likes of Hansen, Lawrenson, Thompson, Hughes, Smith etc etc we’re all fantastic players but they all had slight flaws to their game , none of them were what I’d call dominant in the air (though Thommo wasn’t bad to be fair). Alan Hansen was a footballing god but the ultra physical centre forwards of the day who were all flailing legs and elbows like John Fashanu, Mick Harford and Brian Deane etc could give him trouble.
Virgil on the other hand was the complete package, the complete CB. Not only was he big and strong enough to deal with any physical threat he was quick too, in fact quick is probably a bit of an understatement, there are YouTube clips of him running down absolute fliers like Mbappe and Adama Traore, prime Virgil literally had everything, he was like a flawless diamond.
Unfortunately that version of Virgil doesn’t exist anymore and by the looks of it the key to our success over the next few years will revolve around wether we can replicate City and remain defensively solid even when our RB drifts into MF. Solving that particular conundrum will be crucial and whilst having someone like Konate gives us half a chance he is going to need help. As you say mate if the club tries to penny pinch or cut corners on that one we will be f***ed, finding our version of Walker is going to be the key to everything, it will determine wether we remain major players or not.

Some might say I'm overreacting but pre injury Virgil was one of the best players overall I've ever seen. He was that good. Not anymore sadly.

damjan193 » Sat Jun 24, 2023 11:30 am wrote:Some might say I'm overreacting but pre injury Virgil was one of the best players overall I've ever seen. He was that good. Not anymore sadly.

Agreed   

But , I have to ask . is Virgil's drop off solely due to physical decline or did the serious injury he suffered affect his mental attitude to his game ?

I think physically he still has it all within him but in terms of imposing himself in the game he's lost some aggression and confidence, maybe concerned that he doesn't want to spend another six months plus recovering from an injury.

What do you lads think ?

Trent, Robbo, VVD, Fabinho, Salah, etc. Going off last season everyone bar Ali saw a massive drop off. Which might mean there is bigger problem with the sum rather than individuals.

I think fatigue from the previous season’s exertions probably played a role in some players downturn in form. I’m not just talking about physical fatigue as well, we got within 20 minutes of winning the title (City were 2-0 down to Gerrards Villa) and we should have beaten Madrid in Paris too. I think some players hadn’t got over the disappointment

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Mon Jun 26, 2023 5:51 pm wrote:I think fatigue from the previous season’s exertions probably played a role in some players downturn in form. I’m not just talking about physical fatigue as well, we got within 20 minutes of winning the title (City were 2-0 down to Gerrards Villa) and we should have beaten Madrid in Paris too. I think some players hadn’t got over the disappointment

To be fair he did not look the same last year either.

In answer to Woof’s question I think a little arrogance had crept in. Just listening to interviews and inter player banter he did seem to act like his sh1t didn’t stink. I think when he became the best defender in the world he felt like he didn’t have to work as hard because he was that good, no doubt the injury had an impact too although in my opinion a minor role. Like most of the team he didn’t have the same intensity he had when he was hungry for success, after that he seem to act a little entitled. There were a few players last season that didn’t give the intensity needed and he was one of them.

Not surprisingly our worst performances last year were against weaker teams, they just assumed they would win by just showing up and he was as guilty as the rest.