Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours 2018

Shanotheslayer

Mr.H wrote: »

I thought all the Lemar to Liverpool talk was from Lemars end (his agent) rather than ours?

Personally I dont think a replacement for Coutinho is a priority. We have Firmino and Lallana who can both play there as well as Ox and Wjini. Our priority now has to be to bring in a full back keeper or midfielder who can tackle

What full back would you be looking for? Clyne /TAA/Gomez at RB. Tbh from what I saw of Gomez he looks an excellent prospect as does TAA.

At LB Robertson has looked quite good also. So would it be a replacement for Moreno?

As a non Liverpool fan I think Robertson should be starting ahead of Moreno. Has looked good in the games I watched and looks far better defensively, although I may be wrong as I wouldn't follow as closely.

BorneTobyWilde

Scene at Southampton

Mr.H

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

What full back would you be looking for? Clyne /TAA/Gomez at RB. Tbh from what I saw of Gomez he looks an excellent prospect as does TAA.

At LB Robertson has looked quite good also. So would it be a replacement for Moreno?

As a non Liverpool fan I think Robertson should be starting ahead of Moreno. Has looked good in the games I watched and looks far better defensively, although I may be wrong as I wouldn't follow as closely.

Clyne looks to have had a bad injury so we dont know how he will recover. His defensive positioning was never really his strong suit anyway.

TAA looks really good but he is still young and should be no more than a backup player for now. He is also hoping to break into midfield however so depending how much he pushes we might not have him at full back either way.

Gomez looks like he will be playing center one day.

Robertson is still proving himself but is doing well.

Moreno I defend as he gets a lot of crap online but realistically he should go.

I think we need a first team right and left back to be honest. Right now we are relying on youth at right back and Robertson at left back. We are very light at full back on both sides.

Of course I am happy if we dont replace them> i just feel that this would be my priority to upgrade as oppose to replacing Coutinho as we already have a lot of quality that could replace him right now (obviously not to his standard but few are)

Mr.H

So since he doesnt join until January 1st he is still technically a Southampton player for the United game....................... Maybe he could do his new team a favour by shutting United out and costing them a win??

marklazarcovic

Be great to get some cash back of the saints by selling them sturridge and ings

gimli2112

Crazy money but still not as crazy as the £50M PSG paid for Luiz or the £500K Arsenal paid us for Jimmy Carter.

GiftofGab

Our priority is a keeper followed by a tackling midfielder. We should then look for a superstar signing to replace coutinho.
Don't think lallana can grab the game by the scuff of the neck and create something from nothing

LuckyLloyd

garra wrote: »

1. Neymar, Barcelona to Paris St Germain, 2017, £200.6million

2. Ousmane Dembele, Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona, 2017, £96.8m

3. Paul Pogba, Juventus to Manchester United, 2016, £89m

4. Gareth Bale, Tottenham to Real Madrid, 2013, £85.3m

5. Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United to Real Madrid, 2009, £80m

6. Gonzalo Higuain, Napoli to Juventus, 2016, £75.3m

7= Romelu Lukaku, Everton to Manchester United, 2017, £75m

7= Virgil van Dijk, Southampton to Liverpool, 2018, £75m

9. Luis Suarez, Liverpool to Barcelona, 2014, £65m

10. James Rodriguez, Monaco to Real Madrid, 2014, £63m

7th most expensive player of all time? It’s a terrible deal. I might not care should he plug in successfully but we’ve been milked dry here.

mada999

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Big price. Needs to hit the ground running, but I think he will. Another part of the jigsaw completed. Being in kieta in January now PLEASE, great bit of business if it all pans out.

FSG cheapskate posters ....... take note.

lol...are they buttering us up for Coutinho leaving in jan

Crimson King

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

7th most expensive player of all time? It’s a terrible deal. I might not care should he plug in successfully but we’ve been milked dry here.

Personally I think with the exception of the Neymar deal you can't compare current prices to all the ones above this signing in that table. Different 'benchmarks' for price etc.

A proven defender in the PL is invaluable and if he costs the £75M then so be it, thats the market rate currently. Kyle Walker for £53M was an eye opener for me, proven quality for a huge fee and its worked out for City. This is all my opinion of course.

MD1990

If Van Dijk finds the form on 16/17 it will be money well spent.
He was easily the best CB in the PL.

Just hope that wasn't just a purple patch.

BullBlackNova

The fee is steep but not much we can do about that now.

What it does mean is a few crucial things...

1) We signed a ****ing defender. At last!
2) FSG continue to back Klopp to the hilt. Whether or not they'd have been my choices, Salah, Oxlade Chamberlain, Van Dijk and Keita were the top of the list for the boss and we signed all of them. None of the managers in our recent history can say that they've had such support.
3) Even if it takes a few months of bedding in, it's one less concern for the summer, which could be a busy one. Coutinho and Can out, Keita in... Van Dijk in now means one less concern when the window rolls around.

I do reckon it'll be hard to gauge the impact of this move. I mean, the Arsenal game aside, we've actually done alright defensively since the Spurs tonking. No doubt that VVD is a better player than those we already have but but the changes Klopp made since the Spurs game have been crucial.

If, for example, you said we'd have 6 clean sheets in Van Dijk's first eleven league games, and only conceded 7 goals overall, we'd all be chuffed. But that's the exact record we have in the last 11 so...

Im excited about it, I really am. He's a leader, he's strong in the air and with the ball at his feet. Guess it's a matter of waiting to see how he settles, how long it'll take him to get up to speed and how our other players adapt to him.

Agent Coulson

When fullbacks are costing £50m+ we shouldn't be surprised then that centre backs will cost £75m as crazy as it is.

Lord Trollington

People are getting too wrapped up in the price tag . It's not real money. It's TV generated money.

I can't imagine we are giving £75m outright. I reckon a good chunk of that will be performance and appearance related .if we do end up paying it will be a good thing.

Had a chat last night about it with a few mates and we were trying to think of other top CB's that LFC could possibly sign , would want to join and wouldnt want 300k a week of a similar calibre and we genuinely couldn't think of any

murpho999

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

7th most expensive player of all time? It’s a terrible deal. I might not care should he plug in successfully but we’ve been milked dry here.

We have definitely overpaid, but there is a premium for securing him in January and getting it done before City step in.

His price will fade away if he becomes a success.

I remember when Ferdinand signed for Utd and people were shocked at the time at what was paid for a defender but he went on to be a huge success there and nobody mentions his fee now.

ERG89

LuckyLloyd wrote:

7th most expensive player of all time? It’s a terrible deal. I might not care should he plug in successfully but we’ve been milked dry here.

Yup.
While I'm glad we're buying players in the right end of the pitch it's crazy money & a real example of the club not working on alternatives. Next time we go in for a player we'll struggle to negotiate any sort of deal that doesn't result in overpaying.
Maybe a lot of fees will get like this in the league but paying big fees doesn't equal success.

BullBlackNova

Lord Trollington wrote: »

People are getting too wrapped up in the price tag . It's not real money. It's TV generated money.

I can't imagine we are giving £75m outright. I reckon a good chunk of that will be performance and appearance related .if we do end up paying it will be a good thing.

Had a chat last night about it with a few mates and we were trying to think of other top CB's that LFC could possibly sign , would want to join and wouldnt want 300k a week of a similar calibre and we genuinely couldn't think of any

Kostas Manolas, Kalidou Koulibaly, Stefan De Vrij, Stefan Savic, Milan Skriniar, Mehdi Benatia, Clement Lenglet, Aymeric Laporte, Diego Llorente, Salif Sane, Jonathan Tah, Yannik Vestergaard...

Im happy we signed Van Dijk. Happier than if we signed most of those too I'd imagine. But let's not pretend he was our only option!!

Would love to see someone from that list come in to partner VVD next season actually.

fyfe79

murpho999 wrote: »

I remember when Ferdinand signed for Utd and people were shocked at the time at what was paid for a defender but he went on to be a huge success there and nobody mentions his fee now.

Except us LFC fans when trying to justify the massive fee for VVD :P

Everyone knows it's crazy money. We'll try to downplay it, while opposition fans will use it to get digs in. It's the way of the football supporters world!

In today's hugely over-inflated market, £75m is not as crazy as it would have seemed last year. Next season you'll probably see top class defenders going for that price and nobody will be bothered by it. LFC needed VVD badly enough, so they've paid an absolute premium. That's just the nature of the beast.

I remember Andy Cole's £7m fee being considered crazy money too, but that worked out! Let's hope this deal works out for LFC.

brevity

murpho999 wrote: »

I remember when Ferdinand signed for Utd and people were shocked at the time at what was paid for a defender but he went on to be a huge success there and nobody mentions his fee now.

I was thinking that this does feel like a Ferguson type signing.

Turtyturd

brevity wrote: »

I was thinking that this does feel like a Ferguson type signing.

Where as if he’d have played for us, we let him leave for nothing, then bought him back for €70 million it’d feel like a Mourinho type signing.

murpho999

ERG89 wrote: »

Yup.
While I'm glad we're buying players in the right end of the pitch it's crazy money & a real example of the club not working on alternatives. Next time we go in for a player we'll struggle to negotiate any sort of deal that doesn't result in overpaying.
Maybe a lot of fees will get like this in the league but paying big fees doesn't equal success.

How do you know there were no alternatives?

This transfer got botched early in the summer window but it has become clear that VVD was the man that Klopp wanted as no other CB was targeted and now he has got his man.

It does not mean that all transfer fees will be like this.

tinpib

Just to add my 2 cents here, absolutely delighted with this. I haven't seen a whole pile of VvD play but I was so bloody fed up of Liverpool buying 2nd or 3rd choice players or 'squad players'. There were lots of reasons for this and one of them being that Rodgers wasn't as big a draw as Klopp.

Jurgen has finally got his man and that's good enough for me. When the rumours City were interested started I thought he would go to them.

I can only imagine FSG are deligted with what Klopp is doing, inevitbaly some fans want everything and want it now. FSG are businessmen and from memory have barely been seen on Merseyside this season, that is a good thing. If they are in Liverpool a lot then they are sorting out problems, that's not good.

They run several teams/businesses. The one that is a 6 hour flight away across the Atlantic is trundling away by itself, they have the right manager, money is pouring in through telly and new stand revenue, results are pretty good and before yesterday the net spend was effectively the Ox since Klopp took over.

All they need to do now is back the manager while probably also work away on other long term projects such further stadium expansion.

Also people take what Klopp says in the media waaayyyy too seriously. He will, usually, back his players publicly to a crazy degree, to a point of swearing blind that black is white, then right out of nowhere a new replacement player will be signed.

I hope/expect this is currently going on with the goalkeeper situation. I expect lots more public support for Migs, and possibly Karius, in the media. How great a goalie he is, how important he is and how he sees him as vital to the club for years to come and then, Whammyy!, a new goalie signed in the summer.

At least I hope so.

rob316

Mr.H wrote: »

So since he doesnt join until January 1st he is still technically a Southampton player for the United game....................... Maybe he could do his new team a favour by shutting United out and costing them a win??

That would be hilarious and instantly make him a hit. I somehow doubt Liverpool would allow their record signing play though.

MD1990

Not sure what GK we will sign. Oblak has a 88m buyout I can't see us paying that & there would be huge competition for him.

Maybe Keylor Navas who is expected to leave Real but his form has dipped in the last year.

NukaCola

The fee is huge. Southampton got a great deal but the flip side is we underpaid for the likes of Salah/Mané/Firmio and Coutinho will likely go for 10 times what we paid for him.

As for some posters on different threads being obsessed/bitter etc on this transfer, well Liverpool and Klopp have taken our transfer strategy in a different direction. One in which we will pay whatever we want if that gets the player we want. Yes, it may make him look hypocritical in some of his past quotes/dealings but Klopp didn't get the better of Pep in Germany and the gulf between Bayern and Dortmund was narrower than the gap between Liverpool and City currently. We cant always wait to develop talent in every area if we want to close that gap, and this signing is an example of that, the Keita deal is another.

NukaCola

rob316 wrote: »

That would be hilarious and instantly make him a hit. I somehow doubt Liverpool would allow their record signing play though.

He wont play for Southampton again......he was dropped from the squad prior to this, no way he comes back in.

NukaCola

MD1990 wrote: »

Not sure what GK we will sign. Oblak has a 88m buyout I can't see us paying that & there would be huge competition for him.

Maybe Keylor Navas who is expected to leave Real but his form has dipped in the last year.

Are you sure we'll sign a GK? I'm not, love to see a quality one come in though.

rob316

you can't win here with some.

Van Dijk signs for city - "disaster, club going no where, another target slips through us, FSG penny pinching, just pay whatever it takes"

Signs for Liverpool - "over paid, saints laughing at us, crazy money, do the club actually scout players or just sign all Southampton players? "

The transfer strategy is becoming what we have wanted forever, just buying the right player at whatever cost be it £10m or 75m.
Klopp couldn't get Keita this summer we tried all we could but we made damn sure no one else could next summer.
Klopp couldn't get Vvd this summer we tried all we could but we made damn sure we got him at the next opportunity and had to blow man city out of the water with a huge bid.

MD1990

NukaCola wrote: »

Are you sure we'll sign a GK? I'm not, love to see a quality one come in though.

I think we will sign one in the summer.

Karius still get games despite not looking up to it at all shows to me that Klopp is not totally convinced by Mignolet despite what he says in the media,

Turtyturd

We won’t sign a keeper. Think Karius deserves a decent run imo.

garra

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

7th most expensive player of all time? It’s a terrible deal. I might not care should he plug in successfully but we’ve been milked dry here.

I think it's a case of momentarily matching the type of spending that City and Utd have shown recently. EG same money for Lukaku for United and 2 thirds of Kyle Walker - a full back.

We have paid full price rightly enough.. and were forced to do so, after the botched media campaign for his signature during the summer. Whether it proves value for money we will know at the end of his career I suppose.

OwaynOTT

Made the mistake of peeking into the Utd thread




Grand now after some flat 7up.

mav79

Just out of curiosity what do people believe should have been the price for Van Dijk?
Considering Stones and Walker cost 50 million each, Bailley and Lindelof cost 30+ million each and Mangala and Otamendi cost 35+ million each.

Turtyturd

I thought a bit of time to reflect on their stupidity and a nights sleep might have calmed down the cult of Mourinho but they seem to be doubling down on their Van Dijk ‘expertise’. Hard to take it seriously when they’ve considered Phil da face and Smalling as the best defenders in the league.

Devilman40k

mav79 wrote: »

Just out of curiosity what do people believe should have been the price for Van Dyke?
.

Tuppence.. his cockney accent was terrible

LuckyLloyd

garra wrote: »

I think it's a case of momentarily matching the type of spending that City and Utd have shown recently. EG same money for Lukaku for United and 2 thirds of Kyle Walker - a full back.

We have paid full price rightly enough.. and were forced to do so, after the botched media campaign for his signature during the summer. Whether it proves value for money we will know at the end of his career I suppose.

In order for it to become “value for money” VVD would need to become one of the top handful of players in the world. Like Lukaku, that ain’t happening.

klose

If van dijk means we can see out half of the games we ****ed up from winning positions this year and has zero lovren moments he will be off to a good start.

ERG89

murpho999 wrote:

How do you know there were no alternatives?

You literally answer your own question.

murpho999 wrote:

This transfer got botched early in the summer window but it has become clear that VVD was the man that Klopp wanted as no other CB was targeted and now he has got his man.

Harry Palmr

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

In order for it to become “value for money” VVD would need to become one of the top handful of players in the world. Like Lukaku, that ain’t happening.

If he stops Mig having to make 10-15 saves he will be value for money.

mosstin

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

In order for it to become “value for money” VVD would need to become one of the top handful of players in the world. Like Lukaku, that ain’t happening.

FSG - damned if they spend, damned if they don't.
I'm not quite sure what your beef is here. They've signed an experienced PL player approaching his prime for an admittedly exorbitant price. But that's the way the market is going - was Kyle Walker worth £50 million?
It addresses a prime weakness in our team and strengthens our squad. If we'd signed him for £30 million less, would that have made it more worthwhile?
We'll have to ignore the fee - football has become a ridiculous market: ticket prices, transfer fees, agent fees, price of a pie, price of a programme. This is football in 2018 and as long as you support Liverpool, this will be part of it.

murpho999

ERG89 wrote: »

You literally answer your own question.

Well I mean more we don't know behind the scenes what other CBs were considered.

I'm sure if VVD was not acquired in January then they would have had others in mind.

Devilman40k

Harry Palmr wrote: »

If he stops Mig having to make 10-15 saves he will be value for money.

Considering Migs saves per goal ratio it might be better that the defence stops all shots coming at him completely

NukaCola

mosstin wrote: »

FSG - damned if they spend, damned if they don't.
I'm not quite sure what your beef is here. They've signed an experienced PL player approaching his prime for an admittedly exorbitant price. But that's the way the market is going - was Kyle Walker worth £50 million?
It addresses a prime weakness in our team and strengthens our squad. If we'd signed him for £30 million less, would that have made it more worthwhile?
We'll have to ignore the fee - football has become a ridiculous market: ticket prices, transfer fees, agent fees, price of a pie, price of a programme. This is football in 2018 and as long as you support Liverpool, this will be part of it.

He has a point though, its not value for money really is it? But as you say the market is ridiculous. I think we have to accept both are true.

rob316

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

In order for it to become “value for money” VVD would need to become one of the top handful of players in the world. Like Lukaku, that ain’t happening.

You have on many ocassions advocated spending huge sums on players I remember quite clearly Falcao was one. Why are you pouring cold water on this?

NukaCola

Get a top quality GK and we'll see massive improvements.......IMO

Turtyturd

Van Dijk not elite man ball warrior enough?

Harry Palmr

There is no such thing as a true value for money metric in sport transfers, even the freebies come with huge signing on fees and inflated wages if the player is any good. The only thing you can ask is that they play to their best ability. That's it. If Van Dijk marshals the back line and Liverpool win more of those testy tight games by the odd goal he's worth the money - one decent CL run is worth as much as what VVD cost.

mosstin

NukaCola wrote: »

He has a point though, its not value for money really is it? But as you say the market is ridiculous. I think we have to accept both are true.

He doesn't. How do you measure value for money? Say that VVD shores up our defence, plays imperiously well for as long as he's with us but our goals dry up for whatever reason - selling Coutinho, say - and so we don't win any trophies.
Is he then poor value because, even though he's done his job, we fail elsewhere on the pitch? We're paying Lovren 100k a week and he's been producing shoddy performances for how long now?
How can anyone say it's not value for money until he's been here a while and we see how he settles in? Nothing in football is value for money if you want to look at it in a certain way.
Except for Mo Salah.

PhlegmyMoses

Welcome to overspending on a good player and arguing about relative values and market forces dictating price. United fans have been at it since Pogba was signed.

Welcome to years of in thread arguments where everyone agress that the player is playing well, "but not 75 million well" according to some. Its great craic.

Potential Underachiever

I agree with Lloyd we have been bent over a barrel with this price, he will need to be amazing to justify the price tag but needs must and we can only be happy that Klopp got his man and was aggressively backed by the owners. I thought you'd be in favour tbh Lloyd I know you wanted us to drop a wedge on Hulk before IIRC you're all about that aggressive spending are you not?