Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours 2018

Harry Palmr

Do you xG90?

Comparing Liverpool forwards to Lukaku is endless amusement

https://understat.com/player/594

Liverpool page

https://understat.com/team/Liverpool/2017

This team are really terrible for goals conceded in the 15 minutes after the break, clearly the opposition team talk has a greater effect than Klopps when Liverpool are leading.

monkey9

bennyineire wrote: »

If you want a good laugh head over to the Man U thread for a while, basically half of all the discussion is between Man U fans arguing for and against if VVD is top class or not :p:p

The General Premier League thread is very funny as well. Opposition fans main concern there is that Klopp may be a hypocrite. :pac::pac: So many people losing their heads over this transfer.

Kimbot

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKyXAfoY5Lc

The goal at 1.00 is just a peach in fairness.

Iused2likebusts

Delighted with the signing . We overpaid big time . The encouraging thing is that klopp seems to be able to get the players he wants to sign. We are obviously a much more attractive proposition than we were for players than at any stage in the last 8-10 years. If we can get a goalkeeper in the summer the squad will be in great shape. VVD should help with starting attacks and his height will be very useful at setpieces. A goalkeeper still needed to really improve us defensively though.

rossie1977

PhuckHugh wrote: »

A welcome addition but Liverpool's main problem is still midfield - The defence has zero protection and that's not going to change... Might be ok against bottom half teams but top teams will punish Liverpool more often than not - Look at the midfield for all three Arsenal goals recently -- You'd slaughter u12s if they carried on like Liverpool's midfield do defensively.

So what has changed this season that the exact opposite is happening?

Last year after the first game of the season Liverpool only conceded seven goals in 11 games against man utd, arsenal, man city, Chelsea, Spurs and everton.

The issue last year was goals conceded against the smaller clubs, 25 goals in 12 matches against Hull, burnley, Swansea, palace, Bournemouth, Sunderland away and Watford away.

klose

The fallout of the van dijk transfer from other sets of fans is hilarious they've really gone on the offensive it's wound em up no ends. Transfer is already paying off.

MD1990

Caulker released by QPR.

Hopefully we bring him home.

Turtyturd

klose wrote: »

The fallout of the van dijk transfer from other sets of fans is hilarious they've really gone on the offensive it's wound em up no ends. Transfer is already paying off.

Mods should set up a Van Dijk mega thread rather than having them clogging up 3 separate threads.

shaunr68

Very happy about the Dick Van Dijk transfer news, the money sounds mad but a competent player in his position could well make the difference between a top 4 spot and 5th in the PL. That alone in revenue and CL prize money could amount to £30M+. Sound investment IMHO.

Utopia Parkway

klose wrote: »

The fallout of the van dijk transfer from other sets of fans is hilarious they've really gone on the offensive it's wound em up no ends. Transfer is already paying off.

The weird thing is had City signed him I imagine nobody would have blinked an eye. The narrative would have been he's a very good replacement for Kompany who just can't stay fit any more.

Boom_Bap

Whatever about the money, the VVD that I have barely seen recently is not an upgrade on our current defense.

If we get the pre-injury VVD playing in our system, then our back line is massively upgraded. This is what I want to see.

LuckyLloyd

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.

Kyle Walker was obviously not worth £50m. This fee suggests VVD is one of the greatest footballers of all time when clearly he is not. It would be hypocritical of me to ignore that when I baulked at fees for Walker, Siguurdson and the joint 7th most expensive player of all time: Lukaku, You simply can't ignore the fee, the fee will frame this transfer for ever more. All analysis of same will tie back to the fee at every turn. It matters because it loads pressure and expectation on the player from the get go, and it becomes a stick with which to beat the manager with in the media.

rob316 wrote: »

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?

I'm not pouring cold water on anything I'm just discussing an obvious aspect of the transfer that's staring us all in the face. I would expect you'd get a locked in giant of the game for £75m. VVD is a player who has shown a lot of promise playing away from elite level pressure and expectation. Sure he was good at Southampton, but not under the immense pressure of being expected to win all games. Sure he's an international, but he's been featuring for probably the worst Dutch side since the 1960's.

Turtyturd wrote: »

Van Dijk not elite man ball warrior enough?

My apologies for not accepting this place as a North Korea surrogate.

mosstin wrote: »

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.

If he plugs in well and helps minimise our most glaring deficiency then I'll be delighted. But £75m should secure a player that changes your competitive outlook significantly - like he was one of the best players to ever play the game which is what the fee in a relative sense suggests.

Potential Underachiever wrote: »

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?

There is aggressive spending and then there is the 7th highest transfer fee of all time for a central defender who wouldn't start for the best team in our league.

garra wrote: »

so, you have shifted 180 degrees since your "show me the money" days...

You are incorrect in your assessment of the value derived from this deal.. You are talking comparisons with previous transfers but the owners will only care in terms of the money spent versus trophies won / business success of club.

Your assessment of value is only of use to keyboard jockies who love a good debate about how great their english football club is, compared to how great the other's favorite english football club is.

I haven't shifted anywhere. It is great to see us invest (assuming the books aren't immediately balanced by a sale of Coutinho). And I agree with you - the owners will only care about the success of this in terms of trophies won. That is precisely why the fee is problematic. They may expect, rightly or wrongly, that an outlay of this significance contributes to significant trophies. As such, the signing carries significant expectations and pressure with it. That cannot simply be ignored or waved away by talk of 'the market is crazy and we're not accountants'. As such, when the fee is so absurdly salubrious the standards of success may exceed VVD simply being a competent central defender, our first truly competent defender in some time.

So that's what it comes down to for me. While I'm delighted we got the player Klopp wanted, and I'm happy to see FSG invest in his opinion (assuming, as I say, we aren't selling Coutinho immediately off the back of this) my worry is that the fee will ultimately sink the positives of this deal. Because being a very good central defender may not be enough in the circumstances.

monkey9

klose wrote: »

The fallout of the van dijk transfer from other sets of fans is hilarious they've really gone on the offensive it's wound em up no ends. Transfer is already paying off.

What i really don't understand is the shock or the surprise about this transfer. It was going to happen in the summer for a similar fee until we messed it up. I did have a feeling that we'd get him in January, but either way it was fairly obvious he was coming now or next summer. Nothing's really changed. The reaction is gas.

Devilman40k

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

the owners will only care about the success of this in terms of trophies won. That is precisely why the fee is problematic.

We've been crying out for Klopp to look at the defence for the past while - now he has, he's got the man he wanted (at a vastly inflated price) now its on Klopp. Either the defenders he inherited were the problem or the system has been.

In my humble opinion the pressure will be more on Klopp than VVD.

Thanx 4 The Fish

Turtyturd wrote: »

Mods should set up a Van Dijk mega thread rather than having them clogging up 3 separate threads.

Feel free to do so yourself!

rob316

Lloyd none of the players are worth these fees. The fee is what the selling club think he's worth, they pluck that number out of thin air and look for it, if the buying club are desperate enough for the player they pay that sum.
Kyle walker has improved city, if van dijk does the same no one will care.

Utopia Parkway

There is aggressive spending and then there is the 7th highest transfer fee of all time for a central defender who wouldn't start for the best team in our league.

I think that's fairly debatable. This time last year literally nobody would have picked Otamendi ahead of VVD. VVD since got injured and has probably not had his heart in Southampton since regaining fitness and Otamendi is suddenly no longer the joke figure he was last season.

Much like the Pogba fee it probably won't look so outlandish in 18 months time.

Osmosis Jones

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

This fee suggests VVD is one of the greatest footballers of all time when clearly he is not.

You know yourself that that is not how transfer fees work.

BorneTobyWilde

We don't know the exact details of the fee and what is up front and what is add ons, Celtic also get a huge chunk of fee. Southampton did not get 75m up front or did they?

MD1990

Otamendi will get found out again. Way too slow but City's full backs have been a huge help Walker & Delph both way quicker getting back to give cover.

Utopia Parkway

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

We don't know the exact details of the fee and what is up front and what is add ons, Celtic also get a huge chunk of fee. Southampton did not get 75m up front or did they?

I doubt it. Nearly all transfers are paid in installments to different extents. Plus add-ons are often not always reached.

redzerdrog

This Henderson injury is a disaster! Hopefully Wijnaldum gets a chance as deepest CM because I can't bare to watch Can lumbering around any more

Rumple Stillson

redzerdrog wrote: »

This Henderson injury is a disaster! Hopefully Wijnaldum gets a chance as deepest CM because I can't bare to watch Can lumbering around any more

I have never seen a player so slow and lethargic as Can against Swansea. Like a canal barge. He really won't be any loss when he goes.

monkey9

I know it's already been ruled out, but it's such a pity we can't get Keita in next month. He looks a fantastic player from the few times i've seen him play for Leipzig.

Rumple Stillson

Rumours circulating about that we have agreed a fee for Manuel Akanji. Not sure if he's any good but 2 centre backs in 24 hours is nice.

TitianGerm

Check out @Robbie9Fowler’;s Tweet: https://twitter.com/Robbie9Fowler/status/946375019231358977?s=09

God on Neville's criticism of Rafa's set up against City.

SuperTortoise

Buy all the centre backs!

SlickRic

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I would expect you'd get a locked in giant of the game for £75m.

This is the thing though. You don't.

It sucks. It isn't necessarily what we want to hear, and is slightly depressing.

But the transfers of the likes of Gylfi, Walker and Stones, as well as Lukaku, and especially Neymar and Ousmane Dembele, have shifted the goalposts in an extraordinary way.

Coutinho will go for £150m.
Kane would go for at least £180m.

75m is the new 35m.

He is the 7th most expensive player of all time. On its face, that's mental. But we're in a time of moneypits, and clubs have the financial clout to not have to sell. That wasn't the case when a lot of the transfers on that list were done.

marklazarcovic

The butthurt from other teams supporters isn't that we paid 75 mill for vvd ... It's because we paid 75 million for anyone,big league top club money spending hasn't gone down well with the utd/ arsenal fans I know.

They ain't used to us competing for the players Chelsea/city/utd used to have first dibs on, I don't know what Chelsea or City fans think of it as the only Chelsea n City fans I know are 30 yr old band wagoners

LuckyLloyd

SlickRic wrote: »

This is the thing though. You don't.

It sucks. It isn't necessarily what we want to hear, and is slightly depressing.

But the transfers of the likes of Gylfi, Walker and Stones, as well as Lukaku, and especially Neymar and Ousmane Dembele, have shifted the goalposts in an extraordinary way.

Coutinho will go for £150m.
Kane would go for at least £180m.

75m is the new 35m.

He is the 7th most expensive player of all time. On its face, that's mental. But we're in a time of moneypits, and clubs have the financial clout to not have to sell. That wasn't the case when a lot of the transfers on that list were done.

You're talking like 75m fees are commonplace. There's only ever been eight transactions of this type or higher.

Harry Palmr

Superb interview article from Daniel Taylor with Rhian Brewster about racism

https://t.co/aMv7IMygh9

What's the Salah worth now? 100m? We picked up a serious bargain there.

I think the VVD fee is nuts but FSG aren't stupid.

They'll recoup this and more from Coutinho sale.

Agent Coulson

Origi to Wolfsburg on a permanent deal is being talked about this evening.

SuperTortoise

How much did we sign Origi for?

Osmosis Jones

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

You're talking like 75m fees are commonplace. There's only ever been eight transactions of this type or higher.

And 5 of those 8 have come in the past year or so. There'll be at least three transfers this summer with fees upwards of 75m I'd say.

ricero

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Origi to Wolfsburg on a permanent deal is being talked about this evening.

Not surprised his days were numbered when he was allowed leave on loan and solanke was fancied ahead of him

Kerrigooney

Yes 75m is the 7th highest transfer fee of all time but the way things are going it probably won't even be in the top 20 in 2 years time. Football's gone loco.

Rumple Stillson

Kerrigooney

^^^ £83m for Andy Carroll? Just got sick into my coffee.

suffering golfer

Rumple Stillson wrote: »

Mad that city has only one player on that list.

Rumple Stillson

suffering golfer wrote: »

Mad that city has only one player on that list.

No ambition.

Kerrigooney

Rumple Stillson wrote: »

No ambition.

Tight fisted bastards.

Harry Palmr

Rumple Stillson wrote: »

Rumours circulating about that we have agreed a fee for Manuel Akanji. Not sure if he's any good but 2 centre backs in 24 hours is nice.

Some chatter about a loan back deal - 30m. No idea what he is like as I didn't see the NI v Switzerland games (did he play?).

mickmackey1

Money is all relative anyway. I could sell you a Mars bar for a billion and you could buy a Kit Kat for a billion and one, but nothing has actually happened.

Osmosis Jones

No idea who Akanji is but I'll take as many CBs as we can get.

Agent Coulson

If it means the end of Lovren at the club next summer It will be £30m well spent.

Utopia Parkway

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

You're talking like 75m fees are commonplace. There's only ever been eight transactions of this type or higher.

Well I imagine there will be a fair few more over the next 18 months. Put it this way I don't think Van Dijk will be in the top 10 for long.

I mean Lukaku went for 90M. He is a very good striker on his day but is certainly not a world beater. Sigurdsson went for 45M. He is a good Premier League player but no more than that.

That's just the market now rightly or wrongly.

davyboy1975

Butland rumours now appearing too, summer move stoke want 30 million, but he is not our top target for the position.

Looks like the weak areas are being addressed

mosstin

Kerrigooney wrote: »

^^^ £83m for Andy Carroll? Just got sick into my coffee.

Get over yourself - Costa was never joining us.

Glico Man

davyboy1975 wrote: »

Butland rumours now appearing too, summer move stoke want 30 million, but he is not our top target for the position.

Looks like the weak areas are being addressed

Timo Horn (again), Rui Patricio, Lopes, Fährmann or Zoet would all be good targets for GK.