Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours 2018

theoneeyedman

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Sign Aboomarang and we will have the top four African players next season.

This place will implode next January if the African Con is on... We won't be able to field a team!

5starpool

theoneeyedman wrote: »

This place will implode next January if the African Con is on... We won't be able to field a team!

Moved to summer time from now on thankfully.

murpho999

theoneeyedman wrote: »

This place will implode next January if the African Con is on... We won't be able to field a team!

African Con will not be on in January date again, moved to summer dates.

sword1

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Sign Aboomarang and we will have the top four African players next season.

Linked to arsenal, 21 goals in 24 appearances this season

~Rebel~

sword1 wrote: »

Linked to arsenal, 21 goals in 24 appearances this season

Doubt they'd pay the insane wages he's looking for. Everyone else interested has balked at his demands.

RugbyLover123

Can't see him moving to Arsenal tbh. Arsenal are in big trouble when they lose Sanchez and Ozil. They'll struggle to attract top players without them two so they'll be relying on buying players with potential.

BorneTobyWilde

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/01/04/barcelona-prepared-spend-140m-sign-philippe-coutinho-liverpool/

Are we offering Coutinho the sun moon and stars to stay, hope we are fighting to keep him. I dunno why we need to fight when he is on contract already.

Turtyturd

~Rebel~ wrote: »

Mane and Salah got caught in the dreaded fist-bump to high-five mixup.

Still, better than a fist-bump to handshake disaster!

Or an attempted forced handshake disaster.

Blondie919

Turtyturd wrote: »

Or an attempted forced handshake disaster.

Suarez should have swung his fist at Evra. He would have knocked out de Gea and Ferdinand with the follow through!

martyos121

Ridiculous that most United fans still think it was Suarez who refused to shake hands.

Harry Palmr

Bascombe in the telegraph along with everyone else this evening going with the £133-140m deal of which £105m would be the cash part with appearances/trophies for the rest but he says Klopp not looking for replacements and that the club have not ended their attempts to hold on to Coutinho which others do not suggest as the case.

Liverpool do not want to sell the 25-year-old and are making strenuous efforts to keep him. Despite ongoing talks, the player remains intent on heading to the Nou Camp in January.

Liverpool are not chasing replacements at this stage - they have made no contact with Monaco regarding summer target Thomas Lemar - and are focusing on convincing Coutinho he can achieve Champions League ambitions at Anfield in 2018. At the moment, they are not succeeding in persuading him.

Alonso77

results went well for us over last week - especially with Man City coming up - be fantastic to bt em but if we drop pts in that game it wont be too damaging in top 4 chase

Blanco100

Oblak (Atletico Madrid)
Sessegnon (Fulham)
Akanji (Basel)
Goretzka (Schalke)
Lemar (Monaco)
Malcolm (Bordeaux)

All of the above with the proceeds from Coutinho and summer sales thank you very much

ERG89

Harry Palmr wrote:

Bascombe in the telegraph along with everyone else this evening going with the £133-140m deal of which £105m would be the cash part with appearances/trophies for the rest but he says Klopp not looking for replacements and that the club have not ended their attempts to hold on to Coutinho which others do not suggest as the case.

Not looking for replacements & getting roughly the same as Dortmund got for Dembele

Knex*

Joyce: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/barcelonas-bid-for-philippe-coutinho-rises-to-142m-h9f7gl3xd

Barcelona are proposing a transfer fee worth about £142 million for Philippe Coutinho as they move closer to signing the Brazil forward who has rejected Liverpool’s last-ditch attempts to keep him at Anfield.

The two clubs are now in contact, via the player’s representatives, over what would be the third-biggest transfer in history. Barcelona are willing to pay about £106 million as a base figure with the remaining £36 million no longer linked to unrealistic bonus payments — such as for if he won the Ballon d’Or — as was the case in the summer when they had three bids rejected and Liverpool were not willing to sell.

Instead they would receive instalments for him making a set number of appearances for Barcelona or the Catalan club winning trophies.

Liverpool have made attempts in recent days to persuade Coutinho to stay but their difficulty is that the issue is not about money. The 25-year-old will not be swayed by the promise of a huge pay rise — even until the end of the season — because his heart is set on moving to the Nou Camp this month. Coutinho believes a deal is imminent.

Jürgen Klopp refused to offer any reassurances about Coutinho’s future yesterday, which only served to highlight the change in stance at Anfield since August when the player was not for sale at any price. Coutinho will miss tonight’s FA Cup third-round tie with Everton because of a thigh problem, and while the manager said the injury would probably clear by the time Liverpool host Manchester City a week on Sunday, he refrained from confirming that the player will still be at the club.

Klopp also refused to discuss whether he was searching for a replacement for Coutinho, although no approach has been made for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar. Instead, he was adamant that the saga would not distract a squad in the Premier League top four and in the Champions League last 16 although, of course, the wider debate is why not given that Coutinho’s departure would weaken his options.

“I am not interested in Barcelona,” Klopp said. “Sorry. What can I say about what they do? It is always the same. This year it is Phil. Another year it is somebody else. There is no moment in January when I will talk about this, that’s how it is. If anything happens to any player, Phil or whoever, we can talk about it but not before.

“The moment there is something to say, I will say it. Before that I am not part of the discussions. Really, my first job is to prepare the healthy, fit players for the next game. They are professional football players. Sometimes they are in the middle of the story and sometimes they are sat next to the guy in the dressing room who is in the middle of the story.

“This story has been around since the summer and did you at any moment get the impression this team is distracted because of rumours? No. We’re focused on what we have an influence on.”

Barcelona’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu is leading the push to recruit Coutinho and conversations, via the player’s agents Kia Joorabchian and Giuliano Bertolucci, are taking place rather than bids simply being tabled — another difference to the summer.

Neymar is the world’s most expensive player at £199 million and his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappé will become the second-most expensive when his loan is made permanent for £166 million in the summer.

citytillidie

Would be great to get something now next week V Man City after closing the gap to those ahead of us

BorneTobyWilde

I love the mind games Klopp is using with Coutinho telling the whole world he will be fit for City, if he goes on strike and refused to play I'd let him rot in the reserves until summer.

Blanco100

It should not even be up for discussion. He moves in the summer, end of. Let them agree a £150million transfer for July.

And in the one in a million chance Liverpool manage to secure all their targets in January (which they won't) then Coutinho should only be let go with an extra January premium of another 30million on top taking it to £180million.

The club hold all the cards, no release clause, 4-5 years remaining on his contract. If he only wants Barca then let them stump up our asking price. If they cannot afford it then they should shop somewhere cheaper.

If the player kicks up a stink then he will have 4-5 years to think about his next move. Its simple.

shamrock55

Coutinho will be a loss,there is currently no one in the team who can feed balls down the channels or dink balls in behind a defence like him in fairness

Let him think about his next move for years while rotting in the reserves !

Lol.

Lunacy.... FSG & Klopp won't be walked on but they'll realise there's a tipping point / midway solution.

At the end of the day S'ton played ball with Virgil & LFC.

sword1

Fsg bought the club for 300m, I don't think they will leave a 150m asset in the reserves, I know southampton did it but there were other issues with the change of ownership that led to that I think. I don't see any investment in players if there are no sales either. There has been a big investment in players in the last six months or so, with little sales.

Blanco100

Augeo wrote: »

Let him think about his next move for years while rotting in the reserves !

Lol.

Lunacy.... FSG & Klopp won't be walked on but they'll realise there's a tipping point / midway solution.

At the end of the day S'ton played ball with Virgil & LFC.

He won't be rotting in the reserves, its not the 1980's. He will be knuckle down after a few weeks and concentrate on his career.

Its a case of whoever blinks first. There should be no problem with him leaving at all. Once his value to the club is met.

He should not be going to Barcelona in January for anything other than a premium fee. And as it stands they are offering below his true worth to LFC at this moment. They are operating under the assumption he only wants to go there. If Barca cannot afford our valuation then tough sh*t. Let them flog some deadwood in the summer to make up the difference and come back when they are ready.

Any threat to walk away is just that. A threat. Elite level players cost a premium, there are not many available. Coutinho is within touching distance to them so they will eventually stump up the cash for him.

Alonso77

As disappointing as it is when excellent players leave - Keegan, Rush, Masch, Torres, Alonso, Charlie Adams, Suarez and soon to go Cout - lets not forget that we have always found excellent new talents to fill the void.

We also have at this moment Salah, Mane and The Funbob to carry the attacking load between now and the end of this season with hopefully new talent coming in over the next few windows.

We are in a good place all things considered and the future is looking healthy overall.

If he goes during Jan, its a disappointing development but the club is not gonna cease to exist - lots to fight for and I think we'll do ok - we always find a way eventually

marklazarcovic

He's gonna go lads,he wants out,no way we get more than 150 all in,get the best possible deal and move on,we are only damaging ourselves at this stage by dragging it out,will be a constant distraction untill he's gone.

It's football

tayto lover

Of course he's going. Haven't they already spent most of the money on Van Dijk.

gimli2112

Found I really didn't want him to go in the summer, then as the season started firmly believed they were nuts to turn down £100m, now I don't want him to leave again for £150M. It looks like I'm, just positioning myself to be upset.

Dickerty

tayto lover wrote: »

Of course he's going. Haven't they already spent most of the money on Van Dijk.

That is money we would have spend in August if Soton would have sold. Maybe not the full 75, but close. And besides, it's not like we HAVE to sell to buy, we just need to been a reasonable balance for FFP, and basic profitability...

MD1990

Odd we put up such a strong stance in the sunmer & now are being pushed over really.

140m isn't a bad fee but it has be at least 120m up front. Realistically a replacement won't be bought in January either.
Kovacic from Real should be a target.

Vicxas

Should we risk VVD tonight?

It'd be good to see him in action but i think we should really give the FA cup some proper attention this year.

Boom_Bap

Vicxas wrote: »

Should we risk VVD tonight?

It'd be good to see him in action but i think we should really give the FA cup some proper attention this year.

Stick him in as the #10 to see how he gets on as Coutinhos replacement.

fyfe79

marklazarcovic wrote: »

Utd fans frothing at the mouth at the thought of Phill leaving,they can't wait,it's hilarious

Where is this? To be honest, I haven't seen any gloating from them.

But.... that could just be a case of keeping their powder dry until he actually leaves

Tipsy McSwagger

Breaking on SSN Can heading to Juve on a free in the summer. Don't really care tbh.

Dickerty

So no reputable source? They are getting it from Sky Italia, who are more than a little hit and miss...

marklazarcovic

fyfe79 wrote: »

Where is this? To be honest, I haven't seen any gloating from them.

But.... that could just be a case of keeping their powder dry until he actually leaves

Not limited to boards,but it's here too

gafferino

Vicxas wrote: »

Should we risk VVD tonight?

It'd be good to see him in action but i think we should really give the FA cup some proper attention this year.

Yeah I think he should play tonight. He's fit so no reason why he shouldnt. He needs to get as many games as possible in to bed himself into the team.

Karius in nets tonight. I would really like to see him given a run of games.

Mr.H

Already disproved that we needed to sell him to buy vvd. Any cash we get for him is cash we have to spend

Mr.H

Dickerty wrote:

So no reputable source? They are getting it from Sky Italia, who are more than a little hit and miss...

Seriously your doubting he is going?

He had an agreement with them last summer regardless of what he and they claim.

**** Can. He is above average at best. Maybe Moreno can replace him.......

brevity

Can going will be a big loss. He's an excellent midfielder imo.

Vicxas

brevity wrote: »

Can going will be a big loss. He's an excellent midfielder imo.

Has dropped in quality this season IMO.

Probably has his eyes on Italy since then.

MD1990

Can is still a loss. Poor at times but can be brillant as well. I think he will develop into a very good player but not sure he will ever become a regular in Germany's first 11 he doesn't have world class potential.

Nerdlingr

Bye bye Can. Have an upgrade coming in the summer so ta-raa love.

rossie1977

brevity wrote: »

Can going will be a big loss. He's an excellent midfielder imo.

Yes and just coming into his peak. Look at Gerrard before 25 and after.

85k a week is the rumoured agreement.

BullBlackNova

Can is a loss but not as big a one as other players would be. Frustrating to lose him for nothing for sure but, if it is the release clause issue that proved to be the dealbreaker, then I admire the club's stance in this regard.

Most frustrating element of it is the timing. If we do manage to keep Coutinho until the summer, to lose him and Can at the same time will be irritating and the rebuild will take some time to accomplish.

I mean, adding Keita to a midfield that included Can and Coutinho alongside Henderson, Oxlade Chamberlain, Milner, Wijnaldum and Lallana would be a great boost. Adding him to a midfield that needs to replace an attacker and a CM just means another few months of adjusting and rebuilding.

NukaCola

I hope Grujic gets a lot more of Can's minutes. He's not in good form and we should develop our own players instead of Juve's........

brevity

He'll be a future starter for the German team and he is going to Juve. The idea that a player of that quality is no loss is terribly shortsighted.

Perhaps the setup doesn't suit him at Liverpool but in his preferred position, he is very very good.

BullBlackNova

NukaCola wrote: »

I hope Grujic gets a lot more of Can's minutes. He's not in good form and we should develop our own players instead of Juve's........

Most of the Liverpool Echo lads seem to think Grujic is off on loan this month.

He always seemed to impress in pre-season but in two years at the club, he hasn't shown enough at U23 level or in training to warrant a starting spot. Would be quite the change in fortunes for him to suddenly be a starter.

NukaCola

Just to add, the way Can handled himself in this whole situation was exemplary. Never caused a fuss, and despite not being in great form this season I believe he always gave his best. He apparently wanted a release clause in his contract, and tbh, I'd want the same......All in all, a good player and decent guy by all accounts. I hope he goes on to fulfil his potential, he had some cracking games for us. Ultimately I'd rather he signed a contract but I dont think he'll be an immediate loss.

NukaCola

BullBlackNova wrote: »

Most of the Liverpool Echo lads seem to think Grujic is off on loan this month.

He always seemed to impress in pre-season but in two years at the club, he hasn't shown enough at U23 level or in training to warrant a starting spot. Would be quite the change in fortunes for him to suddenly be a starter.

Jeez....yea, when you put it like that it doesn't look great does it?

Nerdlingr

Can is a good player but he's been up and down for the last few months now. He's not irreplacable. I'd rather keep him at the club than see him go cos he's a big unit and would be a good squad player - but his heart is obviosuly not in the club so leave him off. Looks like we will have to get another big physical midfielder next year to replace him. Hendo alone is not enough and Grujic hasnt stepped up yet. Its a good signing for Juve and the slower pace of the italian game will suit his more ponderous nature:p ...juve always seem to get one good free signing each year...Alves, Khedira, Coman etc ..and of course a few years ago, the world's best midfielder...Paul Pog- sorry - Andrea Pirlo!!!

Dcully

Not surprised or overly fussed to see Can leave.
He drove me mad to watch, the guy is a beast with great pace and power but rarely used it.
Countless times with space ahead to use this ability to drive on when the game needed it he just passed it backwards or sideways.
Other times he looked incredibly lazy walking around the pitch when the rest of his team mates were on their toes.
Incredibly frustrating to watch at times purely because we know he is capable of lung bursting runs into the heart of the opposition, when he does bother its an awesome sight but too often he chose not to.
He played some great games and had many stinkers too,good luck to him,Juve have wanted him a long time i hope he achieves with them but i dont think hes as huge a loss as many make out.