Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120793573#Comment_120793573

Sign both just to be sure. 😁

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794154#Comment_120794154

Adrian isn't a home grown player, he joined West Ham from Real Betis when he was 25/26.

He's one of the nice lads, good in the dressing room that Klopp likes on the fringe of the squad.

DJIMI TRARORE

So lads,how the hell do we pronounce this Hungarian fellas name,phonetically will do😊

tinpib

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794605#Comment_120794605

haha, best plugging it into google translate and then use their speech thingy. That's what I did.

Enzokk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120793820#Comment_120793820

The problem isn't the laws or how you measure it or which body parts you use, its that with VAR you get tight calls and lines no matter how the law is written. So you will still get tight calls, but it will just be whether the whole body is ahead or not instead of an armpit. I for one am okay with the faffing about with VAR, its not like Newcastle needed VAR to slow the game down, they make it slow already. That is a bigger conundrum to solve than the few extra minutes it takes to get calls, hopefully, right with VAR.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794605#Comment_120794605

Don't care how people pronounce it, it's gonna be the spelling of it that'll do my head in here. If they couldn't get Coutinho, Firmino or Thiago right there's no chance with Szoboszlai.

noodler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794705#Comment_120794705

It'll be SOB or The SOB from me for the foreseeable.

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794605#Comment_120794605

So Boss Lay - the z is silent

Fitz*

Can't wait til the first game of the season and see McAllister , Sobazlai, Tchoumanei, Mbappe & Gvardiol playing for Liverpool. We signed them but just never got to announce it as Twitter is dead

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794017#Comment_120794017

It used to be an art form before VAR , players would get complimented for their ability to bend their run, and to score offside goals by being good at it, good at tricking the linesman, it was the same as buying a penalty, the new rule would bring this back, but of course if it is actually offside VAR will catch it, but players who successfully bend their runs, or time things to perfection, will be rewarded for their ability to do it, rather than getting punished because their armpit strayed offside

martyos121

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794017#Comment_120794017

That was my first thought too.

That rule change would cut the gap between the big teams in the PL and the rest by a good bit. Teams will be rewarded even more for sitting deep and they’ll be even more dangerous on the counter attack if they have any bit of pace up front at all.

If it was enacted tomorrow, we’d have to completely overhaul how we play without the ball. It makes the offside trap almost impossible. The options are to either play a low block or sign the fastest defenders you can afford.

davemckenna25

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795170#Comment_120795170

This doesn't bring it back. It will still be watched and reviewed by var. So offside is still offside. Be it by a toe or an ear.

Just changes any part of the body that can score to all parts of the body that can score.

Marginal calls will still exist and always will as long as var is involved.

Damien360

New number 8

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1675521406962941952?t=XbWTA7vNT2Dh02jh7xOWRQ&s=19

Damien360

How to say his name from the man himself.

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1675523472624107520?t=-oUrGZiYv5Dv77CA2pAb7w&s=19

martyos121

Sobo Sly, that’s it settled.

rob316

Joyce says Lavia is a top target for the DM role.

So we can probably expect that one next week

Marty Bird

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795843#Comment_120795843

Got it in 1 😂

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795852#Comment_120795852

That Klarna tweet must have really pissed of John Henry 😀

Fitz*

The social media team must have changed as they are posting some witty, topical stuff now in the announcements.

First was the Alexis chatGPT chant, and now poking fun at the twitter rate limit messages of the last couple days. Also nice touch using the new Liverpool kits to form the Hungary flag.

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1675518458199416833?t=jcityCRcYAp-XZvVbV0nAw&s=19

jones

This window is turning into a cracking one for Liverpool. I had my doubts what we'd actually spend this summer but MacA, SOB, and possibly Lavia and or Thuram and we've done some very tidy business.

hynesie08

Brilliant window so far, two more good signings and there's noone I'd fear in the premiership. Don't see fsg opening the war chest again until klopp extends or leaves so we have to get 5 years out of these lads.

Electric Nitwit

City have a 40m buyback clause on Lavia, wouldn't be surprised to see them trigger that if other clubs show serious interest

If, hypothetically, Saints accepted a 50m bid from us and City triggered the buy back, would it just be up to the player himself where he goes?

martyos121

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796176#Comment_120796176

That clause isn’t active until next year. If City want him back sooner, they’ll have to bid higher than anyone else.

rob316

On Lavia I'd prefer someone more experienced for that role he's only 19. The plan must be for fabinho to be first choice there still with 2 young understudies in Bajcetic and Lavia

Electric Nitwit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796259#Comment_120796259

Ah, very good, didn't realise that. Cheers

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796320#Comment_120796320

Lavia has been very impressive in the role for Southampton and he will continue to develop. It makes sense to bring in somebody to add some pressure to Fabinho and will be ready to replace him when the time comes for him to move on. These are the sort of signings that should have been doing since 2020 in order to facilitate a seamless transition to a new team.

Earlier this year, Klopp said that being displaced by an 18 year old was a serious blow for Fabinho. If Lavia is signed then there will be two teenagers ready to displace him although it's possible but unlikely that Klopp will break both of them at the same time. How Fabinho responds will determine whether he has a place in the team or match day squad.

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796480#Comment_120796480

Could send Morton to Southampton as a sweetener. He did well in the championship last season.

tinpib

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795852#Comment_120795852

Where does Joyce say this? Didn't see anything on his twitter or a quick google.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796480#Comment_120796480

The cause of last season was 2 things Mane suddenly leaving and fabinho performances falling off a cliff.

Our transfer business is never reactionary, they thought Mane would see out his last year and when he didn't it made the need for a forward urgent, there wasn't really much on the market so they went with Nunez quickly. Wether he turns out be a success or not I always felt his transfer was rushed. The money wasn't there for a midfielder then and our target touchameni joined Real.

Fabinho is a mystery, season before last you could tell the midfield around him was declining but he looked a dead cert as a key player for another few seasons, he's only 29 like. I'm hoping it was something personal going on last season as the need for a DM of his quality is glaring for us. He wasn't struggling the season before and is rarely injured.

Enzokk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796745#Comment_120796745

Not Joyce but here is a tweet with our interest, how reliable the source is I have no idea,

https://twitter.com/JacobsBen/status/1675537757408567296?s=20

Recent tweet to show our interest that popped up on my timeline. Was retweeted by The Anfield Wrap.

Just on our new signing, Szoboszlai, interesting for me that Tifo seemed to imply in their sensible transfers videos that while he works hard off the ball he is not that great at pressing in the midfield. But Jasmine Baba, who spoke to The Anfield Wrap about him, seemed to say he presses well from the front. So I wonder where the truth lies with him, going to be interesting to see.

https://twitter.com/jsexton24/status/1675532453094518784?s=20

Youtube link below for Tifo video,

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

BorneTobyWilde

Lavia has clauses in his contract, City will get 20% of any fee, this could drive price up.

JPup

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796822#Comment_120796822

I think Vin Dijk’s drop in form was just as significant as the two things you mention. He was miles off his previous level for much of last season. Finished poorly too with Holland which doesn’t give me much hope that he can turn things around.

He was god like for his first 2 and a half seasons with us. Best defender in world football during that period in my opinion.

It’s not like his form is terrible now. He’s just gone from 100 to 80. Can he pull it back to 85 or 90 next season? I have my doubts. More likely to keep slipping from here given age and injuries.

Fitz*

Lavia is definitely more of a project player than one to come in and impact the starting 11 straight away.

It would tie in nicely with the idea of giving Fabinho the benefit of doubt and one more season. You can start the season with Fabinho starting, and let Lavia ease into the side over time. Learn the Klopp system, and how to play at a bigger club with more expectations in terms of success and possession etc. No disrespect to Southampton. Without having to do this instantly. Klopp can tell Lavia, you are starting the 6 EL games and whatever 2/3 cup games there are before Christmas. That's 9 starts and we'll see from there. He might get 5/10/20 mins etc in league games too. A great rotation partner for Fabinho and helps him settle in. It also refreshes the legs of Fabinho. Or Henderson.

After Christmas then you can start building him into more and more league starts and will be ready to the league firing in 2024 and be confident in selling Fabinho then if you wish to as the replacement is settled. Sort of like Diaz/Mane and Gakpo/Bobby.

brevity

Having a better midfield in front of him will help.

Maybe some backup too.

Fitz*

I know he is only 19 so wouldn't require a non-HG spot, but does Lavia count as HG after he turns 21?

martyos121

Just seen a tweet about DomSob that he’s basically a second attempt at the Naby Keita signing in the hopes that this one will stay fit. Think that’s hit the nail on the head.

machiavellianme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120797433#Comment_120797433

He can't be any worse than the last attempt

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796822#Comment_120796822

Up front, I think missing both Jota and Diaz for most of the season was just as impactful as Mane leaving, if not moreso.

A whole bunch of things went wrong all over the shop really, with our paucity of options in midfield to cover for any problems at all being the biggest issue.

giveitholly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120797378#Comment_120797378

Read on twitter(so take with a big pinch of salt) that he will still count as HG after he turns 21

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120797378#Comment_120797378

Yes. He signed for Man City in 2020 when he was 16 so he already meets the requirements to be considered home grown. If he is signed this summer he may be considered club trained because he would be registered with the club for 3 seasons before he is considered 21 under the regulations (January 1st, 2026). He's one of the players that is considered under 21 for almost a whole year after his 21st birthday (January 6th).

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120797548#Comment_120797548

Would be ideal so, our club grown numbers for European competition are dwindling a bit, especially if Kelleher goes, and probably Gomez at some stage too.

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796822#Comment_120796822

The club knew that Mane wanted to leave long before the season was over, Diaz was his intended replacement. The club wanted to sign him in the summer but Tottenham's approach for him in January forced an early move for him. There was also speculation about the signing of Nunez before we played Benfica in the Champions League Quarter-Finals in early April, so there appeared to be an intention of splashing money on the team in 2022.

Tchouameni didn't announce his intention to sign for Real Madrid until late May and I don't believe the suggestion that there was no money for a midfielder is correct. The club made inquiries about a lot of midfield players but chose not to make any formal offers apart from low balling Brighton when they wanted £60M for Caicedo.

At the time, Klopp was very arrogant when speaking to the press regarding the need to strengthen the midfield. I think that within the club there was a belief that we were so far ahead of the other clubs that we could wait until summer 2023 to strengthen. Things began to turn bad in the first league game and Klopp had to eat some humble pie with the media when the injuries piled up quickly, but at that stage it was too late to secure any players that had been targeted.

This summer has seen a change in approach. The club needed to be decisive and Mac Allister was secured before the season finished. The club again appeared to be prepared to play the waiting game for other midfield targets (Gravenberch & Thuram) but Newcastle's willingness to activate Szoboszlai's release clause was the jolt that Liverpool needed. Having the likes of Newcastle and Arsenal in the market for the same players that the club has an interest in forces us to take action. If we allow rivals to sign our transfer targets unopposed then we are only going to fall behind them and with this in mind it means splashing £60M on a midfield player is no longer a problem.

I honestly didn't expect us to sign three midfield players this summer, but the way the speculation is going at this point I wouldn't be surprised if there were four signed if the opportunities present themselves.

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120797695#Comment_120797695

I think there's some truth in Liverpool being complacent last summer, after going so close to winning the league and CL, they probably felt they were in a great position. Fabinho's form in particular really decimated our midfield, but, the injuries to other midfielders wasn't really surprising, so very frustrating that they didn't sign any midfielders last summer or even in January, that has cost us hugely, missing out on CL revenue and paying more for players now than we would have làst summer, transfer fees are only going one way and that's up, so waiting around only costs more. The midfield could have been rebuild slowly over the last 3/4 seasons for much less, it's great that we are finally signing midfielders who look to have a good number of years ahead of them ( hopefully staying relatively injury free), but, our transfer strategy over the last 3/4 seasons has cost us hugely. If we add another midfielder and defender we should be in very good shape for the new season. I'd be hoping we take the EL seriously, as a great opportunity to win more European silverware and also get back to making a decent title challenge.

atilladehun

Not accepting that naby and ox were crocked were at the core of the issue. They were on decent wages and the club and manager didn't seem to want to cut them loose. We had 9 midfielders.

I'm convinced Klopp talks himself into a corner with players that means he can't be ruthless with them. If the player gives his all when fit then he'll stand by them. Its one thing dumping sakho out when he breaks rules but he doesn't seem to bomb out a player that gets injured unless they ask to go.

Both players had put in significant contributions when fit but just having lads available is invaluable.

Damien360

If we had managed to scrape into a CL spot this year, would we have spent so much upgrading the midfield this window? The great run at the end is the only thing that saved the clubs blushes as at one point even the Europa was looking dodgy. I feel the loss of revenue from CL was a kick that FSG needed to get the cheque book out.

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120798103#Comment_120798103

We still would gave had to replace Ox, Naby and Milner as they weren't getting new deals.

Damien360

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120798134#Comment_120798134

Those were all squad players. We just splashed out on first team players and good ones at that.

Talisman

Wolves have accepted a £23M offer from Brentford for Nathan Collins.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/nathan-collins-on-verge-of-brentford-move-after-record-breaking-fee-agreed-with-wolves/a1551649868.html

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120798103#Comment_120798103

I think there's more to it than missing out on qualifying for the Champions League.

In 2012, FSG sacked Damien Comolli because he failed to do a key part of his job. He was great at identifying young players but he pandered to the choices of the manager who wanted British players and the club signed the likes of Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll instead of alternatives from the continent. Comolli was sacked with immediate effect once FSG realised that he wasn't a strong enough personality to say "No" to Kenny Dalglish.

Fast forward 10 years to 2022, Julian Ward succeeded Michael Edwards as Sporting Director on June 1st. There was a great deal made of how he was instrumental in the signing of Diaz in the January transfer window and it was going to be business as usual for the club. It became clear from Klopp's interaction with the media over the summer that he was only interested in signing players that he wanted to work with. Ward needed to be able to convince Klopp to change his mind regarding the need for a midfield signing even if they weren't Klopp's first choice pick as Edwards had previously done to get Salah. He failed to do so and at the start of the break for the World Cup there was the shock announcement that he was to leave his role at the end of the season. In hindsight it shouldn't have been a shock because the precedent was there.

FSG have been very hands off in their approach to the football side of the operation at Liverpool, they have left Klopp to do what he does because it yielded results. However what transpired with regard to recruitment last year and the reports that the recommendations of the scouting and analytics team were being ignored by Klopp and Ljinders would have had alarm bells ringing. I think that the article detailing it with insights from people within the club as published by Paul Tomkins was sanctioned by John Henry.

In March it was reported that Klopp wanted James Milner to get an extension on his contract but there was resistance from the club. That was a strong signal that there was a change behind the scenes. The club needs Klopp to be an ambassador to facilitate the signing of players that will still be here after he leaves and not treat the squad as his personal toy box where he only adds the players he wants to work with before he leaves. That's the kind of conversation that needed to take place within the club last summer but it seemed like people didn't want to rock the boat.

x43r0

Thiago removed LFC from his instagram bio. If you buy into that sort of thing then it would point to him leaving

This would make sense if it's to free up a non-HG spot for an incoming like Thuram