Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

awec

We need a lot more than Bellingham, I really hope we're not going to sink the majority of our money into that deal.

citytillidie

People now saying Liverpool needed to sell Salah and Firmino but if Liverpool had of sold those players then those same people would have said Liverpool have no ambition and are just a selling club and not a top club. It seems the owners are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Osmosis Jones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187512#Comment_120187512

"Why didn't we sell Salah when he was the best player in the world" from the same people that brought you "none of this would be happening if we hadn't sold Minamino"

yourdeadwright

Would anyone be opposed to a change of management in the summer ?

It could be time to freshen up everything ,.

The while structure Klopp had seems to have fallen apart, Edwards, Ward the whole medical department is a joke, didn't our head analyst go to Newcastle , Most our senor players are needing replacing including our captain

Just seems like the whole structure at the club is gone or going & could be the right time to clean house & start from scratch ,

I love Klopp but everything comes to an end eventually , If we are not bought over & do not have an overhaul of the squad new voice could be what's needed ,

theoneeyedman

I'd be very much against changing the manager for one. Certainly, freshen up the backroom team, but Jürgen should stay.

And, there is only one Senor player as far as I know 😏 - si!

dogbert27

Players out for the summer:

Adrian

Joe Gomez

Nat Philips

Jones

Ox-Chamberlain

Keita

Melo

Fabinho

Milner should retire to coaching staff

I don't think Henderson will be sold but treated without emotion he should be.

9 players out. But 5 of those are homegrown and would need to be replaced.

Also not a lot of money could be made from them. Be lucky to between 40 to 60 mill back.

9 players out of the squad is a big rebuild.

Forwards are currently:

Diaz, Jota, Gakpo, Nunez, Salah, Firmino, Carvahlo

To get most of these on the pitch we either play a 4-2-4 or a 4-2-3-1 where we need 2 starting midfielders and 1 good on the bench.

Or is the plan that Diaz slots back to left side midfield in a 4-3-3 and front line of Gakpo, Nunez and Salah?

GiftofGab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187146#Comment_120187146

This window was the final straw for me. We've heard countless excuses for years now..."the right player is not available", "we're happy with the squad we have", "next year will be the year for re-build", "we're buying Jude next summer". We're just simply penny pinching and our league position is reflective of that. Liverpool are up for sale and FSG want to profit as much as they can so will not purchase any more players.

Ottoman_1000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187585#Comment_120187585

If Klopp goes this summer we are most definitely screwed....

yourdeadwright

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187940#Comment_120187940

It depends how the next 4 months go & what kind of money we are given to spend in the summer,

I honestly think we need a decent clear out ,

Since the start of the season i can only remember 2 games we played well City & Bournemouth

Electric Nitwit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187113#Comment_120187113

That is crazy. I know the number of games has been really high, but surely this indicates a problem with our physio/medical/conditioning team?

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187467#Comment_120187467

N'Golo Kanté on a free looks likely, a Milner/Naby replacement

Fitz*

On the hamstring thing, Liverpool started using an AI technology Zone7 at the start of 2021.

Zone7 is "A data-driven Artificial Intelligence system that enables high levels of athlete performance and availability." It is designed to assist in analysing players injury's and spotting them early. Pre-empting the injuries by telling the medical department & coaches when the players are close to soft muscle injuries and avoiding them before they occur. I'm fairly sure Klopp referenced this early last season with one player who he was told not to play even though the player said he was fit.

it largely worked last season and a number of injury prone players seem to stay fit for a longer than usual time frame. Hendo, Fabinho, Thiago, Keita, Matip, Gomez etc were all for for nearly every game from January to May, and in some cases the whole season.

https://twitter.com/Zone7ai/status/1526842554217811968

But then what happened in 2022? Just some examples of the clubs that use this technology, and a lot of these clubs all seem to have been hit with multiple injury problems this season. Is it a coincidence or is the technology to blame when too much faith is being entrusted in it?

Summitatem

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184111#Comment_120184111

CBs are all aging terribly or are injury prone. Midfield isn't the limit of our issues.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187585#Comment_120187585

I'd sooner see every single player replaced than lose Klopp. You don't go from nearly winning everything to a busted manager overnight. The problems are acutely aware, the squad has been left fester and age.

Nalz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188371#Comment_120188371

Tongue and cheek example, but Mourinho an example of this?

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188497#Comment_120188497

A manager that has lost every dressing room in his last few jobs? No indication the players have any issue with Klopp and Klopp doesn't have any problem with owners, he was off into the sunset and resigned out of the blue. Legs in midfield is all that is needed for us to get our mojo back.

Widdensushi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187623#Comment_120187623

Interesting idea re Diaz , worth a go , surely it would inject some energy to our midfield.

Girly Gal

You'd have to wonder why the club were so blinkered last summer regarding getting midfield sorted, so many decent midfielders were available for reasonable money last summer, some of those have since seen their fees soar after good world cups. The club seems to be like a rudderless ship right now.

~Rebel~

Yeah, like, I see a few posts talking about penny pinching - but we've spent ~120 million in the past 6 months. it's just that the key problem area went unaddressed. Have to imagine that money could've simply been used better.

machiavellianme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188112#Comment_120188112

The worst of both worlds, old and a crock.

Just what we don't need.

I'd sooner keep Jimmy, at least he is fit most of the time and can probably match Kante for pace.

robwen

Liverpool takeover pledge was an empty promise – FSG’s true intentions are now clear

When it emerged back in early November that Liverpool FC had been put up for sale, Fenway Sports Group vowed to maintain a business-as-usual approach to running the club.

Unfortunately, just three months on, that looks like an empty promise from an ownership group whose focus appears to have in fact shifted entirely to securing a hefty return on their investment.

FSG’s true feelings were underlined by a January window in which Jurgen Klopp was allowed to address just one of two glaring weaknesses in his squad on the basis of further funds not being made available until the next financial year.

You can question whether the German was wise to go for Cody Gakpo over a central midfielder in light of those limitations, but the fact he has been forced to choose at all says plenty about where the club is at.

Liverpool aren’t close to falling foul of Financial Fair Play rules and remain in rude health financially, so it can only be their owners’ desire to keep the books lean in order to attract outright buyers that is limiting spending.

It still feels like FSG’s preferred outcome at this early stage would be a full sale, even amid claims that they are leaning toward relinquishing only a minority stake.

That is because, as far as external investors are concerned, the appeal of the latter option is difficult to fathom, while president Mike Gordon would not have stepped back so suddenly from day-to-day duties for such a minor change in structure.

Clues as to FSG’s true intentions can also be found in the club’s most recently published accounts, which appear to show debt repayment being prioritised over making cash available for transfers.

If this were an ownership group committed to the long term, that would not be happening, and this reality only spells out how utterly vital it is that Liverpool’s future is resolved as soon as possible.

Clearly, the Reds do not desperately need new owners willing to facilitate a Chelsea-style summer spend, the potential downsides of which have been barely discussed in recent reporting.

Nor do they need a wealthy benefactor to pump in funds through questionable sponsorship deals in order to evade FFP to boost their transfer outlay.

Rather, Liverpool simply only need to shake off the burden of infrastructure project costs inexplicably paid for through short-term debt, as well as their current owners’ desire to keep operational debt at a minimum.

These ongoing restrictions on spending are why it is only fair for fans to be sceptical that, should FSG remain in post this coming summer, Klopp will not be given the rebuild he needs.

Yes, there is a willingness to sanction a large outlay to land Jude Bellingham, but would the remainder of the squad get the attention it needs without funds being raised through sales?

That is difficult to imagine, as is the possibility of that transfer window running as smoothly as it might with a replacement for outgoing sporting director Julian Ward still yet to be lined up.

The club insist a search is ongoing to fill that crucial position, but you imagine FSG would rather leave that decision to their successors, while anyone interested in taking the job would want to know exactly what they are signing up for.

It is a precarious situation that perfectly illustrates the difficulty of preventing the current off-pitch question marks from resulting in on-pitch consequences for Klopp and his team.

Mercifully, there remains hope that some much-needed certainty will arrive before the summer, particularly with exploratory talks still being currently held with Qatari, German, US and Saudi investors interested in a buyout.

The arrival of any new ownership group would represent a major step into the unknown but, with every passing week punctuated by disappointing results, you sense the supporters’ willingness to embrace that risk is growing.

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2023/02/liverpool-takeover-pledge-was-an-empty-promise-with-fsgs-true-intentions-now-clear/

~Rebel~

Some fairly hefty speculation and conclusion-jumping in that article, without much grounding it beyond the writer's personal opinion...

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188955#Comment_120188955

But it has been business as usual because we usually do feck all business in January.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188977#Comment_120188977

It's been almost a mirror image to 20/21 when we had similar issues - though we actually spent 40m this window compared to around 1.5m that year.

BillyHasMates

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188974#Comment_120188974

It is simply an opinion piece relying heavily on drawing conclusions. He use language such as "looks like" and "appears to be." As a reader you either share his opinion or you don't. It will resonate with many fans though who have their own speculative thoughts on what is going on behind the scenes and what FSG's intentions are. If you don't share his opinion, and I would guess you don't, then fine but why so quick to make a dismissive post about it?

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120189160#Comment_120189160

I didn't exactly dismiss it - I just pointed out that it's more based in jumping to conclusions rather than building a case on known information.

And I think a headline as forthright a statement as "Liverpool takeover pledge was an empty promise – FSG’s true intentions are now clear" deserves to be challenged if it's not fully backed up.

There are bits in there that are more probable, while other bits are hugely speculative - but written as if they're clear obvious conclusions. Like claiming that keeping the accounts for the window 'lean' is proof their top priority is selling. It's, for instance, just as arguable that had they spent in the short term to maintain top 4 and keep the asset looking superficially healthy it would've been proof of looking to sell asap.

Basically, it reads to me like someone had an end point they wanted to make regardless, and then simply framed all the details to fit that end point. It doesn't read to me like a well constructed argument.

dogbert27

Wolves away at the weekend. They'll be up for it after their perceived injustice from the first leg and getting knocked out in the second of the cup.

If we don't get 3 points and Chelsea and Villa win we'll be dropping down to 11th. 😬

Widdensushi

Konate,vvd,jota,firmino and melo are all due back shortly, get a win against wolves,avoid more injuries, hopefully with a stronger squad , more options it can be turned around, realistically if Nunez could hit a run where some of those chances are going in it could turn the table, small margins.Diaz injury seems to be dragging on,I thought he was going to be back sooner.

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190510#Comment_120190510

.... and the last line of your post is probably the most relevant one.

I'd have little faith in the optimism in your post re:Konate, Jota, Bobby, or indeed Virgil either, based on our recent past - IMHO there are serious questions about our medical and conditioning work.

And don't even get me started on Melo 😢😷

machiavellianme

Melo has been a right melon of a signing. One of our worst to date.

Widdensushi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190593#Comment_120190593

Trying to look at the positives and the only is that he is only a loan so at least he is easy moved on, imagine if he had an eight year contract.

yourdeadwright

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188371#Comment_120188371

Ye but that's the question, If we are not sold we will not replace the players , Klopp is the man if we can give him a new squad no question there ,

Maybe i can frame it another way do you think a different manger could have got more from our squad this season ? Personally i think the answer is yes

dogbert27

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190510#Comment_120190510

Diaz is done for return in March

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190675#Comment_120190675

There are no positives regarding the melo signing, it had disaster written all over it before he signed, I can't believe we even considered him in the first place; an injury prone player who wasn't even fit when signed, for a position we were desperate to have someone ready to hit the ground running. Isn't he also facing a potential ban aswell regarding Juva's shenanigans, he'll probably return to fitness, then have to serve a ban and get injured again!

yourdeadwright

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190593#Comment_120190593

He was injured at the end of last season, i didn't have a pre-season ,then got injured again ,

How is he going to be fit enough to play at all in the next 2 months, he might become injury free but the lad is not going to be near match fit ,

steve_r

Ex Liverpool player in this today

https://careerwego.com/play

brevity

After years of being confident in the club and the structure, it's a strange feeling to be so disheartened. Especially considering Klopp, the person who has brought the club so much success, hasn't actually left and is planning on staying long than he initially said he would.

The phrase "missed opportunity" is said quite a lot and I feel that might hang over the club during these past years. Who knows what might have happened had we been more adventurous with our spending/player recruitment.

I'd imagine a lot of fans would be ok with a season where we didn't compete for everything due to fact players were leaving and new players were coming in. As I see it that's only Nunez and Gakpo. We need heaps more. So in reality it's going to be another few seasons before we are challenging again. With the potential sale of the club hanging over our heads who knows what condition we are going to be in...

We might just have to win the CL to save the season. Once more into the breach!

AdrianG08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120191366#Comment_120191366

Was reading another forum and someone was talking about the supposed tension amongst the data guys/scouts/sporting director.

They mentioned the change in approach from the club in terms of transfers and Klopp and Lijnders have a far greater say in dealings, although the budget remains somewhat the same, also how Klopps comments about needing to "taking more risks" caused some friction.

Some of the best signings the club has ever made have been JK's second choices, for instance he wanted Gotze, they gave him Mane. He wanted Brandt, they gave him Salah. He wanted Zielinski, and they gave him Wijnaldum. Seemingly now, they only want top level additions, Tchouameni, Bellingham etc.. and are not willing to count on the transfer/scouting team to suggest alternatives, claiming they are too inflexible, when in theory aiming for the likes of Tchouameni and having no plan B, in inflexible in itself.

For a good few years now, Liverpool have been very shrewd in the transfer market. One thing I would say is that maybe they have been a little self congratulatory with it, how many times have we read puff pieces in the Athletic and the likes about how "smart Liverpool are in the market"? It seems now that this nous is being stripped away and the manager and his assistant are being given a far better day. Cody Gakpo is apparently a signing that Lijnders campaigned for relentlessly, so there can be no denying there is a divergence in approach.

As good a coach as Klopp is, it does not mean that his judgement on signings is absolutely stellar, the combination of his coaching with players identified who fit his approach (by the technical analysis team/Michael Edwards and Co.) was the real strength. We seem to be trying to move away from the hard running and pressing game, to a more technical approach in the last 18-24 months and it does seem to be unravelling a bit. Once piece of the jigsaw missing seems to result in the whole thing falling apart, and there's an inability to get back to basics, be compact, keep clean sheets and get a reaction from a squad who have alot of miles on the clock.

Klopps magic maybe wears a little thin with players who have been inspired before by him, more refreshment maybe needed but coupled with his undoubted loyalty (despite his claims to the contrary- Bobby Firmino being offered a new deal a prime example despite his persistent injuries) its hard to see where this will happen. Its kind of unchartered territory for JK as he has never rebuilt a side, he has cleaned up someone elses mess, but will be a very interesting summer seeing what the approach is.

We seem to have put all of our eggs in the Bellingham basket this summer, can only imagine the hell that would break loose if he doesn't sign.

BillyHasMates

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190751#Comment_120190751

While it might be true that Klopp could have done things differently tactic wise and we may be slightly better off if he did, I think the last question you ask is irrelevant. Klopp is the very least of the clubs problems and in my opinion is the last person there I would think of changing. The things I think are necessary to happen for us to move forward:

The injuries issue - this urgently needs addressing. Whether it is the coaches or medical team or combo of both, something is seriously wrong here with the amount of muscle related injuries being picked up at the club. It is not simply bad luck. Club needs to get to the bottom of it and rectify it.

Ownership - to move forward we need the issue of being sold or receiving investment sorted well before the start of next season. As long as the uncertainty remains it will be difficult to move forward with player recruitment and planning. Also likelihood of FSG withholding funds while they continue to look for a sale.

Proper recruitment strategy - dependant on funds but it is about time we addressed glaring weakness like midfield. Less loyalty to players out of form for long periods, getting too old or injury prone. It wont happen in one window but we really need a big start this summer.

SM01

Trying to be objective about it, and what I know of Klopp and other managers, Klopp is still, by a country mile, the best fit for Liverpool. In addition, I don't think any other manager would have done better with the problems Klopp has encountered this season. That's not to say I agree with everything Klopp does. I think he's made plenty of mistakes in his tenure (As have Shankly, Paisley, Ferguson, Pep etc) and there's plenty of tactical and personnel decisions that I balk at. Transfers that I scratch my head at. But we're caught up very much in the moment. We're being knee-jerk and reactionary. Klopp has proven he's the man - see all those shiny trophies we've recently accumulated, even against the landscape of ridiculous financial doping by City, and now Newcastle and the madness of Chelsea. There's a period of unrest, given FSG have intimated the club is up for sale / reinvestment. Nobody out there is better than Jurgen at guiding the club right now through those choppy waters (IMO). Furthermore, there's plenty of speculation in this forum about what's going on behind the scenes, some of it head-scratching leaps of faith, with very little actual evidence (losing the dressing room, fights between transfer committee members, Pep Lijnders is a rampant megalomaniac etc.) I'm guessing all is not rosy in the garden, and yet I trust Jurgen is the man most likely to get us back fighting for top honours again (funding for transfers permitted) after how we performed last season (after the injury ravaged season before)

yourdeadwright

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120191751#Comment_120191751

Iv no doubt Klopp has done a fantastic job that not even in question ,

The issue for me is if we don't drastically change the squad then we might need to change the manger,

If the next 4 months go the same of the last 6 then what's the point if the manger can't get anything out of the squad that isn't being changed, we might need someone who can get more out of what we have,

I like other's pray Klopp is giving the funds that he needs ,

yourdeadwright

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120191925#Comment_120191925

I have to disagree,

There is a host of mangers who would have looked at what we had and played a deeper line & made us harder to play through & would not have been as loyal to certain players who week in week out failed to perform ,

Klopp hasn't changed lots but he probably thinks a few additions & returns from injuries & our style will kick back into action so is reluctant to change every thing when in a few months times he would be changing it back again , ,

Please STOP with the Pep Liinders shite , some bollox that started on twitter ,

We won absolutely nothing before he came & absolutely everything possible since he came in , he brought a book out & people all of a sudden blaming him for how bad we are, Look if Pep is the problem & has to much input do you know whos to blame for that the MANGER , To people really think Jurgen Klopp would let his assistant dictate & run the team, You must be hav9ing a laugh ,

Pep is the new John Achterberg the scapegoat to bash ,

Funny isn't it how John used to get bashed constantly & now gets no credit at all even though we are supposed to have the best number 1 & best number 2 in the world, ye know since he had such a huge influence on our keepers when they where bad but all of a sudden has none when there good ,

BillyHasMates

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120192116#Comment_120192116

Why do you think that if the squad doesn't really change then we need to change the manager? What manager do you think will do a better job going forward? Seems like you are suggesting change just for the sake of it, that if nothing else changes then the manager must change. I don't go along with that line of thinking.

Also by me saying I wouldn't replace Klopp, it doesn't mean I think no manager could have done things differently if managing us this season up to now and not had some better results. To me it doesn't justify replacing one of the best managers in the world for some minor short term gain. Once the summer comes I would not back any other manager over Klopp to turn things around. I really hope he is our manager by then and just doesn't decide to walk. But if he does it will be his own decision which I think he has more than earned.

As for the Lijnders shite as you call it, nobody on this thread has posted anything blaming him. I mentioned him in a post a few weeks back where I suggested one possibility for the behind the scenes trouble could be Lijnders having a greater influence on player recruitment. I assigned no blame, it was a suggestion of a possibility. But I find it gas you have leapt to his defense even though nobody has accused him or blamed him for anything, yet you seem content to scapegoat Klopp in the pursuit of change.

yourdeadwright

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120192523#Comment_120192523

Because form August up to now Klopp has shown an inability to get anything out of the squad we have,

Its been clear as day his style of football ,high line, attacking full backs so on & so on doesn't work with the player we currently have available

It's nothing new Pep's style didn't work his first season at City with the squad he had, all mangers need certain type players to make there style work , if your not going to give them to Klopp what's the point , have a manager who's style fits the squad ,

Again i don't want Klopp sacked i want him backed

SM01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120192181#Comment_120192181

Just one thing in clarify in your reply to my post. You have misinterpreted my line on Pep. What I was implying is that there is scant evidence to suggest Pep L is the problem. I have absolutely nothing against Pep. and I don't believe he is a problem.

yourdeadwright

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120193078#Comment_120193078

Sound out,

dogbert27

I still judge Achterberg on the goal keeping standard before we signed a 75 million world class goalkeeper.

You yourself don't rate Kelleher's abilities or Adrian's. What's Achterberg doing with them?

If Achterberg on his own is so brilliant for Allison why did Allison push for Taffarel to join the goalkeeping coaching staff?

Achterberg is still meh for me. He's just covered now in that we have a world class goalkeeper.

citytillidie

Madrid game on ITV4 currently

martyos121

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120193942#Comment_120193942

Their first choice left back Mendy is out injured and Camavinga is filling in for him these days. He’s doing okay tonight but if Salah can find some form in time for the first leg, that battle could be the key to an unlikely victory.

Even when Madrid are playing poorly (or just very average like tonight), they still look miles ahead of us and a lot more stable. It’s not an even a question of team selection for us, I don’t think any 11 players we have available will win that tie, and that’s the first time I’ve felt that way about us in years.

Girly Gal

Tbf most teams look miles ahead of us at the moment. Very hard to see how we get past Madrid. Under Klopp, even when we've played Madrid when in decent form they have always got the better of us, so now that we are in terrible form, the odds are really stacked against us. I suppose anything can happen in football and upsets do happen fairly regularly so you never know!