Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

"There is no "better value" than Bellingham, there are just cheaper and lesser players."

Wouldn't necessarily agree with that. Players develop at different rates, and maybe this is a time to be a bit smarter than buying the biggest fanciest thing out there - which is what the club has tended to be quite good at. We're still clearly decent at recognising talent, with many of the midfielders we were most closely linked to last summer having been brilliant this season - the only failing was not pulling the trigger on them.

The one truth in football is there are always more amazingly brilliant footballers out there.

I'm amazed at the clubs sudden change in tactic. We deliberately held out and waited to spent big money on Alison and VVD. Both of those had massive impacts on the team and we're huge signings. The club now suddenly saying that is a bad policy is quite strange. It smells tbh. The whole risk that Bellingham is a flop is if he is injured. That's it. He's clearly an exceptional talent and baring injury will be a massive asset for any club. As for 100m being too much, we spent £48m on Naby Kieta ffs. I'd much prefer one Bellingham than two Naby Keitas.

Spent 100m on Bellingham, play a full reverse team for the European league/conference (if we even make it) and play the kids for the csrling and fa cup. The quadruple run killed us last year. As much fun as it was, winning the carling Cup doesn't make up for the situation we are in now.

if we don't have the finances to compete with orher teams then we need to be prioritise about what competitions we compete for, not what players we sign.

What pisses me off the most that the reasoning put out there by the club of why they didn't buy an alternative to Tchouameni last summer was 'we would rather hold out and buy Bellingham next summer'. We are willing to risk having a crap year, because we get our man next summer and kick on again.

And now this crap of 'we can't get him now, it's not worth it'. Then why did you mess us all around for the past year.

I had thought that the midweek PR stuff was just noise and telling us to look one way while they did something else, but now Klopp towing the company line as they are too scared to put the sporting director or money man out to bat is very annoying. They are putting Klopp to the slaughter, again, instead. Klopp has spoken out about the need to buy midfielders multiple times. But when the push comes to the shove, he is then told to reel it back in and act all happy with what he has got, and when he gets a cheaper alternative instead. The alternative to Bellingham has to be 1 other superstar, not Mason Mount. With all due respect to Mount, he would be a very good signing IMO, alongside Jude, but instead of him is just a waste of time.

I could be wrong but don't think dortmund would sell last summer because they sold Haaland but agree with the rest of your post

Seemingly the embargoed part of the press conference this morning is very fiery

Given the fall off in Fabhino I think three midfielders for 150m is better than Bellingham + a backup MF.

Would you rather Fabhino (from this season), Bellingham (130m) and one of Henderson/Thiago/Elliot/Back Up (20m) or Ndidi (30m), Mount (50m), McAlister (70m) with Henderson, Elliot, Fabhino and Thiago as backup?

The above are just examples but I'm sure there'll be plenty of names thrown out but three new players just stocks us better and makes sure we have better cover if we do get a few injuries.

And this is coming from someone who was banging the Bellingham drum three years ago.

Class from Fulham

I was so set on Jude that it's hard to pick the 3 other guys but it is probably the more sensible option this summer, reluctantly, like yourself. Last summer was a different story.

It being 3 guys, at least 2 have to bang and be great. That's double the risk.

Running certainly is a start! 😁

On your earlier point, I'm actually willing to give Fabinho the benefit of doubt and give him another season before completely writing him off. Even in the recent years prime team, he used to look tired in games, especially after March. He is getting exposed a lot this season. But at times, he has recovered some good performances or big 45 mins. For example having Fabinho Jude Mount is actually a strong midfield with plenty legs. or even a Fabinho Jude Thiago. Lots of control there for the correct game. But then having Fabinho Hendo Mount gets exposed and Fabinho Hendo Thiago gets more exposed than this season. Put the base in front of Fabinho and I am willing to give him a shot at another year. Maybe it's foolish but to be fair, these players deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt with the amount of effort that they have given the shirt. The key here is that it is Jude + Mount, and not just Mount. It falls apart if it is just Mount.

But this is very risky also.

I don't have the 3 players to pick, but for arguments sake, I will say Mount, Caicedo and the Ugarte lad from Sporting. 1 unknown and unproven player with potential, 1 who burst onto the PL scene this season and 1 very good PL player & CL winner. Lots of energy. But is the quality there? How will they handle the step up? How will they gel? Will they still need Hendo to start every 2nd game for the first 6 months and so on. I know it's hindsight but both MacAllister or Enzo last summer come in and completely change the team. For a fraction of what they themselves would cost this summer, but also a fraction of what the other players will cost this summer. Maybe taking the risk is what it is needed. Plenty of our big signings that were successes in recent years were risks - Gini, Robbo, Salah, and to a degree VVD & Mane too. Fabinho had that couple of years of CL football behind him, so we can equate that to Mount, Gini to Caicedo perhaps but Caicedo is more risky. Ugarte would be like Enzo in terms of experience. Is he ready to explode? Diaz, Nunez and others were ready to explode from Potugal in recent years, but plenty others have been too like Bruno, Ederson, Dias etc so perhaps he is the next one to give a go to. This is where we need Michael Edwards big brain to tell us 'I got this'!

It's very important that while the club acknowledge the need for a midfield overhaul in the summer, we also really need to sign another centre back in the same window or we're going to be having a very familiar conversation this time next year.

We only have Ibou to rely on, there are question marks above all the others (though I expect a better VVD next season). No matter how much we strengthen the midfield over the coming months, if we don't bring in another CB then we better pray that Konate stays fit for 95% of next season or we're not moving up the table.

Both of you seem to be big Bellingham fans. Can I ask if you watch him play regularly? I have a feeling that you don't. Mainly because you would have seen that he has been average for quite a while now. He has the odd good game but is only ok mostly. Are you impressed because of his age? Maybe he's overplayed at 19 and that could explain his form, i'm not sure. To me, forking out that much money on potential is way too risky. Most young players with potential don't make it to world class and for £100 plus, you'd want to be guaranteed that he'll be world class. But it doesn't work that way.

Sorry, but to me that midfield three is just depressing tbh. We certainly shouldn't be signing another sick note like Ndidi. We have plenty of those at the club already. As I said above, a midfielders three like that just shows how badly we are regressing. Mount plays for a team who are about to finish midtable and he struggles to get his game for them.

Decent squad player, he will never be world class and doesn't have that potential.

Ndidi gas been very good again this season and looks to be over his injuries. He's a brilliant DM and he also provides plenty of flexibility as ha can play CB to a high standard as well.

Mount has been dropped because he's refusing to sign a new 7 year contract. He had been playing very well earlier this season and he will give our midfield that pressing ability it's badly missing.

Lest we forget

"Gomez was never a good CB and Robertson and Trent have always been poor defensively."

We won the title and had the best defensive record in the league with all 3 of them starting basically every game.

If you think that was due to the excellent individual defensive talents of those three players then fair enough, we will agree to disagree on that one.

I can't see any positive in it. No one's happy now. Klopp getting angry in press conferences.

He's 26 and only twice in his career has in played more than 40 games in a season. He's only started 15 games this season in the PL. Given Klopps style of palyee signing him would be a crazy decision tbh. We need to learn not to sign people with poor injury records to play in a team that plays in the most physical deamdning style there is in football.

£50m and £250k per week for someone who can run around alot. No thanks. Hes never been a stsnd out plsyer in that Chelsea team snd its a team who havent ever really challenged for the title either. Look Mount isn't a terrible player but he's never going to be anything other than a good player. Is he miles better than Harvey Elliot? Better, but I don't think the difference is worth what it is going to cost for him. Again, if we had Mount in our team this year I don't think we'd be that far off were we already are. He's not a game changer and he doesn't even have that potential either.

Naby Keita was one of the best midfielders in Germany before we signed him just like Bellingham is now. There is no guarantee that Bellingham will set the world alight in the prem if/when he arrives.

Lol. Sure there's no guarantee of anything, so why bother signing any new player if that's the hot take. Let's just rely on the academy players coming through and keep the money in the pocket.

...at no point did I suggest that we only go buy players who have no potential to be top class. That would be insane.

My point was that if we only have enough money to either buy one very very expensive very very famous high profile player, or multiple lower profile players that HAVE huge potential based on the clubs pretty decent scouting (we've done this before a whole bunch), that I entirely understand the latter approach given our present needs.

Wouldn't let Jota go. We'd b down to four players for three positions.

Probably not Matip either, Joe can go if Ramsey is fit.

We should draw up a first XI and bench once those players leave to just to highlight how badly we need bodies now rather than one marquee signing.

Hell, Jude and two fine midfielders would be brilliant but we aren't spending 250m, especially after spending 130m on forwards.