Excellent tactical move by the club. Leak this supposed shortlist; get the likes of Spurs and Man U to overspend on these players; quietly pick up the guy we really want, with no opposition.
I think the Neuhaus boat sailed a while back, wasn’t he pretty poor all season, maybe that’s the idea mind, suprised he hasn’t been lazy and stuck Tielmanns on the list.
Yes but our scouts will watch hours of footage where a player has performed well, poorly or indifferently. They’ll have also seen him in thebfleshnand will have contacts in the countrynthe player plays in. The youtubers condense it all into a five minute clip of the best bits. Or the worst bits depending on the narrative.
Pretty much the same list Sam McGuire, another one of those Twitter analyst/in the know types, came up with as alternatives to Touchameni. And on the same day too…
So two of the alternatives to one of the most highly rated young players in Europe are midfielders who play for a team that finished 10th in the Bundesliga?
I’m not sure it matters where their team finished if they’re the right player.
Gini came from a relegated Newcastle side.
Mane came from a mid table Southampton side.
Ruben Neves plays for 10th placed Wolves. Yves Bissouma plays for 9th placed Brighton. Okay, they aren’t on our list but they’re certainly not bad players who will have suitors who finished far higher in various leagues.
Renato Sanches plays for 10th placed Lille but last season they won the league. Would that mean he would have been perceived as good enough then but not good enough now?
I get what you’re saying, we want someone who is playing at a high level but it is possible to be a good player in a not great team. I think anyone other than Tchouameni will be seen as somewhat of a step down (aside from Bellingham) so I wouldn’t be too fussed about the club they come from.
Saying that, if we really want Tchouameni and he chooses Madrid, is it possible we shelve the idea of adding another CM this summer rather than go for an alternative? We give Milner and Naby new deals, keep hold of Ox for one more year before letting him go on a free and then go all in on Bellingham next summer?
The point isn’t that good players can’t come from lower in the table sides, but it’s very unlikely that Monchengladbach have two Liverpool calibre midfielders (and Zakaria) and can’t finish above Koln, Mainz, Union Berlin, Freiburg or Hoffenheim. They conceded 61 goals in 34 matches, 3rd worst record in the BL. Hardly screams ‘midfield control’ to me.
I can’t see how Neuhaus is any kind of alternative to Tchouameni. Tchouameni gets around the pitch like Momo Sissoko whereas Neuhaus is more Charlie Adam.
He’s only an alternative if you believe the tripe on Twitter. One bloke uses some analysis tool and comes up with a bunch of names based purely on a bunch of performance stats. Someone else sees that and makes up his own list of alternatives to Tchouameni and says that’s who Liverpool are considering. It’s all probably bollocks so I wouldn’t worry.
But, simply saying they conceded a bunch of goals so those players aren’t good enough is very simplistic. They conceded 17 of those league goals in a four game run before Christmas. Neuhaus only started in one of those games so is he to blame for that?
I agree with you though, if Tchouameni is the prime target, I don’t see how Neuhaus is a direct alternative. But Salah and Brandt aren’t direct alternatives either given one is right footed and predominantly plays centrally and the other is left footed and plays on the right. However, by changing the role of existing players we made Salah work. Perhaps the same could be done here, I don’t know.
Either way, I think we can all agree Tchouameni is the one we all want and hopefully we’ll not need to be looking at alternatives.
Haha, I’d rather say Neuhaus is more like Goretzka pre Bayern…treatment.
He’s a good player, Neuhaus, I think he’d be a good fit for us. But of course, the question is if he’s actually good enough for the absolute elite teams. For me he lacks a bit of aggression/assertion…if that’s the right word. But a nice player.
I’m chilled out on it. I had built my hopes up for Tchouameni and maybe that will still happen, but it looks more like Real Madrid now. We still need a midfielder, and I’m confident in the recruitment team at the club.
Milner might sign an extension but he gets older! Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho are not quite as old, but they are all getting up there now, and niggly injuries are creeping in more and more. Keita was borderline stay/go due to fitness, but this season he has shown enough to earn a new deal, but nobody will be confident he will be a fixture in the side week in week out due to injury record. Ox hasn’t featured and looks like he will be off. Then we have two cracking younger midfielders, Jones and Elliot, who both look like they have good futures here.
Lots of bodies, but too many question marks, and we definitely need a midfielder added this summer. A top one, robust, able to do the 6 role, but also the 8 role in an athletic sort of marauding way, and we are in business.
I’ve watched several Gladbach matches this year and while I was once a big fan of Neuhaus I don’t at all think he’s a Liverpool player at this stage. Statistically not a bad season (in context of what he’s asked to do)but the eye test tells everything, that ship has sailed, as the saying goes.
The Kouadio Kone link is simply baffling. Nice young boy, very well regarded and has good upside, but very raw and extremely undisciplined. He loves getting stuck in and being reckless. Love his spirit but he needs to learn some control. Again, that’s no shade, he has great upside. He reminds me of Hannibal Mejbri at United.
I have watched Neuhaus and Tchouameni on YouTube, and have come the the conclusion that the YouTubers that create the Tchouameni videos are significantly better.
Not sure what to think, except, I’d really like us to sign this kid, as I believe he is a world class talent, at a position of some need.
What’s a bit puzzling is that just two days before the report of Real and LFC agreeing to his terms, there was a report that Real were NOT going to be in for Tchouameni, as Ancelotti was pleased with his midfield, and wanted them all back for next season. Then Mbappe signs back with PSG, and all of a sudden Real DO want Tchouameni? Instead of getting another attacker, they’re going for a midfielder?
Wonder if they’re just throwing shade at Liverpool pre CL Championship, but whatever happens, I remain calm, knowing Klopp is guiding the ship.