Apparently Jones is getting next season to prove he has a future here.
He had a few of those alreadyā¦
Not saying we should necessarily sell, we gave him a new contract probably to protect his market value. Good enough to still be under our books, but that wonāt be forever.
With Thiago here and us eyeing Nunes (are one of the two new additions), he might find it difficult to get a proper run at LCM.
Weāll see if he makes it here, maybe raises his value on the pitch more and gets sold eventually or does that with a loan somewhere down the line.
All 3 scenarios are possible.
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Hereās the Gecko equivalent.
Interesting snippet from the article:
Very frustrating, that. Different level of player importance and injury, but Henderson had that horrible thing with pain in his heel for 2 seasons in a row, when he struggled to get to 30 games in both (played 26 and 27). It was said at the time that thereās no real way how to cure it in the short-term. A few players we have are really in the need for a injury-free, full pre-season now, so we can genuinely asssess and decide how much we can count on them next season.
I donāt think we are overstocked with club trained players. I canāt see Jones or Gomez going anywhere.
Planters fasciitis. very painful and nothing but time heals it.
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Could also be construed as that we need better informed medical staff
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Iāve had it. Itās awful. Feels like someone is stabbing knives into the bottom of your feet. Walking is agony.
For me it lasted about two years, I stopped running, and it went then.
Good luck to Curtis Jones. Hopefully he starts to overcome the injuries and find his rhythm as a player. He can definitely play.
My take is he is fine, for now.
Let this summerās midfield refresh happen. There should be several midfielders who depart ahead of Jones. Fast forward another season, and maybe he will have been playing regularly for us. Or perhaps, by summer 2024, he might find himself down the pecking order, only the people in front of him are prime age and younger than he is, so he might need to move to play more, and build his career.
To my mind, the jury is out, but thereās no need to be hasty with Jones. He can play, and he still has time to become a very good player for us, if he can overcome the injuries.
By summer 2024 we will know a lot more.
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We might still have him in our plans for next season and especially long term (under a freshly signed contract, so value wise weāre protected).
But I can only say that Bajcetic has done more recently to be here next season. Even Elliott. While for Carvalho, I donāt see room for him. Of course, it will not all be looked at like that. Some are more needed because of the position they play or the positions they can cover. Age, experience, but this season also.
Especially if we talk about keeping the likes of Henderson, Thiago, signing at least 2 players, if we canāt get rid of Fabinho (or even if we can), etc.
Some will stay and some will have to go out on loan to get more regular football I think.
The thing to remember about Jones, and the same goes for Gomez, I think, is that he is club trained. If Kelleher does move on, we are going to struggle to fill out a European Squad. I think you need four, and moving on Kelleher, Gomez and Jones, as Iāve seen suggested, would leave us with one.
(Iām no expert on this - would welcome correction if Iām wrong)
You donāt have to have club-trained spots filled, likewise for homegrown. But then youād be limited to 17 players.
Iād be surprised if any of Elliott, Jones, Carvalho or Bajcetic are not here next season.
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Morton?
Where do we find room for them? If we talk about bringing 2-3 midfielders, some staying (whether we like it or not) and having 5 forwards. I donāt see all of them staying. I think Carvalho is probably in the worst position, of that group. Itās no big deal, if he needs another step between a Championship season with Fulham and Liverpool. In order to have a better chance when he returns. It could still depend on what we qualify for next season, how many games we have, etc.
Chamberlain, Keita and Milner are leaving - Hendersonās game time is likely to reduce significantly, Thiago canāt stay fit. The others all stay.
I very much doubt we sign three midfielders.
I also doubt it, I think weāre perfectly fine with 2 if theyāre precisely what we need. Could be 3, maybe that would be depending if thereās someone willing to take Fabinho.
But when I quickly make two Liverpool XIās for next season, knowing that weāll buy 3-4 players, I canāt find room for Carvalho. Even Jones, itās a bit tricky. But surely has a better chance than Carvalho for next season.
No way weāre going into next season with the numbers we have now, 30 senior players. Especially if weāre dropping from CL into lower competitions or out of Europe completely. It will be about making the squad shorter and the team better with a few, but very precise (hopefully) signings.
Bajcetic will probably get his reward by remaining here, he has earned it. Elliott also, I woud guess. Some other players, not so much unfortunately.
Especially as the extra games weāre likely to have in the lesser European competitions lend themselves to giving opportunities for younger players. It provides an opportunity to run with a much slimmer senior squad and supplement it with a few of the kids who might otherwise go for additional loans like Morton and Clarkson.