Ex-player: Neco WILLIAMS

Do we need someone to cover left back? We have Tsimikas.

This was always going to happen I think. Maybe not so soon, but I can understand.

Heā€™s got Trent ahead of him and heā€™s a young player who made his breakthrough, now also almost a full international, too. Initially did well, after that not so much and overall, we might think heā€™s not really for this level and itā€™s better to make a profit and look for a backup option or options elsewhere, internally. I hope itā€™s not Gomez though.

Fans will always warm to these ideas of Trent moving elsewhere on the pitch (midfield) to make room for Neco at RB on the basis of, I donā€™t know, a few good performances. Or that Neco stays here as clear backup for a good few years. I think all parties knew this would happen even when he signed his 5-year deal last summer.

I do agree that we canā€™t always rely on either new kids like Neco or someone like Gome/Milner to cover at RB.

Weā€™ll see what it is, a loan, loan to buy, a straight sale and for what sort of price.

Couple of young guys around who seem to fit the profile but obviously no idea if their quality is high enough TomƔs Tavares young Benfica owned Portuguese kid I noticed in the Portugal under 21s, right back who can play left back, seemed to get up and attack but solid defensively in my very limited view of him. Also seen Anthony Caci suggested but know even less on him.

I agree with you, forcing someone to stay is never going to be fruitful, for either party.

I would rather want Klopp to have a talk with the lad. Iā€™m sure Klopp will point out how moving to another club for more games donā€™t usually work out. With all his potentials, Neco is still a kid and only clubs he can hope for a regular spot is where the bar is set pretty low.

On the other hand, Curtis has played (and trained) his way in the senior squad while Nat and Rhys took advantage of a disaster to showcase their respective potential. In a season of 50+ games, Neco can expect to get considerable minutes to advance his case.

Finally, I feel a lot of this interests are provoked by the agent who is likely to pocket a fee is Neco moves to another club.

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I donā€™t think so, I think he just wants to be playing regular football.

Curtis, like Trent before him, has been identified as a bigger talent way before breaking into the first team. As much as I like Neco, I donā€™t think he falls into that category. In regards to using Nat and Rhys as an example, I donā€™t think a player can be expected to rely on a disaster happening to justify staying hereā€¦particularly as Nat and Rhys may still be leaving anyway.

I find it interesting that the story is we are looking to sell, rather than loan.

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Whether itā€™s true and heā€™d make the move or not and sit on the bench behind Trent is Denzil Dumfries,apparently he has a Ā£12.8mill release clause in his PSV contract.I donā€™t like to judge players off the back of tournaments but heā€™s had a good Euro for Holland atm,Ā£10mill for Neco ,Ā£12mill for DD would be a good deal i guess.

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Regular football! How regular, 30-35 games a season? Which PL club can/will rely on him that much? If he is looking for more minutes than he had last season, 765 mins, he is definitely going to get that at Liverpool. We will have 50+ games next season, and with a stable CB pairing, Neco will play more frequently than last season.

I have a general aversion to single position specialist cover. Like with Tsimikas, you just end up paying for, and paying a player to rarely play.

A good cover player should be able to play two or three position. I might be being unfair on Tsimikas, as Iā€™ve seen him pop up on the wing for a couple of minutes here and there, but it seems like he is very much a left back. And as a result he is not going to get very much game time.

I would sooner put a midfielder at full back when needed than buy a specialist to sit on the bench.

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Is he really guaranteed more than 765 minutes here? I appreciate that we had an inexperienced defence for much of the season, which probably restricted his game time but I donā€™t know if he gets more time with more solid players coming in. First of all, we have to see how Konate settles. We also donā€™t know how many games we will have - early exits in the domestic cups probably cuts out most of his minutes.

He had 14 appearances for us last season, so averaged 55 minutes per game he played, yet presumably the bulk of them were in the six domestic cup games he played? that makes it harder for him to develop a rythm and earn more game time.

I donā€™t know if he gets it anywhere else, but presumably anyone buying him would have a plan on how he will feature and convinced him of such. And, for him, it may make more sense getting more game time at a new club where he can lay down roots and become a regular starter in a yearā€™s time rather than stay here a year and then look to move.

Clinker for me is that Neco is very much in the attack-minded RB mould. If he was better defensively than Trent I could see them sharing duties during the season perhaps when the opponent breaks quickly on the wings. But thatā€™s not the case. Joe Gomez can deputize at RB when needed.

But one of the key reasons he left Arsenal was Wnger playing him out wide when he wanted to be used centrally.

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He has spent the last three years ravaged by injury, and needs the minutes. He is in no position to dictate where he gets them.

Iā€™d view Ox as a utility player at this point, and his route to 25 games is probably to be available to cover number eight, Firmino and Trent.

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Weā€™ve not learnt our lesson here.

Why would we go into the season with only 1 recognised RB.

I donā€™t want to hear ā€œGomez can play right backā€ because to be 100% honest with you he isnā€™t as good as Trent and Iā€™d say probably not as good as Neco at RB either

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Sure. And if he wants to leave here, Iā€™m sure the club will let him for a reasonable fee. However, as @mascot says he has missed a lot of games and needs to work his way in to the team again. Doing that may be best done through agreeing to play back up elsewhere in the side - both Milner and Hendo have been willing to do that.

Gomez can fill in as a RB , If itā€™s something like 4 minutes to go and weā€™re protecting a lead. But he doesnā€™t have what a modern RB/LB needs , especially in Liverpoolā€™s style of play. The ability to make those crosses and link up with other midfielders and forwards.

Liverpool would still need a RB because I doubt Necoā€™s at that level either. Someone who can both play the trent role and is solid enough defensively to enable Trent to push forward into a more midfield position.

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Not saying that Neco didnā€™t make mistake for the second goal, but Dolberg shouldnā€™t have been in so much space in the box. Anyway, Neco was poor throughout the game.

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I see some are calling him the new Moreno, poor kid.

In this forum???

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Iā€™d rather we keep the lad and loan him out if possible.

I think there is a talent in there who could thrive, however we need cover better than Gomez who I like as CB but looks horrible both defensively and attacking when at RB.

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To be fair, if he wants to continue progressing in his career and even to be a mainstay in the Welsh national team, he has to play more than 765 minutes which is just less than 9 full matches and not all of those are high level PL matches. He will of course not get a high level club like ours, but I think he might fancy himself a regular at a lower league club even those Welsh based clubs or even lower table PL clubsā€¦ My take is we definitely want to keep him. 10M is not going to buy us any player that is of worth now, at least what we see. So I think its a matter of respecting what the player wants, we are just that kind of club, mutual respect between the club and players.

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