More departures before incomings…
We still have the same number of foreign players, which matters more. We’ll be able to register eight homegrown players anyway.
There’s a bigger debate to have there, regarding how much game time we’ll give to English players, which affects the number of work permits for young foreign players next season - like with Ndukwe now.
As for midfield options, I think had Jones stayed we would have loaned Nyoni out, because most likely he then wouldn’t get the opportunity to play enough.
It seems like Iraola wants to keep McConnell for extra depth, and if Endo stays as well there’s six players for two positions. So I’m guessing they’ll be there to play domestic cups, and get on the bench when one of the main four aren’t available.
I would assume it means a midfielder is coming in.
In terms of Jones, I think he´s a solid player. Not exceptional at anything perhaps but technical enough on the ball, solid enough defensively. I actually think he´s our best midfielder in terms of passing through the lines and linking with Wirtz, so from that perspective it´s a shame for him to go.
Hope he does well over there.
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It isn’t for the better, that’s for sure.
It was coming, but I don’t understand this at all. A new project is about to start and he could have been a part of it. Why on earth would he want to leave the club now? If Slot had stayed put, I’d 100% understand it, but here? Maybe he was promised a guaranteed starting place at Inter… still a very strange move. He’d have got at least 40 starts with us this season I reckon, if staying fit.
He’s another high-profile local Liverpool boy we lose, the second after Trent last year. I think that this is a terrible move to be fair. Hopefully the club have negociated an appropriate fee for him, and know exactly how to replace him. Our strength in depth is strongly depleted now.
I really wonder if it’s rather the player who had his heart set on leaving the club, or if he was pushed out. We’ll maybe know one day.
Edit: freaking hell, € 35m??? Inter are once more fleecing us. In the current market, this is mere peanuts. I know it’s the last year on his contract, but still…
Oh, and good luck to the lad. I always liked him as a player. We’ll miss him.
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I guess it’ll be like “there won’t be any replacements because we don’t want to block Nyoni’s pathway”, or something like that
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Well, we could also just be a bit bold when the moment eventually arrives to trust Trey—much like Klopp did with Trent when he got his chance. I’m inclined to give Iraola the benefit of the doubt here, too; he’ll decide when the time is right.
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So who can we sell is there any interest?
Endo,
Gakpo
Mac
Chiesa …
I agree with this, but why let Curtis go? He isn’t really in Trey’s pathway. It’s apples and oranges really. One has zero official first-team start to his name, while the other has seen it all, and competes with the likes of Macca, Dom and Grav for a starting place.
Trey provides depth for his first season with the first team. Before the news about Curtis, I’d have expected him to get starts in our early cup games, and otherwise to come in during PL games. Now that Curtis is gone, we have three senior central midfielders, while Endo, Trey and McConnell provide occasional depth. Is this a midfield good enough to qualify for the CL? Not sure to be honest. One or two bad injuries, and…
On the midfielders, I doubt they’ll sell Mac now, everything so far points towards him staying.
Not quite sure what to think about Endo, I feel the way he’s been used in pre-season (not in midfield) suggests he could perhaps be leaving. Like they’re giving him minutes, but maybe aren’t overly concerned with those minutes being in midfield. But that could also be purely down to circumstances.
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I question the club’s logic to keep Endo and dispose of Jones. I love Endo and will be delighted if he stays with us, but Jones is twice the player he is, and he’s homegrown, at a moment at which we lack homegrown players. I can’t fathom the logic behind this. And for the few peanuts we receive, we’d be better-served to keep him this season to bolster our strength in depth. And: why not offer him a new contract? Why not is the big question here.
I realize that it might be the player’s wish to leave, but I can’t understand this either as I wrote above already. We are short in numbers in midfield and there is no new incoming player in sight. He’d get plenty of playing time, probably more than he has ever be given until this point.
Looking at the above, all of this makes zero sense to me.
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They don’t want to lose both on a free next summer.
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We are unlikely to get any fee of consequence for Endo and he is not going to get the hump if does not play. In the end we would risk losing both on a free next year as Curtis is/was trending towards a Trent type exit.
@Hope.in.your.heart perhaps we needed to free up a home ground spot 
?
Oh! Wait it doesn’t work like that, does it?
I think this is a sad yet understandable outcome. It’s surely from Jones wanting a leave. It’s not like we have heard of négociation between club and player with just one year left on his contract (indicating playing time for Jones looking limited).
I don’t know what the club is doing here. Contract situations seem crazy. There doesn’t seem to be a plan. Imo we’re in a bit of a pickle.
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Agree with this. It would be more palatable for me if it sounded like we were looking at buying someone to replace him but it appears we aren’t.
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I’ve been pretty panic stations this summer when it came to defenders. We signed Araujo with practically zero briefs sent out to journos etc. Munoz happened in an instant too.
Think it best to wait and see until deadline day.
Wouldn’t be surprised if a random late move happens. Fabrizio has stated he expects us to be the busiest club in Europe the next few weeks.
2 wingers in, Cody out and a surprise midfielder coming in is what i’m gearing towards.
The point is that the club seems happy to let Jones go now, while keeping Endo. It could be the other way round? Again, these € 30m are peanuts in the current market. Ideally, we’d keep both, try to renew Curtis’ contract who is entering his prime, and let Endo go on a free next summer.
But even if the club can’t renew Curtis’ contract, it doesn’t make sense to lose our strength in depth in midfield this season, in order to receive some small change in this crazy market. € 30m won’t help us much to get a midfielder with similar qualities than Curtis. We’d look at a minimum of £ 60-70m to get one.
Curtis is a local boy, so you’d think that he should have a surplus of loyalty towards the club when compared with a Szoboslay or a Macca. But let’s admit that maybe Curtis is asking too much for a new contract, I don’t know… ‘Too much’ is a very relative thing. Curtis is probably looking at what other first team players get, and would like a similar contract. The club won’t have that, but why? It would only make sense if they have someone of similar qualities in their sights, someone thery can buy for less than € 30m, entering his prime and with a similar experience than Jones, who they can pay less than what Curtis demands. Who could that be? I can’t see anyone to be honest. Beyond Trey, there isn’t a super-talent waiting in the wings to compete with the big boys in midfield.
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The reason we are selling is because Curtis wants more, he wants to be a starter rather than a bit part player, yes we could have kept him one more season, but why keep a player that is unhappy and this way we at least get some value.
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I don’t see what is confusing. There is no interest in Endo, whereas Inter have been chasing Jones all summer. Since it’s obvious that Jones wanted out, it was either sell him now, or lose him for nothing next year. It’s been widely reported that Liverpool were reluctant sellers and wanted Jones to stay.
What should be under scrutiny is his replacement. Will we bring in another midfielder or rely on Nyoni? After what happened with Diaz, the latter option is bound to frighten and even incense the fanbase. If that’s what they decide, they better be right.
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