Says Will Spearman is next to go… He is like the super brain with the Ph.D. in Particle Physics…
Hope he’s wrong!
something def going on
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There was a little snippet doing the round last year that worried me. It was an interview with one of the closely connected beat journalists who have a little more insight that your bog standard twittertwat.
He was asked about the possibility of the club signing Darwin Nunez. His reply was that after the Benfica games he asked a contact in the data team about him, but the the reply was that he was a good player, but not Liverpool standard.
When we signed him a few months later, I was mostly thinking that the journo was talking shit, but a small bit of me was a bit worried that this might be a signal of a bit of disconnect between Klopp and the data team.
Then you have Klopp making the comment about taking more of a risk this summer. I don’t think that was about money. I think it was about the the narrow filter we view signings though. Essentially Klopp saying I don’t need perfection. I can take lads who are 80% fit and make them 100%.
In all, my inclination is that there is something more going on.
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I do think it’s all guess work to be honest.
Seems Edwards might have been the glue, everything Klopp says in Reddy’s book though would suggest it’s not particularly the case.
My concern is it’s taken forever to make this medical lead appointment so how long is this going take and throw into it the fact that the club seems to be for sale.
It needs some stability and it would be good if that news comes soon.
I’m not sure it’s that way round to be honest, I read a similar bit of information about Nunes and Vitinha who both moved for relatively moderate amounts - both were proposed to Klopp and he turned them down, appearing to want to wait for Bellingham. I also read that Lijnders has also stopped some deals like the young Argentine Buonanotte who went to Brighton, another player the data guys were raving over .So for me it sounds like Klopp wants specific players and the sounding board he used to have just doesn’t exist.
I remember the early days of Salah and Mane being signed when Klopp wanted Brandt and Gotze… Salah in particular took a lot of persuading. The data analytics was real cutting edge stuff, we were ahead of everyone for so long and seemd we had got to a perfect harmony. Then the Henderson contract (which Klopp personally intervened on) went against Edwards and FSG’s wishes has tipped the scales the opposite way.
Klopp is a world class manager, one of the very best but part of that was him always surrounding himself with strong sounding boards which he listened to and offset any areas he was weaker in… If he is taking more responsibility in transfers/contracts, why? One man can’t do everything…
It’s a scary prospect to have such a disconnect and for it to fall foul so quickly.
Hopefully it is not as big a deal as all this, but instead is just the end of a cycle for the main players in that department, while a new thing emerges under new owners.
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Totally agree with you, and I’m not pinning blame either way. I’m just pointing out the disconnect, and that there is a little bit of an evidence base for it building now.
As you, say the Henderson contract seems to have been a big disagreement. And Nunes, who went to Wolves. Had no idea about the young Brighton defender.
It feels to me like Klopp is getting frustrated that the players he wants are not being supported by the data team, and the data bids are frustrated that the players they are bringing to the table are being veto’s by the coaches.
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Sure I’ll get pelters but it is earily reminiscent of the committee vs Rodger’s years…
I really hope it’s the fact a sale is near and the new model will be to sign the best players and that is a different model and probably not the challenge these guys wants.
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What’s the rationale in resigning because the club might be sold? Even if the club is much further along in talks, ultimately nothing has been agreed or signed.
New owners potentially could be better. Resigning without even knowing? Don’t buy it. At the very least on what’s presented so far.
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The biggest strength of our scouting set up was finding that player that was on the cusp of becoming world class and available for a moderate amount. Robbo is probably the best example of our success, an attack minded fullback playing for a relegated Hull who has gone on to become one of the worlds best fullbacks.
That model is driven by finding value in data and pioneering ways to work out un-discovered potential i.e. Stealing a march on your rivals - Salah another example, a solid player and known but he exploded here as true top 3 world class forward… His value soaring many many times the moderate £35mil we signed him for. Coutinho… Signed for £15mil? Sold for £140mil… It was as true a version of moneyball as you can imagine.
We got that good at identifying players clubs would become wary of selling players they didn’t rate fearing becoming another in our bed post of players being wasted and flourishing here.
The market for players is now at a disgusting level, so the £35mil of the day is now £70mil, the wages are double what they were…
So the model that brought us unprecedented success, has now delivered a squad that for the most part is is exceptional and players to generally improve us are now known from 16/17 and will go on to move for huge sums… I’m sure there are some bargins to find, but as the rest of the world has caught up, we no longer are way way out in front in that field.
It’s primarily the reason FSG are selling, they can’t compete for the players we need to keep evolving and improving, and that pool of players is drastically smaller and doesn’t take probably 10% of the challenge to find - Bellingham for example he’s been touted as the next Gerrard since he was 15, we’ve tried to sign him numerous times… Every club in the world knows about him.
So for me the model if we got sold would change, to buying lots of the best youngers around ala City but also buying ready made stars - Negating a huge amount of the work and the system we built up.
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Agreed. As an example Caicedo, who is flavour of the month and would fit that profile, is being talked about as a £60m signing. He hasn’t even played a full season for Brighton yet.
All these mass resignations is causing alot of concern among LFC fans. I am (worryingly) surprised Jurgen is taking more responsibility with signings and the analytical brain and scouts are leaving. He has more than enough to do on the pitch with the players. I can see this ending in tears along the way. It feels like a coup is happening inside the club.
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That’s only what Pearce has said I’m dubious as it would be against previous information we actually know.
Henderson is captain and a player so it’s a bit different from signing someone in. Whatever has happened Graham was earlier in the year, why Ward chose to walk now is anyones guess.
To me it does feel like the glue that bound it was Edwards.
If of course Graham’s departure meant FSG were looking to redefine the structure then that might have led to Ward leaving.
It’s a wait and see
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Unless a decision about the sale has been made, I just don’t understand why these people wouldn’t wait to see what happens and who buys us.
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Think it’s a combination of seeing of what happened after the new owners came in at Chelsea and being afraid we could miss out on Top4.
All the players coming back from the world cup be like…
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my word, must be slow times for the clickbait media mob whilst the world cup is on. they smell blood in the PL water and are circling like sharks.
I think that the most reasonable explanation has been already laid out. There seems to be a disconnect between the analytics group and the coaching staff. These are all talented, brilliant people who won’t just sit around watching their recommendations getting ignored.
Of course, if that’s the case, you have to wonder what’s going with Klopp and what’s Ljinders’ role in all of this as he is rumoured to have rubbed up a lot of people the wrong way.
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interesting take by melissa reddy
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The data department recommended Naby.