Where’s the Ladbroke’s…….actually, I can’t even be bothered.
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This could actually be a smart move.
If anyone knows which refs are bent, it will be the bookies, so maybe the plan is to find out which refs are bent so we can make sure to not have to deal with them ever again
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That’s true but that wasn’t what I was aiming for. We could have afforded quite a few signings they made in recent years, I don’t think that money is an issue with Liverpool. However, the decision making in the transfer market over the past two years at least… And the horror show that was our CB situation four years ago. I’m getting the feeling that history is about to repeat itself when it comes to injuries and fatigue.
This is a disastrous move, regardless of the money.
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If we go head-to-head with City or Real for a player, they will beat us on wages every single time. It’s only if a player only wants to play for us that we would stand a chance.
And then you have to look at other factors. Zubimendi (or his family) didn’t want to leave Spain, and Rice apparently wanted to stay in London, for example.
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I’m fine with that but how come that there’s never an alternative? I don’t want us to sign players for the sake of signing them but the club prided themselves on the model of identification of players, compiling lists of possible targets for every position - if we can’t get the primary target, there have to be alternatives but we rarely go for the second in line. I’m convinced that there are players out there who are an upgrade on Endo and Gravenberch, for example.
Into the Liverpool coffers. Same as all the rest of our sponsorship revenue. Just like the 30 years of Carlsberg cash which no one seems terribly concerned by if we’re getting all moralistic.
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It very much depends on what you mean by money not being an issue - City have spent about a £1bn more over the last decade than they have raised from player sales. We know they also have vast sums of money available to them under the table too to induce moves.
Not only does this make it hard to outbid them, but it also means they can carry extra weight in their squad with little worry about it affecting future purchases if that move is a dud. That risk means that we need greater certainty from each signing we make. It is also a reason why the club looks to buy players where there is little risk of getting into a bidding war.
I think if there has been one issue here, it’s been the difficulty in moving players on and then being able to use those funds to rebuild. Sometimes that’s a good thing as you can continue incrementally strengthening the squad as you don’t lose players with knowledge of the team’s way of playing, you can also keep your better players for longer - but the side effects is less opportunity for bringing in fresh blood.
I’m sure there are, but they’re unavailable for whatever reason.
Otherwise, they would be here.
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Because part of the recruitment model is to work on signing a target a year or two ahead of signing them. It’s also going to some lengths to identify the personal qualities of the individual, and to minimise the risks of their being skeletons in the closet.
Finding an upgrade on Endo and Gravenberch may not be difficult, but how much of an upgrade are they really, do they fit the way the Arne (or Klopp before him) want to play, do they address a specific needs of the squad, do they want to come here, does their club want to sell, and is it within a structure our club is happy to pay. These are all relevant points that often get ignored by fans who often argue for signing players who are completely different to each other for the exact same role.
Our signings have generally since Klopp been really good. For me, the biggest question mark though is probably around the signings of Gakpo and Nunez. Both very talented players. The former perhaps lacks a clear position in the team while the latter has issues around consistency. I could see Arne get them playing brilliantly in his team.
Zubimendi is a perfect example but he preferred the mountains of Spain.
I do wonder if those cretins rioting didn’t help.
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Finding an upgrade on Gravenberch might be a moving target. If there is a clear upgrade like Zubimendi, fine, we tried to sign him.
But the big unknown is how well Gravenberch might take to the role. If he does well, he might button down the position for the duration, and all the talk of upgrades will stop.
Making a signing in the position is not a clear thing, and if we don’t, I’m happy to see how it develops.
I’d still like to see us make a signing or two before the window closes, as there has been a bit of a sense that the decks have been cleared and we could do with a boost. If we don’t do it, hopefully there won’t be an overreaction, as we should still be competitive as Slot gets into his new role.
I was in those mountains today. Cycled Jaizkibel and a few others. Can see why he likes it here!
(Maybe a post for the cycling thread)
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If you mentioned korma it would be ok.
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It’s beautiful country there. You’ve got the sea and the mountains; best of both worlds.
And the food and drink are sensational.
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I wasn’t entirely happy with that, either. Then again, the beer is pish, and so were we for most of that time.
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Hate it. The damage it does to families, the club might as well announce an official heroin partner.
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When autocorrect does your sponsorship’s.
Heroin without an e = drug. Heroine with an e = female hero. The Commitments lodged that one in my head
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you kinda make his point for him though…
theres a handful (at most) of clubs we cant go toe to toe with in a transfer war, then theres the other 100 plus clubs across europe who dont stand a chance against us…
we are not some kind of unicorn, we operate in the same industry as every other club that manages to do good business…
seen em all over the years
we cant compete with *****
we dont want to do a chelsea/man u and have a bloated squad
players prefer london
players we can get arent good enough
no point sining him, he’ll be off to Barca within three years
we have a new manager
trust the process, its been successful
you just want the club to go broke and sign anyone
its not FSG who make the transfers
i sit on the sidelines here as this forum comes swiping in everytime someone suggests the ownership group is less than perfect, i will say, if anyone is really calm with the clubs movements this summer i suggest they take a closer look…
in my mind, even if we won the league, the squad need constant evolution, new faces are so much more in a dressing room than a new peice on the chessboard for the manager…im never relaxed when the first team isnt added to over a summer period, you leave yourself too much to do if you back end even just one transfer period (IMHO)
that said, this summer is really, for whatever reason, one i am at (not quite) peace with, its obvious that we arent goin to ‘go for it’ and see this season as a consolidation, maximum is champions league qualification, and minimum is champions league qualification…