brace yourselves…the TAN is going to be interesting the next few weeks: 
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In recent years I have always been pretty relaxed when it comes to transfers, and that was certainly due to the trust that Klopp would sort it out somehow.
I no longer have the secure feeling that everything will somehow work out, on the contrary, I am extremely unsettled by how everything is going now, especially since it is now obvious that some of our players do not fit into the new system.
If Slot had come in the middle of the season, without a transfer window, I would have said, OK, he has to see how he gets through it with training etc., but as it is, with the long lead time, I just find the situation unprofessional. Of course it happens that we get rejections, but there was always a plan B or C beforehand. Something is not right there.
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There was no plan B or C with van Dijk or Alisson. It was them or nothing. We waited 6 months to get van Dijk rather than sign an alternative.
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This is no real insight is it?
4 days is not particularly a long time to get a deal done.
Yep, i get that, sometimes it has to be the one or nothing, but that didn´t happen in Klopps first season tbf.
My main concern is that Slot is getting so little support, or none at all at the moment. I just can’t understand that.
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Klopp must have already warned Slot about the way the club is run and not to expect signings when needed.
If you believe recent interviews then Allison WAS the plan B. Only bought because the Fakir deal fell through and we had the funds from that to pursue him.
If we take a look at this failed transfer, from the Real Sociedad perspective, there are a few considerations to take on board.
From a financial trading aspect (incoming, profits), they are seemingly, already counting the money from Le Normand (age 27yrs) sale, £35m from/to Athletico - For the Merino (age 28yrs) sale, £25m from/to Arsenal -
Then Zub, (age 25yrs) Talked out of signing for us £51m.
Firstly, I think RS were pissed because they probably thought they could get more for him without the contract release in place. Something extra to the tune of (£60/£65/£70/£75m)…?
Zub is 2/3yrs younger than the other two, and if they get Zub to sign a new contract, AND new release clause, this may well be increased nearer to the higher figure/s.
In theory, a) they could sell him next season for more money b) they could sell him in 2/3years for same money he would have come to us for c) they keep the fans on their side (season ticket sales/shirts etc), d) they can still compete at a reasonable level in their competitions this season
Absorbing this viewpoint, it leaves me with just this to say -
the shower of bastards :0)
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Alisson was brought as a a Plan B. The failure of Karius meant that a top level keeper was required.
Klopp inherited a bad team that had no tactical direction so I think there were lots of ways to immediately improve it. Slot’s inheriting a very good team which needs some tinkering. Zubimendi I think is a case of an exceptional player with a very unique skillset appearing as suddenly available - he’s exactly what we wanted to make the system work as the coach wants but since he’s no longer available we have to make do with what we have. If there’s another player out there that is available and ready to step in to that role I’m sure we will pursue them but he’s not a player type that grows on trees.
Want a fast winger - easy there’s like 200 of them out there right now. Want a technical, defensive minded yet creative passer in the middle of the pitch? It’s tougher.
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Literally said ‘someone to challenge Robertson’ not someone to sit on the bench, hence it not being a transfer for the sake of it but instead to improve the squad in the short term with a view to the long term. Someone like Maatsen would be a good example of the type of player I mean.
It’s a squad game. Robertson can’t start every game or be assured of a starting place because he’s captain of Scotland. If he doesn’t want to stick around because someone has finally challenged him for a starting place then so be it. No one should be getting picked on reputation over performances.
Don’t care if that player costs £5m or £50m. What we spend is immaterial if it improves the team. Presumably they thought Zubimendi would do that but we surely can’t believe that he’s the only player in the world who is better than what we’ve got already.
Didn’t it? We only signed Caulker on loan, and in particular because we had an issue then. It’s not like we didn’t have any other activity with regards to transfers, since we signed Grujic and then Matip (albeit on a free transfer for the start of the next season).
I don’t think that makes him the plan B so much as the opportunistic signing.
Why would he when he pretty much got whatever he wanted?
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It’s the very definition of a plan B.
Plan A was sign Fekir, that fell through, so instead we used the money on Alisson.
This is according to Achterberg on a podcast recently.
It’s not really important and doesn’t contribute to the wider conversation, just thought it was interesting having recently come to light and with someone else saying about how there was no plan B for Alisson.
You keep saying that he is getting so little support but that is wrong. The recruitment team are working on trying to bring in players he wants. They are looking to move on players he doesn’t want this season. they’re not forcing players on him or selling players from under him.
He has had about two weeks with his full squad since he took on the job. If we don’t sign anyone this summer, so be it. Let’s see what gets done in the winter window and next summer as they are the important ones.
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I think an even bigger issue than a 6 (where we have options at least) is succession planning for Salah leaving.
I would really hope this is happening in the background and maybe we’re keeping some of our financial powder dry for this next summer.
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That’s the thing, you might not care, but they don’t have the luxury of not caring. It’s called planning, the very thing you’re accusing them of lacking. Going by the Alisson example I just replied to, we don’t look at it as money available for one position, but there being priorities and opportunities. It’s quite clear that we do have big money available for special players, but also perhaps it’s as simple as the club not viewing the problem the same way that you do. For example, they might simply not rate Maatsen as highly as you do, and certainly not for the price that would be demanded for him. We’ve rarely ever had a transfer window where we don’t sign someone.
It’s more likely that we have deals in the pipeline, and that these will possibly be the less obvious ones, and probably not the ones that fans think should be made, but will turn out to be the right ones in the end.
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I think the context I interpreted what you said in is probably the one that poster had, where it’s a matter of plan A/B for the same position, e.g. Brandt vs Salah.
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Maatsen was just an example of a player who moved this summer for a high but not completely unjustified fee that would have improved an area of the squad both in the short term but also possibly long term as Robertson starts to decline.
Clearly there’s been no clear plan around that number six role for about three years now. Let Fabinho go one season too long, messed about with Lavia and Caicedo and got neither, bought Endo as a stop gap as they knew they’d fucked it last summer and now this summer have the money and willingness to spend £50m on Zubimendi but one he turns us down we pretend we’re fine there. Three summer where the issue should have been addressed and it hasn’t been done properly.
Add in the lack of new contracts for key players or replacements brought in so we could properly transition for their departures and you’ll forgive me for thinking the planning isn’t all that great right now.
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