And even homegrown lifelong reds are more likely to be like Macmanaman, Owen, and (sigh) Trent rather than Stevie G, Carra, or Robbie.
I’ll love Rafa forever just because he brought Robbie back home and let him say goodbye properly.
Especially not when you have a placeholder temp contractor in place as your SD at the time the 2 year mark comes up. You don’t take a move that big if you are not the person who is going to be hamstrung by the consequences of it.
We did well to get through that post-Ward period the way we did, with the beginnings of the next generation side, but it did absolutely cause some problems
3 Likes
Isn’t that kind of self-contradictory? If he was a unique case there isn’t much to be learnt from it…
I think the club are probably fine with the outcome, if I’m being honest. Otherwise we’d probably have pushed a lot harder to retain him.
The" placeholder "Schamdtke didn’t do half bad too in his limited time with the club. Atleast with incoming transfers.
What hurt us was him not being able to renegotiate contracts because he was only seen as a stop gap arrangement.
But in terms of incoming transfers. We got 4 midfielders none of whom could be classified as a failure as a transfer. 3 of whom are the first choice starting midfielders. All for the combined price of a Caicedo.
I remember being pretty pissed off with the club not being able to sell Moreno at the time - though I was being nice in comparison to how I felt about the club signing him in the first place when I saw him doing a 180-degree turn to be able to hit the ball with his strong foot.
Also, Keita and AOC - I felt in the end that they were there to offset all the good luck Liverpool had with their proper transfers. I think AOC could have been sold a year before his contract was about to run out but I accept that no one in their right mind would have bought Keita on the back of his injuries.
Otherwise, I’m not displeased with players who left us on a free (TAA not included). The club have earned a fair bit of money from selling academy products, which has proven a decent source of income over the last ten years (or, in Man City’s case, the main legal reason why they are still “compliant” with PSR).
I think the way to see it is the way that the likes of Bournemouth or Brighton do, which is to look at the overall portfolio rather than individuals. Sure we might make heavy “losses” on some, but on the whole for the expenditure we do fairly alright footballing-wise.
2 Likes
The club is very much like “if you don’t want to stay we won’t force you” since Jurgen came. Doubt that’s changed. He defo wanted to go. VVD and Mo defo wanted to stay. The rest was details.
3 Likes
I’m talking financially as well. I have a feeling that they tend to structure contracts with the assumption that the player leaves for free at the end…
1 Like
Or better to say, rather than learn, hope that there is not a 2022/2023 situation anymore in terms of the amount of changes and mess that happened in the directory level.
I mean, that is also impossible to prevent from time to time. People leave, for sporting or private reasons or a combination of both. That was realistically a little period of crisis above Klopp for longer than we had hoped for.
That certainly played a part in some big things that needed deciding, negotiating and agreeing over the last few years pre-Edwards’ return and Hughes’/Slot’s arrival.
2 Likes
Some Jack Gaughan from the Mail:
Liverpool are monitoring the situation of Adam Wharton.
2 Likes
He’s a lovely player with incredible potential, but my first reaction is he likely wouldn’t play much so would be a lot of money for a young back up and likely wouldn’t be the right move for him at this stage of his career. If we like him enough to do it though then that could be a really tidy midfield with him gravy and Mac
1 Like
“Slot Targets Milos Kerkez: Not a Replacement — But the Next Phase on the Left”
According to CaughtOffside and TeamTalk, Arne Slot has identified Milos Kerkez as a key target for Liverpool this summer. But this isn’t just about left-back rotation — it’s about reinventing the flank with new rhythm, aggression, and tactical purpose.
Liverpool aren’t simply looking to back up Robertson. They’re reshaping how the left side functions — not just with pace, but with presence.
Enter Milos Kerkez. At 21, he’s not here to erase Robbo’s legacy. He’s here to extend it — in a sharper, more explosive form. Under Slot’s philosophy of high pressing and vertical progression, Kerkez could become the kind of left-sided weapon Liverpool never truly had.
His 2024/25 numbers with Bournemouth say it all:
187 crosses (25% accuracy), 5 assists, 2 goals, 11 big chances created, 52 tackles won, 101 clearances.
Kerkez brings balance — relentless in attack, combative in defence.
Slotting him in reshapes Liverpool’s dynamic:
Luis Díaz moves closer to goal as Kerkez maintains width.
Szoboszlai gains an aggressive partner outside.
Build-up becomes less predictable, more vertical.
Slot can deploy the 3-2-5 shape with Kerkez high and ready to recover.
And Robertson? Still vital. But now, he shares the burden — a tactical ace for the biggest nights.
Kerkez isn’t replacing anyone. He’s continuing the story — younger, faster, and tuned for the Slot era.
If this move happens, Liverpool aren’t closing a chapter. They’re drawing a new line across the same page.
8 Likes
Pun entirely intended, no doubt.
3 Likes
I think it’s fascinating. Slot won the title with none of his own signings. Now we see how we build in his image. We can all guess and speculate but its impossible to know what he sees and wants.
1 Like
6 Likes
I love a gif.
2 Likes
Apparently, we were picking between him and Nunez in the summer of 2022.
Don’t see much sense in going for him this time.
1 Like
I think Danns has something about him.
I read somewhere that arsenal were interested in kdb and/or isak. Not sure where I read it but it could be agents or journos spreading rumours