I really rate the little fucker! In the right team he’ll be superb 
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It’s not a free transfer so at least we don’t have to worry about Barca.
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Well that didn’t take long…
Talking about the unlikeliness of us signing Sancho, Ian Doyle starts the slow drip-feed of Elliott being like a new signing.
“Liverpool are unlikely to splash out anything like that amount on a single player this summer. And while they are in the market for forward reinforcement, a further option may come from within in the shape of Elliott’s continued improvement.”
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Not sure we necessarily need Sancho, but we definitely need a striker so… also need a midfielder, so the way things look right now. If Elliott is the player they think he is , then with all these articles they need to play him, like how Curtis has featured in the team.
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Think we can only realistically fit 4 star forwards, maybe a 5th good player with potential to become a star player (like Jota was last summer) to replace Origi.
We aren’t a City style squad who overload on numbers for depth and Klopp likes a smaller, close knit, versatile squad with only a few specialists.
I don’t see a Sancho, Goncalves, Mbappe, Haaland, Kane, Sterling, Son or whoever coming in without one of Mane, Firmino, Salah or Jota going.
I still think that is actually quite possible especially with Firmino (almost media silence on the idea of him having his contract extended) but we will probably be waiting for a bit for anything like that.
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Yeah, we’re seeing with City now - and with Leroy Sane - that when you have a certain calibre of players it’s difficult to keep them all happy. Same with Barca over the years; you can have a 4th guy when mainly playing with a trio, but anything more than that is difficult.
I think if that’s the approach, there’s bound to be changes almost year to year or maybe every two years, as the 5th guy is likely to not stick around for too long.
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I think Salah, Mane, Firmino, Jota a new CF (my choice) or forward of some type (similar level to what Jota was last summer) plus a developing Elliott would be perfect balance for our front 3. If any of Salah, Mane and Firmino move on though they need replacing with proper quality.
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Yeah, that’s why I think someone like Daka or a similar profile might be our best bet, don’t believe for a second the Sancho rumours.
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For me it’s three categories;
Raphina/Daka/Abraham etc. along with Elliott maybe are the options to upgrade/replace Shaqiri and Origi.
The second category is the likes of Sancho and Goncalves etc who will be medium level expense and could be brought in if Firmino were to leave.
Third category is the likes of Mbappe, Haaland, Kane who I only see coming in if Salah or Mane leave.
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Agree, same here. Would be great if we could add that 5th guy, but I can also see it being a difficult position to fill. So that’s why I think he ideally has to be versatile, fit into multiple roles/positions in a front three as well as a front four. Which again is why I’m favouring a more wingery type than a strikery type, simply because of opportunities to share the games around a bit more.
Last year we had the 4th spot open for a proper ‘challenger’ to the front three, and they nailed it by getting Jota, who basically was unknown to me. Good age, ready to make the jump. Perfect. Not sure how they could go about it now, but I’m hoping for a similar pleasant surprise.
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Not sure I 100% agree on the versatile. With Mane, Salah and Jota all being so versatile (plus the most likely contender for a Firmino replacement being someone versatile like Sancho) but none of our forwards being a traditional CF/number 9 type. I think adding someone who can play that way (as long as they can press, work hard and link up play with the others/show some technical aptitude) would really benefit us.
Jota was already a regular with Wolves when we signed him. If we do sign another attacker of his calibre, one of the trio will leave.
I can see us signing someone like Daka. Despite being a regular with Salzburg, Premier League will be a big step up and wouldn’t mind bidding his time for a regular spot.
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Sure, I think it would be possible to add a more positionally limited player as well, instead of a winger/forward. But I just don’t see Firmino being sold this summer, I think he’ll be our main CF going into next season as well. Don’t really see how or why he goes, unless he wants to, we get an offer too good to turn down and there is an absolute elite level player ready to replace him.
If he goes it’s obviously a totally different conversation. Then it’s Mbappe oder nichts 
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He’d lost his starting role and was there at end of the season as he was here at end of this season. Playing a lot but not guaranteed to be starting. He was also very inconsistent. Most of his goals and assists coming in a few spectacular performances with plenty of quiet games. Someone on that level coming in to replace Origi, that “good with potential to be great” if they can solve their consistency issue.
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Give me the choice between a versatile winger and a striker, and I’ll take the winger. We’ve already got options to play through the middle.
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… you mean the 3 versatile wingers we have? 4 if include Elliott. I just think adding something to the squad we don’t currently have might be useful.
Sure, but those options don’t necessarily play to their strengths, may require shuffling players around and doesnt really provide a different threat - having some one better in the air could be quite useful for example (as long as they are competent in the other areas of the game too)
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People keep talking like anyone who can perform as a more traditional number 9 can’t possibly meet these other requirements which I disagree with. They may not be Firmino but Klopp coped fine with Lewandowski for years.
I don’t see any point in adding back up players who do a single job and can’t play anywhere else. I really like Mane as the false nine. Salah plays there. Jota can do it. Klopp rates Ox as that player. That’s four players if Firmino isn’t available.
I think it’s essential that unless a player is a nailed on starter, they can cover two or three positions.
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You can’t see out a season with 11 players and you can’t stick all players on the pitch at the same time. Not everyone can play all the time. In Firmino and Mane you’ve got false 9 options (personally don’t see Ox staying) and in Salah and Jota you’ve got floating forward type options. I don’t see adding another player who fills one of those options as needed. As towards wide forwards I’m more than happy with Salah, Mane, Jota and Elliott if nobody is leaving. If someone leaves then sure a replacement would be needed. But having a player in the squad who doesn’t let us down on pressing, work rate and build up play but can fill the role of a more traditional CF would be a very useful tool we currently don’t have. Especially with the crossing excellence of Alexander-Arnold and Robertson.
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