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There’s a devastating drought in the unreliable rumours thread
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I think we all probably know that the only area we’d possibly be adding to the squad in January would be up top. And, if that was going to happen it would have on the 1st of January to mitigate the AFCON absentees.
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Liverpool are reportedly one of a number of clubs who have expressed an interest in signing Fulham star Fabio Carvalho.
Liverpool echo.
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Jorge Mendes has apparently been sniffing round to become his agent. If that’s the case you can almost be sure he’s going somewhere more high profile than Fulham.
Another young exciting English talent that could be developed nicely like Elliott or flipped for a few quid like Brewster and Solanke.
The kind of opportunistic deal we’ve done a few of previously.
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Carvalho would be a good signing and spot on Rab, he either grows to the point he gets in the first team squad, or we sell for a decent sum, after developing him further. This is an important part of our business model.
Mind you, we still need a couple of players who can impact the first team now.
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His contract ends in summer, thats an Edwards special right there. He’s quite the talent as well.
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Bobby to Barcelona for 20m rumours. Not enough for a player of his stature.
Would be very sad to see him go, but anything north of 30m would be tempting. Not this window though unless Diaz rumours are true.
Bobby hasn’t performed consistently for almost 3 years now, sadly. Patches here and there to be sure, but 18/19 was his peak in my view. At 30, at his current long term performance level I think 25m and we can all shake hands and wish Bobby well and thank him for being a legend.
Tbh, I’m also leaning towards that with Mane as well. I’d keep Salah on a bumper contract, let Bobby and Mane go for decent fees, bring in another attacker and work him in with Salah and Jota with Elliot there and thereabouts as well to make it a four we can rotate.
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Don’t really agree here in the sense, that for a team who values what Firmino brings overall to a team, he is worth alot more than 30m, if I have to put a price, its 40m and above. For another team who does not, he is not even worth 20m. So it all depends who wants him because his value is not in the goals, so if a team wants to bring in a forward that promises tons of goals, he is not the one but if you want someone like how Klopp describes “Salah and Mane, world class but not every day but Firmino, world class, every day.” Obviously he sees Firmino beyond the goals so I accept that he might go anytime in the coming seasons…but I think at 30 with his qualities, 20m is way below his worth unless this coming summer with just a year left on his contract and there is a club that he really wants to go, then accepting a lower valuation to fulfil his wish, that would be fine I guess.
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Disagree here. Those comments from Klopp are not particularly recent and when everyone is fit and available Jota is in front of him in the starting lineup more often than not. We’re in danger of looking at the team and thinking about what players have been rather than what they are and Bobby being world class every day may have been so but not anymore.
We’re also using the intangible barometer of what he brings to the team beyond goals which is his work rate and link up play but along with everything else that link up play has gone down significantly as well. He’s often dropping deeper and deeper and becoming less effective combined with a touch that seems to have deserted him on too many occasions.
That’s not to say I see him as being a passenger right now, just that he has past his peak with us and that performances have become few and far between along with what he offers beyond the goals. I can see Salah scoring well into his 30’s and while we’re unlikely to recoup on him I think it would be wiser to keep him for the long run and revitalize the other parts of our front 3 who have not been performing up to snuff all too often.
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Where’s Atletico Madrid to overpay for your striker when you need them, eh… In all honesty, I think that Firmino should be sold. In a different team, in a different system, I think he might be able to perform to high standards again but not at this Liverpool side whose evolution is still stuck half-way between a team reliant on sturdy defence and counter-pressing to one comfortable with having very high percentage of possession and being able to slowly grind down and pick their opponents apart on a regular basis, Man City-style.
Firmino might find his place in a team like PSG (who, for me, are in desperate need of a player who can “connect” their star-studded attack) or Atletico Madrid, the sooner, the better. That doesn’t that I don’t like him - I love him - but not at the cost of Liverpool lagging behind their rivals.
As for Mane, if it was up to me, I’d still give him a new contract but I’d definitely like to see another attacking player added to push him, someone comfortable on the left side, and see whether Mane can return to form over the course of the next year, maybe two. If it didn’t work out, I think that club could easily sell him, he’s not the kind of character who would sit down on the bench and pick up the pay cheque. I could imagine him going to Bayern, ripping the league to shreds week after week.
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Barca in for Firmino doesn’t make much sense to me because they have Depay. Depay could possibly go back to the left, but Xavi is back with the wingers out wide idea, so I don’t think Depay will move from the central area. Barca might go for a more proper striker, which Firmino isn’t. Maybe if one of the two is willing to backup each other (but at the stage of their careers, I don’t think so).
PSG also, when Mbappe leaves, that PSG attack will be left with two of the arguably most creative combiners in Neymar and Messi. I think they need to compliment that duo with someone different than a 30-year old Firmino. They would be crashing into each other. PSG would rather need a proper number 9, but also someone who works hard.
Atletico is probably the lazy rumour out there for Bobby. Compact, hard working, they will surely go for him at one point, etc. But they already have Griezmann and Felix. I don’t see them in the need for someone like Bobby. Unless they want or manage to sell Felix, which I don’t think will happen (yet). They will also probably eye more of a natural striker because Suarez will need replacing (he already can’t play all the time).
Inter falls on my mind, maybe. We’ll see who they go for if they want a fresh/younger (than Dzeko) partner for Lautaro.
I actually feel we might go into that final year with Bobby, because he’s still important and so unusual. Just like we did with Gini. And then when we get nearer to the summer of 2023, all parties sit on the table and see/decide what they want to do.
It’s been a shitty few years, more high(er) calibre players will arrive to the end of their contracts than before. It’s just what happens everywhere at the moment.
Some we’ll manage to sell, some we’ll struggle to sell, some we won’t want to sell, all that can also change between transfer windows.
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Tell Barca to include Fati, Gavi and Pedri with that 20M and we can talk. ALthough that 20M would need to be a fair bit more I imagine
I dont think moving Firmino on is a priority. More important to upgrade on Origi & Minamino, and ensure Milner is adequately replaced.
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Retaining Mane, Salah, Bobby, promoting Gordon and buying a similar level to Jota to replace Origi and Taki would be fantastic summer business.
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Rumour doing rounds at West Ham today Liverpool have offered Gomez and A N Other plus a bit of dough for a January transfer for Bowen.
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We should offer Ox, Origi and £5.
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I will caveat that statement its from a Leeds fan who lives in Portsmouth who heard it at todays game.
Raphina is such a brilliant player, shame we haven’t been linked to him
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