Agreed, the pace is the big issue. And Hendo isn’t really a viable solution either as, imo at least, it throws out the balance of the team just as much as trying to compensate for a lack of pace.
I like Williams, and just like Coady I wouldn’t be surprised to see him carve out a good career at a decent PL club - but just like Coady the fact he is limited in a key facet of his game means he’s unlikely to end up as a proper long-term option for us.
Is that Portuguese lad who’s not getting games at Real - Militao? [edit: Brazilian, not Portuguese, but was signed from Porto] - still a loan option? I’d be just as happy with something like that - good pace, decent amount of experience, point to prove, all sounds good.
It should be possible to improve our options without breaking the bank, and I hope we do.
From what I understood, he said that a serious option in this window is almost impossible and a good enough short term one is much more difficult to find than people outside think.
We say and release stuff like that in the media quite often whilst negotiating.
If real it’s negligent (as there will be deals available this window of all windows if we get out there and try) and arrogant (our options really aren’t good enough for a high bar to be set right now, if we think what we have is better than what’s out there it’s arrogance).
I’m reasonably confident at least one CB will move to a Prem club this window that is better at CB than Henderson, Phillips and Williams currently are and for less than £20m possibly on loan. I still believe that one will be coming here too for all the grandstanding.
Well, let’s hope. I think we’d all feel happier in that situation.
My position is that I don’t think we will do anything. That’s what I’m assuming and if we do, it will be a bonus.
I’m a bit worried that too many fans have convinced themselves that these comments are part of some negotiation. That’s understandable given the comments in the run up to signing Alisson, Van Dijk, Thiago etc. However the club also said we were doing nothing in the summer window 2019, and did exactly that.
I do disagree on the negligence point. It might feel negligent in the short term, but I think FSG, Edwards and Klopp have proved beyond any doubt that they are going to work in the clubs best interest.
Maybe a good barometer is how many deals have been done so far compared to previous windows. I think it will be a quiet window for the majority of clubs which supports the evidence that this is the trickiest January window to date.
Working in the club’s best interest is not guaranteed to get the right result either. If we wait now and fail to mount a credible title challenge, God forbid even fail to make CL spots, it’ll do a lot of harm to our recruitment and retention of top stars. What we might be planning on waiting for may not end up being possible.
Thats was my point, bar Utd who have overpaid for an 18 year old no-one has bought anyone, despite people using it as an arguement point that other clubs don’t have any problems.
No but it means the boxer can go into the bout with both fists instead of one tied behind his back. It’s possible he will still win with one tied behind his back. It’s possible he’ll lose with both hands free. But if he loses with both free he doesn’t feel like he’s been held back for bullshit reasons. If he loses with one hand tied behind his back he’ll feel unjustly treated. Our players are the boxer. Klopp too to an extent. The feeling of being held back by constraints can be a dangerous one to infect a locker room with. Especially now the majority of the team are recognised as world class and would walk into most sides. It seriously effects how desirable a destination we are to targets too. We wouldn’t have signed Thiago (a genuine world class talent) if the set up at the club didn’t seem so good and positive.
Agree. We need an experienced centre back playing at centre back. I don’t see it as any more complicated than that. If we want to retain the title the club should do whatever the club need to do, be it a loan or borrow money and buy someone (they can always be sold on again next season). Whatever we need to do to compete we should do, or all the hard work of the last four years will be devalued by much more than the cost of making it happen IMO.
I’d be very surprised if we bring in a new player tbh,all signs,interviews and comments coming out of the club are leading to a 0 spend this winter window.
Klopps mentioned over the past few weeks we don’t have money to invest in a new CB,plus Pep Linders now saying they’d prefer to carry on with what they have atm as adversity in losing players is also a strength that makes players and the team better.(example,losing 3-0 to Barca and not having Firmino and Salah in the return but still wining 4-0)
We’ve got previous in this exact situation and come out of it before in a positive place,so i’m not going to shit the bed and start throwing insults at our management for not bowing down to fans opinions,you can’t say they are being negligent when you have no clue what the club are doing behind the scenes and what the financial situation truely looks like,for me they’ve banked enough trust to deserve backing,whoever they do or don’t buy.I don’t understand why we have the same transfer debate almost every winter window,9 times outta 10 we don’t buy players in January,yet every january back here talking about the lack of signings,like it shouldn’t happen and the club are in the wrong.
Trust me I’m not going to be shitting the bed and hurling insults. I will be stating that I think they’re wrong and taken a gamble whilst also hoping fervently that we get away with it.
We’ve been in this situation a year ago over a forward, we picked one up that wasnt amazing but an improvement on what back up we had and it helped see us over the line. It also didn’t stop us further improving the following summer by bringing in an even better forward. That’s what we need at CB. Nobody is asking the club to rip up it’s playbook or turn it’s back on what got us here just do what we did a year ago.
If we don’t we risk more chance of us not being as desirable a destination in the summer for both current star players and new transfer targets.
We’re on a knife edge and we should be doing everything within our power to make sure we have every chance of not falling. The way the league is right now it may take a hell of a lot to get back to where we are. Some of our stars and targets may decide their careers don’t have enough time for that rebuild. Hopefully Klopp at least does. But instead of having a golden period under Klopp cleaning up trophies like he and this squad deserve we could end up with nearly all his time here spent on a slow and steady build followed by a slow and steady rebuild.
Success in sport isn’t guaranteed you have to work flat out on all elements. The academy and coaching staff have done what they can getting the absolute maximum out of Young CBs and CMs covering. The medical and fitness department are doing everything they can to get Gomez an VvD fit and make Matip available as much as humanly possible. Klopp and Pep are doing their best tactically to limit the exposure but that’s also having a negative impact on our performances in a different way. The whole thing is creaking at breaking point and maybe it’ll make it to the summer without anything. Or maybe Fab picks up a knock and misses a run of games or Matip just doesn’t play many or we just can’t win enough playing as we are at the moment and in the summer we are looking at Europa football instead of CL. The top targets we waited for don’t want to know anymore, we can’t afford them anyway without CL revenue and the TV funding agreements taking a bite in revenues. Meanwhile a top star or two may develop a bad back that can only be cured in Spanish sunshine and we are entering a rebuild. Its too competitive a league to coast it hoping for the best.
We need the money men and recruitment team to work as hard as the rest. Find a way to make it work. Give Klopp the tools he needs. Get through this fucked up season still challenging all the way and hopefully still win at least one major honour as we justifiably deserve with this squad and manager. What we need doesn’t have to be miraculous, spectacular or extraordinarily expensive or anything. We are looking at a Minamino, Shaqiri or Tsimikas style purchase at worse but a bit better is more than possible.
What amazes me is you seem to think they arent and that if we dont bring someone in they didnt do their jobs. Sometimes, no matter what you do, the right piece to add isnt there for reasons beyond your control.
You used the word ‘negligent’. I think this is the wrong word, and it is insulting to the club staff who’ve worked so hard to get us back to the top. It might prove a mistake to not move, but negligent is unfair. It suggests that they aren’t arsed and don’t care, which is clearly untrue.
On rebuilding. I think we need to get used to the idea that at some point in the next few years is going to need to rebuild this side. It will break up because that is just the way of things.
The sides average age suggests that we are going to need to start looking at replacing a few of the players who are nearly thirty with some lads in the 22-25 bracket.
That might mean a step back, and we’ll need to be ready for that.