But are we going for Jude or Jobe?
Both? Supposedly we have an interest in each of them.
2 Likes
If we do get both the JB boys, I hope we secure JJB sports as our shirt sponsor.
1 Like
Youâre the old git, you should know 
Would he even consider moving to a Championship side though?
Hey Jude, donât let us down
Seems to me Bellingham falls into the Virgil category in terms of interest from the club and the corresponding confidence in him arriving.
2 Likes
With the injury situation as it is Iâm really surprised we havenât moved up a target in midfield to this window.
This attitude of ours where it seems it has to be player x and player x alone seems a bit silly to me what if player x breaks his leg this season and is out of the game for 12 months or more what then? Weâve waited 12 months for a player not to arrive and compromised this and next season. Granted it worked with Virgil but could just as easily gone the other way.
Surely a scenario where you have multiple targets with similar skillsets is a more prudent approach and gives you greater flexibility.
I cant see us extending Naby now with this latest injury and with his injury record overall with us I think he needs to ensure he can move on a free to secure a similar contract to what he has now.
Im getting the same feeling when we let Lovren go and convinced ourselves we could get away with it. There isnt really one midfielder we have who is bullet proof, we let him go too. Hendo and Fab get niggles. Thiago missed 25-30% of games. Curtis seems to be in a bad patch ans is missing alot of games. Ox and Naby are 50:50 at best. Milly getting on.
We will need the stars to align to challenge for the league with that midfield. And tbh even just adding Bellingham to that list doesnt solve all our problems.
Were already 7 points back which isnt insurmountable if we had a full squad fit and firing but we dont. Could be in for a slog this season and given the issues at CB two seasons back I would have thought we would be more proactive in ensuring we didnt fall into the same trap.
3 Likes
You are joking but the way some fans are going on, one would think that. An abnormal amount of injuries coupled with a loss of form has led to lots of questions about this teamâs quality. The same team that beat comprehensively âall conqueringâ Man City a few weeks ago and came closer to a quadrable than anyone else before. Not saying that it couldnât use a new addition, especially in the midfield, but under normal circumstances itâs more than good enough to challenge on all fronts.
It didnât suddenly turn into shit in the space of 3 weeks.
5 Likes
Separates the knee-jerkers from the rest, I guess.
2 Likes
Currently, whatâs the difference between a knee-jerker and a person who says âExcuse me gentlemen but weâre dreadfully short of midfielders due to injury and age, would it be acceptable to maybe acquire additional re-enforcements please?â
3 Likes
Some of us were pointing out this scenario and the need to do business in this area this summer back during last season when we were pretty much winning every game we played. The âknee-jerkâ shouts is just a way to dismiss peopleâs opinions as not valid despite the validity of them staring us right in the face.
I wonder how long this run of form and performances would need to continue for âthe restâ to join the âknee-jerkersâ in thinking we might have got this wrong.
1 Like
When you see the links to Leandro Paredes then realise heâs 28 and misses a lot of games per year through injuryâŠ
Strange. Why would Winter of all people go public and hint at Bellingham joining LFC next summer?
In my opinion, the chance of him joining a mega-money club is much higher than joining us. Money talks, and will also talk next summer. But even if he had by any chance his heart firmly set on joining us, what if we donât make top four? What if he injures himself seriously? What if his performances nosedive spectacularly?
Honestly, at this point, I wouldnât bet a dime on Bellingham joining us next summer, simply because itâs much too far away. A full season is an eternity in football. Thatâs why Iâm surprised to see someone usually as serious as Henry Winter going with such a comment.
2 Likes
No but it has highlighted some issues with parts of the team that are crucial to how we play
In the CL and PL winning teams the key components were Salah and ManĂ© up front, Hendo and Gini and combo of either Milner or Fab in midfield, and our back 4 (switching between Matip and Joe who didnât get injured the majority of the title winning season).
At the time Bobby didnât get injured much. We had either Matip or Joe fit. Trent and Robbo hardly get injured. Hendo would get knocks but we had enough to fill in for him. Gini always played.
Salah and Mané were ever present.
The years have taken their toll, especially on our midfield. Weâve also started changing tactics and focus. A bit more creativity from midfield in addition to from the wings, which also makes the defensive structure less solid.
We can expect the starting forward line will be productive (Salah Nunez Diaz). But as far as goalscoring goes thereâs only Jota off the bench. Bobby sadly is fading and doesnât facilitate chance creation and control as he used to. No more Taki or Origi.
Really could have done with Origi. In fact in hindsight Iâd rather we sell Bobby and keep Divock and give him Bobbyâs minutes. Carvalho is too young and inexperienced to be counted on as a solid option yet (he is promising though).
Midfield is falling apart due to injuries and age.
Hendo canât be considered a dependable box to box player any more, he needs to be subbed regularly to give life to his career and keep up our performance levels.
Ox and Keita I donât count on any more.
Thiago gives us control and creativity but is also injury prone and canât last the whole season, so needs cover.
Elliott is very good but canât fully do what Thiago does, nor provide coverage the way Gini used to.
Jones is a solid midfield squad option but at this point thatâs all he provides.
Milner should only be used for last 10 minutes to shore up wins.
So there are reasons to be concerned.
2 Likes
Unless the deal has already been struck in advance. Similar in fashion to how we got the deal for Nabby, spoke to club on the quiet âWe know you donât want to sell him this window, we respect that, but how about we pay ÂŁX next summer and you get to keep him for the next 12 months, knowing that youâve got the deal wrapped up and you can concentrate on getting next years targets knowing you have the incomming cash already guaranteed?â
1 Like
Very little, considering you donât bring in players on a 5 year contract to tide you over just for a month.
1 Like
Nabyâs move was officially announced twelve months in advance though.
| Liverpool are interested in Celtic midfielder Matt OâRiley and there could be a move for him late on in the window.
While the Scottish side donât want to sell the 21-year-old, they could be tempted by a bid in the region of ÂŁ15-20m. [@espn]
Weâre going to sign someoneâŠ
2 Likes