No
Thatās goodā¦ I thought I was losing it there for a minute.
Iām not on zero, but I do think with time, itās become smaller than even I (as a realist) thought they were.
Thereās a good few reasons Bellingham doesnāt happen.
Last summer we had about 20% chance if we couldvāe got him done before City announced Haaland, but if I recall they got him pretty early.
As good as he is, Iām not that disappointed as I should be to lose out on a main targetā¦always thought anything north of 100m was borderline criminal especially when they accepted 70m for Sancho and 50m for Haaland
Haaland had a clause, no doubt he wouldāve been more expensive if he didnāt have it in his contract.
But yeah, Iām not sure if weāll be able/willing to go as high as reported for Bellingham. I still think we might be willing to structure it in our way, but the main thing will be if he prefers going to Real or City or whaterver else appears for him.
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A clause Dortmund put in his contract when they signed himā¦
Very much time we dropped the ball with Jude and looked elsewhere, a lot of midfielders out there who would add just as much to us for a lot less.
Barella + Caicedo/Rice for 130m is much better value than Jude for 130m thatās for certain even if it means weāll be paying a bit extra on wages.
I donāt think it happens but thatās almost solely related to the transfer fee. 130 million or whatever it is now is obscene. I donāt think things like missing out on CL football has any relevance.
Iām not particularly bothered either way, we need far more than just Bellingham to refresh this squad.
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Agreed to do it with Haaland and his entourage, that certainly wasnāt a move from their side.
We donāt have to pretend that we donāt know if Haaland wouldāve been (much) more expensive if there wasnāt that clause.
As for Bellingham, our situation lately would surely at least play a certain part.
If he goes somewhere else, I donāt think itās necessarily because weāre not able/willing to afford him.
We really need to learn how to accept that for most players, places like Real Madrid are at least a certain level above (and thatās when Liverpool have a successful side).
But again, I actually donāt think thereās zero chances. Not trying to act totally uninterested so that Iām maybe surprised if it happens. But itās clear that even if one season doesnāt define everything, weāre possibly moving away from it on more levels than just the transfer fee.
Real Madrid wonāt necessarily be more attractive than Liverpool for a 20 year old English player. They might be, might not be. Certainly not a foregone conclusion. His family could look at Gareth Bale and know for definite that he wouldnāt get that treatment here.
Miss out on CL football one year, so what? Klopp will tell him that heās reached CL finals here in 50% of the season weāve qualified (including this one) and to be patient.
Thereās every reason to think Bellingham would want to come here and you donāt have to have red tinted specs on to think so.
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Unless we finish strong Bellingham isnt coming to a team who finishes 8th or 9th.
Its great saying we want this player in summer etc but unfortunately, we need them now. This teams cycle is coming to an end.
Our midfield is broke and teams will continue to stroll through the middle of the park every game.
6 league defeats and quite a few more to come I would think.
Yeah, same here. Thereās nothing out there that suggests that FSG will suddenly tear up the model that brought them success and start paying obscene transfer fees without selling some players first - and that well has most likely dried (unless PSG decide that Mbappeās maintenance is too high and that Salah would be a better option to have).
How I wish this was the season in which Jones proved that heās a midfield revelation, whichever his role might have been. Same goes for Elliott. That said, time is well on their side but they will likely have to settle for squad roles in the short-to-mid term (unless their team starts having an injury crisis, which has never happened in the last twenty years). BajÄetiÄ may now be added to that youthful backup group, I think, which isnāt bad - heāll have to be a tiny bit quicker and agile to fully succeed in PL, though.
Iām trying to decipher Joyceās words - assuming that Milner, Keita and AOC are on their way out, that Fabinho might/should follow them (not on a free transfer, hopefully), that Henderson will most likely stay as heās the captain, that Alcantara is our best midfielder but also injury-prone, maybe buying two midfielders (not necessarily Bellingham and Nunes, just saying) isnāt that far-fetched. Iām a bit curious as to why there arenāt any mentions of defensive midfielders, though.
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Same.
Iām curious as to how Thiago, Nunes and Bellingham would even get in the same team. Is the next great idea to play Thiago as the 6? A double pivot with Bellingham as the 10 in an Odegaard type role?
Thatās assuming Nunes isnāt just a Bellingham alternative.
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I would say that thereās not such a big difference between a Tchouameni and Bellingham. Could be in some cases, but certainly not black or white.
Bellingham is also well aware that Klopp wonāt be here forever. I mean, a player of that level certainly has a well prepared entourage (even if heās level headed and well brought up and his family are normal and what not) and there are more ādangersā here than Liverpool missing out on one CL season.
I think we do still have a chance, but I donāt think weāre favourites because heās a 20-year old who misses being closer to Birmingham or that itās 50-50 between us and Real.
Recent events at Liverpool and the feeling what the near future might hold I would say plays a certain part in the decision. Weāll see if we can a) afford it and b) get it over the line.
I think if we get Bellingham, he would compete easily for both #8ās. I didnāt see much of Nunes (perhaps he would also be able to play both the more dynamic RCM role or the more controlling LCM) and the question remains if the two are both our targets or is Nunes more one of the alternatives to Jude. Thiago will be 32 and entering his final year (as things stand), he wonāt have to play each game like he is now.
I disagree, I think there are clear differences between Tchouameni and Bellingham. I donāt know what you mean by it not being black and white.
Nunes has played a role similar to our right sided 8 for Wolves this year and looked out of place. If heās to come here youād have to think heād be in the role Thiago is in in the current set up.
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Because we probably feel like to activate our defending from the front again, we now need more energy and quality in those two roles ahead of the #6. So that the #6 also has less work to do, or at least theyāre playing more together. Funny, but maybe Klopp is going from top to bottom in building a new side. Attack could now be settled for the future (Iām not so sure yet), now the midfield and then possibly a #6 and a new CB around the corner in some next windows.
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I think the bigger question is Would Klopp want any player who would make European football such a requirement to join us?
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Thereās the answer to your question, then. Although Iām still suspicious if weāre really chasing both. That would be like what, almost Ā£200m?
Not quite, but not far off. Far beyond what Iād expect us to spend.