We need to reset the squad now and get adequate replacements while Klopp is still here. Once he leaves, we are not going to be able to replace him.
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On Jota: Thereās a risk moving him on to be sure. But it starts to make sense if the club feel really confident about Diazās recovery and the prospect of someone like Doak taking his place in the squad, especially if able to cover Salah on the right. The club can even look for a free or bargain deal for an extra to add a little security. Iād love to keep Jota as he can really press and is versatile, but can see it happening as well.
My initial reaction is no, itās too wild in a sensitive area of the team and the big question is how much could we really get for Virgil in a short space of time and what weāre left with.
There are certainly CBās out there that can be good for us who are not named Josko Gvardiol.
Heās come onto the scene a bit too soon for us I think. Itās too big of a deal to make wild moves like that. Our priority should be to buy a CB to replace one of Gomez or Matip and make the one who stays play less.
We might be monitoring, calculating, whether we can get involved for Gvardiol and perhaps move Virgil to RCB. But I donāt see it happening.
Have that new guy fight with Konate and then we keep monitoring the situation, because Virgil might need replacing in coming years. Nobody knows if heāll do a Thiago Silva or slow down when heās close to 35.
If Gvardiol was on the move in one of the following summers, although even if not at his best, I donāt see Virgil slowing down enough for me to say āitās time to replaceā, then it would make sense.
We donāt have to feel bad if Gvardiol just doesnāt make enough sense for a huge price this summer, the timing isnāt right. Or if we fail to get Bellingham.
Where did someone say Jota was off?
I did see someone mentioned Klopp could be looking at swapping Diaz with Leaoā¦ā¦
Itās not called the Unreliable Rumours thread for no reason!
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Thereās a risk to too much turnover and thereās a risk to too little.
This summer I think we will (and should) see the biggest turnover in the squad for some time. The last couple of games shouldnāt cloud the fact this season has been an almost unmitigated disaster, and more problems will arise soon if we donāt start being proactive to fix our problems.
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I didnāt say that he canāt continue playing. I think our backline is due some refreshing and that shouldnāt be at the cost of sacrificing VVD.
Totally. Very few (I can recall only VVD) of the players we have signed were hyped, yet they all are very high quality.
I wouldnāt want to but i think weāre only gonna get another couple of good years from him.If a top foreign side came in with a big money offer,40m, then go ahead .
Jota: Iām only selling if offer comes in way over the top- 60ish mil is there abouts in my book. Iām not looking to offer him around to teams. If Newcastle picks up the phone and sends the proper fax sheet (lol) Iād sell him in that circumstance. Iām certainly not calling around and seeing who would give what for him.
If Jota leaves its because Klopp sees Doak and Carvalho as options next season.
I doubt we will sell a forward to buy another.
Nunez, Cody, Mo, Diaz, Carvalho, Doak and maybe Gordon as the front players.
Milner, Keita and Ox gone we need to gign two midfielders
Plus a quality CB.
Money wise, and with the rider that donāt want it, but Jota could go.
I see Jota as our fifth striker in the pecking order, with everyone fit and firing.
Salah, Nunez, Diaz, Gakpo, Jota.
Beyond that group we have Carvalho, Doak and hopefully Gordon coming into the picture, who will all need minutes and a chance to develop.
Of the main five listed, we have a slight imbalance as a few of them do good work coming off the left hand side, but only one does the same from the right.
Four of them can play through the middle, and thatās not the issue. The issue is the strength we have coming from the flanks, and it is weighted heavily to players who can operate coming in from the left.
So depending on the overall budget, and the offer we received for Jota, I would potentially do a deal. I would recycle the money, or the bulk of it, back into the strikers, looking for a left footer who can do good work coming in from the right hand side.
Someone like Diaby might fit the bill. Or if we wanted someone who can play in the front three and the middle three, a powerful left footer like Kudus might be looked at.
I wouldnāt be agitating to sell Jota, and if he stays, great, as he is a good player. He is also versatile. But at this stage I see him as down the pecking order, so he wouldnāt be untouchable if the right offer came in.
60mil doesnāt get you much in todays market. Heād be a steal for that. We paid Ā£40mil for a relatively unproven prospect from Wolves. Heās now one of the best around.
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Putting Gakpo ahead of Jota already?
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Yes, I would have Gakpo ahead of Jota.
Jota is a good player though!
orā¦60 mil for our 5th choice. If you donāt want to sell him, I get it, but it wouldnāt take much more than that for me to see the positives of taking that money and reinvesting.
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We need to stop thinking about making transfers out simply for selling a player when their value is high. Our club isnāt run like that. If they desperately want out, and their value is high, then thatās a different story, but never are we going to transfer someone who we need that hasnāt demanded it just because it makes good economic sense.
Virg is absolutely someone that is untouchable. Look at our for and against with and without him. Even if somehow there was a club willing to purchase for Ā£150m, I would still say absolutely no way, just given how important he is to us. Any replacement is a tremendous risk. We know Virg has become one of the best CBs around, and we are looking to replace simply for some young up and comer that maybe will suit LFC?
We donāt know how his body will hold up over the next 3-4 years. Using age as some sort of determining factor when deciding whether to keep our not IMO is a bit silly.
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IMO they have quite different styles. There certainly occasions where I absolutely would have Jota ahead of Gakpo. I can think of plenty of games this season where we were screaming out for the type of player Jota is.
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My tuppence worth on Virg is definitely keep.
If we add a central defender this summer, and see one leave, for me it would be Matip who moves on and a younger player coming in.
Depending on budget, it could be an expensive player like Gvardiol, or a Bosman like NāDicka. Or something in between. The midfield should get the bulk of whatever money we have to spend.
VVD has loads left in the tank and I would not be selling him!
I hear you. Jota is a good player. And I would not be initiating any transfer for him. I donāt even know if there is a proper link. It sounds like an unreliable rumor, and we are in the thread for that!
Still, if there have been games this season where we have been crying out for a fit and firing Jota, I would say there have been games where we have been crying out for a fit and firing Gakpo, too. Especially the player we are starting to see coming alive in a Liverpool shirt.
Gakpo started cautiously, coming into a struggling side, and playing within himself while trying to adjust. I daresay the adjustment period is still ongoing, but with that said, we have a player here.
Iāve already seen pace and strength beyond what I think Jota has, and Gakpo has also shown a versatility of finishing.
It is early days for Gakpo, and Jota is more proven in a red shirt, and again, Jota is a good player. But for me, Gakpo is already edging ahead, and I expect that to be even more clear as we move forward.
Yep agree 100%. He appeared quite timid early on, like he didnāt even believe he fit in, but it was also a period of time when the whole team was struggling.
Things have changed now, but I also believe there are many situations where Jota will be useful and Gakpo less so, and vise-versa. Straight off the top of my head, and not even related to football ability, but in games where we need a forward to keep the refs honest, Jota is 100% your man. Will draw fouls, play for them, shout at the refs, and make sure we get our fair share. Gakpo is absolutely not the personality to do that. Sometimes that can actually be the difference in a match.
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