This is the unreliable rumours thread, right? Besides, I can totally see Milner still starting at least 3 matches in the 23/24 season due to many reasons which involves Money…
If we still get two midfielders in the summer then I’d be alright with Milner being around still.
Most of the lads people are hoping for are still pretty young. Nowt wrong with having an experienced head or two around to help them settle and set some standards.
Maybe there’s more than just Ox and Naby leaving and keeping Milner provides some continuity. Despite his age he’s certainly seemed less leggy than most of the rest and a lot more robust.
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Well, Klopp is a human and humans are always susceptible to the Mere-Exposure effect which could be a reason for the Midfield Malaise we have right now.
But there is 2 big huge assumption with huge risks to your theory.
One: Our transfer budget will depend on our league position after 5.30pm (GMT) on 28th May. If there is no CL or even UEL, the foreseeable future income will be crap and it will inevitably eat into the revenues for next season. FSG are extremely conservative in their running of this club with an strong ethos of sell-to-buy and a rigid wage structure, I am not sure if LFC are going to have enough money to get two bloody good starters in CM and even afford their wages given there is no transfer funds to be recouped back from AOC and Keita.
Two: There’s no telling when Milner’s legs will run out of steam. Heck, even the most discliplined athlete cannot fight Father Time. Do we really want him to be seen skinned by some pace merchant from other clubs again and again?
My huge fear is that we will end up with a returning Tyler Morton coupled with a few free transfers being hailed by the press as the saviour of this club which we all know how it ends again.
That’s because you have conditioned yourself into adopting the most pessimistic tone possible.
I’ll eat my hat if we don’t spend a reasonable wedge on a midfielder this summer.
Keeping Milner around isn’t a problem at all. If we’re starting him in crunch games, it is.
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One midfielder (even if his name is Bellingham) wouldn’t really help because at least three will leave.
Or will Hendo get younger?
And Thiagos injury record will get better?
And Harvey will learn how to be a midfielder?
And Curtis will be like a new signing too?
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I read Mascot as saying at least one midfielder. He was countering someone downplaying us doing anything much, so he was saying we will do at least this I.e. a wedge on a midfielder.
Very likely we will sign two midfielders, for me. Maybe three, but more outgoings than expected will need to happen.
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Agree.
Think many people will be surprised with the money we are going to spend in the summer but still there will be the PlayStation fans who won’t be happy with the 4 to 5 new signings and ask for more new toys.
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I’d be totally fine with two, but if those two are precisely what we need. No experiments. Also because we still have no clue what we’ll qualify for. Which influences money available.
Quantity doesn’t bother me that much because right now we have 30 senior players out of which at least 9 are midfielders and 10 or 11 can play there if needed. There’s no way we will enter next season with such a big squad, that number will be lower (and yes, we must improve the medical/injuries situation).
So the fact that at least Arthur, Keita and Ox will leave doesn’t make me think we will look at 3 or more midfielders. I think there’s a chance for 3, but more likely 2. I don’t see enough room for the all the young ones next season; Bajcetic, Jones (even if he’s not young anymore), Elliott and Carvalho (I know we currently see him more offensive and rightly so). Not to mention Morton. I give Bajcetic and Elliott the most chances to be here next season out of that lot. Jones will be an interesting question.
Some will stay, some will leave (either on a free or sold, if there’s a good offer). Some who stay will have to improve, some might be loaned out.
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And Fabinho start running around again.
2 midfielders and possibly 2 goalkeepers……….
But it’s not just Arthur, Keita and Ox. It’s also Milner, Hendo, Thiago and Fabinho who can’t be relied upon all season. So I really don’t think signing three midfielders who are developmentally ready to slot in next season is too many. The likes of Morton, Elliot, Jones and Bajcetic will all hopefully step up but we can’t start the season expecting any of them to play the full season. I’d like to see Milner let go (or counted as a backup RB only) and Fabinho sold. We’ll then probably need to sign another the following summer as Thiago and Hendo are phased out.
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Evening, I am quoting your post as you raise some interesting and valid points - additionally you were the last one to post - so my post is in general and not in a direct response 
.
I agree we have midfielders who can not be relied on, however, we also have defenders/forwards who can not be relied on. Bobby, Diaz, Jota, have all missed large chunks of the season. Defensively, Matip, Gomez, Konate and VVD have all had problems.
Getting back to the Midfield issue I agree with you. I do not see an issue with signing 3 midfielders but I definitely would be retaining Milner.
If we are being realistic, Keita and Ox are gone and Morton is no where near being a first teamer. Jones as much as I rate him hasn’t been fit for two seasons and Elliott/Carvalho are good prospects but are not CM’s.
I think/hope Bellingham is nailed on, if we can get another like Calceido then I would be happy but I still believe we need another and as you suggest it is not too many.
After this season and the covid season, I think it is pretty clear it is better to have more players vying for a position than none at all .
If I was a part of our coaching team, the value of having Milner in Kirby training pitch would be much more than having him on the Anfield pitch. So for only that reason I would definitely offer him a contract extension with an agreement that he continues to mentor our young ones.
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I think James, given his age, will follow the money wherever that may be. Can always come back to training at a later date
He has previously turned down offers from clubs in the south because he didnt want to move his family. That may still be the case - so money may not be the primary factor behind what choice he makes
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At his age and the setup we have now, he should not be thinking of going and coming back. It should be about he can reinvent his role at the club. And that I think requires some effort from our management as well.
We don’t rely on Milner playing all season. The other current main 3 on paper (even Thiago struggles to do it, like he always has), of course you want a situation where they don’t have to play all season, even if one or two of them could still do it.
I’m not saying 3 is impossible or would be mad, but 2 who bring exactly the elements we need would already be a massive help. We could then make the current 3 play less, or rotate more healthier and when we want. Although who knows if our injuries will allow that, but that’s another topic.
Let’s first see how the summer of 2023 and at least part of the next season goes before calling what’s happening in the summer of 2024. But yeah, as things stand, I could see Thiago playing his final season.
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I don’t see how point one has anything to do with retaining Milner. He either goes on a free or he signs a reduced deal. Letting Ox, Keita and Firmino go plus sending Arthur on his way frees up somewhere in excess of £500k a week.
And point two, no one knows when a players legs may go. But if we bring in two other midfielders we’re hopefully not going to be seeing a whole lot of Milner and so his minutes can be managed.
I don’t know why your fear is Morton plus some Bosman options. Literally nothing points to that being the route we’ll go down. And again, that has nothing to do with the retention of Milner. If that is what transpires, it won’t be because they opted to give Milner another year.
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