The Unreliable Transfer Rumours Discussion Thread (Part 5)

https://x.com/David_Ornstein/status/2076942352065708271

We’ve been linked with him but Ornstein doesn’t even mention us here as one of the interested parties.

It must be the same disruptive attitude Diaz was going to have.

Getting him is certainly essential when your midfield consists solely of Anderson, Rodri, Kovacic, Phillips, Reijnders, Nico González, Cherki, and Folden … :see_no_evil_monkey:

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So just two good players then?

Not including Cherki and Foden as they play a different role.

That seems a very odd summary of the situation - I doubt other interested teams wanted to spend €100m+ AND loan him back for the season, other articles had stated that was the only way Lille would accept a deal.

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Finally someone who knows his onions!

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I think Jones is better than him.

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They don’t need him; he’s no better than what they already have – they just want to stop someone else from snatching him up. City isn’t a football club but an investment company.

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You shouldn’t even need the qualifier here, Jones is clearly better than him. He may become a better midfielder than Jones in time but right now he is coming off a bang average season in Ligue Un and a few World Cup games.

And what is the criticism of Jones again - he only passes sideways and he holds onto it too long? Based on what I’ve seen of Bouaddi that is exactly his game.

But he’s foreign so that counts as cultured or something not a weakness.

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It’s almost as if Iraola knows more about football than the Jones detractors. Crazy!

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Bouaddi is definitely solid and protects the back four well with good instincts but whilst he can do a few fancy moves, bit like Jones actually, he´s not some wizard playmaker or anything. No Thiago.

Would have probably looked at him before the World Cup but for the fee he´d demand I think there are probably better options. He has a more specific role, which I value, than Jones but I wouldn´t say he´s better at this stage. I doubt Morocco are thinking ´damn I wish we had Curtis Jones in midfield´ though.

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Yeah but has he heard of a lad called Tyler Morton…

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Ignorance from new boss. He needs to stay humble and come to this forum as part of his introduction to Liverpool and learn from the experts here on how bad Jones is.

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Yet more fun metrics that are not applied to anyone else.

Morocco also aren’t saying “Damn I wish we had Mac Allister/Gravenberch/Szoboszlai in midfield” because why would they even think about them?

Any one of Liverpool’s 4 main midfielders would start for Morocco. Doesn’t mean Morocco are desperately hunting for long lost grandparents to get them.

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Rodri is aging quickly and losing influence, and Nico has never really made an impact with speculation linking him to a move back to Spain this summer. That leaves Anderson as the only other player who is remotely close to being able to play as a 6 and is of sufficiently quality, and that is surely not what they have ear marked him for.

It seems to me like exactly the sort of move City should be making

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And one of the few clubs who could actually get away with leaving him at Lille for another 12 months if they were adamant they wanted him to stay for another season.

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That looks to me like Lille just chancing their arm and seeing how far they can push interested clubs. I very much doubt any team would strike that deal or that Lille will hold out for it. It just seems like an aggressive starting point for a player they expect a lot of interest in.

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We can apply it to other players. I can imagine Morocco wishing they had Szoboslai. You don´t think they would? I dont believe you.

And as for him getting in the Morocco team, not so sure. He didn´t get in the England squad as backup over Mainoo or Henderson so I think he´s probably not as highly rated by non-Liverpool fans and without Liverpool fan bias.

id probably play him next to Bouaddi though but not instead of.

Yep it´s a good one. Agreed. The kid is young and not even close to what you would imagine his best is, whereas Rodri is slowing down a little but still very good. In a year or two I imagine Bouaddi would be ready to step up even more.

A bit like what I said we should be doing with Salah tbh.

A big part of that is likely to be down to Arne not playing him in midfield though isnt it?

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