I think that’s unlikely. This year represents one of the limited number of years remaining where Thiago will be at his peak. We’d be willing to offer him a four year contract to get the next year from him.
Next summer, he’s lost a year from what remains as his peak. The club are very unlikely to offer him four years at that point when one of those peak years has now gone. Other clubs will be willing to do so and the landscape changes. For me, we sign Thiago this year or not at all (regardless of whether he’d be ‘free’ or not).
Yeah my read to. A unique opportunity that LFC have certainly not had in recent years. A player who is arguably best in the world in his position (and definitely top 3), who would start for any team in the world, wants to come to us and (due to contract situation) is available at a very reasonable price. He has particularly picked us as, at this stage, he wants to come to our league to add it to his trophy collection. So he’s wanting to come for sporting reasons. He wants Klopp because he’s never worked for him as opposed to Pep who he seems to have had his fill of. This is not a situation that will last forever. If he feels he is not wanted here he will cast us aside and choose to go elsewhere. If someone can offer another project and persuade him they can deliver what he wants he might get turned aside. Hell he’s only human if people keep throwing higher and higher contract offers at him he may eventually cave and state why not when we had the chance we didn’t take it. Players like this don’t just sit there on the market hoping you will still want them in 12 months time. They need to feel wanted.
But you have to also factor in whether Klopp really feels we need him this season, it just like would I love to have the best players in the world to be here? Of course I would, but its ultimately what Klopp feels he needs and whenever he felt a need, the club has always backed him up, not only in finances but in ideology.
For this particular case, I think while Klopp thinks the world of a player like Thiago, I think he knows that unless Gini moves on this season, we are not desperate to add Thiago into the team. This is afterall the midfield that won us plenty in the last 2 season. Adding a world class Thiago is fantastic, but keeping our midfield intact is not any lesser, some would even argue its even more important to add some consistency in our title defence.
And what if we miss the chance to buy a world class player? Regrettably, so be it. He will not be the last world class player we would miss out on. It is more important that we look at this football club the way the management and Klopp wants to run it and understand why the decisions they take at times, ultimately is for the long term sustained success of the club. We did not get here by sacrificing any part of the club, we are now at the peak both on the field and off the field and if that is not enough for us to believe that they know what to do, I do not know what will.
Having said that, would I love Thiago here? Of course I would, but I think Klopp and Edwards has the situation under control and will not move desperately for any player.
The coaching team, via Pep I believe, have already spoke about how it has been highlighted opposition are starting to try more and more to stop our creativity by focusing on our full backs so there’s a need to introduce more creativity elsewhere. If there’s a better way of doing that without losing defensive stability in CM than adding Thiago I’m not sure what it is.
Agree, we have to always find a way to thwart opposition’s attempts to stop us from playing. Thiago will certainly give us that option, a very good one, I must add. But our team has been evolving from season to season. How we are playing now is very different from how we play in Klopp’s very first season. And that is credit to Klopp and coaching team adapting to opposition, adapting to the players we have and devising new tactics and strategies to overcome what you just mentioned. And so buying Thiago or a similar player is great, but certainly not the only effective way to evolve the team, as Klopp has proven. And Pep can say all he wants, knowing it is one thing, but whether he can get this team and new signings to do exactly what he says is the challenge. Not going to sound arrogant, but everyone has already known about how effective our FBs are for at least the last 2 seasons, have they stopped us? Of course they might and we cannot rest on our laurels, but if we know it, are we going to rule out that Klopp already has plan how to evolve the team to overcome that?
My point on Thiago is this, we are not desperate to have him, in fact we have never come across as being desperate to have any player, except maybe VVD when we had to splash out for him in January after we failed to press the price down in summer. Love to have him but we are not in a desperate need for him.
It was our Pep that said it. And a lot of that evolution could only happen due to new personnel coming in. And we might not NEED Thiago (as a squad we are so good now we probably don’t need any one particular player, in the squad or elsewhere) but if we do need to add/do something with CM we may as well do the best as the best wants us and is probably cheaper than a lot of inferior options.
I wasn’t to fussed about Thiago coming in originally, a great player but not an area I thought we needed to target. However starting the season without Hendo playing makes me nervous and I’m reminded how we have previously looked far less stable in midfield without him. Thiago coming in would certainly solve that. Although it would be better if one of our other midfielders (bar Milner) could find the consistency and leadership to fill the Hendo void when needed. Not really keen on the idea of having to get rid of Gini to sign him tho, Gini is an LFC legend, Thiago isn’t, yet.
It’s not as if other players haven’t said they are leaving, only to retract a few days after that (looks over to Barcelona… how’s the name of that little Argentinian they have there? Quite good apparently, but doesn’t seem to know what he wants… )
It’s always better to be strengthening from a position of power. Absolutely… no arguments.
Now reality.
Liverpool are one of the strongest teams in the world. There are only a handful of players out there that could improve our starting lineup. There are dozens that could add an element to our lineup and bench - bringing in new styles or youth or whatever. But in order to strengthen, who do we replace?
We don’t have aging stars that need replacing. Closest we had was Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana and they are now gone and replaced by players already in the organization.
We don’t have obvious holes in our team.
We are also in a unique situation in the world due to the pandemic. So why bring in high priced newcomers if you don’t have to. The team we have is largely intact and still in the prime of their careers. We are also in a situation where there is a shortened off-season, so it’s harder to get players in.
Some ‘fans’ really need to switch off the PlayStation with FIFA Manager in it and get a reality check.
With or without Thiago this team can still improve.
We’re not going to buy expensive BackUps for our key players - with our without Thiago our season will be fucked if someone like VvD, Trent, Robbo, Hendo, Salah or Mané get injured.
I don’t know. We’ve apparently spent £2m on a young goalkeeper from Brazil. Given we haven’t got any money I think it must now be curtains for any prospect of being able to meet Bayern in the middle.
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