And also the league cup, fa cup and selected CL group matches.
At this point in the window Iād be tempted to put in a bid for Sesko, mainly just to see the reactions from United, Newcastle and Arsenal fans.
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Please no, weād end up getting himā¦ like Ekitike.
Iād be tempted by a move for Antoine Semenyo as an option to fill the void left by the loss of Diaz and Jota. Homegrown as well.
Only snag is heās got 5 years left on his contract having only just extended.
Just wondered if people think we have enough options going into the season, assuming we sign Isak and Chiesa departs.
ST: Isak, Ekitike
RW: Salah, Frimpong (cover)
LW: Gakpo, Rio
Do we believe Rio is ready now? Do we think Bradley and Frimpong can manage via Salahās absence for an extended period of time? Also havenāt factored in Doak, as Iām assuming heāll leave as well. And I know Wirtz can cover the left too, but I think we presented the idea to him that heāll be our No.10 consistently, so he can develop in that role, and he may be used elsewhere if it was absolutely necessary.
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I have a feeling Chiesa will stay for depth and for his versatility. I just donāt see how we can sell him if we donāt buy another in addition to Isak (if that even gets done).
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I wouldnt rule out Chiesa staying at this stage. Dom is also an option and the choice od formation probably wont he fixed for the whole season so we could see an asymetric set up or one using fewer forwards when wanted/ needed.
With the window still open and knowing weāre still active, i dont see the point in asking this sort of question repeatedly (not you specifically, but the forum as a whole).
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I think Iāve figured out who is behind our transfer strategy this window
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I would be happy with those options.
Itās probably greedy, but I think we might sign Fofana in addition to Isak.
Strikers:
Isak
Ekitike
Right forwards:
Salah
Fofana
Left Forwards:
Gakpo
Rio
Tons of flexibility, pace, youth/understudy options, and lots of quality within the group.
Fofana as the fifth choice, Rio as the sixth.
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I note that Jan Paul van Hecke has entered the last 2 years of his contract. Could be someone to keep an eye on.
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I have noted in the past that both Klopp and Slot have had conversations with him post-game that looked every bit the sort of chat an admiring manager has with a player they admire that the club is looking at.
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Heās definitely an interesting player. Good age as well.
When ESPN ranked their top 50 PL players going into this season, he came in 19th.
Taking Tielemans (who ranked 20th) and Van Hecke together, we have arguably the two best passers in the Premier League. Neither one is much of a defender, but theyāre both so good on the ball that their liabilities on the other end would matter to only a handful of teams in the world.
To put some numbers on it, only two players in the Premier League completed more than 275 line-breaking passes, and only two players in the Premier League completed more than 25 passes that broke multiple lines.
Tielemans led the league with 319 of the former and finished second with 30 of the latter, while Van Hecke broke lines 308 times and broke multiple lines a league-leading 31 times.
He ranked 5th among CBs last season according to Data MB
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Youāre forgetting Federico, so do we really need Fofana?
I would probably have him 5th as he provides cover across the entire attack.
I personally think Rio will not get much game in the league this season but will be used heavily in the League Cup and FA Cup, but is maybe a bit too young to be seen as an option for the League or for Champions League, unless we get a major injury crisis in our attack.
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When I wrote the post, 6 days ago, Chiesa looked more out than in. After the first game, when he scored a lovely goal and showed his quality, it would not surprise me in the slightest if he is the 5th option and Rio the 6th.
Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo and Isak hopefully being the main four choices.
Chiesa has definitely given us food for thought, so well done to him. Personally I would still make a change for a faster understudy for Salah, but we might only make one signing for the forwards now.
Rumours of Olise having a release clause kicking in next summer might also affect what we do, as he is well placed to be a long term successor for Salah, so that idea might also strengthen Chiesa staying right where he is, for now.
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That Olise stuff was fascinating, and definitely one to keep an eye on next summer, although wasnāt the source of the info our good friend Bayern Space? Heāll only be 24 years old next summer, and I believe heād be classed as homegrown too.
I hope we see Chiesa more often too. Heāll always have a special place in my heart for the way he destroyed England in the Euros (that entire Italian side does), and I wanted us to sign him since then, even with the injuries, and a decline in his explosiveness because of them. Iām not sure Slot fancies him as a winger though, and just sees him as an extra striker.
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I would buy
Isak and Guehi.
Is that left of field?
Yep I would be happy with only Isak and Guehi, and if we got both, it would be a perfect summer.
I hope we can find a buyer for Elliott. He loves this club, but I think for his career he needs the move now, as he wonāt be getting into that midfield with the arrival of Flo.
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Two factors, Jotaās unfortunate passing and our unusual move to go so big for two strikers might complicate our summer and who knows with what we close this transfer window with 10 days to goā¦
At the moment as we speak, I donāt think Isak gets done this summer and Iām also not gonna predict the future (we didnāt decide to pursue signing Zubimendi, for example). Things can change in football very quickly, other players appear/improve, injuries, etc.
I also donāt want us to sign anyone (I do like Rodrygo in all scenarios though) if we donāt get Isak, it needs to be well thought about and the right move. Like with every transfer, so nothing new.
Our depth at both ends of the pitch (CB and up top) suddenly looks like it might be a bit shorter/weaker than expected.
Might end up having Chiesa as a backup striker to Ekitike on paper and the likes of Nyoni and Ngumoha getting a decent amount of game time. Not that I think theyāre not promising, butā¦
No, we donāt. Another forward is definitely needed. I think we should be targeting someone affordable and then Isak should be treated as a bonus.
We could always play Salah through the middle with Wirtz occupying that half space on the right, Frimpong overlapping, and Gakpo/Ekitike slightly narrow but from the left.
If Salah was injured/rested/AFCONād then the same set up but Ekitike through the middle.
Chiesa as 2nd back up for left or right. Rio back up to Chiesa.
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