We’re okay with this really.
Jaros, Gomez, Quansah, Bradley, Frimpong, Jones.
This season we named seven homegrown, two of which were Morton and Tom Hill.
Means we could name McConnell/Bajcetic if needs be also flesh the squad out with U21s like Danns, Koumas, Niyoni and Ngomuah if needs be.
Also for what I wish is the last time, you don’t have to fill out the homegrown quota. You just can’t register more than 17 non-homegrown players.
A squad size of 25 with 8 homegrown vs a squad size of 23 with 6.
We don’t need to necessarily fill up our home grown quota but it would be nice to.
More so if Gomez were to get a good transfer fee.
For Arne to have more players he’s not going to use?
No thanks.
Do think Arne would be more open to use more players if they were his signings coming through.
I said previously if Liverpool are struggling with FFP then the rest of the league must be fucked.
I assume the deal will be spread over the 5 years and we do have about 5/6 players who are likely to be sold.
Dont think ir matters now. This is apparently the last year of the cycle, so our summer business will sit outside of it, and our season will have been very profitable anyway. Furthermore, from what i’ve read PSR rules are changing with a trial using a squad cost ratio (must be below 70%) instead, which we also meet comfortably.
I think there’s a squad within the squad for the first team. We need a group that Arne will use regularly. If that is too small they will hit the wall physically, and there were signs of that this season, though it didn’t really matter as we were so good in opening up a commanding lead that we won’t the league handsomely. I don’t know the exact number, but probably 18 players who are all used regularly.
Beyond that, there should be 6-7 players who are all training as part of the first team squad, but they probably won’t see a lot of league action - definitely a few minutes here and there, and some appearances in the cup for sure, but ideally most of these players are on the way up and trying to break into the main group within the group.
It is very difficult to do that, and ultimately most of them won’t, though they will go on to have decent careers elsewhere after a time at LFC.
If we end up selling Diaz and Nunez, that’ll alone fund Isak. If Newcastle is inclined to sell, of course, which they might not be.
I don’t even want Isaak. I cannot help think he is over rated and over priced.
Oftenly injured too.
Yep. He just feels like a player who hit a sweet spot in a certain team style. Maybe just me then!
Great striker. But injury prone.
Responding from Part 1…
I think it’s just a question of where you think you can add most value with a new player, with the evaluation made now after a season of familiarity with the players and their adaptation under Slot, or lack of it.
A ball playing 6 was the obvious priority last summer because of the lack of an established one in the squad. I think the key to how this played out is to remember that Grav didn’t come back until late into pre-season because of his post-Euros extended break so he didn’t have an opportunity to influence our thinking until late in the window. By that time we were already deep into the negotiations, but had done enough to impress Slot that by the time the move broke down that we were able to make the decision we ultimately did.
Now we look at the squad after a year and at least based on Slot’s selections it seems he feels there is more room for improvement further forward in midfield than for going back in for another 6 who will at best be a marginal improvement over Gravy. Slot and Mac have both spoken about him being able to play as a single 6 but it not being the best way to use him, but also recognizing that him being able to drop in deep as needed is valuable. So I think what we’re looking for is someone to bring the same sort of control Mac does as an 8, which either allows us to play them together, or allows us to drop him back deeper as needed without losing all of his influence close to the box as maybe Slot thinks happens when he only had Dom, Jones or Harvey to call upon.
I really don’t think grav as a #6 is going to work.
We need some work around there.
Are we going to play with a dedicated defensive midfielder? The acquisition of Wirtz suggests that, if anything, we’ll be moving more towards a 4-2-3-1 formation, with both central midfielders being jacks of all trades.
Unless, of course, we go 4-3-3, with Flo as a false nine…
We played with a [hold your ears] double pivot quite a lot last season. Slot’s football is very adaptable to the needs to the game, so if that is how we shift as a default it is still something that will be quite familiar to us and the players.
The formation doesn’t matter so much now.
I do think there will be times when we will have a dedicated pivot of 2 shielding the defensive CBs.
Just not sure how the acquisition of Wirtz plays into that. I do think a Wirtz will function best with someone like Dom alongside him.
I’ve said a 4-2-2-2 formation would work best before. I’d still stand by it.
I think a lot depends on how Slot deploys Wirtz. If he is an attacking midfielder, a 10, then Szoboszlai, MacAllister, Gravenberch and Jones are behind him and it gives us plenty of depth. And there’s options there in the group to give Gravenberch and Wirtz a breather, as needed.
If Wirtz is going to be deployed more as a false 9, and there is not a central attacker in front of him, we probably need to add another midfielder to the group Slot used this past season - either by using an existing option like Endo a bit more, or perhaps Bajcetic comes back and grabs his chance, or maybe a new signing is on the cards.
The versatility of Wirtz will have an impact on what else we do, both in attack and midfield. It will be fascinating to see how we play it.
Besides all that, we need two fullbacks and that looks promising. And we probably need a central defender, or we definitely need one if someone departs.
And will Nunez, as expected, be the only attacking departure? Unlikely. So maybe we sign another striker, and/or a young winger like Fofana?
The permutations as to what we might do seem greater than any time I can remember. And it’s all from a position of strength. Love to see it.