Maybe we will get one of those “under new management” signs, like the local chippy after environmental services discovered a rat in the fryer.
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99.9% of footballers in the world would shove their nan down a flight of stairs just to get a squad number.
When it comes to what business we do in the summer I want to see us move back towards where we had our success previously. We seem to have shifted to a “spend big for the obvious guy in every position” model and lost some of our knack of finding the right player in that next tier down.
When you look at the success Hughes had at Bournemouth with the likes of Hujsen, Kerkez, Zabarnyi, Semenyo and even now with Kroupi and Rayan it was mainly slightly more under the radar, emerging talent. He’s come here and overseen a £450m trolley dash of players pretty much anyone sitting at home could have looked at and suggested we go for.
If we don’t make the CL we’ll need to cut our cloth accordingly. That might mean a new short term deal for Robbo or Tsimikas coming back to delay the need for a new LB. Might mean we have to reintegrate Endo, Elliott and Chiesa into the squad to fill out some spaces. We might need to rely on Nyoni, McConnell and a couple young lads to come in.
Whatever way we go we won’t be spending like we did last summer and yet there will be holes to fill at LB, DM, CM, RW and LW as well as possibly CB/RB and I have a suspicion we may see Alisson move on this summer too. We’re going to need to unearth some gems rather than shop in the top bracket.
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We’ve just activated his optional year, so I suppose it possible we’ve done so to sell him, but it seems more likely he stays.
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I think part of this is because of a shift in the market itself. It’s harder to find the sorts of players we were signing before at the sort of price ranges we usually operate in, so we’ve opted for the better regarded players for a bit more money.
I think that is a little unfair. We’ve brought in Jacquet and Leoni, and some promising youngsters below first team level too.
Personally, I think that is probably a better approach anyway. One of the frustrations over the past couple of summers has been seeing so much of the younger depth be moved on (although understandable given the money being spent).
Depending on how the new coach wishes to set up, I don’t think we have that many gaps that need filling - much of what we think is missing is probably down to the collapse in team performance and coaching failures that we’re seeing. They are most likely reversible.
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It might be harder to find those less expensive types but it’s not impossible and it’s what our recruitment was built on and what Hughes did so well with at Bournemouth. And I’m not talking £8m Robbo type bargains but that £30-40m seemed to be our sweet spot.
As for squad holes, it will depend on who comes in but you ideally don’t want someone taking over who thinks the squad needs a full overhaul. But irrespective of that there are needs to be addressed one way or another. Be that CB and getting Konate to sign a new deal, LB and getting Robbo to do the same, DM so Gravenberch isn’t run into the ground and certainly on the RW.
It’s not what you’d be expecting to have to do 12 months on from spending £400m.
You’re right, but now we might be talking about 70-80m as a baseline.
We signed Salah for £35m, and two weeks later the market got Neymar’d. He doubled in value before he’d even played a game.
However much we pay, one of the consistents which characterised our recruitment through Klopp first team build, was that we went for hungry players with something to prove. That’s what connects Salah to Robbo, despite the price difference.
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True, inflation may mean that £30-£40m is now more £50-£60m but it’s not £100m is it?
Since Salah arrived we got great value with the likes of Fabinho, Jota, Konate, Diaz, Gakpo, Gravenberch, Mac Alister and even squad players like Shaqiri and Tsimikas. Then you drop in a smattering of big purchases like Alisson and van Dijk to take the next step.
Now it seems like we’ve spent huge on three forwards and only one has looked capable and one has already been moved on for a significant loss. We’ve a £100m player who we can all see is incredibly talented but isn’t playing like a £100m player. We’ve £40m full backs on either side but neither has really been an overwhelming success yet. We’ve got probably the most expensive U21 CB pairing ever assembled once Jaquet arrives.
I just think looking back at the summer we did a huge amount of business, pretty much all of it at the upper echelon of each positions value. I guess I’m just wondering if that apparent change in approach hasn’t actually helped us. Maybe we lack the team behind the recruitment team we once had or others have caught up. Maybe the market has become so bloated and over priced it’s hard to find much of a good deal.
But it seems odd we’ve had great success in that second tier range, hired a bloke who made a living flipping £20m players into £60m players and then basically spent the summer shopping at Harrods like money was going out of fashion. Given the distinct possibility of Europa football next season we might need to be back in Tesco again this summer but that might also be no bad thing, purely from a recruitment point of view in that it’ll force us to re-evaluate how we determine value.
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I think 3 judicious signings (I could do a long list, but I don’t think it is realistic) could give the current side a significant boost, crucially if all harnessed under a new manager with a clear vision.
I’ll have a stab at it.
MacAllister has a good World Cup. He seems to do well for Argentina. Real Madrid are interested, and there have been whispers they would sell Camavinga. I know these things never quite work out in a swap, but that’s a deal I would do to improve our situation in defensive midfield. If Macca leaves it is imperative Jones stays, and I’d like to see Nyoni get more minutes. Obviously I am assuming Grav and Szobo stay too.
In addition to a defensive midfielder, we desperately need a winger for the right. I’ve been on the Diomande bus for a while, even if the price sticks in the throat given his relative inexperience. Still, I see the pace and the ability to dribble past a defender for fun, plus the flexibility to play right or left. If not Diomande, it needs to be someone fast, who can beat a man and open it all up.
Camavinga, Diomande - just two additions to the team, coached well and playing under a manager with a clear vision - and we will be so much better than now.
If I added a third player, it would be another central defender. I think Virg still has another season to give us, and while he is past his best, I believe he is better than what he has shown this season. He’s knackered and he needs a rest, especially at his age, but we have not been able to give that to him so he hasn’t shown his best (plus the team as a whole has been all over the place). Leoni and Jacquet will factor into it next season, and that will give Virg a new lease of life. I think we could do with adding one more, assuming Konate is off. Senesi from Bournemouth sees his contract expire this summer. He is 28 I think. Could be a low cost, seasoned pro to come in and help bring through some young talent with high ceilings.
I think we have the bulk of a smashing side, and even if we just get a smattering of singings, if it is all harnessed under a new man, we will be competitive again before you know it.
Camavinga, Diomande, Senesi.
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There is clearly talent in the team, and none of them are shit players as such.
But there have been some incidents over the last few weeks that highlight how detached from reality some of them are…
- Virgil saying after the City game that they gave up
- Szobozslai posting a picture of his big stupid watch after getting beat by Brighton.
- the incident with Szobozslai tearing a strip of the crowd after capitulating at City
- Ekitike swapping shirts with Cherki on 60mins
- Any number of incidents where played have just shown no interest in grafting for the team.
The biggest miss this year has been a character like Henderson or Milner to actually enforce some fucking standards. And that’s even more important under a manager like Slot, who doesn’t have the x-factor that Klopp had.
It’s a worry that this summer we’ll lose Salah and Robertson - two more of the golden team who knew how to lead by example.
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There are a few on here that would revel in the fact that Slot would turn him into a worse player.
I’d add I think we need a second CB and also @mascot is right and we need some standard enforcers. Does Milner want to come back as a coach?
Salah had a massive hissy fit in December, if that’s leading by example?
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Before that though. He has always been a model trainer. Should have been shipped out last summer (I was right eventually) but we do need model pros as well as enforcers.
You forgot the LW we’ll need when the new manager sells Gakpo. Here’s hoping he also has a good World Cup!
Repalcement? Gordon or Rogers, either one will do.
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Between those two I would pick Gordon because he is more of a natural winger than Rogers. Gordon can also play as ST when needed.
Rogers, OTOH, does not make any sense when we already bought Wirtz.
Apparently, he can also play as a winger. He sems to be a very versatile chap.
Everyone at the club says that his drive and professionalism off the pitch has no equal. First in, last out. Always in the gym. Total commitment to his body and his fitness. The standard he sets is unbelievable. And he is always available to young players with advice and support about getting the maximum out of their ability.
The tantrums are the flip side of someone who is so driven to succeed.
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Maybe we wont need one, for example, if Wirtz or Ekitike plays off the left? We also have Rio.
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Obviously it all depends on who is the manager and whether he wants to play with ‘proper’ wingers or not. Although Rio is a winger at this stage of his career, Wirtz and Ekitike aren’t natural wingers. But if Isak is to be the sharp end of our front line, then maybe we need a real winger to supply both crosses and through balls.
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And they wouldnt be used as such, but to come inside, with the width presumably provided by Kerkez.
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