I was under the impression he had been terrible for Juventus but reading around it appears he has improved a lot this season but still has flaws in his game (he’s 22 it would be strange if he didn’t). Rumours are that Man Utd and Chelsea are planning to sign him - Juve fans seem resigned to losing him.
Interesting one, doesn’t seem a slam dunk at this time.
Yea De Ligt can only improve but its more than just De Ligt, because at this point of time, we have enough bodies and quality in CB. The question is more whether we can trust Gomez and the youth to step up so that investing 30-40 mil, like we did with forward players like Jota or Diaz would not be necessary or would buying a player like De Ligt (or any good player) of high value/ability be necessary down the road?
Who is Salah’s understudy this season ?
De Ligt probably has elite level potential but if its not realized with the right coaching setup etc… He will find himself stagnating slightly whereas other prospects raise their game.
Still time for him to deliver as CB’s peak later but he needs to be in the right team with the right coach during these years. Doubt thats Juve. Def not Man Utd. Chelsea might be a good stylistic fit for him
Assuming Nunez comes in
We seem to have covered the backup RB position. Have a CF and the only two things pending are an understudy for Salah & a backup DM
W.r.t backup for Salah - He isnt going to be a replacement but someone who can fill in as a backup and then we spend big over the summer. Maybe Kaide Gordon can step in here for EFL / FA cup matches. Always a case where we can use Elliot but they dont have the pace that Salah offers.
Backup DM is much more of a priority. Anyone who is stylistically similar to Fabinho and we are set. Wouldnt even mind seeing if Gomez can be reinvented as a DM. I think Matip has played in DM for sometime in his younger days but no point asking him to do that now. Names that have been touted are Sangare etc.
He missed 15 games due to injuries and illness in last two seasons. Not that ominous.
Gordon has started his pre-season early, so he’s giving it a good go.
With Nunez coming in (zero talk of that type of player until Touchtoomany was confirmed as going to Real)… I wonder if this is a shift to 4231 and we don’t need another DM, we need another world class box to box. Enter stage Bellingham right. Every midfielder we have would be fine in a 4231 and this would mean the likes of Elliot/Carvalho would get more minutes in the “10”, but I could also see Bobby being fantastic there also.
I believe we won’t have a direct backup for Salah, hopefully he’ll be able to be available almost all the time (even if I think he deserved to be benched for a few games when he wasn’t good).
It’ll probably be a case of when he’s rested or not available, pick from a number of different options, depending on quality, style, form, opponent.
Could be anyone on a given day out of; Jota, Diaz, Carvalho, Elliott, Gordon…
Then by the summer of 2023 we’ll know more about what will happen with Mo anyway, so that’s when I think we might look at that position more closely.
We know right now that he’s going. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. We have a perfect opportunity to bring in a right sided understudy who can spend a year learning from the master knowing that he will be first choice once Salah goes. Added to which, it wouldn’t be bad to have an alternative for when Mo is misfiring and to keep the pressure on him to perform.
Otherwise it will be Elliott who hasn’t convinced yet.
Sure, that’s a possibility.
But I think we’ll focus on our priorities, I don’t think it’s easy to bring two serious signings up top in one window, along with a few of our other needs.
There’s learning of course and then there’s not playing much also. Nunez will not have to learn from Mane to hopefully be a success here.
Like I said, I doubt it will be fixed on one player to backup Mo, it will probably be one of the two of our five main attackers who can do a job there + one of the younger ones in earlier round cup games.
I’d be surprised if the next season isn’t Salah’s last for Liverpool. So I guess the next months could be about identifying a replacement for next summer, if it hasn’t already been done.
I would also guess that particular selection of players gets bigger - or at least different - if we do sign Nunez as our next main striker. Suddenly they’re perhaps looking more for a creator than a goalscorer/runner, and someone like Raphinha or Antony could make sense.
Yeah, I also think next season could be his last. With Bobby, we’ll see. Could also be his last, could sign maybe a shorter new contract.
Identify definitely, I think we’re already on it for a while now. Next summer could be the window to get fresh injections for our right side, a RCM and a right sided player for the forward line.
I think Jota and Diaz aren’t right for the right-side. Elliott and Gordon was OK in the few games I saw them play but they are too young. But Klopp is probably whispering in their ears that this spot is for their to take and they will have next season to stake their claim. I have no clue about Carvalho.
I have feeling that Klopp thinks that Darwin can be an option on the right. He is right-footed and can be deployed as a wide option there. Salah, Mane, and Firmino evolved and flourished in a different position at Liverpool than the positions they were playing previously.
I think the next season will give us the indication of how we will play in the following years.
Yeah well, it’s not ideal, but even at the top level, you rarely have two XI’s with all 22 players in their best positions. Nunez is alternatively more an option for the inside left channel, not quite the right. If things go well, we won’t even need a backup to Mo for the large majority of the season. Is there an argument that maybe he doesn’t play anymore as much if he’s (possibly, probably?) leaving on a free next summer and we have a new player slowly grabbing that position? Maybe, yeah. But I doubt we can do all of that in one summer.
I don’t like Jota there, but I thought Diaz did OK - not nearly as effective as he is on the left, but OK - on the right. There is definitely potential for him to play there in a time of need.
Will we be playing Mo in every game yous reckon? Or will he be prone to more subbings if he’s off end of next season. Few times last season especially after ACON he was lucky to be on the pitch when Diaz and Sadio got hooked
Don’t sleep on SVDB. He has bossed it the past two seasons at PNE, and at 20, still has massive growth potential. DeLigt would be a huge get, and has every tool in his box to be a world class defender, just needs more seasoning on how to read the game. Think working alongside VVD would do wonders for that.
Still, I think Sepp may have a decent future at LFC.
It’s good to look at the ages of who we’ve brought in, and other exceptional talents we have…
Nunez - 22*
Jota - 25
Diaz - 25
Carvalho - 19
Gomez - 25
Konate - 23
Alexander-Arnold - 23
Ramsay - 19*
Elliot - 19
K.Gordon - 17
Beck - 19
You can see why we’d be targetting a midfielder who is around the 18-22 age range, it’s the one area you can’t see someone internally stepping up… You sign Bellingham for example, the team in a few years could easily be…
Personally think Trent may move inside if Ramsay turns out to be class… Ramsay being more of a Robbo type stay wide/byline fullback, with trent basically playing where he does already just starting in the middle.
Lots of permutations on all this. If Nunez signs what we need begins to narrow. An understudy for Mo? One of the other strikers can do it, perhaps Carvalho too. I am expecting Mo to play almost every game that matters this season, in the Prem and CL at least, and will get his rest via substitutions.
He will have a preseason and a nice mid season break. He rarely gets injured, and assuming that stays the same, Mo will play. His understudy could, at that point, easily be Carvalho or one of the other strikers shifted over.
It will buy us time to see what Mo does next summer, and if he is off, as we all expect, we might possibly sign our own Bosman in Serge Gnabry to play there, or if not, we will certainly have the market well scouted and will know the best option/s to go for.
I would not do anything at center back yet. I would want to see what happens with Gomez. If he gets back to where he was, I’d be happy with a Konate - Gomez partnership, in time. However, I think VVD will go for a good few years yet, and Matip, since we took the time to get him right, will last longer too, especially as he becomes more of a rotation option. It’s not a pressing area of the side, but with that said, I’d be interested to see how close Sepp is, as he has done everything required of him, and more, on loan.
