Who would you buy?

Assuming you meant no reason NOT to reinforce

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I wasn’t sure about contract lengths and that will play into what we actually do. I suppose for that reason three players this summer does become something we need to seriously consider even if it isn’t ideal.

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I don’t find it that baffling if you believe that the current crop of players were good enough for at least one final hurrah, which very much appears to be Klopp’s position. The only signing that would fall into that category for me is of Gakpo, simply because the space for him in the squad seems less clear cut than for the other signings that happened (or that fans were calling for).

Our business probably did have a focus on the attack this window with plans for midfield next window - but I think there is logic to that happening due to the significance of those changes and as we saw with the Tchouimani bid, the club were willing to consider bids for a midfielder last summer if they were of a particularly high standard.

The Gakpo purchase is actually what gives me most hope about the rebuild if I’m honest.

If you take the comments after this move at face value; that we were looking at him for next summer but brought the move forward with concerns about interest in him from other clubs and potential price rise if we waited.

To me, this shows there is a definite plan in place and we aren’t just buying indiscriminantly.

Secondly that despite the obvious need for midfielders in the summer, we had also earmarked for a change in the forward line - presumably Bobby out Gakpo in, which suggests that funds aren’t so limited that we’ll have to compromise on the players we’re looking to bring in.

The money men weren’t adverse to making the money available earlier which shows they are working with Klopp and not at odds with him.

I could well be proved wrong, but I really don’t think the club is pissing into the wind here, or burying their metaphorical head in the sand.

Sure there was a misjudgement in the injury proneness of our group of midfielders, but other than that I think we’ll see after this summer that we are heading in the right direction.

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I’m amazed anyone wants Fabinho here next season. He can’t even do 10 minutes off the bench.

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Not going anywhere.

I think the midfield department has been mismanaged. We tried to buy a main man in Tchouameni, then according to Tomkins we also made late bids for Bellingham and Caicedo. When that didn’t materialize we got a last minute loan deal in to tide us over, and we appeared to take the gamble that the current group would be enough to see us through.

With injuries, age, and a steep drop in form, our hopes were misplaced.

That’s looking backwards.

Looking forwards, we simply have to refresh the engine room this summer, and we have to get it right. Bellingham and Kone for me, and I don’t care how many of the old guard we let go, along with contract expirations. The point is well made it is unlikely to be all of them, and even if they have disappointed, we have to retain some midfielders!

I’ve no problem with the money we spent up top to date. I can’t wait to see it when they are all fit, playing and in tune with each other. Frankly, I’d also be willing to let Mo go, if a bid came in and he wanted to go, so long as we could sign another good player, younger, for his position.

Klopp is building his next great team. For various reasons this season has been bad, but top four is not completely out of the question, even now.

Minor investment off the pitch, leading to a good summer, and we can look forward with renewed hope.

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So you see us keeping all our players until their contracts expire? Gomez Fab Thiago Matip Hendo etc

The new money for all these exciting players we’re gonna be bringing in will have to come from somewhere GR…

Maybe it just was a case of buying players for areas where we knew space would be opening up in the squad. Over the last 12 months we knew that would include Mane, Minamino, Origi and possible Salah for a while. Now we know we’ll have at least Ox and Keita going and probably Milner too and that opens up that need and space in the squad.

As you say though, the Gakpo one is very odd. We seem well stocked up top and even if Firmino is off (although rumours suggest Klopp would like him to stay). Did we need to spend £35-£40m to possibly replace him 6 months early when we’ve already also got Jota, Nunez, Salah and Carvalho to call on with Diaz on his way back from injury too. Maybe the Diaz injury is more serious than first feared perhaps?

How many exiting players do you expect us to sign in the summer?

That was not a gamble, that was a case of having to lie in the bed we’d made for ourselves by waiting until the last week of the window to consider that we needed to pursue a CM.

Some people have said that it speaks badly of our risk mitigation planning, using Utd landing Sabitzer as an emergency replacement for Erikson as an example of what it should look like. I think that ignores that we did in fact manage to get a deal done for a Brazilian international in his 20s who’d already amassed nearly 100 games for Juve and Barca. It ignores that emergency options become viable based on when they are available and there was no reason to believe a player of his caliber would have been available for that sort of move so early in his time at Bayern. It ignores that we simply might not have rated him and so been disinterested in him even if we thought he was available.

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Kermit The Frog Yes GIF

Also I think @The-AllMightyReds meant exciting sarcastically

Give me 2-3 signings I’ve never heard of, head down, at least two weeks of proper pre-season in the Alps without any media coverage and we’re flying in August.

:sunglasses:

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Well, if it’s going to be signings I’ve never heard of, let’s make it an even 4

We will get at least 4. :wink::wink:

I was counting Arthur as well as Ox and Naby. Thiago is the only one of the other four I’d consider a certainty to stay. Fabinho has been doing Jurgen’s head in all season, would be amazed if he can be arsed putting up with that for another year. Keeping both Milner and Henderson at this point to me at least just doesn’t feel right, it should be one or the other who is retained.

1 if we’re lucky.

We’ll probably be more excited by them after a few months working under Klopp.

He’s put up with Naby for five years and by all accounts wanted him to extend his stay…

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2 new midfielders in.

Probably 4 (Naby, Ox, Melo, Milner) out.

Thiago and Hendo aging and far from injury free.

Curtis no improvement in two years and now struggling with injuries.

Harvey and Stefan still very young.

2 or 3 injuries + one or two players out of form and we‘re back to this seasons problems.

Fabinho hasn’t been injured for a long time now (hope I don’t jinx him) and that’s one of reasons why I believe Klopp will keep him.

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Yes, I didn’t include keeping Fab because he’s first choice and we should build the team around him. There is a lot to do and it probably isn’t able to all be done in one window.

One of the priorities should be ensuring that Bajcetic isn’t run into the ground and start picking up injuries. His minutes need to managed correctly and if that means having a less than perfect Fab as a rotation option for another 12 months then so be it.

Even if he was still in top form, I’d be looking at moving him on in summer 2024 regardless.

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