The answer is yes.
I’d still have two more midfielders coming in , regardless of whether they play a #6 , #8. Plus one more youth midfielder coming in…
And then a CB
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That, my friend, is a truly bewildering reply.
I’d take two midfielders based on the lack of indication that Matip or Phillips are going anywhere anytime soon.
Thiago almost definitely leaving next summer and as things stand I’d be looking for Fabinho to leave too. If the midfield players are available now I’d rather spend the next year phasing those two out and new players in.
If a suitable 3rd midfielder isn’t available, but a CB is, then I’d be on board with that.
Need a 6 and a left footed CB especially if we are moving towards that back 3
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I’d still go for two midfielders. Reasons:
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Midfielder stocks are shooting up too fast. Over last two years, we’ve already missed two, possibly three midfield targets that we wanted but couldn’t get.
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Delaying CB might still be fine for another year unless Matip leaves now. I think our 3 at the back shift is not yet set in stone. Next season probably decides it. There’s also Tsimikas to consider. Personally, I don’t think we’ll sell him yet, purely because we’re going to be in transition.
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We’ll most likely have 3 more first team midfielders leaving over next 1-2 years (Thiago, Fabinho, Hendo). If we buy 2 more right now, we might not even need to worry about needing to urgently replace them as by that time Bajcetic / Elliot / Curtis could be fully first team ready.
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I think our next CB signing needs to be Virgil’s successor. And that might mean big money. Can we do that now, with at least one more midfielder still coming in? Do we have that budget? Next season, we can just focus on the CB and nothing else. I think this, and GK, is one department where we need proven goods.
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More than the number of new players and looking beyond this summer at January or the summer of 2024, I simply want the right players and I want quality. Knowing that we can’t get the top end product this summer (like often), I want stylistically logical moves. Of course, this summer one player won’t do it, we need a few. Do I think we absolutely need 3 CM’s and not 2? No.
Between now and future transfer windows, many things can happen. Positive and negative, like we see all the time, but especially in problematic times like we are having now.
We might have a broad idea what we might need then, but I don’t think even Klopp himself already knows exactly what we will do in bloody January or in one year. That’s more preparation work for our recruitment team, so simply business as usual. It’s not on the agenda now or decision time. Unless there’s a big opportunity on the market, which can happen sometimes.
The damage this season was such that we first have to see how we are in pre-season and at the start of the coming season. Can we revive our broken playing principles (only somewhat recovered near the end of the season)? And that will not solely (or even mainly) depend on our new signings (if we can even get a few more in time), but existing/remaining players as well.
Let’s do what we need to do and can do this summer, then in pre-season and going into next season, we’ll have a clearer idea. Are we improving, going back to a high level or not? Within that, who is back performing and who isn’t? There are often some surprises there, good and bad. Who of the new signings are showing immediate impact and who isn’t?
This summer there are more question marks over us, perhaps more than ever under Klopp and transfers alone won’t solve everything. That’s why I’m saying for weeks and months now, especially without CL football: buy only what absolutely makes sense and hopefully it will be part of getting our shit together, back on track.
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Gomez hasn’t done well as a CB recently and he is likely to be used mostly as a backup RB next season, that creates an immediate vacancy. Matip is a fitness concern and he will leave next summer. VVD will be 32 in July, had a poor season, and unlikely to play any significant role beyond 2025. All these combined means Konate is the only competent long-term CB. To be absolutely blunt, there isn’t even a reliable third CB.
Fabinho isn’t what he used to be and he will be 30 in October, but he is still very much serviceable with better/fitter midfielders ahead of him. Henderson, if used sparingly, can be a good backup for the #6 position while Bajcetic has shown enough to be considered as an option. So, all things considered, I feel that a midfielder and a CB should the priority in this window.
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Another midfielder, ideally one that could do a bit of 6 and 8 and a centre back for me.
Two new midfielders plus the emergence of Bajcetic should suffice. Yes we’ll pick up knocks and yes we need to manage minutes but two should be able to replace the minutes of Ox, Keita and Milner.
A centre back is a must. Suspect Gomez will be used as a right back option more frequently. With Matip off next summer it’d be nice to get the new guy integrated now rather than possibly trying to settle two in next summer.
Then if budget and opportunity allows a third midfielder would be great. Of course that’s dependent on outgoings but I can’t see anything other than youth teamers and fringe players we’ll not greatly miss.
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Klopp in end of February
We know we have to improve, we know we have to change things, and we will. We cannot do that now, but it’s already clear that we have to do something in the summer.
Should be closer to 6 new players than to 3 based on this. Could be one or two young signings like Carvalho and Ramsey but changes are needed.
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In what way does this indicate 6 rather than 3?
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Season was horrible at times. Squad in a mess. 4 senior players and a loan player left.
Do we want to compete for Top4 or compete for all 4 competitions we are in? Good luck in doing latter with 3 or 4 new players if two of them are 22 years young (Micky and Thuram).
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4 senior players and a loan player left.
Bobby - already replaced by Gakpo
Naby and Ox - already replaced by Mac Allister.
Arthur (who was a replacement for Naby/Ox never almost played) see above
Milner - Role and minutes to be replaced by Hendo.
So we definitely need a further midfielder to replace Hendo.
With just two additions we’d be in a better state than last year. With 3 or 4 we’ll be even better.
If you want to argue for 6, then by all means. My question was what in what Klopp said suggests a need for 6 players?
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“Cant win anything with kids…”
Take midfield alone.
New signings Mac Allister and Thuram. Might need time to adapt or help from the start. Or never make it here. Again Thuram is 22 with no PL experience.
Thiago and Hendo - will they suddenly be better than last season?
Jones, Elliott, Bajcetic - are we expecting them to continue with their development like it’s a video game? Young players tend to struggle in their second senior years. Normal thing. Ask Curtis. Kid had two rough years.
Sooo. Are we replacing 4 midfielders on the book with two new midfielders? Where does the extra quality coming from?
Minimalistic approach again and hoping for the best. Let’s gooo
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Firstly we haven’t signed Thuram.
But ignoring that, I believe Hendo and Thiago will be more effective next season because we will have a bigger pool of players to pick from. They will both have their minutes managed better and hopefully be more available as a result.
I’m not counting on Jones, Elliott, or Bajcetic to be playing as first choice regulars. If they can, then great, they’ll have done it on merit. If they can’t, I’m sure that depending on them less because of new additions will help them in their development.
I already covered why we don’t need to ‘replace’ 4 midfielders.
You still haven’t explained why what Klopp said indicates a need for 6 players…
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We should be buying Kone as fabs replacement.
Fab, Hendo, Thiago, Milner, Ox, Naby + Jones and Elliott
I remember the senior players were healthy early in preseason and some of them ‘looked like new signings’ yet again.
Oh and we loaned in Arthur.
So how is that pool of players to pick from smaller than
Fab, Hendo, Thiago, Mac Allister, 2nd new CM
especially if
Like I’m ignoring your Klopp question you are ignoring maths, Fabs form, Hendos age, Thiagos age and injuries.
The minimalistic approach with two new midfielders can work but it’s probably more of a 50:50.
I’m not ignoring any of those.
If you care to look back in the thread, you will see I answered Ifti that I would like us to bring in three midfielders.
This would give us a pool of Hendo, Thiago, Fabinho, Mac Allister, Jones, Elliott, Bajcetic, and two more which is 9 players. Both in actual number and availabilty this is already better than what we had available last year.
I’ve already said I see Hendo transitioning to the Milner role because of his age, I said we can use Thiago less and more effectively because of the new players.
If Fab’s form continues then whoever we sign as a 6 type player will end up ahead if him.
I still expect Elliot, Jones and Bajcetic to be important players in the squad, I just don’t see them being in our ‘best’ line up by the end of the season.
I’m going to just assume by your repeated refusal to answer my actual question that there is nothing in what Klopp said that has any indication on the number of players we will be looking to sign this summer. Even if that ends up being 6 or more.
#6 Kone
#8 Thuram
Keep the current central defenders and let SVDB phase out Matip
Sorted.
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