Harry Kane
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Luis Suarez
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Yeh, him as well. Suarez would’ve scored a hat trick today.
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I guess those reports of Klopp wanting to Prioritise a forward make sense now.
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Need three new top players to freshen up the squad, provide more options and ultimately improve it. Central defender, midfielder and a forward. This season has been disappointing. Next season we need to be looking to win the title once more.
Konate looks like it might happen. He’s had a few injuries which is a concern. Haven’t really seen him play so can’t draw too many conclusions. That said I don’t think we’ll have enough funds to sign multiple players. Therefore signing another central defender on top don’t see it as too feasible. Think we’d have to stick with van-Dijk, Gomez, Konate, Matip and Fabinho as an emergency option. Rest of the centre backs either sell or let go to generate some funds.
Midfield will need strengthening with Wijnaldum all but gone. Plus the need to rotate and compete on all fronts will demand another player. There’s a need for a more attacking player, but then another central midfielder as well. There’s a few options out there such as Bissouma, Camavinga, Aouar and Bellingham. Not all inexpensive either but there’s likely a few other players we could target as well.
A new forward is pivotal. We’ve struggled in front of goal this season. Chances too often missed, goal conversion poor and its been detrimental to a number of victories. That aside there’s also AFCON where we’ll be without Mane and Salah which heightens the need.
Mbappe and Haaland are your obvious names but don’t seem them as likely options at this stage. Either the club goes large, signs a big player or we’ll really need to strike gold. Mane and Firmino haven’t really delivered this season. Jota has been good, good signing but don’t really see him as an elite level player.
Lautaro Martinez might be an option. From the few games I’ve seen he’s a talented player. Scores a decent amount and works hard as well. Might be too expensive though. Sancho is another option but not really a pure goal scorer and again quite expensive. There must be a few players out there as alternatives.
While I feel there’s a need for three new players whether the funds will be there is another question. However don’t think we can go into next season without a new forward.
Mbappe please
If i were a forward i’d be very wary of coming here not because of no CL but because you’d have to wait till Bobby and Sadio either break down, left the club or retired to even get a sniff. Sadio and Bobby could go 3 years without a goal between them and they’d still be some of the first names on Klopp’s team sheet. Similarly in midfield, Gini plays every minute of every game when he has been woeful most of the season, though he is leaving so Klopp can’t be forced to play him which gives hope for playing time to a possible new addition. Same with Robbo at left back who looks like we’re waiting for him to break down completely for Tsimikas to even get a look in which is unfortunate. It took an injury to Moreno who had been woeful for a long time for Robertson to finally get his chance.
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Crap finishing update: after the Newcastle game, it’s now 6/173… or 3.47%, if you prefer.
Where’s the hanging rope emoji?
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Some amount of discussion on last season in the fantasy football who would you buy thread!!
Anyway
Obviously if Konate is a done deal, him and Kabak to augment VVD and Matip. Gomez or VVD might struggle post injury so adding two isnt unrealistic.
Midfield: Gini is gone, Keita has just dissapointed so realistically we have Fabinho, Hendo, Thiago, Milner…Ox isnt the same player as a while back so we need to add someone creative. Maddison, Grealish or St Maxima as AM?
Up front we need to consider Origi as gone.
Mane in poor vein of gorm but that can change.
Bobby might move.
Keep Salah at all costs, Elliot on one more loan year.
Add one huge money and a cheaper model:
Kane/Haaland/Mbappe
Plus
Aguero or Suarez
Shaq to go as well.
Big investments required.
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Some comments:
Keita and Ox must go - let the buyers make the prices to speed up their exits. Shaqiri IMO clearly can still add value but Klopp tends to refuse to play him - a tendency that dates way back from 2018. Wilson is a mug, so he must leave as well.
Maddison and Grealish are too pricey, and if we launch a big swoop it should be for Sancho. There are rumours that Henry wants to mend relations with fan by swooping Sancho - if it is real then I welcome it.
Aguero salary is a bit too high, but we can afford whatever wage level Atletico pays so Suarez will be a good option. Perhaps we can buy Watkins as well.
Need two more CMs: Bellingham, Camavinga, Rice, Neuhaus. We should not rule out bringing back Emre Can either - IMO, we can buy both Can and Sancho at a price somewhat lower than their combined individual prices.
As for CBs, we’d better spending £25-30m on Sven Botman or Caleta-Car than £20m on Kabak.
That’s just not true, is it???
Jota came and immediately earned his place in the starting XI, not just in the matchday squad. Origi has been given enough opportunities not just to redeem himself but to spare the regular attackers.
Who would have played instead of Wijnaldum? Keita! AOC! Both of them has been either in the treatment room or absolute dire whenever they given minutes. Curtis has played considerable minutes because he has been available and good.
Robertson? Think it has been discussed in detail already.
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The problem is just because we want a player doesn’t mean the player would want to come here as well. Suarez is a guaranteed starter at Atletico. And without CL football it isn’t going to be easy to attract many players especially the likes of Suarez, Aguero, etc. Emre Can left for a reason and he’s not coming back (and wouldn’t want him back as well honestly). We’ll need to unearth another Jota, Fabinho, Robbo kind of player somehow.
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Based on the last 4 months we have 2 open spots for forwards.
My view is we need to replace either Mane or Bobby, we keep the one Klopp thinks after a rest will rediscover their form. We can’t keep both of them, or if we do they would become rotation and I doubt either wants that.
A proper shake up of the forward line is needed. All of them are guilty of utter complacency for a very long time.
Salah gets a bit of a pass because he is still scoring goals, yet even he is missing too much.
It’s not just goal scoring either, which whilst the ultimate goal for a forward there is this whole mentality drop 2nd half when things aren’t going our way. The amount of turn overs is directly contributing to us conceding late goals, putting our back line under pressure and then it all implodes. It’s criminal the amount of times the front 3/4 lost possession.
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Attack
Origi and Shaqiri out.
New CF, Minamino in. + keep Harvey if we have 5 subs in European competition.
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The idea of Shaqiri bieng prioritized over Keita/Chamberlain when it comes to who is out really hurts my brain.
If new regulations on non-home grown players are enforced, then we have to abandon Camavinga.
If anything, these last few weeks have shown that Klopp doesn’t have too much faith in squad players, especially those whose price tags suggested they were brought in as future mainstays. That was a big problem this season, I got the impression that numbers from squad players have been gradually dwindling (if anyone has the stats, please share them - different circumstances but I think that players coming off the bench in Klopp’s first two seasons here had uncharacteristically high number of goals and assists).
Considering that we won’t be playing in CL next season, maybe the sights will be set a bit lower but signing, say, Konate, Bissouma and a centre forward really shouldn’t be far fetched. Maybe even Kabak, who knows, but I’m really torn on him - I have a feeling that he’s going to become a really good centre back one day but I’m still convinced it won’t be at Liverpool (too slow off the mark if I’m being honest and too quick to break the defensive line, though his other attributes, like ability on the ball and one-on-ones for most of the time, have surprised me positively).
It does feel like between players coming back from injuries (hopefully fully recovered) and some new faces coming in, the squad should look as strong on paper as it did before that unfortunate Everton match. That said, new contracts for certain players could have a major effect on squad planning (who will get an offer, will they be satisfied with it etc.). I imagine that Elliott is the only player currently out on loan with a future at Liverpool, the rest won’t be offered new deals and will likely be sold or have their loans extended. Alisson, Van Dijk and Fabinho should get those new contracts, I imagine Salah and Mane will as well but you never know… And I’m really not sure about Keita, maybe to protect his value?
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I know Firmino plays a ‘unique’ role in the side but surely there is a striker out there with a similar skill set who is actually clinical and can score a few goals?