Summer transfer window 2018

[Tes]

Yes, you read that right, 2018.

We've agreed a deal for £48M to sign Keita. He's had his medical, and we'll get him in July next year.

It's a shame we've not managed it for this Summer, but that's some real uncharacteristic smart thinking from the club. 

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/transfer-window/naby-keita-joins-liverpool-for-next-season-36076705.html

[Gurdeep]

Definate master stroke from the club....  NK is going to be on the biggest stage this season and it was reported that several other clubs were hovering around the player.  I'll most definitely be watching Red Bulls progress in this seasons CL as will other Reds fans I'm sure 😬

[Tes]

Marcus Rashford urged to leave Manchester United for Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/man-utd-rashford-transfer-liverpool-14511661

I know it's the least likeliest transfer of any player we will be linked with this Summer, but I'd love to have him in our squad. He offers something different to Mane, Salah and Firmino, and we'd be far stronger with him in the first team, than without him, if at any time one of those three weren't available, or give us a different dimension instead of one of them at times.

[Tes]

Dear Santa,

                   Can I have my present early this year. I'd like a new goalkeeper, please. A proper one.

[Tes]

Liverpool transfer news: Bookie reveals ‘flurry of bets’ on shock summer signing

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/968481/Liverpool-transfer-news-bookmaker-flurry-of-bets


By all means sign Butland if the price is right, but seeing as both Mignolet and Karius need shipping out, then Butland should only be secondary to either Oblak or Courtois, who looks as though he's on his way out of Chelsea.

With Real without a manager, we should try and get in before that changes. We know what we're getting with Courtois, and that he knows the score with the PL and can cope with it.

Alisson seemingly only has eyes for Real, which is hardly surprising considering he's South American, and we don't want someone who we know is only using us as a stepping stone. 

[Tes]

I don't get the link to Moses Simon. 2017/18 was his third season in Belgium's Jupiler League and he managed 6 goals and 3 assists in 33 matches, compared to our own Taiwo Awoniyi, who was on loan there last season, who contributed 10 goals and 8 assists in 31 games. Last season was Simon's most productive one also. 

[Tes]

Courtois is refusing to sign another contract with Chelsea and only has a year left on his deal.

Although he may like a move to Real, they have their eyes on De Gea and Alisson. Alisson wants to move to Real.

Chelsea are looking at Jasper Cillessen, Barca's second choice keeper because of the Courtois contract situation.

Therefore, let's make Chelsea and offer for Courtois. They get a fee, and we get a keeper that is in the top 5 in the world.

If we're going down the route of looking at the likes of Pope, McCarthy and Thomas Strakosha of Lazio, then we'd be better off giving Ward the shirt until January, and giving him a free run as no1, like Karius had last season. We may have our own Pope/McCarthy etc by the end of the season, without any outlay.

[Edward224]

Courtois will not leave Chelsea for us. His wife/partner lives in Madrid with his son and he wants to go back there. If Oblak leaves Atletico, he'll return there.

Certainly if he leaves Chelsea it will be somewhere nearer Spain if not Spain itself.

Plus Chelsea would never sell to us and don't need to.

[Tes]

So now we have the world's most expensive goalkeeper.

Ward gone, mixed feelings on that one, Mignolet linked with a £12.5M move to Besiktas (much more likely than the rumoured Barca link), and Karius has thrown his toys out of the pram over Becker.

We need an experienced pro as no2 and let Karius rebuild his career elsewhere.

Step forward Pepe Reina. I know he's just gone to AC Milan, but a UEFA loophole would allow us to sign him, and then maybe see about him becoming goalkeeping coach from next season.

[Edward224]

What qualifications has he got apart from used to have been a great goalkeeper to warrant being a goalkeeper coach?

[Tes]

What qualifications has he got apart from used to have been a great goalkeeper to warrant being a goalkeeper coach?

Hence the 'maybe see' qualification.  I haven't looked into whether Reina's being doing his coaching badges.

Chelsea look in panic mode re Courtois going awol. It would be sort of sweet if they were forced to take Mignolet off our hands. Then again, it would leave us with Karius, and under the circumstances, he's the one more in need of a move.
We probably let the wrong one out of the three goalkeepers go, but the fee we got for Ward was good, but money in the bank can't be a no2 keeper.

We're still looking thin at centre half. It will be interesting to see if Klopp sees Gomez as a centre half, and how he uses him there. With Lovren only having just returned to training, Matip out injured again, it looks like a toss up between Klavan and Gomez for West Ham.
Maybe Klopp's choice for that game will tell us something about how he views Gomez.

Hopefully after having got the new players bedded in during the first half of the season, we can do something in January about the centre half position. Too many changes in one go is never a great idea, so to a certain degree I can understand Klopp's reticence in changing and needing to bed in two of the defensive five.