January Transfer Window 2018

[the dude abides]

Reports in Portugal today suggest Liverpool are looking closely at Sporting Lisbon's 22-year-old winger, Gelson Martins. He has a release clause of €60million, but we are looking to pay just half of that amount.....and are willing to offer his a wage fives times what he earns now.

Apparently Martins was a Liverpool transfer target in the summer and at one stage looked to be an alternative to Salah when negotiations with Roma hit a roadblock.

It now appears as though the Portuguese winger wasn’t an alternative to the Egyptian forward but was actually targeted to supplement his arrival.

He has electric pace and a big shot.

[Tes]

I watched as much of him as I could in the Euros, as it was just before then we were first linked. He blow hot and cold.
I haven't seen much of him since and his goals/assists haven't moved on hugely. Then again, stats are no recommenders of real talent, or what a player could be capable of in the right environment.

One thing that's becoming so clear is that Klopp only buys a piece of the jigsaw. He doesn't want any one piece to be the bulk of the picture, but 'a part'. The collective will always produce more than any one individual ever could.

[the dude abides]

One thing that's becoming so clear is that Klopp only buys a piece of the jigsaw. He doesn't want any one piece to be the bulk of the picture, but 'a part'. The collective will always produce more than any one individual ever could.

yes, unlike Rodgers who brought in the second or third best player, for a specific position.......Klopp clearly will bide his time and wait til the player he wants is available.

I guess the difference is, Klopp's pulling power. 

Rodgers could have waited til the cow's came home, and still wouldn't have attracted top players to Liverpool.

When you bring in temporary make-do's, you then have the problem of moving them on, if/when your main target/upgrade becomes available.

Klopp is a patient man.

[Tes]

As we've had since the Summer, at least, to come up with an alternative way forward when Coutinho leaves (it was naive at best, and crass stupidity at worst to think he'd stay through 2 windows), and as our midfield is and has been for a long time, incapable of shielding the back four, to have not identified a midfielder to sort at least one of those issues, is just crazy.

So what if Keita's coming in the Summer. He's only one addition anyway. And what about this season? Do we just write off another season?

[the dude abides]

So what if Keita's coming in the Summer. He's only one addition anyway. And what about this season? Do we just write off another season?

Keita will be a great addition.  But like 95% of Klopp's purchases, he is offensive-minded.

Klopp doesn't do defence.....waste of money....and not sexy. 

I am somewhat surprised he even bothers to use a goalkeeper.

And the two central defenders would look better in clowns' outfits and juggling some balls.

[Tes]

Jurgen Klopp expects Emre Can to run down his Liverpool contract

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/11226593/jurgen-klopp-expects-emre-can-to-run-down-his-liverpool-contract

I hate to say it, but it is a fact - players are assets. As with all assets they have a financial value.

With the transfer fees having reached even more nonsensical levels than ever before, not losing a player that will need replacing, to a free transfer is even more vital than ever before. Whilst Can personally, at least in my opinion. isn't vital, his position is. We've needed to upgrade him for a while, but to upgrade will always cost additional funds on top of those raised by the sale of either that player, or the player he is replacing as a squad player. Now, with fees so high, it will not only cost us what we could have got for selling him last Summer, but also the entire fee to replace/upgrade him.

And why make him captain? That undermines the position of captain of our club, whether it's for one game or not. A player who refuses to commit, a player who will make sure we don't get a penny in compensation for his loss by way of a transfer fee, so he is the only one to benefit financially, and to the maximum, is not suitable to be be Liverpool FC captain, not even for a single minute.

We also need to remove the forcefield that makes him stop dead at the edge of our penalty area when he does his half hearted impression of tracking back.

[Tes]

An excellent point made by Bascombe:

Klopp, by contrast, has declared himself satisfied with his resources. He is astute enough to know this result raises inevitable questioning of his – and it is his – patient transfer policy. Ambitious clubs usually buy from a position of strength. Whatever the circumstances, Liverpool have developed an unhealthy habit of doing the reverse – selling their best players whenever they appear to be doing well.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/01/28/jurgen-klopp-left-baffled-following-liverpools-fa-cup-defeat/

[Tes]

So everyone above us, and Arsenal and Spurs are all strengthening their squads, meanwhile we're letting another potential supply of goals, in Sturridge, go out on loan to WBA.

Couldn't we at least try dropping Firmino deeper and playing Sturridge through the middle, and let him concentrate on doing what he's there to do, and that's score goals. We'd still get the work rate from Bobby in a deeper position anyway, and he's more creative and hardworking than any of our bunch of 'meh' midfielders.

So we've basically sold Coutinho to get Van Dijk and Keita.

Who goes next to generate the Summer's transfer budget?

[the dude abides]

So everyone above us, and Arsenal and Spurs are all strengthening their squads, meanwhile we're letting another potential supply of goals, in Sturridge, go out on loan to WBA.

Couldn't we at least try dropping Firmino deeper and playing Sturridge through the middle, and let him concentrate on doing what he's there to do, and that's score goals. We'd still get the work rate from Bobby in a deeper position anyway, and he's more creative and hardworking than any of our bunch of 'meh' midfielders.

I have to say that I am glad to see Dan gone.  Injury prone, often a yard off the pace, and a one-trick pony in recent years (I can always see him tee-ing up the same shot every opportunity....so predictable).

I agree, we should be playing further back - and thus allowing our attacking speed merchants lots of room to work in.

Suck the opposition out - and sucker punch them.

But NO, Mr Klopp would rather have every red player in the opposition half....and learns nothing, and keeps doing the same flawed plan, game after game, season after season.  Clueless.

[Tes]

'Fans care about winning NOT bank balances' - Liverpool owners blasted over January transfer dealings

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/fans-care-winning-not-bank-11937586

It's not often I'd agree with anything Christian Purslow has to say, but I agree totally with the sentiment, and some of his points.

It was either last Summer or this Summer to let Coutinho go. To let him go mid-season without having players lined up to replace his effect was sheer stupidity. If Keita is seen as a 'replacement' or the start of a slightly different direction of travel as far as our play goes, then either we get in another player to compliment that for the midfield, so that player has a season with us before being combined with Keita, and the change is (partially) enacted this season, or we say to Barca, Coutinho and his representatives that he can go next Summer when we get Keita. If we didn't want to 'force' Coutinho to stay beyond January, then we should have had Keita lined up to come in in January. If that wasn't possible then neither was Coutinho's move. Leipzig held firm with Keita, we should have done the same with Coutinho - I don't like having players at the club against their will, but it's better than totally being without.

When Coutinho was playing in the front three, we essentially had two attackers and one creator. When played as part of the 'midfield' three, we had three attackers and a creator in 'midfield'.
Now we have three attackers, and no creator in midfield. It was great that Coutinho was a chance creator and a goalscorer. We're unlikely to get a player as good that does both, so maybe therefore Klopp should have looked at getting either a creator for the midfield three (it wouldn't have hurt having the addition of Coutinho also in the 'front three') or a goalscoring midfielder, and then looked at playing Salah and Mane as the two attackers (free to roam all across the front line, not just play as more conventional strikers/forwards, and then used Bobby in behind as a creator who would play both in behind Mane and Salah, but also go beyond into a more traditional central striker's position, giving us maximum fluidity and variation in one. Then we have the goalscoring midfielder (ala Lampard) able to link deeper midfield to Bobby and then Mane/Salah, and making later runs into the box, providing goals from midfield for this second half of the season, and helping us undo deep sitting defensive teams without Coutinho's 'eye of a needle' passing.

The £35M/£40M spent on Oxlade-Chamberlain should have gone on the 'partial replacement for' / 'way forward after' Coutinho.

[Tes]

How about a cheeky £75M bid for Eriksen tomorrow ahead of Sunday's game? Who knows, Levy may just be tempted. 

[Tes]

Markovic has gone on loan to Anderlecht - as any other Liverpool player every had as many loan spells.

Flanagan's gone to Bolton on loan.

Harry Wilson's off to Hull, though he has signed a new contract with us.

[the dude abides]

It was either last Summer or this Summer to let Coutinho go. To let him go mid-season without having players lined up to replace his effect was sheer stupidity.

looked at playing Salah and Mane as the two attackers (free to roam all across the front line, not just play as more conventional strikers/forwards, and then used Bobby in behind as a creator who would play both in behind Mane and Salah, but also go beyond into a more traditional central striker's position, giving us maximum fluidity

agreed re timing of Coutinho's move.   Clearly he must have been very pizzed to not have got the move last summer - and it was close to downing tools time IMHO  That's what it feels like from the outside looking on.

Re Salah and Mane as our two strikers.  I have been saying the same here since the start of the season - I felt last year, that Mane could be developed into a great striker (just needs more confidence).  And when I saw Salah this season, I felt Mane and Salah could be a modern Toshack/Keegan partnership. 

To me, as much as I love him, Bobby Firmino is not your typical english striker. 

[Tes]

Barcelona news: Philippe Coutinho causing problems for Ernesto Valverde - report

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/930750/Barcelona-news-Philippe-Coutinho-causing-problems-Ernesto-Valverde


"However, it appears his move may be turning sour.

According to Spanish outlet Diario Gol, Coutinho is refusing to change his position from an attacker to a midfield-based outlet.

The 25-year-old has been deployed alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in attack of late.

But the publication claims Valverde wants Coutinho to fill the hole which will be left when Andres Iniesta calls time on his glittering career.

And the new arrival's reluctance to alter his stance may lead to a change of Barcelona's transfer policy."


Well, well. The grass is really greener in Liverpool than in Barcalona.

Sometimes players really don't understand when they are actually well off.

£25M and we'll take him off your hands.