Liverpool - 2017/18

[Speedy30]

What do you need? Keita in, Can might leave. From the outside you'd think a DM, fullback and goalie.

We need another forward as well. If one of our front 3 get injured, we only have Solanke or Ings to fall back on so we need more quality there.
Another MF player to play alongside Keita as well as a DM would be good to have. I don't think Henderson is the answer although he does perform well when called upon but Milner will need replacing as well.
There's a few gaps that we need to fill but it's certainly not a major overhaul of the squad.

 

[Jamie L]

We need another forward as well. If one of our front 3 get injured, we only have Solanke or Ings to fall back on so we need more quality there.
Another MF player to play alongside Keita as well as a DM would be good to have. I don't think Henderson is the answer although he does perform well when called upon but Milner will need replacing as well.
There's a few gaps that we need to fill but it's certainly not a major overhaul of the squad.

I think the most solid links have been Alisson and Jorginho, so it definitely looks like we’re targeting a top class keeper and a defensive midfielder/ deep lying playmaker type. Although the club, through James Pearce at the Echo, have denied the Alisson speculation the links from Italy keep coming. On the Anfield Wrap last night they were wondering whether the club were negotiating behind the scenes, whilst backing Karius in public so as not to knock his confidence.

I think that Naby Keita is the midfield Coutinho replacement, whilst we’re still looking at a front three, left forward Coutinho replacement, as he was really two players for us.

Whether we end up getting Alisson and Jorginho remains to be seen as they’re both quality players who will surely have plenty of options. Still, it’s a good sign of our progression I think, to be solidly linked with this class of player. Especially with Keita, Van Diijk, Mane, Firmino and Salah already here or confirmed.

Makes a difference to the days of Downing, Carroll, Lambert, Adam, Balotelli and Aspas anyway!

 

[Speedy30]

I think the most solid links have been Alisson and Jorginho, so it definitely looks like we’re targeting a top class keeper and a defensive midfielder/ deep lying playmaker type. Although the club, through James Pearce at the Echo, have denied the Alisson speculation the links from Italy keep coming. On the Anfield Wrap last night they were wondering whether the club were negotiating behind the scenes, whilst backing Karius in public so as not to knock his confidence.

I think that Naby Keita is the midfield Coutinho replacement, whilst we’re still looking at a front three, left forward Coutinho replacement, as he was really two players for us.

Whether we end up getting Alisson and Jorginho remains to be seen as they’re both quality players who will surely have plenty of options. Still, it’s a good sign of our progression I think, to be solidly linked with this class of player. Especially with Keita, Van Diijk, Mane, Firmino and Salah already here or confirmed.

Makes a difference to the days of Downing, Carroll, Lambert, Adam, Balotelli and Aspas anyway!

Urgh, don't remind me! I remember trying to convince myself that they were great additions as Downing would supply the crosses for Carroll to nod in Thankfully we've come along way in the last 6/7 years

 

[OneFootball]

What do you need? Keita in, Can might leave. From the outside you'd think a DM, fullback and goalie.

As things stand we need a minium of 3 players to come into starting 11. Keita is already signed but we need 2 CM’s alongside him. Klopp isn’t going to sign an out and out DM, he’s stated that and wants the role shared so we’re looking at someone that can attack and defend. The other midfielder needs to be someone who links the attack but would also offer a bit more defensively than Coutinho. That player could indeed be Firmino but then we’d need a CF between Mane and Salah who also possesses the same workrate as Firmino to replace him!
And the third player would be a CB to partner VVD.
Should Karius continue in his upward motion, knowing Klopp’s way, he’ll give him next season too.

 

[Rob]

What do you need? Keita in, Can might leave. From the outside you'd think a DM, fullback and goalie.

Not sure about the fullback as Clyne is coming back and Robertson looks good. A keeper, dm and striker would be my priorities as Solanke and Ings are our current backups to Firmino. I think they have 4 or 5 goals between them in the last two years.

 

[Jayus20]

What do you need? Keita in, Can might leave. From the outside you'd think a DM, fullback and goalie.

Our fullbacks are fine. Robertson has been excellent and Moreno is fine as a back up if we take into account his form at the start of the season. Clyne is back and is always reliable and Trent-AA is taking leaps and bounds foward. Even Gomez while covering Clyne has look great bar a couple of lapses in concentration.

Basically we definitely need a new #6. I'd much rather a deep lying playmaker #6 like a Xabi Alonso mould than a "true CDM" and as @OneFootball said I'm pretty sure Klopp has made that clear previously that he's not interested in signing a CDM. Jorginho certainly matches the criteria for that role which is why I was so excited when we got linked to him. Another player I quite like for that role is Rabiot who coincidentally is a Liverpool fan.

Beyond the #6 role I think there's 3 other positions we should be considering:
- New #10 which again as OneFootball said they'd need to be able to link the attack but also offer a bit more in terms of defensive work rate than Coutinho did. Fekir would be the ideal pick for me. He's got a similar defensive work rate as Firmino (in terms of tackles and interceptions), he's excellent on the ball and provides a lot of chances for others. He also can cover both wings and play as a false 9 which is a huge appeal for me as well as it gives us an easy solution to resting Firmino, Mane and Salah.
- New RCB. I feel like Matip and Lovren are on trial for that RCB position right now and if neither show they're of the quality we need then I'd sell the worst and bring in a new CB. Obviously I'd love Alderweireld but that won't be easy.
- New GK. Similar thing for Karius, he's basically on trial at the moment. Mignolet will go in the summer so we'll sign a keeper regardless I'm sure. But whether we get a new number 1 or number 2 is purely based on Karius' performances until the end of the season. We're being really strongly linked with Alisson and he looks absolutely class so I'm all for it regardless of how Karius plays.

3-4 high quality signings in those positions above and I personally believe we'll have our best PL squad ever, better than 08/09. Lets hope that Coutinho money + summer sales gets used well!

 

[TheReligion]

Our fullbacks are fine. Robertson has been excellent and Moreno is fine as a back up if we take into account his form at the start of the season. Clyne is back and is always reliable and Trent-AA is taking leaps and bounds foward. Even Gomez while covering Clyne has look great bar a couple of lapses in concentration.

Basically we definitely need a new #6. I'd much rather a deep lying playmaker #6 like a Xabi Alonso mould than a "true CDM" and as @OneFootball said I'm pretty sure Klopp has made that clear previously that he's not interested in signing a CDM. Jorginho certainly matches the criteria for that role which is why I was so excited when we got linked to him. Another player I quite like for that role is Rabiot who coincidentally is a Liverpool fan.

Beyond the #6 role I think there's 3 other positions we should be considering:
- New #10 which again as OneFootball said they'd need to be able to link the attack but also offer a bit more in terms of defensive work rate than Coutinho did. Fekir would be the ideal pick for me. He's got a similar defensive work rate as Firmino (in terms of tackles and interceptions), he's excellent on the ball and provides a lot of chances for others. He also can cover both wings and play as a false 9 which is a huge appeal for me as well as it gives us an easy solution to resting Firmino, Mane and Salah.
- New RCB. I feel like Matip and Lovren are on trial for that RCB position right now and if neither show they're of the quality we need then I'd sell the worst and bring in a new CB. Obviously I'd love Alderweireld but that won't be easy.
- New GK. Similar thing for Karius, he's basically on trial at the moment. Mignolet will go in the summer so we'll sign a keeper regardless I'm sure. But whether we get a new number 1 or number 2 is purely based on Karius' performances until the end of the season. We're being really strongly linked with Alisson and he looks absolutely class so I'm all for it regardless of how Karius plays.

3-4 high quality signings in those positions above and I personally believe we'll have our best PL squad ever, better than 08/09. Lets hope that Coutinho money + summer sales gets used well!

Coutinho money already spent lad

 

[ShadesOfTomato]

Pretty sure we won't be signing a number 10. Any 'Coutinho replacement' is likely to be another forward player who we can rotate with Mane/Firmino/Salah.

 

[RichMet]

Coutinho money already spent lad

From the point of view of a Man United fan, I bet you really want that to be the case.

 

[TheReligion]

From the point of view of a Man United fan, I bet you really want that to be the case.

It's a fact son

 

[Jayus20]

It's a fact son

Well it really isn’t.

“The German coach dismissed suggestions that the Coutinho money had effectively already been spent in securing deals for Virgil van Dijk and Naby Keita.


“We will get all the money,” Klopp said.”

All you literally need to do is read a little and you'll find Klopp made it very clear that the money hasn’t been spent and he will get it all to spend this summer. But if it makes you feel better claiming your wishful thinking is facts please keep it going!:-)

Pretty sure we won't be signing a number 10. Any 'Coutinho replacement' is likely to be another forward player who we can rotate with Mane/Firmino/Salah.

It was reported by Joyce our priority targets are Alisson, Jorginho and a Coutinho replacement. Joyce doesn’t normally publish information until he’s confident it’s correct. I feel like it makes more sense to go with #10 that can play in midfield as well as on the wings rather than a straight up winger as it gives us more rotation options. Our 3rd midfielder spot still isn’t brilliant, Oxlade and Lallana are good players but they can still be improved on definitely.

 

[RichMet]

It's a fact son

You seem so certain, I can only assume you either have unrestricted access to Liverpools finances or unparalleled information on Liverpools transfer plans.

Or perhaps you have no clue and are guessing wildly.

 

[TheReligion]

Well it really isn’t.

“The German coach dismissed suggestions that the Coutinho money had effectively already been spent in securing deals for Virgil van Dijk and Naby Keita.


“We will get all the money,” Klopp said.”

All you literally need to do is read a little and you'll find Klopp made it very clear that the money hasn’t been spent and he will get it all to spend this summer. But if it makes you feel better claiming your wishful thinking is facts please keep it going!:-)



It was reported by Joyce our priority targets are Alisson, Jorginho and a Coutinho replacement. Joyce doesn’t normally publish information until he’s confident it’s correct. I feel like it makes more sense to go with #10 that can play in midfield as well as on the wings rather than a straight up winger as it gives us more rotation options. Our 3rd midfielder spot still isn’t brilliant, Oxlade and Lallana are good players but they can still be improved on definitely.

Yeah you will get all the money as he says. Just a shame a big chunk is going to RB Leipzig in the summer.

Wouldn't believe what Klopp says anyway since he has no clue about the club's finances and regularly contradicts himself a la Pogba and VVD.

 

[B20]

Coutinho money already spent lad

And elsewhere you're telling us that liverpool have spent loads and that net spend doesn't matter. WUM.

 

[TheReligion]

And elsewhere you're telling us that liverpool have spent loads and that net spend doesn't matter. WUM.

Takes one to know one

 

[TheReligion]

You seem so certain, I can only assume you either have unrestricted access to Liverpools finances or unparalleled information on Liverpools transfer plans.

Or perhaps you have no clue and are guessing wildly.

Think it's a pretty fair assessment given the timing of the Coutinho sale.

 

[Jayus20]

Yeah you will get all the money as he says. Just a shame a big chunk is going to RB Leipzig in the summer.

Wouldn't believe what Klopp says anyway since he has no clue about the club's finances and regularly contradicts himself a la Pogba and VVD.

Oh so now your narrative has changed from the Coutinho money is spent, to £55m of the Coutinho money is spent on Keita. Regardless of that, Keita was bought last summer and originally we put in a £66m bid for him which we would have paid then and there if we'd be able to get him in the summer. Clearly there was money remaining from the summer after our failed bids for Lemar and Keita which is more than likely the money used on Keita this summer. My assumption is you're deliberately trying to wind me up, but I'll happily play the game.

Not sure how Klopp saying he wouldn't want to spend £100m on a player and that he'd rather do it differently means he has no clue about the club's finances? Any reason why those two are linked because I certainly don't see how they are. Not sure about for you but 1.5 years is a long time to me and things change. The market's certainly changed since then and clearly so did Klopp's thinking after realising he has to try to and compete with two guys spending £300-£400m over the space of 2 years on players. I'd be disappointed if Klopp didn't spend big this summer, we made a healthy profit this year and that should also be reinvested in the squad as well.

Think it's a pretty fair assessment given the timing of the Coutinho sale.

That sale was forced. It was widely reported we offered him £250,000 a week to stay but he wasn't interested. He was sold because he was disrupting the team and Klopp felt like we had a strong enough squad without him. The money was there for Van Dijk and Keita in the summer when Coutinho was told he wasn't going to be sold and even after we'd bought Van Dijk we tried to keep hold of Coutinho by offering him an extra 100k a week so quite clearly the twos fees aren't related at all.

 

[TheReligion]

Just to get it straight I do think some of the Coutinho money will be available to spend however given the massive amounts Klopp has thrown around lately to believe there is a vault inside Anfield containing 140m ready for Klopp to use in the summer is naive and downright laughable.

It would be totally against the way the club has operated under this regime and fails to take into account the limited profit generated in comparison to other big club's. In addition the new stand, increased wages and arrival of another mega money signing in Keita.

A portion will be available but some has been spent and some will be lining the owners pockets.

 

[TheReligion]

Oh so now your narrative has changed from the Coutinho money is spent, to £55m of the Coutinho money is spent on Keita. Regardless of that, Keita was bought last summer and originally we put in a £66m bid for him which we would have paid then and there if we'd be able to get him in the summer. Clearly there was money remaining from the summer after our failed bids for Lemar and Keita which is more than likely the money used on Keita this summer. My assumption is you're deliberately trying to wind me up, but I'll happily play the game.

Not sure how Klopp saying he wouldn't want to spend £100m on a player and that he'd rather do it differently means he has no clue about the club's finances? Any reason why those two are linked because I certainly don't see how they are. Not sure about for you but 1.5 years is a long time to me and things change. The market's certainly changed since then and clearly so did Klopp's thinking after realising he has to try to and compete with two guys spending £300-£400m over the space of 2 years on players. I'd be disappointed if Klopp didn't spend big this summer, we made a healthy profit this year and that should also be reinvested in the squad as well.



That sale was forced. It was widely reported we offered him £250,000 a week to stay but he wasn't interested. He was sold because he was disrupting the team and Klopp felt like we had a strong enough squad without him. The money was there for Van Dijk and Keita in the summer when Coutinho was told he wasn't going to be sold and even after we'd bought Van Dijk we tried to keep hold of Coutinho by offering him an extra 100k a week so quite clearly the twos fees aren't related at all.

Not sure why it would wind you up?

To think all of the money is sat waiting to be spent is silly. As per my post.

 

[Rob]

Just to get it straight I do think some of the Coutinho money will be available to spend however given the massive amounts Klopp has thrown around lately to believe there is a vault inside Anfield containing 140m ready for Klopp to use in the summer is naive and downright laughable.

It would be totally against the way the club has operated under this regime and fails to take into account the limited profit generated in comparison to other big club's. In addition the new stand, increased wages and arrival of another mega money signing in Keita.

A portion will be available but some has been spent and some will be lining the owners pockets.

Klopp has a negative net spend in the last two seasons.

That being said, it could, like you’re implying, suggest that our owners are in it only to profit. I like to think that we have a big pile of cash ready for when Klopp finds his targets, though

Btw, what do you mean by “limited income”? Compared to who?

 

[RobinLFC]

Not sure why it would wind you up?

To think all of the money is sat waiting to be spent is silly. As per my post.

It's perfectly realistic to assume we will spend more than £100m this summer if Klopp's targets are available and want to join us. If we don't, it will be because he won't settle for #2 options like we've done so many times in the past, not because we don't have the money.



We are better off financially than we ever were before. Not in the region of United probably, but still better off than ever before.

 

[Jayus20]

Just to get it straight I do think some of the Coutinho money will be available to spend however given the massive amounts Klopp has thrown around lately to believe there is a vault inside Anfield containing 140m ready for Klopp to use in the summer is naive and downright laughable.

It would be totally against the way the club has operated under this regime and fails to take into account the limited profit generated in comparison to other big club's. In addition the new stand, increased wages and arrival of another mega money signing in Keita.

A portion will be available but some has been spent and some will be lining the owners pockets.

"Some will be lining the owners pockets" this is a common misconception. The owners haven't taken a dime out of the club to line their own pockets. Any profit made has been reinvested in the club in some manner and their individual profits will come from the increase in value of the club when they eventually sell it. Right now the club is worth nearly 4 times the amount they purchased it for (bought for ~300m and roughly worth 1.1b now) and it's only on the increase. The club made a £39m profit in 2017 and that was without Champions League money. Assuming a similar year plus probably at least around £50m-£60m from UCL revenue if we don't get past the quarters we could be approaching a £100m profit in 2018. The reason our profit has been limited to non-existent over the last 7-8 years is due to the restructuring and refinancing of the club after the mess with Hicks and Gillett. The club is in a position now where it should be able to make consistent profits year on year especially if we hold on to our position in the UCL.

This is me speaking from a business consultant point of view but to me the only logical next step now that they've comfortably stabilised the club is invest heavily in the squad this summer just like they attempted to last summer. The easiest way to increase the value of this club is by it winning trophies. Typically club valuations are based on 5 key components: profitability, club popularity, sporting potential, broadcasting rights and stadium ownership. By investing heavily in the squad you increase sporting potential a lot and if you buy the right nationality players you also have a good chance of improving club popularity as well. Mo Salah being a prime example for that as there's been a huge increase in popularity for the club in Egypt.

If we bought Pulisic for example it'd increase our popularity in America quite significantly. Investing heavily in the squad (say £200m) would likely only cost the owners half that because straight off the bat the sporting potential of the club increases, increasing the club value.

Assuming the club managed to secure a trophy as a result of that, instantly profitability goes up; club popularity and sporting potential will also likely increase as well as a result of winning that trophy. Win a couple of other things and/or consistently stay in the UCL getting to the later stages regularly then the owners would comfortably make their investment back and significantly more. It's a risk, but in my opinion a risk certainly worth taking and that's why I'm very confident the Coutinho money + club sales in the summer will be at least our summer spend assuming Klopp can get all his first choice targets.

I apologise this was such a long response, I only have one post remaining for today so thought I'd try to make the most of it.

@ShadesOfTomato I have no remaining posts so thought I'd respond on here. Would you not see Pulisic as a #10/Winger? I personally would. He's played deeper for Dortmund a few times as a CAM, he's certainly more a winger than a CAM and I'm sure he'll mainly play as a winger if he did come to us but he does give us that midfield option rather than someone like Bailey for example who's very much an out and out winger. He is actually USA's number 10, not that numbers mean as much now but just food for thought haha.

 

[Random Task]

It's perfectly realistic to assume we will spend more than £100m this summer if Klopp's targets are available and want to join us. If we don't, it will be because he won't settle for #2 options like we've done so many times in the past, not because we don't have the money.



We are better off financially than we ever were before. Not in the region of United probably, but still better off than ever before.

The recently acquired TV deals had a huge impact on Liverpool's finances, as it did for most Premier League clubs, still it won't be enough to compete with the likes of United, City or Chelsea - in lies the problem. For all their financial power, of which they possess a great deal, Liverpool will always have settle for the calibre of player that the aforementioned clubs take no interest in, basically tier 2 or less..

 

[TheReligion]

We are better off financially than we ever were before. Not in the region of United probably, but still better off than ever before.

The fact you say probably says it all really..

 

[DoubleDinhos]

The recently acquired TV deals had a huge impact on Liverpool's finances, as it did for most Premier League clubs, still it won't be enough to compete with the likes of United, City or Chelsea - in lies the problem. For all their financial power, of which they possess a great deal, Liverpool will always have settle for the calibre of player that the aforementioned clubs take no interest in, basically tier 2 or less..

For the first time in a while though we seem to have a scouting and coaching system that can somewhat overcome that lack of financial power and shopping at a lower tier. How many would have had Salah down as a desirable purchase in the summer when Lacazette, Lukaku, Morata etc were on the move? Similarly, last year there was no doubt on here that Mkhi was the far superior signing to Mane. See also picking up Robertson for 8 million while Kolasinac is a bust, Chelsea messed about failing to sign Sandro, Tottenham got a flashier name like Aurier.

Klopp seems able to scout gems, or vastly improve 2nd tier players, or both. The squad is getting undeniably stronger window on window. Liverpool may not have the most money, but we seem to be in a position where we've enough to keep progressing

 

[Speedy30]

The recently acquired TV deals had a huge impact on Liverpool's finances, as it did for most Premier League clubs, still it won't be enough to compete with the likes of United, City or Chelsea - in lies the problem. For all their financial power, of which they possess a great deal, Liverpool will always have settle for the calibre of player that the aforementioned clubs take no interest in, basically tier 2 or less..

If we keep signing tier 2 players like Mane, Firmino, Salah and Keita whilst our rivals settle on tier 1 players like Lukaku, Morata and Sandro, then I'll be quite happy.

We have a very good side now that looks like it's going somewhere. The players that are at Anfield want to be there and whilst we continue to play the football that we are currently playing, better players will want to join. We might only be able to sign "tier 2" players right now but that's not necessarily a bad thing when you have a manager like Klopp that can get the best out of them

 

[RobinLFC]

The recently acquired TV deals had a huge impact on Liverpool's finances, as it did for most Premier League clubs, still it won't be enough to compete with the likes of United, City or Chelsea - in lies the problem. For all their financial power, of which they possess a great deal, Liverpool will always have settle for the calibre of player that the aforementioned clubs take no interest in, basically tier 2 or less..

That's not true though. If you look at the league, we are currently competing with Chelsea and United. We did better than United over the course of 38 league games last season. We are currently still in the CL (quarter finals all but done), just like United and Chelsea. Tier 2 players is bullshit as well - Salah is probably the transfer of the season, City and Chelsea were interested in Van Dijk as well, Keita wasn't coveted much but is a top tier player according to many Bundesliga watchers, give me Firmino over Lukaku any day of the week, ... You don't need to buy the #1 hotshots all the time to compete.

The fact you say probably says it all really..

Says what? I don't know shit about United's finances, just that they have more money than us.

 

[Liver_bird]

Why do people keep ignoring net spend??
I mean it's not something to be proud of and champion/herald but it's relevant. I'd rather spend City/United money and have trophies to show for it but in theory we should have plenty to spend given our accounts and the negative net spend under Klopp regardless of how it was achieved.
The money is there, much like last summer it's just a case of weather it'll be spent.

 

[RedSky]

Yeah you will get all the money as he says. Just a shame a big chunk is going to RB Leipzig in the summer.

Wouldn't believe what Klopp says anyway since he has no clue about the club's finances and regularly contradicts himself a la Pogba and VVD.

Yet you do?

 

[montpelier]

I think this 'tier rating' of players is quite interesting as a general issue.

Do these top scouts at the top clubs not trust their eyes these days? You have to climb the tiers before Big Club FC will soil their hands with you?

Opposite to that - how could you ever think Depay or Markovic (even handed examples there, ) were ready for EPL footy?

 

[Rafateria]

One other factor often not considered on the forum when discussing transfer budgets is that transfer fees are hardly ever paid in full they almost always involve staggered payments over a number of years 3-5 depending on the length of the player's contract with his new club I'd imagine, after paying the first installment immediately (this can vary of course but I doubt more than 30-40% upfront).

This is actually where the much derided Net Spend is important as income from sales can offset those of purchases (Klopp's net spend over the past 2 seasons being influential here). Therefore LFC don't need to have £150-200m sitting in the bank as Religion likes to claim, when considering rising income from the PL alone, never mind CL and income from sales over the past few seasons, which has been offset as staggered income over the next few years, it easily becomes feasible to calculate a kitty in the £150-200m range for next season (whether we do have, or will actually use it, is another question entirely).

 

[Varun]

Yet you do?

I was going to point that out too but didn't bother

 

[BullishBull]

I'd understand if people said we can't compete financially with City & United, but Chelsea?! All they have to offer is London these days. They don't spend as much as previously and even when they do, their signings are quite poor.

The best thing about Klopp is that his system brings the best out of players and he improves and gets the best out of even average players. I couldn't care less if United or Madrid sign the so called galactico star name players, I trust Klopp enough with signings. He hasn't made one bad signing. Klavan was 3m and Karius was around 4 to 5m so I can't consider them bad signings.

 

[montpelier]

the over-acting beardy bellend does seem to get value for money when he invests, that's tough to deny

who signed Lovren & Moreno?

 

[haram]

Ox and Wijnaldum at a combined £65 million is not good business.

 

[montpelier]

Ox is an asset for me, neither were for what's classed as ''silly money'' nowadays were they?

does own research - AOC £ 35 M - it's nearly a bargain,

 

[ShadesOfTomato]

It was reported by Joyce our priority targets are Alisson, Jorginho and a Coutinho replacement. Joyce doesn’t normally publish information until he’s confident it’s correct. I feel like it makes more sense to go with #10 that can play in midfield as well as on the wings rather than a straight up winger as it gives us more rotation options. Our 3rd midfielder spot still isn’t brilliant, Oxlade and Lallana are good players but they can still be improved on definitely.

Pulisic has been reported to be our primary target, which would suggest we're after a forward.

 

[Jamie L]

Ox and Wijnaldum at a combined £65 million is not good business.

I can see how you might have that opinion as an oppo’ fan and that’s fair enough, but both those players have been very good for us, and well worth the money so far.

 

[JustFootballFan]

Ox is an asset for me, neither were for what's classed as ''silly money'' nowadays were they?

does own research - AOC £ 35 M - it's nearly a bargain,

I think AOC was a bit of a reach, given he had only one year on his contract. I also think he was the only quick decision buy of Klopp, while everything else is planned more strategically and far in advance. Coutinho (and the Lallana injury, timeline?) forced their hand a bit. Klopp needed an insurance for Coutinho, not just in case of an early winter departure, but at that stage there were no guarantees what Coutinho would show up. If he had continued sulking with his bad back, Klopp needed some sort of short term solution with some upside and long-term squad/starting potential. That imho explains the fee. Otherwise they might have waited till the next summer to get him for free.

 

[Random Task]

For the first time in a while though we seem to have a scouting and coaching system that can somewhat overcome that lack of financial power and shopping at a lower tier. How many would have had Salah down as a desirable purchase in the summer when Lacazette, Lukaku, Morata etc were on the move? Similarly, last year there was no doubt on here that Mkhi was the far superior signing to Mane. See also picking up Robertson for 8 million while Kolasinac is a bust, Chelsea messed about failing to sign Sandro, Tottenham got a flashier name like Aurier.

Klopp seems able to scout gems, or vastly improve 2nd tier players, or both. The squad is getting undeniably stronger window on window. Liverpool may not have the most money, but we seem to be in a position where we've enough to keep progressing

If we keep signing tier 2 players like Mane, Firmino, Salah and Keita whilst our rivals settle on tier 1 players like Lukaku, Morata and Sandro, then I'll be quite happy.

We have a very good side now that looks like it's going somewhere. The players that are at Anfield want to be there and whilst we continue to play the football that we are currently playing, better players will want to join. We might only be able to sign "tier 2" players right now but that's not necessarily a bad thing when you have a manager like Klopp that can get the best out of them

Klopp does seem to possess that innate ability to get the best out of his players, he has proven himself highly capable in this department with practically every purchase he has made during his time with Liverpool. But then it was never his man-management skills that were the issue, rather it's his tactical approach that has come under question. That's an entirely seperate issue though.

Liverpool find themselves in a similar situation to that of spurs, unable to compete financially with the behemoths of the PL such as those previously mentioned, so their transfer strategy requires more finesse (for lack of a better word), more time and significantly more effort. Furthermore it is eminently more risky when compared to the more conventional tried and tested "buying a ready-made superstar" approach.

That's not true though. If you look at the league, we are currently competing with Chelsea and United. We did better than United over the course of 38 league games last season. We are currently still in the CL (quarter finals all but done), just like United and Chelsea. Tier 2 players is bullshit as well - Salah is probably the transfer of the season, City and Chelsea were interested in Van Dijk as well, Keita wasn't coveted much but is a top tier player according to many Bundesliga watchers, give me Firmino over Lukaku any day of the week, ... You don't need to buy the #1 hotshots all the time to compete..

It is very much true I'm afraid. For example, If United and Liverpool both take interest in the same player, his chosen destination is extremely likely to be United for obvious reason. If either Chelsea or City really wanted VVD, then they would have beaten Liverpool to his signature with little to no effort. That's a fact.

You're using hindsight to further your point I see. Look it's all well and good lauding the purchases of Salah, Mane and Firmino at this stage the season, after they have proven themselves to be capable signings, but how many Liverpool fans or associates could say with any degree of certainty that this would be the case prior the seasons start? Not a one if you are being honest. That's the problem with the "hidden gem" approach, it's success rate is, what, 50-50?

For what it's worth I utterly despise United's "scattergun" approach to tranfers post Fergies retirement, it wreaks of desperation it makes us no better than City or Chelsea when it comes to the destruction of the football worlds economy, but truth be told it is the safest approach - throw enough mud at the wall and some is bound to stick, so to speak. Shameful but effective.

United aren't finished yet either, Woody and Jose will continue to spend recklessly until the team is finally comlpete - in much the same way as Chelsea and City did. This is the modern game apparently and unless you have the financial power to buy yourselves the very best players money can buy, you will, eventually, be left behind.