25 Jan 2018 10:10:25
So we're not buying Ezri Konsa too this window as his £5m price is too steep for Jurgen Klopp according to the Echo.

Let Southampton buy him then and next season we can have him for a bargain price of £100m.

If £5m is too much for us to take a slight chance on a 20 year old player who could get in our squad right now, then I honestly have no idea what this club is doing.


1.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 10:41:33
Never heard of the lad a week ago, but we're stupid for not spending 5m on him when he could definitely get in our squad now.

He's 20, and a CB. The chances of him being ready to play CB in the PL is tiny at this point in time, it very rarely happens. Meanwhile we just bought VVD for 75m whose a guarenteed starter, Gomez is looking likely to be his future partner, we still have Matip, Lovren and Klavan and promising young players like Juanma of a similar age coming through the academy. But sure, spend another 5m to block this guys career path. Why not, we're LFC and we buy whoeever we want regardless of whether or not there is room in the squad for them!


2.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 10:58:28
He's under 21, he's English (HG), he's got first team games under his belt for his club in a very competitive league and is very highly rated by many ITK.

He could be loaned back to Charlton for a half season to 18 months or so, then brought into the squad when Lovren/ Klavan or both are moved on.
He can also play at RB, Clyne is likely to go in the summer, he can also cover there if Gomez is moved to CB, look at the bigger picture man.

How will buying him now for a decent fee ruin his career?

I'm sorry mate, have you seen Juanma play at CB many times, I have and he ain't that good let me tell ya, certainly not as good as this kid from Charlton.

Juanma is an ok player, he will not make it at LFC sadly.
Whereas this kid actually could play for us now or in a few months if they want to loan him back first - it's just a case of having a development plan for him and hope he makes it, if not, then we lose only a small fee.


3.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 11:22:32
I agree Kev, similar issue with Alli and we weren’t prepared to pay up. Gomez’s success should surely bean exams of a risk worth taking.


4.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 11:58:39
This will be another Dele Alli moment in my opinion. Konsa could easily be going to the top of English football with someone and if that could be us, we should be making sure it is. £5m? That would just about pay Alexis Sanchez for 2 months. It's pocket change in modern football. If Sanchez sneezes he probably wipes his nose on a £50 note because it's not worth his time to look for a tissue.


5.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 11:59:25
Exactly!

If we follow the ideas laid out by hjikle, we'll never find a bargain youth player again - I mean did he ever think, that maybe, just maybe we should look to beyond just this season and that Lovren/ Klavan might be moving on - what better replacement to have than a player who is English (I'm not even British by the way) and who understands the game here and that obviously there's a chance that we don't have that type of player in our youths already.

There's talk of Masterson being decent and he has looked pretty good the 4 times or so I have seen him, but we took a chance on him didn't we and uprooted him from Ireland, so why not try Konsa, he may have agreed to move elsewhere possibly of course but not according to this report in the Echo?!

£5m is nothing in today's game and it's not even our money is it?


6.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 12:12:52
The important thing is we have a plan and we're not just stockpiling players on the off chance they come good.

In this instance the plan should be that there is a space for a young CB to challenge for the first team. If we bring this lad in he is in direct competition with Gomez for that spot in the squad. Both Gomez and Konsa are then told in black on white what their position in the team is and what the long term plan is.


7.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 12:35:34
Another Deli Ali? Really?
This is the guy that was a world beater last year but this year most comments on here suggest he was a one season wonder, a dirty player and not bad at diving too? Best make up your mind and in any event why is it a another Ali moment anyway!
Simply Klopp doesn't rate him whereas he did Gomez.
This isn't a sweet shop. We cannot buy everything that is in the shop window.


8.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 12:47:22
Sure Putney, but he can't expect to just waltz into the team regulalry either, so telling him his starting role is a bad idea.

He should be told what is expected of him, what he needs to do to improve and what he needs to do to get games with the first team now and again or he'll be put into the under 23's or loaned out.

Klavan is 31 or 32, Lovren is disliked by many fans and is likely to be hounded out soon. VVD is 27 in the summer, Gomez is untested at CB as well and Matip is Matip :)

So nothing wrong trying this kid out, unless we have bigger plans - we don't stockpile youth players as much as Chelsea, they then loan them to Vitesse Arnhem and these kids rarely if ever break through, how is that right by comparison to what we do?


9.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 12:53:02
Use your head. If we're looking at this guy as someone ready to join the first team, challenge for a spot and make an impact, would we be saying £5m is too much? No of course not, what decent player not on a free goes for £5m anymore?

If that's what's blocking us, clearly that's not how he's being viewed. If a fee that small is the problem then automatically you know that this guy is being viewed as a development project with no immediate plans for game time. That is basic, elementary logic. And as Putney says, just stockpiling players in the hope that they come good is ridiculous and yes Orlish, however much you might argue against it, it clearly blocks their opportunities to develop and lowers their chances of ever making a decent career for themselves. So as we already have plenty of options in that position, are over-stocked in the senior players for that position and Klopp obviously doesn't consider them ready to be playing a part in our season in anything but an emergency if these reports are true, then buying him is a pointless waste of money that yes, could very well block his career from going to a point where he could actually be useful.


10.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 13:22:19
hjikle,

What prospects are you referring to at youth level in the CB role for us?
Juanma is likely to be one you're thinking of, Masterson maybe and who else exactly?
Young Jones isn't good enough and has a record now in any case.
Please enlighten us.


11.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 13:24:13
Klopp will be gone by then too so new manager would probably move him on so he can spend another 5 years putting his stamp on the side.


12.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 14:46:31
the manaager of Charlton, is a scouser, who was manager of MK Dons, a mate of Stevie G, and who put Deli Ali on a plate for us, now he is doing the same with this young centre back,
I did make a couple of calls, a few texts, and everyone gave the same answer, buy him, he is even more highly rated than Gomez , tho to be fair, Gomez was only 18 yrs when we got him .


13.) 25 Jan 2018
25 Jan 2018 17:12:56
Thanks for the info Happy!
Same stuff I'm hearing/ reading about opinions on him from people within the sport.
Only seen him play a few times, never a full match but I liked what I saw and he plays way beyond his years.
Cheers again!