Liverpool Banter Archive January 11 2018

11 Jan 2018 22:02:12
Am off to Vegas for the weekend so at some point I'm going to have to 'stick it all on RED'!

On another note I used the search function to find a place to watch the game on Sunday. Is there anything that this site can't do? Travel advice now!

Am going for a tight 2-1 LFC win, with a Firmino brace. Come on redmen! YNWA.

11 Jan 2018 22:23:46
Not sure what the search funciton gave you but McMullen's would be my recommendation in Vegas. Crown and Anchor has gone to sh! t lately.

11 Jan 2018 22:33:18
The bar at the back of Monte Carlo shows the footie.
Other than that most the casino's have sports betting areas where they show the bigger games.

11 Jan 2018 22:51:10
2.1 VVD again.

11 Jan 2018 23:13:13
The Westgate is the best place to watch a game. Lagasse's Stadium at The Palazzo if you want food as well.

12 Jan 2018 00:49:40
P.S. Crown and Anchor Pub if you do not want sportsbet and are looking for pub grub and english breakfast.

And remember you are 8 hours behind UK there.

11 Jan 2018 21:44:35
Wanted to rack the brains of the Ed’s if possible, not Liverpool related so I will understand if it’s not for these pages.
But with the current plight at Hartlepool needing 200 grand to stay a float for another week, will there ever be a time when the bigger clubs buy them/ invest and use them to bleed in younger players?
The smaller clubs seem to be struggling as the gulf between the prem and the rest grows, but those clubs are steeped in history and seeing them go out of business would be a travesty for English football. for prem clubs in particular 200,000 grand is some players wages for a week so surely there can be some solution. How would the Ed’s solve these clubs problems?

{Ed002's Note - At the moment no, in the future potentially yes. The solution to the problem is the reorganisation of the leagues to reduce the number of professional sides as the model there is now cannot be sustained.}

11 Jan 2018 21:53:04
Great question mate!

11 Jan 2018 22:02:28
Thank billy and thanks Ed002.

I know teams go from part time/ semi pro to professional (Guiseley have recently done it) but have many clubs done the opposite. If Hartlepool in particular made that decision could that keep the club a foot or are their issues much deeper then that?

Apologies for all the questions Ed002 but I have one more if I may, obviously with Jeff Stellings link to Hartlepool and I know sky have sponsored clubs previously, are they in a position to invest in a club and if they did would they then have the potential to have a club where they can broadcast all their games?

{Ed002's Note - I rather doubt that Sky have the budget to be wandering around saving clubs but the bigger issue is that there needs to be a change. I hold a reasonably strong view in terms of the need to restructure football in Europe in any case. For me an eventual a breakaway pan-European league would force the restructuring of many of the national leagues, possibly resulting in a British league with perhaps only a couple of professional tiers and then regionalised amateur leagues below that. Financially I do not see that so many pro sides can be sustained within the sport which, like it or not, will see more and more money going in to the highest levels of the game. Governments will ensure that grassroots sport get funding but everything in the middle (Southern, Northern, Conference, Division 2, Scottish Divisions 1-3, League of Wales will not get the funding needed to continue on any sort of professional basis. For me, clubs should already recognise this and put their efforts in to getting there finances in order to see if they can make it to a British professional league that will need to flourish without perhaps six sides that have gone down the pan-European route - and have gone for good. Clubs like Accrington Stanley will need to carry on as amateurs or face extinction (yet again).

The game has changed significantly and will continue to do so. Football at the highest level is big business and attracts the sponsorship it does because the sponsors wish to tap in to the disposable income of the fans and ride the back of the advertising that flows naturally from the success some clubs achieve. Long gone are the days of the cloth-capped, hobnailed-booted, chimney sweep making his way, rattle in hand, to cheer on his team at Anfield on a Saturday afternoon. I have explained that there will be changes, probably within the next 10 to 12 years, which will force the restructuring of all of the leagues in Europe and likely do away with the likes of UEFA. You will have the opportunity to see the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and the other major European sides play in week-on-week regular competition at The Emirates, Stamford Bridge etc.. You will have the opportunity to visit Milan, Barcelona, Monaco, etc. every couple of weeks to watch your team play - if they make the "elite" cut. If you want to don your cloth cap, have a pint of wallop with your chums before going off to the local match, perhaps one of the sides from the suburbs will have survived so you can go and watch them?}

11 Jan 2018 22:12:40
If you reduce the amount of professional sides, do you think fans would go and support rival teams? I'm not so sure. Would filtering down a larger slice of the pie not be a viable option ed? I realise the premier league has to vote on such things, but can the FA not help to decide how money from the Premier League can get distributed down the leagues.

{Ed002's Note - No more so than when sides drop out of League 2. If you start taking away money from the PL sides they will look to other deals and it won't help. The real answer is the radical one that sees a restructuring.}

11 Jan 2018 23:00:48
I have a rather extreme idea on this. It is pretty clear that in the next 10 years, at least 4 of the UK's top teams will soon be playing in a European break away league. I suspect it will be all of Man U, Man C, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs though.

The English football which is left behind will not be able to compete with this new competition if it maintains it's current format of 4 divisions in a pyramid, where every team is basically stuck at their level barring the rare exceptional ascendance or fall. It is boring. Football won't be able to sustain 92 professional teams.

My proposal would be to split the country into regional leagues. North, Central, South East, and South West (with the few best Welsh teams in this South Western division) . I would have 12 teams in each regional division, with the top 2 from each division qualifying for a series of 1 leg play offs. So 8 teams qualify, and then in knock-out style it is whittled down to a final 2. A single football game which decides the Champion of England and Wales; a soccer match to rival the super bowl in terms of viewing figures and global attention. 1 regional game a week for 22 weeks (no doubt with a handful of breaks and Cup weeks), and then a 3 week play off with the quarters, then semis, then final.

In order for this to be fair on the 48 pro teams left behind though, i would suggest a wage cap on every club to level the playing field. If you want to pay one player mega bucks, that's fine, but you will have to surround him with low paid younger players.

Very similar to the NFL in America. No teams in the 48 can be relegated, and you essentially get a regional Champion from each of the 4 regions, and then a national Champion.

For me, if we stick with a football pyramid, you may as well write off at least 60 professional clubs right now because the money is already spread too thin in the lower leagues, and it will get worse when the cream of English football are gone. They won't survive.

I would also keep the FA cup and invite all the non-pro teams to join the 48 regional sides in a traditional style cup Competition. You could then in theory keep the charity shield so the Cup winners can play the Championship winners.

Like i say, it's an extreme idea. However, something radical must happen or there will likely only be around 24 English teams survive after the break away happens, and they will most likely be the clubs with fan bases big enough to buy their own team.

{Ed002's Note - Right now only three look likely.}

11 Jan 2018 23:31:09
As an American, I'm always amazed at how many professional football teams there are in England, especially in some of the realtively small cities.

11 Jan 2018 23:34:40
City, United and Chelsea?

11 Jan 2018 23:55:24
Ed is it City, United and Chelsea?

12 Jan 2018 00:25:25
So MK would your NFL actually mean what it says when it says National Football League and not National Pads and Lids League? Lol.

12 Jan 2018 08:21:23
Thanks ed002 appreciate the insight.

11 Jan 2018 18:55:26
Hi All, based on all the names being thrown around in the media at the moment who are we thinking is more of a priority in this transfer window?
Jan Oblak or Aubameyang?

Personally I think we should try and sign a top top keeper, then maybe think about a no9 in the summer, maybe one of these exciting young Italian strikers running amok in Italy at the moment. Be interesting to hear everyone's thoughts ( including the Eds) YNWA.

{Ed025's Note - oblak for me broken..

11 Jan 2018 19:22:32
I honestly can't see either of those as remotely realistic.

11 Jan 2018 19:24:52
We have salah, obalak would be a coup.

11 Jan 2018 21:59:32
oblak should be a priority but he won't be and I can't see him wanting to come to us.

11 Jan 2018 16:22:01
Right guys and girls I have studied Macca's post and having read numerous John La Carre and Graham Greene novels, I have been able to find the player in question that Macca is referring too hidden in his post!

First off, he begins with "Ladies and Gentleman, " referring to the individual male reader instead of the more common "Gentlemen! " So the first clue is the player is male! .

Next, he mentions "Been pretty quiet. " there are a few places were you have to be "pretty quiet" one is at Old Trafford or in the bedroom with the wife when the kids are still awake and the other is the library.

Now if one keeps a book out longer than they should the library will issue one with a fine. So now Macca is saying rather than paying over the odds ( a fine of sorts) in the summer we should acquire the player now

And finally, Macca says "I will be very surprised if it happens. " See how he says "surprised"? That may well have gone unnoticed by most of you but not by me! Surprise Surprise was a show back in the day hosted by Cilla Black who, as we all know, was from Liverpool! So here Macca is confirming that the player will sign for Liverpool!

So I would now like to tell you that the player Macca is alluding to is none other than.

11 Jan 2018 16:55:46
I will find you, and i will kill you - Liam Neeson.

11 Jan 2018 17:11:35
Cilla black in goal to replace migs? I will be happy with that.

11 Jan 2018 17:56:32
Cilla would probably save more than Migs even though she’s been gone a few years.

11 Jan 2018 19:38:36
That Liam Neeson quote really gave me a good chuckle.

11 Jan 2018 19:41:38
You are crazyman ❕❕❕.

11 Jan 2018 19:53:08
That was like an episode of Lost.

11 Jan 2018 21:19:47
That was brill really had me interested all the way through.

11 Jan 2018 22:42:37
Graham Green played for Hull.

11 Jan 2018 15:40:33
Just in regards to the information macca gave earlier, is it possible that 2 players could come in? with one of them being Keita if a deal can be reached or would we just wait until the summer.

{Ed002's Note - I have no idea what he has said - why not ask him? I have explained over and over what I know about Keita - maybe Macca can put me right but Liverpool has already significantly over paid for him.}

11 Jan 2018 16:44:56
How can you say significantly over paid for him? Look at salah, we have significantly under paid for him then, nobody thought he was as good as he's showing, let him kick a ball for us first please ed002! 😉.

{Ed002's Note - The amount of money paid for Nobby Keita is well over what anyone considers he is worth - and the level of grief that comes with him will certainly be making people at Liverpool wonder about him. He has on field issues and off field issues and often goes missing.}

11 Jan 2018 17:22:50
Within 1 year the amount we paid for him will appear small comparing to what other similar players would cost. Just read an article on Firmino which said we paid 21 million for him. I know Ed 02 says we actually paid much more for him than that with all the extras on top, but even so, it is an absolute snip in todays market, even if We actually paid closer to the 40 million mark he is still cheap.

The market has gone crazy. What would Salah be worth by the summer? The mind boggles. We paid a lot for young Nobby, but we have got a good deal for him I assure you.

{Ed002's Note - The article is wrong.}

11 Jan 2018 19:15:28
Saying that, if we got the deal of the century with Salah, Chelsea are running us close with how much they paid for Kante. A terrfific bit of business - exactly the type of player that we are missing IMO. Am not sure why more clubs weren’t interested - especially us!

{Ed025's Note - he was a steal nick..

11 Jan 2018 19:23:04
Absolutely agree with ED002 here.
We are already paying a premium for Keita so why pay more? Clutching at straws springs to mind.

11 Jan 2018 19:38:49
Keita is 22 years old. Last season he was the second best midfielder in Germany. Many top players used to get sent off early in their careers, some of the very best. Keane, Gerrard, Viera. So I don't worry at all about a player trying too hard.

I would pay £15m extra to bring him tomorrow we really need him and he needs us.

11 Jan 2018 20:38:04
I agree with Kate and ed002. I don’t see what the big deal is with him.

11 Jan 2018 21:24:37
Id rather be patient and put the £15 million somewhere we need it, like de vrij, akanji, or even thiago alcantara since ed002 has basically nailed on that he will be with us by the end of the window.

11 Jan 2018 22:44:12
I agree we should put it in my bank.

11 Jan 2018 22:58:05
When Keane went to United for just under 4 million, everyone said they overpaid. That turned out pretty well. If Keita brings success, then he'll be worth it and then some.
I'm not 100% convinced he's going to be world class yet, but he should not be judged until he's at least kicked a bloody ball in anger lol.

11 Jan 2018 15:13:51
Macca. What a tease!

11 Jan 2018 11:43:40
Hey Eds,

Do you reckon Shalke will entertain the possibility of selling Goretzka this window for a high fee considering they seem destined to lose him in the summer on a free? Is there a reason the clubs interested in him haven't made an offer in a an attempt to beat the competiion or is his heart just set on Bayern which is why?

{Ed002's Note - It doesn't really work like that. Clubs spoken with the player and no one has persuaded him to jump ip now giving up a lot of money in the summer. Schalke cannot simply sel.}

10 Jan 2018 14:56:52
Hi Ed's :, would signing a striker and dropping firmino into the gap left by coutinho be on the cards? As would add more goals on my opinion, and could be a good fix until the summer until we can sign a creative midfielder, I know P. E. A is available but wonder on his relationship with klopp whether that would work out or not, cheers.

{Ed002's Note - I am not sure that it would be sensible to change a system that is working very well - it would cerainly add risk. Aubameyangadingdong is in his late 20s, very expensive with outrageous wage demands and potentially very serious grief. He has been offered to a few sides but only one in China is showing interest.}

11 Jan 2018 15:27:12
Thanks for your reply.

11 Jan 2018 14:34:16
Anyone else looking forward to solving WDS cryptic clues about this mystery transfer target? haha he is going to have a wonderful time winding us up.

11 Jan 2018 14:14:05
Is Reus a Possibility?

I know we get linked with him constantly but he did say he would consider leaving Dortmund when his contract expires next year maybe we could get him at a cheaper price.

11 Jan 2018 14:36:14
I love Reus but he's probably going to end up being Sturridge's best buddy if he comes to us.

11 Jan 2018 18:59:00
He's more injury prone than Studge. And when he goes injured, he's gone for easily 6 months each time.

11 Jan 2018 14:00:35
Or Insigne.

11 Jan 2018 13:54:33
Eds I'm unsure if you're now aware of the apparent player macca has suggested or not, but if you are, do you know if it's something we're trying to finalise for the summer? Or is it something we're trying to organise for now? My reasoning behind this question is top top quality players usually are fighting for some sort of trophy mid season and therefore may want to wait for a fresh season. cheers.
To put my two cents in to the guesswork. insigne or pulisic, but I'm unsure pulisic would be described as toptop quality, yet.

{Ed001's Note - I have no idea who it is.}

11 Jan 2018 14:08:34
Fair enough ED, have you not been tempted to email him and find out? You're a better man than I am if so!
Or do you prefer the ignorance is bliss approach as every one on this site will be eager to know
Cheers and keep up the good work on this epic site.

{Ed001's Note - I much prefer not knowing or I would want to tell everyone if I knew!}

11 Jan 2018 14:12:09
Not if it is a Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid player. Both out of the title race, and Real likely to join Atletico on the CL scrap heap once they face PSG.

I think it will be a big player from one of those clubs. Kroos or Koke and I'm in dreamland. Asensio or Oblak and I'll eat my keyboard. Macca has just cost me at least 50 hours sleep between now and January 31st 😂.

11 Jan 2018 14:43:13
MK, the athletici part makes sense but I'd disagree with Madrid based on two things:
1. I doubt Real Madrid have the same defeatist attitude so won't be wanting to offload a player in the assumption that they go out of the champions league. And
2. I also doubt they would want to see Barcelona strengthen their team whilst real weaken their own team in the same window.
It's all guesswork right now though.

11 Jan 2018 14:28:04
Much respect Ed, knowing your limits there! I'd be exactly the same! Well either way, at the very least it shows us fans that the club are going about it in the right way, rather than stockpiling players! Onwards and hopefully upwards.

11 Jan 2018 13:43:14
I think is mikitaryan played under klopp top player but it would be hard to get cuz of jose

Ozil would be easy exp in 6 month 20-25 mil
Eriksen klopp said befor he singed miki in dourtmund he was his second option but he was younger and not ready for a big move .
Dele lfc should have signed him when he was at Mk but it would be great.

11 Jan 2018 13:52:02
Mkhitaryan and Klopp didn't get on apparently. I read that he felt the defensive work Klopp asked him to do was hindering is offensive out put.

To be fair, Mkhitaryan might have a point. Tuchel gave him a free role and he was lethal, but under Klopp and Mourinho where everyone is expected to apply themselves defensively, he has struggled badly.

11 Jan 2018 14:56:32
It would be hard to think of a more unlikely transfer than mkhitaryan to liverpool. He is a manc, him and klopp do not get on, and his consistency is as good as wijnaldums.

That said it could be almost any creative midfielder from any of europes top sides. Site meltdown is imminent.

12 Jan 2018 01:40:00
Mkhitaryan is an absolute wuss.

11 Jan 2018 13:24:09
Jason Burt from the telegraph said the same as macca yesterday, but i did not want to repeat it as he is a mere mortal journalist. So there is likely something in what macca is saying. I think if we take into account comments klopp has made in the past, and the type of player he likes, i'd say david silva and isco would be two players it could possibly be. The telegraph journalist also said they felt targeting this player was totally unrealistic, so it really could be someone in that echelon.

11 Jan 2018 13:32:49
I think it's the other way around. After reading Macca's post maybe Jason Burt is credible for a moment.

11 Jan 2018 13:50:36
You could well be right there mate.

11 Jan 2018 14:22:59
Maybe Jason Burt is Macca!

11 Jan 2018 12:52:52
Surely the Ed's or macca should post the name of the player In question, it's is a Liverpool transfer rumour page after all, it's needed, please put us all out of our misery.

11 Jan 2018 13:22:29
C. Ronaldo.

11 Jan 2018 14:03:27
Topofthekop, Macca is probably being cautious as usually players he or the eds mention end up all over the news, and can potentially ruin any transfer.
Maybe we should request macca name 10 players it may be and allow us to draw our own conclusions! It's the only way To find a balance between our thirst to know who it is, and our logic to know patience is a virtue!

11 Jan 2018 14:38:50
Wouldn't work TIA19, the media will just report we've drawn up a shortlist of ten players -. -.

11 Jan 2018 14:24:54
what TIA19 said!

totally agree mate, macca has to be fair with that kind of post! im already going bald on top jeez by end of window il be totally bald man! but yeah 10 names one of which is our top top target.

11 Jan 2018
New image uploaded to the
Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled, BREAKING: Football-Rumours signs Ed209 to finally enforce RTFP. You have 10 seconds to comply!

11 Jan 2018 13:37:58
I don't know which one of you added that last bit to my caption, but you're wasted on the internet 😂 get a UK tour going!

11 Jan 2018 12:46:25
Hi eds, just to check, do you believe there is Voodoo in football? I didn't until Leicester won the title, Burnley climbed to 4th and Sterling actually improved.

{Ed033's Note - There is so much money in football that any kind of practise will be implemented to get at more of that money.

11 Jan 2018 12:21:51
I just realised something that has been pretty much overlooked as a result of Coutinho's departure. Mane's going to get more game time now. He's been a bit off form since that 89th minute introduction against Chelsea.

That being said, his form has improved, with some brilliant goals and assists in recent matches. Hopefully he'll get his head down and be more motivated to continue the improvement. We need him to be fit and firing if we're going to push for Top 4 and beyond.

11 Jan 2018 12:12:09
we have hendo, ox, gini, milner and emre in our midfield with lallana also there, so that's six players for 3 positions.
I don't get why people say our midfield is weak.
may be we had a better midfield in masha gerrard and alonso but we have never had this level of depth in our squad ever atleast in the midfield.
Next season we replace emre with Keita, a much better player (if not in Jan) .
I don't get it why people are on a we have a rubbish midfield bandwagon on here. Unless we are selling more mids (say lallana and hendo) i don't see any point in signing more.
infact midfield might just be the last place we need additions in. we need to sign another center half (if we plan on using gomez as RB) and a attacking player to boost the attack. Addition of a good keeper just seals the deal.

{Ed025's Note - but who out of that lot would be creating the chances akshit?..

11 Jan 2018 12:26:20
That's 6 midfielders full of grit who will press and close down their opponents but do we have anyone with the guile and technique to split open tightly-packed defences?

You could argue the case for Hendo and Lallana but the former is out injured and the latter is recovering from a long-term one. Ox is promising but isn't at the level we need just yet.

Now that Coutinho's gone, who do we have that can beat the low block with defence splitting passes or wonder goals from outside the area?

{Ed025's Note - no one..

11 Jan 2018 12:38:39
And there's none of them good enough and should be moved on.

11 Jan 2018 12:39:52
Lallana is in his twilight years and misses 6 months a year injured. Plus he's more of an attacking midfielder.

Henderson has been injured for 3 years now and believe me when i say I've been his biggest defendant. Enough is enough though. After his latest injury, even i have given up on him being a major part of our future. You can't build around a captain who plays 20 games a season on pain killing injections.

Milner is an average midfielder. He was a great winger in his prime, but we bought him just as he started fading.

Wijnaldum had a good first season and then this year has regressed horribly. I think he's proven he's just a decent utility man.

Can is leaving and to be honest, he's been as bad as Wijnaldum for most of this season.

Chamberlain looks to have real potential as a midfielder. Even though i advocated his signing as attacking cover, i didn't expect him to come on so well under Klopp. He's still learning though.

Keita is 22 years old, probably doesn't speak English, and has had a really tough 6 months. For the money he cost, he should hit the ground running though, and be our midfield general for years to come.

I personally think we need a really intelligent player alongside Keita and Ox though. They both have pace, flair, score goals and drive us forward, but I'd like an intricate playmaker who can give us more composure in midfield but one who still works for the team. Ceballos is a good player, but I'm hoping Macca is talking about someone like Koke, Kroos or Silva. Just a proper pass master who can run the show and let Keita and Ox do the dog work they love doing and are so good at ie. Getting about the pitch, pressing, snapping into tackles, flying forward to support the attack, belting back to help the defence. A player like Koke, Kroos or Silva just knits everything together.

11 Jan 2018 12:40:07
It's not about numbers, it's about quality. I would be thinking 6 mids for 3 positions. Keita, Ox and a new deep midfielder (ideally Rabiot or Parades) as first choice with Hendo, lallana and grujic as backups. Don't get the need for Gini and we could get 20 odd million for him.

11 Jan 2018 12:49:43
akshit you will prob see what we all mean on Sunday mate when we play city.

Unless Salah or Mane have a top class game we will look pretty average in my opinion. Could get embarrassing if we aren't careful.

11 Jan 2018 14:07:52
Mk agree 90% but the OX does not score goals. He might get the 7th v Maribor or other goals when the game is won. His Arsenal record is about 1 in 10, probably for England it's the same. He has to improve his final ball and score goals if he wants to stay in the side.

I would say an attacking midfielder in our team should get in the league minimum 8 goals and the same assists in a good season. That is what I expect from Keita. Gini got that last season.

12 Jan 2018 00:10:12
Mark, can't disagree on historical stats about Ox, but most people (me included) didn't think he could play in the middle. That opinion is changing. So his past record is less important as he's not really been played in the position that most people expect him to play in the future.

Personally, I'm loving his attitude more than anything - his own worst critic. 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. I think he will continue to surprise us (in a good way! ) in seasons to come.

11 Jan 2018 11:58:34
Banter please:
Great to see Macca back, now we know the club are in the very least looking to get in a quality player instead of 3/ 4 average. All that said I saw this earlier.
Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos has informed the club he wants to leave, with Liverpool reportedly interested in signing the 21-year-old Spaniard. (Diario Gol - in Spanish)

11 Jan 2018 12:13:59
where the banter then?

11 Jan 2018 12:49:42
It's hidden in the post, encrypted banter, see if Blentchley Park still has the code breakers available.

11 Jan 2018 13:24:16
I have deciphered the code, hidden within this post I have found the name Cristiano Ronaldo. ha ha ha you thought you had fooled us but it didn’t work BERGENRED.

11 Jan 2018 19:39:15
It's Kovacic from Real Madrid.

11 Jan 2018 10:25:19
And Macca is back!
Glad to hear you are still alive (and hopefully well) .

Let's hope whoever it is you are on about get's signed.

11 Jan 2018 10:42:42
Missed Macca glad to hear from him.

11 Jan 2018 10:43:50
Man, that I'd delightfully cryptic! I like trying to decipher Wonder Dog Sparky's tweets, but that is next level. Any speculation folks?

11 Jan 2018 10:44:50
Verrati would be my guess.

11 Jan 2018 12:01:08
Chrisp, psg wouldn't even entertain Barcelona whose first choice in the summer was verrati, so I think that's unlikely unfortunately.

11 Jan 2018 12:16:26
Could it be that we have a target whose name hasn't been leaked by the club. I'm shocked. Hope we get whoever he is.

11 Jan 2018 12:19:48
Toni Kroos?

11 Jan 2018 12:49:32
Asensio - Please be Asensio, I know it isn't but it's a nice thought.

11 Jan 2018 08:47:19
Morning Eds and a happy New Year to you all.

Do you know if there is any truth in the rumours doing the rounds that Monaco are now willing to listen to offers of around £60mil for Lemar? Seems a massive jump considering he was being valued in excess of £90mil only last week!

I completely understand the club's stance on refusing to be held to ransom with the Coutinho funds but given Arsenal's interest in Malcolm, do you think that could pave the way for us to make a move for Lemar? At £60mil and cheaper than Van Dijk do you think the powers that be would be tempted to get him in this window or wait until summer? This is newspaper talk after all so I apologise if it's way off the mark.

Finally, do you think the increasing odds of getting Keita in early would dampen any interest we have in Lemar?

Thanks for everything! Big fan of the site.

{Ed001's Note - papers have no idea what they are talking about. They don't need the money but are going to suddenly accept less. Oh yes I can see how that makes sense to everyone concerned, except for Monaco.}

11 Jan 2018 09:19:25
Monaco to offer him for less than what others seem willing to pay? Seems an innovative approach to doing transfers.

11 Jan 2018 10:21:07
Actually Ed, Liverpool sold Coutinho for less than Barcelona were willing to pay. (I can't even type it with a straight face) :)

{Ed001's Note - is your face ever straight though mate?}

11 Jan 2018 06:20:38
Hi Ed just a transfer from previous Liverpool youngster we had high hopes for Adam Morgan has signed for Irish side Sligo Rovers.

{Ed001's Note - good luck to the lad, I hope he has learnt a few life lessons in recent years.}

11 Jan 2018 08:25:19
I never saw the hype with him, think the club was doing really poorly at the time and threw him in for a couple of games and I personally never saw the fuss (albeit a very small look)

11 Jan 2018 08:59:45
He was outstanding at youth level, but a combination of badly managed loan moves, injury, and I suspect other factors, shattered his confidence and desire for the game. Didn't realise he was still only 23 so he has time on his side, good luck to the lad, I hope he gets his career back on track.

11 Jan 2018 09:55:16
He played in a cracking U21 team though didn't he. Suso, Sterling, Coady, Wisdom, Gulacsi, Smith, McLaughlin, Ince, Sama and Rossiter were all regarded as top prospects. As is the way with youth football though, only a few players from each age group make it at the top, but 10 out of 11 players in that team are now playing at a good level.

Suso is now an AC Milan Regular
Sterling is City's 3rd best player after Silva and KDB
Coady is a regular for top of the EFL Wolves
Wisdom is a regular in the Championship
Gulacsi is 1st choice for RB Leipzig
Smith is a PL squad player
McLaughlin is in the Scottish top flight
Ince is a PL mid table regular
Rossiter is at the top of the Scottish game
Sama is in the German 2nd division

So Morgan had a phenomenal set of team mates for that age group. When 3 players from one age group end up as regulars for CL teams, you know it was a good side. Not to mention the other 7 players who are still top end Football League players. Morgan is the only player in that team who didn't succeed in football but hopefully he can climb out of the hole he has dug for himself because he was a lethal goal scorer at youth level. Though it must've helped having Sterling, Suso and Ince in the 3 behind him as they're all top flight players now!

11 Jan 2018 10:18:44
really good post mate but not sure how your work out that sterling is city 3rd best player, think Jesus Aguero, Ederson, and even maybe Sane might question that statement.

11 Jan 2018 10:52:25
1 KDB
2 SILVA
3 AGUERO/ STERLING/ SANE/ G. J.

11 Jan 2018 11:19:20
Sterling has the best minutes to goal ratio and conversion rate of every player on the top goal scorers list. He is City's biggest goal threat. Jesus has half the goals, Aguero has a couple less despite being penalty taker, and Sane isn't even in the top goal scoring charts.

I appreciate it's all subjective though. For me, Sterling is their third best player though. I'd certainly take him back before i signed Sane, Aguero or Jesus. In fact considering Silva's age, the only City player I'd rather sign than Sterling is KDB. Sterling has become so good under the radar that he's now under rated. He's on course for about 25 league goals this season. As far as wide forwards go, only Salah is out doing him in front of goal.

Not saying you're wrong, but you did ask me how i came to that conclusion 😂.

11 Jan 2018 11:03:47
MK, went you one of the ones saying Sterling's city career was over after they signed Silva?

11 Jan 2018 07:07:45
I see some fretting has begun in regards to Firmino next to leave.
While he's clearly a very good player, I wouldn't be at all worried if it happened, so long as we actively signed someone to go up top immediately and not waited until the next window or season to replace.
He bring a lot of qualities and this season he has brought more goals than he has ever done, but just like Salah is proving, players who we think will be good for the club sometimes exceed expectations and blow us away.
Did anybody see Suarez to be as good as he was for example?
I have seen it over and over again at our club; Whelan, Souness, Kenny, Hanson, Houghton, Rush, Beardsley, Aldridge, Nichol, Grobbelaar, McManaman, Fowler, Barnes, Owen, Torres, Suarez, Gerrard and now Coutinho.
We always move on, just like the player.
Nothing to fret about.

11 Jan 2018 07:48:19
But how many of those players did we replace adequately and reach equal successes? Personally, I think firmino is one of the best players in the league. What's more, I don't think many other clubs have noticed it yet either. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before a scout sees his worth.

11 Jan 2018 08:08:17
The only worry with losing Firmjno is that he is really unique in the way he drops deep to create space and chances for others, but also presses relentlessly.

We've all seen players like Messi and Fabregas play false 9 positions where they drop to create, and we've all seen players like Lewandowski or even Ings who can press from the front. The difference is, Firmino does both. He wins possession back more than any other forward in Europes top 5 leagues, and he is also the 9th top scorer in the Premier league with 9 goals, the 2nd top scorer in the Champions league with 7 goals, as well as having assisted 8 goals in all competitions. So not only is he statistically the best at pressing in Europe, but he has also had a direct hand in 24 goals this season in about 30-ish appearances. What more can you realistically ask for from a player?

People say Firmino only has 9 league goals. So what? That's only 1 behind Lukaku, Morata and Rooney who are the main goal scorers at their clubs, and 1 ahead of Lacazette who is Arsenals main goal scorer. All this rubbish about needing a 30 goal a season striker to win the league is exactly that; rubbish. City won the league with Yaya Toure as top scorer with 20 goals and in the same season we had Suarez on 31 and Sturridge on 23. Your top scorer is totally irrelevant to your league position. Harry Kane is the best goal scorer in Europe and Spurs can't even get into the top 4. The "30+ striker" argument is so simple minded it is painful to read.

I hate to be so blunt about it, but anybody who still doesn't rate Firmino, or at least appreciate him, really doesn't understand football. Not accusing you of that by the way Kev as i know your post wasn't an attack on Bobby (but it will attract replies that are, trust me) . If he left, we'd cope. We are bigger than any one player. However, we'd quite simply have to change our style of play. Suarez is the only other striker I've seen in recent years who can press, create and score as well as Firmino, but he is nearly 31 and in decline. He only has about 6 or 7 goals this season in all competitions. I know a lot of people really rate Fekir but I've not seen enough of him in live games to know if he is effective at pressing the ball.

As i say, we'd move on and reinvent ourselves if we had to, but Firmino is so under rated, it is criminal. Replacing him like for like would be harder than replacing Salah in my opinion. Luckily, i think Firmino is an honest and humble player who appreciates what he has more than he pines for what he doesn't. Win a few trophies and pay him well and i can see him staying for another 5-8 years; Lucas did it so why not Bobby?

11 Jan 2018 08:36:08
As Ed 2 would say, "Players are transient employees of the club".

11 Jan 2018 08:37:49
MK, I do feel quite more hopeful of Bobby staying than I ever did about Coutinho, however, a big factor in Lucas staying was that he was never good enough to attract overwhelming interest from the usual suspects in Spain. At his peak, he was a very good defensive midfielder for us, but that peak only lasted about one season. He was never going to have Barcelona knocking on his door offering a realistic prospect of nailing down a role as a starter every week.

11 Jan 2018 09:18:46
True StableG, but Lucas attracted the interest of top teams in Italy every year for the last 5 years at the club and never once kicked up a fuss or tried to force anything until he was no longer needed. Happy 31st birthday to Lucas by the way. It was a couple of days ago now!

11 Jan 2018 09:42:14
Juventus has been the only top team in Italy for the past 5 years, and I doubt he would have found much game time there.

11 Jan 2018 09:52:18
Bobby is integral to the way JK wants to play and we haven't got a player to match him. The guy is more skilful than given credit for and one player I would dearly love us to tie up for several seasons. Will be interesting to see how progresses now PC is at Barcelona but if he's got his head screwed on then I'd have him in the team at every opportunity.

11 Jan 2018 09:53:13
And even Lucas left and won a trophy with Lazio instantly.

Bottom line is that we need to win trophies, not one off, but regularly and need to challenge for the title for us to be able to attract good players and keep good players.

Firmino is a top player and would be very difficult to replace. I hope he stay a while. He has 16 goals in all competition which is a very decent return from someone who is not meant to be an out and out striker.

11 Jan 2018 10:16:52
Weren't Juventus interested in Lucas around 2015? I'm sure that Juventus and AC Milan both enquired about his availability at one stage. Inter Milan and Napoli certainly did, and Lazio have since signed him.

Italian football knows a good holding midfielder when they see one and Lucas was repeatedly linked to their top clubs, such was his unappreciated ability. Even though he had Italian heritage though, he stayed for his love of Liverpool.

11 Jan 2018 10:19:32
Sorry I can’t find the details but which teams are actively looking to buy Firminho. He’s one player who I haven’t read about regarding anyone looking to buy him unlike Couts, Salah, Mane last season and Can. I don’t read as much foreign correspondence as some of you guys but am interested to know which teams are interested and is it concrete interest?
Hopefully after Coutinho and Can we can put the exodus of our better players on hold for a season or two.

11 Jan 2018 10:30:04
Do any other big teams use our style and would they therefore covet Firmino? Play him as a standard number 10 or winger and he's far less effective. It seems nearly anyone who can afford him would also have to change their style to accommodate him anyway. I haven't seen any links, let's just enjoy what he does for the team.

11 Jan 2018 11:56:33
I know Guardiola would love Firmino. If you could create a player from scratch and mould them into exactly what Pep looks for, it would be Firmino with less fake tan and darker teeth.

11 Jan 2018 12:17:21
One player doesn't make a team, with the exception of Messi in all truth.
Firmino is just as replaceable as Mignolet or any other individual you can think of - there is always a bigger dog in another garden than your own.

Most people are either too young to remember, choose not to remember or are just looking for an excuse to complain or moan about owners, Klopp, Edwards etc.

Of course we never reached the heights we did in the 80's because we had poor management i. e. Souness ripped Kenny's squad apart and bought dross in like Stewart for Houghton, Clough in for Beardsley, Walters for Barnes, Torben Piknic for Hanson and so on - he overhauled that squad poorly and far too quickly.
Back in the glory days, we lost, Keegan, Kenny (as a player), Thompson, McDermott and so, but replaced with quality.

I trust Klopp to replace Coutinho or anyone else who moves on, you should too - he is the best man for the job right now.

Every club loses big name players, even Barcelona themselves - Neymar, Ronaldo (the Brazilian), Romario, Stoichkov, Figo went to Real directly from Barcelona for goodness sake - the biggest insult of all in European football probably, but they survived.

Imagine if we sold Coutinho to United/ Everton.

Fret not, not a single player in that squad of ours is irreplaceable.

Good luck to Pep Lijnders by the way!

10 Jan 2018 23:48:18
Looks like Keite is going to happen this month.

11 Jan 2018 07:47:06
Whys that?

11 Jan 2018 07:57:32
Because bild say so! 😂😂😂.

11 Jan 2018 12:41:18
Any truth?

10 Jan 2018 23:18:23
Ketia for a xtra 13m in this window. Any substance to this edds?

11 Jan 2018 07:09:37
If we don't have anyone lined up to replace Countinho, then I would pay up for Keita. I look at that midfield of ours, and it looks so average. Keita should make a difference and inject some much needed quality at least for the league games and guarantee a top 4 finish.

11 Jan 2018 09:20:24
Isnt he cup tied for champions league?

{Ed025's Note - yes he is mate..