Use our rumours form to send us liverpool transfer rumours.
21 Mar 2017 21:23:30
LFC tv free until 3rd April folks on virgin media just saw it via the menu.
21 Mar 2017 22:03:58
and sky.
22 Mar 2017 10:04:09
The U23s have a game against Norwich early April so hopefully the dates will be right for the free subscription. I'll do a full update tomorrow as the U23s played the other day without me knowing till after the game.
Lfctv is a good watch I must say so if you have it free, watch it!
21 Mar 2017 21:12:55
Hi guys,
Just wondering regarding our ST situation, obviously Sturrisge looks on the way out, leaving us with Firmino and Origi plus the youngsters to battle for the position. In my opinion Origi has the potential to lead the line in a year or two and personally think e could be lethal. However can we rest on Firmino playing up top? I know we have been linked to some names Demele, Azmoun and so fourth but it's just more unproven young strikers.
Firmino to me offers something different to your Kane's, Costa's etc in that he brings others in to the game more with his skill and vision, but I feel he's not an out and out striker you never see him playing on the last man, of course he chases down the opposition all day long but I feel we need a proper striker who'll grab goals even on his/ our bad days and play Firmino behind them .
{Ed002's Note - There is also Ings.}
21 Mar 2017 21:18:59
I really wonder how Origi can become world class in two or three years when he hardly gets any game time.
Similarly Grujic's transfer was also a gamble. He has hardly featured and even if he wasn't injured, there wouldn't have been many chances come his way.
Can we count number of such fringe/ potential youngsters who have gone on becoming top players?
Cheers.
22 Mar 2017 00:54:47
Origi can become good not world class.
22 Mar 2017 06:55:26
Personally not sure that Origi will ever be the bags of goals scorer LFC needs and I am sure Firmnho isn't that player. without a player who will consistently I don't see how winning the league can be viable.
22 Mar 2017 10:05:20
In Klopp's philosophy it's no player is world class the collective team is greater than the 11 individuals.
I think and hope Danny Inges will be a perfect fit for us.
Although it'll be the middle of next season (hopefully)
22 Mar 2017 10:19:57
My take. Ings will take a long time to get back. Certainly not next season. Origi is a hit and miss and Firmino misses more sitters than what he actually scores ( Still the best player though ) . I expect the club to sign a striker at the expense of Sturridge. He could be an already finished product or another young potential depending up on what our total budget is for the summer.
There is an issue regarding the position of Firmino with the arrival of new striker. Klopp doesn't fancy 2 up top nor he plays someone off the main striker. It's mostly a 4-3-3 and in that case Firmino will not fit in on the flanks.
A winger and striker will come in as FSG will be convinced to go once again for the league and possible good run in the CL.
I gave no clue who makes the way or who goes to the bench but two quality players will certainly give us results.
Cheers.
21 Mar 2017 17:24:44
Sorry but the blindness to counts is unbelievable people say we can't replace him or who with well 6 goals and 5/ 6 assits is not hard to replace at all if wood burn had played the same amount of games I bet he would have the same stats. The problem with him is he goes missing for 2 thirds of the season he's so inconsistent and if someone offers 50 mill plus this would be better spent else were on the positions we need lw st lb so for me he is very replaceable as we already have players that can replace him.
21 Mar 2017 18:06:29
The onl6 thing you worry we would replace is him and firmino. There connection is rediculous.
But is it worth 200k a week for half a season. Always a november injury and then a long wait back for him to hit form?
Not in my eyes and think we ciuld do with pace on the left anyway. Leaving lallaba and firmino in the middle.
Would love
Mane lallana costa
Firmino.
21 Mar 2017 18:07:57
Agree totally Mike. ain't hard to replace the way he is playing at minute.
21 Mar 2017 18:23:56
LFC player of the year 2 yrs running, yeah he's rubbish.
21 Mar 2017 18:38:30
So our best player over the last two years has an injury, struggles a bit to find his best form and now some morons (I won't call them fans) want him sold. Some people don't understand what YNWA stands for.
21 Mar 2017 18:39:33
Exactly Ron. The fickleness on here sometimes is quite extraordinary.
21 Mar 2017 19:03:53
He'll score a worldy in the next game and everyone will go back into their shells. He's having a poor patch but he's coming back from an injury and will come back stronger when he finds his form, I actually think one game a week isn't actually that beneficial for players trying to find their form, he needs as much game time as possible.
21 Mar 2017 19:34:25
This is exactly the line a lot of Liverpool fans took with Alonso in 07-08 when he picked up a couple of injuries and was out of sorts.
Same fans now describe selling him a year later as Rafa's biggest mistake. If they're being polite about it.
21 Mar 2017 19:38:57
Frankly, who are these "fans" coming on here slagging off Couts cos he's going thru a rough patch? We will stick with him in his time of distress come hell or high water cos he is one of ours and has contributed a lot to our season and his rough patch will NEVER change that. You should all be ashamed of yourselves with your disgraceful posts kicking one of our own while he's down instead of supporting him during this struggle. Pathetic!
21 Mar 2017 19:48:31
We might get 50 for him but wats to say the owners will give us it all to spend. If we want to challenge we need to keep our best players experienced players and gelled players not sell them cause they had 5 poor games. Our fans r frustrating to listen to at times.
21 Mar 2017 20:04:55
We sold Suarez and bought Lovren, Lallana and Lambert.
What a disaster that was.
Don't sell your best players unless they want to leave.
21 Mar 2017 20:26:10
I haven't seen one person yet say they want him sold. I have seen a lot of people say they wouldn't turn down a stupid offer and a few people say that he is replaceable. That is a little bit different to people saying he is a bad player who we should actively look to sell!
21 Mar 2017 20:36:25
To be fair Ron, lfc has been rubbish for 2 years so it wouldn't be hard to be player of the year.
We all know who will win it this year.
21 Mar 2017 21:07:28
Ko Lo - the usual way to progress is to keep your best players and replace the worst ones.
Selling your best players is not the path to success.
21 Mar 2017 21:25:38
Ron - don't let your optimism come in the way of judgement.
Very valid points by Ko Lo and MK.
Yes, Couts is the only world class player in our team not considering Sturridge.
However if an offer comes anywhere near 50 or 60, I don't think the club will hesitate to do business.
Also to fellow posters - please don't call fans as morons or question their love towards club just because they have a different point of view or look for reasoning.
Cheers.
21 Mar 2017 22:18:15
Ill put it this way he won player of the year 2 years running let's be honest not been hard to do has it wat has liverpool acheived in this time nothing and him being player of the year means nothing either. 3 games out of ten he's class the other 7 dier that's wat I see simple.
21 Mar 2017 23:11:25
I've seen loads of posts saying sell him over the past few weeks.
21 Mar 2017 23:29:13
We should get another winger/ attacker. Couts is not that effective there, far better in a midfield position. Think Iniesta.
Wouldn't mind trying our luck with Mahrez. Him on the right, Mané on the left, Bobby in the middle. Behind them Couts and Lallana/ Gini or even Hendo in a difficult game away. Mahrez would obviously add some venom at set pieces aswell.
22 Mar 2017 06:59:51
If goals is the issue then people are missing the point that he isn't meant to be a main scorer, that is being picked up because of a different problem, no consistent scorer. so him and Firminho look like they're not doing enough. Same with assists, you can only get an assist if the other guy scores. Get a striker who will score around 20 league goals a season and those 2 will look like they have a big value.
22 Mar 2017 09:01:04
Madness, whenever we lose our star players we b**** about them leaving. We have a current one and people say we should take 50 odd mil for him!? Who are going to get for 50 mil to replace him!? Why would they come to Liverpool if we were selling our best players? What guarantees do they have that they will be more effective than him? Or that they won't get injured? Forget about his goals and asssists -when he plays he gives the other team something totally different to deal with, usually assigning two players to deal with him. Teams haven't had something to worry about like him since Suarez. Keep your best players, replace the weak ones and success will usually follow.
22 Mar 2017 09:45:50
Couts is not world class. In fact i would say he is not even the best in the PL in my opinion. That would go to Silva.
22 Mar 2017 10:06:38
Couts, origi can, are all young players who can in theory improve year on year for the next 5 years.
They ain't that bad now and each have had patches showing talent that will become more consistent over time.
With TTA, ojo and Woodburn coming along after.
The future looks good.
Hopefully Gomez can step up but we really need to sign a top centre half and probably a full back.
The keeper situation needs addressing but weather it's the coach that needs changing or the keepers is open to debate.
21 Mar 2017 10:21:29
I wouldn't sell him for £100 mill. Nothing to do with the value but it will be a wrong message to players who would want to join us. You cannot convince players on a project which sells their best players every year.
It's not the value he brings to the team it's his undoubted quality. What is the actual point in securing the CL of you at ready to accept money for players like Couts and Mane?
22 Mar 2017 10:22:31
Keeping him and adding a left winger will be the step forward. Not to sell him and try all summer to replace a like to like player. I feel sorry for people who counts on Lallana and want to sell Coutinho.
What is the point in securing CL if you are not going to keep your star players?
22 Mar 2017 12:31:43
Attract good players by selling your best players. Brilliant, right? WRONG! Nonsensical argument, really. Good luck attracting good players by selling your best players. So cos Couts and Firmino (who when on form are unplayable) are having a dip in form, we should sell them. Thank heavens such "fans" on here don't run the club. We would be in the Conference with such daft thinking.
I would NEVER sell Couts nor Firmino nor any of our best players cos you need them to compete and attract other good players. Arsenal have been doing that and now look at them. And those kicking Couts and Bobbie while their down should hang their heads in shame for not supporting them in their time of need. Pathetic attitude from our "fans".
{Ed002's Note - If Coutinho goes it will because he wants to not becaase Liverpool want him to.}
21 Mar 2017 17:23:18
Why do so many on here always wants to sell our better players and fantasise over the large transfer sums?
"Ooooh what about £60m for Coutinho though. "
I am a football fan. I like football, not money from player sales.
We are not a selling club - at least I hope that is not what we've become.
To hear fans pining to sell our better players is saddening and backs up something that I've thought for along time now - the modern day fan is now more excited about transfer windows and fantasy football signings than the game itself.
Just look at the recent investment and developments around esports. It's a market which has exploded. The result? Fans wanting to sell out of form club players for the lastest flavour of the month star.
Coutinho has struggled since his injury. Hazard was god awful last year, did Chelsea sell him? No and now he isn't tearing up the league once more. Thank god JK doesn't listen to some of you on here!
21 Mar 2017 17:34:45
Tell me one year that counts had 25 plus good games he hasn't wats his best tally goals and assist wise nothing great wat some people realise is money for counts could be best placed else were to make the team better that's all like edo2 says players are just transient employes.
21 Mar 2017 18:19:32
Coutinho is one of the best players in the league and up untill his injury he was the best player. His form has dropped and now as the op stated some people want to sell him. craziness. you build your team around him because he is that good. Sell him to another side and when he becomes in the top 5 players in the world the clowns out there will question why we sold him. get a grip people. the lad is a wonderful player so let's appreciate him before he does move on to Barcelona or whoever and becomes a distant memory.
21 Mar 2017 18:42:09
Exactly Abo, it really is laughable.
Anyway, tell me Mike when has selling one of our players for mega bucks and splashing out on replacements ever worked out?
Carroll? Balotelli? Downing? I could go on.
21 Mar 2017 20:31:10
Can we stop with the "when has selling our best player ever worked out" stuff? Yeah, Liverpool has a bad recent history. However Klopp does not and he is now our manager!
He sold Gotze and signed Mkhitaryan. He sold Lewandowski and signed Aubameyang. He sold Sahin and signed Gundogan!
This is not Rafa, Comolli or Rodgers picking players anymore.
We have a new scouting team and a new manager making the final decisions. So let's not judge the current regime against past mistakes. Klopp sold Benteke for £30m and signed Mane. He sold Allen and signed Wijnaldum. He sold Skrtel and signed Matip. I'd say he currently has a fairly decent record of replacing first team players. Of the 4 players signed to play in our first team, only Karius hasn't settled in yet.
21 Mar 2017 22:25:28
This is all ifs and buts and when has klopp said he was selling Phil.
21 Mar 2017 22:25:45
Mk totally agree the thing is he's not are best player we don't play with a number ten he is played on the left witch his stats are not the best we have players that would do just as good as him at the club already klopp won't change his formation so all i've said is if we are offered 50 plus take it and spend were we need it spending for the great of the team ron keeps saying about when we sold suarez and bought badly that was not klopp do we all trust klopp or not with money.
21 Mar 2017 23:10:03
Of course he's our best player, he's just not on form. When Phil on his game we the best attacking side in that league.
22 Mar 2017 00:45:21
Puzzled. Thanks, mate. Post of the day
Unfortunately, it's a sign of the times that flashy dollars and status are just too important to people these days. Obviously that's a different conversation, for a different forum, but i do wish those views wouldn't leak into the football supporters world. Football should be a means of escaping that bullshe*p, 90 mins at a time. Talk about tactics, players, everything. But leave the fifa mentality on the xbox.
22 Mar 2017 04:12:22
MK Scouser and those agreeing with him/ her: I'm sorry, but it was Zorc, not Klopp, who recruited those players at BvB. Klopp is world class at coaching talent, but it was Zorc who brought in the talent.
LFC has no comparable scout or DOF. So, no, it's a bad analogy between LFC and BvB.
Coutinho, when on form, is one of the best in the world. Ankle injuries, if you've ever had one, are notoriously difficult to recover from quickly. He's obviously struggling with the injury still, given he's being brought off in games early.
There is no way in hell if we sell Coutinho we'll replace him with anyone near his quality. We need to *add* to our existing talent, not subjtract and then roll the dice and hope we score a talent as good as him.
No thanks. If having Klopp means anything, it means not having to constantly sell off our best players.
{Ed001's Note - well said. It is why Dortmund struggled to maintain consistent wins, the constant selling of their best players. You have to hold onto them to progress.}
22 Mar 2017 07:25:24
MK
Poor comparison mate. Since BVB sold lewa, gotze etc, how many trophies have they won exactly?
22 Mar 2017 10:22:49
87red, Is that because they sold players, or because Bayern have just ruined German football by stockpiling all the best players in the league?
I can see you point Fear of the Red Planet but I don't agree with the ankle injury statement. His form is like this every season. He always has long baron runs with or without injury because he is being played in a position he is not really meant for.
I am not saying we should sell him, but I just refuse to jump on the "LFC are buggered" bandwagon if we sell Coutinho.
Throwing out random examples of teams who have not improved after selling their best player doesn't really wash with me. In our own league, United sold Ronaldo and continued to dominate for at least 3 years afterwards, an average Spurs sold Bale and built a title challenging side with the profit, Southampton sell their top 3 players every season and year seem to replace them with even better players who this year took them to their first cup final in god knows how long.
It is not impossible to replace your top players. Coutinho being our best player whilst out of position and struggling with form/ injury is more a worrying damnation of the rest of the team than a positive for him.
We should without a doubt try to keep him; which the club are doing. He just got given a record breaking contract. The counter argument that some are presenting though is that we might get an offer of £50m+ for a player who misses a quarter of every season injured, has never hit double figures in the league, and hasn't played to his best since the opening game of this season.
Of course we should persist with him if nobody offers stupid money. He is one of our top players. However his contract alone almost forces him into starting every game now, and in Klopp's current system he really is not justifying that regular game time or wage. You can disagree, but he has been embarrassingly hooked twice in a row now (with a long time still on the clock) for a 17 year old. So Klopp clearly agrees that he is not pulling his weight.
The only way I can see Coutinho and Firmino in the same successful side is if we put Couts in the midfield and sign a new left forward who scores a lot of goals. Otherwise we will just keep struggling to score for long periods of the season. Mane is our only player in the front 3 who I could see scoring a scrappy rebound or a goal mouth scramble. That is why in the tight games we struggle.
22 Mar 2017 12:27:33
MK,
You can't site what bayern have done as a reason for their failure to win a trophy - otherwise all other german teams might as well as give up if that's the case.
ask yourself this, if BVB still had all of those players - would they have a better chance of ending the bayern domination? absolutely.
you can't use united as an example either. their situation back then was so different to where we are. they were a consistent title winning team whereas we are building towards that. if you're winning titles, losing one player can be remidied. if you continue to lose your best players - torres, suarez, alonso, possible coutinho - you end up exactly where we are.
22 Mar 2017 12:41:15
MK, we have the best attack in the PL, period. So scoring goals is not our issue as our issues lie elsewhere. I do agree that Couts should be put in midfield as he is better there BUT out wide, he has still been solid for us and was on pace to be PFA Player Of The Year arguably (playing out wide) until the injury to his ankle came. An ankle injury just like knee injuries (I've had a sprained ankle and a surgically repaired knee and they still hurt, 5 years after), are very difficult to overcome and we can't even manage his full recovery cos he has to play as we are low on squad numbers, just like Can has to play with a bad calf.
Cos he's having a dip in form or taking too long to get back to gear cannot be the reason he gets sold just cos people are so short-sighted. We stick with him till he gets back to his best and that should be that. He's not getting sold EVEN for stupid money. Instead, we should get good players in to play with him.
21 Mar 2017 17:19:24
Hi Eds, I think 4th spot or even higher is on.
Just had a look at the run in and other than Everton we don't face a top 6 team.
Utd have Everton, Chelsea, City, Arsenal and Spurs.
Arsenal have City, Spurs, Utd and Everton
City have Arsenal, Chelsea and Utd.
Spurs have Chelsea, Arsenal and Utd.
No point in doing Chelsea.
Thanks.
21 Mar 2017 17:24:47
Trouble is we don't strufgle against the top 6 teams, it's the others that we find difficult! I get your point though.
21 Mar 2017 18:07:39
I would love united run in more than ares tbh.
That being said therea pleanty of banana skins there for all those teams.
Not so much for us.
21 Mar 2017 19:57:29
There will be banana skins for everyone. It is up to us to navigate them with grit, determination and a will to win.
21 Mar 2017 11:58:00
Ed002,
I know you are a busy man but was hoping I could ask you a little question/ review?
The top 6 teams managers in the prem could you possibly give me your imput/ opinion of them of how they are doing and maybe the longetivity at the current clubs. I think it's fair to say you not buying into klopp being liverpool messiah? Hopefully you will have time to read through this and give me a little insight into the current crop of managers. Thanks.
{Ed002's Note - Well briefly, Conte is a very good manager who is well liked by those who know him and the players who have worked under him - except Stellini of course. Chelsea would like him to sign a new deal beyond 2019 but how long he stays could be determined by interest in him from elsewhere. Guardiola is more difficult to judge as his managerial experience has been at the very top end of the game - but is is clearly continuing to oversee a team performing well but whether he can achieve the Champions League at Manchester City as the owners want is another matter. That will likely determine the length of his tenure. Mauricio Pochettino is doing well at Spurs and perhaps well enough to attract the attention of a leading side such as Manchester United or Real Madrid within the next couple of years if progress is sustained. Mourinho will probably stay for two more seasons but is volatile enough to depart earlier. He doesn't like Manchester and his family is still in London - plus he does not have the trust of everyone at the club. You cannot doubt his coaching skills but sometimes other decisions are rather unusual - we will see what happens with Ibrahimovic which is a matter he may just get wrong. Klopp is a good coach but suffers from his inability to adapt - and this cost him a lot in Germany (it is five years since he had his last domestic league success). The likeable clown persona is wearing thin. 2019 may well see Bayern Munich come calling for him. Arsene Wenger has a tremendous legacy at Arsenal and has sustained reasonable success at the club without excelling too often. It is now time for him to move on - it is not a good season and from day one (he nearly left last summer due to another matter) it has been inconsistent. Now the fans have turned.}
21 Mar 2017 14:37:59
arsenal ....
{Ed002's Note - Try the Arsenal page.}
21 Mar 2017 14:53:08
will do ed002.
21 Mar 2017 17:32:47
Superb reply ed002, love other insights and would agree with nearly all you said. Obviously I have Red tinted glasses on (lfc red I may add) and whilst I love Klopp like soooo many fans on here it's good to hear other people's opinions other than lfc fans. Thanks for answering my question and everyone else's you to on here.
21 Mar 2017 19:55:51
Brilliant review Ed.
21 Mar 2017 20:00:49
Great read, Ed. Why do you think Bayern will be Klopp's dream job? His BVB affiliation must make him a non-starter for both him and Bayern, right or do Germans not care for that stuff that much?
{Ed002's Note - He would have gone to Bayern if Guardiola had met the deadline they set for saying what he wanted to do.}
21 Mar 2017 20:12:26
As it's relevant to this post, regarding Ibra, is the matter mourinho "may get wrong" offering Ibra a contract extension?
21 Mar 2017 09:54:37
I know this will go down like a lead balloon with some but £65 million for Coutinho. I would take all day long.
21 Mar 2017 10:07:32
First and foremost. I don't see anyone paying that sum for him. Barcelona has money and Couts wouldn't go anywhere unless it Barca.
21 Mar 2017 10:37:10
At the minute he's non existent so yeah I'd take that.
He's not a winger anyway so I'd take a good sum and buy a winger. Would put him in the middle at the expense of Gini, no way.
That's my 2penve worth.
21 Mar 2017 10:59:40
Ko lo
No! He would play alongside Wiji and we should drop Lallana to the bench. Couts is head and shoulder above Lallana and precisely He is only second to Silva if deployed in the middle. Buy a winger and play Couts in the middle. Selling him will takes us back to the transitional mode again. He is one of the genuine class we have got with us.
21 Mar 2017 11:15:22
And replace Coutinho with whom? Is there a player out there with his ability that will be worth the money we get for him? Who may that player be?
It is all fair and well selling him but does not mean we will be able to sign someone with equal quality taking into account that players like Sanchez prefer London over any other location in England. Top players have preferences and Liverpool football club is not the number one destination for world class players.
So then we can go sign Gotze who's career has gone down the pan and be saddled with an overpriced, bad attitude and hemorrhaging of the wage bill.
It is simple to say oh, £65m is reason to get rid of Coutinho when you cannot even provide a solution to replacing him!
Brandt for instance may be a top talent but is not going to walk into the first team straight away if we end up signing him and in no certain terms is at a level to replace Coutinho if he had to leave.
Ed002 in his last sharkopod made it know which attacking players we are interested in and those players could be improvements to the squad depth and first team but not going to be good enough to replace Coutinho straight away.
Get a grip.
21 Mar 2017 11:24:30
The whole world tips him to be the successor of Iniesta and we play him at Neymar's position. No wonder he has struggled for consistency.
21 Mar 2017 11:47:45
He is one of our best players, he just needs to be played in the right place, alongside good players, so he doesn't feel the need to try too hard and carry the team.
This bad run of form has affected all of the players negatively but it is clear to see which ones are not good enough. Couts is not one of them. Selling him unless we absolutely had to is a stupid idea.
21 Mar 2017 11:56:34
Sorry but those saying we couldn't live without Coutinho are living in dream world. Yes he's been a phenomenal player for us but and its a big, but we have lived and survived without better players.
If we were going to utilise Cout's centrally then he'd yes he'd be hard to replace but as a winger then there are plenty of wingers better. One other thing is our knack of not replacing our players properly, if we would go and get a quality player to replace him then I may be happy letting him go but Torres, Carragher, Gerrard, Mascerano, Suarez, Alonso and probably plenty more examples of players we've sold only to replace them with bit part players, potential that may or may not come good.
If we replaced him properly, and I don't mean like for like necessarily bht may be a quality striker and a quality winger and giving Firmino a free role behind tge striker possibly then yeah I would be happy to get good money for him and let him go and live out his dream with Naymar at Barca.
21 Mar 2017 12:01:07
I wouldn't drop lallana to the bench to play coutinho in the middle, coutinho doesn't have the workrate needed to replace lallana in this system, not by a county mile.
If you where to change the whole system and formation then maybe, but in the current formation and system? No way.
21 Mar 2017 12:03:17
Doing so would merely contribute to our on going problems as a club which is selling our best players and failing to replace them with like-to-like quality. We sell Coutinho then buy who exactly? And if we're out of the CL who could we sign of comparative ability who would want to even join us? It's a ludicrous suggestion and would only end up weakening the first team.
21 Mar 2017 12:26:06
Sorry said it for the last 2 season counts is far to inconsistent if we buy a striker then ferminho replaces him lalanna can replace him simple anything over 50 mil snap there hand off.
21 Mar 2017 12:28:35
Mikey
By workrate you are referring to Running that Lallana does in the team. Phil is a pure genius on the ball. His vision and technique is world class. There is absolutely no comparisons over quality.
Moreover it's the same Coutinho who played in that midfield in 13/ 14 alongside Henderson and he was first class.
21 Mar 2017 12:45:47
Clearly, sticking by a player during a rough patch is a dead virtue among LFC fans of today. Absolutely pathetic! Couts is going nowhere except Barcelona and even if someone came with 65m and he gets sold, how do you replace him if the player you want knows you are a selling club who can't keep its best players? And who do you replace him with, exactly? We saw what happened when we tried to replace Suarez. The money was wasted on dross for no reason.
You don't sell your best players and yet convince people that you are a top club. Arsenal have been doing that for years and now look how far they have fallen especially with the dreadful signings they've made. Coutinho's talent is well documented and has been very good for us even though he can always improve. It is disgraceful that some fans are kicking him when he's down and want him sold. Pathetic attitude, really.
21 Mar 2017 12:56:50
He's just coming back from injury. There is a reason why he's being withdrawn after 70mins.
21 Mar 2017 14:17:21
Last time we qualified for the Champions league we sold our talisman for a lot of money.
It didn't work out well.
If he puts in a transfer request, then he goes, otherwise we should keep our best players.
21 Mar 2017 13:03:59
You as a club shouldn't be selling your first teamers instead you need to add quality over years and build a team around them. You should look to move out players who are not a part of first team, Starting from Sakho and Sturridge, also Can ( If he doesn't sign a contract extension)
What's the point in securing CL if you are selling your best payers?
Just turn the page around and ask Arssnal how they feel of loosing Sanchez.
21 Mar 2017 14:06:28
I think you'll find it was Firmino who just came back from an injury. Coutinho has been back for 2 months. It just hasn't sunk in yet because he has been dreadful.
Clearly he is a great player. Potentially a world class attacking midfielder. However he is struggling right now and he will never be what we need as a left winger/ forward.
How can anyone say we couldn't replace Coutinho though? Forget the fancy feints, the curling shots and the cheeky passes. He is currently playing as a forward and therefore his job his to score or at the very least create goals. He has 6 goals (? ) this season. That is less than Lallana who has been poor for 3 months, less than Milner who plays left back, just 1 ahead of Wijnaldum who plays much deeper, and just 2 ahead of Can who hasn't been first choice for over half the campaign. How can you justify his position because "he is good to watch"?
He is not scoring enough goals, his set pieces are as appalling as the rest of the squad, and to be quite frank he doesn't even put in the effort that Firmino does to (in some respects) make up for his lack of end product.
Mane has twice as many goals as Coutinho, and he went to Africa for a month so let's not use the injury as an excuse. 6 goals is atrocious for a forward. It is even worse when you factor in that he scored 2 of those on the opening day of the season and hasn't got anywhere near that performance since.
Should we try to sell him? Of course not. He is still relatively young and clearly has world class potential as a playmaker. However, if Klopp doesn't see him as a centre attacking midfielder, then he is just an average left forward to us; who a team willing to accommodate him in midfield would pay handsomely for. Klopp needs funds to build a squad in his image and selling Coutinho could fund an entire overhaul with some good scouting. If Messi gets over his superiority complex, and Barcelona offer us £50m upwards, Liverpool is not in a position to reject that kind of money for a 25 game a season player who goes 4 months at a time without a goal.
Set up the team to play him in midfield or sell him to reinvest in weaker areas of the squad. It is that simple. I hope we do the former and Coutinho goes on to be a Liverpool legend. However I expect the latter.
21 Mar 2017 14:27:08
We should not be selling our regular first teamers unless it's obvious they're not good enough - Coutinho may not be in his best position on LW (think he's better in midfield myself) but he's a top talent and still improving too.
We should really be looking to retain players like him and it's hard to replace regardless of money.
The one thing Klopp got right last summer was selling only players we didn't really need or play like Skrtel, Ibe, Allen, Benteke, Balotelli. likewise this season we should keep all our preferred first team and sell only those that aren't first choice (eg Sturridge, Leiva, Moreno, Markovic etc. ) to strengthen with 3-4 top players max.
{Ed002's Note - So why would players join knowing there is no chance of first team football. This makes no sense. If a club wants to bring in good and talented players in then there needs to be space made.}
21 Mar 2017 15:22:52
I can see perhaps
1) a new CF brought in to compete with Firmino (playing Firmino in more defensive games and the CF as a different and complementary style of player where we need a finisher) - Sturridge clearly isn't trusted anymore
2) a winger to compete/ rotate with Coutinho or Mane because we look exposed when they're away/ injured and for all their talent the youngsters need another couple of Seasons
3) a FB to compete or rotate with Milner and possibly even a CB
That will strengthen the side substantially and allow us to rotate players as will be needed for Europe assuming we get there. Feel there should be plenty of games to allow first team Football for the above while any other rotation (cup games/ injuries) could be done from the youngsters we already have.
{Ed002's Note - Klopp does not change his style nor does he rotate players except for the league cup type games.}
21 Mar 2017 16:22:50
I honestly don't know if id accept £65 million for Coutinho i like the lad so im biased towards keeping him. BUT anyone whom says the club can't survive without a player is absolutely nuts as long as he replaced yes it might affect short term but if right player purchased our club and any club moves on.
actually as im writing this an interview i seen or read about jumps to mind when the liverpool fans where so down because keegan was going to hamburg and paisley says not to worry we got a wee lad coming from scotland. Well we all know whom that was, if klopp could pull a signing off like that id sell him for %65 million gladly but the transfer market is a gamble no matter who you buy and sell.
22 Mar 2017 12:51:40
Bruffio, the question is not whether the club can survive without Couts. We sold Suarez YET we are still here. The issue is that you can't want to compete and attract good players by selling your best players. It makes no sense and it is sending the right message. We sold Suarez. We tried to get Sanchez and offered more in transfer fees and wages than Arsenal did. If you think Sanchez did not look at us and say, "they just sold their best player. Who's next? Who am I going to play with? Balotelli and Lambert? No thanks". And we all know how dreadful that season and half of the next went for us. Klopp has come in and ridden the ship to the point that if we get CL this season, we may be able to attract good players cos not only can we keep our best, we will be able to get more good players in cos we have a well-respected manager known all over Europe as a winner who plays devastating football and terrorized Europe with his Dortmund side not too long ago.
21 Mar 2017 07:49:38
Interesting about Chris Coleman saying that Woodburn has done enough to deserve a call up to the Wales squad.
Klopp said he was expecting a call from Coleman and probably wanted reasons why he would want to throw such a young player into the deep end who has hardly featured at the highest level.
The last thing we want is for Woodburn to all of a sudden get a big ego because now he is already being selected for his national team without even being anywhere close to being a regular for Liverpool. Just hope things do not go tits up for Woodburn as he is one of our brightest prospects.
21 Mar 2017 12:03:13
He's being called up for Wales, not Brazil to be fair mate, if that goes to his head and messes up his career then it would suggest to me he didn't have the mental strength to make it with us anyway.
21 Mar 2017 12:34:23
Lol mikey, I was thinking the same thing. He might get 10 mins and it will be good experience for him. It's not like he's the pinnacle of a world class international team. Half their players don't even play in the PL.
21 Mar 2017 12:48:23
I disagree, Mikey. It doesn't matter who he's called up by. Klopp is right to take care of his player and Coleman can always call up who he wants. Klopp just needs reassurances as to how he will be Woodburn will be used and if it is even worth it. Both managers are right to do what they are doing cos in the end, they both want what's best for the player. The player doesn't know what's best for him at this stage so they have a right to step in and manage him, carefully.
21 Mar 2017 12:50:12
They might not have a team world class stars but they went pretty far in the euros which can't be said about some other supposedly world class teams.
21 Mar 2017 13:34:59
Exactly farno, it's a good spirited side with team being the core of what they do. It's not full of divas with big heads.
21 Mar 2017 13:56:46
Woodburn will be ok in the Wales squad because the Welsh players will make sure he keeps his feet firmly on the ground. There is not one big ego in the whole squad, even the player who was a world record signing.
21 Mar 2017 14:57:34
If I could choose the country that Woodburn would play for, then Wales would be my choice, see how Bale fits in, see how they don't play too many games, and they have a very good young manager, also he won't be travelling as many miles as the Brazil lads .
21 Mar 2017 19:08:02
The lad should be able to proudly represent his national team . It can only do his confidence good rather than being sat on the sidelines. Rather than it being a negative it may just inspire the lad to work even harder and be more determined to break into our first team. Honestly some folks are just negative Nancy's.
21 Mar 2017 03:41:45
Thumbs up for an Ed001 and Ed002 podcast debating one Jurgen Klopp!
21 Mar 2017 07:24:34
Which podcast is that? Gone to look but nothing there.
21 Mar 2017 07:47:31
I think Spartan was drumming up support (thumbs up) for his proposal of a podcast debate on Klopp there Max 😬.
21 Mar 2017 07:52:15
That will be the best podcast yet! Hoping it arrives soon.
21 Mar 2017 09:04:14
I will act as the special guest referee 😎.
21 Mar 2017 09:22:19
Spare us.
21 Mar 2017 11:35:45
Both eds have very strong opinions on the matter which are both subjective, the result would just be an argument. Just be grateful we have two knowledgeable people who can give us two separate but valid points of view.
21 Mar 2017 12:05:15
Yeah that would be great, maybe chuck in the Everton Ed (Ed025) as well, he's had some good things to say about klopp and it would broaden the debate a bit more.
21 Mar 2017 12:50:15
I don't think that debate will be productive cos one thinks the world of Klopp while the other doesn't think he's all that and both have reasons to back up their opinions. It will be a stalemate BUT very informative for viewers and listeners.
21 Mar 2017 19:07:25
Ed025 is great (for a non-red) :-) . A three-way argument would be highly entertaining.
{Ed025's Note - that would be hard for me rob hes my guilty pleasure, i know i should hate him...but i cant help myself i love the guy mate, hes witty, always smiling and plays the game the right way, hes wasted on your moaning shower though.. :)