Liverpool Banter 2

27 Jul 2026 14:54:51
Instead of watching Palace sell yet another CB to a rival, why don't we cut out the middle man and buy their latest prospect? Chrislain Matsima for under £25m. Or wait and buy him in a couple of seasons for £75m?

This is not a serious post btw. Just an attempt at light-hearted banter on a quite day in the office.

27 Jul 2026 16:21:24
Don't blame you, StEtienne. We already maxed out our card at Southampton years ago.

Now, we have just transitioned into taking Newcastle's targets.

27 Jul 2026 14:49:32
Seeing Iliman Ndiaye rumours again today and although unlikely I wouldn't mind it tbh.
Always looks dangerous and sort of prem proven.

27 Jul 2026 15:02:23
Off to Saudi, I believe.

27 Jul 2026 15:06:59
Last season, Ndiaye scored 4 non-penalty goals. He works his socks off, but he really doesn't score as many as a 26-year-old winger should. He only got 3 assists as well in 2700 league minutes (32 starts). He's vastly overrated. Being Everton's best player is not much to write home about nowadays.

I'd honestly rather play Chiesa than sign Ndiaye.

He got 2 goals and 1 assist in just 300 league minutes (1 start). Chiesa would walk into Everton's team, so that's probably a pretty good indicator that we shouldn't be considering anyone who plays down in the docks. Illman Ndiaye isn't even the best Ndiaye on Merseyside anymore.

27 Jul 2026 15:13:09
In regards to people claiming Barcola in means Gakpo out. Who's covering for Ekitike if Gakpo goes? Not forgetting, Isak is injury-prone and needs his minutes managed even when he is fully fit. Currently Gakpo's the only one qualified to fill that role. If Isak gets injured, who's playing up front? Barcola? Leaving just Rio and Munoz on the wings? No thanks. Letting Gakpo go right now would be a moronic move, despite last season's poor performance.

He done 20+ G/A in the Prem for consecutive seasons. Outside of Isak, there's nobody else in the squad who can even make that claim.

I've never been a fan of Gakpo tbh, but letting him go now would be extremely premature in my opinion. Even if we get Barcola and '1 goal per month Rayan'.

27 Jul 2026 15:16:56
Wrong thread.

27 Jul 2026 15:48:31
After the interviews, looks like Mr Church will be covering for Cody and Isak, and, to be frank, I am onboard with that. Jayden Danns gets fit, Will is there, we've got 3rd/4th choice depth.

27 Jul 2026 16:23:15
Silvered, who is Mr. Church? And Danns is still injured (has been injured for months on and off) and Will Wright is not it yet so not sure about the depth you are referring to, personally.

27 Jul 2026 16:31:31
MK Scouser,
If you would prefer Chiesa to Ndiaye, your judgement is seriously questioned. I don't understand the clamour for Chiesa to get more game time. Is everyone stuck in a 2020 timewarp? On Facebook, Slot gets pelters from the overseas social media supporters for being nasty to Chiesa and leaving him out of the team.

He scored a goal against Sunderland, and you would think they were talking about Mbappe. Chiesa would not get a regular start at any other Premier League team. The sooner Chiesa is sold, all this nonsense can stop.

27 Jul 2026 18:11:52
Kemlyn, have you actually watched Ndiaye? He's very much lacking in end product, but admittedly he works very hard. Chiesa is quite clearly the better footballer which is why his career includes winning trophies with Italy, Liverpool and Juventus. Meanwhile Ndiaye's career consists of languishing in mid-table at Everton after flopping at Marseille.

This is not me advocating for Chiesa to be our new winger. Quite the opposite. I'm merely pointing out that Ndiaye is not even at the same level as a player the sane ones among us would all pretty happily move on. Ndiaye is a bottom 10 Prem player ant best and he's currently at a club that suits him perfectly. His delusions of grandeur coming out and saying he wants to play Champions League football show a remarkable lack of self awareness. Chiesa is at least good enough for a Europa league level team and that's why if he goes up for sale, he won't be reduced to choosing between Everton or the Saudi Pro League at 26 years old.

I'd seriously question your judgement if you think Ndiaye is a good player. He's had a purple patch 2 seasons ago and that's it. Chiesa was consistently good for 5 years in Italy and even after declining massively, Ndiaye is still not fit to lace his boots. Although Ndiaye is normally fit, so he does have that over Chiesa in his defence.

I'd be happy for Chiesa to stay in a Minamino/Shaqiri type role, but he's nowhere near starting quality. Ndiaye isn't even good enough to play for our Carabao Cup team though.

27 Jul 2026 14:42:37
If we get Barcola, and with Munoz, I think that will be in place of Gakpo.
And if we get Rayan, that will be in place of Salah.
(I actually like Francisco Conceicao. A very confident player in a big team).

Has the team improved from last season?
I don't think so, except I do expet Wirtz and Isak to contribute a hell out more.
But we did lose Ekitike, and with Isak also not as hardy as the like of Salah, I would say the team would be weaker than last year's.

But we may yet play better because of the way the team is managed and set out to play.

However, not sufficient to catch up with those way ahead.

So, we definitely need to strengthen further.
1) A centre back who can also play as right back is critical.
2）A real no. 6
3) If possible another 9, unless a younster is ready to step up.
4) A further winger on top of Barcola, even if we get Rayan.

If you guys think the same, what names would we do for 1) to 4)?

I like
1）Kounde
2) Wharton - perhaps not a traditional 6, but I like how fast he moves the ball forward and his range of passing
3） ?
4) Francisco Conceicao.

27 Jul 2026 15:18:50
Signing aside, if the team can pass the ball forward and can still run after 70 minutes of a match, then the team has improved from last season.

27 Jul 2026 16:28:49
@Waynechai, how will that be in place of Gakpo? First, many on here keep claiming we do not have enuff players for cover, yet we wanna sell players who can provide the cover at LW and potential at CF, since there is a good chance we may not get one.



As for what will happen next season, I'm just here for the new vibes and new energy Iraola will bring, so I'm looking forward to watching my team play again rather than dreading the threat of feeling my eyes bleed whenever an LFC game is coming up like last season.

27 Jul 2026 14:25:26
Having read up on things, we currently have 25 senior players in the squad, 16 Overseas: Ali, Marma, Ramsey, VVD, Kerkez, Tsimikas, Endo, Macca, Grav, Szob, Wirtz, Munoz, Gakpo, Chiesa, Isak, Ekitike and 9 HG: Woodman, Jaros, Frimpong, Bradley, Gomez, Bajectic, McConnell, Jones, Elliott (not to mention Beck and Chambers).

If we're making any more senior signings, then players will have to make way, which is likely why we've primarily targeted under 21 players such as Diomande, Rayan as they can still be brought in and not be considered a problem registration wise for a season or two, also likely why we went heavy on U21 CBs, as they essentially are freebie players when it comes to registration.



So if we're signing senior players, who are we selling/de-registering to take their places. It feels to me like we'll see 1 in, 1 out. If Barcola and Wharton/Scott/Camara, Kounde/hybrid defender are targets. It's likely to be Gakpo, Macca and Ramsey to go just to make space.

Just food for though, what does everyone else think?

27 Jul 2026 15:30:24
It's more complicated than that. Different rules in the CL mean that even U21s will still need to be registered as overseas players. Despite being U21 and homegrown, even Rio had to be registered as an overseas player last season, as he had not been at the club for 2 years.

We need to move some players on. Based on last season, the obvious would have been Endo and Chiesa, but who knows.

Other names often being mentioned are Gakpo and Macca. It will be a balancing act, trying to make sure you have strength in depth whilst freeing up space in the squad. The big hope for Iraola is that he is more likely to use U21 players in place of the squad players who don't play much but require registering as non-hg.

27 Jul 2026 15:39:25
It's not this simple for us because we're in the Champions League where the squad rules are different. CL rules are as follows:

1) The A List must not have any more than 25 players.

2) Up to 17 non-Home Grown players are allowed in the A List.

3) Up to 21 Home Grown players are allowed in the A List (played for another English club for 3 years between 15-21). However, every non-Home Grown player replaces one of these slots.

4) Up to 25 club trained players are allowed in the A List (Players aged over 21 who have spent 3 years at the club between 15-21 years old).

5) The B List can have unlimited u21 players as long as they've been at the club for 2 consecutive years. u21s that have not done 2 consecutive years must be registered in the A-List.

Summary: Most clubs tend to max out the non-Home Grown allocation with 17, have 4 Home Grown Players, and 4 Club Trained players. Effectively, you can have 21 non-Club Trained players and a maximum of 17 of those can be non-Homegrown. If you want a bigger squad than 21 players, you need to utilise your academy for the final 4 slots by filling them with Club Trained players.



Effectively though, players like Ndiaye, Jacquet, Leoni and Rayan would all have to be in the A List in order to play in the Champions League for us, so they would all take up a non-Home Grown slot. In the Premier League though, the Squad rules are much more relaxed. There is no Club Trained requirement in the Premier League, and also everyone u21 does not need to be registered, regardless of how long they've been at the club or playing in England. Other than that the rules are the same. Maximum of 25 players can be registered and a maximum of 17 of those can be non-Homegrown. If you want to fill your full 25 man allocation, then 8 of them must be Homegrown.

To really blow your mind, Last season Rio Ngumoha counted as an A List non-Homegrown player in the Champions League, this season he will be eligible for the B List in the Champions League, and in 4 years time he'll be eligible as an A List Club Trained player.

It's so over complicated. You can even have some players listed in the Champions League but not in the Premier League, and vice versa. I need a lie down after explaining that, so good luck trying to understand it.

27 Jul 2026 16:20:51
Should have clarified, I was just referring to the Premier League squad registration.

27 Jul 2026 16:29:30
Wait, have we signed Rayan yet?

27 Jul 2026 17:00:00
OliRed, nope, I didn't say we had.

27 Jul 2026 18:03:39
I don't see an issue; Elliot, Chiesa, Endo and Ramsey could fall off the earth tomorrow and nobody would bat an eyelid. If we need to make way for incoming signings, we will.

27 Jul 2026 13:23:19
Over on the Chelsea page they are talking about how two days we enquired for Neto. Perhaps keeping options open if main targets fail. Italian media also saying we have gone in for Conceicao from Juve. Again possibly getting prices if other deals fail.

27 Jul 2026 13:41:47
Conceicao and Neto are two wingers I very much like. I look at it from the perspective of finding the right balance. They're not necessarily flashy big name signings, but I think they're purpose built for playing on the wing in the style Iraola looks to play.

Likewise with Minteh. They all seem like good to compliment Isak and Barcola.

I trust VictorGoddam, though, so I think we'll be going after Rayan next.

27 Jul 2026 13:54:49
MK Scouser Neto looks nice, but when you look at his stats (goals and assists), you realise he is pretty ineffective. I haven’t really seen Conceicao, but I think Rayan would be perfect for this team. Strong, fast and powerful, has a very high ceiling but gives this team something it lacks, which is pace and directness up top.

27 Jul 2026 13:55:58
Seem to recall that nearly everyone on these boards was going ecstatic over Wirtz signing last season. Look how that turned out: 17 PL games to score his first PL goal, 5 goals total for the PL 25-26.



Barcola will be just the same. If Munoz hits his straps, Barcola will be on the subs bench. I would much prefer a player who plays for the team, not himself. And Andoni likewise, hopefully.

27 Jul 2026 15:10:13
These potential signings, Barcola and Rayan, look potentially very expensive and difficult to assess as fans. Barcola is in and out of the PSG team, in a lesser league by some distance to the Prem, and Rayan is unproven. They both have pace, though, which is a key ingredient for success out wide, and something we've been lacking. Let's hope they succeed if we get them.



Like others, my only concern on the fees is because they're very inflated, we may need to compromise on right back / centre back and centre mid, which I think are equally important to bringing in a left winger. I guess we'll make it work by selling Cody and Macca or Curtis. I hope these are Iraola buys, not RH.

27 Jul 2026 16:14:36
007, Barcola already plays in a tough and physical league though. The Bundesliga is soft, and everyone tries to play pretty football, which makes attackers look better than they are. In France they have some absolute physical monsters, and the majority of players are fast. Ligue 1 is a similar tempo to the English game as well. The French league is under rated. If you look at the players in recent years who came from Ligue 1 vs those who came from the Bundesliga, you'll see my point.

Ligue 1 Successes in the last 5 years: Bruno Guimaraes, Rayan Cherki, William Saliba, Bryan Mbeumo, Jeremy Doku, Nordi Mukiele, Boubacar Kamara, Adrien Truffert, Eli Kroupi Jr, Ismaila Sarr, Carlos Baleba, Lenny Yoro, Bafode Diakite, Habib Diarra, Matz Sels etc.

Bundesliga Successes in the last 5 years: Haaland, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Ekitike, Endo.



Maybe someone else can help me out with another player who came from the Bundesliga in the last 5 years and actually reached or exceeded expectations? Even Gravenberch feels like a bit of a reach given he played about 250 minutes in the Bundesliga and was developed by the Dutch. Ekitike actually learned his trade in Ligue 1 and only came to the Premier League via a short stop in Germany. Can I include Endo? He had one good season under Klopp and was fairly cheap. I'm struggling here.

I can think of a lot of very expensive Bundesliga players who didn't justify their price tags in the last 5 years (Havertz, Wirtz, Frimpong, Gvardiol, Werner, Nkunku, Sesko, Marmoush, Sancho etc.).

Long story short, shop in France, not in Germany. German clubs are mugging the Premier League off big time of late.

27 Jul 2026 16:30:37
MKS, you like Neto? Minteh?

27 Jul 2026 18:26:58
Oli, I do mate, yeah. Neto is further down the line in his development and added goals/assists to his game last season. It's his sheer volume of chance creation that impresses me most. He is always playing with his head up, and he crosses towards team mates, not just areas. I think he's very under rated.

Minteh, at 22 years old, is a lot more of a punt based on potential, but he is a real talent. Power and aggression, combined with blistering pace. I think, based on what Iraola did for Semenyo, he could really improve Minteh. He's still young enough to be moulded and coached into a more refined player. Again, it's his crossing quality that impresses me most. Every time I've watched him, I come away amazed that he doesn't have 2 or 3 assists due to his team mates missing absolute sitters.

Conceicao is also of that ilk though. Another who is just so natural beating his man and getting crosses into the box. His drop of the shoulder and body feints make up for being slightly slower than Neto and Minteh.

I really do like him though. So exciting to watch and still very young.

I am just so frustrated that we signed Isak for £125m and then failed to recruit any wingers with a good delivery. Gakpo never crosses the ball, and Salah had a howler last season. Chiesa also doesn't typically put in good crosses, and Rio is just a kid. Isak was doomed from the get go, in hindsight. If you watch his Newcastle clips, so many of his goals came from Murphy or Gordon constantly looking to get crosses into him.

You can keep your Vini Jr's or your Morgan Rogers. We went big on signing one of the best poachers in the game and then failed totally to make sure he had a supply line from wide areas. Barcola is a great acquisition if we pull it off because he is very good with his delivery from the left. If we do go after another winger to play on the right though, yes, I do like Minteh, Neto and Conceicao.

27 Jul 2026 13:15:24
Lucas Chevalier is surplus to requirements for PSG, who is interested in Suzuki from Parma. They want him gone as Enrique doesn’t rate him good enough. Transfer or loan, he is out.

AS Monaco is interested in a loan with buy option.

One that could be interesting for us preparing for life after Alisson…


Cheers,

Red Ronson.

27 Jul 2026 13:29:14
I understand we scouted Chevalier and considered him before we decided on Marma.

27 Jul 2026 13:46:48
"Thank heaven for little girls"

A lot may not be old enough to know what I'm on about. Don't mistake me for Rolf Harris!

27 Jul 2026 14:39:21
Well we do need a new Mo in the squad Rome. 😉

27 Jul 2026 14:45:27
Good one, Barry! Hope you're well.

27 Jul 2026 13:06:48
Anyone signed yet?

27 Jul 2026 13:19:45
Yeah. Munoz and Jacquet.

27 Jul 2026 13:46:48
Didn't Jacquet sign 31 Jan 26?

27 Jul 2026 13:47:43
I resigned to Sky last week if that's what you're asking, Fatwallet.

Will I regret it when my wife finds out?....... Yes, yes I will.

I'm not ITK, by the way. I'm just not good at doing what I'm told. 😜

27 Jul 2026 13:54:17
JK23, Jacquet signed on July 1st. A deal was agreed in principle back in January, but we didn't actually sign him until just under 4 weeks ago.

27 Jul 2026 15:41:33
Did he not sign anything in Jan then, MK.

Are we the first club to complete a deal with a pinky promise.

27 Jul 2026 11:47:22
Joel Ordonoz would be ideal for our rcb option and can play RB. Only snag is he currently is out with a broken metatarsal. No idea on when he will return.

27 Jul 2026 12:18:28
I've read good things about Ordonez, but signing another defender currently injured (I appreciate metatarsal fractures are very minor non-reoccurring impact injuries) seems unwise.

I would like someone with a similar profile, though, for sure. Jules Kounde would be my top pick. However, I'd also be considering Nordi Mukiele or Josip Stanisic if I were making the decisions.

All three of them can play RB and CB to a very good standard. Stanisic can even play LB as well.

Lutsharel Geertruida and Oscar Mingueza are cheaper options for that RB/CB profile, but they're cheaper for a reason in my opinion. I would've been happy with them had Konate stayed, but, as he left, I think we need a slightly more proven/higher profile signing.

27 Jul 2026 12:30:55
We do love signing players who have to wait for their debut due to injury.

27 Jul 2026 12:40:08
I personally would go with someone like Geertruida.

He's not got as much potential as Ordonez, but he is cheaper, has had a season in the prem, and won't be blocking anyone.

We have a load of really good options at CB at the 18-21 age group, and I'd like to give them a path.

Leoni and Jacquet, in my opinion, are our future CB pairing, so we need, basically, a Gomez replacement who can cover a few defensive roles, but who is relatively robust! Geertruida has a decent injury record, and, at around £20-£25m, could be a decent option for a few years.

27 Jul 2026 13:19:35
Mingueza has gone to Palace Mk. I'd like Kounde also, but do we have the budget?

27 Jul 2026 13:30:43
Interest is still held from last summer, he is a possibility no doubt.

27 Jul 2026 13:48:10
KP, I honestly don't know. I think monies should be available for such a crucial position, though. Last season we had about 6 different players at RB. Frimpong, Bradley, Gomez, Endo, Jones and Szoboszlai all had a crack at it. Nobody was both good enough and reliable enough. It was the single biggest weak link in the squad.

Brutal, I know, but we're in this game to win trophies, so we can't go into next season with the exact same RB options that let us down last season.

The only exception to this would be if Calvin Ramsay is miraculously making a comeback and Iraola wants him as 1st choice RB. I think that's very unlikely, though, to be honest.

Kounde is our man in my opinion. Soon as Barcola is done, he'd be my next priority signing.

27 Jul 2026 13:48:46
If we are to sign another CB this window, I'd rather someone more experienced. It doesn't make sense to buy Ordonoz when we already have Jacquet and Leoni as the development CBs. Someone like Schlotterbeck or of that ilk.

Lacroix would have been great, but the ship has sailed.

27 Jul 2026 14:06:59
Lacroix is a very limited CB in my opinion. It's quite easy to play in the middle of a back 3 like he did at Palace. In fact, I think it's the easiest position of any defender in any formation if you're over 6ft2 and can head a ball. Keepers will typically play the ball out to the wider CBs, so Lacroix has less need to be good on the ball, and if a wing back gets caught out of position it's the wide CBs who have to get out to engage a tricky and rapid winger.

As the middle CB, your main job is to head away long punts up field, and head away crosses into the box.

Lacroix will do well at Chelsea if they stick him in the middle of a back 3. If they're playing a back 4, though, then he's going to be horribly exposed. Just like he was for France when England put 6 goals past him. They even hooked Konate, thinking that would stem the flow, and it made zero difference because Lacroix was just as bad as Ibou.

27 Jul 2026 11:46:41
Hello all. Fan of the site and first time poster. I see Wharton looking odds on to Chelsea with the bookies today. I'd personally love him at Liverpool and think the full summer off will have done him good. Anybody know if he is destined for Chelsea or could still come to us?