Liverpool Banter 4

26 Jul 2026 20:20:26
Anyone know anything about these Gakpo to Bayern Munich rumours? Would it be dependant on Luis Diaz leaving for Al Hilal?

26 Jul 2026 21:40:22
And we get Nigel Callaghan and Ruel Fox, the cruel fox in the box?

26 Jul 2026 19:09:45
Gee Wiz boys and girls, it’s some afternoon that.
Macca, Carra, Robbo and VG all making big posts about Barcola, I now believe.
Rayan, Sadiki and Kayode now please and Zabaryni on loan with options to buy please Mr Henry - Yes sir!!

26 Jul 2026 22:34:53
Macca is back!!!!!!???

The real ITK!!!!!

27 Jul 2026 07:51:25
That's a little bit harsh on Carra, Robbo, VG, Fields and Ned...

26 Jul 2026 18:40:16
Evening gents, what a time to be a red. Not a rumour, but merely a question, from a first time poster of almost 15 years reader.

With FSG seeking minority shareholders this summer, how would signing high profile players add to club’s valuation, would 100 plus signings add to the valuation more than the costs of spending on expensive players will subtract from it, like will it be simply regarded as increase in liability and asset will be more risky in the eyes of potential investors since more spending?

My thinking is that FSG is trying to sing the likes of Barcola asap before they sell shares to Mittal or Bezos, so the haggling bit might favour FSG’s valuation, and high profile players should really raise the stocks of any club, or am I talking peanuts and absolute waffle.

26 Jul 2026 21:18:20
I don't think that Bezos, Mittal, or any other investor is going to value the club differently based on if we sign Barcola or not. What I do think is that the club is worth more if it is in the Champions League and getting more exposure by challenging for the league and Champions League.

26 Jul 2026 21:57:18
It makes little or no difference, the club is not valued based on the squad. Investors are looking at (projected) revenue; ticket sales, merch, tv deals, competition bonuses, not the team sheet.

27 Jul 2026 00:22:10
It probably matters a little bit, as I'd expect squad value to have some effect on overall club value, but I would think it would be negligible when the club is valued at upwards of $5b, as I've seen reported as part of the minority share talk.

26 Jul 2026 17:40:01
So where should Wirtz play this season? If left wing then we might not need new winger.

And if attacking mid then where does that leave Szob? I think then we need a DM and need to sell Mac and Curtis. This will be the biggest decision for AI as per me.

26 Jul 2026 20:20:19
Barcola is on for LW

That'll do, little pig!

26 Jul 2026 20:23:40
Right back.

26 Jul 2026 20:29:31
I think we'll play a very flexible and interchangeable attacking quartet of Barcola, Isak, Wirtz and Szoboszlai. I wouldn't get too hung up on what starting positions they're in. As a 4, that has everything.

Fills me with excitement that's for sure. Barcola, Wirtz and Dom can all play every position in the 3 behind the main striker. Isak in the box or on the shoulder to score a shed load of goals. 👌🏻

26 Jul 2026 21:32:20
I think Wirtz will predominantly play as a 10. I think, based on our transfer targets and the signing of Munoz, we're after pace on the wings.
Szob, in an interview announcing his new contract, said he sees himself as an 8, and I believe predominantly that is where he will feature.

26 Jul 2026 21:56:02
Isak

Barcola - Wirtz - Rio/Munoz

Szobo - Grav

Kerkez - VVD - Jacquet - Ordonez

Alisson


That's what you're saying?

26 Jul 2026 22:01:38
Wirtz clearly isn't suited to the wing. He's nothing remotely like a winger. He would be best utilized as a 10, where Dom plays box-to-box with a bigger defensive responsibility, and Grav is strictly a DM, no meandering about.

I think you're on the sauce, MK. Dom is not going to be playing across a front 3.

26 Jul 2026 22:36:34
Still think our best pairing in CM is going to be Grav/Dom

Then ahead of them should be Wirtz. He has the engine to cover defensively (unlike Macca) and in that central role he can then float and be effective wherever he finds space.

26 Jul 2026 22:37:17
Chewy, I never said across a front 3. I said behind Isak.

26 Jul 2026 23:07:24
Let's hope Isak stays fit this year, John. He is worth 20 Prem goals a season minimum if he can put even just 30 league games together.

I am concerned if Dom thinks he's an 8 though, when he's clearly best as a 10. You know, where he played when we ran rings around the rest of league and went on holiday to Ibiza in April with the title wrapped up. If he thinks he's an 8, that gives me Gravenberch vibes. He also thinks he's an 8 when he's clearly best as a 6. We can't have another year of players telling the manager where they want to play.



Hopefully Iraola is stronger than Slot. I just cannot fathom why you'd take our best player in the squad at pressing from the front and shooting from the edge of the box, then play him deeper next to Gravenberch. Even if playing Dom further forward pushes Wirtz out the side, that's tough luck for Flo. Dom has to play and he has to play where he's the most effective. He's our best player by a mile, so build the team around him. Play with two 10's if you have to, but we tried Dom in an 8 with Wirtz in the 10 last season and we looked terrible and soft centred.

26 Jul 2026 23:43:03
Agree with MK.

Isak up top.

3 players operating in the space behind the striker. Choose from Szobo, Wirtz, Ekitike (when fit), Munoz, Rio, Gakpo (or replacement), Chiesa.

26 Jul 2026 23:55:54
That's the one, Ron. Gravenberch and Mac Allister (or maybe Wharton?) should be the deeper midfielders. I think Nyoni will get a lot more minutes this season as well. But, I don't want Dom there unless injuries force our hand. Get that man in the final 3rd scoring bangers, please. 🙏🏻

26 Jul 2026 17:10:34
Macca and Carra posting on the same day! If Carlsburg did Sundays....

26 Jul 2026 18:28:08
Where is their posts? Can some one shed some light?

{Ed033's Note - Rumours pages.

26 Jul 2026 20:27:08
Wtf???? Been in work in the pub all day, football all Ireland. From Dublin, but happy for Mayo.


But, hold on, Macca posted ????

I thought we all agreed he was Carra ?????

{Ed025's Note - well hes not mate.. :)

26 Jul 2026 16:14:40
Well I might be wrong but I wanted Diomande over Barcola.

26 Jul 2026 17:11:40
I think the plan was both sq1. I think Barcola is the Gakpo replacement if the rumours are true.

We still need mos replacement.

26 Jul 2026 17:18:52
I didn't want any of them.

26 Jul 2026 17:26:36
Only you can answer whether you are wrong or not as it's what you wanted.

26 Jul 2026 17:35:08
Why though? Barcola is more versatile, scores more goals, creates more goals, he is proven over a 3 year period, plays in a stronger league than Diomande, seemingly wants to play for us, likely a smaller transfer fee and won't ever go to AFCON.

The only things I can see Diomande has over Barcola is he's 4 years younger and probably would have lower wages.

If you have any doubt in how weak the Bundesliga is right now, look at how easily we battered Frankfurt 5-1 last year in a period where we weren't winning many games! Or look at how badly Wirtz and Frimpong have struggled to adapt to the Prem.

Meanwhile Cherki came from Ligue 1 and hit the ground running.

Barcola is miles better than Diomande. Diomande might have the higher ceiling, hard to predict things like that. But right now he's no better than Rio. I'd back Rio to score 12 goals in the Bundesliga if he played 2500 minutes.

26 Jul 2026 18:30:26
I'd prefer Vini Junior. Barcola is highly overrated and Diomande is raw.
Vini might be going onto the market and we may see him in an Arsenal shirt whilst we're signing a PSG reject.

26 Jul 2026 19:09:38
Is a Real Madrid reject really better than a PSG reject?

26 Jul 2026 19:24:24
Barcola is quality. By all accounts he is choosing to leave PSG for us, which says a lot. This will be unpopular but I think we should also go for Neto if we can't get Rayan. Just can't see Bournemouth letting him go... Neto would thrive under Iraola.

26 Jul 2026 19:31:53
Ron Funk, he's not a PSG reject. They've been trying to get him to sign a new contract. He rejected them.

26 Jul 2026 19:39:07
MK, enjoy your posts generally, however tbf Cherki had much better players, system, manager etc around him, I'd say if yr comparing his performances to us last season. Wasn't he mostly from the bench also, mate?? Sincerely hope your views above materialise tho. ✌

26 Jul 2026 20:34:30
Exactly, Laddie. If Cherki had signed for LFC last season with the system and tactics on show, he would have drowned as well. And no, Cherki did not even hit the ground running. He had to hold bench for a while there cos he wasn't doing enuff tracking back off the ball and we know Pep ain't having that.

26 Jul 2026 20:36:30
Laddie, the system and his team mates aren't the reason why Wirtz took at least 20 games purely to adapt to the robust nature of the league. He was physically bullied at the start of the season.



I think, the system/team mates certainly didn't help him once he had adapted and bulked up a bit though. He had hardly any runners to pick out, that's for sure.

26 Jul 2026 21:20:25
You are wrong, SQ1.

You've been a huge fan of Barcola these past few years and you always fancied us signing him.

You've never believed in the Diomande hype.

26 Jul 2026 21:28:38
And you want to sign over your house to Davey Sulls.

Look into my eyes. 👀

26 Jul 2026 21:54:13
Wirtz didn't have a good end to the season, or World Cup.

He had a few good games, showed a decent work rate, but didn't influence matches enough.

Let's hope Iraola gets more out of him, and that he himself can take his game up a notch. He's talented, that's for sure.

26 Jul 2026 23:44:58
Barcola will do well in the EPL, so I hope he comes to LFC.
Vini Jr, Diomande, I'm not as convinced by. Good players in the leagues they're in, but not sure they have the best attributes for the EPL.

26 Jul 2026 15:27:41
Timikas isn't good competition for Kerkez. The lads extremely lucky to be in the squad given Robbo's departure. Right back is a conundrum with Bradley out. Centre backs were now short.
Midfield is essential as I previously mentioned and although I'd be happy with Wharton, the club need a proper 6 which I'm dubious we'll even seek.


The wide areas will eventually sort themselves out as the club seemingly are prioritizing those areas.
Some very weak spots within the squad.

26 Jul 2026 16:36:16
I know it's only pre-season, but in last night's game, Tsimikas was a lot better than Kerkez!

26 Jul 2026 16:59:47
Tsimika isn't great, but he has the experience and we have other priorities. CB and RB should be part of that priority, but we'll have to see what happens with the winger debacle before we get a clear view on what the club thinks in that regard.

We're not looking for a proper DM/Gravenberch replacement/competition; we just signed him up to 280k pw a couple of months ago.

26 Jul 2026 17:03:58
I pretty much agree with everything you have said.

Unfortunately, I feel we may very well have to bite the bullet and use Tsimikas as a left back backup this season. When you consider the number of positions we are light, a sacrifice in quality may have to be allowed in one department, that being LB.

We absolutely need a RB (Bradley is a liability coming off a major injury. Frimpong is RWB who simply can not function without a defender behind him, and an offensive player to cover for his runs, if needed).

We absolutely need a CB (Van Dijk is 35 and notably regressed last season, not surprising considering the number of games. Gomez, has been a liability for a very long time, stays due to both sentiment and everyone seeing him for what he is, broken down. Leoni, coming off an ACL injury, which increases the likelihood of setbacks early on. Jacquet, not even ready yet, and has played very limited first team minutes. Ndiaye, an U21 player who is simply not ready to be thrown in yet. The Austrian centre back can't even play for us, and has to go out on loan.) Also, don't come to me with Endo, Baj, because soon you'll be bringing up the tea ladies as viable options.



RW, is an absolute necessity. To not have a ready made replacement for Salah, before letting him go a year only, is baffling to the extreme. The lack of a contingency in place, allowing ourselves to be messed around by Diomande's agents for so long, has wasted a lot of time. Barcola may come in, but if Gakpo leaves, then we will need another winger, preferably one with speed, just like Barcola, just not as pricey.

CM, we need a proper DM, but reports suggest we are after Wharton. Wharton will certainly help in progressing up the pitch with his line breaking passes, vision for a pass, but we are severely lacking in steel. Would love a Camara type player, but looks like we are not looking for that. A real shame.

Either way, Iraola is reason enough to be excited by this season. I think he can really work wonders with this team, and the players we are bringing in to strengthen the squad. Fingers crossed it all works out.

26 Jul 2026 17:20:16
Jury is still out on Kerkez, hoping IR can work his magic on him like he did when he was at Bournemouth.

26 Jul 2026 17:21:11
How is he lucky? He grows into the team, throw him in for the odd game, he is sometimes all over the place, but let him have a run and he gets there. I like him, I'm glad he's back, he's great cover. Klopp liked him.

26 Jul 2026 17:32:18
I think Nyoni has a higher ceiling than Wharton.

26 Jul 2026 19:52:38
Mango, we have signed the Spanish lad... he's a left forward back up / potential starter, isn't he? Replacing Salah and his numbers is close to impossible, tbf... that may have to be shared between our front three.

We'll see soon who is with us before the season starts... and let's not expect miracles from Iraola... he's got some job on his hands! Good luck to all. ✌

26 Jul 2026 22:56:32
Is he a bit taller, Jari?

26 Jul 2026 23:58:41
Tsimikas was absolutely not better than Kerkez.

26 Jul 2026 14:10:57
Any takers for Felix Nmecha?

I think he would be a good player in our midfield, alongside Grav.

26 Jul 2026 15:18:21
He's got previous on some beliefs that might not go down too well on Merseyside.

Plus Dortmund out a crazy price on his head.

26 Jul 2026 15:58:55
I like him.

26 Jul 2026 16:11:52
I'd hit him a shot, Ron. Good player.

26 Jul 2026 16:56:29
I don't see an issue with his beliefs. It's funny how a minority group is demanding universal acceptance of their alternative beliefs, while they themselves refuse to accept that some people have alternative beliefs. The irony is next level. Anyway, politics don't belong in sports.

Good player, would be a big improvement on Macca but another through-the-roof price tag.

26 Jul 2026 17:38:05
Zero interest from the club.

26 Jul 2026 19:27:39
Nmecha is a beast. I'd take him, but Dortmund will want plenty of dollar. What a great Macca replacement though.

26 Jul 2026 20:22:45
City Academy. ✅

26 Jul 2026 14:03:47
The lack of signings is down to our appointment of a relativity unknown manager at the top level. Slot couldn't attract average players in his first season, never mind World class. He won the league and then they allegedly arrived, but the jury is still out on them.

So it's going to be a quiet transfer window in my opinion and if Iraola can clean up the absolute mess Slot left we will be able to attract World class players. But I'll stand by my point made before Slot has set us back years.

26 Jul 2026 15:12:46
The biggest mistake was not being poised to take over when Pep Guardiola left Man City.

It should've been Liverpool.

But Arsenal were willing to build/spend each year, gradually get better, where we sat still for a season and spent the next, which has been growing the age of the squad.

26 Jul 2026 15:18:54
Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in the world. There are plenty of players who would jump at the chance to play for the club. Managers and players come and go but Liverpool will always be Liverpool.

26 Jul 2026 15:28:50
LiverpoolFC8,
To be fair, we won the league the season before last and we spent a fair wedge of money last season, without looking, probably more than the Gunners. The question is, did we spend it on the right players? Did we go all in on Wirtz and Isak? The Slot effect and last year's disaster is unknown how much it affected the team.

26 Jul 2026 16:03:48
Nonsense, Slot wasn't given any transfers (bar Chiesa) in his first season because it was deemed unnecessary. It was an intentional move from the suits and had absolutely nothing to do with an inability to attract talent. Klopp had built a perfectly functioning team. There was no need for additions.

We brought in Dom, Macca, Nunez, Grav, Diaz, Gakpo, Endo and Carvalho in the previous 2 seasons. The team was gelling very nicely and making great improvements. It's actually an incredible testament to Klopp's ability that he brought in so many players and continuously improved the team.

26 Jul 2026 16:56:30
We could have bought prime Messi, Ronaldo, Maldini and Pele, and we would have been poor last season.

26 Jul 2026 17:23:48
WD40 have to disagree on that one... We are Liverpool, we have a good manager now, it's the suits who can't get players over the line, wasting time on Diomande etc.

27 Jul 2026 08:10:04
I thought we agreed terms with Zubimendi for Slot's first season.