Liverpool Banter 4

15 Aug 2026 19:55:54
Any news on Baj anyone?

15 Aug 2026 21:29:09
Still not ready to play.

16 Aug 2026 10:01:19
Yeah, he's still at the club. Fans still waiting on him like the second coming, ready to dominate that DM roll he filled for Liverpool for about 20 minutes.

15 Aug 2026 14:58:44
Calum Scanlon has joined Cardiff City on loan for the season. He helped them get promoted to the Championship last season. Could be a good move for him - if he shines he could be an option for 26/7.

15 Aug 2026 15:49:05
We are already in the 26-27 season?

Arsenal start the PL off this coming Friday versus Coventry, and next Saturday afternoon there are PL games.

15 Aug 2026 16:16:00
Very clever.

15 Aug 2026 16:50:40
Bezos out. Not signed anyone. He's clearly skint.

15 Aug 2026 17:13:28
LiverpoolFC8, 😂😂😂 comment of the day... made me chuckle. 😂

15 Aug 2026 18:25:11
Are we now going to call Bezos the BHC (Bald Headed Charlatan)?

15 Aug 2026 19:51:17
Bezos can be one of The Three Baldy Baddies, along with Pep and Infantino.

16 Aug 2026 04:16:39
@007, Sorry. I meant 27/28. I'll add that Scanlon also signed a new long-term contract before leaving on loan.

16 Aug 2026 07:13:29
Bozos out. He's not spent a penny on players. Does he even know what a right back is?!!

16 Aug 2026 10:37:59
You got the first two right, Rio.

15 Aug 2026 13:54:34
Hi Eds
With the talk of new stadium would it be possible to build on Stanley park? , and the size the new owners would want. Thanks

{Ed001's Note - what would be the point? It would be hampered by infrastructure still.}

15 Aug 2026 16:30:49
Makes no sense whatsoever. Till there is a new train station built in the Anfield area, we are maxed out. Not likely to happen in the foreseeable.

15 Aug 2026 16:51:48
New stadium? Don't even have a new right back yet.

15 Aug 2026 16:57:21
But if we build a new stadium, we can build one without a right side. That would negate the need for a right back and a right winger.

15 Aug 2026 18:23:56
Any areas of the city spring to mind as suitable areas. Top of my head, the Speke Garston area surely has the capacity to be able to build something of that magnitude. It was earmarked for the UKs space station at one point.

15 Aug 2026 19:38:00
Maybe we could bulldoze that green house that sits on the Bramley Moore site and build there?

15 Aug 2026 20:31:57
Docks talk was mentioned years ago and has never gone away.

15 Aug 2026 20:54:02
LOL LFC8!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🫵🫵💥💥🤣

15 Aug 2026 21:37:34
I don't see how moving just after we have spent millions on improving / updating Anfield is a good business plan. I understand the inertia with councils around the idea of development, but I think, if it is something the owners want to do, then the group of people now running the club could provide a compelling plan to continue the upgrade of Anfield and make a considerable financial contribution to the costs of setting up the necessary (transport) infrastructure.

15 Aug 2026 22:25:56
Speke/Halewood.

15 Aug 2026 23:02:57
Build the stadium and a right back will come! 😂

16 Aug 2026 03:34:40
Can the new stadium play on the right wing.

{Ed001's Note - I hear Bezos is a right winger....}

15 Aug 2026 13:07:42
Ed1 just wondering (was playing golf earlier and this was debated) with FSG maybe making their exit strategy in the long term do you think it's possible the new owners may want to build a new stadium? With a bigger capacity to increase revenue?
I hope your well and having a good wknd

{Ed001's Note - yes.

15 Aug 2026 13:43:58
I think that will definitely be the idea. We need to be able to host international games as well, and we can't do that at Anfield.

15 Aug 2026 13:55:40
I think we were banned from hosting international games because we would not allow journalists from a certain newspaper.

15 Aug 2026 14:04:13
The pitch is too small for international games.

15 Aug 2026 14:15:11
I'd love us to be able to help sort the transport issues to allow us to increase Anfield.

15 Aug 2026 14:19:25
The thoughts of leaving Anfield. 🤢

15 Aug 2026 14:27:21
A bigger stadium costs stupid money nowadays, which is why FSG decided not to. Matchday revenue is about £2000 per seat gross. So an extra 20,000 seats gets £40m, assuming we can sell them all at the same average cost as Anfield. We might get as much as £20m a year for stadium naming rights.

So you get about £60m in extra revenue with an 80,000 seater stadium.
The problem is the building cost per seat increases the bigger the stadium gets. You are looking at north of £2bn for an 80k seater.
Mind you, our Amit might do us a deal on the steel.

15 Aug 2026 14:33:09
It'll be about 10 years before any ground is built, and, way footy is going, don't be surprised if we build a 2nd stadium that isn't even in the city and play games there.

European Super League home games at New Anfield in Miami.

15 Aug 2026 14:33:10
Indeed, FM. Perhaps that kind of investment in infrastructure is exactly why they've looked for partners. The match day experience has come on leaps and bounds in the past decade, I really hope that we can improve access to it while retaining Anfield as our home.

15 Aug 2026 14:43:23
We weren't banned for that; the pitch is 4m shorter than the required specifications. Lack of run-off space for things like media is part of the issue, but not the reason we're ineligible.

15 Aug 2026 14:43:57
JoJo, how would it cost £2b to add 19k more seats when we just added 17k about for £200m.
We would only be adding the same sort of upgrades, apart from the Kop, would just be one complete stand like now, just a bigger.

15 Aug 2026 15:23:36
Grino, we'd need a whole new stadium on the outskirts with better transport links. We can't upgrade Anfield any more than we have done.

JoJo, I do think the land will be cheaper than those in the south, so won't be as much as £2bn.

But the quicker it is built, the cheaper it will be. There is also potential to increase sponsorship if there are more fans in the stadium, too.

But I do agree that it doesn't make much commercial sense.

{Ed001's Note - Jojo's figures are nonsense. Expansion adds a lot more boxes and other premium priced seating as well as higher priced food etc. The video of the new seating is much higher than average.

15 Aug 2026 15:26:15
I don't want to leave Anfield under any circumstances.
If that means the capacity is maxed out then so be it.

15 Aug 2026 13:52:17
Ed can I ask how you feel about the 30% sale to the new consortium.
For me, now that the news has sunk in (and I don't profess to know anything about club finances) with some of those involved, it feels a bit like dirty money for want of a better phrase.

{Ed001's Note - I agree with you. It does not feel good at all. The club is just moving further away from the fans.

15 Aug 2026 15:39:14
I hope we can find a way to stay at Anfield for the rest of my life.

Anfield and its supporters are the heart and soul of Liverpool Football Club.

15 Aug 2026 15:40:26
We must move into the City Centre Dock area, all the rail transport is there, the most important thing, the two bus hubs, the two Mersey Tunnels, shops, restaurants and pubs galore, the brand new jetty for Ocean going Cruise Liners from all over the world will be built at the Liver Bird building. What's at Anfield, home made pie shop, chip shop, 3 pubs that take ye an hour to get served, can I mind ye car, mister, otherwise they wreck it. Ye want comfort when ye go to a football match now, not ale dripping down ye back, because the Albert is full to the rafters.

Everton took 3 round robin sunday rugby league games a few weeks ago, a concert was cancelled because of noise levels early July, they took two international games away from LFC last year and this year also.

That's why Joe Johnson, a staunch Evertonian, got EFC the Bramley Dock, and gave LFC building subsidies galore to keep LFC away from the City Centre. Moore's should have gone to the Albert Dock in the late 80s, when he was chairman.

Of course it will be very sad leaving ye Anfield home, I first went there when I was 8 in 1963 standing on a stool with my dad, the future is more important now than history, time waits for no man.



Of course.

15 Aug 2026 16:00:03
FSG's best decision for LFC was to not build a new, soulless, state-of-the-art arena, but to develop Anfield.

Singing Fields of Amazon Prime just doesn't fly.

15 Aug 2026 16:33:17
They'll just do what they do in American sports. Rename everything under sponsorship agreements.

Welcome to the Prime Delivery Superdome. Would you like to buy your tickets in the Jeff Bezos Celebration Stand? Perhaps you'd like to buy one of our Amazon family fun food packages? For an extra 12.99, we will also send our Prime stadium delivery staff to bring the food right to your seat? And don't forget to pick up your brand new ultra stylish we heart billionaires matchday game jersey.

15 Aug 2026 16:58:00
It would be pointless to add more seats without increasing the size of the pitch.

15 Aug 2026 17:21:13
I would agree with Ron, stay at Anfield. It's a mythical stadium known world over for that very thing. Well worth a goal start to us when the team is going well. If that means we stay at capacity, so be it.
As regards the new consortium, I'm really excited about them, I think they will move the club onwards and upwards.


Like anything, proof of the pudding will be in the eating, but I do feel they are in it to be the best in their field, as opposed to making a profit directly from the club as regards selling it in a few years.

15 Aug 2026 17:24:32
Exactly, Ron. We cannot leave Anfield. It's our heart and soul. There's things in life that are worth more than just bloody more money!

15 Aug 2026 18:55:04
I think it's inevitable we will move in order to compete - players like Barcola, good but by no means great, are over £100M - I do, however, suspect ideas about a European Super League or similar, are far from over and will resurface.

In 10 years' time we might not recognise the game as it is now, let alone how it was only a few years ago.

15 Aug 2026 19:44:20
The money men are killing the game.

15 Aug 2026 20:21:05
Anfield is an area that is still massively in need of regeneration. With the funding the city region can help access, it should be possible to further expand Anfield Stadium and put the required infrastructure in. That would benefit everyone.

15 Aug 2026 20:54:04
100% Overkill.

15 Aug 2026 21:08:55
A question for ED01 or anyone else who may know the answer: I remember RoI playing Holland in a WC or Euro qualifying game years ago. We lost btw. Anyway, That's obviously an international match. What has changed? And what does it matter if Anfield cannot host international games now or in the future? International competitions are few and far between at any rate. Anfield is legendary and I'm sorry if I may seem like I view the world through red tinted glasses but there's not another stadium like it in England imo.

We talk about the twelfth man and I believe it. Anfield and it's supporters was a huge part of LFC 4-Barca 0 and many more games. I could not contemplate a different venue for the club I couldn't care less if it held 100k + it would never ever be the same. Never.

15 Aug 2026 21:51:42
I love the modern way of thinking - this one isn't working, let's get another one ad infinitum.

How about we keep Anfield and work with the community, and local and national political bodies to look at viable options to expand the existing stadium and its surrounds and to put the necessary transport infrastructure in place to support 80,000+ match attendees (or more if you look at concerts etc).

Make the ground and surrounding area the entertainment hub for Liverpool. I am getting carried away a bit now, but why not? The club has - with the new investors - taken a giant leap in business terms and I honestly can't see the club not trying to improve their asset.

15 Aug 2026 22:33:10
Overkill, the "problem" is the local politicians so far as the football club is concerned.
Those local politicians have a job to do and they are not elected by the football club.

15 Aug 2026 22:42:21
There was talk, WDW, of making it a sports village or hub, with the universities also investing in sports science etc. I think the idea died when Everton moved, and the universities are now investing massively in their city centre master plans.

It's hard to see what additional sports teams beyond the women's team could be based in or around Anfield. There aren't any other pro sports in the city, like basketball or cricket, that would draw in fans or visitors.

With hindsight, they should have built the training facilities in Anfield rather than Kirkby. It would at least have helped redevelop some of the vacant sites in the area. The residential clearance moved at such a snail's pace, it scuppered the vision.

Whilst I'd prefer a redeveloped Anfield, a site around Brunswick probably would have made more sense commercially, although road infrastructure is limited.

16 Aug 2026 08:07:27
@Grino, you can get some really cool seats for £2bn.

15 Aug 2026 11:51:42
Interesting that Barcola at Lyon before his move to PSG played mostly RW. So he can play there if needed and has played a lot as CF. Very versatile. Mbaye also has played 18 games rw and 10 lw at PSG. So them two as well as Munoz brings vast flexibility.

15 Aug 2026 13:20:48
Surely we're not gonna pay £110m and play him out of position.

Szobo can play right back, he played a full season at right back, and if Real Madrid came in now and paid over £100m for him, they wouldn't stick him in defence.

He's gonna play left wing, and we're gonna stick Rio on the right where he looks half as dangerous.

15 Aug 2026 13:48:24
I've simply said he can play at RW if needed, as he has done well there. The manager wants flexibility.

15 Aug 2026 14:16:52
Dom was superb there in fairness. One of the best in the league.

15 Aug 2026 14:46:54
100% agree, LFC8. It bewilders me how many people keep suggesting Barcolas coming in to play RW. I don't see it. I believe he will play on the left, but Iraola does like to switch wings if he feels a more traditional set up can more effectively break lines in certain situations, so naturally, we may see him on the right at times or covering in the center if needed.

15 Aug 2026 16:37:19
Barcola is out of contract June 2028, PSG will be fearing that he does an Mbappe and goes for free, or a forced transfer fee reduction in the next two transfer windows. Like us and RM (TAA, Konate) PSG will not want to be urinated on again like Mbappe did to them.



John Henry knows full well the longer it takes, the more profuse sweat Enrique will produce daily till a fair resolution is reached, as they say in life "everything comes to thee who waits".

15 Aug 2026 17:01:54
Enrique doesn't give a b******* what Barcola does, when or where he's going or for how much. He's definitely not sweating over it either, I can guarantee you that, not to mention he's got sfa to do with outgoing transfer negotiations.

15 Aug 2026 17:33:27
You play your best players in their best positions. Very simple really. Dom plays in midfield. Barcola plays LW. We buy a new RW and I say it should be Rayan. Keep Gakpo. Rio is not at the races here. He should go on loan to actually prove his worth.

If he has any. I don't get this clamour to have him in our first 11. He's done nothing to show that he has the quality or consistency to be there. And we also need a proper dedicated RB. That's my take on it all.

16 Aug 2026 03:08:44
I think Guella Doe should surely be an option - he starts or competes with Frimpong and eventually Bradley will be forced out bc I see Frimpong over Bradley.

16 Aug 2026 03:37:26
Well, at the moment they're not bringing anything lol.
Hopefully, that changes before the window slams shut.

15 Aug 2026 11:48:06
Not a huge fan of Gakpo, mainly because I think he could be so much more if he had a bit more fight/aggression to his game, but in this preseason, he has looked like one of the very few players who bring a bit of stability to the team.

He's almost like a Gini/Kuyt type for the squad I feel and I think losing him even if Barcola does come in could be a bigger hit than the vast majority will probably feel. He has a bit of calmness to him, and the only one in the midfield with a bit of presence which I think we will need. Saying that 80+ million for him is never going to be rejected. Maybe he stays and becomes our Semenyo!

I get we are trying to add pace to our wings, however, the fact a mention of a DM type seems to be an absolute taboo with Liverpool is so odd. It's glaringly obvious protection for our back four has been required for a number of years, but we consistently use the likes of Jones, Endo, and Grav, none of who have the fight or tenacity for the role, Endo perhaps, but he's just too slow and limited.

Looks like we are going for the PSG model, killing the physicality with speed and technique, but we are still missing that Vitinha type to control that centre even for that model. For me that's where the likes of Gavi/Wharton fit.

15 Aug 2026 10:54:40
Possibly a stupid theory but is there a possibility we have delayed the signings of Barcola etc as a marketing ploy so the new investors look like great lads as all the new signings arrive as soon as they come on board. Or should I take off my tinfoil hat. 😉

15 Aug 2026 11:08:36
Transfers don't work like that anymore, this is only for FSG's benefit, the club can only spend what it generates itself. Owners' pockets don't come into the equation whatsoever.

15 Aug 2026 11:46:50
What would they be marketing?

15 Aug 2026 12:29:46
That's an extra-large tinfoil hat that you're wearing. 😂😉

15 Aug 2026 12:41:27
"Great lads". 😂😂
Cheers Eire, that tickled me.

15 Aug 2026 15:13:19
Possibly a stupid theory.

16 Aug 2026 03:39:38
tbh, if I were a new investor, I'd rather want to see the club is functioning well.

15 Aug 2026 09:29:27
Aside from the 30% sale of the club and the tranfer window
(Wild West it seems)

I can’t wait to get my fix of football again. The World Cup just doesn’t do it for me the same way the Red Men and the Premier League does.



Roll on next week and hopefully the fitness is starting to increase as what I seen in the 1st 40 mins vs Monaco is the reason I’m excited for this season. We look like we could blow teams away if we can sustain it.

Come on the Red Men.

15 Aug 2026 11:02:03
Yeah, I agree. Really dislike international football and looking forward to a much improved Liverpool this season, fingers crossed.

15 Aug 2026 11:17:08
I can't wait for the new season under Iraola, but I am nervous about the lack of signings. We clearly need a bigger squad than last season, because we are going to run the legs off our lads, and imo we have nowhere near a big enough squad to compete.

15 Aug 2026 07:37:40
You heard it here first. Barcola 100% done and is flying in Monday. £95m (€111m) plus add-ons.

VG also thinks we're close on Mbaye, with Liverpool trying to get it done around £30m (€35m). At that price the double deal makes sense. Barcola is the starting LW, Mbaye is 18 and mainly right-sided, so they're not competing for the same role. I've heard the initial contact came through Barcola, they are good friends and he pushed it. PSG got a sniff of it.

If Mbaye somehow doesn't happen, the RW hijack names I'd watch are Pablo García and Minteh.

Pablo García is the cheap one. He's 20, naturally plays RW, Hull are already trying to do a deal and the price being talked about is only around €8m (£7m).

Minteh is the more established option. Brighton's valuation has been high, around £60–70m (€70–82m), which is why I wouldn't touch it at that level. But if that price drops late in the window, especially if Brighton decide to cash in or another club does the groundwork, he becomes much more interesting. He's already Premier League proven, right-sided and fits Iraola's pace/pressing profile.

After that Jones is the key domino. If he goes for around £30–35m (€35–41m) it's basically pure accounting profit and I think we go for an athletic 6/8. Lamine Camara still makes the most sense to me at roughly £40–45m (€47–53m). Nyoni has shown enough in pre-season that we don't need another attacking 8 blocking his minutes.

Defence is where I think the next surprise could be. We need someone who can cover CB and RB, is ready now and doesn't cost £60m (€70m).

Geertruida is the one I'd watch. Around €20m (£17m), 26, can play RB, CB and DM, with other clubs already negotiating. Acheampong is the younger outside option at 20 and can cover CB/RB, but would probably cost more.

So my order now that Barcola is done, Mbaye possible if VG is right, Minteh/Pablo García as the RW fallback ideas, Jones out triggering a 6/8, then one versatile defender.

15 Aug 2026 08:53:19
The fact that Minteh is out injured until after Christmas tells you a lot about this post.

15 Aug 2026 08:56:33
Cheers Robbie, for the info.

15 Aug 2026 08:49:02
Genuine question but where are you getting the valuations from? To me it seems the club - starting in last summer's window - tend to pay the going rate if they want somebody badly enough and aren't hung up on a specific number when they negotiate.

15 Aug 2026 08:41:31
Utter nonsense.

You're obviously entitled to your ravings, but this is wearing thin now!

BTW Minteh was injured a day or two ago, likely out for 2-3 months.

Please leave the ITK stuff to people who genuinely are ITKs, and enjoy the ride!

Opinions are great and what this site is built on, but this nonsense needs to stop!

15 Aug 2026 09:08:14
I think Araujo is the centre and right back cover.

Analysing our current non home grown squad and the 17 allowed to registered for the Prem, I assume we would currently register:

Alisson
Mamardashvil
Van Dijk
Araujo
Tsimikas
Kerkez
Ramsay
Szoboszlai
Wirtz
Gravenberch
Ali Mac
Endo
Isak
Ekitike
Gakpo
Munoz
Chiesa

So, for Barcola to come in, who goes?

I guess Ramsey, Chiesa and Gakpo (only because I see rumours about Spurs).

15 Aug 2026 09:08:15
Griz version 5.

15 Aug 2026 09:16:21
Statto, it's easy if those two do come in, Ramsey goes, Gakpo goes, Ekitike doesn't get registered till Christmas, when he's actually back.

15 Aug 2026 09:25:20
Minteh being injured doesn't mean he isn't still being looked at, which he is. They would look to sign in Jan... hence me saying me saying if they decide to "cash in" because they will have to find a replacement themselves.

This is why the Mbaye situation could have changed... read between the lines, Zeddicus.

15 Aug 2026 09:27:20
Read the post properly... Mytton dressed as lamb. 😂

15 Aug 2026 10:01:56
I've read it back to front, front to back, between the lines, and the lines themselves.

Still stinks of desperate BS!

You're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to scorn it!

15 Aug 2026 10:07:26
Now we have ITK aggregators. 🤦‍♂️

15 Aug 2026 10:08:00
Barcola 100% done, yeah, you're right, I did read it here first, about 4 weeks ago.

15 Aug 2026 10:12:23
I'm with Zed. That stuff is a load of old tosh as Rome would say.

15 Aug 2026 10:27:41
Someone needs to get off ChatGPT.

15 Aug 2026 10:58:28
Formby mansion prepped and awaiting approval from a certain Frenchman.

15 Aug 2026 10:59:52
Yesterday you said we had just a 50% chance of getting Barcola.
Now it's 100% done. From claims of the clubs being miles apart on valuation, with PSG wanting £145m to now a deal being done for just £95m? Sorry, but that's not how negotiations work.

We have a whole recruitment team doing in-depth research and analysis all year long, creating shortlists and tracking potential targets in preparation for the summer transfer window, and you want me to believe that we're in for Mbaye because "Barcola put a word in"?! Come off it will you.

15 Aug 2026 11:32:23
The reactions. 😂😂😂😂 I didn't say Mbaye would join because Barcola put a word in. I said contact came through Barcola... I did not say that he was joining either. Can anyone actually read the post properly? 😬🙈

We will see if it happens, then you can judge. 😎

15 Aug 2026 12:44:11
Metal Mickey, blink twice if it's the original you!

15 Aug 2026 12:51:07
I stopped reading after "you heard it first".

15 Aug 2026 18:38:13
Sweet baby Fowler, look at the amount of emojis. The lad's only 14.

15 Aug 2026 21:11:02
LOL Chewy!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣