Liverpool banter 5

10 Jun 2026 10:13:10
With the midfield options becoming ridiculously high in price here in the Prem, would it be better to replace Macca and Jones with Sangare and Camara?

10 Jun 2026 10:39:45
Like both as incoming options, think we need Sangare more. 👍🏻

10 Jun 2026 11:28:01
There isn't much value in the Premier market, especially when it comes to the home grown premium. Palace seem well run financially, as are the likes of Brighton and Bournemouth, and that's where we're looking to buy from. In our recent business there hasn't been much gained from buying players with Premier experience, if anything they've been worse.

{Ed001's Note - Palace are a mess, they are so badly run by Parrish.}

10 Jun 2026 11:46:00
Unfortunately, we need to sign some homegrown players if there isn't a reliable supply coming from the youth setup.

10 Jun 2026 12:04:47
We seem to struggle to bring much through from the academy. It seems more of a trading platform than supply line for the first team. We probably get one settled starting eleven player each decade. Trent and Gerrard bring the last two. Most others haven't made the grade consistently, sometimes due to injury like with Connor, but mostly they just can't make the leap.



On the Palace thing they might be a nightmare to deal with, and have some difficulties, but this is probably the most successful period in their recent history and they've done that off the back of selling their better players. On that score the leadership there have done something right, although I don't think much of Parrish either.

{Ed001's Note - you said they were well run financially, which is the point. They have been selling because they are in a mess financially, not out of choice.}

10 Jun 2026 12:31:25
Shipley, out of interest, why do we need to sign HG players?

There isn't a HG "quota" as a lot of clickbait sites are incorrectly reporting, what there is is a maximum cap for non-HG players - currently 17 in an EPL squad.

You can then have up to 8 HG additional players, making a squad of 25 in total, and supplement with as many players who qualify as U21 as you want. Note that Rio will now qualify as U21 having played last season - he didn't before.

So, looking at our current squad of non-HG players (as things stand today):

Alisson
Mamardashvilli
Virgil
Kerkez
Tsimi (I expect him to take Robbo's place in the squad - Robbo was also non-HG)
Endo
Wirtz
Szobo
Macca
Gravenberch
Isak
Chiesa
Gakpo
Ekitike

That's 14 players. We have space for 3 more non-HG Over-21 players

HG Players:
Woodman - his contract does expire, but maybe we keep him?
Jaros - could be he gets promoted to the squad instead of Woodman
Joe Gomez
Bradley
Frimpong
(note - I don't think Ramsay is HG as he played in Scotland until he joined us in 2022 when he turned 19)
Jones
Elliot
Bajcetic
McConnell

Let's assume we only have 1 GK who is HG in the squad (if we sold Mamar then we could have 2 HG GKs - Woodman & Jaros - and an extra non-HG space), and let's also assume that we only have 2 out of the 4 midfielders listed above, then we have a minimum of 6 HG players.

U21s - to count as U21 in the 26-27 season you need to have been born after 1 Jan 05. So, the U21s who are in/may be in the first team squad include:

Rio
Trey
Pecsi (maybe if Mamar goes? )
Leoni
Jacquet
(plus the other 3 17-19 year old CBs we have bought in the past 12m)

So that's at least 5, if not more, U21s that will almost definitely be in the first team squad.

Looking at the names we have been linked with, Diomande will be U21, so will Palestra. Can't think of any others right now, but I'm sure others will chip in!

In terms of midfield (and in light of what Ed001 said about no CBs being prioritised unless JoGo leaves given the dept in youth we have), I can see a HG midfielder coming in - either Scott or Wharton - but Sangare or Camara (both of whom look like what we need) are over 21 and would take up a non-HG slot.

So, we have at least 3 non-HG spots available to us - may rise if for example, Chiesa and/or Mamar are sold - and some of the names we have been linked with, who would likely go straight into the first 11 like Diomande, are U21s this season.

Lost may change - JoGo and Frimpong may leave, Jones, Elliot, Bajcetic etc - but I'm not worried at all about rules and regs stopping us having the squad we want for next season.

10 Jun 2026 12:42:02
Wharton or Stiller to replace Curtis.

M. Sangare or L. Camara to replace Macca.

Use Trey Nyoni more.

A cheeky bid for C. Yirenki as an Endo replacement, assuming McConnell will get another loan.

Don't see the need for Alex Scott unless we sell one of Szobo or Gravy.

10 Jun 2026 13:04:20
@Zed, we were only able to register Chiesa in the CL squad because Leoni got injured. People on here are crying out for us to sell the likes of Jones and Gomez (and Elliot) and replace them with non-homegrown players. You are correct that there is no home grown quota, but there is a non-homegrown limit, so we can't just sell our homegrown players and replace them with non-homegrown players as we won't be able to register them.



The optimal solution is to free up space for non-homegrown players by replacing players who play very little like Endo with youth system players like Nyoni (which I am a lot more confident about happening with Iraola). It's not necessarily a massive immediate problem, but it is something that affected us this season and could get worse if not handled properly.

10 Jun 2026 13:11:17
Yeah, I don't disagree with you there, Shipley. One of the reasons I like Jones is because he is HG, he is also Club Trained, and is a bit of a jack of all trades, so can fill holes in the squad. I also like Elliot due to just loving his character and his love for Liverpool!

I like the fact that Iraola will give them a chance, at least in pre-season.

I do believe we will bring in Scott, probably at the expense of Macca, so that's 1 HG in and 1 non-HG out, so bringing in Sangare or Camara would be great. Zaire-Emery would be better still, but I'm not sure PSG would sell him.

10 Jun 2026 00:03:49
Check out Scout Nation on YouTube as they have a Diomande video from a few weeks ago. Holy moly, is this guy going to be amazing. His close control is so good. Both left and right footed. Do we now have the best young three wingers in Europe?
Rio- 18 end of August.
Diomande- 20 in November.
Abe- 16 in July.

10 Jun 2026 00:39:41
Bayern are after Rio, Diomande hasn’t signed, and Abe is (was?) all set to join Citeh. So the answer is no, not yet, and even if we keep all three, one of them (Rio) isn’t ready to be a starter, or so I’ve read on here. Abe won’t get anywhere near the first team next season, and apart from YouTube highlights and the number of people on here who seem to watch world football 24x7, do we actually know what Diomande will do in the PL.



I honestly hope that in 3 years, all of them are in our match day squad and are regarded as three of the best young wingers in world football.

10 Jun 2026 01:06:05
You're such a spoilsport, WDW.

Rio is going nowhere, Abe has just committed to us, and Diomande has all but signed.

They are all raw, but all extremely talented. The only one I'd be unsure of is Abe, because he's only 16, and that jump to men's football, let alone Premier League football, is huge, so you never know how a player will deal with it.

On the face of it, though, we should all be very optimistic.

I do think this is the next phase of football, going back to fast, tricky wingers who hug the line.

We are seeing more and more teams set up to frustrate and not let teams play through the middle of them, so to counter it, you'll see the better teams playing with wingers to get around the sides.

Apart from Arsenal, who'll just have 7 centre backs and choreographed set piece routines, but hey ho, I suppose you can't blame them when the rest of the league is so bad that they get away with it.

10 Jun 2026 01:27:19
Wdw, you are correct in that they are raw, and I forgot to add in Morrison, who looks very talented as well. Winger market, like last summer, with the striker market, is not that deep.

10 Jun 2026 07:09:46
I wouldn't say the best 3. Nwaneri at Arsenal looks like he will be very good if he keeps his head down. Yamal is already arguably the best young RW in the world.
But those 3 do look like they could be exceptional if they keep working hard.

10 Jun 2026 08:09:21
I hope all three blossom and grow, but there have been so many (Dani Pacheco, Suso, Richie Partidge, Della Valle, Le Tallec, Ibe) who were supposed to be the next big thing.
Even more recently Kaide Gordon.

The Gerrards, Fowlers, McManamams, and Owen's come around so rarely.

We should cherish these players when we have them and let the others mature without so much pressure.

10 Jun 2026 08:22:46
What worries me is, apparently his camp accepted Munich's terms, so will be looking, possibly a big pay rise, which isn't deserved yet.

I get Stirling vibes and he will want to leave if he doesn't get what he wants.

10 Jun 2026 08:52:14
Rio's brother met with Bayern officials and a deal was agreed. Players are more impatient than ever - they want the big contract which is on offer now, which to some extent I can understand.
What I can't understand is Rio thinking that he is ready for men's football week-in-week-out. He would be exposed, and undoubtedly have a shorter career.

I can see a world where LFC's current hoarding of the best youth talent is part production line for the first team and part factory to generate cash, and it's already working.

One season of Rio and he's worth 40m.

Ultimately, we already know how this one goes - he and his camp have shown their hand. I am not one to expect loyalty, but I do expect those in charge to manage these egos and to do what's best for the club so we avoid the yearly Bosmans to RM etc.

Next up, City's best am from the US is coming in. Edwards is going for a La Masia style set up.

10 Jun 2026 09:49:42
Wdw, We're not selling Rio, Diomande is as good as done, and Abe already signed a pre-contract for a pro deal.

10 Jun 2026 10:11:43
If even one of them lives up to the promise, we'll be doing well. Harry Wilson comes to mind as one I was really looking forward to seeing in Red. He ripped up the youth leagues, and it didn't work out, although he's a decent player.
There was that young English left-footed right winger we had that was actually rated as the best young player in the world a few years back that came to nothing.

Shin something? Began with an S, I'm sure, but can't remember. Shows that came to nothing. I've learnt to curb my expectations and believe what I see in the pitch.

10 Jun 2026 10:17:39
Sheyi Ojo!

10 Jun 2026 10:31:35
Liverpool and Xavier Parker representatives have begun contract negotiations. Both parties want the move. Parker is a Liverpool fan.

Expected to leave Man City at the end of this month when his contract ends and join.

10 Jun 2026 10:52:30
We will lose two gems also, Vincent and Issac, one to Utd and one to City.

09 Jun 2026 22:14:36
Hey anybody worried about huge costs involved for diamonde? I know its none of our business but if PSG were left gawking i don't really see that much worth in him.

I mean its 100M+++ salaries and agents fees for a kid with one good season. He is still a kid, i mean could be a great footballer but he won't be mature around money. Its a very risky bet.

09 Jun 2026 22:40:30
I'd rather we didn't

If we do commit somewhere around 80-100mil, then that's around 400mil on 4 players and one ain't playing until well into 2027.

I find it highly unlikely we would see a G/A return in those four players to match what we paid for, but perhaps it's just more important that the team is functioning to a high level irrespective of those kinds of stats.

09 Jun 2026 23:01:22
It's a big risk, no doubt about it.

09 Jun 2026 23:09:45
I don't care how much he costs as long as it doesn't hinder the other work we need to do in the transfer market.

09 Jun 2026 23:14:20
PSG already have Doue, Kvara, Dembele and Barcola, so you can see why they might not see the need to spend big on another wide forward, especially if it's just to replace Barcola, who doesn't play every game.

We only have Rio, our need is far greater than theirs, so I think for us it's worth spending the money on the very best talents that are available.



The fact that teams like PSG and Bayern are interested in him tells me he's worth it even if they don't want to spend the money. They would if their need was as great as ours.

09 Jun 2026 23:15:58
We wouldn't buy if we couldn't do it. Sometimes you have to take risks! We didn't sign Cristiano Ronaldo back in the day because we thought he was too much money. Not every transfer is going to work out, but when we have to fill a huge void that Mo has left, we need someone like Diamonde.

09 Jun 2026 23:42:18
The cost is huge, as Leipzig really don't want to sell. Imagine if we told Bayern 85m for Rio and they said ok. Their fans would say the same.

09 Jun 2026 23:49:35
We're turning into Utd, buying the most expensive players (or overpaying).

09 Jun 2026 23:53:26
I'm a touch concerned about the massive outlays overall.

I would like to see smart outlays. Like Leoni. I think he will work out great.

But we are overpaying quite a lot.

I hope for the best for Jacquet, but we paid a massive price for him.

Likewise, it will likely be a massive price for Diomande.

And a massive price for Isak, given his injury record.

Wirtz, based on the evidence up to the point we bought him, I get.

It felt like that superstar buy you just have to pay for. Kind of like Declan Rice for Arsenal. Hasn't worked out yet, but I suspect it will.

Overpaying will all be forgotten if Iraola gets them all performing.

But it's not the great way of doing things, and can put us in a hole if it goes south for some players.

I'm optimistic Iraola will work his magic though.

10 Jun 2026 00:00:00
Not arsed. Market is crazy at the moment. Find another winger with his end product for a better price, you won't.

I'd rather Diomande than dross like Minteh or Nusa.

10 Jun 2026 00:27:26
Forwards always come with inflated prices. There are average players being sold for 40-50m. So, using that as a comparison, 80-100m for a highly-sought player is pretty much the current market price then. Just my thought.

10 Jun 2026 00:42:28
😀😀😀 Another day, another conversation about hypothetical amounts of money. 😀😀😀

10 Jun 2026 01:13:39
I've just seen Atleti have rejected a bid for Alvarez of £130m! I'm sorry, I know some on here rate him but I've seen him play against us, Spurs and Arsenal this season and I've yet to see him have a good game.



He was bang average at City too and failed to nail down a starting place so left.

If players like him are going for north of £130m then £80m-£100m for one of the rising stars of European football is a snip.

10 Jun 2026 06:57:08
Bournemouth are talking £80m for Scott, Olise 150m, Alverez 130m, Forest £100m-£120m for Anderson.

The market is mad with midfielder prices.

10 Jun 2026 08:24:44
84 million would be a lot, but more palatable than anything over 100 million is too much.

10 Jun 2026 08:30:51
Can't win. I remember the days when fans were complaining because we were buying players at "bargain basement" prices. Top players and players with high potential don't come cheap, especially in today's market.

10 Jun 2026 08:54:00
The fees have gone mad, mostly due to the vast quantities of cash coming into the game, and whilst it is across the board now, the worst aspect is the pressure it puts on players.
Fees north of 80m have been shown to often create 'failures'. 7/27 so far deemed a success.

10 Jun 2026 08:56:12
What do we expect though? Tryna replace the best player of the last 10 years in a market with hardly any wingers.

We still need another one after him to replace Diaz as well.

10 Jun 2026 09:27:24
Love this site. If we pay less than £50M, it is an underwhelming signing, and if we pay over £50M it's too big a risk. Maybe we should only sign players who cost exactly £50M to keep everybody happy (although then, unless they play DM, people still won't be happy). 😂

10 Jun 2026 09:57:32
I do agree it's massive money but as the great sage Ed002 always said "Don't concern yourself with the finances".

10 Jun 2026 19:56:52
Indeed, Shipley. For me, the market is what it is, so not sure why people are complaining. If you wanna pay lower fees for good value players, then there is a market for that too, which is also a risk, btw.



Those complaining can go ahead and do the above. Just don't come back and complain when you end up, "Getting exactly when you paid for" quality-wise (or a lack thereof), cos that is always a possibility, as well.

09 Jun 2026 19:24:38
Looks like Perez wasn't talking bout Olise after all, Sky reporting Athletico have turned down a €150m bid from Real for Alvarez.

09 Jun 2026 20:07:27
I bet you anything, Perez was going for Olise, heard about the possibility of being turned down, then went for Alvarez to save face, believing he would get him. Perez always struck me as the 'I'll hurt the club before my reputation' kind of guy.

09 Jun 2026 21:06:49
This was surely politicking at the highest/lowest level! Perez needed a 'headline' to combat his opponent in the election, and Athleti want to piss Barca off and drive up Alvarez's price to keep hold of him. Both clubs come out with statements to announce bids being placed and rejected, so both fans appeased. Honestly, it's Trump-esque, it's kinda funny.

10 Jun 2026 00:45:26
Perez wasn't the only candidate weaving fairy stories. Most of the candidates were promising great things, like Klopp being the manager, signing Haaland, etc. It's hard to tell who lives in the most deluded world - the candidates for president or the RM fans who tolerate the rubbish.

10 Jun 2026 09:53:01
I agree, WDW, Riquelme made a complete fool of himself, holding up a Real jersey with Haaland on the back on live TV when he's never even spoken to the lad, 🤣, they've no shame that lot.

10 Jun 2026 14:11:03
Mango, Perez also undoubtedly had an eye on Barca since they wanted Alvarez also. Now he's set the benchmark of 150 million that he knows Barca cannot afford.

10 Jun 2026 19:58:39
Oh, someone should have told me this was campaign time at RM. All of these fairy stories and campaign promises now make sense.

09 Jun 2026 18:00:56
Slow day.... Is Kerkez injured?

09 Jun 2026 14:01:04
I know it was posted on here a while back, but can someone remind me of the site for cheap football shirts?

09 Jun 2026 14:17:22
This may get deleted, but I have used soccerlord.se successfully before. Do allow a couple of weeks or so for delivery, so don't use it for a birthday on Friday!

09 Jun 2026 14:19:07
Joyfball.

09 Jun 2026 14:20:59
There's loads, Racey
DHGate, AliExpress, Hot Jersey Shop, to name a few.

09 Jun 2026 15:57:56
While we're here, does anyone know where to get authentic international shirts but with printed names and numbers? Seem impossible to find.

09 Jun 2026 16:05:29
Cheers, guys. I use Jersey4Fans normally, but my last purchase took 3 months. 😩

09 Jun 2026 13:59:11
MK, totally agree Scott and Elliott are different profiles. But I’m not so sure that we’ll see a dedicated 6 with two more box to box midfielders in front.

It seems to me that at their best Bournemouth played with Kroupi as a second striker or very advanced 10, with two mobile CMs behind? And that being at a more dominant team that would be the likely setup for most games?

I agree that Wirtz is not suited to a pure CM role in the Prem - it’s also a waste of his talents, but he is an elite level presser and bulked up significantly this season.

Physically he is not that different to Alex Scott, so I don’t see why he can’t play in that more advanced role and thrive. I honestly think Slot just didn’t know how to use him or create a system for him to be successful on the ball.

I also think in a 2 CM setup where one may be responsible for holding slightly more (like Tyler Adams did) Grav could be perfect for that.

So a 2 of Grav and Szobo with Wirtz as the advanced 10 seems solid to me. Then move on Macca and bring in another mobile CM.

09 Jun 2026 14:35:43
Hi Xavi, at Bournemouth, they played with two no.6's and a no.10 ahead. I don't think Iraola will do this at Liverpool though because we have a lot more possession due to the higher quality players in the team. Playing with 2 DM's is fine if you're expecting to have 40-45% possession, but we're more likely to have 55-60% possession most weeks. So I think Iraola will adopt something similar to what Klopp did with two no.8's and a no.6 behind them.

I might be totally wrong, but I don't think our fanbase will be happy if we start playing with 2 DM's.

It will be really interesting to see what happens with Gravenberch. There might be pressure from above to utilise him given his huge salary. But I'm really struggling to see where he fits in as a starter. Pressing and being physically on the front foot is not something he's good at.

09 Jun 2026 15:50:42
Totally on point about not playing two DMs. I should clarify that what I mean is I think we will predominantly have one CM drop deeper when in possession, with the other two playing higher, but then out of possession it's more man to man or two CMs with one (Wirtz) pressing higher.



But what do I know, I couldn't even reply to a post correctly!

Whatever happens, I certainly agree we need at least one more CM.

09 Jun 2026 17:18:28
With how our defence has been, I would say we are in more need of playing 2 6's than Bournemouth were...
Besides, there are different types of number 6. Yes, the position is widely seen as a destroyer who passes the ball to more technically able players.

But Alonso was a 6, so is Rodri. Many 6's become deep lying playmakers with outstanding vision and passing ability. Every bit as important for us as a destroyer and b2B midfielder in my opinion. I'd have a couple of those everyday.

09 Jun 2026 13:42:31
A friend that passes info to me has said Gakpo is being considered as deal involving Diomande & that Alex Scott is preferred to Wharton.

09 Jun 2026 13:56:41
Race, I can't believe that, as RBL will not sign Gakpo for two reasons, one his age and two his wages.

09 Jun 2026 14:00:28
Sounds good to me.

09 Jun 2026 14:18:44
Yeah I read that too via a NewsNow link (could have been Anfield Index etc)

It would be a decent solution, but I can also see this as folks linking stories and putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5.

09 Jun 2026 12:57:26
Wondering if Iraola is a high intensity press type of manager who will lead the press next season? None of our entire front 3 when fit - Isak, Ekitike and Gakpo - are natural pressers. For all Ekitike's achievements this year I think he jogs into the final yards of the press (he also needs to work on his heading but he's young) and the other two are worse. Not sure that can be coached into players or at least into so many of them.

Mane and Firmino were naturally aggressive players - Salah learned it in the press - but not convinced we have anybody that can do this consistently. Szobo could but full press needs all going together and he needs to be in midfield really with his athleticism. Not sure we signed the right type of player in the last window for that. Sorry to be so negative but it's a concern for me.

09 Jun 2026 13:41:38
I think Gakpo is a good presser and Ekitike should be too. Interesting to see if Isak can do it also. He could be frightening if he can and get fit.

It was very hard to press in the Slot system. Spaces were too big. I expect all of a sudden, many players will look like better pressers.

09 Jun 2026 13:43:35
With Robbo going, this reminds me of his one man press against City all those years ago! That was just awesome!

09 Jun 2026 13:51:44
The key is coaching the team to press as a unit, otherwise it's just a waste of energy. You lay traps and press when the circumstances are right. Watch any game from last season and see how most teams waited until Konate was on the ball to press us as a unit.

09 Jun 2026 13:58:58
Eki has shown no signs of doing much pressing.

09 Jun 2026 13:59:49
Gakpo is capable of pressing, he's not Mane level, but he's capable, at the same time, he doesn't offer enough from the left to be a starter for me. Fully agree on Isak and Ekitike. The good thing is, if we bring in 2 pacey wingers, they can apply some extra pressure to somewhat alleviate Isak/Ekitike.

{Ed077's Note - it is very hard to carry 1 player in a pressing setup.

09 Jun 2026 14:18:01
The pressing under Klopp was immense. Everyone knew the triggers and, more often than not, we'd force a turnover. Last year you had players pressing on their own, which, as Shipley says, is a waste of energy, and just creates huge gaps.
The other thing is the counter attack. Under Klopp, we'd win the ball high up and, within 3 passes, it'd either be a chance or a goal.

Everyone knew where to go. Even if Slot's half assed press worked, the players had no clue where to go. I lost count of how many times counter attacks just fell apart because of a poor pass, players getting in each other's way, or just not knowing where to run.

09 Jun 2026 14:35:31
This is just my opinion, but there's no such thing as a "natural presser". Pressing is a team effort and needs to be coached. We were ineffective in the press last season because we didn't work on it in the training ground.

And that's on Slot, not the players. Iraola would demand much more from the players and I'm sure that most, if not all of them, would be receptive towards his methods.

09 Jun 2026 16:48:34
I'd agree with that 100%, Drac. Any player can be coached to press, you just need a manager and coaches who can coach it properly.

No point just telling someone he needs to press, as without the rest of the team reacting to it, the press is worse than useless.

We had a low defensive line, and attackers trying to press (very half heartedly), which just left the midfield so big we couldn't get near people.

I'm sure the attackers were pressing so half heartedly, because in the back of their minds they were aware of the space they were leaving in behind them.

It has to be done as a unit. The team needs to all move up together to close off the out ball. If you give the defender an out ball, they'll just play around the press, and they are straight at the back 4.

09 Jun 2026 14:25:42
it's not ideal Ed I completely agree, but if we are going to re-deploy an intense press, I think the setup will have to make intelligent allowances for Isak & Ekitike, in one way or another. Naturally, some pressers are more intense than others, some are more measured, I'm not saying they should be let off their duties altogether, but they can operate at a reduced intensity so long as they're intelligent in their positioning, you can still offer an intense press without a flat out srint at every turn.

{Ed077's Note - if CR7, Messi and MBAPPE weren't good enough to be "carried" in a pressing system, I doubt anyone else can make it work

09 Jun 2026 22:17:27
What kind of pro footballer is incapable of pressing?

Only one with a pathetic attitude.

They will press, don't worry about that.

10 Jun 2026 00:49:14
It's hard to tell if Hugo is any good at pressing as the whole team has to press and last season was, shall we say, not our best season for pressing.

10 Jun 2026 08:43:28
I think Adonis will get them all pressing. It's his style. I don't think he will put up with players who don't.