Liverpool banter 10

26 Jul 2026 01:01:23
Watching the second half tonight, I felt that Nyoni was very impressive (I know Ed001 didn't seem a fan).

Seemed like he was in a similar role to Grav in Slots 1st, do we think he's got a shot in the squad as I think he's got something, not enough to start but as a squad option it's clear to see he has it (in my opinion)

26 Jul 2026 07:35:20
To be fair, young players can take huge jumps at Trey's age. It looked a very good game from him in the highlights. Nothing incredible or anything, but a very good game.

He might have looked even better live.

Really hope he and Lewis Koumas, who also looked impressive, can build on that for the coming weeks, months, years.

Needless to say, good performance in a preseason friendly does not mean the world, but at the end of the day, it's the first chance, and I would say Trey and Lewis took it from the looks of things. That's all you can ask. Now let's see what they do with the second chance.

26 Jul 2026 07:44:33
Sod the players.

What was the half time interval show like, and did they get their water breaks?

26 Jul 2026 08:33:59
Nyoni has always looked a very good player when played in the deeper midfield role. I thought he was impressive there last preseason, but then didn't get many chances in that role during the season. I'm hoping he can kick on this season.

26 Jul 2026 08:50:04
Nyoni is going to be quality. I said it months ago. If Gravenberch doesn't up his game, he'll lose his place this season. I hope that showing last night puts any loan talk to bed. Nyoni was better than Jones and McConnell combined. We basically went to a 4-1-3-2 in the second half, and Nyoni was a 1 man double pivot who took complete control.

Age is just a number, and Nyoni is good enough so he is old enough.

Just look at him last night. Won multiple tackles, made blocks, made interceptions, fizzed his passes through the lines or out wide, slowed the tempo when it was needed, sped up the tempo when it was needed, always looked like he has loads of time on the ball etc.

Absolute class. If he was a new signing we'd paid £100m for, people would be waxing lyrical about him today. He could be our own Bouaddi if we give him the chance.

26 Jul 2026 09:07:22
In the second half we played against Sunderland's reserves.

26 Jul 2026 09:28:13
I think Nyoni is an incredibly promising young midfielder myself, every time I've seen him, he's calm, composed, rarely gives the ball away, and doesn't look out of place, to be fair to him.

I think he has a bright bright future ahead of him.

26 Jul 2026 10:06:44
Gravenberch won't be losing his place to Nyoni. The hyperbole that some posters say about young players who haven't even played 90 minutes of PL football is laughable.
The same nonsense was bandied about when Baj played about 30 minutes in the PL as a defensive midfielder. 🙄

26 Jul 2026 10:18:40
I agree, Irish.
That's some build up by MK Scouser about Nyoni and it happened with Bajcetic.
Let's hope it's more justified with Nyoni.

26 Jul 2026 10:35:02
@Red-W, We struggled against sides like Sunderland's reserves last season.

26 Jul 2026 10:35:05
Nah, MKS. Nyoni is gonna have to wait his turn and earn his spot. He won't be overtaking Grav anytime soon, mate.

Now in isolation does Grav need to up his game? Absolutely, but that can be applied to every single player from last season.

26 Jul 2026 11:31:41
Tbf, for a while it genuinely looked Baj will be a starter for us. Even Salah said he was our best player in those 1.5 months he was in the team. It's very unfortunate that his body has just not supported him since, but Bajcetic definitely had the quality to be a starter for us had he continued in that vein.

Let's see how he comes back now. On the other hand, I also like Nyoni, but it's better not to place unreasonable expectations on him yet. If he is good in training, Iraola will give him chances.

26 Jul 2026 12:02:51
Maybe if Nyoni is on the bench n plays the last 15 mins in most games, we might be able to see the progression to be a starter. At the moment, Grav plays, but another season like his last one won't do, so maybe train up Nyoni for that spot if he does well in these 15 min spots.

26 Jul 2026 12:23:31
Nyoni was probably player of the second half last night. Don't go off the highlights. 99% pass rate. Missed one pass. Hardly ever passed the ball sideways or backwards. One-two touch football. Strong on the ball and incisive running.

26 Jul 2026 12:27:29
Agreed, Irish and Oli. Well said.

26 Jul 2026 12:51:58
Sorry, Irish, but Bajetic didn't play just 30 mins in the EPL. That's a lazy comment.

I recall him being our standout player in the 5-2 defeat against Real Madrid in the CL.

Third youngest player to score for Liverpool, behind Owen, and second youngest Spaniard to score in the EPL, behind Fabregas, but growth-related injuries have broken him of late.



Just as well we didn't throw Gerrard in the bin when he suffered similar injuries. And no, I am not comparing Bajetic to one of the most complete midfielders of all time.

Although they do both appear to possess unlikeable traits off-field.

26 Jul 2026 13:41:14
Nyoni throwing in the most purposeful midfield performance I have seen in a long time.

Nice one, Trey lad.

26 Jul 2026 09:36:40
Me and Ed01 don't agree on everything, but we do on Nyoni. He's nowhere near ready for the first team. I'd send him out on loan.

26 Jul 2026 00:31:54
Morrison playing really well.

26 Jul 2026 08:52:39
Seems like a good young player, and he looks like he's got slightly stronger when running with the ball since I last saw him play in a senior game vs Crystal Palace. Reinildo is not a nice player to go 1v1 with. Very physical, little bit nasty even. Morrison won the duel though.

26 Jul 2026 00:25:01
Gomez injured already. 😩

26 Jul 2026 00:21:35
Is that Gomez injured after 10 minutes?

He is just so unlucky.

26 Jul 2026 08:54:48
Think it was 7 min. I've said it before, nice lad, but a waste of wages and space in the squad.

26 Jul 2026 08:58:41
Unlucky, or mentally fragile? I'm a similar age to Gomez, and every time I play football something hurts. We had something similar with Sturridge, who always seemed to be missing with an injury and then you'd see him strolling about the training ground in social media clips.

I think some players who have previously struggled with injury get in their own heads.

I could be completely wrong, but Gomez didn't even make a tackle or a sprint yesterday. There is no way he's seriously injured himself, and if he has, he's done with pro-football. In my opinion, he's felt a bit of tightness or pain, and rather than run it off he's just decided to just come off.

26 Jul 2026 10:37:33
Really, MKS? You're a similar age to Gomez? I would never have guessed that.

You must be one of those "Old souls" people often talk about, lol.

26 Jul 2026 00:19:15
Still a month left so plenty of time to do deals, most important thing is giving Iraola time to work with new players which is not ideal.

It’s incredibly quiet atm, let’s hope we see some movement soon.

Question Reds, how many players do you honestly reckon we will end up bringing in?

Ken.

26 Jul 2026 06:44:45
Feels like we're dragging our feet a bit. Honestly I'll be happy if we manage 3 in that time. I'd argue we need more, but with the way things are moving 3 would actually be quite good at this point.

26 Jul 2026 10:38:44
"Still a month left so plenty of time to do deals."

You wouldn't know it considering some of the stuff we read on here on a daily basis.

26 Jul 2026 11:16:53
Agreed Oli, there's time, our World Cup players aren't even back yet and no one knows exactly what is going on behind the scenes, AI has stated we need more players, all the regular posters who get information will not know everything, I check here about 12 times a day, but we have to be patient.

25 Jul 2026 23:59:59
Ndiaye looking really good, Adam. Class goal by Morrison. Poor Joe, I really feel sorry for him, lads.

26 Jul 2026 09:00:25
He was good, mate. Gave the possession away cheap a couple of times early on, but then seemed to learn from his mistakes, and clipped it long when McConnell and Jones weren't showing for the ball (which was 90% of the time, lazy pair of lemons).

25 Jul 2026 23:33:57
Gomez off injured… Looks like that defensive cover is definitely needed now!
I adore Joe Gomez, proper proper player on his day, but he and Liverpool cannot trust his body anymore. It’s such a shame!

Trying to find a CB as good as he can be that can play across the back line is impossible. But trust in the laptop nerds… I hope!

25 Jul 2026 23:57:16
He is not that good anymore either, he is a shadow of the player he was 3 years ago, no wonder when he has spent 60-70% out injured, his body can't handle pro football, that much is clear.

25 Jul 2026 23:57:47
I stand by it, we should go all out for Kounde. It would give us security at RB and CB. Gomez doesn't look too bad to be honest, walked off and seemed to be telling the medics he just wasn't quite right.

But it's a stark reminder that he is mentally not quite strong enough to push through these little niggles.

The two young lads getting a baptism of fire now. Will be a good learning curve for them.

26 Jul 2026 00:03:48
Don't care what anyone says, he needs to go, he's not worth a fart!

26 Jul 2026 00:05:57
Love Homez, but 7 minutes in he's injured again. Feel sorry for him, but what do you do with him, can't sell him because no one will buy him because of his injury record. If he can keep fit he is a major asset, but sadly looks like that's never going to happen.

26 Jul 2026 00:08:22
MK, you and I debated weeks ago the issue of another CB. You said we didn't need one.

26 Jul 2026 00:11:52
Jay Dub, this will be his last season to be fair. No chance he'll leave this summer in my opinion, but equally he won't get a new deal.

26 Jul 2026 00:24:39
Szobozlai... What a strike. 👌

26 Jul 2026 00:34:13
The way some people talk about our players on here... Not worth a fart. Nice, real nice. Where's your support? Entitled and clueless.

26 Jul 2026 00:38:31
Rome, yes, agreed, funny, seen as one's 35, one's coming back after being out for a full season with a serious ACL tear, one's coming back from 4 months out with shoulder surgery and one's made of crisps.

Right now, as things stand, we've probably got the most disastrous CB situation of any team in the league. How anybody can look at that and say there's no need for addition is beyond me.

26 Jul 2026 00:39:21
CTTF, with respect, I'm neither entitled or clueless.

26 Jul 2026 00:39:58
Goal... Chiesa.

26 Jul 2026 01:01:30
Rome, I've said since half through last season, we need a RB who can cover CB. At the time, I wrote an article on here where I referenced Mingueza and Geertruida as options. I don't think we need a dedicated CB, but we should be looking to bolster options with a versatile RB who can play there. You can search my user name in the news articles if you don't believe me.

🤷🏻‍♂️

Btw though, Ndukwe and Ndiaye really grew into that game tonight and Chambers wasn't bad when he came on either. 4-2 win. Not bad for Szoboszlai, Kerkez and all the so called useless squad players. People will still find something to moan about, I'm sure.

26 Jul 2026 01:06:52
What a ball from Ramsey, he's looked like the one who played last season, not Frimpong. Who needs to go back to Germany?

26 Jul 2026 01:29:43
A good outing for the guys nonetheless. Gomez's injury is unfortunate, but not surprising in the slightest. I agree with MK that getting in a RB who can cover CB seems like the best solution. We have three highly rated young CBs that we just brought in, Ndiaye, Adekoya, and Ndukwe. They may not have experience yet, but the only way they can get it is if they play, and covering for injuries in the first team would be the ideal role for them.



That being said, if we can bring in a player like Zabarnyi on loan with an option to buy, I think we should too. Vvd isn't getting any younger, and his contract runs out next year. We need to start thinking about his succession planning now too.

26 Jul 2026 01:38:30
We need a proper CB and a proper RB, not another go-between.

26 Jul 2026 01:56:54
Zabaryni no brainer on loan with an option to buy.
100% need a decent RB, and Frimpong should be sold, he is out of his depth at LFC.
Kayode was the one, but I think he extended.

26 Jul 2026 02:37:25
Chewy is right, we need a specialist right back and a specialist central defender. Even if Bradley comes back soon, are we really sure he's even any good? He's impressed in fits and spurts over the years but never consistently, and Frimpong is a wing back, he should be moved on once Bradley is fit.


As for central defence, there is nothing wrong with getting an experienced defender who can come in now, play next to VVD, but by Christmas is pushed down the pecking order by Jacquet or Leoni. It's a long hard season, you cannot have too many players.

26 Jul 2026 03:34:05
I honestly thought we'd have moved for Givairo Read, and I think we were linked at some point, but that seems to have gone quiet. The fee being touted for him isn't extortionate either.

26 Jul 2026 04:48:19
MK, 100% agree. Should go all in for Kounde!
Frimpong as right back is not working. He should just be used a backup for rw or maybe play as rb in the last minute when we are losing and desperate for goals.

I was really impressed with Nyoni.

I would put him ahead of Jones and Eliot. And Ndukwe looks calm and composed, I think he can fill in for some games next season. Next to an experienced center back like VVD, he will do a decent job.

26 Jul 2026 08:08:16
We definitely need a cb with experience to come in, there's no doubt in that. Also need a proper rb, maybe Ramsey can do that for us, I'm not sure, I've only seen him ever play once.
For all the talk of needing a winger, an aggressive defensive minded midfielder and an experienced cb would be my priorities.

26 Jul 2026 08:40:24
Frimpong comes across as an unprofessional joker, bad influence to have about the place. If we want to be winners he'd be one to let go.

26 Jul 2026 10:40:00
Ain't that the truth, @Cooler. Pathetic.

26 Jul 2026 10:44:09
What have you based that on Overkill?

26 Jul 2026 11:39:22
It's been rumoured there were differences of opinion between some players last season, about things like application and behaviour off the field, including training and other things. There were splits in the dressing room, allegedly.

He's known to be a joker, that's common knowledge.

Jacquet said he was off his head, or words to that effect, in his first media engagement.

I don't think he's a good player, and if the players have limited ability, I'd prefer Milner and Henderson types right now.

26 Jul 2026 15:08:03
That's honestly quite difficult to believe, Overkill, not sure why you're putting that out there.

The lad was cut from City and had to bounce back from that at Celtic, became one of the most exciting wide players in Europe at Leverkusen. He's always come across as a top top lad in media engagements, has always talked about the importance of hard work, in the latest videos going to Nashville he was carrying Ekitike's crutches for him the whole time.


He might not be a right back or a right winger, which is why his fit with the squad is not immediately apparent. You can question his suitability for us but I don't know why you would question his professionalism or his character? Not that I know if you are right or wrong to do so, but from all the evidence I don't see why it's justified.

25 Jul 2026 23:31:09
Perhaps this injury to Joe Gomez might expedite the Zabarnyi deal? I have no inside info, just musing. We definitely need a more mature player in CB, and Jacquet not playing today makes me a bit nervous, whether precautionary or not.

26 Jul 2026 00:06:09
Maybe Zed, Gomez is playing 4d chess, doesn't want to leave LFC, happy to be a bit part player and potentially get medals & family is happy in the city, so perhaps he gets an injury in pre season, so he is most likely not getting sold, as no one will buy someone who is already injured, and then, with his record, even more unlikely, so gets another season at Lpool and club is happy to keep him as he is such a long standing player and good for the changing room, etc.

26 Jul 2026 03:35:34
There'd be no point selling Joe anyway, we'd get next to nothing for him. He's a popular member of the squad, so let him stay, occasionally fill in, and leave the club with his head held high.

26 Jul 2026 08:42:02
Someone would take Jo, even on a free. Time to let him go and free a squad place.

26 Jul 2026 09:02:52
With his head held high, Seano? He'd probably have it in a neck brace.

25 Jul 2026 23:23:58
Joe Gomez... New manager, new injury.

26 Jul 2026 04:07:08
New manager, new injury, same old fan response.