24 Jun 2017 23:03:50
apparently saints now asking £70m for vvd if any club will meet it, any updates ed001 mate do you reckon klopp will pull out all the stops this time?

{Ed001's Note - Saints have not changed their stance on VVD at all.}

1.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 08:33:01
Surely there are better alternatives out there for much cheaper.

2.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 08:41:11
£70m for Liverpool and £56m for Chelsea! We've more chance of signing Dick Van Dyke.

3.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 08:48:58
I think it's 70m to whoever signs him.

4.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 09:32:39
Best to walk away. You could get 2 decent CH for that.

5.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 09:40:14
Totally agree 70 mill is a lot of money for a defender. Could get a LB and a decent CH for that money and still have change.

6.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 09:43:16
I think after all that's gone on and what we are trying to achieve we bite the bullet and move on guys hung his jacket on our nail Jurgens had the chat its went pear shaped our mistake we pay for it.

7.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 10:17:08
i think we should pay whatever it takes and learn our lessons.

8.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 10:47:57
70m for vvd. Just pay it who cares its not your money. One player can win you the league. Kante. Schemicheal. hazard. terry etc. Why buy another 30m lovren / sahko. Its quite clear that a striker and left back and holding mid may be coming. With such a dodgy keeper id rather vvd and an average lb.

9.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 11:13:53
This is a guy who is supposedly quick but had to pull down Firmino to stop him. Firmino is not exactly quick and Van Dijk was incredibly lucky not to be sent off. He is average and whoever pays £70m for him is a mug.

Fonte is the player everyone should have been after. He made Lovren look good, and then he made Van Dijk look good. Modern football tends to highlight the more in your face players though. Essentially, Lovren/ VVD were the rash, aggressive players who would ping the fancy passes, whereas Fonte was the guy who never got noticed because he made everything look easy and never made a mistake. His positional sense, reading of the game, and organisational qualities are what made him the glue of Southampton backline. Yet they have nearly conned us into paying £100m for his average partners. Thank god that £70m deal isn't happening because it would be embarrassing.

10.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 11:22:07
Have to agree with MK. You'd have to be half witted to pay to pay anywhere close to that.

11.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 11:23:54
Also the same guy who caught mane to put in a goal saving block. for a cbk he is a great athlete and very quick for his size. As I've said previously being from Scotland I've watched and wanted him from days at celtic. could see he was going to be a top player, a lot of top teams will be kicking themselves as all looked and never took gamble as Spl is a poor standard.

12.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 11:54:39
Spot on Z99.

13.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 11:37:19
May I just add to my previous post. As much as I have always wanted us to sign him, I agree £70m is to much!

14.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 11:37:35
Yes MK I think we also have to be careful of player who look good in lesser teams but struggle to step up a level. We've bought a few big fish in small ponds who now Lin very average in a better team. I would say Mane is a good example of an exception where he has showed the form that made us buy home and still made progress.

15.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 11:47:04
I have to admit that I'm struggling to think of another centre back with the same attributes (physically strong and imposing, dominant in the air, quick and good on the ball) as an alternative as there are none playing in the PL that have all of those attributes and not too many abroad either.

16.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 11:49:14
Its astounding that Klopp, Rogers, their coaches and the scouting team didn't spot that error, MKScouser. Maybe send Jurgen a quick email regarding Fonte and you could save the club a possible 70m. Clueless bunch they must be.

17.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 12:05:00
Koulibaly the cb from napoli is way better and he is two or three times better than vvd really and he would be cheaper.

18.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 12:24:56
Question.
What would happen if Chelsea have a £60m offer accepted and we decided to match that offer?

Would the FA take it upon themselves to look into the transfer, knowing full well the shenanigans we got up to?

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see the addition of VVD but not at the expense of a potential transfer ban.

{Ed002's Note - It has been done to death.}

19.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 12:40:57
I'm sorry mk but pulling down one striker doesn't make you a bad player. I'm not saying he is worth 70 mill, but it's just picking one moment in a season to define him.
Fonte is average too.

20.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 12:48:00
Lallana20, you ever seen Koulibaly? He's like Djimi Traore on pies. Yeah he's a big lad, but he's got the turning circle of the QE2 and is pretty reckless. Yeah, he is strong and very tall, but his football ability is limited to finding Row Z.

21.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 12:48:54
Voronin you can turn a blind eye and pretend that professionals don't get things wrong if you want. I honestly couldn't care less. Lest we forget that their are some absolutely shocking players who have made it to the top of the game before being found out. Particularly in England. Bramble, Shawcross, Caulker to name a few.

Love the guy who tried to use him catching Mane as a defence though. You literally just reiterated my point! He is a highlight reel defender who is constantly making recoveries because he is too oblivious to stop the danger in the first place.

You want a defender as strong and fast? Boateng, Koulibaly, Manolas, Ramos, Varane, Colley, Kompany, Bailly etc. But that is just off the top of one persons head so there can't much more out there who would cost less than £70m, right? Our scouts sometimes need to do their job and stop raiding Southampton.

I am all for giving a player a chance if they sign to prove me wrong. But seeing as the VVD move is now dead, I feel I can express my honest opinion. He is a terrible defender. It says it all that the only positives you are drawing are his physical attributes! Football is a game won by the brain, not the body. The Germans, the Spanish, and the Italians know this which is why they blitz the English at every opportunity.

22.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 13:10:43
Mk vvd is class, good with his feet shown by his free kick abilities, can pass, good physically and marked Sturbridge out the game in both legs of the efl cup, 70m is expensive but he and alderwiereld are the best cbs in the bpl, so we should buy him.

23.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 13:11:19
{Ed002's Note - It has been done to death. }

I do not see why people keep on bringing up this issue Ed002.

People, people, people. Get this into your thick heads. If Liverpool are going to make further approaches for VVD then the FA will step in and sweep clean. How many times does this have to be explained?

If Liverpool stay clear of VVD then nothing else will happen unless we tap up another player.

Why is this so difficult to understand?

{Ed002's Note - I am not so sure your assumptions are true.}

24.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 13:31:35
Young red- vvd only played in the first leg and We were shocking all over the pitch that game.

Vvd is good on his day but looks much better in the saints defence than he would in ours. He gets caught out of position far too often and that would only get highlighted more if he played for us when we have our high back line.

25.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 14:12:51
Boateng - Why would he leave the Bayern for us? Let's be honest!
Koulibaly - Lumpen, clumsy and only quick in a straight line, not quick on the turn and a bit error prone. Napoli are also notoriously hard to deal with.
Manolas - Roma don't need to sell now and he's a bit of a hot head to say the least, walking red card is a fair description, Monchi would make us pay through the nose!
Ramos - I'I presuming you mean Sergio? Thug, not that quick, over rated, poor in the air and a complete liability.
Varane - Never going to happen. Just never going to happen. Real Madrid to Liverpool at a time they just bombed out Pepe.
Colley - No experience at the top level, not convinced personally. Bit wary of the fact his brother plays for Chelsea and they weren't interested.
Kompany - Injury prone and nearing the end of his time at the top, injurues have taken their toll on his pace, always one kick away from time on the treatment table.
Bailly - Do I need to explain why this won't happen?

Personally I'd like us to go for Christensen from Chelsea if Van Dijk isn't an option. He's a real talent. Brilliant defender, quick, decent in the air and a good footballer.

26.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 14:19:20
Hansen's scar we are talking about a seasoned defender here in kalidou koulibaly. you should watch Italian serie A. really. To compare him to jimi traore is a damn right insult to defenders really. This senagelese cb is the real deal try watching his clips.

27.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 14:33:06
"Try watching his clips". I've watched a lot of Serie A and seen Napoli several times, I don't need to watch clips. He's very clumsy and lumpen. He makes Sakho look composed on the ball, hence the Traore comparison.

28.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 13:23:16
Why would it not be Ed?

Are Liverpool going to end up paying what Soton will request? If we go in and haggle then we will make an absolute mockery of ourselves again. If things fall through then Soton will surely go back to the FA as we just added more fuel to the fire.

The only way Liverpool will be able to sign VVD is for LFC to ask Soton to name the price and pay it.

Anything other than that will see Liverpool ending in the cesspool again.
There is not knowing what Soton will ask us to pay but it most definitely is not going to be pocket change. Again, will Liverpool pay Soton's price approching them in the correct manner and if Soton's time is wasted the deal goes nowhere with the player only wanting to join us after tapping him up, what happens then?

{Ed002's Note - The point is that it is unrelated to any investigation that may be undertaken.}

29.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 14:43:26
MY scouser I was in fact using one situation to show his speed just as you did with the point about firmino. And instead if giving him credit for recovery on mane you used it to blame him! When in fact it was Bertrand who was caught out and Vvd got back to cover. but hey that doesn't fit with your story! As I said I've watched him for years not highlights like you stated.

30.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 14:46:16
It won't be 70 will it. Of course not. Newspapers making up ridiculous figures this year. Somewhere between 45/ 50 thank you very much. If we get him and a decent lb I think we will win the league. Trust in klopp, best manager in the league.

31.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 15:19:03
I've been reading every window how we need a Marquee signing, splash the cash etc. If the club feel VVD is right for the money then quit fing off and sign him. And if he does come get behind him and don'moan the first mistake he makes
Matt in FL.

32.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 15:28:55
£70m would likely get you Mendy and De Vrij. need I say any more?

33.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 16:03:23
He doesn't have to be either "class" or "average".
He is certainly NOT average. The standard of centre backs in the premier league is extremely low. VVD is much better than the average defender in the premier league.

I worry about you MKS when you think Gibson is a better defender than VVD. They really are leagues apart in terms of quality.

34.) 25 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 19:34:31
MK Scouser, if VVD was such a poor defender and Fonte is a much better player, why is it that Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City want VVD and not Fonte who can be easily bought even now with a fraction of what VVD will cost?

You also mentioned earlier that you think Collins, Dann, Gibson, Yoshida are better than VVD! Honestly, I think you are a little confused man.

35.) 26 Jun 2017
26 Jun 2017 00:07:51
I don't agree that VVD is just an average defender; he is far far better than that. But then I also don't agree with "pay the price and get him and we'll learn our lesson". The prices being bandied about, even before the tapping up revelations, was already too high. And it seems to be a crazy sellers market out there now, particularly when English clubs are involved. It makes no sense at all when you consider that the best player in the League this past season (Kante) was bought for 36 Million, and players who might reach his level or standard (VVD, Keita and Mendy) are being quoted at double, a year later.

We got our LW. Let's go out and get competent LB and RBs, and then scour the market for fair priced players that will strengthen our bench. They are definitely out there. Agreed, EPL teams are flush with funds because of the new TV deal, but that's no reason to forget we were bleeding a million a week just a couple of years ago.

Many will say "what about the other teams that will strengthen? ". I'd say let them. ManU did beautifully with Mourinho and Ibrahimovic, did they? Arsenal imploded as usual, and there is no reason to believe it won't be repeated. ManC needs a rebuild anyway, simply because the squad is old, and not only because they have a new manager. Spurs are a threat but they don't have any glaring weak positions, so how much can they improve? Chelsea won because they added two key players to a squad that already won two years ago, and they got a manager who screwed the players' heads back on straight. Let's not forget we were title contenders on January 1st, before the cracks started showing. We need a minimum 2 players (LW and LB) and probably a maximum of 4 (adding a CB and CM) . And I don't see the need the pay extortionate prices. Both FSG and Klopp seem to be fiscally prudent, so I don't see any problems there. It's just the supporters who start salivating at the bait that is always being thrown at them by the journalists and media.

36.) 26 Jun 2017
26 Jun 2017 15:40:23
I'm intrigued by all the comments about can get a good LB and a CB or two CBS or whatever for less than this price. Yet interestingly none of those posts include details of these players capable of contributing to an EPL winning team that are going on the cheap.