25 May 2023 21:58:35
Reports all over the media that Ugarte is off to PSG with Chelsea rumoured to be willing to trigger his release clause also. After the tapping up warning do you know if we have walked away from this option, is it a done deal to PSG as is being reported or do you see a late play from Liverpool? Plenty of other options out there but exactly the profile of player I think we need.

{Ed002's Note - I explained - they do not wish to do business with Liverpool.}

1.) 25 May 2023
25 May 2023 22:21:56
It's annoyingly counter-productive to spend all that time and resources scouting a player, concluding they would be a good addition to the squad, only to then tap up the player and annoy their club to such an extent that they won't do business. Time, money, and resources wasted.

2.) 25 May 2023
25 May 2023 22:24:47
Still baffles me that we would mess around so much particularly when there is a clear release clause which others are willing to trigger! Either indicate that you are willing to trigger the clause and get permission to speak to the player or move on. very disappointing that we are still at this kind of behaviour as it ultimately costs us targets! Who would be your preference as an alternative, I like the look of Kephren Thurman but in your last update I think you said we had looked at him and that there are other more active teams pursuing him, he appears to be one of the closest profiles to Ugarte or can you recommend any other DM players that may be an option.

{Ed002's Note - Actually nobody was willing to pay it but after discussions with thwo sides they both are.}

3.) 25 May 2023
25 May 2023 22:37:17
That’s an interesting update Ed, maybe if we went the right way about this transfer it would have been 3 clubs willing. do you think we go back now and offer the release ( if it meets out valuation of the player) or do we need to walk away completely or risk being reported/ sanctioned? all this repeated tapping up *** either highlights that we are trying to reduce transfer fees or we aren’t convinced that we can attract players on a level playing field and need to perform some dark arts persuasions.

{Ed002's Note - I am not so sure they would.}

4.) 26 May 2023
25 May 2023 23:53:35
Makes me laugh when idiots say “we do things the right way” when we evidently don’t.

5.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 02:07:30
Seems like we never learned from previous mistakes. Not sure if this is the reason why Michael Edwards and now Julian Ward has decided to leave the club.

6.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 07:33:15
I think why klopp does this and always has done it is because he's operating with a team who has less financial power and to an certain extent less attractive than his competitors. I think he feels if he can talk face to face with player is the best way to overcome this. If you look back to tapping up of vvd, city+ chelsea and possibly man utd where all interested in him at time, no doubt all 3 couldve offered him more wages and at time city + chelsea certainly more chance of winning trophies and being successful.
I'm not condoning it, it's disrespectful to players current club, but that's why I think he does it.

7.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 08:20:54
Digger10 why doesn’t Klopp just wait until the players club gives us permission? Surely it’s not hard to do.
And in terms of VVD we had to pay over the odds due to Klopp tapping up.

8.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 08:35:04
@ Digger, spot on, but say it as it is, we can't compete with most of the other teams in the league financially, until w sell it will always be that way, or at least until ffp is actually used correctly.

{Ed001's Note - or we start using our funds correctly. We can compete if we manage our finances properly. Hopefully now Ward and Edwards are out of the club that might actually happen.}

9.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 08:44:12
We’ll know by August where all of this behaviour leaves us. The window was already the most crucial one in Klopp’s tenure without having other clubs refusing to talk to us.

10.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 09:38:07
Jude to be fair the Portuguese league is much better than the Bundesliga. I don't recall their strongest side getting battered by Rangers at home.

11.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 09:47:55
Will never be able to compete against other clubs financially. Unless we have different set of owners. The last decade has shown even top of the tree we couldn't compete financially against clubs who weren't in champions league forget now when we need massive rebuilding.

The way things are going unfortunately I doubt Klopp or FSG are going to last much longer.

There's a reason they've been testing the market to see how much billionaires are willing to pay for us hence going publicly last few months.

12.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 10:11:42
Astarkey. I think klopp believes he needs to speak to the player 1st as he needs player to put pressure on his existing club that it's lfc he wants to play for not man city/ chelsea etc. That's hoping the player has a good relationship with his existing club that club takes this into account.
Again I'm not saying this is the right way to do things.

13.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 11:00:54
Hi Ed001. You mention edwards and ward, if we can manage the funds correctly we can compete? Can you explain a little more on this and what you mean?

Was it because we were offering too high wages thus leaving our fund pot lower?

Be good to get more on what you mean by that.

Cheers.

{Ed001's Note - not just salaries, though that was a huge part of it. It is the overall package, obscene agent fees, bonuses etc added to having too many players left us haemorrhaging money. City have a smaller squad than us, so clearly it is not necessary to have as many players as we do. You are talking tens of millions a year that is just wasted. For instance, just Naby Keita alone was costing us around £10m a year, so when you have 5 players too many in the squad, for example, even if you average it out at £5m a year for them, that is £25m that you do not have available for transfers.

If you have a squad of 20 players, even if the average weekly wage is reduced by just (just! What a world these pampered brats live in!) £5k a week, which is easily done, that is over £5m savings for the club over the year. That is money that could potentially be put towards a new signing. And most of the players are overpaid by a much larger amount than £5k a week.

Once you start adding it all up, on top of any money you would receive for selling any of the excess players, it can significantly alter the transfer budget available. A lot of that is on Klopp, who is far too keen to hang on to players and wanted 5 centre-backs for this season. If you can't trust the ones you have to stay fit, you don't keep an extra one just in case, you get rid of them and bring in someone who can stay fit!

And when someone comes in with a loan offer for Keita, you have to be a fool to reject it, even if they are only offering to pay a percentage of his wage. You just get that shirker as far away from the club as possible. I am still disgusted by the club referring to him as a 'legend' when he left. He should have been embarrassed by that label. To put him alongside Millie and Bobby was a disgrace. Utterly sickening. It was disrespectful to those two.}

14.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 11:32:12
Absolutely agree with your comment on Naby. I've not seen anything really said about though.

How he was paraded with Milner and Bobby I just don't understand. They both gave everything for the club. Naby didn't even break a sweat.

Don't understand it at all.

If I was Naby, I would have done the decent thing and refused.

I'm surprised they actually found some pictured of him playing to actually put in the frame!

{Ed001's Note - must have been photoshopped....}

15.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 12:05:59
So, Ed001 regarding your response to Sl09, I'm not sure you were clear on your feelings about Keita. What do you really think? :-)

{Ed001's Note - sorry mate, I will try and make myself more clear in future. I know I do tend to sit on the fence.}

16.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 12:33:32
Well, there's no Edwards and Ward to hide behind now, Ed.

Klopp is in full control.

This summer will be revealing - in terms of the profile of signings and the tactics.

While I may sound like a broken record on this, we need to freshen up or add to the coaching staff. We shouldn't be so arrogant to think we can keep generating fresh new ideas internally with the same people.

{Ed001's Note - definitely. And not allow the ones we have at the club to be so arrogant as to be releasing books about the season.}

17.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 13:23:46
Absolutely nailed it Ed001. Blows my mind that people would rather blame FSG for lack of funds. FSG have their flaws (trademark, super league etc) but one thing you cannot accuse them of is trying to micromanage transfer or withhold funds the club has earned from being spent.

{Ed001's Note - they have very little to none involvement in the day-to-day running of the club. They appoint people to roles and then let them do their job.}

18.) 26 May 2023
25 May 2023 23:28:04
Do you have insight from the players side as to preferred destination, given that Liverpool didn’t return with an offer to the club do you think he has eyes on someplace else. Regardless of where he ends up I hope we start doing business the right way, Liverpool is a footballing institution and should carry themselves better!

{Ed002's Note - His agent and his representative have moved on from pushing Spurs to seeking an agreement with PSG or Chelsea, and they would not do that if they player was not happy with it. Sporting have been clear that they do not wish to do business with Liverpool.}

19.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 15:09:40
If we are praising fsg for putting staff in jobs and letting them get on with it, surly we can't beat klopp with a stick for allowing his staff to get on with it. If klopp takes the heat because he not in control of his staff tight enough surly fsg as owners should be under scrutiny as it them (Mike Gordon I presume) that has put edwards/ ward in there job.

20.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 12:20:07
I get that Ed, but you see the crap, like Keita and you get better players who force them out, Bajetic and Jones will save us needing extra players, when you get a talent like Bellingham desperate to join then not even entertain changing a little bit of a budget to get him, yet look to pay way over the odds for a player like MacAllister or Mount for similar money, it doesn't make sense, yes Klopp is too blame too, he won't come out and get into a slagging match with the owners as him and his Mrs love it in Liverpool, he has been approached by Real, Barca, Spur, Chelsea but Loves it here, they know that, they care only about their US Business, anyone who doesn't want them out needs to see they are bleeding the club dry and setting us back, we are lucky to still have Klopp.

{Ed001's Note - what on earth are you wittering on about? This is just utter deluded nonsense due to your irrational hatred of the owners. You need help.}

21.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 15:03:37
All I want to say on that. Thank you for the awesome response Ed :) appreciate the time to write and put that info down.

That goes to ed002 as well for all the amazing work you put in for this.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate.}

22.) 26 May 2023
26 May 2023 20:45:45
Our behaviour as a club needs to improve and we have to mend fences quickly. Keita has been a terrible signing and he’s taken the mick for much of his time with the club, and stolen a living. Both him and Ox should have been sold last summer.

23.) 28 May 2023
28 May 2023 04:42:57
That was a tough read Lancaster. Just sounded like a twist to find a way to blame the owners again.

Back to edwards and Ward, ed1 is bang on as we’ve said in the past. People talk about needing depth, but we’ve had one of the biggest squads in the league. Poorly managed squad and think we need smarter people in those roles.