06 Jun 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Seano_ has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool Squad Assessment and Summer Priorities
1.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 08:52:46
Good read, Seano.
I understand we won't have an abundance of money to buy what is necessary to revamp a tired and ineffective squad, and this I presume is why you have decided we should keep certain players that other posters would think of getting rid of. I personally agree with most of your decisions, as we all know we don't get huge transfer fees for our fringe players, so it will be hard to generate the necessary funds needed to buy a rb, an experienced cb, at least 1 cm and a rw. Maybe the transfer funds are there, and with a few sales of fringe players we might just be able to buy what's needed, added to that the promotion of some youth players, and hopefully we have a better balanced squad with more pace and guts about it.
Just to add, you never mentioned Elliott in your list. What's your feeling about what Iraola will do with Harvey? I like the chap, been f***ed about last season, and deserves better. Whether he gets that at Liverpool next season, I don't really know. Anyways, interesting times ahead in the next few months, looking forward to it with great anticipation.
All the best
Notsozippy.
2.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 09:02:25
tbh, I'd be surprised if we didn't have money to spend.
Given we spent roughly $390m net since summer 2023, and roughly $530m net since 2020, I would have thought we remain in a solid position.
3.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 09:16:47
Faith, we most certainly have money to spend. We've been outspent by clubs like Villa and Newcastle. We are healthy financially and I wouldn't be surprised if we spent £200 + player sales. We need 4/5 players, as it stands, and to replace players if they leave, like Gakpo.
We also need to be smart, Nunez on a free makes perfect sense to me and hopefully the £85m weight off his shoulders and the appointment of AI we could see the best of him.
4.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 09:21:28
I hope we keep Elliott and Tsimikas. We need strength and depth in the squad, and we haven't got that. We can't keep letting players go unless they want to leave.
I would like us to look at bringing in some free transfers to bulk out the squad a bit and use the kids more.
I'd like to bring back Nunez as well.
5.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 09:21:47
I didn't say we wouldn't have money to spend, Faithinworks, mate. What I meant, as did Seano, was that if we were to get rid of, say, Mama, Gomez, Tsimikas, Frimpong, Jones, Endo, Cheisa, Gapko, etc., that we would find it very hard to replace everyone of them and that our squad is already weak, so unfortunately some of the players we need to move on might not be moving.
We have been well run as a club, but we won't be spending anything like we did last summer and we would probably need to be spending £250 million plus to get what's really needed for the 1st team right this minute.
6.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 09:45:14
Elliot is a decent squad player, but I'm not sure who he replaces in a starting 11. I imagine the club will go quite big on the Salah replacement, so he's up against that player or Wirtz.
Don't think Elliot or Chiesa have started a PL game in 12 months, and not sure how many both started the 12 months prior.
Nunez has been out of his Saudi league squad since Jan and has been released on a free.
Nothing against the 3, but if they aren't deemed good enough by previous or other managers then I can't see much changing under the Iraola.
{Ed001's Note - you really think Slot's judgement is sound? I give up, people spent months whining about him and then want to back his idiocy.}
7.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 09:50:53
I do wonder if we can save some money through cheeky... I.e., Carra said we're exploring Zabarnyi on a loan, and I wonder whether West Ham might need to reduce their wage bill, meaning we could put in a loan offer for Bowen.
Then we can spend money on Diomande, Paelstra, and Camara. We can add depth by bleeding through McConnell and Nyon.
With sales of Elliot, Macca and Marma, we could also probably buy another forward or midfielder too.
8.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 09:54:06
If anything, Iraola will be looking for mobility and ability, so Harvey and Chiesa will struggle. I'm expecting both to go.
9.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 09:56:52
I agree with Faith. We got money to spend. We may not ahve 450m like last summer but by Ed01's last comment on the club's financial muscle cirrently, he said the dough is there to sign the actual players we need. The issue is whether we should let Rich Hughes do the spending. That's another matter.
As for the players we should keep, I don't think we are keeping players many think should go just because of lack of enuff finances. It is because we simply cannot sell them. Take Gakpo and Grav. Both just signed new deals over the past year. Those guys aren't getting sold, anytime soon except something insane happens. Gakpo's transfer request? Yeah, I'll believe that being acted upon when I see it.
As for the squad of fringe to young players, I don't know who we can keep but if you are Elliott or Tsimikas (you can add youngsters like Ramsey, Rio, MacConnell etc.), "Doni" is going to be looking at everyone because it's a clean slate (with no favorites nor cast-away's) so we will have to see what happens. i'm excited, personally.
10.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 10:02:15
The lack of depth this season showed we can do with an English lad on low wages on the bench for backup. Harvey loves Liverpool, I'd keep him since there is 0 chance we will get a big fee for him right now.
What harm is it to keep the lad for one more year and reassess? I'm sure it'll be better for him too compared to his last season!
11.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 10:08:10
Ed001 I said other managers mate
Klopp (to a certain extent with Harvey & Darwin) Emery & whoever the Saudi teams manager are implied in my comment.
Perhaps Iraola unleashes Chiesa and Elliot next season and brings Darwin back and I'm proved wrong.
Only time will tell ??♂️
{Ed001's Note - Klopp has said he made a mistake not playing Harvey more and Emery was not playing him because it would have made the obligation to buy kick in.}
12.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 10:08:43
JK23, I agree with you. Elliott, Chiesa, simply not good enough. Slot is irrelevant to the debate. As for Nunez, for crying out loud, when will we ever stop mentioning him. Brains of a sheep, headless chicken, choose whichever comparison you want. They both fit.
13.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 10:47:19
They tried to replace Harvey and Darwin with Wirtz and Isak, hasn’t worked, has it? Harvey, Chiesa and Darwin are all good enough squad players. Harvey and Darwin would jump through hoops for us.
Looking at some of the players last year, they gave up during games. Those three wouldn’t. I’ve it to end of October, and a £1 bet Isak will have sat out more games than he’s played in.
14.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 10:51:53
Good read, Seano. I agree with a lot of it, not everything, though.
I'd keep Tsimikas unless one of the younger guys like Chambers etc. was ready to step up and was good enough. Keeping Tsimi would be more of a thing if we have enough areas to address in the window.
I'd get an experienced CB on a free or loan like Senesi or Zabarnyi, who have been mentioned. Gomez can fill in at CB or full back.
I wouldn't mind Bowen on loan like someone mentioned above. Top professional, experienced, chips in with plenty of goal contributions, a leader, can be backup RW and false 9.
Mama is fine as 2nd, but we need a plan for a number 1 when Ali leaves.
Mama is not it.
A few players coming back from loans you missed that I wonder if they'll get a look in under Iraola:
Elliott, MacConnell, Stephenson and Koumas. I think they'll all feature plenty in preseason.
I'd keep Elliott and use him as a sub for Wirtz. Like I said above, we wouldn't get much for him after the lack of football last season, and I think Iraola would get his confidence back and make him better. Reassess later if he stays longer or not.
MacConnell could be a handy player if Endo leaves. Koumas and Stephenson have good potential, not sure if they're ready to be in the squad though.
15.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 11:06:30
Rome, Elliott played a lot of games under a top manager like Klopp, so I ain't subscribing to the idea that Elliott is not good enuff to play for LFC just cos Slot lacks anything remotely related to sound judgement on young players' abilities and literally had no interest in playing him or playing young players in general, period.
Now, before you respond, I'm not saying Elliott is a sure starter nor the savior or whatever. However, he started his fair share of games under Klopp and did well for the most part even tho Klopp did say he should have played more.
That's a top manager confessing he messed up with Elliott. So to me, the kid is good enuff by that standing alone, imo.
Now that player is still there, and what I'm saying is that if he decides to knuckle down and give things a right go in preseason, then "Doni" will give him his chances to impress cos the lad is a hard worker, very technically sound and is living the dream of playing for the club he supported.
16.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 11:23:06
Nunez had one anomalous season in Portugal where he scored a lot of goals and we signed him off the back of that.
Other than that one season, he has struggled.
The question is - what do we prefer?
Loads of chances, all being wasted?
No chances, boring football?
However, I want to see Isak playing regularly before I start panic signings like Nunez.
17.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 11:28:13
I'll happily bet anyone £50 that Elliot, Chiesa and Darwin don't start 20 PL & CL games for LFC between them next season.
That's 10 each if Darwin doesn't sign or 7 each if he does. Surely that's a sure fire bet for someone who is backing them.
18.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 11:31:12
I don't have a problem with Elliott coming back and making up the numbers, because that's all he'll be doing. What has Slot's judgement got to do with Elliott? He made 26 appearances during our title winning season, albeit 22 of those were as a sub.
Slot would've seen enough of him to have reached a conclusion. None of us were crying when he left for Villa.
Like I say, I will welcome him back, but, barring injuries, he will be nothing more than a bit part player.
19.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 12:31:58
I think he's in the last year of his contract, so sell this summer and recoup some fee. Or, if Leipzig still show interest, sell him there as part of Diomande deal.
20.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 12:41:18
I certainly wouldn't welcome Elliott or Tsimikis or Nunez back to the club. They are not good enough. They've gone, and rightly so. There's better out there than them. This nostalgia in wanting them to return, and somehow expecting them to be any better or different, is nonsense. They're not here anymore for a reason. Move on.
21.) 06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 2026 16:34:56
Rome, Slot does not have anything related to sound judgement and last season is all you need to know. End of.
Furthermore, I don't nor claim to know what Elliott will be should he come back to the team. Neither do you nor anyone else.
Hence, why I said we should wait and see, and like I said, he is a squad rotation player cos, well, that is what he has always been and still performed a ton of times under Klopp while being that.