24 Jan 2023 14:15:46
This probably sounds really negative. It's not meant to.
Anyone else think that if (big if) we buy 2 or 3 midfielders in the summer that we'll be faced with a similar problem in central defence and needing to reinforce there?
Could easily see injuries, form etc meaning we're light at centre back at times next season.
Imagine fixing the midfield only to see the issue being central defence.

1.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 14:50:43
100% mate. In hindsight we could have been ran much much better. Letting salah Bobby and Mane contracts run down together was criminal and now we’re potentially faced with a year transitioning in midfielders followed by a year transitioning in defenders!

Tsimikas needs to show more for me if he is to Robbo’s successor as well.

2.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 15:08:06
Agree fully, ltv. Personally i think Matip should be moved on due to age and fitness, and replaced with a player good enough to be a starter. Phillips or Gomez should probably be sold too as we don't need 5 senior centre backs. Promote Williams, Van den Berg, Quansah or Koumetio to 5th choice. Realistically how often does the 5th choice play? (obviously 20/ 21 season was a complete anomaly)

I think 2 starting midfielders (Jude Bellingham and Matheus Nunes) would be enough replacing Henderson and Thiago. Bajcetic should be the Fabinho replacement. He already deserves his place in starting line-up and in 6 months time he's only going to be better still.

Makes far more sense to me to replace Matip than to replace Fabinho. A) Matip is older/ injury prone and B) we don't have an u21 centre back ready to start like Bajcetic is in midfield.

Josko Gvardiol is the dream if we get new investment and money is no object, but I think Milan Skriniar or Evan Ndicka both being out of contract have to be considered as great options.

3.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 15:23:00
Apparently Phillips, will be gone by the end of the window, hence Williams returning from loan. I would love to see us sign Gvardiol, big money though.

4.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 15:50:40
Williams is a league one player at best. Koumetio, he’s not even league one standard. Let’s try and keep it realistic.

5.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 15:54:14
Will Sepp VDB count as homegrown? If so, it might be a no-brainer to keep him about next season if we are looking to move on Matip and/ or Gomez.

6.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 16:02:16
could always try gakpo or diaz at cb.

7.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 16:20:53
Those three would be outstanding @MK. I wouldn’t also mind an upgrade on Fabinho. Baj can rotate with him!
Gvardiol ( perfect successor to VVD)
Bellingham
Nunes.

8.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 16:22:12
@Fly

It doesn’t matter mate as Sepp will need to complete his 196th loan when he eventually takes his place in our defense lol.

9.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 16:58:33
Sepps had two, very successful loans (up until his injury anyway) . He's definitely not going to be interested in being a fifth choice centreback for anyone. Either loan him out to a Premier League team next season or bring him in as one of our four.

10.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 17:41:50
TAA, Ramsey, Bradley, Konate, Gomez, Quansah, Tsimikas, Chambers, Beck, Van den Berg, Koumetio, Williams

12 defenders off the top of my head, all young or mid-20’s (Joe, Tsimi) and I’m sure there are others Just thought I’d try and add a bit of balance to the discussion. Anyway, just saying …….

11.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 18:09:15
Just saying what exactly? That we have a few for the first team a few for the youth teams and a few on loan. Same as other clubs I imagine. Or are you saying it’s a poor crop?

12.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 17:58:52
Need 5/ 6 players in the Summer!
3 mids
Rb
Cb
Rwf!
Bellingham won’t be one that’s a fact!

13.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 18:48:01
You'll be lucky jay. Probably get 2 in and that's your lot. All hinges on fsg going for good.

14.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 18:57:42
5-6? Really? Trent will not be replaced and his backup is already at the club. CB will be fine next year as long as the midfield gets sorted, which I expect it to. We have enough attackers to cover and don't need more unless someone leaves. Bellingham could be coming in unless you have a crystal ball. So, we need 2 maybe 3. Has replacing half the first team ever worked for any club?

15.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 19:34:19
You think we need to sign 3 cms in one window?

I would say that’s unlikely for any club.

Replacing Milner, Ox and Keita can be done easily with two fit players as those 3 barely play midfield for us regularly anyway.

We need players that are fit and can be relied on week in week out to establish a way of playing. In our title winning season we had that.

16.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 20:08:04
Tsimikas is never going to be Robbo’s successor he should be sold to raise money and a youth player can cover. Gomez should be sold and a new CB signed. People are trying to blame Lijnders but it is quite obvious the squad has been managed terribly and is the main problem.

17.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 21:34:32
If the squad has been managed terribly that suggests the manager is terrible.
Logical progression, right?
Comical, but logical.

18.) 24 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 22:18:03
You’re talking like we’ve a good aged strong middle navy when we don’t it’s very far from it!
Milner ox Keita Henderson need moving on fabs looks jaded! Elliot and carvalho aren’t the answer yet.
Jones is championship level!
Melo joke signing!
Thiago fit is best we have!
We need engines!

Cb is needed!
A rb is needed to push Trent or possibly replace him Ramsey isn’t the answer!

We need a player to push salah!
I’d be looking to move jota on!

Just my run down of why I think we need 5/ 6 players!
It won’t happen I’m just saying!

We need to Stop the sentimental stuff half of that team should have been moved on years ago no matter how successful we are! Keep players hungry and fresh and most of all keeps lads on their toes!

Instead we’ve players walking out on a free!
We are stagnant and need changing!

{Ed025's Note - do you like any of your players jay?..

19.) 25 Jan 2023
24 Jan 2023 21:15:16
Skriniar on a free from inter.

20.) 25 Jan 2023
25 Jan 2023 04:41:16
? bar naby I love them but u can’t carry on like that it’s why we are in this mess 25!

{Ed025's Note - it’s not great at he moment jay but it’s not as bad as you are painting things mate. You will still end up there or thereabouts for a top 4 finish and you only have to look across the park if you want to see how a club should not be run. You never used to be this negative and I want the old jay back..

21.) 25 Jan 2023
25 Jan 2023 06:53:39
Apologies @Marp - just to be clear what I was saying, exactly, is that the witch hunt appears to be starting on the defence with the inevitable (only) solution that we need to buy someone - in fact someone to replace Matip, someone to replace Gomez, someone to replace Phillips and someone to replace Williams and so on an d so on.

As you so perceptively pointed out the ‘top of my head list’ contained players at different levels of development and, for a bonus point, that most other clubs would be like this. I have to say I agree with you but, in the emerging context of let’s buy half a dozen defenders, what I was saying, exactly, is that we should have faith in the club to develop players and bring them through into the first team squad.

Again, just to be clear, I understand that not all of the 12 on the list are going to make it at Liverpool.

I also want to be clear that I understand that the club will buy a player if there is a need and the right player is available at the right price.

As an aside and as some people understand, the right price isn’t fixed, we bought Nunez for £80m which the club deemed the right price for him and we paid roughly £40m for Gakpo which the club also deemed the right price.

What I didn’t say, basically because I thought most people would have grasped the club’s approach by now, is that there won’t be multiple midfield and defensive signings given the current squad building plan (a major signing and a number of younger players to be developed and to eventually become first team squad members) . People thinking we are going to buy three starter midfielders a starting centre back and a starting right back, are going to be reduced to writing the same question every day, as with this window. Just saying.

22.) 25 Jan 2023
25 Jan 2023 10:41:25
I agree on those people being disappointed WDW but i respect their frustrations. I think we need to focus more on signing players who can challenge to start but realistically 3 is the most you really want to add in one window. 6 new starters would be carnage and cost a fortune. I'd still personally go 1 CB and 2 CM's, but yeah 3 is more realistic. Bellingham and Nunes seem like our main targets. I just hope we don't neglect the CB area because there are 2 players in their 30's (Matip and Virgil), 2 eho are injury prone (Gomez and Konate), and 1 Klopp doesn't fancy (Phillips) . It's gone under the radar because the midfield is a more pressing issue (pun intended), but the midfield aren't the reason why we can't head a corner/ free kick away or defend those 1v1 situations on the break that Gomez and Virgil used to breeze through, pre-injury.

23.) 25 Jan 2023
25 Jan 2023 13:50:54
We clearly need to sell the entire first team squad and buy 23 new players. Anything else is a failure of investment by FSG.

Jokes aside, yes I think CB could be an issue soon. Matip and Gomez are making too many mistakes.

24.) 25 Jan 2023
25 Jan 2023 15:56:44
Sorry 25 old jay will be back I was just cranky Cus I’m on early starts ?.

{Ed025's Note - glad to hear that jay. You have been one of the better posters for a long while now mate but I think lately you have lost your mojo..