03 Feb 2026 22:16:14
I'm glad that LFC have signed a CB, but I'm completely miffed by two aspects of the deal. When you pay 60m, surely you want the player to join your squad immediately, what's the point of waiting until the summer. And if the thinking is, leave the kid at Rennes to get first team experience, why pay 60m for a kid who has played 30 odd games? It's one hell of a gamble on an unproven player you are going to entrust to another team for 6 months.
I know LFC have a renowned analytics dept, but the data used in deciding to pay so much for him must have been very limited.
Personally, I had hoped for a quality defender who would join the team this week, the kid could turn out to be a world beater, but it has the look of "I wanted a lamp, they bought me a sofa" or whatever it was Rafa said.
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03 Feb 2026 21:34:17
If Ibou extends, adding Jacquet, Leoni and the other highly rated teenage centre backs LFC have signed this month then we should be in a good place for 26/ 27.
The decision makers seem content in front of the camaras at least!
03 Feb 2026 22:09:37
Just as well since Xabi plays w 3 CBS some of the time.
03 Feb 2026 20:59:12
Good insight into Hughes and Slot's relationship today + an overview from Billy Hogan. What do we think reds?
03 Feb 2026 22:08:37
I think the interview is a clear statement that the owners are backing both Slot and Hughes and whilst the season hasn't gone to plan they are convinced they are on track.
03 Feb 2026 22:10:01
I've seen less subtle North Korean propaganda.
03 Feb 2026 22:33:28
Shame it was needed, but so be it.
There's been a lot of anti Arne stuff on here over recent months. Some comments have been well justified but equally a lot of personal nonsense which doesn't help anyone.
Perhaps they thought they needed to bring some balance to the piece. Shows they're listening to fans though, which is good.
03 Feb 2026 20:15:00
Hi eds and fellow reds. who would be your choice of player to replace Salah in the summer. id love to see ollise but not sure it would be attainable. I haven't seen a lot of him but what I have seen that diomande looks a player and has openly said he wants us. so there's my picks.?
03 Feb 2026 21:42:18
I think Olise is so lazy. I'd honestly rather go for someone who works harder. That's why I wanted Mbuemo and Semenyo.
I mean honestly we probably need to decide what we want from our wide men. If we're playing potentially with Isak AND Ekitike going forward, it may be that Wirtz and Dom are the best choices as LM and RM almost as dual 10's.
If we want to stick with wingers in more of a 4-3-3 then for me it's got to be Diomande. He looks like a special talent, he works hard, and he's already name dropped Liverpool as the club he wants to play for. I'm just not sure where it leaves Isak if we play with 1 striker going forward. Because Ekitike is better and £125m is a lot of money for an impact sub.
03 Feb 2026 21:51:20
I honestly don't think we will be playing with out and out wingers next season.
03 Feb 2026 22:16:46
Diomande who's a left footed right winger but can play LW aswell.
03 Feb 2026 23:00:54
Interesting to think who might take Salah's place in the squad if he leaves in summer.
If we get some more attacking players in to replace him I wonder who we will get?
I'm not really worried because I think Isak will be back and fit for the new season, plus Wirtz and Ekitike.
It won't be hard to find more players that compliment our forward players.
I'm confident we will be in a better place by the summer, as a lot of the absentees should be back and we have new names joining us too.
Much more confident then the year when we sold Suarez to Barca. That was a bigger loss as he was bang in his prime.
The club feels in a much better place now and we can cope with Salah moving on. He's been a great player for us.
03 Feb 2026 19:47:16
Watching the roundtable and it must of been me who noticed the vibe between Slot and Hughes wasn't right. Obviously they are not going to slag eachother off in front of the camera. Just noticed the way Hughes would look at Slot and the awkwardness when they mentioned their egos.
03 Feb 2026 20:42:36
I've watched it and I think you're looking for something that isn't there, KP.
03 Feb 2026 22:11:12
I think the dynamic between the two showed they respect each other and work well together. Nothing to be seen here.
03 Feb 2026 19:17:39
Eds Questions, With all the players signed in the summer, did Slot have a certain tactic to play with them?
injuries have played a massive part in not being able to set up the way he thought?
And is he trying to replicate that with the players at his disposal and it doesn't work?
Or is he just clueless?
{Ed001's Note - 1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. No.}
03 Feb 2026 20:11:13
Don't procrastinate ed001!
{Ed001's Note - 🤣🤣🤣
03 Feb 2026 19:01:50
Is it possible any of the ITK or Eds could answer this please as I believe them over any media report and you could put my mind at ease. Are the media just drumming up stories about Alonso and city (or any other club)? After what has been said on here I'd like to think there is no truth in the stories.
I for one would love Alonso to be our manager/ head coach next season. Thanks. YNWA.
03 Feb 2026 19:10:35
My perspective as a NITK, is that agents have a job to do and that means getting the best deal possible for their clients.
Putting rumours out in the press and amongst others is part of that process. Whether that means there's any substance to the story - I don't know - but there will be more stories circulating until he's signed a deal.
03 Feb 2026 19:20:26
Here's the lowdown, the scoop, the word on the street
Basically, Arne Slot will be sacked in summer and replaced by Xabi Alonso. Not before, because he'd have gone months ago if he was going anywhere
Unless, we somehow win the champions league. In which case he'll probably get a new contract, and rightly so 😂 coz who wins a Prem and a European cup in their first 2 seasons.
03 Feb 2026 22:15:21
I would be surprised if Slot gets the sack if we end up in the top 4 and progress deep into either the CL or FA cup. I would be even more surprised if Alonso is the next manager. If Slot goes the owners will want someone with a Prem track record…. Iraola.
03 Feb 2026 18:23:49
Just had a bit of a look at the new lad Jacquet, videos are only showing the good stuff but based on that he looks good on the ball, happy to make a tackle and appears to read the game well. Seems to have a knack of going to ground to cut off an attacker to nick the ball and can ping a pass.
How this translates to the Premier League will remain to be seeen. Captained France through the youth ranks which can only be a good thing.
03 Feb 2026 19:13:19
Yep seen those too.
The test is how well he can recover.
He will be out of position in the premier league, the team will get caught out. What made Virgil so dominant is his wealth of attributes.
1) physically strong
2) Good in the air
3) Quick to recover.
He seems quick, but how quick can he turn and track back to recover. That'll be the test.
03 Feb 2026 19:38:15
I know he hasn't been at his best but it will be a sad day when VVD either leaves or retires, same goes for Mo, Robbo and Alisson. Hopefully we keep laying the ground work for a bright future.
03 Feb 2026 21:21:37
I think VVD will still be in the first team next year, still one of the best defenders about, hopefully the younger CBs can learn a lot from him so when he does eventually go we'll be ok.
03 Feb 2026 23:19:35
I believe I read that he and Leoni have been dominant in the air in their limited sample size. Not a lot of first team experience for each, but hopefully a good sign for future development.
03 Feb 2026 16:07:07
Excited by the evolution and improvement of this partnership between Ekitike and Wirtz. I hope it is successful for many years to come.
I am also excited about the young CB depth for the future with hope that the club bring in an established CB over the summer. Leoni, Jacquet, Duke, and others seem like very good signings and I hope they progress well.
There is a ton of young talent in the side and I hope we get the most out of them. My hope is that Szobo and Grav extend and we have many exciting days ahead.
03 Feb 2026 16:56:47
My hope is that Slot turns things around and long term we pursue the 4-2-2-2 formation we've seen recently. In ideal world I want next seasons team to look something like:
Isak, Ekitke
Wirtz, Szoboszlai
Wharton, Gravenberch
Kerkez, Virgil, Jacquet, Frimpong
Alisson
But I'd also like Slot to accept that in some games we might need to drop one of the strikers for either an out and out DM or even a 3rd CB. I also want him to move with his family to Liverpool. I just don't see how you can be fully invested in a project but jet off on the regular. How is he ever going to fully integrate the academy if he can't put in the extra hours to oversee the work they're doing, because he's got flights to catch?
Ultimately, I do still think we'll end up changing managers for Alonso in the summer, but I still hope Slot can rectify things if the club has made the decision to wait and review in the summer. Because if he stays beyond that review in the summer, it means that we've had a successful run in the 2nd half of the season and maybe even won the Champions League or FA Cup.
03 Feb 2026 17:11:58
Depends on how often the journeys are, no man should be expected to be on the job 24 hours a day. And we shouldn't want that, look at the toll the job took on Jurgen. Arne's here nearly two years, if his family havnt moved by now i doubt there moving.
03 Feb 2026 17:43:19
Does anyone actually know how often Slot flies back to the Netherlands? Is it every other week or just during the international breaks? Because if it's just during the international breaks I struggle to see why it's an issue.
03 Feb 2026 18:05:30
All this Netherlands nonsense is getting tiresome!
We all know he is 100% dedicated to the Club
In Ibiza.
03 Feb 2026 18:07:52
I put a coin-sized pet tag on him. It's thrice weekly 😮.
03 Feb 2026 18:07:56
I think with the players long term would something like this, 4,2,1,3 formation
Ali
Frimpong Leoni/ jacquet vvd Kerkez
Grav Szob
Wirtz
Salah Isak Ekitike.
03 Feb 2026 18:31:00
I can't imagine he's only seeing his wife 4 or 5 times a year during international breaks. And if that is the case, that's also very unhealthy and won't end well for him on a personal level.
Not to mention that International breaks (when the squad is quite thin of senior players) is often when the academy will be drafted in to make up the numbers, thus making those breaks some of the best opportunities for the first team coach to work with the younger players and build relationships with them.
It's quite clearly an issue either way that prevents a manager from being fully committed to a long term project. I want Slot to succeed here still but it's not going to happen if his hearts not fully in it; something that won't be possible with his wife and kids in another country.
03 Feb 2026 18:47:03
Im with you, LiverpoolFC8. This is becoming tedious, tbh. Good grief.
03 Feb 2026 19:16:38
I don't have an issue with living in Manchester and flying to Holland. If his private life deteriorates because he's separated from them that that will affect his clarity of thought. He needs focus and he needs time out mentally to be with his family.
He must be going back fairly frequently otherwise he wouldn't need to live near to Manchester airport IMO.
03 Feb 2026 19:50:26
Slot has said previously in bits to the press that his wife comes over for a few days every couple of weeks and his daughter is/ was studying English in Manchester and will be or has stayed a few months. He didn't uproot the family as not to disrupt the kids final year of education. In my opinion a solid decision from a husband and wife. I would speculate if a new long term deal was presented then the family would move over.
From an outside perspective I would say he has made good choices and has been successful proffesionaly, a league title in the first year wasnt what anyone expected. Yes it can't have been easy and maybe he/ they have suffered for it but we live with the choices we make, there will be decisions made in the summer, whichever way it goes he has my thanks for last season and the way he handled the tragedy in pre season.
03 Feb 2026 22:18:23
Agree 100% with Scouser.
03 Feb 2026 12:41:22
I'm not sure how many have watched the roundtable with Slot and Hughes.
I know they have their media obligations, but doesn't strike me at all of someone has been told he is going to be replaced.
Nor does it look like he's on the edge, would be bizarre to do something like this and then sack him a couple of weeks later.
03 Feb 2026 12:59:51
Maybe they're both going but they don't know it yet.
03 Feb 2026 13:02:31
It was filmed after Barnsey FA Cup win says LFC website. We since drew with Burnley and lost to Bournemouth. I think it was after Bournemouth that the Alonso info started to really heat up.
03 Feb 2026 13:28:04
Ahh that makes more sense beef! I missed that part assumed was recorded in the last few days. But still seems mad.
03 Feb 2026 13:30:27
Regardless what happens I'm glad it shows a united front between manager and his bosses. The rumoured trouble in background, whether true r lies, does nobody in club, beit players, management or supporters, any good. only benefits opposition teams/ supporters. hopefully performances and results improve, more aggression more energy in our play and we can finish season well.
03 Feb 2026 13:50:09
Hello Arken,
The club were contractually obliged by Standard Chartered to run with this, like they are with many Media/ Non-Media commitments.
Ta.
03 Feb 2026 14:10:59
Slot isn't anywhere. All the talk about Alonso being agreed is posturing at it's finest.
03 Feb 2026 14:12:10
I was always of the opinion that Slot will get until the end of the season at the very least, and the roundtable interview pretty much confirms it for me. There's no chance he's been told he's getting sacked at this point, in my opinion. The interview was all about backing him, and projecting a show of unity and "long term strategy". Regardless of if it was filmed after Barnsley and before losing to Bournemouth, I can't imagine they would have posted the video today if Slots position was in any immediate danger.
If we go on another poor run, and end up finishing 6th or 7th and go out of the CL and FA cup, I imagine they might think about a change, but if not I can see Slot starting next season as well.
03 Feb 2026 14:24:47
The club clearly realise that it has become very negative in the fanbase towards Slot and have no plans to sack him before the end of the season. I think this is a unification attempt to get the fans behind the scenes for the next few months.
I don't interpret it as Slot will definitely be here next season. There will still be a review at the end of the season like there always is. It will be clear that the playing team aren't meeting their targets on a number of fronts. Not just winning trophies and games but also playing style and playing youth players. Slot is responsible for most of these issues. The club won't keep Slot in a job if they feel there is someone better out there. I see this as building bridges so the fans get behind Slot until the end of the season.
03 Feb 2026 14:42:43
It doesn't surprise me to see this. Quite a few fans platforms have asked that the suits be more visible. Good that they have done that.
I actually don't doubt their alignment at all. Sometimes things just run their course, and sometimes events (like the Jota tragedy) force changes earlier than expected.
It is not lost on me that when this was filmed he talks about his preference to say "2 please in 5 years" yet he's said "2 in 30 years" twice since.
03 Feb 2026 16:11:59
I assumed as much Carra!
03 Feb 2026 16:37:10
Think Xabi Alonso is still going to replace Slott…, a case of when not if.
03 Feb 2026 18:53:28
Lfcfan_03beef makes a good point if his info is true. I didn't watch the clip but Im not surprised. All these things are orchestrated to project some kind of harmony and united front in the eyes of the public.
I always thought the window to sack Slot was well passed and this public show of solidarity proves it, IMO. This however, does not prove anything other than that, IMO. If Slot doesn't deliver a CL spot or the Cl itself, he is getting sacked. If he gets the CL spot (the very minimum), he is still getting sacked, IMO.
Lastly, Slot has one more year on his deal. If they backed him, where is the contract extension? I ain't ever heard of a manager coaching his final season for a new contract. Nope, not a thing so again, I expect him to be replaced IF he does not win the CL itself.
03 Feb 2026 19:19:05
One day he'll leave this job, that's a certainty.
If he goes on a good run now and the team plays better, more exciting football then the crowd will definitely get behind him.
Internet chatter should not concern the owners IMO.
03 Feb 2026 19:29:19
Our club doesn't change its decision to sack a manager game by game like most think on here. It's obvious they are joined up, understand the issues the club faces and are working together to solve them in a professional manner.
The ITK's who come on here reacting after every defeat thinking a decision has been made / changed are not ITK at all. Our club isn't run by idiots.
03 Feb 2026 21:33:34
In carra we trust.
03 Feb 2026 12:25:31
Hope we get Kees Smit at some point.
03 Feb 2026 12:50:04
I'm not fussed over him. I want us to replace Mac Allister with Wharton (Palace) in the summer, and ideally replace Endo with someone like Andre (Wolves). Maybe even our very our Stefan Bajcetic or James McConnell could replace Endo.
I've just not seen enough of the Dutch league to know much about any of the players over there right now.
03 Feb 2026 13:03:38
Unusual for you Adam. I expect a comprehensive essay about Smit within three weeks please.
03 Feb 2026 13:32:27
Wouldn't it be brilliant if James McConnell could take Endo's place 🙏.
03 Feb 2026 13:48:41
Wharton has been linked for ages and several ITKs, such as The Fields, saying he's the summer target but dealing with Palace is a nightmare as Everton's McNeil has just found out. Slot has heaped praise on McConnel on more than one occasion and I can see him stepping into Endo's shoes, especially considering how much Wharton will cost.
I also don't think Alonso is anywhere near done and dusted, I can see him going to PSG or Citeh and us going for Enrique or keeping Slot if the season ends in top with a good CL run.
03 Feb 2026 13:55:37
Beef, it's been years since I watched enough football to do player profiles on guys playing all over Europe! Back in the good old days before wife and kids I remember watching some really obscure games on myp2p. I remember I watched Genk (Belgium) about 5 times in one month to try and decide if Omar Colley was good enough to replace Martin Skrtel!
Can't look a gift horse in the mouth though. My wife likes football so I still get to watch around 6-9 games a week! They're usually Prem or Champions League though. Gone are the days where I could just binge watch players we were linked with.
Tell you what mate, you pay for the wife to go to a spa resort for 3 weeks, and I'll free up enough time to put something together haha!
03 Feb 2026 16:32:38
Smit strikes me as a very good player but obviously not the finished article. When I've seen him play he looks sort of like Wirtz if he was a number 8 though, he pops up everywhere on the pitch, always showing for the ball to link up the play or hit the ball out wide to the wingers, often shows up in and around the box and has every kind of pass on him.
Expectedly he is kind of lacking in the defensive side of the game and isn't a physical player from what I can remember. For a player that age, being so central to your team in progressing the ball and taking so much responsibility in possession is something special though.
03 Feb 2026 17:57:04
His heading and tackling aren't great. He'd need a minder like Rodri was for KDB.
{Ed025's Note - or a babysitter?..
03 Feb 2026 18:57:03
"McNeil has just found out. Slot has heaped praise on McConnel on more than one occasion".
Then, why did Slot get rid of him at the start of the season and not keep him if he rated him as highly as he said?
Btw, this is not a dig at you. Just stating to never pay attention when Slot heaps praise on a player cos if he praises him for the most part, he doesn't rate nor fancy him and wouldn't mind him gone you know, like MacConnell.
03 Feb 2026 18:08:40
Nice one ed025.
03 Feb 2026 07:15:57
Have we actually signed jaquet and loaned back or is it just an intention to sign in the summer? I don't see any reference to a signing in the reports.
03 Feb 2026 07:26:44
We have reached an agreement to sign him, barring work permit and international clearance. That's what the club announced. So it is official and his transfer would be registered once the transfer window opens again unless something out of the ordinary happens that causes either us or the player to pull out of the deal.
03 Feb 2026 08:10:17
Plenty of time for his head to be turned then.
03 Feb 2026 08:55:33
It's already official and I'd expect it to go through mate. The club wouldn't announce it if it was still a gentleman's agreement. He's technically our player now, similar to Mamar and Keita when they signed for us but had their transfer delayed for a season.
{Ed025's Note - lets hope he turns out better than those 2 Drac..
03 Feb 2026 09:05:12
The deal is done. His head will not be turned and I'm not sure either party can simply "pull out of the deal" now. He will not fail to obtain a work permit as the transfer fee alone was high enough to grant him one. International clearance is nothing to worry about unless he has any unpaid fines or is currently being investigated by the French authorities.
Consider him a Liverpool player and stop stressing about nothing.
03 Feb 2026 09:19:20
Fingers crossed Ed. Keita was a disappointment but it's a bit early to tell with Mamar. Not sure what we bought him for though since he'll never get first team football with Allison still around.
{Ed025's Note - what i have seen of Mama is that he is the 2nd coming of Karius Drac, but it is hard being a back up keeper and as you say with Alisson in front of you then your chances will be very limited mate..
03 Feb 2026 09:27:31
He'll never get first team football? Ali is missing twenty games a season! Am I the one one watching every game?
03 Feb 2026 10:30:51
Jeez, it's good to have something new to worry about. It only seems like 24 hours ago that we were worried he cost too much.
The club have said it's a done deal and he'll be here for next season. End of story.
03 Feb 2026 10:56:20
You can sign a player at any time of the year but you can only register them as "your player" for playing purposes during the transfer window.
The deal is done, the contracts are signed, we just can't/ won't register him as our player until the window opens again.
His head cannot be turned. If it was then the head turning club would be buying from Liverpool, not Rennes.
03 Feb 2026 11:55:29
Whose worried? Just making a point…jeez.
03 Feb 2026 12:10:11
An incorrect point, Avitohyes. There is not "plenty of time for his head to be turned". He's signed, sealed and will shortly will be delivered.