goodrobotusses

Iraola says that, like against Leeds, their legs went. In combination with current squad weakness, I'm guessing poor base fitness from last season, players returning at different times in different conditions, and all the double sessions to get them ready are all contributing to these big drop-offs. Don't care about losing pre-season games, just hope this won't drag on into the start of the season

Just depends on the interpretation. Would be pretty thin, but if what Graham wrote isn't true, and Rodgers were the type, he could claim his professional reputation had been impugned, that it was claimed he was difficult or obstructive to work with, and that that could have cost him in his career in terms of job offers. Likewise, that by "scuppering" a transfer, his actions de facto contributed to Liverpool having a poor season and not qualifying for the CL, costing the club tens of millions. If he were the type, that is.

Of course, Graham could have been lying in his book, but by publishing that version of events he could have potentially left himself open to legal action from Rodgers. I don't think the publisher would have let it go out unchecked.

Transfermarkt doesn't filter for league games, but he's missed 100 games overall in the last six seasons, 48 in the last three: https://www.transfermarkt.com/ronald-araujo/verletzungen/spieler/480267 Yeah, was a reassurance to see that. I assume and hope the shoulder is fully healed and won't be one of those things that dogs him.

That's true and obviously not good, but it was in the context of Rodgers dragging his feet over Alexis Sanchez as a Suarez replacement because he had a boner for Christian Benteke, causing us to miss out on the player. They got Lambert on the cheap as a pilot program to show whether or not we could play with a traditional target man and Balotelli ended up our "Suarez replacement". Obviously the Lambert failure didn't dissuade Rodgers on Benteke. God, we were such a s***show until Klopp. As an aside, I have a mate whose company does commercial stuff with the DfB and says it's a terrible, conservative organisation, and that they're already complaining about Klopp and his agent Kosicke putting noses out of joint there. What these fusty DfB a*******s don't realise is they will actually have a chance of winning under Klopp.

I mean, Bodrum to Trabzon is a hell of a commute when you look at a map.

Yeah, just saw that. Would we spend €55m on a (by then) 28-year-old? If he has a brilliant season, there will be a lot of pressure to buy him, but not sure the big cheeses would want to.

So that's £180k a week, less than the £200k I had it down as. Curious about this supposed purchase clause (if it exists) and how much it'd be for. He was being touted at around 75m not so long ago.

Yeah, it's relatively low-risk and if money needs to be allocated elsewhere, so be it. Of course, I might change my tune if all of Jacquet, Leoni, Gomez and Araujo spend most of the season injured or don't play well. I assume we'll see Barcola, another forward (maybe Mbaye) and a midfielder assuming Jones goes. I'd say Romero is a better defender when his head doesn't pop, it's just his head pops a lot.

Supposedly Luis Enrique had PSG target him on the ball in a CL game.

Seems quite Konate-like based on his descriptions. Chat among (English-language) Barca fans online seems to suggest his head has gone in a number of big games and he can be AOTS positionally but can save himself with his recovery pace.

We’re apparently paying 100% of his wages, approximately £200k a week.

Think he went to the World Cup but got injured just before and didn’t appear in any of the games. No idea where he’s up to fitness-wise now. He’s the club captain, but then so was Jamie Redknapp for us.

1062 La Liga minutes out of a possible 3420. Season before 759. He hasn't hit 2000 league minutes in a season since 2021-22.

Maybe we can build a chimera out of him and Gomez.

Think a loan says all the budget is going on attackers this summer. Maybe a midfielder too if Jones is going. I don't think there will be another defender coming in after Araujo, given he can also theoretically cover right-back.

He's really good. He's actually Barcelona's captain. The problem is he misses a lot of games.

He's a really good defender, just doesn't get on the pitch a lot because he's very injury prone.

Well, there's something out of left-field. He will keep Gomez good company in the treatment room.

Yeah, that's a possibility. Or wishful thinking. I'm an optimist – Barcola gets done and then Hughes goes full Oprah ("You get a car, and you get a car!"), spending our money like there's no tomorrow (because for him, there isn't).

Haha, that’s a new one. Unsettle and convince the player to join you and then tell his club, “We can’t afford him so how about an IOU?”

They don't have to. They can buy a CB who can also play RB. Unless we're worried about blocking both Bradley's and Gomez's progress (to the treatment room).

The Athletic has done a piece on how Madrid won the race to sign him. Some bits: … then Madrid step in after it becomes clear they can't get Olise. Mourinho talks to Diomande in French, which is apparently a big deal. The player changes his mind from PSG, who then pull out of the race citing fee and wage demands from Leipzig and the player's agency. And then, three Madrid bids later, the rest is history.