jimmylibel

I think it was something along those lines alright... but to the way I interpreted his quotes at the time were “this club isn’t going to challenge, Chelsea will - I want to win things.” That wasn’t a good enough reason either like but it’s a degree less mercenary that just the financial ‘business’ side of things. I do think he regrets how things panned out and I do think he still has affection for the club. But I see him more or less the way I do Michael Owen. Amazing players when they were here who left sour tastes in the mouth in the way they left and which even after all this time still lingers. Neither will ever be as highly regarded by the fans as they should be and that’s really down to their own choices. Get a sense that bothers both of them too (crying into their million euro pillows etc).

He was being heavily linked with a move to Barcelona for several months.

Dembele being linked with us. Barcelona willing to sell at the price they paid.

Thought it was paper/ agent talk this summer. But we did seem to be looking at him a year ago. Good numbers.Top tackler in Premier League last season.

Thanks for those details. Pure, pure bitterness. Says more about his own mindset than anything else.

I can’t remember that. What did he say? Having a go at anyone for a gesture along the lines of what Rafa did should be an automatic pillorying.

Again, at times Whelan, Houghton, Beglin, Hamann and St. John (going back a decade). They’ve had less to have a go at the last 18 months but even still...

Murphy is obviously a little Englander who certainly seems to be a good fit for the paper he writes for (that is I think he still writes for the Mail), but he doesn’t seem to be snide about us...at least not that I can remember. Some of the others are actually vicious about us at times. Reckon this probably needs a thread of its own next season - ‘Stupid things pundits say about us’, or something to that effect.

And just like that Spanish media reporting Asensio is available for £80m+.

They’re really just banal (Team captain - Jermaine Jenas.) The ones we’re talking about seem to be almost on the wind up during Liverpool matches at times... the punditry equivalent of trolls.

Asensio looks like he’ll be the real deal but he really needs to be playing week in week out at this stage. I’d also take Vinicius Junior off their hands. However I suspect neither are currently available.

Underappreciated by non Liverpool supporters maybe. There is an argument that he should have had more caps but come the early 90s he seemed to be almost constantly injured.

I kinda like the information vacuum if I’m honest*. This is precisely how I was hoping things would go post the original VVD debacle in summer 2017. Stop patting ourselves on the back and briefing all around until the deals are done. We seem to have more or less adopted that model in the time since - with the obvious exceptions that in some cases it’s not just our side doing the briefing (the Fekir deal was leaked around the Champions League semi final last year which I think was clearly by one of his sets of agents or Lyon). *Based on the expectation we are actually planning on making signings this summer.

Same here. Loved him when I was a kid. Now all I hear is the sound of chalk screeching on a blackboard - a sound that’s also a relic of times gone by.

Ronnie Whelan is the worst. The worst. No insight and probably the most moaney/ whiney pundit you’ll ever come across. There does seem to be a whole sub-class of former Liverpool player pundits who revel in criticizing us, often with distinct glee and for no real reason. Loads of them at it - Whelan, Houghton, Beglin, Hamann, McManaman, St. John when he was still being used... even Carra has shown signs of going down that road a few times the last couple of seasons. Almost like they’re trying to ‘prove’ their impartiality - although in the case of the ones on RTE I sometimes suspect they’re just trying to keep their Manchester United supporting bosses happy. But just to be clear, Ronnie Whelan is the worst.

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Echo ruling us out of any interest in Max Kruse on a Bosman

Surely the next innovation in the game is robot commentators? Obviously they’ll still have Lawrenson or Keown with them to add some ‘colour’.

Griezmann going to PSG and not, as widely expected, Barcelona. Or at least that’s what one of the Catalan papers is saying. Also a suggestion that Cavani will go to Athletico.

If we’re not and we’re trying to shut that story down, then it may be we’re trying to reassure a different target. But I do recall the Echo telling us we weren’t going for Allison so...

Saw that yesterday but it seems to be originating from the dodgiest of all sources, the one that won’t be named. There’s also been suggestions that Bayern don’t think he’s worth the money and will only go for him if they can’t get Sané or Hudson Odoi (which probably means they will go for him then). The French journo who seems to have a decent track record on these things said that us and Bayern are ‘well placed’ but he’s waiting to hear from an ‘important’ third club. I suspect that could be Chelsea.

Any word where he’s going?

Quality. Love that he’s popping up on both wings throughout that video. Seems like someone who would be perfect for us. But also seems like it’s Juve who are leading the race there. Another player who I think we should be considering for that wide forward cover is Bergwijn. I was kinda hoping we’d go for someone like him over Shaqiri last summer.

Wasn’t he the star of Gerrard’s U18 side?

That gets rolled out every now and again, then he’ll do an interview saying how he supports us. I do think that he’ll probably end up at Spurs alright. I’m just not sure he’s the one pushing it.