jimmylibel

That’s why he hasn’t got his (second) big move before now. The end product hasn’t been there up to now given how much he’d cost, even if he did better last season.

This is great news about Trent and Robertson. It really is and it is the rightful recognition their performances deserve. It’s also exactly what a well run club would do if they were planning on signing additional cover at full back over the next 6 months.

Sure. I got that. You’re right to be extremely skeptical. Well that’s the song sorted if he ever does sign...

We seem to be regularly rolled out as watching/ interested in/ bidding by the Portuguese media. So massive pinch of salt required with any media reports from over there. However the positional profile of this player was intriguing. Add in the line that seems to have been briefed in the last few days that we don’t want Coutinho back, we’re after an up and coming playmaker... Well I thought it was worth posting here. Have never heard of this lad before so I have no idea if he’s some potential world star but even if he was, you’d have to imagine if we bid €70m that’s not a story that gets leaked quite so easily and even if it were knocked back you’d think a real bid would be subject to further negotiations. Alonso’s post is probably closer to the mark - Havertz and Aouar would seem like the more realistic targets to keep an eye on.

According to the Portuguese media we’ve had a €70m bid rejected for ‘Benfica’s teenage star’ Joao Felix. Attacking midfielder who can also play out wide or up front. So much like a previous target (only with no known knee issues). Both Manc clubs and Barcelona also said to be interested. The report said he has 6 goals in 17 games this season.

Fair point but he’s also completely out of sync with the FSG model (ie feel the resale value)

Rejected a deal to come to us in favour of Spurs, to then repeat the trick on them in favour of Chelsea.

We’re being linked with Moanes Dabour of Salzburg. Israeli striker who has scored 20 goals in 30 games this season. Other clubs linked with him too but he’s apparently waiting to see if we firm up our interest before making up his mind.

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Think that’s a come and get me type statement. Basically he’d like to sign for us but we haven’t put an offer on the table, so he’ll probably go abroad. Like him as a player but he is injury prone isn’t he?

He absolutely has that capability. But for the mins preceding he’ll disrupt our play.

This is a real annoyance of mine too. I just don’t see these attacking qualities at all. I could possibly live with some of the defensive ineptitude if there were redeeming abilities at the other end. But his attacking play is really poor too. Most of the time he makes the wrong choice when he is in an attacking position. His positioning is off and the attacking lines he takes are hesitant and predictable. For me though the worst is his passing. I just expect him to play the wrong pass. When we need a pull back he’ll flash it high across the box. When there are defenders in the way he’ll try to drill it through them. When we have men over he’ll shoot from an angle. I struggle to see the redeeming features with him, I really do.

Don’t think Sturridge fits our style of play whatsoever. Our attacks lack fluency when he’s in the side and our pressing falls apart. He doesn’t seem to get the system from what I can see, none of his teammates know what position he’ll be in or what run he’ll make. He is capable of being a fantastic striker on his day and is certainly capable of knocking in amazing goals. But he’s a square peg in this team.

Thanks for putting all that together. Read a piece the other day about Awoniyi, said he’s not doing well at Gent at all, despite getting ga,we and they’d be open to sending him back to us in the window if we wanted to loan him elsewhere.

It wasn’t Todibo by any chance was it?

Are they close on that one? Thought they were linked but then there was cold water poured on it? Good player Lozano, goal scorer too. Definitely get the sense they are worried about this potential ban kicking in.

Sky Italia supposedly reporting that Barcelona have won the race for young Toulouse defender Todibo. Another player we were being heavily linked with, there were even reports that we were leading the race for him at one stage.

Clyne loan confirmed. https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/332882-nathaniel-clyne-liverpool-bournemouth-loan-confirmed

I was asking for that!!! Saw a report saying Barcelona the other day but who knows ****** A player previously linked with us, Lucas Paqueta of Flamengo, has been announced by AC Milan. He was being touted as an alternative to Fekir at one point. In other news we seem to have briefed Sky Sports that Lallana won’t be allowed out on loan this window.

Don’t quite get what is going on there. They also have supposedly agreed terms with De Jong for his transfer in the summer too. Where are they going to play all these central midfielders?

Think the Clyne deal might be about making space for Camacho to convince him to sign a new deal. Supposedly we don’t want to sell him but Sporting Lisbon are after him. The suggestion is he’ll play against Wolves in the Cup. I could see us telling him he’ll be a playing member of the 1st team squad next season if he signs. We could also possibly send him on loan in the short term.

Not Lovren’s biggest fan by any means and was cursing him at various points last season (Dzeko goal at Anfield in the Champions League semi being a prime example), but don’t really blame him for either goal in that game. However what he was doing when he effectively nudged the ball to Bernardo Silva in the box and then moments later put it on a plate for Sterling were vintage Lovren errors from his ‘I’ve lost my head’ oeuvre.

Dortmund agree. Michael Zorc: "Against this background, we have decided to accept an extremely lucrative bid by Chelsea, given the low contract maturity."

It would seem someone posted video footage of a car going into Melwood yesterday and said it was Fekir, which may have been enough. It’s since been pointed out he was training in Spain with his teammates.

I suspect, if finances were the issue, the bigger block on signing Fekir was our inability to shift Sturridge’s wages.