DecidedByPoll

Not sure that’s the case. There’s massive money floating around at this age group. I know the ex head of Blackburn’s academy and agents are getting £500k + for moving lads between clubs at this point in their career.

Why? He’s a massive divvy, but he makes important saves.

Is the 2nd/3rd best what we want to have at Liverpool? Surely we want the very best? He’s nowhere near the best or even in the top 5 with ball at his feet so we can definitely improve on that. We also can’t have a first choice keeper who’s on massive wages while having a significant chunk of every season injured. When Liverpool were dominant in the 80s we were brilliant at shifting players out at the right time, and the lack of sentimentality was a factor in that success. Klopp held on to Fabinho, Hendo and Milner for a season too long and we ended up in 8th. As for where Ali is now and just looking at one slice of data (Post-Shot Expected Goals minus Goals Allowed), on the season to date, he doesn’t even make top 10 in the league. 1Robert SánchezChelsea+3.9 2Jordan PickfordEverton+3.7 3Emiliano MartínezAston Villa+3.7 4Dean HendersonCrystal Palace+3.2 5Gianluigi DonnarummaManchester City+2.9 6Robin RoefsSunderland+2.3 7Martin DúbravkaBurnley+2.0 8Bart VerbruggenBrighton+2.0 9Guglielmo VicarioTottenham+1.7 10Senne LammensManchester United+0.7 Ali is currently -2.9. There are of course other factors in terms of goalie performance, but this stat is where Ali was typically at +2 or more most seasons. It could be a blip, but could equally be the start of a downward trend, and it tallies with what I’ve been seeing from him this season. I think this also shows that while Kelleher is great with the ball at his feet, he’s not at the level we need for a first choice goalie.

I think Ali is on the decline. He’s not just been awful with the ball at his feet, but some of his positioning (his greatest strength) has been slightly off and his speed coming off his line is lessening. If there’s a really good keeper available this summer, I wouldn’t be averse to letting him go. Mamadashvili isn’t convincing enough at the moment either.

I’m not listening to Carragher, but Torres shorn of his pace was a very limited player, and I do think Hugo has more to his game and is less reliant on incredible pace.

Gordon needs a move. He looks like he’s been sulking since his move to us fell through. He’s actually done alright in Champions League games this season.

I wondered if it was just me. I started thinking quite how good we could be if we had a winger that didn’t lose/give away the ball so much.

Did it not only need to happen when Frimpong and Gomez got injured in consecutive weeks?

He’s been rubbish. He just finished a very easy chance.

They were ok. Just lumped it forward and tried to get fouls, corners and throws. And we largely dealt with it, with Ali barely having to make a save. We got on top after 30 mins and their goal was against the run of play. We need to take the early chances in this half and make Eddie Howe cry.

He is with Wasserman.

Neither Frimpong or Gomez are out for the season. Is there a right back available to bring in on loan who’s at the level required? I doubt it. Is there someone available to buy who can perform at the level required immediately and also develop into a world class player, if they are not that already. I don’t think so. https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/transfers/endendevertraege/statistik?plus=0&jahr=2026&ausrichtung=Abwehr&spielerposition_id=5&altersklasse=alle&land_id=0&yt0=Show Right backs whose contracts expire this summer https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/transfers/endendevertraege/statistik?plus=0&jahr=2027&ausrichtung=Abwehr&spielerposition_id=5&altersklasse=alle&land_id=0&yt0=Show right backs whose contracts expire in 2027 https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/transfers/endendevertraege/statistik?plus=0&jahr=2028&ausrichtung=Abwehr&spielerposition_id=5&altersklasse=alle&land_id=0&yt0=Show 2028 There’s not a lot to be excited about in terms of who might be available, certainly on any short term/stop gap type loan/purchase.

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No, but he likes Belle and Sebastian and that’s an upgrade on whatever Slot listens to which is probably Bon Jovi’s greatest hits.

For all the potential worries about a back 3, that system would prolong his career if he played the central role.

Liam Byrne. Closely related to the Kinahans. Byrne lives in Formby/Freshfield now and the ‘it’s fine it’s just their children who have got together’ argument is no longer valid when they all went out to celebrate the birth of the grandchild. They may, or may not, have ended up in a pokey little room above a cafe where lots of the party went to the bathroom frequently because they most likely suffer from a urinary infection.

You’d hope the club wouldn’t appoint him based on the company he keeps these days.

Respectfully disagree. He’s been on the decline for 2 seasons and he cost us points directly last season by giving away penalties and getting himself sent off. He also let Estevao nip in front of him this season. Kerkez is first choice now. And I think Robbo being willing to leave is his own acknowledgement of that.

No. He’s not very good anymore. And he’s a very expensive back up. Old players moaning in the squad that they should be playing is also to be avoided.

Yep. The player availability is a big thing though, as much as people don’t like to hear it. There’s a reason that loads more transfers happen in the summer rather than winter.

Trusting certain journalists and discriminating between good journalism and obvious briefing/PR (isn’t Richard Hughes so wonderfully brilliant and handsome etc) Hughes is responsible for Kerkez and Frimpong.

He scored 17 the year before though, and you’d never use one season’s stats in isolation.

Yeah. I also don’t think there are quantifiable stats for how brainless a player can be. Sometimes players just aren’t coachable even when they are young. And Nunez falls squarely into that category. In part. He had no idea how to press as part of a cohesive unit. And as that was fundamental to Klopp’s game plan, he quickly became a liability as much as an asset.

And Isak. Ian Graham has talked about Klopp’s desire for Nunez not coming from a data led approach and having to ‘retrofit’ the stats to see if he was suitable. I think you’re confusing a PR type briefing from the club, to what the data team were looking at behind the scenes.

And you’re missing the point that the right model was only actually in place while Klopp was manager. The data people literally recommended signing other players over Nunez. And they were right. What we’re seeing now is the same as the early days of the Klopp era when a new side is being built, so it might take another season at least to see if they’ve got it right. BTW it was the data lads who were incredibly insistent on signing Szoboslai, to the point that they convinced FSG to borrow money to pay his release clause in full. Something they’d never done before.