G Richards

Downing seems like a steady player to me. I'm not sure that he has that something extra that is required to shine at a club like ours, so I agree with what has been said above. He doesn't seem to have great pace, and he doesn't seem particularly skilful. He's not bad though, but I'm not sure I'd pay anything like the (likely) sum of money needed to bring him in.

Alves, Torres, Villa, Tevez, Ashley Cole, Mascherano, King.

Reina Carra Hyypia Agger Alves Gerrard Sissoko Alonso Gonzales Kuyt Bellamy Just to throw in a different option. A 3-5-2. Keeps the midfield trio and adds South American pacy wide men either side. Midfield offers everything - pace, width, crossing, strength, stamina, tackling, shooting. And Kuyt to sign and form a great partnership with Bellamy. This team would only need to revert to a 4-4-2 against Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd and possibly Spurs. The rest of the teams in the league would be blown away. It could also easily be tweaked into 4-2-3-1.

I think Fowler will get 15 (all comps) and he will be rotated in. He might get a few more than that if we don't buy another striker, but if we do sign another striker (as expected) then Robbie's chances will be more limited. Even with limited opportunities, Fowler will grab 15 goals next season. This will prove an invaluable contribution.

I've got know time for Mourinho. He is arrogant and too obsessed with his own standing in the game. Were it not for Roman's roubles, he would not be anywhere near where he is now. He is a glorified translator that has got lucky. That said, (and with hard hat firmly on) I think it was our man Rafa who started it off over the summer with his comments along the lines of Mourinho having a longer break and it being easier with all the money. Both are true, but Rafa spoke against Mourinho first this summer, if I'm looking at it straight. I think these are the new top dogs. there might be a growl here and there from Fergie, and a whine or two from Wenger, but their old rivalry is being taken over by a new managerial rivalry methinks.

If Djimi is not in Rafa's plans then moving him on is best for everyone. Aurelio should be an upgrade so we all win. We get a better player (and on a Bosman) while Djimi gets to try and build his career elsewhere. I still think they are getting a bargain (if £1M or less) but we still come out smelling of roses becasue we have a better replacement on a Bosman. It was always going to be a 2 year process before the squad would be shaped anything like what Rafa wanted. With one or two more additions this summer we'll have a great balanced unit with all bases covered.

I thought he played on his own up front for Charton last season quite a bit. I take back the holding the ball up bit - that is obviously not his strength. But I do remember that he caused us a lot of problems. He's by no means the finished article, but he could well go on to become a top player in the right set up. While I'd rather he cost less, it must be siad that if Andy Johnson is worth £8.5M then Bent at £10M is not too bad. I don't want to sound totally sold on Bent though. Just saying I wouldn't mind if we signed him. I can see his attributes bringing something to the strikeforce.

Two or three players sounds interesting to me. Could be Pennant, Trabelsi and Bent/Kuyt. If we sign Alves will we have the funds for another striker?

We may have one or two fringe players for Charlton that might strngthen their squad. This may possibly give us an edge in signing him, should rafa be interested in Bent. I think the lad is a good player. He caused us a lot of problems last season. He has pace, he is strong, he works for the team and he has an eye for goal. He is also young, still developing, and presumably will improve further with better coaching and with better players. For me there's a lot to like about this possible deal. If the lad is happy to come to Liverpool and can remain humble and hard working, then a probably £10M transfer fee might well look like a bargain before too long. Another way of looking at it is that he would cost only slightly more than Andy Johnson. In that context £10M is not too high a price to pay.

It lists the signings as main ins, and it never pretends it is a definitive list. Bellamy and Gonzales have been our two main signings so far, so I would agree with that. Obviously Aurelio on a free and an up and coming Paletta will hopefully prove their worth too. It says we are after another striker and a right winger, so again I'd agree with that. As for the targets and budget we have, I don't think anyone knows the definitive answer, so that is speculative. It was a typical general transfer piece with a run down of the Prem clubs containing a large dose of speculation. No big deal, and not particularly worse than most other papers at this time.

Gotta love The Simpsons! Meanwhile, back at the footy... Anyone think there is much to the Camorenesi speculation? I think I'd rather have Pennant for similar money (and presumably much less wages). I think Stevie should be our right sided midfielder, so I'm very happy to have a player around the £4-5M mark come in as a squad man. I think Pennant fits that perfectly, hopefully leaving more cash to buy another top quality striker.

I had to look up the word 'asymptotically'. that is the best word I've ever seen on a football forum. Well done. For those who are too lazy to look it up, it's a mathematical term that describes a line which moves towards a curve though it never quite touches it. So the implication is that the deals in question seem to be always moving towards conclusion though they never quite get finalised.

When he was at Coventry I thought it was 100% certain he would go on to become one of the best keepers in the game. Kirkland played one game against us where he stopped it from being 10-0. I was really pleased we signed him. I thought he was much better than Robinson (granted not hard) and the England spot would be his soon enough. Sadly it has all gone wrong for Capt Kirk. Everyone talks about his terrible injury record, and it has really held him back. But I'd like to make another point. When Kirkland was fit and playing in goal for us he looked jittery and laboured in his movement. I saw nothing of the youngster who played for Coventry. A parting of the ways is best for all concerned. Hopefully he can make something of himself elsewhere, but Reina is better, Dudek is better, and Carson (by all accounts) looks to be better. So goodbye Capt Kirk I'm afraid.

Joaquin looked quite good for Spain in the World Cup, but he does have a reputation for inconsistency. When he's up for it there is probably no-one better on the right. But I was under the impression Rafa didn't like Joaquin for non-footballing reasons (IIRC he was a bit too full of himself). I'd be surprised if it was all three players plus the fee mentioned. That makes us value Joaquin very highly indeed, and surely his star has waned a little over the past year or two. It will be interesting to see what happens. Thanks for the info Pat.

I'd defo sign Anelka. His talent is unbelievable. As far as I'm aware, he caused no bother whatsoever when he was with us. If he kept up that attitude then he could be very good for us. I wouldn't want to pay over £6M or so, just in case it didn't work out. I'm not certain, but I seem to remember Fowler didn't like him from their time together at Man City. That might be a factor against.

Thanks for those who are posting info in good faith. If it's accurate then you will build up a track record accordingly. If it is made up rubbish then you will also build up a track record, but for the wrong reasons. We should at least give the info a bit of breathing space to see if it's right or wrong before jumping down anyone's throat. This is a speculation thread after all.

Paul Ince didn't really do it for us. His opinion of himself exceeded his performance on the pitch. I remember him saying on Football Focus that he and Redknapp were the best central midfield pairing in Europe. Unfortunatley Vieira and Petit disagreed, as did most of the paying public afterwards.

I'd take Aimar if we sold Garcia, but I see no room for both, especially with us adding specialist wingers over the summer. As for the Torres link, I'd be excited if we signed him to play with Bellamy. I'd even try to use Garcia in part ex to help to get the deal done. But I just cannot see him coming here, though Rafa and the Spanish contingent already at Anfield, plus some kind words Torres said about us (in 4-4-2 a while back) give me a glimmer of hope.

The World Cup is a decent sideshow while we wait for the new season. I hope England do well, but I've been a bit nonplussed by them. Scraping through game after game only adds to the indifference. There are a fair few England players I have built up a dislike for due to their club performances. While the outright hostility is toned down when they play for England, I'm certainly nowhere near the point of being able to give them my undivided support. I'm English and I hope England win the World Cup. But I won't exactly be devastated if we don't, and if we do win it (unlikely) then the emotional high it will give will be nothing compared to Istanbul. It's a decent sideshow while we wait for Liverpool to resume. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I would be open to selling Garcia should the offer be right (more than what we paid for him). His star is high right now, and it may be the best time to sell. I think his chances will be limited next season. We'll have specialist right and left wingers, and we'll also have another 2 strikers who will need to play (besides Crouch and Fowler). Garcia has his uses (great goals in big games, flashes of inspiration) but we all know he frustrates too. If a big enough bid came in, or indeed if he was to be used in some sort of part ex to land the likes of Torres or Villa, then I'd be all for it.

I think Kuyt will be the next piece of the jigsaw. Bellamy, Kuyt, Alves, Gonzales, Paletta, Aurelio (plus a couple of kids) = good summer.

Liverpool probably playing it cautious so as not to invite any problem over knowledge of the supposed clause. This leads to a question for me. What is the role of agents in terms of notifying prospective clubs of clauses such as this? Surely if Bellamy's agent gets in touch with Liverpool to tell us that their player is available by such and such a date for the reduced price of £6M, then we have done nothing wrong. And surely the agent has done nothing wrong, if said agent is simply trying to further the career of their client. Does anyone know the laws/regulations surrounding this kind of thing?

Fat Sam is talking a lot of sense here, but I still don't care for the way he sets up his Bolton side. I wonder if he's building bridges to the England camp in anticipation of being in the running again when it all goes pear shaped for McClaren?

Time will reveal all. The link has blown hot and cold for ages, and when that happens there is usually something to it. I'd be happy with Kromkamp and Dudek going the other way, along with around £6M, in order to bring Kuyt in. We would also need a pacy striker too, and the earlier Defoe links seems to have cooled in favour of Bellamy. Kuyt plus either of those would be good business.

They were bad breaks so you add an extra one