Summer Transfers 2014

[J-V]

I wish we'd just fuck Moreno off and use the money to purchase a striker.

 

We have enough to get a striker/forward regardless.

[WhiskeyJar]

Who is going to make a bigger impact?

 

Drogba for Chelsea or Lambert for us?

[Cardie]

It's like some sort of social experiment in lunacy this thread.

 

We don't sign a striker by the close of the window then by all means go nuts. But let's not create this self perpetuating story that seems to be gathering steam and being added too on each repetition that's winding people into a frenzy based on nothing.

 

[J-V]

Who is going to make a bigger impact?

 

Drogba for Chelsea or Lambert for us?

 

Hopefully we'll get another forward and Lambert's game time will be limited.

[Lario]

Pre season or otherwise, we didn't score from open play against the 7th best team in England. And we conceded 3. Again.

 

Yes a few were missing, but the same can be said of the 7th placed team.

 

Hopefully that injects those in recruitment at the club with the sobering reality that we still need quality. And quick.

 

A week on Sunday and we go again.

 

Chop chop

 

By my reckoning, they were only missing Van Persie.

 

We were missing (probable starters) Lovren, Enrique, Lallana, Markovic, Sturridge.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Nor am I but this isn't some star struck teenager and it would have been reasonable to expect Lambert to hit the ground running. The signs are not good which ever way you spin it

He has been playing well for two seasons. Some pretty season games matter little.

[Adebisi]

Last year Aspas had a good pre-season and we all know how that one turned out. Expect Lambert to score 30 goals as he fires us to the PL and CL double. 

[Barrington Womble]

Nor am I but this isn't some star struck teenager and it would have been reasonable to expect Lambert to hit the ground running. The signs are not good which ever way you spin it

He hasn't played a competitive game yet, there are no signs as it's no more than a running session and hopefully some time for his team mates to get to know him and vice versa.

[stringvest]

older players take more time to get going at the start of the season.  

[cuppatea]

After spending almost £100m on players, is this our strongest XI?

 

                   Mignolet

Johnson    Skrtel    Sakho    Enrique

                    Gerrard

            Allen   Henderson

       Sterling            Coutinho

                 Sturridge

[Jose Jones]

After spending almost £100m on players, is this our strongest XI?

 

Mignolet

Johnson Skrtel Sakho Enrique

Gerrard

Allen Henderson

Sterling Coutinho

Sturridge

I think Brendan would put in Lovren for Sakho and Lallana for Coutinho.

[J-V]

Lovren for Skrtel, shoot Johnson and replace Allen then Yes.

[Ne Moe Imya]

Why is everyone posting about how much we need a striker?

 

Of course we need a striker.  We're going to buy another striker.  Brendan has already come out and said so.  You can say what you like about our overall transfer window plan (and I have already, with the Lallana signing for me being particularly puzzling if we knew Suarez was off) but the window is far from over.

 

When we entered the window we needed a few things:

- 2 new fullbacks who know how to defend

- a centreback who, again, knows how to defend

- a "presence" in midfield who can slow down opposition counterattacks while also contributing to our own attacking play when on the ball

- some sort of combination of attacking players that can replace at least 20 of the 31 league goals Suarez scored between them

 

As far as I can tell, we're about to get Moreno/Manquillo this week.  That would be point one checked off the list.  We already got Lovren, I'm not his biggest fan but I'm hoping it's not all just hype and that he actually is that good.  Carra's description of his defending gives me some hope there.  And anyway, when you spend 20 million on a central defender, at the very least you can't make the argument that the transfer committee failed to try to prioritise the problem.  So that's number 2 ticked off the list.  

 

Can seems to be, improbably for 10 million, a possible answer to number 3.  Early days but the signs are very good.  That leaves just number four, and Rodgers has already said that he will bring in another attacking player.  Turan?  Lavezzi?  Benzema?  Firmino?  Bony?  Lacazette?  Fischer?  I don't know who it's going to be, and until we see who it is we probably shouldn't complain too much.  In any event, Lallana was hugely overpriced but he gives us depth and probably about 5 or 7 league goals.  If Markovic can add about that number as well, then all we need out of this additional striker is 8 or 10 league goals and we've accomplished all our objectives (even if Lambert only scores 2 or 3).

 

So yeah, it might look a bit bleak at the moment but add Manquillo, Moreno and a decent striker to the players already brought in and everything looks much, much rosier.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

After spending almost £100m on players, is this our strongest XI?

 

                   Mignolet

Johnson    Skrtel    Sakho    Enrique

                    Gerrard

            Allen   Henderson

       Sterling            Coutinho

                 Sturridge

 

We'll have deals done for the two Spanish fullbacks very soon you'd think.

[billypilgrimnz]

After spending almost £100m on players, is this our strongest XI?

 

Mignolet

Johnson Skrtel Sakho Enrique

Gerrard

Allen Henderson

Sterling Coutinho

Sturridge

Not with Allen in it.

 

That team = 5th place.

[J-V]

There was definitely interest from Liverpool for Arda. He was available for €18m last summer. Rodgers wanted him a lot, according to him.

 

Turan for the price of Aspas and Alberto, assuming he was available for that price.

 

[Dr Nowt]

Could do worse than taking Kagawa off United, were we in for a creative player as well as a striker.

 

Sure they wouldn't sell him to us, but with the original purple-faced lunatic no longer holding the tiller, would it be worth a try?

[cuppatea]

Hopefully Moreno will be a big upgrade on the left back position but Manquillo is a 20 year old who played 3 league games for Atletico last season, I'd be stunned if he displaced Johnson from the starting XI this year.

 

I always think the best way to add depth to a squad is to sign improvements on what you already had on the pitch and let the previous starters either up their game or drop down the pecking order. We seem to have spent a lot of money buying players who are, at best, on par with what we had, giving us greater depth but no great injection of quality. We'll have to wait and see how the new arrivals do but with almost £150m to spend and Champions League football on offer, I'm a bit underwhelmed by the window so far.

[J-V]

Manquillo will be the upgrade.  It'd be hard not to be if you only have to replace Johnson.  If Enrique keeps fit Moreno will have a job getting ahead of him if the selection is based on form.

[magicrat]

After spending almost £100m on players, is this our strongest XI?

 

                   Mignolet

Johnson    Skrtel    Sakho    Enrique

                    Gerrard

            Allen   Henderson

       Sterling            Coutinho

                 Sturridge

 

So the 40+ odd mill on Lallana and Markovic was to warm the bench ?

[TheDrowningMan]

So the 40+ odd mill on Lallana and Markovic was to warm the bench ?

 

Don't forget Lovren. I'm sure £60m for substitutes must be part of the nefarious / incompetent  FSG /  Rodgers' plan to decimate our club.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Turan for the price of Aspas and Alberto, assuming he was available for that price.

 

 

We should have got him for 8m before Downing.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

After spending almost £100m on players, is this our strongest XI?

 

Mignolet

Johnson Skrtel Sakho Enrique

Gerrard

Allen Henderson

Sterling Coutinho

Sturridge

Nope.

[Ronnie Whelan]

                                                        Mignolet

Manquillo(or Flanno)              Lovren                       Sakho                               Moreno              

                                                         Gerrard

                                          Can                         Henderson

                           Sterling                                                Coutinho

                                                        Sturridge

 

The above is how I see the team shaping up come Sunday week.

 

I know Brendan loves Allen, but I think Can will have made a big impression on him since his arrival and I have this feeling he might nick a spot in the starting 11 by the beginning of the season. He looks like a powerhouse and seems to be technically excellent.

 

I can't see Johnson starting the season with the rapidly improving Flanno who would run through brick walls for us moving back to his natural position and the supposedly excellent Manquillo (he could be shite - I'm suspicious that Athletico seem to have given us such a brilliant deal). If Moreno isn't signed, then Flanno will be at left back in my opinion. At centre half, I think Brendan views the partnership of Sakho and Lovren as his future long term pairing, so I would expect them to begin the season together. Alot of changes in defence which is normally a very bad thing for a team, but in our case, we can't do any worse defensively than last season, so there should be an improvement.  

[Kevin D]

We should have got him for 8m before Downing.

Saying that with hindsight, though. At the time, we were all happy with Downing.