Summer Transfers 2014

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Our first eleven is clearly very good. Our squad, beyond that, is pitiful. Let's be honest: Konoplyanka or Salah would have helped over the last couple of games, at the very least...

I'm not saying they wouldn't have helped (after all, I was shouting about needing two midfielders and a wide player in the winter). I just think the wisdom that it might have cost us the title, when we've done nothing but win until yesterday is knee-jerk.

[Dr. J]

Yesterday showed some glaring holes in the side, most notably our fullbacks, neither of whom seems capable of getting to the byline, or staying close to the touchline and getting in a decent fucking cross.

 

Johnson is past his due date, Flanno is at best a squad player.

[liverpoolsno9]

It's eating away at me that our failure to strengthen in January has at the death cost us the title. We massively ran out of ideas yesterday and had nothing whatsoever on the bench to change the game.

And we could have give the new lad a few starts & it might have taken him time to settle, and we may never have gone on that amazing run of wins. Coutinho may not have scored that goal v City, Raheem wouldn't have had as many starts...................etc etc etc. Fuck off with your hindsight.

[Josef Svejk]

I'm not saying they wouldn't have helped (after all, I was shouting about needing two midfielders and a wide player in the winter). I just think the wisdom that it might have cost us the title, when we've done nothing but win until yesterday is knee-jerk.

 

The thin squad was bound to catch up with us sooner or later. I think we're lucky it was later.

[TheHowieLama]

Our first eleven is clearly very good. Our squad, beyond that, is pitiful. Let's be honest: Konoplyanka or Salah would have helped over the last couple of games, at the very least...

 

Salah is awful. Well glad we "missed" out.

 

For a fella with lightning pace it was nice to see Sterling blow by him from a standstill and Coutinho stay with him over 40 yards.

[Josef Svejk]

And we could have give the new lad a few starts & it might have taken him time to settle, and we may never have gone on that amazing run of wins. Coutinho may not have scored that goal v City, Raheem wouldn't have had as many starts...................etc etc etc. Fuck off with your hindsight.

 

It's hardly hindsight.

[Josef Svejk]

Salah is awful. Well glad we "missed" out.

 

For a fella with lightning pace it was nice to see Sterling blow by him from a standstill and Coutinho stay with him over 40 yards.

 

I think Salah's pretty good, personally. But I did notice that Sterling moment...

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

The thin squad was bound to catch up with us sooner or later. I think we're lucky it was later.

So it was the squad that lost us the game yesterday? Genuine question. I'm not making an argument for a weaker squad, I'm just saying that it seems like we've done really, really well since not buying those players. Would Kono have won us the game today? Who knows. Maybe Sterling wouldn't have played and we would have lost a few others. Who knows. I don't think we can put the one result we didn't want down to it and ignore the other 11, though.

[Josef Svejk]

So it was the squad that lost us the game yesterday? Genuine question. I'm not making an argument for a weaker squad, I'm just saying that it seems like we've done really, really well since not buying those players. Would Kono have won us the game today? Who knows. Maybe Sterling wouldn't have played and we would have lost a few others. Who knows. I don't think we can put the one result we didn't want down to it and ignore the other 11, though.

 

Minus Henderson and Sturridge, we struggled against a poor Norwich side and lost to Chelsea.

 

I take the point about Sterling; I've wondered about that myself. But look at Suarez: he looks shot, and we've nothing to replace him with. Even for 10 to 20 minutes at the end of a game...

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Minus Henderson and Sturridge, we struggled against a poor Norwich side and lost to Chelsea.

 

I take the point about Sterling; I've wondered about that myself. But look at Suarez: he looks shot, and we've nothing to replace him with. Even for 10 to 20 minutes at the end of a game...

We did beat Norwich though, after blasting them off the park. Sure, our defence is a bit wank at certain things, but the window wouldn't have solved that. Not sure we can put Norwich down in the 'reasons we won't win the title' column. I accept your wider point about a stronger squad, of course. Thing is, it wasn't those things that cost us the win yesterday. It was a slip and a negative chelsea side.

 

Had we won that one game, would we be talking about the winter? Just seems to be we're pissed off with the result so we're looking for things to point fingers at.

[Dundalis]

Give me Mateo Kovacic over Lallana, Isco, Muniain, Kroos and most others we are linked to. 19 years of age, I'm convinced he'd be a beast under Rodgers. He's a more powerful player than the others and goes past defenders like no ones business. Definitely has the arrogance on the ball Rodgers likes. He would give us way more drive from centre mid alongside Henderson which we miss IMO.

 

 

When you watch him for Inter he can look lost at times, but so did Coutinho in Inter's defensive system. He's always boss for Croatia who play with more attacking flair. Has that Zidane like elegance on the ball.

 

If we can get him for around 15 mill or so, I think he could be an even bigger bargain than Coutinho.

[redfromtubebar]

Shaw is the real deal. Would be happy to see us go to £25m for a player like that at his age.

 

One of five players required during this window.

[JermainePennant]

He can't.

 

Henderson has done it all season, for 90 mins, week in, week out.

 

Allen has shown he can do it, for 60 mins. I haven't seen him do it for 90 mins yet or week in, week out.

Fair point and your right but I put Allen not being able to do it for 90 minutes down to injury and not playing reguarly, Henderson is on a different level to Allen with regards to stamina though Allen himself said Jordan has been a machine this season.

[Ronnie Whelan]

Shaw, Coleman, Remy, that Croatian lad you lads are talking about or Lallana, Konoplyanka and I'd be happy. Anything less and hot Ayre should be made to walk naked around the streets of Mancunia with a "I hate Mancs" sign like Bruce Willis at the start of Die Hard 3.

[G Richards]

Save me a seat on the Kovacic bus! He looks a real player. 

[strawballs]

A lot of the papers linking us with Lallana for 20-25 million this evening.

[MLB]

Good news and not at all surprising.

[J-V]

A lot of the papers linking us with Lallana for 20-25 million this evening.

 

For that kind of money I hope he stays at Southampton.

[Harry Squatter]

Rather buy that Kovacic and M'Vila and still wouldn't cost as much as him. I like what I've seen from Konoplyanka.

 

Think Assaidi, Agger, Lucas, Brad Jones, Coates, Johnson, Reina, Aspas, Kelly and possibly Borini will be sold. Obviously we'd need more than the three mentioned above

[JermainePennant]

I'd be wary of a signing like Lallana. This is a lad who was playing in the Championship at 24 and, on the brink of his 26th birthday, has only had 1, maybe 2 at a push, seasons in his career that would suggest he's good enough to play for Liverpool. You'd be signing a player in the form of his life, which means his price would be at an all-time high and he would have to maintain this career-best form just to justify the fee.

 

I'd rather look for another Coutinho or a Sturridge, who were considered special talents from an early age but whose careers had stagnated a bit, making them available for a cut-price fee. If they realise the potential they had shown throughout most of their career then you've got yourself a top player and an incredible bargain and if they don't then you've got exactly what you paid for, a fairly ordinary player for a fairly ordinary fee.

 

I think genuine late bloomers are very few and very far between and the overwhelming majority of players who appear that way soon revert back to mediocrity (which is why I never wanted us to sign Charlie Adam, for example). If we're going to part with £20m+ for a player I'd be looking at their career as a whole rather than just recent form, otherwise you end up spunking a huge wad on players like Downing and Carroll, who were worth a pittance a year before we signed them.

 

This sums up my thoughts on lallana and I would like us to go for the kind of players the post is talking about.

 

If rodgers wants him bad enough though Id go along with it as he has a great track record of getting the best out of players and you could see how lallana would fit in here.

[Cardie]

A lot of the papers linking us with Lallana for 20-25 million this evening.

25 million, lira presumably?

 

 

[JermainePennant]

One thing Ill add about Lallana is a good few years ago I came across something about posts on a southampton forum or something where a former southampton youth team player was on there saying how lallana was better then walcott and bale who he had all trained with, all the posters seemed convinced he was legit and had proved it somehow before that.

 

I have no idea how I came across that now but his name always stuck in my head for that reason and when he came to the prem I kept an eye on him after that description I read, it certainly looks like that former player was on to something as he has been a top player since in the highest division.

 

So maybe he could be one of those rough diamond types as he was a top prospect from young instead of a one season wonder like adam or aspas.

Edited April 28, 2014 by JermainePennant

[CWD82]

Konopolyanka is the one we should be going for.

 

The link to Son from Leverkusen was interesting. If we could get 2 technical, quick, goal scoring widemen to play on either flank cutting in then we would have enough in attack to cover an injury to either of Suarez or Sturridge.

 

Add in another creative midfielder with a good engine and a quality left back who can get to the byline and give us width when teams are sitting deep and we're in a great position for next year.

 

Then if we sell anyone look to replace them with quality

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

I hadn't give him any thought, but I like that Fabregas shout. Could be the "breaker" from the central two if we play the diamond, and can also play at the head of the diamond too.

 

Technically the type of player we should be going for. Plus, more goal scoring possibilities added to the team.

 

If it was £25-30m for him or Lallana, I'd take Fabregas all day.

[Ronnie Whelan]

I really like Lallana, but I'm a bit concerned that he could be another Joe Allen level player if he comes to us. We are one of the biggest clubs in the world and the expectations next season will be huge. The players we sign have to be able to be markedly better than the lads that we have.