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Summer 2017 Transfer Thread


Anubis
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From the Echo

 

Ronnie Whelan says Liverpool “look like amateurs” for failing to strengthen key areas of Jurgen Klopp’s squad this summer.

 

The Kop legend believes his former club are crying out for “better defenders and more goalscoring options” ahead of next week’s transfer deadline.

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From the Echo

 

Ronnie Whelan says Liverpool “look like amateurs” for failing to strengthen key areas of Jurgen Klopp’s squad this summer.

 

The Kop legend believes his former club are crying out for “better defenders and more goalscoring options” ahead of next week’s transfer deadline.

 

 

That bit is bollocks! One area we don't need strengthening. As for the defence -well yes Ronnie, you and everyone else has said so. 

 

Except the one person who matters. 

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I would agree but then this has been put out in Brazil which seems the start of a backtrack by Phil

 

ESTADÃO:

 

It is Barça that manipulated #Coutinho to threaten Liverpool of never playing again as a tactic to increase the deal's likelihood.

 

ESTADÃO:

 

#Coutinho's entourage confirms he never had the will to not play for Liverpool but had to follow his representatives instructions.

 

Posted on @BrazilStat twitter

For me this is worse than saying it was all his own doing. "I'd have loved to play football as the highest paid player at my club still being payed but the bigger boys made me not do it." Grow a fucking backbone you curly little gimp. Pretty much sums up our crop of bottling little boys. No backbone. It's no wonder the side has no spine.

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Guest Alex_K

Resonator's post really, er, resonates. Nevertheless, FSG's apparent reluctance to sell Coutinho in this window doesn't quite fit with the idea that we are at the height of the transfer bubble.

 Yes, I don't think we're at the crest of this wave yet. Still scope for TV rights expansion in territories such as China: should the leading clubs ever get to the stage of being able to negotiate their own rights, then FSG really will be in the money. Selling Coutinho for a sum spread out over 5 years & a number of unobtainable add-ons is not clever business. I have zero doubt they'd sell him if the make-up of the offer was right.

 

 

Complete bread & circuses this Coutinho stuff. Bet FSG couldn't be happier: tailor made distraction. The fact they're going to lose Can on a free running completely under the radar.

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Ronnie Whelan was a great player, but as a pundit he just lacks that wee bit of not being a completely miserable sod.

 

Bizarre that a midfielder like him thinks we're okay in that area too.

 

Whelan suffers like a lot of midfielders of his generation of resenting the fact he missed the money train that modern football is now.

If you take him for example played for years for us won league and european cups.

He's now watched players in recent years not fit to lace his boots be at liverpool for a couple of years and probably made more in that time than he did in his whole career. Aquilani as an example.

I can see why he has a chip on his shoulder but he's a pain in the arse to listen too.

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Whelan suffers like a lot of midfielders of his generation of resenting the fact he missed the money train that modern football is now.

If you take him for example played for years for us won league and european cups.

He's now watched players in recent years not fit to lace his boots be at liverpool for a couple of years and probably made more in that time than he did in his whole career. Aquilani as an example.

I can see why he has a chip on his shoulder but he's a pain in the arse to listen too.

 

I often wonder just what players like him of the past would offer to us right now. The likes of Dalglish, Hansen, Barnes had that something extra that would make them world beaters in any generation but god knows what level the likes of Whelan, Kennedy, Lawrenson , Craig Johnstone etc would be at now. 

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I often wonder just what players like him of the past would offer to us right now. The likes of Dalglish, Hansen, Barnes had that something extra that would make them world beaters in any generation but god knows what level the likes of Whelan, Kennedy, Lawrenson , Craig Johnstone etc would be at now. 

 

Lawrenson was absolute class! So was Whelan, but he'd still be unappreciated. Not sure Johnston, Kennedy have enough. 

 

Say that for loads to be fair. Tough shit, kids today don't get free education, cheap housing, easy mortgates and jobs for life. 

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 Yes, I don't think we're at the crest of this wave yet. Still scope for TV rights expansion in territories such as China: should the leading clubs ever get to the stage of being able to negotiate their own rights, then FSG really will be in the money. Selling Coutinho for a sum spread out over 5 years & a number of unobtainable add-ons is not clever business. I have zero doubt they'd sell him if the make-up of the offer was right.

 

 

With Coutinho, what are the options for FSG if we sell him? They could try to reinvest the money, which would be a struggle when the world knows you haven't spent much of your existing kitty and have an extra 80 million in your pocket (see Barca). They could keep the money - but if they accepted an offer at this point and couldn't get the VVD / Keita deals over the line - plus using the rest of the cash to strengthen - how would the fans feel? I think they'd be dangerously close to, if not knee deep in, Hicks & Gillette territory. Or they could accept an offer late in the window and try to manage the message: he couldn't be reintegrated, we weren't able to spend the money, we'll go back to the market in Jan, and so on. 

 

Let's be honest: add-ons or not, £118 million is silly money for Coutinho. He's an outstanding player on his day, but he goes through games, sometimes for weeks at a time, where he massively dips in form. His real worth is probably around 50-60 mill, which is still pretty mad. It's only that Barcelona are over a barrel because of the Neymar transfer and a few poor results that they're talking about the money they are. There's probably a bit of wounded pride in there, too.

 

Nonetheless, my gut feeling is that unless Barca are able to sign a replacement for Coutinho, we will see one more offer from them late on in the window which will look too good to refuse. The cost to the owners of selling Coutinho is probably less about not having him in the team and more about the perception of themselves as custodians of the club. The lines we've been fed around huge transfer kitties, the market being challenging in January (we'll spend big in the summer), the constant briefing of the press around certain players and so on just haven't been backed up by any real outcomes. And they're starting to play a little thin with supporters. Again, I suspect the 'FSG statement' around Coutinho - a bizarre gambit - was probably in part an attempt to appease the fans. Why would they feel the need to do that if there was still any realistic possibility that they'd splash the cash on our defense/midfield, where we desperately need to strengthen? I reckon if they sell, he's not being replaced in this window. It's just around whether the offer is big enough that they'll be willing to swallow the negative impact it would have on their image, and whether or not they think they can manage the comms well enough.

 

More broadly: in terms of whether or not we are at the crest of the wave, my suspicion would be that we are a lot closer than they might appear at the surface. There will be fanbases all over the league who are fucked off with their clubs' lack of transfer activity and/or inability to complete in the worlds of Chelsea/City/United. Look at Newcastle, Spurs, us. Look at (to some extent) Arsenal. What happens to the league if there are mass boycotts? What happens if someone organises a collective cancellation of sports subscriptions? What is the impact on the global appeal if fans stop filling up stadia? I think the collective appetite for this kind of action is getting closer, it just hasn't been mobilized yet. But if you look at the myriad factors that contribute to the growing wealth divide, or the number of people in developed countires who are living in poverty, and then you look at £200 million for a football player ... it just isn't sustainable. Football is becoming a parody of itself, and I don't think that that is compatible with the passion that is it's selling point. My guess would be that that will start to show itself soon.

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What happens if someone organises a collective cancellation of sports subscriptions? 

 

I don't think this is possible any longer.  It would have been when Sky was ruling the roost, but with BT and others in on the act I think it's too much of an ask.  Nobody will want to lose their internet connection for a significant amount of time!

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Nonetheless, my gut feeling is that unless Barca are able to sign a replacement for Coutinho, we will see one more offer from them late on in the window which will look too good to refuse.

 

He's not for sale. Unless Barcelona offer to buy LFC, it's not going to be accepted.

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I don't think this is possible any longer.  It would have been when Sky was ruling the roost, but with BT and others in on the act I think it's too much of an ask.  Nobody will want to lose their internet connection for a significant amount of time!

 

Fair comment - although a shame as it would be a great boon to those shops who still keep a well-stocked top shelf.

 

Still, I'm sure there would be some way in which the customer could impact football's profit margins. Even if that means going back to old days of hunting down magazines in the woodland.

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This window is a bit like the one where we couldn't quite get Lucas Neill over the line on deadline day.

Remember when he signed for the Blueshite, the stadium announcer whipped them all up into a frenzy with the announcement .................."Aaaaaaaaaand here he is, the man that turned Liverpool down" and the shed erupted. The small time twats

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Former Liverpool captain Ronnie Whelan has criticised the transfer business done by the club this summer.

 

Writing in the Irish Independent, Whelan says: "Set against the business Manchester United and Manchester City have done, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp look like amateurs.

 

"Worse, Ronald Koeman and Everton have been spending like they’ve found a money tree.

 

"He [Klopp] has some gaping holes in his squad and by the looks of things, no more money to spend unless they take Barcelona’s offer for Philippe Coutinho."

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Guest Alex_K

More broadly: in terms of whether or not we are at the crest of the wave, my suspicion would be that we are a lot closer than they might appear at the surface. There will be fanbases all over the league who are fucked off with their clubs' lack of transfer activity and/or inability to complete in the worlds of Chelsea/City/United. Look at Newcastle, Spurs, us. Look at (to some extent) Arsenal. What happens to the league if there are mass boycotts? What happens if someone organises a collective cancellation of sports subscriptions? What is the impact on the global appeal if fans stop filling up stadia? 

 

A lot to respond to in one post -- but Newcastle, Spurs and Arsenal are  not analogous to our own situation. Tottenham are in the midst of an £800 million investment into a new stadium (dependent on a £400 million loan). Newcastle are newly promoted. Arsenal have spent just shy of £300 million since 14/15 with minimal amounts recouped in sales --  their issue is at the coach level rather than investment.

 

We are almost unique in this division for lack of spend  relative to standing. We stand to be outspent by Huddersfield Town and Brighton & Hove Albion at a time of unparalleled riches for the club.. Is this real life.

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Its quite clear to me that if (as looks likely) we dont bring anyone else in this summer, Klopps probably been told to hang tough and attempt to grind out another 4th and maybe a run in the CL.

 

The reason for this is probably that its not a "smart business move" to take a big money risk on someone whos not a first choice target as many other clubs are doing.

 

Where they are falling short in my opinion is overestimating the ability of this squad to even reach that modest target with a lot of clubs making good improvements this year. A couple of injuries and we're really in trouble.

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