Summer 2018 Transfer Thread

[Captain Turdseye]

Sorry, what's on?

Ardja’s dream CB pairing.

[Ne Moe Imya]

Come on.

 

Simon and Shaqiri aren't coming. We aren't feeding our actual transfer targets to the media any more. Like, at all. Everything is totally in-house, with no leaks. Look at how Fabinho went down. No one had a clue, not even Joyce, and all of a sudden bang! he's leaning.

 

If we are briefing journos on someone, as we clearly have done in both Simon's and Shaqiri's cases, then we aren't after them. We're trying to put pressure on Lyon to negotiate re:Fekir (or maybe on someone else who we don't know about).

 

There is no chance that we've been as tight as we've been with genuine information and then Mike Edwards has just one day woken up and thought "better brief the journos who our targets are."

[aws]

Well he wouldn't be surely as he's got no chance of getting ahead of a fit Mane, Salah or Firmino. I think this could be an OK signing. He's got a bit of a wildcard element to him, much better than anything we have available now.

 

Would be a decent bench option. Not so much a decent rotation option.

[Red House]

Joyce and King both on it now.

From Joyce:
 

Liverpool hold an interest in Xherdan Shaqiri as Jürgen Klopp looks to bolster his squad by recruiting two more attacking players. Nabil Fekir remains the main target, although Lyons have so far refused to set a definitive price for the talented France international which has complicated discussions.

 

Shaqiri has said he will leave Stoke City following their demotion to the Championship and is reputed to have a release clause in the region of £12 million to £13 million. The Switzerland attacker has said he wants to remain in England and that price tag would appeal to a number of clubs with Everton and Southampton also weighing up a move for the 26-year-old. Mark Hughes, the Southampton manager, signed Shaqiri for Stoke in 2015.

 

“It is no secret that I will leave the club,” said Shaqiri. “I think the [Premier] league is perfect for me. I would love to stay in England but I don’t want to rule anything out. It’s the best league with the best players.”

 

Klopp has no specific plans to sign an out-and-out No 9 this summer and so wants versatile, attacking players who would increase the competition with Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino after they carried the burden for Liverpool last season.

 

Discussions will continue on whether to proceed with the interest in Shaqiri and, if the release clause is correct, Liverpool at least know the amount he will cost. Fekir has been rated at around £53 million, but Lyons’ refusal to actually name their price makes the pursuit of him more difficult.

 

The success of Liverpool’s recent transfer dealings with Firmino, Mané and Salah — the trio were signed for combined initial fees of £94.9 million — means clubs do not want to be seen as the next team to have sold on the cheap.

 

Roma are also proving difficult over goalkeeper Alisson, who is Liverpool’s first choice, while Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak has an £88 million release clause. Klopp has already recruited £52 million Naby Keïta and £39.3 million Fabinho.

[Red House]

And, Reddy now:

Genuine interest from LFC in Xherdan Shaqiri, who would provide depth across the attacking positions. Danger from set-pieces, creative, can be decisive in the final third. Release clause of around £12 million makes it low risk.

[The Golden Eel]

Would be a decent bench option. Not so much a decent rotation option.

 

That's a fair point, yeah. It's the sort of signing where if he fucks off to Spurs or Arsenal or someone like that, at some point it'll probably look like we should have taken the chance ourselves. Maybe he doesn't want to sit on the bench though, who knows

[Ne Moe Imya]

Exactly. That's clearly a coordinated leak.

 

Which means it either isn't true and we're doing it to put pressure on another negotiation or to smokescreen a more genuine target, or we've decided at a high level to start telling journalists who we're really after before the deals are done.

 

I'll leave it to you to determine which of those you think is more likely.

[The Golden Eel]

Exactly. That's clearly a coordinated leak.

 

Which means it either isn't true and we're doing it to put pressure on another negotiation or to smokescreen a more genuine target, or we've decided at a high level to start telling journalists who we're really after before the deals are done.

 

I'll leave it to you to determine which of those you think is more likely.

 

Well, we've always done that - apart from Fabinho - have we not? I can't recall any time guys like Joyce, etc revealed targets that turned out to be bollocks.

[Pidge]

I'd still be happy with giving Shaqiri a go (for £12m, was down on the idea at the end of the season because I thought it would be about double that).  Would be tough for him to get in shape to play our style, but if he's willing to it would add natural quality to our bench options and could develop into a first team player. 

[an tha]

Wow - the Ev are supposed to be looking at him, maybe if he does go there someone should remind him what happened to Nyarko!

Some of that 'unblemished' Everton history there...

[3 Stacks]

Players won't be lining up to back up our front 3, so these Shaqiri and Simon links make sense. In an ideal world you say "buy a player of the front 3's quality" but there's no money for that if we're looking at top keepers and midfielders. 

 

I think Shaqiri's a bit crap if he's a first eleven player, but as he'd be a backup it shows we're in good shape. 12m is also a bargain. 

[Babb'sBurstNad]

He's a budgens Bellamy at a Poundland price. If that's the price we have to pay to get a top keeper in, then I'd be happy to accept that. 

[setreal]

 

Klopp will whip Shaq into shape. (This is the actual German dub btw)

[Lee909]

12ml makes sense

Even if we sold him a year later we'd likely get a good 20ml fee

[The Guest]

12ml makes sense

Even if we sold him a year later we'd likely get a good 20ml fee

I was about to scoff at this but he’s only 26. I thought he was about 32. At that price I’m in. He has got ability. The inconsistency can easily be put down to playing for Stoke.

[Carvalho Diablo]

No.

[Moo]

I'd be unhappy about what it says for our ambition should we sign Shakiri, but I don't mind him and thought towards the end of last season he'd be a decent option if we're being cheapskates again.

[Unrighteous]

If he has a release clause and is only 12m, if our interest was real then he'd be leaning by now. Smells like agent trying to chum the water.

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

Crouchie is possibly off to Serie A with newly promoted Parma.

[Carvalho Diablo]

We need pace, not pork.

[Greycellgreen]

We're one of the best sides in Europe through spirit and Jurgen Klopp, we're on about signing Shaqiri.  Nobody can make this fit.

[Caramac]

Roberto Firmino says he hopes Liverpool sign Alisson, and that the goalkeeper has asked about life at Anfield.

— Oliver Bond (@Oliver__Bond) June 6, 2018

[Guest]

 

Roberto Firmino says he hopes Liverpool sign Alisson, and that the goalkeeper has asked about life at Anfield.

— Oliver Bond (@Oliver__Bond) June 6, 2018

 

He's as good as ours.

[Jarvinja Ilnow]

 

Roberto Firmino says he hopes Liverpool sign Alisson, and that the goalkeeper has asked about life at Anfield.

— Oliver Bond (@Oliver__Bond) June 6, 2018

 

 

I remember there was a great Asda around the corner when we lived at Breckfield Rd North. Also a Chinese chippy that did those meal plus chips and rice things that southerners think is disgusting (and are probably correct). Feel free to use that, Bobby.

[Elite]

You know your team is getting good when our players are tapping up Brazilian internationals.