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Summer 2019 Transfer Thread


Anubis
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Beef-burgerhead has continued his annual tradition of sounding the summer transfers death knell:

 

Shaqiri the ‘Powercube’ has proved doubters wrong but there’s more to come

 

James Pearce 6 hours ago 

 

Xherdan Shaqiri found himself under fire before he had even pulled on a Liverpool shirt.

Former team-mates and pundits were queuing up a year ago to tell Jurgen Klopp that he had made a big mistake by taking the little Swiss attacker to Anfield.

Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam, who was also part of the Potters side relegated from the Premier League in 2018, labelled Shaqiri “a so-called big player who never turned up”. The Neville brothers also waded in – Gary labelling him “unprofessional” and Phil branding him “a disgrace”. A picture had been painted of a player who was only interested in himself and not prepared to either put the hard yards in or show stomach for the fight.

Senior Liverpool players weren’t sure what to expect when Shaqiri first met up with the squad in New Jersey during the pre-season tour of the States after completing the formalities of his move to Anfield. But they quickly came to realise that the perception of him was very different from the reality.

Shaqiri, nicknamed the ‘Powercube’, made a big impression on his team-mates as he knuckled down and bought completely into the team ethic Klopp had created. Confident but not arrogant, a joker but only when the time was right. His quality quickly shone through. His set pieces were clearly going to be a major asset.

The settling-in process was helped by the fact he knew Liverpool’s head of fitness and conditioning Andreas Kornmayer and head of nutrition Mona Nemmer from their time together at Bayern Munich. They remain close.

The stinging criticism of Shaqiri always seemed extreme considering he was Stoke’s top scorer with eight league goals and contributed the most assists when they went down. He felt like he had been made a scapegoat for a team in disarray. After all, there’s only so much you can do when surrounded by such mediocrity.

But there was also a realisation on his part that he simply had to raise the bar and grasp the opportunity Klopp had given him after seeing a career that promised so much go off the rails. From Bundesliga and Champions League glory at Bayern Munich to relegation with Stoke via an unsuccessful short stint at Inter Milan.

Shaqiri certainly contributed sufficiently during his first season at Liverpool to justify Klopp’s claim last summer that triggering his £12.5 million release clause was “a no-brainer”. Many Kopites would argue he paid that fee back in one chunk with his match-winning double off the bench against Manchester United at Anfield in December.

That wand of a left foot also created a last-minute winner for Divock Origi at Newcastle in May – three days before another pin-point delivery was nodded home by Gini Wijnaldum in the miraculous 4-0 triumph over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final. In total, Shaqiri chipped in with six goals and five assists.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the 27-year-old, who found himself on the bench for long periods. He made just 15 starts in all competitions with a further 15 outings as a substitute.

Between February 5 and April 25, Shaqiri played for only 21 minutes. Despite his late-season flourish, he didn’t come on in the Champions League final victory over Tottenham.

Why didn’t a player of such natural talent feature more? It came down to tactics and systems rather than any reflection on the player’s attitude or his relationship with the manager, which remains strong.

The challenge facing Shaqiri was clear on his full debut against Southampton last September. He dazzled in the first half after Klopp had changed the system to 4-2-3-1 to accommodate him in a central role behind Mo Salah, with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane operating either side of him.

Liverpool led 3-0 and Shaqiri created two of the goals but he was taken off at the break. Klopp believed his side were too open; too susceptible to the counterattack. He brought on James Milner and switched back to 4-3-3.

Klopp wasn’t in any doubt about what Shaqiri could offer on the ball but it was his work off it and his positional play that needed to improve. It was a constant theme during their discussions. It proved to be a learning curve for the player.

When Shaqiri tracked back, won possession and created the opening goal against Red Star Belgrade in October, Klopp joked: “That was probably the first counter-press situation of Shaq’s life! I don’t want to make him a defender but you have to do a job.”

With the manager largely favouring stability, control and discipline in a three-man midfield, Shaqiri effectivelyfound himself competing with Mane, Salah and Firmino for a place in the front three. Their durability – coupled with the number of goals – ensured that he had to be patient.

In the new year, the resurgence of Origi, who offered Klopp greater athleticism out wide, saw Shaqiri drop further down the pecking order. But he didn’t rock the boat, he didn’t kick up a fuss. Instead he took on board Klopp’s lengthy lectures about using his time on the training ground wisely.

When Salah suffered a head injury at St James’ Park, Liverpool’s season was in danger of crumbling. But Shaqiri was ready and waiting – delivering the goods against both Newcastle and Barcelona. Not featuring in Madrid didn’t dent his joy at being part of such an historic achievement.

“I would describe it as a beautiful year for me,” he told The Athletic at Wembley following Sunday’s Community Shield. “Winning the Champions League was unbelievable and I felt like an important part of it. I played a lot of games, especially in the first half of the season, and I had a big impact.

“For a first year at a new club, I was really happy. OK, in the second half of the season I didn’t play as much as I would have liked but that’s football.

“You have to accept the decisions made by the coach and concentrate on showing him what you can do in training. I have to work really hard and try to make it very difficult for the coach to leave me out.”

Klopp is convinced there’s more, much more to come from Shaqiri this season. It’s one of the main reasons why the manager decided not to bolster his attacking options in the transfer market. Salah, Mane and Firmino will need a breather at times considering their workload over the past 12 months, coupled with the schedule the European champions are facing across six fronts.

Shaqiri, who has overcome the calf injury that forced him to miss the pre-season tour of America, believes he’s better placed to deliver consistently this term.

“I’m not surprised we haven’t signed many players,” he said. “We showed how strong this squad is last year when we beat Barcelona 4-0 without Mo and Roberto. Just look at our bench at Wembley. We are in good shape.

“I feel good and ready to have a big impact. The coach speaks a lot with us and I know what he expects from me. I am used to the style now.

“It’s about giving everything every day to try to be successful. That’s been the important message. The story of last season is closed. I want to win more titles with Liverpool. We go again.”

Shaqiri is too gifted to be consigned to a bit-part role. He has proved those who doubted him before he arrived at Liverpool wrong but he’s still some way from fulfilling his true potential.

The stage is set for Shaqiri to kick on.

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Interesting to note the larger signings (£10m+) that some non-rich clubs have made this summer:

 

Youri Tielemans to Leicester - £40m

Kostas Manolas to Napoli - £32m

Ayoze Perez to Leicester - £30m

Raúl Jiménez to Wolves - £30m

Kerem Demirbay to Bayer Leverkeusen - £28m

Leo Spinazzola to Roma - £26m

Tyrone Mings to Villa – 26m

Jules Koundé to Sevilla - £22m

Thorgan Hazard to Dortmund – £22m

Ademola Lookman to Leipzig - £22m

Thiago Mendes to Lyon - £22m

Nico Schulz to Dortmund - £22m

Jean-Philippe Gbamin to Everton - £22m

Joachim Anderson to Lyon - £21m

Valentino Lazaro to Inter - £19m

Danny Ings to Southampton - £18m

Raúl de Tomás to Benfica - £18m

Matteo Politano to Inter - £18m

Dodi Lukebakio to Hertha Berlin - £18m

Luis Muriel to Atalanta - £16m

Manuel Lazzari to Lazio - £15m

Yusuf Yazici to Lille - £15m

Matt Targett to Villa - £14m

Moussa Djenapo to Southampton - £14m

Simone Zaza to Torino - £14m

Denis Suárez to Celta Vigo - £13m

Arnaut Danjuma to Bournemouth - £13m

Joan Jordán to Sevilla - £13m

Munas Dabbur to Sevilla - £13m

Ozan Kabak to Schalke04 - £13m

Diego Carlos to Sevilla - £13m

Leander Dendoncker to Wolves - £12m

Lucas Ocampos to Sevilla - £11m

Marvelous Nakamba to Villa - £11m

Jay Rodriguez to Burnley - £10m

Pedro Neto to Wolves - £10m

Lys Mousset to Sheff United - £10m

Victor Osimhen to Lille - £10m

Martin Hinteregger to E Frankfurt - £10m

Hannes Wolf to RB Leipzig - £10m

 

Great value signings this summer…

Luciano Vietto to Sporting - £6m

Nadiem Amiri to B Leverkeusen - £10m

Maxi Gómez to Valencia - £13m

Bruma to PSV - £13m

Quincy Promes to Ajax - £14m

Philip Billing to Bournemouth - £15m

Allan Saint-Maximin to Newcastle - £16m

Nabil Fekir to Betis - £17m

Julian Brandt to Dortmund - £22m

André Gomes to Everton - £22m

 

Raised an eyebrow at…

Alexander Isak to Real Sociedad - £7m

Óliver Torres to Sevilla - £10m

Luuk de Jong to Sevilla - £11m

Mbaye Niang to Rennes - £13m

Marcus Thuram to B Monchengladbach - £10m

Dario Benedetto to Marseille - £14m

Jasper Cillessen to Valencia – £26m

Pau Lopez to Roma - £23m

Emil Audero to Sampdoria - £17m

 

Be gamble aware…

Sebastian Haller to West Ham - £40m

Joelinton to Newcastle to £40m

Rafael Leão to Milan - £32m

Moise Kean to Everton - £29m

Pablo Fornals to West Ham - £24m

Wesley Moraes to Villa - £22m

Neal Maupay to Brighton - £20m

Adam Webster to Brighton - £20m

Oli McBurnie to Sheff United - £18m

Patrick Cutrone to Wolves - £16m

Che Adams to Southampton - £15m

Leandro Trossard to Brighton - £15m

Douglas Luiz to Villa - £15m

Lloyd Kelly to Bournemouth - £13m

Ezri Konsa to Villa - £12m

 

 

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43 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

They're copying Monaco. In fact, their Director of Football is the same one Monaco had when they bought and sold all those gems a couple years ago. 

Interesting, thanks.

 

When smaller clubs throw money around, it makes me sit-up and take notice.  They're usually buying the lads that will be found lacking, or will go on to become the £50m+ targets of next season.

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1 hour ago, Colonel Bumcunt said:

Interesting to note the larger signings (£10m+) that some non-rich clubs have made this summer:

 

Youri Tielemans to Leicester - £40m

Kostas Manolas to Napoli - £32m

Ayoze Perez to Leicester - £30m

Raúl Jiménez to Wolves - £30m

Kerem Demirbay to Bayer Leverkeusen - £28m

Leo Spinazzola to Roma - £26m

Tyrone Mings to Villa – 26m

Jules Koundé to Sevilla - £22m

Thorgan Hazard to Dortmund – £22m

Ademola Lookman to Leipzig - £22m

Thiago Mendes to Lyon - £22m

Nico Schulz to Dortmund - £22m

Jean-Philippe Gbamin to Everton - £22m

Joachim Anderson to Lyon - £21m

Valentino Lazaro to Inter - £19m

Danny Ings to Southampton - £18m

Raúl de Tomás to Benfica - £18m

Matteo Politano to Inter - £18m

Dodi Lukebakio to Hertha Berlin - £18m

Luis Muriel to Atalanta - £16m

Manuel Lazzari to Lazio - £15m

Yusuf Yazici to Lille - £15m

Matt Targett to Villa - £14m

Moussa Djenapo to Southampton - £14m

Simone Zaza to Torino - £14m

Denis Suárez to Celta Vigo - £13m

Arnaut Danjuma to Bournemouth - £13m

Joan Jordán to Sevilla - £13m

Munas Dabbur to Sevilla - £13m

Ozan Kabak to Schalke04 - £13m

Diego Carlos to Sevilla - £13m

Leander Dendoncker to Wolves - £12m

Lucas Ocampos to Sevilla - £11m

Marvelous Nakamba to Villa - £11m

Jay Rodriguez to Burnley - £10m

Pedro Neto to Wolves - £10m

Lys Mousset to Sheff United - £10m

Victor Osimhen to Lille - £10m

Martin Hinteregger to E Frankfurt - £10m

Hannes Wolf to RB Leipzig - £10m

 

Great value signings this summer…

Luciano Vietto to Sporting - £6m

Nadiem Amiri to B Leverkeusen - £10m

Maxi Gómez to Valencia - £13m

Bruma to PSV - £13m

Quincy Promes to Ajax - £14m

Philip Billing to Bournemouth - £15m

Allan Saint-Maximin to Newcastle - £16m

Nabil Fekir to Betis - £17m

Julian Brandt to Dortmund - £22m

André Gomes to Everton - £22m

 

Raised an eyebrow at…

Alexander Isak to Real Sociedad - £7m

Óliver Torres to Sevilla - £10m

Luuk de Jong to Sevilla - £11m

Mbaye Niang to Rennes - £13m

Marcus Thuram to B Monchengladbach - £10m

Dario Benedetto to Marseille - £14m

Jasper Cillessen to Valencia – £26m

Pau Lopez to Roma - £23m

Emil Audero to Sampdoria - £17m

 

Be gamble aware…

Sebastian Haller to West Ham - £40m

Joelinton to Newcastle to £40m

Rafael Leão to Milan - £32m

Moise Kean to Everton - £29m

Pablo Fornals to West Ham - £24m

Wesley Moraes to Villa - £22m

Neal Maupay to Brighton - £20m

Adam Webster to Brighton - £20m

Oli McBurnie to Sheff United - £18m

Patrick Cutrone to Wolves - £16m

Che Adams to Southampton - £15m

Leandro Trossard to Brighton - £15m

Douglas Luiz to Villa - £15m

Lloyd Kelly to Bournemouth - £13m

Ezri Konsa to Villa - £12m

 

 

Sebastian Haller to West Ham could be the signing of the summer for me will be interesting to see how he gets on in prem league.

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If these tightarse yank twats aren't willing to spend big, at least get Coutinho back on loan. Going into the new season without improving the squad whatsoever is massively risky and frankly a disgrace, considering all that we had achieved last season. We should be building on last season's achievements, not going backwards. Wake up FSG, you fucking idiots.

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3 hours ago, Barry Wom said:

Nowhere did I mention skint. I said the budget was spent. 2 entirely different things. I think we're loaded, but we have no intention of allowing wages to go above whatever the line is fsg have drawn. This is not a sporting venture for fsg, it's a business venture in sport. 

Right, got you.

 

When you said 'no money available' i thought like someone thinks about a sporting venture.....i.e. no money available = skint.

 

When i now see you were talking about no money available = owners won't release funds for spending.

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2 hours ago, viRdjil said:

They did. The easiest thing to do would’ve been to move on to another target IMO.

Not once we'd already tapped him up. We pretty much confessed with that press statement we did. If soton's demand for them not to continue with their complaint was us to sit tight, pay the 20m tax and wait a window, that's what we'd have to do. That's better than a window ban or a points deduction. We'd only just been done at kids level about then. 

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Given the fee being mentioned for Dybala, I am amazed that neither us or City aren't in for him.

 

World class player and would be a great addition to our team/bench. The fact he is being bombed out of Juve for nothing more than a decentish player like Lukaku would make even more determined to hit the ground running. Of course, it could also indicate he's a bit of a knobhead.

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28 minutes ago, Baltar said:

If these tightarse yank twats aren't willing to spend big, at least get Coutinho back on loan. Going into the new season without improving the squad whatsoever is massively risky and frankly a disgrace, considering all that we had achieved last season. We should be building on last season's achievements, not going backwards. Wake up FSG, you fucking idiots.

I was in the car earlier and talksport were claiming coutinho has turned down spurs. Maybe he is holding out for us. It reminds me a bit of the Michael Owen move back all those years ago and Owen shit his pants and jumped at the 1st offer that Madrid accepted as his motivating factor was his England place. 

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Nat Phillips off on loan to Stuttgart for the season - offal.

 

Nathaniel Phillips has today signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool and immediately joined German side VfB Stuttgart on a season’s loan.

 

The 22-year-old, who has been with the Reds for the past three seasons, inked the new deal at Melwood before agreeing terms on a switch that will see him spend the duration of the 2019-20 campaign with the 2. Bundesliga team.

 

Phillips has yet to make his senior competitive debut for Liverpool but was part of Jürgen Klopp’s squad for the pre-season tour of the United States last month.

 

Stuttgart have claimed four points from their first two league matches this term

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2 hours ago, Colonel Bumcunt said:

Interesting to note the larger signings (£10m+) that some non-rich clubs have made this summer:

 

Youri Tielemans to Leicester - £40m

Kostas Manolas to Napoli - £32m

Ayoze Perez to Leicester - £30m

Raúl Jiménez to Wolves - £30m

Kerem Demirbay to Bayer Leverkeusen - £28m

Leo Spinazzola to Roma - £26m

Tyrone Mings to Villa – 26m

Jules Koundé to Sevilla - £22m

Thorgan Hazard to Dortmund – £22m

Ademola Lookman to Leipzig - £22m

Thiago Mendes to Lyon - £22m

Nico Schulz to Dortmund - £22m

Jean-Philippe Gbamin to Everton - £22m

Joachim Anderson to Lyon - £21m

Valentino Lazaro to Inter - £19m

Danny Ings to Southampton - £18m

Raúl de Tomás to Benfica - £18m

Matteo Politano to Inter - £18m

Dodi Lukebakio to Hertha Berlin - £18m

Luis Muriel to Atalanta - £16m

Manuel Lazzari to Lazio - £15m

Yusuf Yazici to Lille - £15m

Matt Targett to Villa - £14m

Moussa Djenapo to Southampton - £14m

Simone Zaza to Torino - £14m

Denis Suárez to Celta Vigo - £13m

Arnaut Danjuma to Bournemouth - £13m

Joan Jordán to Sevilla - £13m

Munas Dabbur to Sevilla - £13m

Ozan Kabak to Schalke04 - £13m

Diego Carlos to Sevilla - £13m

Leander Dendoncker to Wolves - £12m

Lucas Ocampos to Sevilla - £11m

Marvelous Nakamba to Villa - £11m

Jay Rodriguez to Burnley - £10m

Pedro Neto to Wolves - £10m

Lys Mousset to Sheff United - £10m

Victor Osimhen to Lille - £10m

Martin Hinteregger to E Frankfurt - £10m

Hannes Wolf to RB Leipzig - £10m

 

Great value signings this summer…

Luciano Vietto to Sporting - £6m

Nadiem Amiri to B Leverkeusen - £10m

Maxi Gómez to Valencia - £13m

Bruma to PSV - £13m

Quincy Promes to Ajax - £14m

Philip Billing to Bournemouth - £15m

Allan Saint-Maximin to Newcastle - £16m

Nabil Fekir to Betis - £17m

Julian Brandt to Dortmund - £22m

André Gomes to Everton - £22m

 

Raised an eyebrow at…

Alexander Isak to Real Sociedad - £7m

Óliver Torres to Sevilla - £10m

Luuk de Jong to Sevilla - £11m

Mbaye Niang to Rennes - £13m

Marcus Thuram to B Monchengladbach - £10m

Dario Benedetto to Marseille - £14m

Jasper Cillessen to Valencia – £26m

Pau Lopez to Roma - £23m

Emil Audero to Sampdoria - £17m

 

Be gamble aware…

Sebastian Haller to West Ham - £40m

Joelinton to Newcastle to £40m

Rafael Leão to Milan - £32m

Moise Kean to Everton - £29m

Pablo Fornals to West Ham - £24m

Wesley Moraes to Villa - £22m

Neal Maupay to Brighton - £20m

Adam Webster to Brighton - £20m

Oli McBurnie to Sheff United - £18m

Patrick Cutrone to Wolves - £16m

Che Adams to Southampton - £15m

Leandro Trossard to Brighton - £15m

Douglas Luiz to Villa - £15m

Lloyd Kelly to Bournemouth - £13m

Ezri Konsa to Villa - £12m

 

 

That's a long-winded dig at Everton, unless I'm much mistaken!

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27 minutes ago, Barry Wom said:

Not once we'd already tapped him up. We pretty much confessed with that press statement we did. If soton's demand for them not to continue with their complaint was us to sit tight, pay the 20m tax and wait a window, that's what we'd have to do. That's better than a window ban or a points deduction. We'd only just been done at kids level about then. 

But they already submitted their complaint to the PL? So the league could’ve taken action against us there and then. Not sure what would’ve been in it for Southampton to arrange  that complex scenario. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just ask for the premium that summer?

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