Summer 2023 Transfer Thread

[an tha]

We can't be 'done' in midfield, we just can't be.

 

The current situation for example just 2 games in and we are absolutely threadbare in midfield with 3 players currently injured and 1 suspended - ok 2 of those injuries are long term, but that in itself is a challenge - players who have not kicked a ball in anger since March/April need time to get up to speed once they are available and need to be managed carefully - especially when one is a permacrock anyway.

 

Jones still has it all to prove availability and fitness wise too - we simply can't go into a season with as thin a set of midfielders as we have - to do so is just asking for trouble, we are struggling to put a midfield out already FFS and season has barely started, hammering the square peg of Gakpo into a round hole in there.

 

 

 

[Barrington Womble]

35 minutes ago, No2 said:

I watched Onana closely yesterday, apparently he's worth 80m. He's a big donkey that puts his foot in. Klopp could turn anyone of his physical stature into an Onana in 2 months. It wouldn't be good enough though for how we play. 

 

My instinct from the few Palace games I've seen is that Decoure is no different. I'll have a gander tonight, I reckon we will all be in or out by 10pm.

the everton onana? he's not worth 80m and i don't reckon they could withstand a 40m bid in their financial position. but i have watched him quite a bit, i think he's weird and i have said it on here before. there are matches where he is absolutely awful and then there are others where he looks top class and he doesn't seem to have many games in between. or not what i see anyway. 

[YNWAViking]

Gravenberch can only be a punt right? It's quite clear Bayern might not let him go this summer. 10 more days and the window shuts. Thus Gravenberch can't be the only nr 8 we're working on. If we get him fine if not we already have bought someone else. Hopefully.

[Tenfolder]

Well if talkshite are to be believed, United are now interested in/after Gravenbach(makes sense with ETH), so thats another player that can be struck off the list if true.

[Barrington Womble]

6 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

Unless we’re not convinced at the quality / cost of the potentially available #6’s and think it would be better buying another #8 and playing Mac Allister as #6?

 

We should have c.£90m left available. Say Gravenberch takes c.£30m of that, it would be plenty left for a centre half. 
 

Not sure I’m convinced by that thinking, I’m also not convinced at spending c.£60m on Doucoure. 

 

i don't want to see us play Mac at 6. I think you have already seen from him enough to suggest he would be a belting 8 in a klopp team and looks a bit at sea as the 6. just play endo/bajcetic/thiago . endo will be a better 6 than Mac imo and we will get the best out of mac further forward. then we just need the magic injury fairy to keep them fit. 

[gkmacca]

1 hour ago, Scott_M said:

Let the fume begin…

 

 

 

…given the money is seemingly there, I’m very surprised at this. We should have another c.£90m available. It feels a very dubious decision, IMO.
 

I’d hope we can bring in another centre back. 

 

It's sad, in a sport that was once thrilled by the concept of total football, that so many fans are now fixated on players who are supposed to be so specialised you may as well mow them their own personal patch of pitch. The best thing some of those 'analsying Anfield' nerds can do for their mental health is not refer to players as numbers for a full week. Oh yes, and go and read a bloody book or two.

 

Personally, rather than have three of these boutique positional players, I'd rather see us get a player like Gravenberch, who is one of those throwback types who, shock horror, can play sort of anywhere in the midfield, and a decent defender. But let's just keep talking numbers, like the bloke in the blazer in old re-runs of The Prisoner, and I hope those who do get chased by one of those giant bouncing balloons until they crash against the cold glass walls of their own small and stuffy paradigm.

[Pidge]

Well fuck, that's a mega-pearcing. He's saved all his bullets for this one...

 

Best case, they just mean they are targeting a defender next?

Second best, they are taking the risk to get Andre in Jan. 

 

Or... We're done, which - as much as I like and am rooting for endo - isn't really good enough and shows up what a mess they've made of the summer.

 

Badly need some clear restructuring in the recruitment team. 

[TD_LFC]

Just now, Lee909 said:

Don't see a big issue. If they don't think any available are long term solutions don't spend big. Maybe they see Endo as a med/short term while Bajectic learns the role. Maybe they'll wait for Andre in january

 

Andre isn't that player either.

 

We seem to be looking at Thiago-esque  players who can dictate play and pass the ball (not saying they're all of equivalent standard) when we should be looking at a water carrier to anchor the midfield.

[Scott_M]

5 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

 

i don't want to see us play Mac at 6. I think you have already seen from him enough to suggest he would be a belting 8 in a klopp team and looks a bit at sea as the 6. just play endo/bajcetic/thiago . endo will be a better 6 than Mac imo and we will get the best out of mac further forward. then we just need the magic injury fairy to keep them fit. 

Could be because he has Gakpo next to him, who looks a bit lost as an #8? 

Fabinho looked lost at first as well. 
 

Personally, I would prefer to see Mac Allister further forwards as well.

 

I’m not sure either way. I’ll make a full assessment of whether I think c.£60m for Doucoure is good business around 10pm tonight. 

[Pidge]

Have doubts about gravenberch, just not sure he's been up for the fight of making it at Bayern. Not sure he'd have the stomach for it here either, in that case.

[Barrington Womble]

at this point it feels like Andre was just a distraction to try and move the Lavia deal. 

[TD_LFC]

9 minutes ago, gkmacca said:

Personally, rather than have three of these boutique positional players, I'd rather see us get a player like Gravenberch, who is one of those throwback types who, shock horror, can play sort of anywhere in the midfield, and a decent defender.

 

We have lots of them, infact the only players you could consider 'specialised' in our team at the moment are the goalkeepers, Tsimikas and Nunez.

 

Specialism in the throwback not players like Gravenberch.

[Scott_M]

14 minutes ago, an tha said:

We can't be 'done' in midfield, we just can't be.

 

It doesn’t say that. 

[Welsh]

I'd rather we didn't buy Docoure if that's all that's out there.

[Section_31]

A good DM is vital to this side, Mac and Slobslag will be unleashed. 

[TD_LFC]

16 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

Unless we’re not convinced at the quality / cost of the potentially available #6’s and think it would be better buying another #8 and playing Mac Allister as #6?

 

We're amassing a glut of players who would all benefit playing alongside a #6 and not actually getting the #6 for them to play alongside (Endo apart).

 

Trent, Mac Allister, Bajcetic, Thiago can all play in a double pivot alongside someone, Andre and Gravenberch the same. They would all benefit from a Fabinho type doing the donkey work for them.

[Bobby Hundreds]

Mac Allister would be wasted as the 6 it's clipping his wings and we've enough none flying birds.

[an tha]

36 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

It doesn’t say that. 

I was talking to those who are saying we are done in midfield not about the article.

 

Which is why i specifically talked about midfield as a whole as opposed to just a DM.

[Bobby Hundreds]

36 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

A good DM is vital to this side, Mac and Slobslag will be unleashed. 

Exactly we are so close  once again to not having square pegs in round holes to actually have a team that's been built and not shaped by availability. Endo is squad filler he's cover he has to be. If he's Klopps actual first choice then we need an Edwards figure back sharpish. Someone like Doucoure may not be the dream first choice but he's at a level and puts the likes of Mac Allister and Szobozlai exactly were they should be.

[El Dangerous]

It think Bajcetic is being overlooked massively here. At no point during his emergence last season when he was doing the entire leg work in midfield and showing glimpses of what he can do going forward would anyone have happily blocked his path with a £70m bid for Doucore from Palace. Feels like a bad game against Madrid and an injury has blinded some fans to what a prospect he is.

 

If Endo is able bodied and made of nails then he’s exactly the sort of player we should have signed if we’re putting our eggs in the Bajcetic basket. Also, Alex Scott hasn’t loved has he yet? Fuck it go full youth revolution.

[Megadrive Man]

Just now, El Dangerous said:

It think Bajcetic is being overlooked massively here. At no point during his emergence last season when he was doing the entire leg work in midfield and showing glimpses of what he can do going forward would anyone have happily blocked his path with a £70m bid for Doucore from Palace. Feels like a bad game against Madrid and an injury has blinded some fans to what a prospect he is.

 

If Endo is able bodied and made of nails then he’s exactly the sort of player we should have signed if we’re putting our eggs in the Bajcetic basket. Also, Alex Scott hasn’t loved has he yet? Fuck it go full youth revolution.

 

He played 11 league games last season, so it's too small a sample size. He's clearly talented but it's impossible to say if he will actually make it yet. 

 

Also Alex Scott joined Bournemouth last week.

[CapeRed]

53 minutes ago, Pidge said:

Well fuck, that's a mega-pearcing. He's saved all his bullets for this one...

 

Best case, they just mean they are targeting a defender next?

Second best, they are taking the risk to get Andre in Jan. 

 

Or... We're done, which - as much as I like and am rooting for endo - isn't really good enough and shows up what a mess they've made of the summer.

 

Badly need some clear restructuring in the recruitment team. 

I read the full article. He says that the club don’t see a need for another specialist 6 right now but they are still looking at Decoure and Gravenberch.

[CapeRed]

6 minutes ago, El Dangerous said:

It think Bajcetic is being overlooked massively here. At no point during his emergence last season when he was doing the entire leg work in midfield and showing glimpses of what he can do going forward would anyone have happily blocked his path with a £70m bid for Doucore from Palace. Feels like a bad game against Madrid and an injury has blinded some fans to what a prospect he is.

 

If Endo is able bodied and made of nails then he’s exactly the sort of player we should have signed if we’re putting our eggs in the Bajcetic basket. Also, Alex Scott hasn’t loved has he yet? Fuck it go full youth revolution.

According to Pierce Bajcetic is the reason the club are not looking at another 6.

[Bobby Hundreds]

Yet wanted Lavia as an understudy to Fabinho. Every single decision at this club seems disjointed and made with little thought. Bajcetic is a child one who we broke over playing and in my opinion one we have begun to vastly over rate and put too much pressure on because he showed more willing than the players whose legs had gone last year. He was decent and could go on to be excellent but he shouldn't even be a thought for first team premier league starts. He should be classed as a bonus we can ease in. It all boils down to the club closing it's wallet again, it always does.

[El Rojo]

11 minutes ago, Megadrive Man said:

 

He played 11 league games last season, so it's too small a sample size. He's clearly talented but it's impossible to say if he will actually make it yet. 

 

Also Alex Scott joined Bournemouth last week.

 

I'm surprised Alex Scott will be playing in the top flight - I thought he'd be happy to live off the family's Cillit Bang millions.