January 2024 Transfer Thread

[TD_LFC]

You're underestimating the impact a back up left centre back not getting games because VVD is playing can have.

[Scott_M]

23 minutes ago, Jairzinho said:

 

You say that like you're not looking forward to making 500 posts in this thread in defence of the owners over this month.

If you mean pointing gaping holes in some of the ridiculous posts that will be made, then I’m hoping for over 1k.

[an tha]

1 hour ago, Babb'sBurstNad said:

 

Come on mate, Thiago? That's not just a low bar, it's positively subterranean.

 

My sister's played more than Thiago in 2023, and she can barely walk, has had spinal surgery, oh, and doesn't play football.

 

Anyway, if we were after a Brentford forward I reckon Mbuemo would suit more.

Oh i hear you...but it was a deliberate comparison....plenty of people think Thiago will just walk back into our side and be boss after he has barely kicked a ball for not far off 12 months and has bits falling off him....Yet at same time people say Toney will be fucked because he has missed months banned.

[Megadrive Man]

20 minutes ago, SasaS said:

I feel that unlike in the summer when most of us panicked a bit at one point or another with all the crazy things that were going on, this is hardly the window to get too worked up about. If City go on one of their habitual winning runs, I don't feel there is much we can do in January window to prevent it. I don't expect us to do anything, if we do bring in someone useful, great. I expect us to be looking at long term targets now.  It's not great for the thread and the forum, but it is what it is.

 

 

 

We are always looking at long term targets though.

 

The reality is that we are top of the league and have a chance to win it now, so we should be doing everything we can to win it this season. Salah will almost certainly be sold in the summer, we will be back in the Champions League next year which makes things harder as we can't rest players midweek too.

 

The time is now, but if we don't bring in a couple of players in January we are very unlikely to win the league this season.

[Scott_M]

27 minutes ago, an tha said:

Oh i hear you...but it was a deliberate comparison....plenty of people think Thiago will just walk back into our side and be boss after he has barely kicked a ball for not far off 12 months and has bits falling off him....Yet at same time people say Toney will be fucked because he has missed months banned.

I’ve not said that. I’m not sure anybody has. If Klopp thinks he’ll be available to play during the remainder of the season, we we’ll be looking to use him and won’t be addressing the position. 
 

I don’t expect him to come back at the end of January and start spraying it about like the 4-0 v the mancs. 
 

I hope he can ease himself back in with cameos here and there and contribute properly in the last months of the season. 
 

It clearly isn’t ideal and he’s been out far longer than most would have liked. We’ve obviously done incredibly well without him, I doubt we’ll be replacing him in January. 
 

The issue with Toney and Thiago is talent wise, Thiago is a world class footballer and Toney is just good. 

[Barrington Womble]

1 hour ago, SasaS said:

I feel that unlike in the summer when most of us panicked a bit at one point or another with all the crazy things that were going on, this is hardly the window to get too worked up about. If City go on one of their habitual winning runs, I don't feel there is much we can do in January window to prevent it. I don't expect us to do anything, if we do bring in someone useful, great. I expect us to be looking at long term targets now.  It's not great for the thread and the forum, but it is what it is.

 

 

And what if city don't go on a crazy run and just go on a decent run, dropping some points along the way? This is a season where it looks like they can't hit a stupid total, so we should be doing everything we can to get as close to 90 points, which will probably win it. In fact it would be a surprise if it needed quite that many from here. 

 

City are exactly half way through their games and are on 40 points. They still have to come to us and we have a good record at anfield against them. The maximum points they can hit is 97, winning their remaining 19 games. Which means to hit 90 points they could only draw 2 and lose one for the rest of the season. This league is winnable, but the squad is on its arse and we're about to lose 2 of our mainstays of the last month for a.month and now have Kostas on the long term list, which stretches the defence with only 4.5 players fit. And we have a league cup semi double header and the arsenal cup game, which will impact the legs of the players who are available. And I'm assuming we'll want to win one if not both of the cup ties. 

 

We've 2 players who are effectively finished with us as their contracts are done in the summer and one won't play agaon this season and the other hasn't played at all yet, being about a month away from fitness since the first training session of pre-season. We just need to bite the bullet and bring forward planned purchases for the summer to replace the pair. It's not a massive financial risk or exposure. But it might just help us pinch one or two more points that could make all the difference over the 18 games we'll have after today. 

 

If we're serious about winning titles, the squad will get some support this month. If we're happy to sit back and let city win the title while we're just content to be back in the CL, we won't. 

[No2]

35 minutes ago, an tha said:

Oh i hear you...but it was a deliberate comparison....plenty of people think Thiago will just walk back into our side and be boss after he has barely kicked a ball for not far off 12 months and has bits falling off him....Yet at same time people say Toney will be fucked because he has missed months banned.

I'd be surprised if anyone in his family even thinks that. What he is though is wonderful footballer, he's a potential bonus for us that even City don't have. If we can get a dozen 15/20 minute cameos out of him that is a huge thing.

[Barrington Womble]

3 minutes ago, No2 said:

I'd be surprised if anyone in his family even thinks that. What he is though is wonderful footballer, he's a potential bonus for us that even City don't have. If we can get a dozen 15/20 minute cameos out of him that is a huge thing.

If all we're banking on out of thiago is 240 minutes for the rest of the season (less than 3 full games), let's bring his replacement in now and still take those 240 mins if he can actually remain fit. 

[El Dangerous]

Checks thread activity and sees a couple of moaners and Scott repeatedly moaning about the moaners. Must be transfer season.

[an tha]

15 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

I’ve not said that. I’m not sure anybody has. If Klopp thinks he’ll be available to play during the remainder of the season, we we’ll be looking to use him and won’t be addressing the position. 
 

I don’t expect him to come back at the end of January and start spraying it about like the 4-0 v the mancs. 
 

I hope he can ease himself back in with cameos here and there and contribute properly in the last months of the season. 
 

It clearly isn’t ideal and he’s been out far longer than most would have liked. We’ve obviously done incredibly well without him, I doubt we’ll be replacing him in January. 
 

The issue with Toney and Thiago is talent wise, Thiago is a world class footballer and Toney is just good. 

It wasn't specifically aimed at anyone - just an observation of general opinion not just here but amongst people i know and elsewhere online.

 

 

[No2]

9 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

If all we're banking on out of thiago is 240 minutes for the rest of the season (less than 3 full games), let's bring his replacement in now and still take those 240 mins if he can actually remain fit. 

Would his replacement play a whole more than that? That's if he is even being replaced, we have been conditioned into thinking we need dozens of midfielders, we don't, we just need 6 or 7 that stay fit. With a proper number 6 definitely required that will give us 8, of which Bajcetic and Jones could be described as less than durable but no where near Naby, Ox, Thiago levels.

 

There is a much bigger case to be made for getting Matip's replacement. 

[BeefStroganoff]

24 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

And what if city don't go on a crazy run and just go on a decent run, dropping some points along the way? This is a season where it looks like they can't hit a stupid total, so we should be doing everything we can to get as close to 90 points, which will probably win it. In fact it would be a surprise if it needed quite that many from here. 

 

City are exactly half way through their games and are on 40 points. They still have to come to us and we have a good record at anfield against them. The maximum points they can hit is 97, winning their remaining 19 games. Which means to hit 90 points they could only draw 2 and lose one for the rest of the season. This league is winnable, but the squad is on its arse and we're about to lose 2 of our mainstays of the last month for a.month and now have Kostas on the long term list, which stretches the defence with only 4.5 players fit. And we have a league cup semi double header and the arsenal cup game, which will impact the legs of the players who are available. And I'm assuming we'll want to win one if not both of the cup ties. 

 

We've 2 players who are effectively finished with us as their contracts are done in the summer and one won't play agaon this season and the other hasn't played at all yet, being about a month away from fitness since the first training session of pre-season. We just need to bite the bullet and bring forward planned purchases for the summer to replace the pair. It's not a massive financial risk or exposure. But it might just help us pinch one or two more points that could make all the difference over the 18 games we'll have after today. 

 

If we're serious about winning titles, the squad will get some support this month. If we're happy to sit back and let city win the title while we're just content to be back in the CL, we won't. 

Top post.

 

If we aren’t here to win the biggest pots what’s the point?

 

City are beatable. What constantly does us in is falling short through injury and tiredness because we never have a squad big enough to cope. The last month has seen us have half a subs bench of kids who let’s face it will never make it here.

[Strontium]

Panic over, the left-back is sorted

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67857808

[AHA]

[sir roger]

I can just about accept the midfield and forwards being left, but it would feel like an admittance of non-interest in winning trophies to not look at a top class left sided centre back in January. Of our four CB's available, two are injury prone, one is not tested at this level and one of the injury prone lads is first choice cover on both flanks. 

[Elite]

I think we're turning Japanese I really think so.

[sir roger]

Are we applying the ' gerbil theory ' to Endo, now ?

[Daisy]

Cunts 

[Carvalho Diablo]

8 minutes ago, AHA said:

 

Like him. Big lad, good age, plays with his eyes wide open, switched on, mature.

 

First impressions are that he reminds me of Sami Hyypia.

 

[3 Stacks]

41 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

And what if city don't go on a crazy run and just go on a decent run, dropping some points along the way? This is a season where it looks like they can't hit a stupid total, so we should be doing everything we can to get as close to 90 points, which will probably win it. In fact it would be a surprise if it needed quite that many from here. 

 

City are exactly half way through their games and are on 40 points. They still have to come to us and we have a good record at anfield against them. The maximum points they can hit is 97, winning their remaining 19 games. Which means to hit 90 points they could only draw 2 and lose one for the rest of the season. This league is winnable, but the squad is on its arse and we're about to lose 2 of our mainstays of the last month for a.month and now have Kostas on the long term list, which stretches the defence with only 4.5 players fit. And we have a league cup semi double header and the arsenal cup game, which will impact the legs of the players who are available. And I'm assuming we'll want to win one if not both of the cup ties. 

 

We've 2 players who are effectively finished with us as their contracts are done in the summer and one won't play agaon this season and the other hasn't played at all yet, being about a month away from fitness since the first training session of pre-season. We just need to bite the bullet and bring forward planned purchases for the summer to replace the pair. It's not a massive financial risk or exposure. But it might just help us pinch one or two more points that could make all the difference over the 18 games we'll have after today. 

 

If we're serious about winning titles, the squad will get some support this month. If we're happy to sit back and let city win the title while we're just content to be back in the CL, we won't. 

That's not how this works, though, this "if the club are serious, they'll do something" thing.

 

People joke we never buy in Jan, yet the opposite is true, and it's rarely about need, it's about getting players the club have been following for a while.

 

 

[AHA]

5 minutes ago, Carvalho Diablo said:

 

Like him. Big lad, good age, plays with his eyes wide open, switched on, mature.

 

First impressions are that he reminds me of Sami Hyypia.

 

Having watched that the thing that stands out his is positioning. Seems to always be in the right place for interceptions.

[SasaS]

47 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

And what if city don't go on a crazy run and just go on a decent run, dropping some points along the way? This is a season where it looks like they can't hit a stupid total, so we should be doing everything we can to get as close to 90 points, which will probably win it. In fact it would be a surprise if it needed quite that many from here. 

 

City are exactly half way through their games and are on 40 points. They still have to come to us and we have a good record at anfield against them. The maximum points they can hit is 97, winning their remaining 19 games. Which means to hit 90 points they could only draw 2 and lose one for the rest of the season. This league is winnable, but the squad is on its arse and we're about to lose 2 of our mainstays of the last month for a.month and now have Kostas on the long term list, which stretches the defence with only 4.5 players fit. And we have a league cup semi double header and the arsenal cup game, which will impact the legs of the players who are available. And I'm assuming we'll want to win one if not both of the cup ties. 

 

We've 2 players who are effectively finished with us as their contracts are done in the summer and one won't play agaon this season and the other hasn't played at all yet, being about a month away from fitness since the first training session of pre-season. We just need to bite the bullet and bring forward planned purchases for the summer to replace the pair. It's not a massive financial risk or exposure. But it might just help us pinch one or two more points that could make all the difference over the 18 games we'll have after today. 

 

If we're serious about winning titles, the squad will get some support this month. If we're happy to sit back and let city win the title while we're just content to be back in the CL, we won't. 

 

I don't see any meaningful support out there that we can bring in and expect to have instant impact with respect to what we have available now. It doesn't look like we are in a position to replace anybody from our 14 or 15 top players with an affordable January signing.

[AHA]

Looks like we’ve brought Owen Beck back so doubt we’ll be buying a left back.

[Elite]

1 minute ago, AHA said:

Looks like we’ve brought Owen Beck back so doubt we’ll be buying a left back.

He won't get a game, he'll be left Beck in the changing room.

[Barrington Womble]

25 minutes ago, No2 said:

Would his replacement play a whole more than that? That's if he is even being replaced, we have been conditioned into thinking we need dozens of midfielders, we don't, we just need 6 or 7 that stay fit. With a proper number 6 definitely required that will give us 8, of which Bajcetic and Jones could be described as less than durable but no where near Naby, Ox, Thiago levels.

 

There is a much bigger case to be made for getting Matip's replacement. 

 

Bajcetic is nothing to do with anything. He's a boy who's played a couple of games in form crisis and then never been seen again because of injury. The way we play, we need 5 midfielders in every game, because 2 will always get 20-30 from the bench if available. The game has changed with 5 subs. 6 midfielders (which in my opinion is the current squad, endo, macca, Dom, Elliot, Jones and gravenberch) is 2 light, a real midfielder and a.kid in bajcetic's mould be can actually be considered for selection.

 

If you see my previous post, I am absolutely clear we should be replacing matip and thiago now. 

 

21 minutes ago, Strontium said:

Panic over, the left-back is sorted

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67857808

 

Well that's a relief. 

 

2 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

That's not how this works, though, this "if the club are serious, they'll do something" thing.

 

People joke we never buy in Jan, yet the opposite is true, and it's rarely about need, it's about getting players the club have been following for a while.

 

 

It doesn't work like that? Are you 12? No business in the world, sporting or otherwise, believes the only solution to recruitment is long term strategic decisions. The world does not work like that. Sometimes you are faced with a challenge and you make a decision to spend tactically to get your goals or not spend and just hope for the best. Most businesses, unless in dire financial need, do not go for the "fingers crossed" approach. It's not a failure to need to go out of budget to solve a problem. Budgets are just targets, not unmovable constraints. The failure is being unable to identify a problem or identifying it and being unable to respond. 

 

You don't get many chances to win a league. Even moreso with cheats. Nobody thought we'd go 30 years, arsenal would go 20 and the mancs 10 last time they won one. When the chance presents itself you do everything you can to win it, well you do if winning is your target.