Liverpool quad talks begin as Reds buy 'best player on market'

It’s fair to say that Liverpool fans are giddy about Florian Wirtz and their summer transfers, even if rival fans want to remind them of Chelsea.

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Apologies Richard Hughes

I’m not sure how many contributors write in to offer an apology, but after a scorching (and hungover) Sunday morning run while catching up on podcasts, I feel I owe Liverpool’s Director of Football, Richard Hughes, a sincere one. So Richard, I apologise for doubting you. Not that you’d care one jot.

It’s now clear that far from being paralysed with fear à la Roy Hodgson, that you, along with Michael Edwards and the data team have been meticulously laying the groundwork for what might turn out to be our most significant transfer window in six years, if not ever.

I’m absolutely astonished we’ve landed Wirtz, the best player on the market this year. Like many fans, I’m dying to know what Arne Slot said to convince him to choose Anfield. Over pints at the pub this weekend, a few mates and I concluded it might’ve just been three simple words: “My Bobby Firmino.”

On top of that, the potential replacements of Trent, Robbo, Diaz, and Alisson with Wirtz, Frimpong, Kerkez, and Mamardashvili drop the average age of our starting XI from 26.7 to 24.3. That’s no small feat, and it’s been done quickly and quietly.

Now, I can’t wrap this up without a gentle jab at our rivals.

I love how certain respected journalists continue to cozy up to Sir Alex Ferguson by framing the signings of Cunha and possibly Mbeumo as proof Man United still have pulling power. Hmm. Back in SAF’s day, they’d have been in for Wirtz and prising Nico Williams out of Spain. Now, they’re celebrating buying the best player from a side that finished below them, who spent 77.6% of the season walking (for comparison, VVD was 76%). Oh, and he gets a 67% pay rise for the privilege. It’s not quite taking Margot Robbie home!!

As for Arsenal, their current blend of self-righteousness and transfer window anxiety is best summed up not by me, but by Paddy Power’s Instagram feed. Nothing I write here could possibly top that.

And to Manchester (115) City and Chelsea, enjoy being pawns in Infantino’s U.S. experiment while Salah, Mac Allister, and Gravenberch are recovering on a beach somewhere. I’m sure playing in 35°C heat all July will have zero effect on your squad fitness come spring.

Warmest regards,

Ian H – A humbled and now quite optimistic Liverpool fan

MAILBOX: Liverpool not firm PL title favourites due to four concerns as ‘new Havertz’ Wirtz faces Sancho repeat

Nobody wins the transfer window

A few days ago, another reader wrote in claiming the Club World Cup was going to be the second-best club tournament in the world – after berating English fans as being biased against the tournament and lauding the teams (South American) who were taking it seriously. Ironic that he didn’t consider that those same teams might consider their equivalent of the Champions League – the Copa Libertadores – as either the best or, at worst, second-best club competition. No?

Of course, being mid-season probably helps those clubs – still early enough in their season, they are fresh, while having a chance to gel as a team. Compared to those from Europe who have played non-stop for almost 11 months, and with the international break and bedding in new players, it will take a game or two to get back up to speed. Notwithstanding the heat they are dealing with.

On that topic. I am reading about how baseball players are throwing up, needing to be withdrawn, and requiring misting and hydration stations to survive games. And this is in a sport that doesn’t require the same level of endurance, stamina, and cardiovascular exertion. Of course, this was all predictable. Not a great portent for next year’s World Cup. Not sure what’s worse though, all the fawning over the competition by pundits, totally ignoring all the issues or the competition itself.

Lastly, no one wins a transfer window. It’s exciting when new players are brought in. I get it. But if past transfer windows are any gauge…just recently, Chelsea acquired 12 players in 2023, including Jackson, Palmer, Caicado and Lavia, with many Chelsea fans lauding ‘winning’ Caicedo and Lavia over Liverpool. But Liverpool did better during that season and the following year won the league with just one signing to Chelsea’s 10 signings.

Some assumptions around Liverpool doing well are for signings that haven’t yet happened but might happen. And what if any of those new guys, particularly Wirtz gets injured? Frimpong is not a like-for-like exchange for TAA, and his defending stats are actually worse. Kerkez isn’t a Liverpool player yet, and Wirtz still has to be slotted (pun intended) into the current team without disrupting what worked well last season.

The point is, there is a long way to go. City and Chelsea have a chance to get some early pre-season in for new players, as they are going to have a shorter traditional pre-season.

For United fans bemoaning little transfer action so far, it isn’t just related to the quality of the management team in place (which is poor to be fair) but the fact that once you drop down a level, have no Champions League draw card and have to reduce the wage budget – as the past overpaying for mediocre players takes its toll – means waiting until the ‘big boys’ have had their pick of the crop.

While things could be turned around – as other teams have shown – picking an only-one-way-to-play manager, playing a style that doesn’t suit most of the current squad and hasn’t shown itself to be that effective, was probably the worst decision the club could have made at this point. He’s not a draw card either. So while I said there’s no winning a transfer season, Utd are going to show the downside of being the ‘second best’ in this case.

Paul McDevitt

Buy-back craic

Interesting article on Liverpool buy back clauses.

Maybe clubs sometimes use them to make the player more desirable knowing they’re never coming back?

Aidan, Lfc (either a really stupid or obvious point – I’m prone to both)

Big up yourselves and leave Liverpool flop talk

Whilst there’s not much football to watch. although the U21’s game was a good watch (why do they keep losing the ball 30/40 yards from goal!} and the CWC is a grossly inflated pre-season friendly tournament, the mailbox and comments section are dominated by talk of transfers and next season.

There are always people who treat all supporters of other teams with petty prejudices and outlandish generalisations, there also exists a large group of people who I would say is far more common and exemplifies an awful lot of fans, it’s the “it’s more important you fail, than we succeed” band.

All teams will spend or have spent money in the belief that there squad will be improved, some clubs will sell their prized assets but will aim to re-invest this in other hidden gems. And yet, rather than talk up their team’s chances of a better season than last, a large number of people are fixated on the potential “flops” of their rivals.

Man City have spent in excess of £400mil since the turn of the year and have signed a fabulous forward from the Bundesliga, the “midfielder of the season” from Serie A, a French “wonderkid” and some others at around the £40mil mark. Chelsea have bought a centre forward who may able to stay on the pitch for more than four minutes. Arsenal are seeking the mythical “centre forward” that has cost them the last three titles and a world class DM to allow Declan Rice to flourish. Even ManU look to have upgraded on their mis-firing forward line and are not finished yet.

Despite this, quite a number seem pre-occupied with talking about how much Liverpool’s signings may “flop”. The fact that last season’s champions have (to use comments from last season) replaced a right back who can’t defend, an over the hill left back, signed a creative ball playing midfielder/forward to replace their non creative, non goalscoring, stagnant midfield and appear to be keen to add a centre forward to replace their megaflop and possibly strengthen their centre back options, would worry me immensely if I supported any other team.

I know people will/can be ridiculed if they make big statements (e.g. the title is won already) but surely any “normal” supporter should be saying, “our signings have made us better, our signings will mean we will do better than last season”, otherwise, what’s the point, talk about your team, your hopes and dreams, don’t tie yourself up in knots wishing others to fail, embrace your own possibilities!

Unfortunately this is not new, many (many) years ago, I asked a friend who supported a team in blue what his hopes were for the coming season, his initial response was, “I hope you don’t win anything”!

Howard (is the quad on?) Jones

England have missed an Under-21 trick

Presumably every team in the U21 tournament has players in the FIFA Club Cup or in their own senior teams. The teams are all under strengthen in comparison to the actual eligible players. Spain are not fielding Yamal for example. So the results of the tournament are not exactly one-to-one match ups with World Cup or Euro results.

But there’s obviously something qualitative that happens to dip between the U21 and senior England teams. Not just the inevitable drop off subtracting merely talented footballers with the absolute top of approximately 24 players remaining. Have the U21 players simply got things to prove still and peak as teens? While the senior players are just maintaining earned privileged status and a lavish mortgage?

The game is also trending young btw. Especially with the Mbappe example of 2018 World Cup which he’s not repeated once he got the fame and big salary. Yamal wins the Euros at 16-17 and may be on the same trajectory as Mbappe, not likely to repeat the international feats of his teen years in his 20s.

Historically European players are said to peak around 26-27 blending their gifts with hard won experience. Recent international football results have been produced by fast fast running teenagers who cheekily trounce slightly older men.

Delaying the use of Palmer or Gordon, while keeping n the slightly more senior Saka or Rice for example, in the last tournament might have cost Southgate his trophy.

Dan McG LFC

Carsley for England

Please can someone explain why Lee Carsley is not the England manager. We have learned over many years that big name managers don’t work, and Lee has proven himself time and time again that he knows how to manage an international team.

Great work on Saturday night.

Rob

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