24 Jun 2015

'We spoke with LFC': Agent confirms £7m star 'will' play for Liverpool during pre-season

Earlier this month, multiple reports claimed that Liverpool were 'ready to hear offers' for Tiago Ilori, and with Sunderland leading the queue to sign the £7m Reds outcast, it appears that Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is willing to finally give the Portuguese youngster a chance to stake him claim at Anfield.

Last week, BBC Senior reporter Ian Dennis claimed:

"Sunderland are keen on loan move for Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori."

After two years at the club, Ilori is yet to make his competitive debut for Liverpool, but there may be hope on the horizon.

When asked this week about the young defender's future, his father (and Agent) told radio station Antena 1:

"We spoke with Liverpool last week about Tiago. They said he will have an opportunity and will go on the pre-season tour of Thailand."

He also confirmed Sunderland's ongoing interest in a transfer:

"There are other clubs interested, like Sunderland, but Sunderland is a very cold city,"

Hmmm. I'm not sure that Merseyside is much warmer than Wearside (!), but with all due respect, Liverpool is an infinitely more attractive proposition than Sunderland, and like Fabio Borini, I doubt Ilori will want a move there.

It's heartening to see that Rodgers is willing to finally give Ilori a chance. Despite the competition, there's clearly an opportunity for the young defender to come in and stake a claim.

Lovren had a nightmare debut season, and Sakho is increasingly injury prone, so if Ilori performs well during pre-season, he may have a chance of usurping both at the heart of Liverpool's defence.

It all depends on Rodgers, though: If he genuinely selects his players on merit, and not price tag, then Ilori has a chance (if he performs well).

Unfortunately, irrespective of how he performs, I can't see Rodgers dumping £38m-worth of players on the bench to accommodate Ilori.


There's also the Suso factor to consider. Last summer, the Spaniard had an excellent pre-season, but that made absolutely no difference to anything. Liverpool dumped Suso very soon after, and Ilori will probably suffer the same fate.

Liverpool fans seem to have a lot of faith in Ilori, though. A few months ago, I conducted a poll on the site asking fans whether LFC should sell the Portuguese if/when the opportunity arises.

* A whopping 84% of participants voted NO to selling Ilori.

That's an emphatic vote of confidence in the Portuguese youngster, but I don't see him staying at Anfield in the long-term.

On a related note: if Ilori is included on Liverpool's pre-season tour/s, then it's another poke in the eye for new signing Joe Gomez, who admitted in his first interview that he wants to make his debut 'as soon as possible'.

I just don't see how that's going to happen with Sakho, Skrtel, Lovren, Toure, and Ilori in the pre-season squad...

Author: Jaimie K


322 comments:

  1. When will we learn the importance of squad players and rotation? Can had to sacrifice midfield and we had to sacrifice top 4.

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  2. This story is obviously a fabricated load of manure from start to finish.

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  3. I'd rather we kept him for rotation. But I'm sure BR has his plans already, and if he's not going to get time, we better loan him out to an EPL side.

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  4. The reason why Liverpool missed out on a top four place lasat season was because a certain gentleman with a penchant for biting opponents was no longer in the team. The problem remains that without him Mr. Rodgers needs to have a tactical plan rather than just saying go and play in the school yard. This coming season Liverpool will undoubtedly struggle for exactly the same reason until Mr. R gets the sack..

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  5. Forget the negativity for the day JK, its an outstanding day for the club. In fact, I am thinking of creating an online petition to honour Ian Ayre with knighthood.

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  6. I totally agree we missed suarez in the scoring department but remember we were doing on par with united until we lost some games due to defensive errors. We still cant be using suarez s name in discussions, as any top club will lose some key players and get new ones every season,

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  7. ENGLAND UNDER 21 being hammered and yet we pay these vastly overated kids a fortune - biggest losers in World Football

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  8. Our players simply cant use both feet - Sorry but that is the reality - and I say again - Sterling would never make Argentinas third team - NEVER

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  9. Spain and France didn't even qualify, so how bad must they be?

    England knocked Spain out of the U19s a couple of weeks ago and qualified for the World Cup at the cost of Spain. So how bad must they be?

    If England are the biggest losers in world football and these other countries do even worse, how bad must they be?

    England played poorly in this game, though they have made many chances, with mistakes from players like Gibson and Chalobah who shouldn't frankly be in the side after their performances in the first two games costing them goals. They have been badly coached at the tournament. But this does not make them the biggest losers in World Football.

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  10. I think the long arm of Jaimie K is coming to get u ;)

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  11. But why on earth would he play for Argentina league or national team in the first place?

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  12. Lovren's and Sakho's price tag dictates them starting next season- how will they cope is anyone's guess, I'm positive since today, call it "Firmino factor"

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  13. May the force be with you.

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  14. He's talking about quality comparison... oh wait u were being sarcastic?

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  15. Yes, RAY also previously mentioned that Sterling wouldn't be valued more than 8mn in Argentine League. I don't know the logic behind his Argentina comparison/obsession.

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  16. Can't wait to see Lallana, Coutinho and Firmino playing together. Just need a proven Striker and our attacking problem is solved.

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  17. Forlan was a leftie, Messi predominantly a leftie, Riquelme a rightie, as was Veron- good grounds for sarcasam

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  18. Midfield of Can, Hendo and Milnerm, with those three in advanced positions- maybe we don't need a striker, Firmino can play a false nine, oh the possibilities

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  19. Should be 1st reserve behind Sakho and Skrtel. Lovren will NOT improve and we shouldn't waste time stunting the growth of promising composed young defenders

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  20. And u know for a fact Lovren wont improve? How long have u been watching him play?

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  21. The reviews from his time at Lyon suggests that last season was the norm for him rather than the exception

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  22. From The Guardian:

    He will seek further vindication of his choice when Southampton take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, though he admits the wisdom of his decision did not always seem apparent when he was in France, where for a while he was more bitterly mocked than the oft-lampooned Biscan ever was at Anfield. "The criticism started directly at the beginning and that was a difficult time for me," says Lovren. "I hadn't even arrived and they were talking bad about me just because of the amount they paid for me – €10m for a 20-year-old. I didn't speak French for one and a half years; I didn't understand anything and they didn't have the time to wait for me."

    The French media's condemnation became so acerbic that after one performance – a 4-3 Champions League defeat to Benfica in 2010 during which Lovren played at left-back and scored a goal but was at fault for some of the opposition's – Lyon issued a press release to denounce journalists' "idée fixe" about Lovren and published statistics suggesting his display had not been as dire as reported.

    But the perception of him did not really change even as he became a regular at the heart of Lyon's defence. And referees evidently took a dim view of his tackling: seven red cards in three years even led him to doubt himself. "I was thinking: 'Oh my God, what am I doing?'" he says. The answer, he reckons, is that he was not doing anything differently to what he has done at Southampton since the south coast club paid £8.5m in the summer to liberate him from Ligue 1. It is just that in England the referees are different. "I was the same player in France and I think now I'm showing the quality to everybody and proving, even to myself, that I was not so bad in France. I really wasn't."

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  23. Ok, I've written this a few times so I'll put it short- he was actually given a contract extension his last season at Lyon, u don't do that to someone u want to get rid off, and after Puel was sacked he saw better fortune, because he made him a scapegoat. I dont think u once watched him play for Soton, where he was the 5th best CB in PL, and please go watch his highlights , a lot of times there are no Schneiderlin and Wanyama doing his work, its actually himself

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  24. Well what a surprise!

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  25. My point exactly- he was made a scapegoat, and do you have his review from Southampton season? I think not...

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  26. It was really no brainer- Sakho and Skrtel as first choice and give a promissing guy and the expensive guy an equal chance to shine. Toure staying makes that dificult, can't really understand that decision..

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  27. https://onemanclub.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/3-seasons-of-dejan-lovren-part-one/

    A good analysis here. Confidence player. Not a natural leader for a big club. Totally unsuited for the pressure of Lyon let alone Liverpool.

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  28. Search '3 seasons of dejan lovren' on onemanclub.

    A good analysis here. Confidence player. Not a natural leader for a big club. Totally unsuited for the pressure of Lyon let alone Liverpool.

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  29. Have read only season one, would u share the other two seasons? He should never be a leader, and I agree he is not, he said it himself. he needs someone to guide him, and that man is Sakho, cover-stopper formation with those two is a dream- just go watch the Tottenham game where those two played, and we actually dominated, and our defence played proper high line

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  30. The Lovren we see at Lyon is a proactive defender- he seems to prefer moving towards the ball whenever possible. When this comes off, it looks great- a centre-back racing out of defence to win the ball in midfield. When it doesn’t work, however, a huge gap is left behind Lovren, and his lack of communication with his full-back and with his centre-back partner Bisevac is often noticeable. Whether what we see here is the naivety of a young centre-back, or an inherently poor reader of the game, is more difficult to determine. It is a very stark contrast from what we saw the following season at Southampton, where Lovren was always pointing and shouting to his teammates. The stats suggested that Gonalons was a big contributor defensively, and its probably no coincidence that some of Lovren’s poorer moments appear to have come when Gonalons had been completely bypassed.

    Lovren has spoken in the past about how his confidence was low at Lyon- he struggled to settle in at first, finding the language barrier particularly difficult to deal with. He speaks about the pressure the fans put upon him because of his high fee, and the idea that referees had typecast him as a dangerous and reckless tackler. Whether this is really true or not doesn’t matter, but it certainly suggests to me that Lovren is something of a confidence player, who cares deeply how he is perceived. It often seems to be the case in football that mistakes compound one another, and indeed a series of bad mistakes cost Lovren his place towards the end of 2012/13, the final straw being that goal conceded against Sochaux.

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  31. Illori picks up thigh injury don't know how serious yet

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  32. I'm all sixes and sevens

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  33. You mean the game where he almost knocked Sakho out going for the small ball?

    As far as I'm concerned he doesn't have the aptitude to perform under the pressure that a big club presents and has reverted to his Lyon form. It's a mental issue and thus he will not improve at Liverpool Football Club. Anyone whose base setting is to panic under pressure should not be wearing the shirt.

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  34. He's Kolo Toure. What more do you need to understand? :)

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  35. Nicolas Chamberlain10:22 pm, June 24, 2015

    The Telegraph is reporting that we are very close to signing Clyne for 12.5M. Not bad. The club is doing their business early.
    Our squad is in for a shake up.

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  36. What do you think of Clyne, David? I'm not convinced by him really. I'm not sure he's even the best English player in his bracket -- is he really better than Jenkinson, for example?

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  37. He was excellent at over achieving small club Southampton. As was Rickie Lambert. For a club of that stature he'll do a job. But at Liverpool his mentality means he cannot play in a pivotal position for a club the size of Liverpool.

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  38. Come on now... Jenkinson? Martin Kelly is better than Jenkinson.

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  39. But when did a robo- anything know how to be a man? :)

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  40. Ha! That's harsh. I quite rate Jenkinson after seeing him for the U21s this week, particularly. He has a very well-organised and disciplined game, which I like from a full-back. He's alright defensively -- perhaps could be a heavier tackler and his covering isn't the best, but his positional play generally is solid. He's a very willing runner on the outside, he passes reliably when he's linking up in midfield, he has decent pace, and he can cross. Does Clyne have more in his game than that?

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  41. Yes over achieving small club. If not they wouldn't sell their players to us every season. Achieving at Southampton is a bonus not an expectancy. When it becomes an expectancy then his mentality comes apart. He has moments but generally when the expectancy is on he's off. Seven times in two seasons in fact.

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  42. Yes, I like Janmaat too, a proper footballer with a touch of class. If we were in for him I'd have no qualms at all. Wonder why we aren't. I don't think Clyne's a *bad* player, just don't see why he's the chosen one, especially at that price.

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  43. I don't know. Ask the eunuch who manages my harem.

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  44. That's funny, so that would imply for every player who comes from a "smaller club"? Also for Lallana and potentialy Clyne? Rubbish...
    All players need a period of acclimatisation some take longer some do not, whatever, the jury will be out on him next season. And about that switching off u mention, it was 6 times, and the last time he "switched off" was mid-December in the Manure game...Almost six months ago when all our team played like sh##... And he didn't repeat it later... Funny that

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  45. Totally agree mate! Janmaat 'The Dutch Lion' is a superb RB, he would be my number one choice. The Feyenoord and Newcastle fans rate him highly and he was an absolute bargain in todays terms £5m they paid for him puts Clynes price into perspective, but he is English and played in the prem so it always hikes up a players value especially when he's English. But we don't need anymore Enlgish players to meet the requirements as we have Milner, Ings, Henderson, Flanagan, Gomez etc...

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  46. *melancholy beeping*

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  47. I saw my first bit of Gomez on a Youtube video this evening, playing against Fulham from the season just gone -- think it was his Charlton debut. He looks like a serious talent -- may have got a bargain there. Athletic and balanced with good feet and a cool head. I was very impressed -- have you seen much of him?

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  48. No, only for players who have demonstrated that they have that mentality. A mentality where additional pressure and focus negatively affects their whole game. It's always a big factor for players from smaller clubs and, in my opinion, Lovren suffers from this mentality. It's not so much of a problem at a smaller club like West Ham or Southampton or Swansea. But at one of the biggest clubs in the world, or even Lyon, he wilts under pressure.

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  49. To be honest Robo I have probably seen as much as you in all fairness, and I agree he does look like he has some geniune potentia,. I was a little confused as to why we signed him to be honest with the likes of Skrtel, Toure, Lovren, Sakho, Llori and Wisdom being in the squad I felt it was a waste of resources. Having looked at him a bit more though I have to admit he does remind a little of Ferdinand when he was a gangly teenager but with a bit more style, so if he turns out to be anything near Ferdinand then he could prove to be a great bargain

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  50. Ps: He didn't repeat it because he hardly played afterwards.

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  51. I have a feeling Firmino will hit the ground running and amaze us all, he'll bag between 15-20 goals if he stays fit, he has so much more to give as a player yet. Sanchez on the other hand is there already! Am not moaning though in all fairness I am very happy with Firmino

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  52. Crappy video. I could never be sure which was Chersevereskyayaovich. I guess he was the fast guy with the good left foot. Looks like another AM. believe we have a boatload of them. Striker please!

    E a

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  53. Bang on the money Ash! He terrorizes defenders and doesn't give them a moments peace, I truly feel firmino will be a great signing

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  54. Yawn. Ilori was bought for the future, Rodger sent him on loan as he wasn't ready for the first team. That was the plan all along, now he is ready and has opportunity to contest. It's not as if Rodgers is afraid of playing youngsters is it, we have the youngest team in the league. Gomez is 3.5 years Ilori's junior and will now go on loan to develop, then he will get his chance. I has just dawned on me that is will never get the time back I spent reading this article or posting this comment.

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  55. Clyne provides more going forward, is quicker and stronger. I don't know much about his defensive game but he was part of the 2nd best defensive unit in the PL this season so he can't be that bad. Jenkinson may be somewhat reliable but is pretty uninspiring, just the average young english fullback. Clyne has that little something more. Only a year separates the two, Jenkinson could cost £15m just like Clyne, but he doesn't and there's a reason for that in my opinion.

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  56. Ian Ayre has got 3 transfers right in 3 years. Hardly noteworthy.

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  57. For me, unmanly = constantly rationalising/excusing mediocrity and mollycoddling/fawning over grossly overpaid ladyboys masquerading as footballers.

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  58. I especially enjoyed your appropriate use of the word "ladyboys"!

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  59. To me that just sounds hot.

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  60. Thank you for your honesty

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  61. Because he's Jamaican, and Jamaica is a province of Nigeria, the capital state of Argentina.
    Hobviously..

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  62. Hold the phone... you're telling me 25M for Lallana wasn't the deal of the century? :D

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  63. I'm pretty sure Canada is in there too somewhere. Not sure where. I didn't pass NGCTC's Geography class...

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  64. Please God, let's sign Jackson Martinez or Lacazette or Bacca even though we are rumored to be tracking every known player on the planet and these guys are wanted by tons of others. All in can say is we don't need another promising 5 goals a year guy.

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  65. Done nothing of note. It's incredible to think Suso and Sterling came out of the same academy at the same age and were regarded with the same esteem (some even saw more talent in Suso). Fast forward a couple of years and one is being sold for £50m while the other is lost in the wilderness.

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  66. The unlikely opportunity to get at Lacazette has presented itself due to contract stalemate. This is exactly the kind of thing we missed in the past but absolutely need to jump on whether we win or lose the prize, get going while the chance is there!!!!,!!!!!

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  67. Can't argue with very much of what you wrote except tevez isn't coming, and Higuain. Don't know Iraola. DM comments right on. Would take any of them

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  68. That's what I like to see. Completely agree here, Lovren is a better player than we've seen so far at liverpool and with even just one proper DM in front of him, he'll hopefully perform much better. I'm actually hoping we dump our interest in Kovacic IF his signing means we dont get a dedicated DM (unless the plan is to use Can there or have a Can/Hendo CM pairing, which would do us fine I think).

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  69. Milner gets the number 7 shirt ??

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  70. No, Canada is the president of Argentina silly! This also makes him empress of Nigeria and Jedi Grand Master of Jamaica.
    Duh

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  71. Isn't the mod note a direct violation of the rules?

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  72. I'm sure he cracked a red card on debut ?

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  73. Save our dough get Kono on a free and buy Bacca Clyne and Illaramendi what a great window that would be.

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  74. Well stats in the case actually indicate the real picture, you have a perception that he looks poor on the ball, but it holds no truth. As a matter of fact its the complete opposite, as a defender he has the highest amount of attacking, dangerous, key (however you want to state it)pass percentage, attempts and completions. In other words he helps getting the ball moving forward better than any of our other defenders. He is also one of the best in interceptions and tackles. He is also a leader that solidifies our backline and has one the best win percentages of defenders.

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  75. i think he did quite well last summer concidering how Sevilla didnt want to lose Moreno, and demanded originally 20+ from the player and we managed to get him a lot cheaper.

    Moreno hasnt delivered yet, but it is hardly Ayres fault. Im willing to slate him, because so often he cant close the deals. but he has his moments too.

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  76. Rodgers is the manager, he makes the final decision, he signs the players. Ayre handles the business end. Is that really such a hard concept to understand?

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  77. With Ilori going to have a chance to prove himself and the signing of Gomez IMO Skrtel is leaving in this coming transfer window especially with his contract dispute.

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  78. ah serioisly, i thought Canada was that big white blob floating next to (atleast on map) to that North USA country? and Jamaica was a brand that makes coffee and weed?

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  79. I said previously, Southampton are one of the best defensively organised teams. They also have Schneiderlin and Wanyama protecting their back four.


    LFC's defensive organisation is there for everyone to see. Clyne may struggle to produce the same level of performance should he sign for LFC. Just look at Lovren for Southampton who was the best CB in the league 2013/14. Comes to LFC and is our worst CB...

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  80. is there a change that BR might convert Ilori to RB? he has the speed? and defensive side of the game? has anyone actually seen him play? can he attack at all?

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  81. Flanno or Clyne?


    I would go with Flanno. This guy when he tackles will break you in half, I still remember that tackle he made on Soldado back in 2013/14, it was a WTF moment. His determination is something to be admired and he came through the ranks as a young boy.


    Hopefully he fully recovers from his injury!

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  82. From what I have seen while he is on loan, he is bound to become a very good ball playing CB. But it is not inconceivable that he will feature at RB when needed. Very quick player and a tidy passer too.

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  83. I still think LB should be a priority.

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  84. He chose the bench of another big club. He should have gone to a club who would offer him first-team opportunity. Bad luck.

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  85. Hasta la vista

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  86. I think Ilori might be good cover at left back - he resds the game well and is quick - looks like the Charlton kid will be loaned out ?

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  87. City about to make last bid for the spoiled one - So funny to see Sterling and his Agents face if F S G say NO

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  88. Yeah, we have Enrique who is our social media expert and then Moreno who has not quite shown that he can actually defend.

    At RB we have Flanno, Wisdom and McLaughlin who surely are adequate. No reason for us to go overpaying for another Southampton player.

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  89. Sterling is going to be sold.

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  90. We also have Manquillo.

    Haha..@social media expert.....Enrique will be sold. He hasn't been near first-team for a long time. LBs just fade away after a while at Liverpool. Enrique, Aurelio, Riise....

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  91. Ian Ayre, you have redeemed yourself mate!!!

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  92. Enrique too busy taking selfies...

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  93. Apparently Iain Ayre is in Chile negotiating a possible Bacca transfer- Chile have some great players- noisy neighbours neighbours will not be amused if we nab another one from under their noses- having said that it is The Daily Scar reporting it

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  94. He played plenty, just refer to his stats, I'm sorry to burst your bubble but Liverpool maintained their defensive solidity despite playing Lovren in the side

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  95. Disagree completely, I explained his bad patch at Lyon, you choose to disregard it, although I covered it extensively, and yet u choose to belittle his great season and form at Southampton, and show blatant bias towards Lovren. Period.

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  96. I left that for Jaimie. He'll be back.

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  97. So apparently an improved bid of £10.5m rising to £12.5m for Clyne.


    If he does sign then my starting 11 from the current squad would look like this. If you are going to play 4-2-3-1 then you need to select the player who suite the system, in fact, that goes with every formation ;-)


    Migs
    Clyne Ilori Sakho Flanno
    Can Lucas
    Hendo Firmino Coutinho
    Sturridge

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  98. South American players are the way to go IMO.

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  99. thexcuriousxwanderer8:16 am, June 25, 2015

    I don't think he plays the hot potato game. I'm not too sure what exactly a hospital pass is, but I think he needs to work on the vision, his passing is good, but he passes to feet, not to space.

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  100. Yep, and just to mention, everyone of our CB's who came here with big reputation, have failed to reproduce the same level of excellence, makes u wonder if it is a sistematic flaw... Go figure

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  101. Nicolas Chamberlain8:31 am, June 25, 2015

    But not for 40M. FSG won't budge for a so called last bid from City. Its not even July and City are pretty desperated; they need English players. Sterling will only be sold for the right price.

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  102. Thats the benefit of him not needing a direct replacement in the squad. We could really sell him a hour before the deadline, see how desperate they get. I'd take him on the pre season tour, annoy him & delay any deal

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  103. It is going to be a very bad idea to keep Sterling now. The club will be pushing to get him moved on after all the things which have happened.


    Both Club and Sterling have handled the situation extremely poor and hopefully lessons have been learned now of how things will be done going forward.


    Things should be kept in house. The Sterling saga was on the back page every day.


    The signing of Firmino could be a sign of things to come that we are not going to act like a mid table team anymore, hopefully...

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  104. I would expect more :


    ----------------Mingolet---------------
    Clyne------Skrtle------Sakho-----Moreno
    ------Hendo------Can------Milner----------
    -----------Coutinho-----Firmino------------
    ------------------Sturridge--------------------


    Flannagan we will have to see how that bad knee issue has affected him and if he can recover fully. Hope so.

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  105. Nicolas Chamberlain8:53 am, June 25, 2015

    Well I honestly don't believe that Sterling will be pushed out. He is a very price asset. So business wise it should be handled with care. Why is it a very bad idea?
    We did the same with Suarez and the fact that Sterling still isn't close in fulfilling his potential, makes our position even stronger.
    The ball is in our court.
    Either they pay up or shut up.

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  106. Rumours going around that Turan is looking for a move to the Prem.
    He's always been a Liverpool fan, so maybe? Good player with good experience.

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  107. Nicolas Chamberlain8:57 am, June 25, 2015

    That would be nice.
    Let them sweat. In a perfect world we would keep him, give him a chance to change his mind and if that doesn't work... Sell him abroad next season. Russia or the Arab world sounds good to me;)

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  108. One thing Saurez taught us about FSG is that they really wont be dictated to by players. Still think he'll go but, owners realise they have to send a message with this tranfer, our way or nothing.


    With Firmino, if we sign another striker, sturridge fit, would he even get in our

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  109. I like them too. They're skilful, but also run hard to chase the ball for 90 minutes...as for stoppage time though? I don't know.

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  110. Selling him is easier said than done because no one wants him.

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  111. There will be few Spanish clubs interested. And he hasn't been extremely bad, still good for few EPL clubs I reckon. However, I am not sure about his wage demands which can prove to be a hurdle.

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  112. Gleaming 8-pack, too.

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  113. Martinez is off to AC Milan.

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  114. Yes and we are good at it.

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  115. lived their mate, know that

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  116. You arent named after Hawthorn FC by any chance?

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  117. very close, 12 years in that suburb

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  118. Skrtel and Sakho clearly do not work. In fact, all of the combinations with Skrtel other than Agger haven't. On a couple of occasions Sakho and Lovren were paired and did ok. Rest of the time it was Skrtel and whoever was fit.

    We need to find our best CB combination. Can and Lucas protecting the back four allows a front four of Hendo Firmino Coutinho and Sturridge to run riot.

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  119. Ilori's promise makes the new deals for Wisdom and Toure hard to understand. I thought Toure was one of the players who would definitely leave this summer. Gomez is for the longer term but a four (Sakho, Skrtel, Ilori and Lovren) fighting for two places makes sense.

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  120. First of all I want to thank God ( the actual one and not a certain Mr fowler ) for giving us the patron saint of Liverpool Ian Ayre( I'm positive he upgraded him with bug fixes this window) .
    If we sign Clyne which looks likely Bacca and a DM any DM we'd have gotten all my transfer targets . I really thought I'd see us win the league way before that happened .
    I'm happy today and I hope you lot are as well. Everything is not the worst

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  121. I think the one difference between the two is pace. Suso I would say is probably the better footballer but Sterling has the pace that most top footballers need. Shame really, I always liked Suso and thought the slower Italian league would suit.

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  122. This would probably be too much common sense for B.R ect. But why not loan llori and gomez to the same Club and build their chemistry and have a good base for a future partnership as I can see toure going at the end of the season along with him will probably be lovren, sakho or skrtle

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  123. Right back, striker, left back and defensive midfielder are all higher priority, in that order. Clyne, Lacazette / Bacca / Volland, Digne and Illaramendi would seem like FIFA16 but we can dream.

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  124. Also Can is not a defensive midfielder . Been scouting the German u21's and I can unequivocally state that the Rolls Royce's positioning is yet to match his obvious talent.
    Against the Czech's when the German's started playing deep the game went around Emre for sustained periods of time. Younes is quite useful as is Matthias Ginter. I'm still bemused at how Bittencourt made the squad .
    To make a long story short if we don't get a DM or at least keep(and start) Lucas this rosy feeling won't last.

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  125. So it is obviously not just me who sees that any current combination with Skrtel doesnt work... Except the back three... But that's another story

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  126. Team for me
    Miggsy
    Clyne Skrts Lovren (just not Moreno)
    Lucas
    Hendo Lallana/Couts
    "Hamez "Milner Firmino
    Bacca/ Sturridge

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  127. In a back three Skrtel's main purpose is to make sure the ball is cleared from danger. Think he had the highest clearance stats out of any CB in the league.

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  128. like it "Hamez Frigginio Milnerio" ,gunna be a star.

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  129. I am reminded of the Rooney saga a few years ago. This may not work out as anyone expects. I'd be very surprised to see us selling to a Premier League club in June, though.

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  130. All this talk about players coming in , is anybody going out ?

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  131. "He should never be a leader, and I agree he is not, he said it himself. he needs someone to guide him, and that man is Sakho"

    You see this is where your point eats itself in my opinion. At Liverpool we need a team full of leaders or at least players who don't need to be co-dependant on other players who may or may not be available all the time. Think of our 'spine' under Rafa. Reina, Hyppia, Carragher, Agger, Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard, Torres, Kuyt, Bellamy. All confident leaders in their own right. All players who thrived on the pressure and scrutiny the club brings.

    We brought in Lovren apparently to replace Carragher. He spoke of himself as a future captain of the club. Now we're saying that he'd only play well when he has someone like Sakho to hold his hand. It's simply not good enough for a club of our stature.

    He has undoubted ability as shown at Southampton, but until he's able to display that mentally he's able to cope with the added responsibility he's not going to improve.

    We could give him games to establish this mentality but if that means shipping in goals while we deal with his mental blocks we simply don't have the time nor patience. A 19 year old kid, yeah, but a 25 year old £20M player bought as a commanding leader of men in a pivotal position on the field? No in my book.

    Same with Mignolet in my opinion who I still think of as a dependable shot stopper rather than a dependable character and commanding goalkeeper.

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  132. ★ Jesús H. F. Miliñero ★

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  133. I struggle to decide wether its a 4-3-3 or a 3-5-2'ish formation, as the squad is very imbalanced being top heavy with CB's and a fair few AM with not enough DM's and quality RB / LB's makes it more difficult. Making the best of what we already have it would have to be a 3-5-2'ishy job


    GK Mignolet
    RWB Milner
    LWB Moreno
    RCB Lovren
    CB Skrtel
    LCB Sakho
    CM Can
    CM Henderson
    AMR Firmino
    AML Coutinho
    ST Sturridge....................as it stands! My own take would be a 4-3-3


    GK Mignolet (I would have brought in Stekelenburg from Fulham or someone experienced to keep him on his toes)
    RB Janmaat (I prefer him over Clyne and has done really well for Newcastle, he can defend bettter scoring 1 and assisting 6 compared to Clynes 3 goals and no assists)

    LB Erkin - Fernerbahce (Superior defensively to Moreno but can go forward with effect as well 4 goals and 9 assists backs that up)
    CB Skrtel (He chose himself really)
    CB

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  134. San Miliñero

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  135. U forget that under Rafa we had one of the meanest defences on the continent- that was due to Rafa's defence coaching as it was due to double pivot wall made of Mascherano and Alonso, with Gerrard covering at the time he had the legs for it. Also we played more balnced and cautiously under Rafa which is actually a preffered playing style for me, because we always played well in big matches, something we are lacking under Rodgers.
    U misunderstood my claim of Lovren- I don't think he need someone to hold his hand, I'm saying what defensive set up works best, not just for him but for all CB's in the club (same goes for Skrtel who has the best stats of all the CB's but he is terribly mistake prone and scores tons of own goals, and wasn't able to improve during all his tenure here).
    Our defence needs to share responsibilities; so I say cover-stopper formation is the best pick for Lovren-Sakho, since, as someone here posted, any combation with Skrtel doesn't work because he is a flawed defender who works best in a back three.
    If u have a good screen infront of a backline, be it just one DM , although I advocate at least two, and if u have one CB who is front foot defender and proactive at that who makes interceptions (Lovren) and another who covers his position and sweeps up any loose balls (Sakho) then u can play the adventourous, high pressing game with a very high line which Rodgers prefers

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  136. Looks like Clyne is happening today.

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  137. Should have been Janmaat Robo! But I am not totally against the idea of Clyne

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  138. Tony Barrett confirmed bid worth up to £12.5m has been accepted by Southampton for Clyne.

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  139. Deal for Nathaniel Clyne has been agreed between Liverpool and Southampton, according to the Echo and others. 12.5 million Sterling is the fee being bandied about.

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  140. Southampton have signed Cedric Soares from Sporting Lisbon (who in my opinion is better than Clyne, a regular full international with plenty of CL experience) Southampton have become such wiley old foxes in the transfer market.....So Clyne is definately on the move

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  141. Same here. Gives us a nice balanced look as well.

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  142. Is it not satisfying to see our transfer business going so smoothly?


    Even though I am not keen on the likes of Ings and Bogdan, usually all the signings we have made over the last three seasons have been strenuous and dragged out.


    Other than Kovacic, all the signings so far have been seamless! Still cannot get my head around how things could have changed so drastically.


    Lips sealed...

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  143. I hope Ian Ayre puts in for over time he has been a busy busy boy.great work LFC and welcome Nathan Clyne.

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  144. And apparently the Northern Lights will be visible in Liverpool tonight. Lucky people.

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  145. All we can hope for is that Clyne delivers.

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  146. what changed our approach was the disasterous results of last seasons recruiting.

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  147. Ya well we still probably won't get Arjen Robben.

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  148. The transfer committee is still there?

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  149. Couple of points. Happy with Clyne, giving Southampton sensible money is the second transfer shocker in as many days.


    Ilori's father said he's spoken to the club, surly that's Rodgers, so he is still alive. We signed 6 players including 2nd most expensive in our history, changed 2/3rds of our management team. Warrant any comments?


    Newcastle on loan could be a good fit for Ilori, the club & Mclaren have got history with Ibe & wisdon, be crazy to sell him without seeing him in play in PL.


    Last season we got criticised for signing too many squad players & not enough first team quality. Now with Firmino, Ray Parlour on TS "

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  150. You trailed off at the end there.

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  151. keyboard shortcuts on laptop, keep posting half a post, annoying!

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  152. Ah - feared something terrible had happened.

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  153. Same committee better strategy also possibly a better more organized way of working out what we need and who we can get.

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  154. someone in the street might get hit by a flying laptop soon, thats about it

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  155. I agree ,look at Barcelona front 3

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  156. I think it's simpler than that and the most important element is that there's more money available for wages, with Steven and Glen off the books, the new TV deal, and some internal refinancing.

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  157. Haha! If anyone asks, I know nothing of this impending doom.

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  158. Na its definitely a different strategy mate plenty to spend last season and we did blow all with it.

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  159. theoriginalbigbod@yahoo.com12:19 pm, June 25, 2015

    markovic idn't shine because he was continually played out of position; like too many others in he team

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  160. Firmino for £29m and Clyne £12.5m is actually extremely good business. Thought we would pay much more for both. If you compare it to the fees we paid for Lovren and Lallana then it shows that we are being smart about our business for a change.


    I really do believe there is something cooking and smelling extremely good behind the scenes.

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  161. We have a Sterling.

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  162. theoriginalbigbod@yahoo.com12:21 pm, June 25, 2015

    hope he's not here t do nything

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  163. I hope we sign a DM and a striker.

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  164. He was part of the coup that got rid of Gillett and Hicks and for that I will back him to the hilt. At the end of the day his role is just to get the players Rodgers wants within the budget FSG give him. Last year he spent what was needed on the likes of Lallana and Lovren and got Rodgers all of his primary targets. It's not his fault they turned out poorly. He's not there to make sure players work out, he's there to make sure they come in.

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  165. Funnily enough, even if had a change of mind now, he will be forced to leave due to our recent spending. It would be awesome to have him too in the team though.

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  166. It's to good to be true,
    Now for the killer punch , Bacca and Illarramendi

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  167. All this and the window hasnt opened yet if we sign any more this week the window may actually be very boring.

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  168. There is no harm in it. As a matter of fact, if he would manage to displace Sakho or Lovren, we can use either one of those as bargaining chips for a player we want to bring in. Or sell them flat out and get some cash to spend in other positions. And if he doesn't work out, well at least he had a shot. The one concern I share with JK is that it won't matter how good he does in pre-season. Although Suso is a questionable example imo. I can't get rid of the feeling his being frozen out had a lot to do with his Twitter exposure and a lot less with his performance on the pitch.

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  169. The type of player you take on loan before you shell out 16 million for him.

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  170. I don't want to split hairs about what we mean by "strategy", but strategically, I don't see a major difference ;)

    The big difference so far is that last season we got beaten to Sanchez by Arsenal and this year we landed Firmino ahead of Man Utd.

    Why? At a guess, because the competition, who had already gone in balls deep to get Depay, and whose squad is clogged with high earners, couldn't match our commitment, by which I mean, the money we could put on the table for the lad.

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  171. Regardless of stats I don't rate Sakho too highly either, I wouldn't list his passing as a fault because the 'stats' do show that as an area of his game you can't fault, but for me his decision making leaves a lot to be desired and I feel teams will increasingly start to target him as a weak link and with that pressure he tends to give away needless corners and throw ins and I worry worse is yet to come.
    I just don't think he suits Brendan's play it out from the back style or his wish that every player can actually 'play'

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  172. I agree with a lot of what you say, we're out on a limb a bit on this one and perhaps if 'enough people say it, they can't all be wrong' but I just don't see Sakho as the one to take us to the next level at all.

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  173. Marca saying we've offered Konoplyanka a contract! Hope it's true! ByeBye Raheem!

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  174. Of course there's a strategic change. Our strategy is typically to be stingy and prolong negotiations way too much. Firmino and Clyne have been done a lot more quickly, especially Firmino.

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  175. What ever way you look at it the business is getting done more efficiently and the extra dough is being spent where it needs to be.
    There has been some good freebies and has been nothing but impressive.
    Yes it is all strategic and i like it.

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  176. Again your point somewhat eats itself. Why do you feel it necessary for us to stockpile defenders who cannot play a decisive leadership role and need to be pivoted by a strong man alongside him? True Skrtel has made some mistakes, but during that period he was dropped and almost sold. Carragher and Agger took over duties until Agger became a bit of a liability due mainly to injuries. Skrtel has however proven himself to be our most assured defender, which really only serves to highlight how bad our defence is that Skrtel has had to become the leader.

    Do we improve it by giving opportunities to someone with a weaker mindset and more prone to mistakes and being out of position? Is that how we improve our defence? Or do we give an opportunity to a young defender who appears to be assured and can read the game under pressure? Maybe under the lights he too will wilt. But as a younger defender who wasn’t bought as the finished product he gets a bit more leeway from me. Lovren is 25. These are the peak years of his career and he seems to be repeating the errors of naïve and much maligned 21/22 year old. That suggests to me a definitive ‘factor’ in his game which I believe stems from an inherent lack of confidence and assurity in his decision making. As a 21 year old that it somewhat natural. But as a 25 year old that is psychological problem that trumps all his other qualities. Put it this way, if Tyler Blackett is making the same mistakes at 25 as he is now trust me those mistakes will not be made at Manchester United.

    The bottom line is that Lovren was bought as a leader and he has failed miserably in this role thus far. Even if he was to ignite that quality, it’s probable that he’s lost all confidence in his fellow teammates to assert it. The last time they witnessed his @rse wandering up the pitch only for the play to go the other way probably made them reconsider his ability to lead, follow or even get out of the way. However if there is an injury crisis and he comes in and proves himself a dependable leader as was sold to us, then he gets the opportunity to stake his claim. But if he comes in and does what he was doing most of last season and for a significant period at Lyon he should be sold as soon as. We have no appetite for co-dependents.

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  177. No thanks.

    Striker and CM the priorities for me after picking up Clyne.

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  178. Yeah, which we can *afford* to do because we've got more money! It's the simplest explanation, which as you know is the most probable. The strategy you take is dependent on the resources you have available.



    Anyway we are still prolonging negotiations with Inter, reportedly, for Kovacic; and we did so with Southampton for Clyne too. Also the pattern of signings and profiles of the players is very similar to last summer. The strategy is to target a major offensive signing with maximum resources, and to negotiate for the best value on minor signings.
    And also to throw as much money as possible at Southampton Football Club.



    For me what's changed most is our perception of what's going on, and that's changed because last year we missed out on our main target, and this year we nailed him. So for me it's not about strategic change, but about resources and perceptions. I'm sure you can see my point, anyway, so I won't start banging on about it :)

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  179. I can only take so much.

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  180. What is internal refinancing?

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  181. Based off his career at Lyon and Southampton, Lovren has quality, and judging stats wise, his maiden season at Liverpool has been mediocre at best but not at all an "unmitigated disaster" as some claim- there was an article where he trumps Cahill, Vertonghen and Kompany in tackles won, interceptions made and number of headers won. If he was so psychologically scarred and damaged he wouldn't have ever recovered to play anywhere near that good at Soton.
    Finally I do agree with u that he needs to up his game next season- mistakes will not be tolerated and he has had plenty of time to accomodate himself with the team. If the team underperforms he has to keep up his performance level there is no excuse. I just hope we get a proper shield for our defence this time around, because it will 50+ goals conceded no matter who plays in the back four.

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  182. Maybe not all of his primary targets, would of thought Sanchez headed that list.

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  183. I'm not fussed either way, to be honest. Good money and better squad morale if he stays, and promising squad player if he stays.

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  184. It's not simply because we have more money. We were dicking around with Inter for Kovacic a matter of weeks ago, and we of course had more money then too. Kovacic is not a minor signing either.

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  185. Excuse me, I expressed that poorly. More money has been available for football year on year since FSG took over. Two main reasons for this:



    (1) Our revenues increased by about 20% between 2012-13 and 2013-14, the last figures reported (March 2015). This is largely because of increased match-day, corporate, and broadcast revenues. But...



    (2) .. it's also, I'm led to understand, to do with the way FSG handled the debts inherited from H&G, and the way they have financed the stadium redevelopment. This has made it possible for those revenues to be made available to the club for football business.



    Basically we have more money available than last year.

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  186. That's not refinancing. And yes, am aware of those developments.

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  187. I agree, it's not the only factor. Things have clearly tightened up. But it's worth reminding ourselves that football business is not primarily about what people *decide* to do, but about the resources they have to do it with. That makes more sense to me than trying to read back complicated narratives about decisions and intentions which are invisible to us.

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  188. NonEventHorizon1:17 pm, June 25, 2015

    Got the poise on the ball to play right side of three at the back IMO. He's fast from a standing start too so would offer good cover for Skertl and the wingback

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  189. That's one thing, but biggest losers in World football we aren't, don't get me wrong we're in with a shout though.
    Here's an interesting concept for you Jamie - Much to most peoples disgust, I'm of the opinion that we should have started pooling our resources years ago - why England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland, why not just Britain... we'd still be miniscule in scale to the rest, but perhaps that would help all our causes somewhat.
    ...sorry about that still a bit euphoric from the Firmino signing.

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  190. Yes, Chirag, I used the term carelessly.

    However, the refinancing of the stadium debt has been an important factor in making those increased revenues available for the football business. Its proper to call it internal refinancing because the finance has been raised from within the FSG structure rather than from outside.

    Is that wrong? This is a strange thing to be arguing about. Are you an accountant?

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  191. Invisible to some ;)

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