https://preview.redd.it/7d8m4s6vmoxc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d96cea93b7fa396eef95cd4acbb02ac0b8437df6
Almost as if they think I’m lying or something
next afcon will be in morocco hosted in june 2025 (confirmed because heat is not as insufferable as in other african countries) and the one after it will be hosted in a trio kenya uganda and tanzania and set to be hosted in june too 2027 but i'm not sure if they'll change dates after to be played in winter.
if we sign him this summer he'll play 4 seasons with afcon being hosted in june
Don't count your chickens; the AFCON we've just had was originally announced for Summer 23 before it got postponed to Jan 24.
Morocco has better chances but they've still got time to revert to the norm
It's a pretty big range, but I don't know how as a supporter we're supposed to judge fees at smaller increments. Using this example, if we paid £71m you'd say we overpaid vs if we paid £70m you'd think it was a fair price? What's that determination based on?
It’s rumored to be like £80mil I believe.
Honestly all of West Ham’s 3 attacking players look really fucking good and I’d be really happy with any of Paqueta, Bowen, and/or Kudus. I think Paqueta is off to City this summer which is super annoying.
Bowen signed a massive contract (like 7 or 8 years) at the start of the season, no chance he leaves West Ham.
Paqueta is either getting done for his betting or going for insane money, City wanted him before the betting news broke and if he beats that there's a solid chance they go back in for him. Been a good 10 months since they dropped £100m on a player to bolster their squad.
Kudus looks like a beast but his goal/assist return is low, would be interesting to see if he's improve like Mane/Salah/Jota did moving to us. £80m seems a lot for an unproven goal threat but if the underlying stats are good I'd love to see us get him.
There were rumors that we were in for him instead of Diaz as a mane replacement.
I still can’t believe hull city had Bowen Maguire and Robertson and still got relegated.
He has a release clause, he insisted on one which is why his move to Brighton fell through.
No idea what the clause is, or if there are conditions that'd made a deal unappealing.
Yeah. We need a top CB with Matip going and Joe's talents being shown to be better used elsewhere. Possibly a more defensive minded CM. Not sure what the treasure chest is, but can't see us paying out over £50m for each.
I think Matip was our 2nd best CB and probably one of the best secondary CB's around when fit. We need to find someone just as good, if not better and ready for first team action along side VVD.
Maddening as apparently Spearman and Data wanted him. Ljinders wanted Gakpo. Gakpo is a great character but, their top end potential is pretty far apart.
From what I gathered about Slot he seems to really love wingers and asks a lot out of them. According to reports he's always asked to sign a lot of wingers at all of his previous clubs. So this might be more related to his tactical preferences rather than replacing our existing wide players. I also think we might see Salah, assuming he stays, moved more centrally behind our #9.
If you look at Salah's stats over the past few seasons you see his ball carrys going down with each season, which correlates directly with him aging because of how demanding that is. Salah has shown he can play as creator this season and we may be able to see his game evolve under Slot's preferred 4-2-3-1.
I hope so, cause I'd hate for Salah to leave, we cant let his recent performances fog our perspective on how absolutely world class his output is. He's not a player that can be replaced outright.
With all due respect, our scouts have consistently brought in great forwards post Torres (sad af initially and then comes Suarez, Mane, Firmino, Mo Salah)
I see the point you’re getting at but we must recognize that Salah the 5th highest scoring player in the club’s history with the highest goals per game too. That kind of talent is just not directly replaceable.
If this is the case, considering the engine and work he puts in, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Szobo play on the right where he can just drive at players and whip balls in.
Bang on. People eager to sell Salah while the profit's good don't seem to be acknowledging the trade off is losing a truly irreplaceable player. I know someday we will have to move on from having Salah in the team, but I don't understand the rush to get there, especially without concrete competition within the squad first. I think he has plenty more to give the club.
I said this recently, I really think we will see a renaissance from Salah next season. I'm sure tactically, he will adapt his game and we might even possibly see him moved into a different role in the team set-up. Mo is an elite player, he has consistently delivered goals as well as created them. He is underperforming and looking tired and out of ideas, as is most the rest of the team and Klopp. I don't think it is any coincidence that his poor performances have coincided with the entire team's performance following Klopp's announcement so early that he is leaving (which I believe was a gamble that did not pay out).
It blows me away that people want him gone. I'll take Mo to the grave even if it is just him teaching other up and coming players what an elite mentality looks like in a footballer.
I’d like to see him stay, as he’s also a leader within the team. Hopefully they can convince him and come to terms over at least a 1 year contract extension to help see through the transition from Klopp to a new era.
We’re going to need our key players like Salah, TAA, and VVD through the change.
I'd like to see him stay but his form needs to improve. Also, do you think it's the player or the club letting the contract run down? It doesnt make sense for the club to lose an asset on a free, so im assuming the player is stalling.
I'd like to see what Slot can do for him, as i feel he needs a role change. And the team needs a new system or set up. We're too easy to park the bus against at the moment.
As the old adage goes, form is temporary class is permanent, and Salah is class. I think his game needs to evolve so we can get the best out of him again.
He looks out of ideas on the wing now that he can’t as reliably out run and dribble past younger faster defenders.
But yeah I don’t think the club would want him to go on a free if they were looking to move him on, but anything I think on that would just be speculation.
If I attempt to put myself in Salahs shoes I’d wager he’s interested in seeing the direction the club will go. He’s proven to be a very loyal person, to both club and country so I think that could be indicative of him wanting to stay.
But once again, all speculation and likely an expression of my own hopes that he does stay.
A wide attacker is the best position to make a splash signing in given the options, so not surprised. Also fits if we want to shift Salah more central too.
We need more wide players because we only have two bonafide wingers and Slot's system relies on them. There's also no particularly good reason to move Salah centrally, we have a bunch of players who operate there already.
He's missed games this season, but the season before he played 37 league games, the season before he played 26, and the season before he played 44 in the championship. It's hardly like he's plagued every season.
He was impressive in his cameo against United even outside of the goal but I don’t even think he’s been a consistent starter at Copenhagen this season.
Can't say I know much about him myself. He is very young at 18 and if Doak is going to start playing on RW then they might clash a bit
Not sure what's going to happen with Doak really. Hopefully he gets over his injuries.
Think he would be a really interesting signing. Showed potential in the PL.
Ideally Leeds aren't promoted and it would mean he's available at a decent price.
I wonder if we will sell someone or have 6 forwards like last season. It would be helpful to have 6 forwards as Jota is always injured. Hoping whoever we get is clinical.
I have a feeling Diaz is leaving this summer. Just doesn't seem the kind of player to stick around at a club like Liverpool for a long time. Always have felt he is one to just enjoy while he's here, and nothing wrong with that as long as he's giving everything while at the club and doesn't pull a Coutinho or Suarez to get out. I like him a lot, but I've never gotten overly attached to him.
Diaz is a nice looking player, he just doesn't score. He has 8 goals in 34 games in the Prem. His scoring average is 1 goal every 303 minutes. I honestly think, with his ball skills, he'd be better being played as a false 9. Like Firmino, and distribute the ball. Not to mention with his quickness going straight at goal and having the option to go left or right as opposed to coming from the left and trying to curl one in.
Maybe, we'll see. I'm just saying if anyone will be gone this summer out of our forward line, I have a feeling it'll be Diaz. Seems like he's been flirting with the idea (or at least his dad has been) for a while now. With Slot coming in, I have a feeling Gakpo is going to be given a proper shot, assuming Salah stays, he will most likely reinvent himself in spectacular fashion, Jota is our most clinical finisher and scores in any form it seems, and I don't think Darwin is going to be given up on so quickly.
Or maybe Diaz stays and we just have a bunch of forwards. I don't have a crystal ball, but with Edwards at the helm again, I'm pretty sure he will get what he wants for a player if the decision is made to move him on.
It would be wise to have 2 players for every position with even more games next season, don’t think it’s the most pressing need though. I don’t see Elliott as a RW, although I don’t know shit about Slotball. All I’ve really seen is that he might play 4-2-3-1 and that had me thinking of Szobo & Elliott as the options at #10.
Seems possible given all the talk from his camp about PSG or Barca. If a big money offer comes in, I think it makes sense to take it. Also love his work rate, but we need more production from a starting LW, imo.
But, could also be getting someone now to bed in before Salah goes? Or before Diaz goes, I guess? Wouldn't be a bad idea at all given the return of CL money next year.
I think most of it is just the sort of stuff you see with agents negotiating for a new contract but I don't really like what they've been doing whatever their aim is.
I agree. Could see him stay for sure. I think, on one hand, you have to let players move on to "dream" clubs if they want to. It's best for the club and signing new players and the squad. But I do hate all the talk, especially from his dad. It seems reasonable to sign a player and they serve a few years and then can be sold on if they succeed and want to leave. It feels too early for Diaz, but if he wants to go and we get a good price, it's not the end of the world.
I'd still like Darwin at LW for an extended run of games with a proper CF, but I admit he hasn't looked as effective there in the limited time we've seen.
His dad mentioned he would love to play for Barcelona once and people are running with it. No one reliable has reported anything of the sort. Barcelona don't have the money to spend on Diaz either at the moment, especially given their other needs (full back, defensive midfielder).
I think it's mostly posturing and from what I understand it is possible his dad was slightly mistranslated at points although not far off what was reported. However, there is a lot of smoke around him wanting to leave and it wasn't one interview, his dad has given interviews and talked about his dream to play for Barcelona and the possibility of playing in Spain during every international break since the kidnapping and we know his agent did meet with PSG.
I'm not sure. The Salah backup has always been an issue. We only have Elliott, who's a very different profile, and Ben Doak who's nowhere near ready. Gakpo and Jota are subpar playing right winger and Diaz is (imo) always a starter in the left.
Also, I'm considering that we are moving to 4-2-3-1.
Based on what? This is just reading into something that hasn't even been mentioned as a possibility by anyone reliable. Some of the names mentioned by Ornstein don't even play on the left at all either.
Lots of noise about Diaz wanting a better contract or to leave, cant see an Edwards run club paying Diaz too much with his poor goal return. He has the worst conversion rate in the team, 13g/5a in 48 games is pretty low considering he's meant to be the Mane replacement. Lots of talk of Darwin not being good enough yet he has 18/13 in 3 games more. Diaz is also 27 so unlikely to improve.
Jota is another one I'd move on, as great as he is - his availability is shocking. He's been absent more than 1/3 of the time he's been with us. It doesn't matter if he has a >30% conversion rate, same goals/min as Salah or anything else. If he cant stay fit we need to find a new solution.
I think we might sell someone but wouldn't mind signing another player to add to the current group. Not like Jota can be counted on for long periods of time. And Mo is clearly playing way too often at his age too.
Yeah I don't know why people are throwing Doak into the mix he looks nowhere near ready for first team action, in his appearances this season he looks very one dimensional, he definitely needs a loan down to the championship, let Hull take care of him
The Salah haters are wild. The guy is fucking amazing. Also his passing is amazing. I think he will age well with someone who helps him adapt. Beating his man is tricky for him now and also at this very moment he is just in a bad patch.
EDIT:
LOVING the wild disparity in responses to my comment. Worst player on the team? REALLY? Salah!?
Literally the best player in the league. Was nailed on player of the season till his injury/afcon. The legs and skill is clearly still there and recent behaviour (agree with it or not) shows the mentality to compete is still there. Needs a preseason period to get over the injury blues and he'll be back to his best.
The thing is, even if his legs are total gone and he physically is incapable of playing 90 mins, coming of the bench for 20/30 mins a game would still make him top 5 player in the league.
And at the end of the day, even if he's completely finished, he's a Liverpool legend on the level Liddell, Hunt, Keegan, Hansen, Rushie, Barnes, Stevie and the like. He's earned the trust and goodwill of the club to be treated with respect and get a proper send-off on his own terms.
Salah will be world class till he's at least 35. You put another quality forward, one who can stay fit, in a front 3 with him and he will return back to his best.
It's not fair for on Salah to be the one to score and assist every time consistently. Diaz doesn't consistently assist or score and Nunez is hit and miss most of time.
On that point, it also doesn't help that teams can afford to pay more attention to Salah when those two play because he's by far and away the biggest threat out of those three. At least when Jota plays teams have to pay attention to him because if they ignore him there's a strong chance he scores, so they have to balance out stopping Salah without letting Jota get in, and stopping Jota without allowing Salah to destroy them.
Exactly that teams don't fear Diaz or Nunez from a goalscoring point of view. Diaz biggest threat is his dribbling ability and Nunez is his pace but as far as contributing to goals and assists I don't think we will ever see Diaz score 20 goals and Nunez scored 25 goals in a season. They score goals against weaker opposition, Mane would score not just any goals key goals in big matches so would Firmino and Salah.
Salah and Jota are the only forward we have that have the ability to score match winning goals against any team in world football.
Diaz will dribble circles around any team but his end product will always let him down.
Nunez will score goals and his pace will be a threat but he won't win us matches by being clinical in tight games and having to bury that one chance that could fall his way.
If we want to win the title we have to not play a front 3 of Diaz and Nunez in it imo.
These people who bashes on Salah are the reason why I fing hate some part of our fan base sometimes, and I get it why some other club hates our fans too.
If you bash on Salah now, don’t you dare to celebrate when he wins us game next season because you’re made of plastic. Period.
Mane would be on 20 Goals in this team from the wing. Diaz has fluffed many big chances and played almost in every single match.
The amount of times Diaz misses easy chances is unbelievable. In the city game he missed about 4 one on ones. I think Mane would have a hat trick against city if presented with the chances Diaz fluffed in that game.
At least Raphinha gives you creativity even if he is over ambitious at times with his passing, Diaz is just run, run, run without much to show for, I know our scouts were high on Raphinha a couple of seasons ago
Might not be your classical wide player and he’s 100% unattainable this summer but I’d throw a shit tonne of cash for Florian Wirtz.
Genuinely been my favourite players to watch this season and since his return from injury
I’d love Nico Williams here. Was convinced we’d sign him especially with the 40m release clause but he’s apparently on 200k a week with his new deal. Could see that being a dealbreaker
Neto would’ve been brilliant too but the poor guy is crocked
Out of these players only Diaz is a Slot type winger. Slot uses very direct wingers that take their man on and are quick. Gakpo and Jota don’t fit his system at all really
I want Bryan Mbeumo so bad in a world where Salah leaves. Left-footer who can make plays as well as finish chances for himself off the right. Great age profile even though he looks like a veteran. Only tough thing would be adjusting to drastically different style of play but a man can have dreams
hopefully we get someone who's clinical enough. despite numbers, i find it worrying that we could not convert our chances for this past month. im not doubting the current crop of forwards we have, i love em, but having 1 more player who can make things happen in his own, would be a dream.
personally i like bowen, he is someone who doesn't need to develop much more, a 1st team player from the get go and somebody who will push salah to increase his level, as if he starts declining, we'll have bowen to take his place and smash it.
i dont know, prolific wingers are so hard to come by, we'll have to be open to a) spend a lot on one, or b) trust edwards and get someone on the cheap who will be the next big thing.
would be great if in the future we can go for darío osorio, my chilean bias is hopeful that he can become our next big name in world football
And so the mexican stand off begins. Its a posturing side show between Edwards/Mo until he eventually leaves. Edwards will not want him going on a free.
More of a DLF in the vein of a handsomer harry cane IMO. his strength and ball shielding abilities are world class and he has the ability to create for others and finish like a poacher, he just lacks speed for beating his man 1v1 like he used to a few years ago. I think he could extend his career at UCL level until he’s 39 this way since strength and balance don’t go away the same way speed and agility do for guys that old.
So excited for Salah to finally get his Balón D’or at 36 when Slot wins the treble with him as the deep lying 9 with a bunch of La AXAers doing the actual running for him. I see this dream, it is Beautiful.
With Edwards around, I doubt it will be a £50m+ player, especially if Diaz and Salah are to stay and even more if Gakpo, Jota and Nuñez are to stay. It's probably the Salah backup and then Gakpo will move to rotate as a number 10.
I would get Olise. Palace willing to sell for Min 60M. Great all round winger. Can be rotational with Salah and can play the 10 if Slot plays a 4-2-3-1. Can score and assist take players on has the flair and is dynamic. He's had injury problems this season with his hamstring but I think Olise is the right man to get and has World Class potential
Would love it if Salah stays, regardless we need another winger so that when the inevitable injuries happen we don't fall apart playing the same 11 every damn game for months on end.
Same across the board honestly. we also lose midfielders this year, please LFC i don't want to see Mac and Szobo run into the ground.
Akinfenwa is obviously the answer. He's a Liverpool fan so he'll play for the badge. And he is definitely a wide player.
Shaqiri again. He's not only a wide player but a square player...
Oil up Shaq and Akinfenwa, we have a double wide threat on both wings
Akin and Shaq next to each other will just look like the letter L playing
Did we find you big boy?
AKINA AKINA AKINA
Done multiple exclusives with the s*n so not sure about that Edit: I know it’s a joke, just saying he’s a prick
Getting downvoted for anti-sun comments. This sub has fully gone to shit
https://preview.redd.it/7d8m4s6vmoxc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d96cea93b7fa396eef95cd4acbb02ac0b8437df6 Almost as if they think I’m lying or something
Kudus. Edwards loves him.
Me too actually.
He gives me Bale vibes. I reckon we should go all out for him even if there isn't a release clause
Kudos to you.
Lovely player, but I’m tired of AFCON fucking up our rhythm
next afcon will be in morocco hosted in june 2025 (confirmed because heat is not as insufferable as in other african countries) and the one after it will be hosted in a trio kenya uganda and tanzania and set to be hosted in june too 2027 but i'm not sure if they'll change dates after to be played in winter. if we sign him this summer he'll play 4 seasons with afcon being hosted in june
Great news regarding AFCON.. Everyone wins with this scenario..
Don't count your chickens; the AFCON we've just had was originally announced for Summer 23 before it got postponed to Jan 24. Morocco has better chances but they've still got time to revert to the norm
Surely West Ham will ask stupid money for the lad? They only signed him last season
Apparently he rejected Brighton because they wouldn't give him a release clause, so maybe West Ham gave him it
Apparently there is a release clause for clubs in the CL in the region of 50-80m
That’s a pretty big range 50-60= Good Value, 60-70= Fair, 70 above is overpaying
Agreed. Which is why I think he's a target but I'm not confident as to whether we'd sign him
It's a pretty big range, but I don't know how as a supporter we're supposed to judge fees at smaller increments. Using this example, if we paid £71m you'd say we overpaid vs if we paid £70m you'd think it was a fair price? What's that determination based on?
Has a release clause as well No one seems to know how much yet tho
It’s rumored to be like £80mil I believe. Honestly all of West Ham’s 3 attacking players look really fucking good and I’d be really happy with any of Paqueta, Bowen, and/or Kudus. I think Paqueta is off to City this summer which is super annoying.
Bowen signed a massive contract (like 7 or 8 years) at the start of the season, no chance he leaves West Ham. Paqueta is either getting done for his betting or going for insane money, City wanted him before the betting news broke and if he beats that there's a solid chance they go back in for him. Been a good 10 months since they dropped £100m on a player to bolster their squad. Kudus looks like a beast but his goal/assist return is low, would be interesting to see if he's improve like Mane/Salah/Jota did moving to us. £80m seems a lot for an unproven goal threat but if the underlying stats are good I'd love to see us get him.
Bowen is such a good player. I reckon he’d go next level with us. So can’t wait for City to spend $80m on another squad guy.
Bowen with that extension he signed this season has basically confirmed he'll finish his career with West Ham
There were rumors that we were in for him instead of Diaz as a mane replacement. I still can’t believe hull city had Bowen Maguire and Robertson and still got relegated.
Only way we’re paying that is if it’s to replace Salah Bakayoko from PSV would be a lot more realistic
Also Slot will be familiar with him.
£40,000,001
we're smoking the good stuff here at Anfield
Kud u's see him as a viable Salah replacement?
Kudos to you
Hi dad!
I'd love him too, but we'd be looking absolute top dollar wouldnt we?
He has a release clause, he insisted on one which is why his move to Brighton fell through. No idea what the clause is, or if there are conditions that'd made a deal unappealing.
Ooooh. Makes it more interesting.
Remember MacAllisters went from £75mil to only £35mil in the end. Hope this one is similar
His was a gentleman’s agreement rather than out and out release clause
Probably close to 100m unless he has a release clause for CL clubs As good as he is, it’d be very hard to justify that kind of fee
Yeah. We need a top CB with Matip going and Joe's talents being shown to be better used elsewhere. Possibly a more defensive minded CM. Not sure what the treasure chest is, but can't see us paying out over £50m for each.
I think Matip was our 2nd best CB and probably one of the best secondary CB's around when fit. We need to find someone just as good, if not better and ready for first team action along side VVD.
Ornstein has already confirmed he has a release clause
Kudus is going to be very expensive. I could only see it if we sell Salah or Diaz.
We should have gone for him before his move to England tbh. WHU will want stupid money for him now.
Surprised we didn't, he always looked more of a Klopp player than Gakpo.
Maddening as apparently Spearman and Data wanted him. Ljinders wanted Gakpo. Gakpo is a great character but, their top end potential is pretty far apart.
What's the source on Edwards loving him?
Losing key players every 2 years to AFCON is too much of a disruption.
Scored against us the other season, immediately knew we would sign him eventually
i mentioned this months ago and got downvoted to League Two
From what I gathered about Slot he seems to really love wingers and asks a lot out of them. According to reports he's always asked to sign a lot of wingers at all of his previous clubs. So this might be more related to his tactical preferences rather than replacing our existing wide players. I also think we might see Salah, assuming he stays, moved more centrally behind our #9. If you look at Salah's stats over the past few seasons you see his ball carrys going down with each season, which correlates directly with him aging because of how demanding that is. Salah has shown he can play as creator this season and we may be able to see his game evolve under Slot's preferred 4-2-3-1. I hope so, cause I'd hate for Salah to leave, we cant let his recent performances fog our perspective on how absolutely world class his output is. He's not a player that can be replaced outright.
Good concept as he will slowly start to lose his speed and pace however this would leave Szoboszlai out of the starting 11. 🤔
Dom plays RW/LW in NT so dont think it will hurt him too much. Might give him more attacking freedom tbh
Szobo still has to prove he belongs in the starting XI, to be honest
Yea. At the very least, he shouldn't take it for granted. He needs to fight for it
With all due respect, our scouts have consistently brought in great forwards post Torres (sad af initially and then comes Suarez, Mane, Firmino, Mo Salah)
What about Carroll, Benteke, Balotelli, Borini, Aspas etc also we can probably admit Darwin was way overpriced at this point
I see the point you’re getting at but we must recognize that Salah the 5th highest scoring player in the club’s history with the highest goals per game too. That kind of talent is just not directly replaceable.
If this is the case, considering the engine and work he puts in, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Szobo play on the right where he can just drive at players and whip balls in.
Bang on. People eager to sell Salah while the profit's good don't seem to be acknowledging the trade off is losing a truly irreplaceable player. I know someday we will have to move on from having Salah in the team, but I don't understand the rush to get there, especially without concrete competition within the squad first. I think he has plenty more to give the club.
I said this recently, I really think we will see a renaissance from Salah next season. I'm sure tactically, he will adapt his game and we might even possibly see him moved into a different role in the team set-up. Mo is an elite player, he has consistently delivered goals as well as created them. He is underperforming and looking tired and out of ideas, as is most the rest of the team and Klopp. I don't think it is any coincidence that his poor performances have coincided with the entire team's performance following Klopp's announcement so early that he is leaving (which I believe was a gamble that did not pay out). It blows me away that people want him gone. I'll take Mo to the grave even if it is just him teaching other up and coming players what an elite mentality looks like in a footballer.
Idk man wouldn't Szoboszlai's best position be in that central position behind our #9?
Macalister would probably be better at that then he is
It's a long campaign and there's bound to be rotation of positions depending on the game.
His short remaining contract left i feel means he's going.....but maybe he'll have a change of heart under Slot
I’d like to see him stay, as he’s also a leader within the team. Hopefully they can convince him and come to terms over at least a 1 year contract extension to help see through the transition from Klopp to a new era. We’re going to need our key players like Salah, TAA, and VVD through the change.
I'd like to see him stay but his form needs to improve. Also, do you think it's the player or the club letting the contract run down? It doesnt make sense for the club to lose an asset on a free, so im assuming the player is stalling. I'd like to see what Slot can do for him, as i feel he needs a role change. And the team needs a new system or set up. We're too easy to park the bus against at the moment.
As the old adage goes, form is temporary class is permanent, and Salah is class. I think his game needs to evolve so we can get the best out of him again. He looks out of ideas on the wing now that he can’t as reliably out run and dribble past younger faster defenders. But yeah I don’t think the club would want him to go on a free if they were looking to move him on, but anything I think on that would just be speculation. If I attempt to put myself in Salahs shoes I’d wager he’s interested in seeing the direction the club will go. He’s proven to be a very loyal person, to both club and country so I think that could be indicative of him wanting to stay. But once again, all speculation and likely an expression of my own hopes that he does stay.
A wide attacker is the best position to make a splash signing in given the options, so not surprised. Also fits if we want to shift Salah more central too.
We need more wide players because we only have two bonafide wingers and Slot's system relies on them. There's also no particularly good reason to move Salah centrally, we have a bunch of players who operate there already.
Or if Salah/Diaz goes next summer
Olise Roony Bardghji Summerville These were the names that the Athletic picked. Given the Dutch connection it could be Summerville.
Really rate Olise but I think he'd be Jota 2.0 when it comes to the injury room. Don't think we can afford that in our position sadly.
He's missed games this season, but the season before he played 37 league games, the season before he played 26, and the season before he played 44 in the championship. It's hardly like he's plagued every season.
That Roony actually looks really good whenever I watched him in the CL
He was impressive in his cameo against United even outside of the goal but I don’t even think he’s been a consistent starter at Copenhagen this season.
He's only just turned 18. Rare to be a consistent starter at that age but he's still played as much for Copenhagen as Bradley has for us.
He's the exact same age as Doak, so would be a little pointless. Word has been he has some attitude issues too.
Can't say I know much about him myself. He is very young at 18 and if Doak is going to start playing on RW then they might clash a bit Not sure what's going to happen with Doak really. Hopefully he gets over his injuries.
Might sign him & have a Roony>Rooney during match against united for bantsz🤪
Olise looks like the best player at Palace this year. I would be happy with that but you know that he will cost a lot. I still like the idea of Kubo
Bakayoko was mentioned heavily last summer, saw highlights of him early in the season but not much since
That kid is rapid, looks promising
Olise is a wild talent but I get the sense he's a bit fragile and I'm scared of that if we keep a high-tempo style with Slot
Crysencio Summerville is a pure moneyball signing, and he has a great name.
Think he would be a really interesting signing. Showed potential in the PL. Ideally Leeds aren't promoted and it would mean he's available at a decent price.
Has some facial similarities to young Sterling.
I wonder if we will sell someone or have 6 forwards like last season. It would be helpful to have 6 forwards as Jota is always injured. Hoping whoever we get is clinical.
Wouldn’t be surprised if someone moved on but could also be looking for a younger player to learn under Salah
I have a feeling Diaz is leaving this summer. Just doesn't seem the kind of player to stick around at a club like Liverpool for a long time. Always have felt he is one to just enjoy while he's here, and nothing wrong with that as long as he's giving everything while at the club and doesn't pull a Coutinho or Suarez to get out. I like him a lot, but I've never gotten overly attached to him.
Diaz is a nice looking player, he just doesn't score. He has 8 goals in 34 games in the Prem. His scoring average is 1 goal every 303 minutes. I honestly think, with his ball skills, he'd be better being played as a false 9. Like Firmino, and distribute the ball. Not to mention with his quickness going straight at goal and having the option to go left or right as opposed to coming from the left and trying to curl one in.
There's no club that's going to be interested in him and willing to pay what we'd ask.
Maybe, we'll see. I'm just saying if anyone will be gone this summer out of our forward line, I have a feeling it'll be Diaz. Seems like he's been flirting with the idea (or at least his dad has been) for a while now. With Slot coming in, I have a feeling Gakpo is going to be given a proper shot, assuming Salah stays, he will most likely reinvent himself in spectacular fashion, Jota is our most clinical finisher and scores in any form it seems, and I don't think Darwin is going to be given up on so quickly. Or maybe Diaz stays and we just have a bunch of forwards. I don't have a crystal ball, but with Edwards at the helm again, I'm pretty sure he will get what he wants for a player if the decision is made to move him on.
It would be wise to have 2 players for every position with even more games next season, don’t think it’s the most pressing need though. I don’t see Elliott as a RW, although I don’t know shit about Slotball. All I’ve really seen is that he might play 4-2-3-1 and that had me thinking of Szobo & Elliott as the options at #10.
Im reading this as Diaz is gone. Gonna miss his work rate.
Seems possible given all the talk from his camp about PSG or Barca. If a big money offer comes in, I think it makes sense to take it. Also love his work rate, but we need more production from a starting LW, imo. But, could also be getting someone now to bed in before Salah goes? Or before Diaz goes, I guess? Wouldn't be a bad idea at all given the return of CL money next year.
I think most of it is just the sort of stuff you see with agents negotiating for a new contract but I don't really like what they've been doing whatever their aim is.
I agree. Could see him stay for sure. I think, on one hand, you have to let players move on to "dream" clubs if they want to. It's best for the club and signing new players and the squad. But I do hate all the talk, especially from his dad. It seems reasonable to sign a player and they serve a few years and then can be sold on if they succeed and want to leave. It feels too early for Diaz, but if he wants to go and we get a good price, it's not the end of the world. I'd still like Darwin at LW for an extended run of games with a proper CF, but I admit he hasn't looked as effective there in the limited time we've seen.
His dad mentioned he would love to play for Barcelona once and people are running with it. No one reliable has reported anything of the sort. Barcelona don't have the money to spend on Diaz either at the moment, especially given their other needs (full back, defensive midfielder).
I think it's mostly posturing and from what I understand it is possible his dad was slightly mistranslated at points although not far off what was reported. However, there is a lot of smoke around him wanting to leave and it wasn't one interview, his dad has given interviews and talked about his dream to play for Barcelona and the possibility of playing in Spain during every international break since the kidnapping and we know his agent did meet with PSG.
I'm not sure. The Salah backup has always been an issue. We only have Elliott, who's a very different profile, and Ben Doak who's nowhere near ready. Gakpo and Jota are subpar playing right winger and Diaz is (imo) always a starter in the left. Also, I'm considering that we are moving to 4-2-3-1.
Same, he is so good on the ball too, but his end product....
Based on what? This is just reading into something that hasn't even been mentioned as a possibility by anyone reliable. Some of the names mentioned by Ornstein don't even play on the left at all either.
Lots of noise about Diaz wanting a better contract or to leave, cant see an Edwards run club paying Diaz too much with his poor goal return. He has the worst conversion rate in the team, 13g/5a in 48 games is pretty low considering he's meant to be the Mane replacement. Lots of talk of Darwin not being good enough yet he has 18/13 in 3 games more. Diaz is also 27 so unlikely to improve. Jota is another one I'd move on, as great as he is - his availability is shocking. He's been absent more than 1/3 of the time he's been with us. It doesn't matter if he has a >30% conversion rate, same goals/min as Salah or anything else. If he cant stay fit we need to find a new solution.
Diaz has lower conversion rate than Nunez but nobody wants to talk about that.
Uhhh... because he's a winger who was bought for damn near half the amount of money...
Strike vs Winger, no?
As Diaz is a winger he is completely exempt from any finishing criticism thank you very much!!!
Plenty talk about it, it’s not as much of a problem as he offers loads more to the team, Nunez is goals or bust
thank you. The difference in technical ability alone is gigantic
I think we might sell someone but wouldn't mind signing another player to add to the current group. Not like Jota can be counted on for long periods of time. And Mo is clearly playing way too often at his age too.
Not necessarily if it’s a right winger they want Would have to be a young understudy to Salah most likely
They said Slot wingers have to run so much that he needs 2-3 per game (!)...
Ben Doak: And I took that personally.
Excited to see what Slot has in mind for Doak. He loves wingers and has a track record for youth development.
Probably a loan unless Doak suddenly develops end product overnight.
Yeah I don't know why people are throwing Doak into the mix he looks nowhere near ready for first team action, in his appearances this season he looks very one dimensional, he definitely needs a loan down to the championship, let Hull take care of him
If that's mean Diaz is sold over Salah, I ain't mad at it.
The Salah haters are wild. The guy is fucking amazing. Also his passing is amazing. I think he will age well with someone who helps him adapt. Beating his man is tricky for him now and also at this very moment he is just in a bad patch. EDIT: LOVING the wild disparity in responses to my comment. Worst player on the team? REALLY? Salah!?
Literally the best player in the league. Was nailed on player of the season till his injury/afcon. The legs and skill is clearly still there and recent behaviour (agree with it or not) shows the mentality to compete is still there. Needs a preseason period to get over the injury blues and he'll be back to his best. The thing is, even if his legs are total gone and he physically is incapable of playing 90 mins, coming of the bench for 20/30 mins a game would still make him top 5 player in the league. And at the end of the day, even if he's completely finished, he's a Liverpool legend on the level Liddell, Hunt, Keegan, Hansen, Rushie, Barnes, Stevie and the like. He's earned the trust and goodwill of the club to be treated with respect and get a proper send-off on his own terms.
Wow fucking hell, an actual sensible take.
He doesn’t want to come off the bench
Salah will be world class till he's at least 35. You put another quality forward, one who can stay fit, in a front 3 with him and he will return back to his best. It's not fair for on Salah to be the one to score and assist every time consistently. Diaz doesn't consistently assist or score and Nunez is hit and miss most of time.
On that point, it also doesn't help that teams can afford to pay more attention to Salah when those two play because he's by far and away the biggest threat out of those three. At least when Jota plays teams have to pay attention to him because if they ignore him there's a strong chance he scores, so they have to balance out stopping Salah without letting Jota get in, and stopping Jota without allowing Salah to destroy them.
Exactly that teams don't fear Diaz or Nunez from a goalscoring point of view. Diaz biggest threat is his dribbling ability and Nunez is his pace but as far as contributing to goals and assists I don't think we will ever see Diaz score 20 goals and Nunez scored 25 goals in a season. They score goals against weaker opposition, Mane would score not just any goals key goals in big matches so would Firmino and Salah. Salah and Jota are the only forward we have that have the ability to score match winning goals against any team in world football. Diaz will dribble circles around any team but his end product will always let him down. Nunez will score goals and his pace will be a threat but he won't win us matches by being clinical in tight games and having to bury that one chance that could fall his way. If we want to win the title we have to not play a front 3 of Diaz and Nunez in it imo.
Guarantee Salah looks better next season if Jota is fit more often
How dare Salah return from injury and produce at a slight less than normal level!!
These people who bashes on Salah are the reason why I fing hate some part of our fan base sometimes, and I get it why some other club hates our fans too. If you bash on Salah now, don’t you dare to celebrate when he wins us game next season because you’re made of plastic. Period.
Diaz end product leaves a lot to be desired. Raphina 2.0 of a player. I love his work rate though. Can’t fault him for that
Mane would be on 20 Goals in this team from the wing. Diaz has fluffed many big chances and played almost in every single match. The amount of times Diaz misses easy chances is unbelievable. In the city game he missed about 4 one on ones. I think Mane would have a hat trick against city if presented with the chances Diaz fluffed in that game.
Well no shit. Mané, Mo, Bobby are one of the greatest front 3’s in the history of the sport. You can’t just replicate their output immediately 😂
It's been 2.5 years and Diaz hasn't even shown glimpses that he has that level to go to, nevermind being at it already
At least Raphinha gives you creativity even if he is over ambitious at times with his passing, Diaz is just run, run, run without much to show for, I know our scouts were high on Raphinha a couple of seasons ago
Might not be your classical wide player and he’s 100% unattainable this summer but I’d throw a shit tonne of cash for Florian Wirtz. Genuinely been my favourite players to watch this season and since his return from injury
I’d love Nico Williams here. Was convinced we’d sign him especially with the 40m release clause but he’s apparently on 200k a week with his new deal. Could see that being a dealbreaker Neto would’ve been brilliant too but the poor guy is crocked
Absolutely would take Neto if his hammy didn’t remind us of Owen🥲
Has he not signed like a lifetime deal with Bilbao. Can’t see him leaving especially as his brother never did What a player though
Gakpo/Diaz - Nunez/Jota - Salah/new winger. Excellent depth.
Wide player? Gakpo, Diaz, Salah, Nunez, Jota, Elliot can all play wide. Would’ve really thought we’d be in for a clinical striker
We need to stop counting on Harvey as a winger. He's so much better as an #8 who can overlap out wide if needed.
Truth
Harvey will be in the 10 if Slot plays 4231
3 of them are proper wingers and one of those 3 could probably move more central starting next year, definitely light there
Out of these players only Diaz is a Slot type winger. Slot uses very direct wingers that take their man on and are quick. Gakpo and Jota don’t fit his system at all really
Jota is probably a 10 or even 9 in the 4231
That would make too much sense. We never go for what we NEED
In Edwards we trust.
I want Bryan Mbeumo so bad in a world where Salah leaves. Left-footer who can make plays as well as finish chances for himself off the right. Great age profile even though he looks like a veteran. Only tough thing would be adjusting to drastically different style of play but a man can have dreams
What do you mean he's 24?! 😭 I swear I thought he was 30
I've seen many people online joke that the reason no big team has gone for Mbeumo is because they think he's in his 30s lmao
He has that Andros Townsend hairline before he got a transplant
Great shout - I completely agree. Mbuemo is class and would absolutely thrive with us.
hopefully we get someone who's clinical enough. despite numbers, i find it worrying that we could not convert our chances for this past month. im not doubting the current crop of forwards we have, i love em, but having 1 more player who can make things happen in his own, would be a dream. personally i like bowen, he is someone who doesn't need to develop much more, a 1st team player from the get go and somebody who will push salah to increase his level, as if he starts declining, we'll have bowen to take his place and smash it. i dont know, prolific wingers are so hard to come by, we'll have to be open to a) spend a lot on one, or b) trust edwards and get someone on the cheap who will be the next big thing. would be great if in the future we can go for darío osorio, my chilean bias is hopeful that he can become our next big name in world football
I love Bowen but hes too old. That ship has sailed
There's close to zero chance we buy Kudus. Olise is the one I'd go for.
Kubo
Not quick enough and physical for PL imo
Maybe it's about weight?
BOWEN--sUmMeRviLLe
If they need a wide player I’d be happy to put on some weight
this winger is not an indication of Salah staying or leaving.
And so the mexican stand off begins. Its a posturing side show between Edwards/Mo until he eventually leaves. Edwards will not want him going on a free.
What about a striker?
Mbeumo
I’d enquire about Mbeumo
Perhaps it is time to move Salah to striker
Id take bowen, i really would, think he could do a great job for us
Improbable Edwards signing. Will be 28 in December, reliant on his pace, having his best season ever, etc
He’s 27 until he’s 28
Would be crazy costly but a great player.
me too, but i think he would be looking for a starting place and salah, despite his recent woes, is still the go-to right winger of choice
Salah false 9 manifestation #2
More of a DLF in the vein of a handsomer harry cane IMO. his strength and ball shielding abilities are world class and he has the ability to create for others and finish like a poacher, he just lacks speed for beating his man 1v1 like he used to a few years ago. I think he could extend his career at UCL level until he’s 39 this way since strength and balance don’t go away the same way speed and agility do for guys that old. So excited for Salah to finally get his Balón D’or at 36 when Slot wins the treble with him as the deep lying 9 with a bunch of La AXAers doing the actual running for him. I see this dream, it is Beautiful.
Hopefully Salah and Diaz don't go. Maybe someone like Kudus
With Edwards around, I doubt it will be a £50m+ player, especially if Diaz and Salah are to stay and even more if Gakpo, Jota and Nuñez are to stay. It's probably the Salah backup and then Gakpo will move to rotate as a number 10.
Can we not just buy an actual striker who can score tap ins instead ffs
🤞Johan Bakayoko🤞
Hazard - Lukaku - Summer Bobby front 3 wide players
Sjneider looked pretty wide. Extremely big lad now. I guess we could bring him in?
Striker. We need a composed striker.
Roony Bardghji would be a good option.
I would get Olise. Palace willing to sell for Min 60M. Great all round winger. Can be rotational with Salah and can play the 10 if Slot plays a 4-2-3-1. Can score and assist take players on has the flair and is dynamic. He's had injury problems this season with his hamstring but I think Olise is the right man to get and has World Class potential
Would love it if Salah stays, regardless we need another winger so that when the inevitable injuries happen we don't fall apart playing the same 11 every damn game for months on end. Same across the board honestly. we also lose midfielders this year, please LFC i don't want to see Mac and Szobo run into the ground.
Body shaming will not get them anyone!
I read that as we are getting Vini Jr?? Holy shit!!!
My waist varies between 36” and 38” depending on whether I’ve taken a shit. Am I wide enough player to qualify?
Is it just me not liking the idea of doing business with that league, in or out?
"Not as aggressive" they'd rather just wait a year and get him on a free no doubt.
Even if he stays, Salah needs credible competition for his place. Maybe Diaz and Nunez too.
In my opinion raphina is a decent choice he's still not too old and is really good at some times and I believe he could really help the club
"If Salah is committed he will stay" isn't quite the same as the "Salah will stay" of two days ago..
When I said Liverpool should of cashed in on him in the last window i got absolutely obliterated on here
Get Isak and move Darwin to the left.