Liverpool banter 6

25 Jul 2026 16:50:30
Let the games begin, my guess is this:
Vinny Jr to PSG
Olise to Madrid
Barcola to Liverpool
Diomande to Liverpool
Gakpo to Bayern.

25 Jul 2026 17:20:04
If my country is saying it, it must be true.

25 Jul 2026 17:20:29
Vinni and Olise are going nowhere.
Diomande to PSG or Real.
Barcola goes to Arsenal if PSG get their man and if they can agree a fee.
Gakpo stays put.

25 Jul 2026 17:21:22
That would be some transfer window merry go round.

25 Jul 2026 17:38:36
Barcola to Liverpool I can see happening. Diomande to Madrid feels likely now. Gakpo to Dortmund or Bayern maybe? Olise's going nowhere. Vini Jr to run down his contract and move to PSG or Arsenal in 2027, I reckon.

25 Jul 2026 17:26:12
Brother whatever you are taking you need to stop asap because the hallucinations are Very strong

25 Jul 2026 18:56:04
No way Vini leaves for nothing next year. Madrid will sell if he doesn't renew.

He's too valuable to them to leave on a free. And will cost a big fee to replace.

25 Jul 2026 19:04:27
Barcola, I hope goes to Arsenal. Will be a blessing in disguise.

25 Jul 2026 19:06:51
Vini signs with Real 100% for me. This is all just part of the game.

25 Jul 2026 19:17:53
I'd imagine, if Vini leaves on a free it would be an astronomical signing on fee for him.

25 Jul 2026 16:25:08
Eds how do you cope reading some of the stuff you have to on here? I'd be on the bottle every night if I had to do it.

{Ed001's Note - I just remember it could be worse, I could support Everton.}

25 Jul 2026 17:14:13
I'm getting the bottles out later, SA. Our supporters are depressing me with their negativity. If you went into a coma in 2009 and woke up to read this site the last 2 days, you'd think you'd only been out a year. It reads as though Hodgson has just been appointed and we've signed Poulsen, Konchesky, Jovanovic and Cole to compliment Ngog, Cavalieri, Degen, El Zhar, Aquilani and Kyrgiakos.



We need a Time Machine so we can remind people what a bad squad really looks like.

25 Jul 2026 17:55:50
MK, it's not negativity, it's a concern that Slot has turned us into doubters again

We can win this season if right signings are made at the right time.

Squad is good, but not almost the same which won the title under Slot.

We need improvements in forward positions, and that too real fast, not close to the start of the season.



We need to start the season strong.

Early bad results will spread the real negativity.

Let's hope Isak gets settled and stays injury free, that will be the real boost.

25 Jul 2026 17:55:53
Can't understand the apprehension whatsoever, if Slot was still here, yes undoubtedly, but we have now an exceptional manager who brings a record of 16 PL games unbeaten with an inferior squad to his current one.

He has never had a team of flashy showmen (posers). He is of the same ilk as Shankly, Paisley.

Hard work is the secret, there is no other way to win football games as last year quite clearly proved.

Give the man a chance, he might surprise you! Who are doubters, he won't surprise us, believers! I'm a big believer because the biggest asset his teams have is they play good team football.

25 Jul 2026 18:06:16
MK, I'm not saying we have a bad squad, I'm merely saying it's nowhere good enough to be challenging for the PL and CL. The halcyon days of the Klopp side are coming to an end. We have a CB who's about to play his last season and a keeper who can't stay fit.

In addition to a lack of squad depth, I also think the ability of Iraola getting a tune out of Wirtz and Isak is also pivotal to any potential success.

They were both major disappointments last season. Isak because he was never fit and Wirtz because he never looked anywhere near good enough.

25 Jul 2026 18:19:48
Agreed, Rome, we should be giving Iraola a squad that can compete for the title, and if he falls short we'll still get 2-4. Right now we have a squad that'll maybe finish 4-5 at best, that leaves no margin for error.

25 Jul 2026 18:20:11
Nabeel, nobody's said it's almost the same though? We've changed 10 players from that squad and I've pointed that out on the actual thread you're referencing.

I've only argued against the claim that we only have 13-14 good players. Context is key here, because that doesn't stack up when we still have 16 who have actually already done it. They're factually good enough to be in a 25 man title winning squad, regardless of whether they are starting quality. Good is a relative term. Tsimikas is a good 2nd choice LB, but he'd be a poor 1st choice LB. Does that make sense?

The question I think we should be asking is "are the 10 players we've brought in to replace the 10 who have left an upgrade or at least equals?" I'd argue no. Going after the players who've been here and done it seems ridiculous to me. They've proven they're up to it when the fitness and tactics are right.

For me, it's the replacements we've added to the starting XI with an actual point to prove now.

Frimpong, Wirtz and Isak especially. Everyone else who underperformed can blame bad coaching and back it up with evidence. Those 3 need to actually prove they can hack it at Liverpool because they cost about £280m and I'm not sure they made us better than Trent, Diaz and Nunez did.

Jacquet deserves a chance to prove he can do better than Konate before everyone gets on his back for only being 20 years old. Munoz, I think, replaces Jota as versatile front 3 cover because we didn't really have that in the plans last summer which left us one attacker light (through no fault of anyone). Replacing Salah is the key now. Then we have to replace people who Iraola doesn't want or who don't want to be here. I'm predicting that will only involve a RB and a DM, but I could be completely wrong. He might agree with you all and flog 7-10 players in which case I'll look very silly and you can all laugh at me!

25 Jul 2026 18:30:35
For me, my problem is some posters saying we might as well write off next season already. That gets my goat up.

The transfer window hasn't even closed yet. If it does, and we haven't signed anyone, then yeah, I might feel a bit deflated.

But we have a decent squad and a manager known for improving players. So I'm remaining optimistic. The final whistle hasn't gone yet, everyone. YNWA.

25 Jul 2026 18:30:38
I don't mind the positive posts or the posts with a touch of realism (not negativity). There's a fair bit of work to be done before the season starts and it's difficult to know how much last season's disaster has left its mark.
Big money signings need to step up and stay fit. Our goal machine needs replaced. Realism!

25 Jul 2026 17:14:16
poor Ed025!

{Ed025's Note - woe is me indeed KK.. :)

25 Jul 2026 17:26:57
Hahaha love it Ed, very true. Sorry Ed025. :D.

I agree MK, it's getting me down. Yeah we need work, but we have a good squad. The transfer window isn't closed yet, we have time.

25 Jul 2026 18:46:45
Barcola, Olise, Dembele, Doue, Mbappe. The World Cup has quite clearly shown that posers don't always win. A Spanish team beat them 2-0, an England team put six past them, aggregate score over two games, 8 goals conceded to four scored. Would LFC fans be happy with two of the three Spanish forwards in the WC playing for LFC this season? Oyazarbal CF, Baena LW, probably not. The Spanish manager had no issues as they are WC winners and, more importantly, team players.

The reason France and Argentina lost was because Spain hid the ball!

PSG, in the first world club final, were beaten three goals to nil by a Chelsea team, who never qualified for Europe this season. PSG have won the Champions League twice on the trot, beat Slots LFC and Arsenal on penalties to achieve that, they could on another day have lost those two penalty shoot outs?

25 Jul 2026 20:07:03
The fact that we have some people banking on Gomez, Endo, Ramsey, Bradley, Frimpong, Elliott, Chiesa and Bajcetic along with seamless introductions for kiddies Jacquet and Leoni to make any kind of challenge for honours, beyond top 5, is nothing short of wild!

Anyone would think Iraola is Jesus, never mind Klopp.

25 Jul 2026 19:57:50
Ed01, that is just purgatory.

25 Jul 2026 20:55:43
FPF, Klopp was happy to bank on Gomez, Bradley, Endo and Elliott.

Ramsay and Bajcetic, I think we agree on. Can't see them coming back and forging a career at Liverpool.

Frimpong and Chiesa are clearly talented, but I question if they can handle English football.

Iraola will want to assess them before we make a decision, though, as they're players with big reputations in Germany and Italy.

25 Jul 2026 16:05:05
It's really hard for me to understand why and how the board can allow us not to sign new players as quickly as possible to give the new manager time to integrate with the current squad and get them acclimated to his system.

I get that these things take time but to have this razor thin squad and not bring in obvious needs to me is not doing Iraola any favors at all. There have to be plans and contingencies.

25 Jul 2026 17:07:43
Transfer fever cranking up.

25 Jul 2026 17:17:00
We have had over a year to prepare for Salah's departure. And we have dropped the ball on this front.
We have signed VVD's replacement in Jacques.
We have signed Robbo's replacement in Kerkez.
It's now as important to prepare for Ali's departure next season.

25 Jul 2026 17:22:45
How do you expect us to sign players quickly when we're competing with the likes of PSG, Real, and Arsenal for signatures?

25 Jul 2026 18:28:49
That's one of the definite difficulties with the wingers position, we're looking at the top table this summer, looking at very complex and expensive deals in Barcola and Diomande.

It would be negligent, though, to not have a walk away point, and a contingency plan. I would have thought, for right wing, that could have been Bowen, but for left side the candidates are less obvious, although we've bought Munoz, so arguably the need isn't as high.

There's less of an argument around the RB position. If we're looking for cover, someone like Geertruida, we're really not competing at the top table. Lack of movement doesn't mean we don't do any business there, but it's a valid thing to say we should have done by now.



CDM again, I really don't think we're looking for a top table buy, we're linked time and again with Wharton. He's a good player, many unconvinced he's what we need, but if the transfer teams think he's the one (aside from the troubles of dealing with Palace) you could argue it's a deal that should have been done by now.

I suspect the main issue there is that we're looking to offload first for the midfield slot, and are struggling to get the prices we want for Curtis, Harvey, or even the likes of Macca. It's a really risky strategy to leave that position late in the window as it would involve a tweak in playing style if we bought him, which Iraola needs to be working on sooner rather than later.

25 Jul 2026 19:59:18
Chewy, did you not know that transfers work in real life the same way they happened on the FIFA video game? Hey, level up, man.

25 Jul 2026 20:19:36
Seems like Hughes has forgotten which button finalises the deal, Oli, was it X or A?! Can't remember myself.

25 Jul 2026 14:23:56
We can't go out and buy another 7 players this season, because they will all want to play along with the others we have at the moment. The way to build a team without massive disruption to the team is to build it slowly, integrating the new players into a settled formation. Unfortunately, not all the best players are the hardest working players and Iraola wants hard working players.

I would suggest most of last season's injuries were a lack of physical training during the pre-season and during the season, hence our lack of pressing ability and distance covered.
Give the manager a chance to develop those players we have along with buying a limited number of quality players.

25 Jul 2026 15:02:40
Good post, mate. Our squad is far more suited to Iraola's high intensity approach than Slot's half-arsed impression of Tiki Taka.

25 Jul 2026 15:11:18
RB, CB, DM, LW, RW are needed. And if any other starter goes, they will need replacing.

Some of you seem to want to go backwards to go forwards, when we really should have been building from a position of strength when Klopp left.

Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards (part 2) era has been an absolute shocker. No two ways about it.

25 Jul 2026 15:13:08
Back the manager. Can't not replace the best player we've had since Steven Gerrard. Can't go into the season with Bradley & Frimpong as right backs. Can't pin the defence totally on 35-year-old VVD.

Just back the manager and fix the problems.

25 Jul 2026 15:26:19
Agree with Nunez and MK, however there will be pain in the form of injuries while that resilience is regained after Slot not carrying it through.

This was mentioned indirectly by Milner in a recent interview, in that Klopp's methods created a lot of hamstring issues to begin with, until the boys built that resilience up.

It doesn't happen in a pre season. I expect the same to happen again.

25 Jul 2026 15:42:47
Agree with Pelican, although I think we could probably get a centre back that plays right back and turn 2 signings into one.

25 Jul 2026 15:46:33
They are backing the manager, LFC8. We’ve not even kicked off in our first pre-season game and we’ve already spent £95m.

FPF, £540m spent since Klopp left. I’d argue they are trying very hard to build from a position of strength. Edwards and Hughes have many flaws, but they did give Slot the TOTY left back (Kerkez), the 2nd top scorer in the league (Isak), a player many consider to be a generational talent (Wirtz), a 2-time Bundesliga TOTY right back (Frimpong) and an £80m back up striker (Ekitke).

As much as they screwed up with the Guehi deal and probably wasted £30m on Mamardashvili off the back of one good Euro’s, they put a lot of money down on the table to strengthen the team whilst we were on top.

Iraola’s most important job is to coach the talented players he has inherited because we’ve not seen anything close to the best of those we signed last summer and they didn’t all become bad players overnight.

25 Jul 2026 15:53:35
FPF, did you say that when they bought Isak, Wirtz and Eketike?

25 Jul 2026 15:54:39
Red-Willis, I think we should go all in for Kounde. Excellent RB and a solid CB. Very similar to Jurrien Timber. Barcelona need money and he's allegedly someone they're willing to cash in on. They're desperate to keep hold of the likes of Cubarsi, Pedri, Yamal etc. They also really want Laporte but cannot afford him unless they raise funds.

25 Jul 2026 15:57:49
MK, I think you are right to a point in all the posts you've made since yesterday, but come on, we need at least one, if not two, top class attacking players with blistering pace, an experienced center back who can fill in at right back, and probably a midfielder. Frimpong, I like and I think he can still do good things for us, but he is not a right back in a back 4 and should not start there. As a back up for certain situations, fine.



Yes, they spent a lot of money last year, but as I have always maintained, that was only part of the rebuild, and the second half of that reconstruction is supposed to take place this window. I still feel confident we will get most of it done, but, given how we are all eternally online, the radio silence on the transfers end has everybody nervous (of course I'm not immune to that either).

25 Jul 2026 16:16:54
Kounde would be a very good signing. Arnau Martinez would be a good budget option to do the same.

25 Jul 2026 16:44:52
FloMusiala, ideally I'd like Barcola, Camara and Kounde. I think we will end up with Barcola and Wharton though. I'm not sure what will happen at RB/CB. We have a lot of young players on the tour who can do a job there whilst Bradley and Leoni recover, so I think we'll wait until later in the window to decide.

Iraola will get a good look at everyone on the fringes over the next couple of weeks. Ramsay, Ndiaye and Ndukwe might do enough to convince him. He likes working with younger players.

25 Jul 2026 16:51:40
Did we not buy the young lad from France back in January.

25 Jul 2026 16:54:30
We've spent £95 million this summer to replace players who left on free transfers. We've basically spent £95 million to stand still. You can twist things all you like, but we all have eyes. One fit right back who is really a wing back, one fit striker, a central defender coming off an ACL and a central defender who can't play three games without breaking down.

List all of the names you can think of, Chiesa, Endo, Gomez etc., but once the season starts fully, and fatigue and injuries kick in, we'll have Chiesa starting up front and Szoboszlai at right back, and we'll have to flog Jacquet into the ground because we have no alternative. Iraola may be a good coach but he's not a magician.

25 Jul 2026 17:50:06
Fifth Element, maybe Iraola will make use of some of the u21's that Slot completely ignored? Will Wright and Jayden Danns are both fit strikers as I see it, and Munoz who we've just signed can also play as a striker. As can Chiesa, as you said yourself. So Isak isn't the only fit striker, really. We actually have 5 with Ekitike to return in December.

On RB/CB we agree to at least some extent.

I'd sign Kounde to play RB and cover CB in case Jacquet or Leoni struggle. Iraola might fancy Ndiaye, Ndukwe or Ramsay though. We'll see.

I'm not twisting anything, I'm just pointing out the players we have available when people say we're down to the bare bones because of 3 injuries and 3 players leaving. We need to add quality, not quantity.

25 Jul 2026 17:09:43
Unless at least 3 quality players (centre back, midfielder and winger) are brought in this window, Iraola has been hung out to dry. A right back would be nice too. Unless those players come in, we won't make the Champions League next season. The board got away with not backing Slot in his first season because he still had the nucleus of Klopp's team.

That won't work if they try to do similar with Iraola. There are glaring gaps in the squad, and anyone listing 30+ players and saying we have depth, doesn't understand football.

25 Jul 2026 18:26:55
Ekitike returning in December is a best case scenario, even if that happens, he will have been out for 8 months, it'll take him until February/March to get fully up to speed. Danns is injured again. Chiesa wouldn't start for the majority of Premier League teams.
We clearly need another player who can play as a striker before the season starts.

25 Jul 2026 18:54:40
Barcola is the favourite to sign next and he can play as a centre forward, 5th Element.

By the way, Will Wright has been tipped by many experts on our academy to be the next breakthrough star. He's looking good in pre-season training and he's been physically ready for men's football for a couple of years already.

He's the lad who made his debut for Salford City at 16 years old and then chose Liverpool over pretty much every big club in Europe. He'll get some minutes tonight hopefully.

25 Jul 2026 20:01:11
"Some of you seem to want to go backwards to go forwards, when we really should have been building from a position of strength when Klopp left."


We literally did do that after Klopp left with a league title and a very successful transfer window (by near all accounts) so not sure why you are slating the club for not doing what they actually did.

25 Jul 2026 13:05:07
Just heard a short interview on Radio 4 this morning with Kieran Maguire Professor of Football Finance at the University of Liverpool about American's buying into English football as they see bargain bin prices for PL clubs with global fan footptints. (an NFL team would cost £10Billion with no real global footprint and Liverpool £5Billion for a huge footprint) and the introduction of dynamic pricing for tickets and a push for more commercialisation of adverts such as we saw in the world cup with 4 quarters and 30 minute half-time.

Wrexham was bought by Reynolds for about £2M and is now valued and 100 times that! So expect Bezos as a minority LFC shareholder in not too distant future.

25 Jul 2026 14:09:46
Should be rules introduced so that the sport and its layout cannot be changed as 4 quarters and a half time show in the Prem and, seriously, that's me done with football. World Cup was a hard watch for 6 weeks. Imagine that every weekend for a full season. 🙈

25 Jul 2026 14:35:05
Football didn't need quarters and has no reason for bringing in hydration breaks, so FIFA has no excuse to bring it in, they should leave well enough alone.

25 Jul 2026 14:36:17
With middle-class now being squeezed, sporting revenue is going to have to be diversified. On the flip side, digital opportunities grow. The beauty of digital is, there are no geographic limitations and you can iterate cheaply.



It would be of no surprise that the likes of Amazon, Netflix, Airbnb, Google, Meta will be looking for opportunities across multiple sports. In some ways, Red Bull stole a march on everyone.

25 Jul 2026 14:47:18
Lots of posters seemed happy with ticket price increases, so I'd imagine they would also be content if illegal streaming was completely rid of, and tv companies charge £68 a game to watch, so all fans are paying the same and contributing.

25 Jul 2026 15:08:50
The minute the yanks take over football is the day I finish watching it and watch Sunday league instead. The world cup was rhe biggest load of sh*te i'd seen, and with 4 quarters and half time show. Literally get lost

25 Jul 2026 15:17:50
If they bring 4 quarters and halftime shows to the Premier League I expect full-blown riots, which I wall gladly be a part of

25 Jul 2026 12:41:14
I really don’t see a lot of players coming in or out of the club despite all the rumours.
A right winger and right sided cb/rb a new manager and coaches will bring us back to where we should be.
If any senior players leave Gakpo, Macca then it might be different.

25 Jul 2026 14:12:59
Thank you! At last a post with a modicum of composure and common sense. I'm losing my mind reading every other post panicking because we need 7-12 new signings.

If the season started tomorrow we'd still comfortably qualify for the Champions League again.

As you say, we need 2-3 new players and we'll be back competing at the top. We didn't replace Trent or Fabinho adequately and we now need to replace Salah too. VictirGoddam said it yesterday; patience.

25 Jul 2026 14:36:24
In fairness, Mk, we didn't comfortably qualify for the CL last season. Thankfully, the performance of English clubs gave the 5th CL spot.

25 Jul 2026 15:04:48
We didn't at all, JK23. I completely agree. But I don't envisage we'll give the player 2 days off a week this year and play with passive tactics. It shows just how good our players actually are that they still scraped into the Champions League in spite of such bad management.

25 Jul 2026 15:14:46
I'm never one for panicking over signings. I'd always want the academy looked at before we even make one. And also agree there won't be many, but I cannot agree that if the season started tomorrow we would comfortably qualify for the Champions League.

We might well still qualify, but we would be taking an awful gamble. For a start, if the season started tomorrow, 3rd would be the absolute maximum position I would expect us to finish, maybe even 4th. But that would be everything, like injuries etc, going our way.

25 Jul 2026 15:16:23
Mk, let's hope so mate. Last season was dire. I know absolutely nothing about Iraola so I'm hoping he is as good as people are claiming.

25 Jul 2026 15:20:10
All depends on what our own players want to do, if the likes of Gakpo, Macca, Jones, Gomez, Chiesa, Endo want to stay, then they'll stay, but if they were sold tomorrow, they'd be no loss to the club.

25 Jul 2026 15:47:46
We defo need two strong midfielders, a right sided player n an older CB, but if one or two leave they'll need replacing. We're ok up front, GK, LB, we can fill in at RB, so not a priority in my eyes.

25 Jul 2026 15:49:06
As things stand, I'm not confident at all of qualifying for CL. Chelsea have strengthened and don't have European football, so will be a far bigger threat. Mk, to say we'd qualify comfortably, I respectfully disagree. We need a new RB, CB, and at least one new forward to have any chance of challenging.

So much is being put on Iraola sorting things out, when I repeatedly said last season it wasn't all down to Slot. I hope he's as good as most people are making him out to be, and I welcome the change of coach, but the squad, as it stands, needs improving.

25 Jul 2026 16:04:01
Good point, Rome. Strongly agree, competition for CL spots is going to be even more fierce this season.

25 Jul 2026 19:40:12
I'm in the same camp, I don't think we're nailed on for anything next season.

If Iraola can get Isak and Wirtz fit and firing that'll make a huge difference on its own. It's a big if, though, right now.

I've never seen Jacquet play, so don't know how that'll go, and it's obviously a key position.



Munoz, equally, I don't know. He's got pace, but so has Frimpong, and I can't say he's done anything much yet to justify buying him.

So the jury's out. Iraola is definitely a front foot coach, so we should be good to watch, but let's not put too much expectation on him as the gaps in the squad are all very clear.

25 Jul 2026 20:04:46
I don't worry my head over things I cannot control re: signings. I value my mental health and peace of mind.

I let the club do their job and we will roll into the season ready to play, signings or not. I still think we will do business this window cos clearly, the club is on the case.

Let the process play out and if things don't pan out, people can complain.

Whining and crying about something that has not happened yet is a waste of my time, personally.

25 Jul 2026 13:07:28
I think we go for Rayan and Barcola.

25 Jul 2026 13:41:38
Not a chance.

25 Jul 2026 16:05:01
Agreed, I think we'll go for them alright, but I'm not so sure we'll get them.

25 Jul 2026 12:14:56
Mk scouser wrote a great post on our current midfield. That Klopp had those same players.
The irony in that we didn't win a league under Klopp with those same midfielders.
Slot helped us win the league, that will never get forgotten. Amazing memories.
But, Virg and Salah carried us over the line. Salah had insane numbers in goal contributions and we were all wanting him to stay longer. Virg had an excellent overall season and carried the backline.
Grav played well as a progressive 6 consistently that season.
Last season, however, Grav's performances for the most part were nothing short of disgraceful.

He's on 300k a week now and couldn't win a tackle last season. Couldn't track back and was chasing shadows.
Macca, we know what Macca is.
Klopp's a better coach than Iriola.
A reality check is needed on what we have available. I'd welcome Wharton and a Roy Keane type midfielder.
I'm not interested in what Macca or Jones want to do. They both should be looking at two new midfielders ahead of them in the pecking order.
We'll be 20 points behind Arsenal again if we do not strengthen the heart of our team.

25 Jul 2026 12:59:38.
Slot killed us by swapping, giving Gravenberch too much attacking freedom last season and refusing to give Endo any minutes. It left either Macca or Jones sat back alone, and neither is capable of that as they don't read the game well enough, and they can't tackle very well. Jones is soft in the tackle, and Macca is like an Argentinian Paul Scholes, just waiting for a silly yellow card.

Iraola will hopefully make better tactical choices so we don't leave ourselves exposed.

However, if we are still going to let Grav go forward, Wharton is not the right player either. Lamine Camara is the right type of player, and there's no reason why Endo can't be brought in from the cold as cover.

Ideally, we just tell Gravenberch he needs to do what he does best; sit back to screen the defence and take the ball on the half turn to beat the press, then release it. Then he probably could play with Wharton.

25 Jul 2026 13:00:21
Tbf the tactics hampered our players greatly, not to mention the lack of training, professionalism, etc. Don't get me wrong, there is no denying the players dropped their standards last season, but, the season before, they performed to such a degree that the season was sown up pretty early with a title win.

I genuinely believe the midfield simply needs structure. Slot opted to play a style similar to Brighton, having the midfield and offensive unit so high, up against the opposition defensive unit. Grav, who had previously been Ypot for his performances as a DM, was suddenly hoisted into an offensive role, to stand beside the opposition defence. That caused a massive chasm which every opposition hit, again and again.



It was amateurish from Slot, stubborn to the point of insanity, especially when you are conceding and losing games so readily. Now, with Iraola, we have a manager with a closer style, identity, etc, to Klopp, and that will support the players refind their form.

We still need signings, however. Absolutely no doubt about that, and our current targets do appear to be moving elsewhere. Incredibly poor management up top. To release Salah a year early, without a contingency ready to enact, is a borderline sackable offense. No idea what Hughes is doing.

But, with Slot gone and Iraola in, we have at least made a first step to fix the mess of last season.

25 Jul 2026 14:17:05
Agree with you, MK, on the profile, but disagree on Endo being able to cover. Don't get me wrong, I love Endo and he's always given his all, but the few times he played last season he was well off the pace, unfortunately.

I think what we were missing is legs. Agree, though, I think the key is to make Gravenberch be more disciplined, as he was unbelievable the season before last.

Macca and Jones, and even Szobo, have been slated at some point, and while Macca and Jones were well off it last season, the key difference I saw in our midfield was Gravenberch just being allowed to do what he liked and leaving massive holes, exposing our defence. He's well capable of it, but if he's doing that we definitely need legs alongside him.

25 Jul 2026 13:39:31
Endo is too slow.
Gravy is a fairy.
Szobo doesn't know what he is, but he likes the way it looks.
Macca is too slow.
Curtis is still not able to get his head up.
Bajcetic will never be a LFC player due to his injuries.
McConnell is not as good as everyone thinks.

Trey hasn't had a chance yet.

But don't worry, Iraola is a magician.

25 Jul 2026 14:48:10
FPF, we won the league with Macca, Grav and Dom starting in midfield nearly every game. People would start celebrating the 3 points that year when we were winning, and Endo came on to close the game out. How's that worked then if none of them are good enough? We absolutely dog walked the league as well, and buggered off to Ibiza in April. Jones is a good squad player (nothing more), but I do agree on Bajcetic and McConnell. I don't really see McConnell as good enough, and Bajcetic hasn't played for 2 years because of injury/attitude.



Traore7, I don't think you need pace to be a good DM. Alonso and Busquets are 2 of the best I've ever seen, and they were both slower than Endo. It's more about reading of the game and timing of the tackle. Endo is good enough still to be the back up DM, in my opinion. I do want Camara though because we need a starter. If it is to be Wharton, then you are correct. The key is to get Grav to play like he did in 24/25.

25 Jul 2026 15:02:08
There's too much emphasis on this need of a physical midfielder. I would say we need more competent midfielders, or the ones we have to find their form, which I'm certain they will. Endo is certainly not the answer, that's for sure, but Grav should revert back to what he does best no matter what he or his dad thinks.

25 Jul 2026 15:24:44
Klopp didn't win the league with the same team because he was building. No other reason. There were massive improvements both as a team and as individuals, going from 5th with 67 pts to 3rd with 84 pts. There's no doubt whatsoever that Klopp could have won the league with that exact team had he stayed one more year.

Slot massively benefitted from the fact that Klopp already engineered the rebuild and left a perfectly oiled machine ready to challenge for a title.

25 Jul 2026 15:26:56
MK, that title-winning midfield is myth.

25 Jul 2026 15:50:52
100% agree with Ron, our midfield needs a proper shake up. Grav had one good season when he sat in front of the back 4. Last season was awful, he played like when Klopp had him. Macallister n Jones are not strong tackling n not the fastest. Fix that bfr anything else and we will be a lot better off.

25 Jul 2026 16:09:27
Worth bookmarking FPF's scouting summary above. 😂

25 Jul 2026 16:20:32
Coulda shuda wuda...

25 Jul 2026 17:27:37
Ron, you can read my posts back through the years moaning about our lack of midfield building. No need to bookmark, as there'll be more moaning to come given historical data.

25 Jul 2026 11:08:29
Read an interesting article on BBC Sport yesterday on this, Ed001 - I think it's still there if you go hunting.

Basically, it's a very specific deal structure (essentially exploiting a loop hole), as far as I can see.

The downside of a deal being counted as a swap is that the prices are automatically reduced, as far as I can see. Not entirely sure on this but I would assume that it is worse for SCR if the 2 deals are combined and treated as a swap.

So, it can't be a straight sale to each other within 45 days (or longer if a 'swap' is suspected), nor can it be a loan with option to buy as that isn't a deal, nor can it be a loan with a straight obligation to buy with no parameters as that would be treated the same as a straight purchase within 45 days and therefore treated like a swap.

In the Rodgers/Garnacho deal, Rodgers is a straight sale, but Garnacho is a loan with conditions to be met to obligate a future sale. A bit like the Elliot deal. If I was Garnacho, I wouldn't have done this given how badly Elliot was treated.

The article is an interesting read though - it's called "Garnacho, Rogers and two clubs trying to balance the books" and if a Link is allowed, here it is -

bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvg0723e0jko