There was talk of him being interested in a transfer to Real Betis. He's obviously well liked at Liverpool and he's thought it worthwhile to stay and do his coaching badges in the background. We picked him up when he didn't have a club so he's had a long time of not playing. Who knows, he may have lost confidence.
Maybe so. He will be 38 next January so with all.due respect to real betis he won't be playing there either. If we has an offer to coach imo then he will go. Remember we have tafferel there for alisson and he will be gone so one very urgent task for Mr hughes is to make sure this club (not fsg) get a proper goalkeeping coaching team asap
far more urgent is to sort out the position on TAA , VVD and Salah though to allow all 3 to enter ther last year is careless to say the least by the club
thats the thing it needs sorting early or surely we sell .There is also the problem that if Trent goes and Gomez we need new HG/CG players.
Yes thsts true. Trent can name his price here but if he wants to go to real we will have to name our price and he can realise very quick his defensive phoning it in won't cut it even if he's with his "mate" jude. I'd be very disappointed in him if thsts what he is up to. Another mcmanaman but by God he better be sold for whatever than see him walk. He can be the next Michael Owen if he likes but no way he does a mcmanaman. Vvd with respect to him he's said what he's said already so he can sign or do one. He's 32. He's going to fall off a cliff in a year or two. It's up to him. Salah again has already fallen off thst cliff and imo I'd be happy to flog him anyway. No issue. We need to focus on the future. Trent can be that future if he wants it..if not then go. The other 2 need to realise they are not that future but can have a present and a status. If they want mega money out of Saudi then go retire but don't come looking for love later. I'd be thinking players like konate should be gone quicker. He is courting psg now. Anyone who thinks they are too good for us need to go. They all usually end up tje same way and never appreciate the idolisation
Amazing how half our players are poor or fallen off a cliff and apparently all courting other teams despite no actual evidence of this.
Well if you can't see salah isn't half the player he used to be then no amount of "evidence" will convince you of that. You only needed to use your own eyes for thr past year and a half to see this. As for vvd, I said he will in the next period. Its only natural as players age. A 32 year old who has said he wants to be part of tje new team only needs sign a new deal to prove it. As for trent, it's up to him to sign or not sign but if its not done and the window is closing I'd have him gone. We should never ever ever have another macmanaman. Again you seem to have totally ignored what I actually Said about hoping he wants to be central to this new team. I'd hope can can play 6 for England all summer then take this on beside macallister in August for us on a new 5 year deal. But no contract = sell.
I believe both VvD and Salah are in decline. Salah has been for a few seasons already... They just started at a really high point that they can decline for a few seasons and still be really good. I don't think either has hit a cliff yet where they rapidly decline... It's a slow slope at the moment. They could hit a cliff in August or they could go on being pretty good for years to come. No one can really predict. Of the two Id say Salah is closest. His game unfortunately does depend on pace and pace is what players lose first.
A cb can slow down and still be good like vvd cos they can head the ball all day bit the side has to adapt around them. Be that playing offside and having a good tight line (we have been absolutely pitiful for the last 18months at having a solid line) Forwards have to really change their game. A forward like salah who's had bags of pace to run through and score has to find a new way to score or assist. Be thst going to 10 or whatever. Salah has to adapt and him running behind is getting pointless as must full backs out pace him. Does he have vision. Sure. Can he play 10 in the prem? Maybe we will see. However in both cases a 50mil offer? You'd have to be thinking in the longer term you can do something with that. The example is there. Real Madrid laughed while selling varane and casemiro off to man utd and reinvesting that cash is absolute brilliant players. That's supposed to be our strategy after all.
‘Vvd with respect to him he's said what he's said already so he can sign or do one. He's 32. He's going to fall off a cliff in a year or two. It's up to him’ Your words. Why is he going to fall off a cliff? Salah - falllen off a cliff? He was our top scorer last year and form dipped a bit after he came back from injury. Hardly a huge surprise. The problem I have with your posts like these which is why I comment on them is your so extreme. If you’d have said vvd and Salah form is dipping, wit HH their age they may not hit the heights of last few years so need to weigh up a new contract with the gamble they can rediscover form or pay their worth. That’s fine… But you make it sounds like they’re going to go out on the pitch and be knackered after 15 minutes and forget how to control the ball. The ‘anyone thinks too good’. Not sure who thinks that? Konate? No… he’s seeing Quansah take his place and maybe wants to move for first team gauranteed if he even wants to leave. diaz again, losing his place maybe and most South Americans grow up fans of Barca or Madrid.
Vvd: a) he is32 of course he's slowing. 33/34 he will inevitably be on his last years. It comes to everyone. B) he's the one who said to us direct he wants to be part of it. Ergo if he goes back on it he can 1000% "do one" Extreme? Not imo, he's set my expectation he will sign a contract. Max 2 years imo Salah: A) have you not noted he's been beaten for pace by many players he is it against now? I certainly have. B) he has to adapt, running behind won't be his strong point any more. He needs to go to 10. If he wants 350k a week again I'd have to think the club will struggle to give it. He'd end up at 35 on that money C) when they look like they are running through treacle it's too late. We got a great deal for fabinho who hit that cliff and was already off the edge. We don't need that for 12 months at 350k a week. D) He has 12 months left at 350k now so if he has no intent to sign up then we need to weigh up if 18million in wages for 10 goals and some assists (hopefully worst case) is enough or do we take 50mil and say off you go wherever you intend to go 12month early? As for konate I think you need to look at what he has been doing and saying nd the genuine lack of giving a **** he looked like giving before being dropped. He's actively courting psg mate. My view is that I'd give trent whatever number it is that's in his head and I'd hope to sign up vvd if his word is good but salah imo would be either sell or let him go on a free in 12 months and I'd prefer to sell. I'd be moving konate on asap. I'd be asking joe Gomez what is his intent asap it runs out in 2027 so we have time I'd be telling Kelleher that we will accept a certain offer but if he mouths off to get a move it will make it very awkward ( nobody will want to pay 25mil) I'd be telling Diaz to put up or shut his agent up. Barca ain't coming but again if presented a genuine offer I'd really think about moving him too. Alisson Bradley Quansah Vvd Robertson Trent Macallister That's my 7 to go behind a front 4 in a 4231. It's the front 4 that's not clear at this point. Szoboszlai is one big question, nunez is another. Could salah go to 10? Could we buy someone with genuine pace for width? The only thing that would say ok keep salah for 12 month and let him go free if needed is that front 4 question. But again we go back to how does slot set up and its not really a 10 who is a forward but rather a Gerrard like midfielder. Could salah be the 10? It's all up in the air so handing salah another 2 years at 360k per week when it's not known where he would play is also hard to know. Hopefully slot already knows. Szobo salah nunez Jota That would make more sense to me than anything with gakpo or Diaz but then again we will see about elliott
I agree with you on Virgil - he's just had his best season for a while - but not on Salah. Yes, he's still top scorer but he's definitely on a clear decline and has been for some time now. As Milk said, he was so high that even in decline he was still pretty decent, but you can only see that decline continuing, tbh. I still wouldn't sell him without an adequate replacement just yet, but I don't think he has too long left. Anyway, I expect Slot to be less loyal to Klopp's players than Klopp would be, so he may well go.
Salah isn’t going to be the Salah of 3 years ago down the wing beating players. But look at ronaldo. He lost that bit and moved centrally at Madrid and broke got knows how many records and scored goals at Juve and United doing same thing. Salah is in brilliant physical shape, maybe lost that bit of pace but under new management who knows if he’ll reinvent him into a new player. I can 100% see the arguement for moving Salah on btw. My point is that claiming any player over the age of 30 will suddenly fall off a cliff is just exaggerated nonsense based on actual fact.
Yeah, well mito does often go over the top a bit to get his point across. I think Virgil, as a CB, is worth one more contract - to bring on the younger ones as much as anything. Mo isn't going to be worth another highly-paid one, imo - so it's a case of whether we try to cash in on him whilst he still has some value, or lose him for nothing next year.
But has happened many times so gorgeous every one Ronaldo story there's loads more thst do decline rapidly. Players who never had real pace last longer than those tjst did. Even look at mane's decline. We were not happy he left by man did his career implode and his pace was going. Sure salah puts everything in, puts he's all about pace and running behind l. When run of the mill full backs are easily dealing with you then it's an issue. So my point, against, is he has to change his game now. Not in a years time. Now. If we are willing to risk paying him.18mil tk have a good season and then go, fine. If its a stolibker then it's a stinker and 18mil down the pan. It's a gamble. If he has a good season all is well imo. But we cannot risk.giving him 350k up to age 35 without having soke idea he's going to adapt to a new way and be worth thst fee. It's really that simple. It's when they are running through treacle on your park thst the issues arise. Nobody saw fabinho's early decline, but we can all see salah slowing up. He must change role. Let's see what he can do cos the last 4 mo ths were pretty poor tbh.
I highly doubt if we have him a new contract that we’d do it on same terms. He’d have to take a reduction even if it’s staggered but if he doesn’t want that then yeah he’ll prob go somewhere else. Point wasn’t about money, more just the fact that according to you as soon as anyone hits 30 they drop off a cliff which is just extreme and not correct. New manager, new ways of playing, who knows how good Salah will be this year. If he reinvents his game, bangs in 25 league goals and leaves on a free all be saying what a stupid mistake not to give him a new contract
I didn't say as soon as anyone hits 30. I said both are 32 so have to be coming close to it and we can clearly see it in salah already. My other two examples were mane who it could be seen in but we I think would all be shocked at how terrible his career went since. AND Fabinho who absolutely went to pieces on our ptich in front of us form one season to tjr next. It does happen. I can member drink.kuyt absolutely dropping like a stone, we was never fast at all but he was effective as a player but he too dropped right off and couldn't get there. The problem with speed based players is their movement is ingrained to beat the man for pace so suddenly they can't and they have to adapt suddenly.and a lot simply don't. Salah might adapt. But he has to make different runs and do different things. You cant run a full back unless you turn them the wrong way for example. You cannot be in a foot race much any more. I think he needs to go to 10. He's not a 9 imo. I'd like to understand first how slot intends to set up as thr type of run salah can make is to break the offside trap closer in rather than try to break from half way and be in a race. I'd like to see salah try to slip passes like a firmino. But again it comes back to risking 18mil per year for 3 more years or 54mil on gambling he will be good or taking in 50mil now and risking buying someone new. Risk and reward. The bigger risk imo is I couldn't hang a hat on anyone in the front 4 just yet and thst is also my concern for slot. Why can he really rely on if not mo salah?
Obviously a risk and I’ll take your word on the money side. But you’d still have to buy a replacement, how much is a winger that’s going to get you 20 goals going to cost? Sure might find a bargain but otherwise it’s what, £50m transfer fee plus £150k a week, plus £10m agent fee etc. more expensive than giving Salah a new contract (I know at some point have to buy replacement so logic doesn’t work forever).
I really don't know what we will do in that front 4 assuming it is a front 4 in a 4231. We already got in szoboszlai so we have to figure out what to now do with him We have Diaz as lw but he seems un committed We have nunez for 9 but we have not used him well and he's not done well a lot of the time as a 9. We have jota but he made of glass. We have gakpo but what is he? 10? Lw? 9? Is he good enough for 10 in the prem? We have Elliott but he's not a rw really. 10? Maybe. We have Jones but he falls between the lines now and I can't see how slot uses him. We have carvalho but imo he's not good enough for the prem especially not at 10. Not yet. A salah replacement could cost any amount we could name. It's impossible now with some clubs playing 100mil for nothing and then some bargains going around. It will be expensive but if we buy we buy for 5 years and they would be 22-24 if we follow strategy. Again 54mil is 18mil per year over 3 more years and then he's worthless so you take in 50 and spend 80 ok a new rw you.might only pay 5 to 10mil max in wages per year? It's just about the risk.
