We would look smarter if we sold him while he's still worth megamlions before he left on a free though.
I just had a right laugh. I didn't see this earlier but on the BBC gossip section they have a click bait title barca wanted Harry maguire. Hilarious. But what was even more hilarious is apparently utd turned down the request to swap de Jong for cash plus maguire. Whoever wrote that **** is ****ing a genius.
Also got a daft double-barrelled surname - can't go wrong. But we'll have to put up with commentators unable to pronounce Doherty properly.
Perhaps the club thinks his presence for another year might be enough to earn us a significant proportion of that? That depends on what we could realistically get for him, and how much success brings us in hard cash - neither of which I know.
Given how well we’ve performed in the transfer market since Klopp arrived, I’m genuinely surprised that people still question them on their decisions.
I do feel that with Mane and Salah because alot of their game is based on running really fast and playing at high intensity for a 70+mins, you're not going to get a Messi or Ronaldo situation where they're still doing the stuff into their mid 30s. And frankly Messi and Ronaldo have shown this season they're days are limited. Not saying Salah and Mane are going to drop off completely after this coming season and retire. But I do think by 33 neither will be close to where they are now. So you're looking at 2 (maybe 3) seasons of them being worth the money they are looking for, after which you're stuck paying a 33-35yr old who isn't the same player they were at 30 the big bucks they demanded for a reduced impact on the team. Thats the kind of ****e thinking on contracts that go Barca into so much trouble.
Ronaldo and Messi were their best when they were wingers/ wide forwards. Lots of pace and dribbling with the ball. Ronaldo adapted his game better to become a strong centre forward, but Messi's natural talent has carried him too, but they both are very different to the player they used to be. Mane started shifting the centre forward and thats what he will be at Bayern once Lewandowski is off. Salah I'm not sure what he will become, but he has very good footwork, not Messi level, but still very good.
Messi has been lazy for years. He never hits the highs on running stats but can move himself when he sees the chance Ronaldo has ran himself into the ground off the park and on it with the obsession to be the best and has probably long since over stayed his career. I do wonder, as you've said, on salah and imo the scientists who are studying their performance levels day in day out can see where they are at and trending. I think salah is not about 400k for 2 years. It's about trent and whoever else wanting 350k and 400k next contract round. We are a 220k tops club (it seems) How other clubs with the same revenue can pay 350k a week to several players is interesting I just think lfc are not about big names but about performance. Salah = 40 goal contributions between scoring and assisting. Mane = 20 goal contributions for past 2 years. Pretty damned hard replace that, but fsg clearly feel they can bring in Diaz and nunez and get somewhere close for far less money. They've done it once with jota. Diaz has driven us hugely just by being busy! The fact is 3 years ago mane was a 30 goal contribution player. His levels have dropped. If the club feel Sarah's is about to then try could be all business here.
Maybe. But I fancy if we thought he was worth it we'd have sold him for massive money. The fa t is not one of the shark clubs have been in position to pay us for salah in his prime.
By worth it I was referring to all the factors that have been discussed - like wage structure. The club has to assess the long-term effects of giving in to his requirements, and not just whether or not he is worth the same money as others of a similar level in a like-for like comparison.
It's an unusual feeling for me as a Liverpool fan, selling mane just now and also knowing there's a 99% chance the club will let Salah go next season free and I'm still not ****ing arsed one bit We may find next year a slightly transitional one, but not so transitional as to not get top4 comfortably. And the loss of a fee for mo next year, not bothered if Fsg ain't bothered cos if they're good at one thing it's looking after money.. So Again not fuking arsed one bit Klopp and all the people in the background have earned a bit of trust from me personally and lm confident about them building another deadly team with another deadly front line even if we stutter for a bit
Only thing would say is that at some point we’ll have to break that wage structure of be totally left behind.
Possibly - that thought has crossed my mind, but the only clubs that do blow it wide open are either dodgy or financially on the brink all the time, and I can't see FSG following suit. Even if we do, the usual suspects will just crank it up further. I'd rather hope that the Citys and PSGs of this world eventually come unstuck and that some modicum of sanity is restored.
We've regularly raised the limit of the wage structure over the years, we've just just not smashed it