Luis Alberto (LFC -> Lazio)

He has shown his quality when he's come on as a sub, obviously has a lot to work on, but boy I hope he improves and becomes a part of the squad next season where he'll surely have the domestic cups at least to prove what he's all about.

He has shown his quality when he's come on as a sub, obviously has a lot to work on, but boy I hope he improves and becomes a part of the squad next season where he'll surely have the domestic cups at least to prove what he's all about.

It was always going to be difficult for him to settle straight into the 1st team.  Prior to switching to LFC he had very little first team experience.  He is still young and is trying to adjust from playing with other youngsters in the Segunda to playing with men in the Prem.  It is a faster paced league where strength and athleticism are more prominent, so it will take him a while for him to figure out how to utilize his great technique to create space for himself.  I still have faith that he will be a success, partially because BR seems to be great at getting the best out of his players and motivating the youngsters to stay focused and continue to improve!!

The lad obviously hasn't done enough to break into the first team yet - not least because right now we've set the bar very high in that regard. I've quite liked what I've seen of the lad and I do think there might be a player in there.

Good enough? Not sure - but equally not ready to discard him just yet.

The lad obviously hasn't done enough to break into the first team yet - not least because right now we've set the bar very high in that regard.

That's the thing Scotia. Whilst theses lads (Alberto & Aspas, for e.g.) aren't necessarily poor and maybe just aren’t good enough (yet) to displace what we have: for us to progress and strengthen we need to be buying players, next time 'round, who are.

The time for shopping in the low price range [£1m - £7m] is over, in my opinion. Let's be honest here: none of the players we bought, in that price bracket, have had any impact on our season. The policy of buying cheap squad fillers isn't the reason behind any of our success and should be set aside as we move to a higher level... Brendan said as much in January.

The bar has indeed been set high - hopefully even higher next season. So, whilst Alberto might yet make it, when we sign players who'll add genuine, quality, strength and depth to the squad; surely he'll be further down the pecking order. Can we, will we, wait 'til they reach their potential? I don't know. 

I've really enjoyed watching Alberto come on as a sub. His vision, passing ability and creativity is as clear as daylight, although I can see why Rodgers doesn't include him in the first team as his speed is definitely not one of his strengths. And having in mind out counter-attacking style of play, the big picture is quite clear.

Really hope to see more of him next season. However, having in mind that BR gives everyone, who works hard in training a chance I would probably guess that Alberto's been slacking in training.

That's the thing Scotia. Whilst theses lads (Alberto & Aspas, for e.g.) aren't necessarily poor and maybe just aren’t good enough (yet) to displace what we have: for us to progress and strengthen we need to be buying players, next time 'round, who are.

The time for shopping in the low price range [£1m - £7m] is over, in my opinion. Let's be honest here: none of the players we bought, in that price bracket, have had any impact on our season. The policy of buying cheap squad fillers isn't the reason behind any of our success and should be set aside as we move to a higher level... Brendan said as much in January.

The bar has indeed been set high - hopefully even higher next season. So, whilst Alberto might yet make it, when we sign players who'll add genuine, quality, strength and depth to the squad; surely he'll be further down the pecking order. Can we, will we, wait 'til they reach their potential? I don't know. 

Very good point that you have made before Mouse and one I agree with.

As we progress into CL football we need to be buying players that are better than what we have and the 'lesser' ones we already have then become our 'squad' players.

It's a reason I didn't sound to keen on Boateng in the other thread as I don't see him as better than what we have and therefore doesn't improve our first team. If Brendan does however then by all means I'll stick with his opinion as I always want the boss to get the players he feels he needs not the one's I think we should be buying.

Back to Luis and I've always been a fan of how he plays football and think there is a player there but I only see him getting limited chances again next season in the League Cup and the like so not sure if he will ever truly 'progress' here now.

As we get better and play against better opposition I think it;s even harder for players like Luis to break through although I see a place for him in a squad as the sheer number of games we have next season will be one of the biggest differences between this season and next.

That's the thing Scotia. Whilst theses lads (Alberto & Aspas, for e.g.) aren't necessarily poor and maybe just aren’t good enough (yet) to displace what we have: for us to progress and strengthen we need to be buying players, next time 'round, who are.

The time for shopping in the low price range [£1m - £7m] is over, in my opinion. Let's be honest here: none of the players we bought, in that price bracket, have had any impact on our season. The policy of buying cheap squad fillers isn't the reason behind any of our success and should be set aside as we move to a higher level... Brendan said as much in January.

The bar has indeed been set high - hopefully even higher next season. So, whilst Alberto might yet make it, when we sign players who'll add genuine, quality, strength and depth to the squad; surely he'll be further down the pecking order. Can we, will we, wait 'til they reach their potential? I don't know. 

Can only agree mate about the higher parameters and that right there is progress in itself, hopefully a perceived minimum level of skill needed to qualify for first team selection can maintain that status quo.
The only way to adhere to a quest for the next level is pursue a decisive mantra with regard to discounting individuals who continually fail to reach a qualifying standard, there must be the finances in place to afford this plan of action and a recognition by the people who hold the purse strings that on the ground monitoring is the only way to progress satisfactorily.
Advisors/bullshitters call them what you will, the owners should give BR complete control of deciding what is best for LFC with no financial constraint - the reward is there for the taking.
 

The time for shopping in the low price range [£1m - £7m] is over, in my opinion. Let's be honest here: none of the players we bought, in that price bracket, have had any impact on our season. The policy of buying cheap squad fillers isn't the reason behind any of our success and should be set aside as we move to a higher level... Brendan said as much in January.

Wasn't Coutinho an £8M signing?  Likewise, I think Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, Lucas, and Sterling all fit into the £1M - £7M price bracket.  I agree with you that we need to strengthen the 1st team with players who can immediately challenge the current starters for their position in the team, but to eliminate potential recruits because they are "too cheap" seems silly to me. 

Also, I quite like the idea of buying young players like Alberto, Ilori, and Yesil with a view to them hopefully being 1st team players in the next few years.  We don't have mega rich owners who can/will pay whatever it takes to buy the best players around, so BR needs to be more pragmatic and focus some of his efforts on youth development so that we can continue to compete with some of the bigger spenders like Chelsea and City. 

I think the huge problem for young players is how the F**k do they get used to playing in the Prem unless they play in the Prem.
If we win the league and next season are just as competitive then no doubt we can use the young players in the Cup comps.
Buying huge quantities of young players hasn't that successful maybe we need to be very specific about the type of young player we need.
It would appear Brendan in particular understands young players needs lets hope he has the final say in their recruitment

I think the huge problem for young players is how the f**k do they get used to playing in the Prem unless they play in the Prem.
If we win the league and next season are just as competitive then no doubt we can use the young players in the Cup comps.
Buying huge quantities of young players hasn't that successful maybe we need to be very specific about the type of young player we need.
It would appear Brendan in particular understands young players needs lets hope he has the final say in their recruitment

You raise a very good point!!  Perhaps we could team up with someone like Swansea and use them as a way to help develop some of our younger players.  It would have to be a team that plays a similar passing style game (not someone like Stoke or West Ham who lump it and run).  BR would seemingly still have some good connections at Swansea, and they could probably benefit from having some talented youngsters to help push them past fighting off relegation. 

That's the thing Scotia. Whilst theses lads (Alberto & Aspas, for e.g.) aren't necessarily poor and maybe just aren’t good enough (yet) to displace what we have: for us to progress and strengthen we need to be buying players, next time 'round, who are.

The time for shopping in the low price range [£1m - £7m] is over, in my opinion. Let's be honest here: none of the players we bought, in that price bracket, have had any impact on our season. The policy of buying cheap squad fillers isn't the reason behind any of our success and should be set aside as we move to a higher level... Brendan said as much in January.

The bar has indeed been set high - hopefully even higher next season. So, whilst Alberto might yet make it, when we sign players who'll add genuine, quality, strength and depth to the squad; surely he'll be further down the pecking order. Can we, will we, wait 'til they reach their potential? I don't know. 

Completely agree BBB - I was only commenting that I think the lad has potential.

Bluntly he wasn't what we should have been buying last year and the bar is higher still now.

I'm not sure how it would work but a 'B' league would be such a good idea. That way teams wouldn't have to loan out every tom, dick and harry due to players not getting their opportunity or having to trim their squads down.

You raise a very good point!!  Perhaps we could team up with someone like Swansea and use them as a way to help develop some of our younger players.  It would have to be a team that plays a similar passing style game (not someone like Stoke or West Ham who lump it and run).  BR would seemingly still have some good connections at Swansea, and they could probably benefit from having some talented youngsters to help push them past fighting off relegation. 

I highly highly doubt Swansea want to take our players and develop them for us. They only want players that will improve them, and not all the players we are trying to get game time will improve them. It would be good for us but surely not for them.

I highly highly doubt Swansea want to take our players and develop them for us. They only want players that will improve them, and not all the players we are trying to get game time will improve them. It would be good for us but surely not for them.

Obviously, there would have to be an agreement that would be mutually beneficial for both parties.  If you assume that some of our youngsters (I'll use Suso, Ilori, and Alberto as my examples) would be able to add something to their team, then Swansea could take them on loan and focus their transfer budget on signing one or two higher caliber players who would immediately improve their starting 11.  They would benefit from having both a better first 11 and also a deeper squad, and we would benefit from having young players getting valuable first team experience.  Win/Win

Obviously this is a hypothetical situation, but I personally don't think it would be beyond the realm of reason....

I'm not sure how it would work but a 'B' league would be such a good idea. That way teams wouldn't have to loan out every tom, dick and harry due to players not getting their opportunity or having to trim their squads down.

I think a few of the top clubs having their own 'B' team in the further down leagues would be a great way to develop youngsters. German and Spanish clubs have this and look how well some of those clubs develop top quality players.

I agree with you that we need to strengthen the 1st team with players who can immediately challenge the current starters for their position in the team, but to eliminate potential recruits because they are "too cheap" seems silly to me.

I'm not sure that's what I said Harry but if it came across that way I'll try again...

The 'bar' has been set higher. Players like Alberto [with potential... maybe] won't add to what we already have - i.e. players performing at a higher level (and, after all, we already have an Alberto).

I believe and it's only an opinion, that, right now [Champions League football], players with potential/squad fillers won't bring us to the next level. I also believe, (again only an opinion), that any player who would be thought of as good enough to displace our current starters, will cost more than £7m for e.g. You disagree; fair enough - time will tell.

EDIT: My opinion is no more complicated than that mate and Brendan said as much in January - “We need players who can come in now and help us...
... We’ve improved, so it’s hard to improve team.
I’d rather use young players at the club and wait than bring in squad players for the sake of it."

Likewise, I think Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, Lucas, and Sterling all fit into the £1M - £7M price bracket.

And the cost of a player to replace them in the team Harry; to make it stronger? I don't know for sure: £18m for a centre-half maybe? 

Also, I quite like the idea of buying young players like Alberto, Ilori, and Yesil with a view to them hopefully being 1st team players in the next few years.

Fair enough... do we really need another Alberto, Ilori, Assaidi and Yesil right now? It seems to me the 'ones' we've got are plenty for the time being (not forgetting our own kids, of course) and as you point out... there's bags of potential there.

 

We don't have mega rich owners who can/will pay whatever it takes to buy the best players around, so BR needs to be more pragmatic and focus some of his efforts on youth development so that we can continue to compete with some of the bigger spenders like Chelsea and City.

Hmmm... "pragmatic"?

Surely the pragmatist would be thinking - 'Given that we don't have mega rich owners, who are prepared to spend their own money: instead of buying three, four, five, players with potential [when I already have so many], I'll use that money to add strength in depth now.'

I believe that this is what will happen. It's only an opinion, the chances are I'm wrong and you're right Harry... it wouldn't be the first time.   

Wasn't Coutinho an £8M signing?  Likewise, I think Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, Lucas, and Sterling all fit into the £1M - £7M price bracket.  I agree with you that we need to strengthen the 1st team with players who can immediately challenge the current starters for their position in the team, but to eliminate potential recruits because they are "too cheap" seems silly to me. 

Also, I quite like the idea of buying young players like Alberto, Ilori, and Yesil with a view to them hopefully being 1st team players in the next few years.  We don't have mega rich owners who can/will pay whatever it takes to buy the best players around, so BR needs to be more pragmatic and focus some of his efforts on youth development so that we can continue to compete with some of the bigger spenders like Chelsea and City.

Exactly.

Transfers aren't so black and white as to say - pay big money = quality, pay low money = less quality. They are not that linear, so I agree with you that it does sound silly to eliminate low end purchases just because they're deemed too cheap.

I mean, surely if it's okay to "overpay" for a player, the same must ring true for when we underpay for a player. 

feel a bit for the lad, doesn't even get the odd run out for the under 21's.

Transfers aren't so black and white as to say - pay big money = quality, pay low money = less quality. They are not that linear, so I agree with you that it does sound silly to eliminate low end purchases just because they're deemed too cheap.

I'm not sure I read anyone dismissing players purely because they are too 'cheap' just that if you accept that to improve the first team you buy better than what you already have it is extremely likely that those type of players will cost more money than the likes of Alberto and Aspas.

I'm not sure I read anyone dismissing players purely because they are too 'cheap' just that if you accept that to improve the first team you buy better than what you already have it is extremely likely that those type of players will cost more money than the likes of Alberto and Aspas.

Indeed mate - it's not a complicated concept really.

As we look to strengthen for next season and the Champions League: can we really get as good as or better than any of our first XI for less than £7m? I hope so... but I doubt it.

Do we really need more players like Alberto [players with potential; players for the future] when we already have them? Not in my opinion but, as ever, I won't be worried or offended if folk disagree to be honest. 

I'm not sure I read anyone dismissing players purely because they are too 'cheap' just that if you accept that to improve the first team you buy better than what you already have it is extremely likely that those type of players will cost more money than the likes of Alberto and Aspas.

I understand what you're saying srslfc.

However, I did read this "The time for shopping in the low price range [£1m - £7m] is over, in my opinion" which I'd say is dismissive of 'cheaper' players.

I just wouldn't dismiss "low price range" players merely because their not expensive, like Harry alluded nicely when he rattled off a list of players bought for that kind of price.

I agree, we need quality to improve upon what we have. In all probability it will cost more than the price 'range' we're currently discussing - but it's also nice to keep our options open and not restrict ourselves merely because of a 'low price range'.

That's all, no drama.

However, I did read this "The time for shopping in the low price range [£1m - £7m] is over, in my opinion"

Last three words are the key Belly. I'm sure Bad Boy isn't too bothered if you, I or anyone else agrees just his opinion on what should happen but just so happens I tend to agree.

That's all, no drama.

Not sure there was any 'drama' to begin with.

Last three words are the key Belly. I'm sure Bad Boy isn't too bothered if you, I or anyone else agrees just his opinion on what should happen but just so happens I tend to agree.

Bubby is spot on. It's quite a simple point isn't it, anyone with just a modicum of sense would understand that while making his point Bubby isn't discounting the value of a bargain that can be seen by:

can we really get as good as or better than any of our first XI for less than £7m? I hope so... but I doubt it.

However some people just choose to be bloody pedantic and contrary to feel better about themselves and I'm amazed you have the patience but fair play to you Si.

On the evidence so far we don't do well at finding players in the bracket Bubby mentions, our successes (Mig?! Coutinho, Sturridge and Sakho?!) all appear to reside in a higher bracket. Market forces generally dictate that the better quality product costs more and it takes a stroke of fortune that we clearly don't seem adept at to play around in the bargain bin. As Bubby also suggests Brendan has also shouted this from the rooftops by asking for "no more squad players" and then going after £30m+ players for whom it appears he was let down.

So not only is Bubby spot on, he is supported by the facts, he is supported by the manager and yet still people find it within themselves to talk about 'drama', pathetic.