Philippe Coutinho (PSG)

I get the strong impression that we don't defend our best players from these type of raids in the same way other big clubs do.

Comparatively low wages are as good as a come and get me sign in these days where money is apparently almost everything.

Obviously if we were a little more successful with cups and trophies it would help, but until that time I think we should be defending our best players vigorously. Straight refusal to any offers, thereby showing our best players how much we value them, may give them a little more leverage at wage negotiations but better that than seeing one leave every season.

The way the mancs for example held off Madrid over De gea is something we probably wouldn't or couldn't do.

You don't (or shouldn't ) sell your best players, and Coutinho is imo not only our best player but one who's sale might be the final straw showing that we are no longer a "big club".   

But maybe it's contraproductive to keep player who want to leave the club? I don't know if Coutinho wants to leave but if he wants I doubt Klopp will keep him. Of course, we should set the price right.

I get the strong impression that we don't defend our best players from these type of raids in the same way other big clubs do.

Comparatively low wages are as good as a come and get me sign in these days where money is apparently almost everything.

Obviously if we were a little more successful with cups and trophies it would help, but until that time I think we should be defending our best players vigorously. Straight refusal to any offers, thereby showing our best players how much we value them, may give them a little more leverage at wage negotiations but better that than seeing one leave every season.

The way the mancs for example held off Madrid over De gea is something we probably wouldn't or couldn't do.

You don't (or shouldn't ) sell your best players, and Coutinho is imo not only our best player but one who's sale might be the final straw showing that we are no longer a "big club".     

Certainly from a technical level he's one of our best, but the inconsistency in his game brings him down a level IMO. The same way Danny's injures bring him down a level. I still can't get over how ineffective and invisible Phil was in the EL final. How can you not get yourself up for one of the biggest games you're likely to have in your career?

So, I understand your philosophy about not selling your best players completely, but I also think here it's a little misguided. Great player with wonderful skills on his day, but if he wanted to go, would he really be irreplaceable like Luis was?

I said let Torres go for the right money, I didn't object much when it came to Suarez but we didn't bought right with the money we got.

Not to mention who is good enough with the right price tag for us?

Gotta learn from our mistakes.

But maybe it's contraproductive to keep player who want to leave the club?

We kept Suarez for a year and almost doubled the previous seasons offer.

Certainly from a technical level he's one of our best, but the inconsistency in his game brings him down a level IMO. The same way Danny's injures bring him down a level. I still can't get over how ineffective and invisible Phil was in the EL final. How can you not get yourself up for one of the biggest games you're likely to have in your career?

So, I understand your philosophy about not selling your best players completely, but I also think here it's a little misguided. Great player with wonderful skills on his day, but if he wanted to go, would he really be irreplaceable like Luis was?

And you have summed up our problems when our player of the season for the last 2 years turns up in 1 every 5 games.
At the moment no one in our squad is irreplaceable.

We kept Suarez for a year and almost doubled the previous seasons offer.

In one case it could work in others maybe not. You cannot predict how this kind of stuff can affect players performances IMO. 

Offer of £50mill which is more than affordable for them, I think the club will accept.

Offer of £50mill which is more than affordable for them, I think the club will accept.

Bought for 8m, sold for 50m? Of course they'll accept.

But maybe it's contraproductive to keep player who want to leave the club? I don't know if Coutinho wants to leave but if he wants I doubt Klopp will keep him. Of course, we should set the price right.

I think the key is not trying to make players stay, but making them WANT to stay. Show them that we appreciate their efforts with top wages, show them we have the will and the ambition to progress through our transfers, show them that they can be just as successful with us as they would be elsewhere by bringing in other top quality players and with our determination to keep our other top players at the club.

Sadly the truth is that we are not the top destination any more for top players, we are probably 4th or 5th even in the prem. So we have to fight harder to keep the top players we have and also to bring in the top players we need.

In one case it could work in others maybe not. You cannot predict how this kind of stuff can affect players performances IMO. 

I think Couts would be more Suarez than Tevez to be honest, he knows if the club asked him to stay a year and play for a move, he'd get just that if he performed.

one who's sale might be the final straw showing that we are no longer a "big club".     

If interpret 'big club' as one where big players want to be/go - imo that ship has already sailed.  Not just shown by some of the players we've had leave, but in players we haven't managed to sign.

Back to chicken and egg, hard to attract quality players if you're not winning things, hard to win things without quality players. Difficult task, even for a manager as talented as Klopp - but hopefully he can hatch a few gems, and in parallel generate a spirit and an ethic in the side that makes us more than a sum of our parts.

We don't keep our best players, we're just another club that signs young talent, educates them, brings them to next level, only to have the best ones picked off by the 'big clubs'.

I think the key is not trying to make players stay, but making them WANT to stay. Show them that we appreciate their efforts with top wages, show them we have the will and the ambition to progress through our transfers, show them that they can be just as successful with us as they would be elsewhere by bringing in other top quality players and with our determination to keep our other top players at the club.

I completely agree with this and hope we can offer those things you mentioned.

Offer of £50mill which is more than affordable for them, I think the club will accept.

The thing I fear though is that we'll just bring in more inexperienced kids which could set us back a couple more years. It'll also mean that we've sold 3 of our front 4 from the 2013/14 season. If we keep selling a top player every year then we're not going to progress.

The thing I fear though is that we'll just bring in more inexperienced kids which could set us back a couple more years. It'll also mean that we've sold 3 of our front 4 from the 2013/14 season. If we keep selling a top player every year then we're not going to progress.

Generally yes I would agree with that but it also depends on if said player fits into the way Klopp wants to play.

Taking Coutinho for example, I don't think Klopp wants to get rid of him by the way, he plays on the left wing with a licence to roam and cut in. However he doesn't really have the pace to play that position and what if Klopp thought he could get a better alternative for that position.

Taking Coutinho for example, I don't think Klopp wants to get rid of him by the way, he plays on the left wing with a licence to roam and cut in. However he doesn't really have the pace to play that position and what if Klopp thought he could get a better alternative for that position.

Coutinho is quick! You can't say he lacks pace. IMO Klopp is playing him on the left because we don't have any wingers. Coutinho is a CAM no question, although he played for Brazil the other night out wide left in the first half and he was their best player.

I don't think he sees Coutinho as a long term winger, but he's better than anyone else at doing it when we have others who can do the number 10 role.

Selling one of your top 3 players is never wise, for no amount of money. This "sell for a profit" mentality is for the people in the boardroom. How many replacements have we seen come in for our top players and fail miserably. No point making £40m on a player if you go out and piss it up the wall.

what if Klopp thought he could get a better alternative for that position.

Then he'd probably play Coutinho as central AM, think Couts gets shunted left more out of necessity than Klopp thinking its his best position.

I don't think Phillippe wants to leave, he said many times he loves  Liverpool.the city and the people,(you could say all of them say that when they are here)
but lets say he meant it
what worries me (if its true, psg wants him) is the big money they can offer him to earn say double what he earns now ,then he will surely start thinking about it
hate to say this but I admired spur's Levy in the Bale transfer ,he knew that RM wanted him and held strong his valutation of the player
Now is coutinho better than bale , maybe I am bias but I think. YES
YNWA

https://twitter.com/MelissaReddy_/status/738688816534433792

I don't think Phillippe wants to leave, he said many times he loves  Liverpool.the city and the people,(you could say all of them say that when they are here)
but lets say he meant it
what worries me (if its true, psg wants him) is the big money they can offer him to earn say double what he earns now ,then he will surely start thinking about it
hate to say this but I admired spur's Levy in the Bale transfer ,he knew that RM wanted him and held strong his valutation of the player
Now is coutinho better than bale , maybe I am bias but I think. YES
YNWA

Better than Bale? Not a chance. Just look how many goals Bale scores compared to Phil for a start. Phil is good with even more potential to get better. But Bale is a complete player.

Coutinho: "I miss winning cups. Copa América is another opportunity for me, because every player dreams of winning cups."

Twitter

Coutinho: "I miss winning cups. Copa América is another opportunity for me, because every player dreams of winning cups."

Twitter

So I guess that's goodbye Coutinho.....

https://twitter.com/MelissaReddy_/status/738688816534433792
Thanks for posting WAHS....from that article....

No official approach has been made to the Reds yet, but PSG would be open to offering around £45 million for the playmaker.

So no approach  has been made, and someone is speculating that they are willing to  offer £45.

Well of course  they are willing to offer that...I bet they are willing to offer 20, 25, 30 or 35 too.

Completely lazy and honestly, irresponsible journalism.

It's a slow news day so they start making things up to  try and create a story where there is none.

Phil has said plenty of times he loves  being here and he wants to stay...and that was in response to Barca rumors last summer.

Why in the hell would he want to go to a sub-par league just for a bump in pay?  Don't really see him as that kind of guy.  I'd be gob-smacked if he left.

If we keep selling a top player every year then we're not going to progress.
Quote and Reply Quick Edit

Trouble is though mate, we have become a selling club. For a while now we have been selling off our best players and I wouldn't be shocked at all if we see Coutinho playing his home games in France next year. He has fellow Brazilians there too that would help sway things.