When I awake at 3 a.m. and lie staring at the ceiling, my mind typically turns to Liverpool Football Club. As the anxiety of the run-in has me looking for a subject other than the next match, and since I don’t know how to do Origami, I naturally began thinking about our squad for 2017-18.
Keep in mind as I form this in my sleep-deprived brain, we will be playing in some form of Europe next season so we will have at least six more multiple-match weeks than this season. Klopp has acknowledged he needs a deeper squad.
I’d also like to hear from all of you in this thread about how you see the first team developing for next season. I don’t want to duplicate the transfer thread, the "FSG are good/bad owners" thread or the "Klopp is a good/bad manager thread." I’d rather know what you think is likely and needed for our club going forward. Beyond that, be as creative as you like.
For me, the goal has to be building a team/squad capable of contending for titles in England and Europe. I accept that building it is a process, but we need bold steps forward, and for all of our summer transactions to be purposed to that end.
Goalkeeper: I think we will stay with Mignolet and Karius. Bogdan will leave and Manninger will retire but I’m not sure if Ward and Fulton are loaned again or kept in-house for cover. Grabara and Kelleher are apparently promising prospects as well.
Right Back: Clyne will stay, but we need to bring in another first-choice caliber right back, who has Clyne’s work rate but also delivers a (much) higher-quality final ball. Too often this season the right wing has been where our attacks go to die.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will be a backup in this role as well as at midfield.
Connor Randall will leave the club
Left Back: James Milner will not be the starting left back next season. He most likely will play a utility role for the team, starting most games on the bench and making said bench longer due to his ability to play 5-7 positions on the pitch.
The club will sign a first-choice left back player and must look for the combination of defensive skill, pace and willingness to go forward, and a quality final ball from the wing.
Alberto Moreno will leave. Jon Flanagan will leave.
Center Backs: Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren will remain in contention for starting roles, and will be joined by one new signing of top-drawer variety at center back.
Ragnar Klavan will be a backup. Joe Gomez will be a backup.
Andre Wisdom will leave. Mama Sakho will leave.
Central Midfield
(Holding): Jordan Henderson will contend for a starting role. Lucas Leiva will be a backup if he’s willing to stay.
Kevin Stewart will leave the club. Allan will remain on loan.
(Box-to-Box): Emre Can will contend for a starting role. Gini Wijnaldum will contend for a starting role (rotated in when we have multiple matches in a week).
The club will bring in one top quality signing to play a holding and/or box-to-box role (which one will be influenced by Hendo's fitness, Can's contract status and where he is deemed to help us most). Naby Keita is reportedly first choice among targets.
James Milner will be a backup here. Ovie Ejaria will be a backup here. Pedro Chirivella will be a backup if he stays, but will probably leave.
(Attacking): Adam Lallana and Philip Coutinho are two players available for this position and so there is no need to bring in anyone in at this role.
Marko Grujic is a backup in this role. Trent Alexander-Arnold is a backup in this role. Harry Wilson is a backup in this role.
Cameron Brannagan will leave the club.
Forward (remember that in Klopp’s system, the three attacking players are largely interchangeable as to position).
(Wide): Phil Coutinho and Sadio Mane are first choice players here, but the club will sign another top quality wide attacker, with Brandt and Saleh reportedly top targets.
Sheyi Ojo will be a backup player at wide forward and if he returns to full fitness, be used in rotation. Ryan Kent will be a backup if he stays at the club. Ben Woodburn will be a backup in this role.
(Central):
Bobby Firmino will contend for a starting role
Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge (if he is willing to stay) will be used in rotation, especially when we have multiple matches in a week.
The club will bring in one more contender for a starting role, a proven goal-scorer, but I think Klopp is more likely to look for yet another smallish, quick forward who plays combinations well, than a dominant center-forward in the English style.
Danny Ings will be a backup if he stays at the club. Rhian Brewster will be a backup in this role.
Lazar Markovic will leave.
So by my count that is six new signings. Additional transfers/frees could be signed to supplement the squad, but we have a lot of young players that the coaching staff will want to see in action in order to assess their long-term suitability, so that may be where they come in. I have 10-14 players leaving, but most of these are not featuring at all this season.
These moves should make us a somewhat deeper and (hopefully) significantly better team. As I've said before, I know in my head I should just check out from the final whistle next Sunday until the first preseason match, for sanity's sake, but I probably won't.
It goes without saying that our squad is way short in numbers but more importantly way short in quality, both of these misdemeanours need remedying this summer,
To have a squad capable of competing in all fronts isn't as difficult as it may seem, it's what you prioritise as your main targets that will determine how many new faces arrive and of what quality?
Obviously the league title is numero ono followed by European, CL or Europa,
Anyhoo, this is what I'd like to see happen this summer,
GK, probably stay as it is but I'd go get Buckland from Stoke, proper keeper, young, hungry and wasted at that shithole Brittania
LB, not sure if Moronic Moreno will be here or not, Milner would suffice as suitable back up, I'd like us to bring Andy Robertson in from Hull, decent defensively can attack, has pace aplenty and can deliver good quality balls into dangerous areas, he will get better working with Klopp,
RB, not too much to change here, Clyne for me has become complacent, he needs someone to threaten his position and TAA ticks all the right boxes, quick, agile, has a football brain and has a end product, but he has something else that's missing in our ranks, he's Scouse we need two extra elements in a Liverpool side SaS.. Scots & Scouse a fine marriage as our history has proven, I've introduced both in one swoop..
CB, love us to land Van Dijk to partner Matip with Lovren as backup and young Gomez as the apprentice, Klavan not sure he'll hang around he'd be decent support but I'd probably cash in, hope Lucas stays one more season, his experience alone is and will be immeasurable,
Central ; vital we strengthen this summer, fully fit Henderson, Can, Gini, Coutinho, Lallana are still not quite of the quality we need, but add a, Brandt, Pulisic, Weigl, Kessie, Dahoud, Rous and we're a different animal, two of the above will be very nice indeed,
Forwards ; bye Sturridge and thanks, have fun in China, careful you don't trip over your bong,
Bobby, Divock, Ings, Mane need help, they need a specific target man, someone who they can all work around so as to optimise our scoring prowess, there are a few very very good young strikers out there chomping at the bit for 1st team action and eager to prove their worth, Mbappe, Timo Werner, Ousmane Dembele, myself I'd rather we have a experienced striker who knows his craft and is willing to run his gonads off, so I'd go and get James Rodriguez, I think he'd snatch your hand off for the chance to play in the EPL and the CL, so why not put a bid in and see what transpires, of course we could always ask Luis if he'd like to win the Premiership with us if he so desires cos it ain't f***in happening at the Camp Nou is it?
Look F**k knows how much all those new swinging dicks would cost but if we are to move on up another level we are more likely have to cough up a sum of money that will trounce our current expenditure.
I'm definitely not holding my breath that's for sure?
YNWA
