Naby Keita - RB Leipzig

If as it is looking like Keita is beyond us in this window then I would look at Kovacic from Madrid, similar type of player and is not a regular starter.

We were linked with him before he went to Madrid.

Nice have said he isn't for sale

Aww... I'll keep an eye on that.

Joe Allen?   

1) "We know it was reported" - exactly. You don't KNOW. the Stoke thing is another issue. We were talking about our transfer dealings this summer, not the seedy underbelly of youth football signings (to me that whole area starts to look like some kind of human trafficking. I remember reading a story about Dutch scouts talking excitedly into their phones while watching a player train. Player was FIVE years old." that whole area stinks, to me. Dempsey/Fulham wasn't Klopp. You have 3 things you are listing.

You are now being pedantic, and that is never a good sign for someone who is debating.

Liverpool had to apologize, how many teams have you seen do that once? How many teams have you seen doing it twice in the span of less than 5 years? I bet you do not even know that last year the Red Sox got a ban in baseball for trying to go round the rules pertaining to signing international prospects.

And yes, it was reported, so I do not have first hand information, but let me ask you, what first hand information do you have? From education, religion, getting to know of world events as they happen? Is this all not passed down to you? We have the advantage of technology and you would look down on it to score a non existent point?

2)You inferred our leadership don't have a plan. I said they do. You can talk all you want about the other teams. I didn't say anything about them. why reference to buying "someone" or "anyone" is to posters on here who decide if we don't buy some set number of players (or spend some set dollar amount), it means there is no plan. By all means a team should have a plan, but to say Klopp does not because he didn't buy X, Y or Z is incorrect. And I take it Klopp is very particular in who he wants to buy. He said if he is not bidding for someone it is because he doesn't want to bid for them. You are convinced there are other players he wants and he just can't or won't bid for them. Your proof for this being it's what United do. I honestly can't help you there.

You are now trying to twist what I said, and I try to post in the simplest manner possible. Look at the bold portion for example, I am not convinced that there are other players that he is interested in that he cannot/will not bid for, neither have I stated anything of the sort.

What I said was that I do not believe for a second that the only players that can come in and improve this team are Naby Keita and Virgil Van Dijk. I also made a simple statement that if they are not attainable for any number of reasons, then having something to fall back on is something that would be wise.

There was interest in Brandt (chose to stay at Leverkusen), Pulisic (chose to extend his contract with Dortmund) and the team has moved and got Mohammed Salah who has been by and large the best player thus far this pre season. In essence, the one great thing that has happened to this team so far this window, was having a quality replacement when players that were reported to have been of interest, in the case of Pulisic, a bid even being submitted.

In both cases, the players came out and gave reasons why they chose to stay with their respective clubs.......all reported to us.

Now, it is being reported that there is not alternative to Van Dijk, how good a plan is that? 

You are also cherry picking now. I asked whether the replacements would be of similar quality, and I was not talking big fee, or big name either. That is a worry going by history, yet it is something you have chosen to ignore altogether.

3)You are changing the subject again, insisting on your initial statement about the leaking. Prove to me this pattern of leaking and then not acting. If you show me unsourced stories saying we are interested in someone, it is not proof. Again, this is not about what other teams do.

I have changed nothing.

Was a bid ever made for Julian Brandt? Was there a bid made for Pulisic in January? Was there a follow up in interest to Mahmoud Dahoud?

4) So Klopp is getting the shaft from ownership but he just has to tell an entirely different story because he's afraid of what it will do to him in future job pursuits? Wow. You are deeply ITK on internal club matters. I'll choose to trust him, and to disagree with you on all four of these things.

Why do you come up with assumptions that no one has mentioned? Who on earth has said Klopp is being shafted?

It's really OK. People can disagree.
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Keita is beyond us in this window then I would look at Kovacic from Madrid, similar type of player and is not a regular starter.

We were linked with him before he went to Madrid.

Indeed we were HSc but he went to Madrid for €29m - we bid €14m for him (going from memory). Probably only have to pay three times that to get him now. 

Is it me or does it seem like the more we up the interest/bids for him, the further away this looks like going through?

They reject 70mill+ too, then that's a clear sign he ain't going anywhere this summer and they are mad enough to take a 20/30mill hit on him and lose him for 48mill in a years time.

Is it me or does it seem like the more we up the interest/bids for him, the further away this looks like going through?

They reject 70mill+ too, then that's a clear sign he ain't going anywhere this summer and they are mad enough to take a 20/30mill hit on him and lose him for 48mill in a years time.

If you go back to when we were first linked with him it was figured he was going to cost somewhere around  £50,000,000 to get it done....now £70,000,000.

Amazing inflation in this years transfer market.

If you go back to when we were first linked with him it was figured he was going to cost somewhere around  £50,000,000 to get it done....now £70,000,000.

Amazing inflation in this years transfer market.

Yet 70mill still won't do it.

If this lot hadn't got bad luck, they'd have no luck but at least they tried; right? 

Must have smashed a mirror just before they touched down to sign as owners of the club.

We've dealt with rogue owners from the Ukraine refusing to sell us players like Willian, Mkhataryan and Texeira only for those same players to be then sold elsewhere.

We've had players who preferred London as a city to the City of Liverpool (or the lovely leafy Cheshire).

We've had a player fail medicals at the 11th hour only to then sign for another club a few days later.

They've found themselves sadly bidding on players whp are not for sale at any price on a number of occasions.

The great custodians of our club have even managed to inadvertently boast of illegal approaches for nailed on top transfer targets, in the process scuppering a deal that was almost done. We've most unfortunately found to illegally poach wee kiddies away from their home clubs, thus landing themselves with an academy ban.

These poor fuckers could fall in a barrel of tits and come out sucking their thumbs.

Or conversely bid for Alexis Sanchez and settle for Ricky Lambert.

If you go back to when we were first linked with him it was figured he was going to cost somewhere around  £50,000,000 to get it done....now £70,000,000.

Amazing inflation in this years transfer market.

It is more because the pound lost its value against the Euro.

It is more because the pound lost its value against the Euro.

No it isn't.

You are now being pedantic, and that is never a good sign for someone who is debating.

That is some rich irony right there.

As I say, People really can disagree.

You say FSG need to stop annoying teams, I don't think that is the pattern of its dealings. You do. I can live with that.

You say we need to get a plan. I think we have one. The plan may include a shorter list of possible targets, and Klopp has suggested as much, but it would still be a plan, despite saying in your original post "Not having a replacement lined up is not having a plan." I can live with that.

You say we need to stop leaking interest in players to the media and then telling people in question the player in question chose Liverpool above all others. I don't think there is any certainty about who is leaking what to who (leaving aside how much of a pattern of this practice exists). You seem convinced. To each his own.

It seems to me - because the 4th point in your original post of areas that need sorting out is "back the manager" - that you think FSG is not backing the manager. I believe they are both backing him and that the manager and ownership are very much on the same page about the direction of the club and its transfer dealings, based on Klopp's statement. I believe Klopp when he says he has full support and he is absolutely happy with FSG and its support in the transfer market. If they weren't backing him, he'd be getting the shaft (my phrase, admittedly).

Could just be Leipzig look at players like Kyle Walker going for £50M and think F**k it Keita is worth £100M!

Monaco want at least £50M off City for Mendy.

It's just crazy.

Must have smashed a mirror just before they touched down to sign as owners of the club.

We've dealt with rogue owners from the Ukraine refusing to sell us players like Willian, Mkhataryan and Texeira only for those same players to be then sold elsewhere.

We've had players who preferred London as a city to the City of Liverpool (or the lovely leafy Cheshire).

We've had a player fail medicals at the 11th hour only to then sign for another club a few days later.

They've found themselves sadly bidding on players whp are not for sale at any price on a number of occasions.

The great custodians of our club have even managed to inadvertently boast of illegal approaches for nailed on top transfer targets, in the process scuppering a deal that was almost done. We've most unfortunately found to illegally poach wee kiddies away from their home clubs, thus landing themselves with an academy ban.

These poor fuckers could fall in a barrel of tits and come out sucking their thumbs.

Or conversely bid for Alexis Sanchez and settle for Ricky Lambert.

I know mate, but 'it's all merely coincidence/bad luck' and me, you (and people like us) are either just stupid or cynical.

Plan or no F***ing "plan", support or no F***ing "support", luck or no F***ing "luck"... they have overseen clusterfuck after clusterfuck and that, my friend, is the truth.

If they can't be held accountable, who the F**k can? 

Could just be Leipzig look at players like Kyle Walker going for £50M and think f**k it Keita is worth £100M!

Monaco want at least £50M off City for Mendy.

It's just crazy.

To be fair, 50mill for Walker is well over the top so it's no wonder Monaco are taking that view.

Could just be Leipzig look at players like Kyle Walker going for £50M and think f**k it Keita is worth £100M!

Monaco want at least £50M off City for Mendy.

It's just crazy.

It really is.

and while that paraphrase from the Joyce article seems to indicate Jürgen wants to bring another player (or two) in, it is a situation that puts a bit more value on a manager and staff who are capable of raising players' individual levels, or raising a team's overall capability through their mastery of systems, etc. If quality needs to be better (and it does), perhaps we shouldn't forget that improving the quality of players already-on hand is a very important part of raising the overall level; that it's not just about buying people.

Whatever the outcome of this 2nd bid rejection, I think one thing we can all agree on is it will be a pretty disastrous window if we start the season only having brought in Salah, Solanke and Robertson.

Whatever the outcome of this 2nd bid rejection, I think one thing we can all agree on is it will be a pretty disastrous window if we start the season only having brought in Salah, Solanke and Robertson.

Good thing there's another 6 weeks before the window closes then.

I think one thing we can all agree on is it will be a pretty disastrous window if we start the season only having brought in Salah, Solanke and Robertson.

I'll stick my neck out and say - I reckon we could have attracted all three without the big draw that is Champions League football. (You know; the lack of which being the reason we fans couldn't expect to attract 'big names' in the past.) 

Cue the "Ah... but... but.. we aren't an established Champions League team" Bull F***ing sh*te... 

Good thing there's another 6 weeks before the window closes then.

Thing is, the closer it gets to the deadline, the harder (and likely more expensive) it would be to find and sign players with great qualities. Normally managers won't want to lose important players close to the start of the season without finding replacements first.
The PL starts in 3 weeks so I'm assuming Klopp would want to have his squad ready by then. I reckon there's 2 more weeks until we hit panic mode.

It is more because the pound lost its value against the Euro.

The first reports were about 3 month's ago...try again.

Gotta say, this feels like it's not going to happen. I'd quite like us to switch our attention to Naingollan, Surely he would fit our defensive minded requirements a bit more anyway?

It is more because the pound lost its value against the Euro.

Eh?

They work in Euros, the price would been the price regardless of the strength of the pound. I understand your point meaning we may now have to pay more due to the downturn but their value will not have changed because of it.

Inflation due to market conditions, that's a different factor as AZ says. People now seeing that players like Walker going for £50m etc will have an influence on seller's expectations.

Eh?

They work in Euros, the price would been the price regardless of the strength of the pound. I understand your point meaning we may now have to pay more due to the downturn but their value will not have changed because of it.

Inflation due to market conditions, that's a different factor as AZ says. People now seeing that players like Walker going for £50m etc will have an influence on seller's expectations.

Thing was the pound dropping against the Euro was long before we ever heard of the fella; it's just a case of Riba engaging mouth before engaging the pudding.