Summer 2018 Transfer Window Official Thread | Page 21 | Vital Football

Summer 2018 Transfer Window Official Thread

xvausch - 29/12/2017 02:20

No they wont.

This is an idiotic signing on its face, the player will have to become the World's #1 CB on the pitch within 2 seasons, and maintain that level for another 7, to justify it, and he won't. He's just not that good.

I can't believe John Henry sanctioned this, blows my mind.

People are laughing at them behind their backs right now, and if the player falls on his face, people will be laughing in their faces.

Cant see this bonkers outlier having any dramatic impact on the overall market.

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xvausch, Overhere, John Henry's crew are taking the applause for this deal - and I don't believe for one second he wasn't fully aware/involved...it's an utterly ridiculous deal, but by all accounts they were that desperate....wait until you see what they are prepared to pay for a top keeper and it will make your head spin...



Why Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp went against instincts to land Virgil van Dijk
Paul Joyce, Northern Football Correspondent

December 29 2017, 12:00am, The Times


There is an irony that among Jürgen Klopp’s first public comments on the signing of Virgil van Dijk was a plea for Liverpool supporters to forget the price tag of almost £75 million, making him the most expensive defender in the world.

After all, that was the same advice Anfield’s powerbrokers have been offering Klopp throughout the lengthy, at times complex, pursuit of the centre back. This is not normally how the Liverpool manager likes to do business. Throughout Klopp’s managerial career he has sided with nurture over nature, the idea that developing talent can be as useful as going out and buying ready-made solutions.

The deal for Van Dijk, 26, is new ground for Liverpool, obliterating their transfer record, which stood at the £36.9 million paid for Mohamed Salah in the summer (the £55 million Naby Keïta does not arrive from RB Leipzig until July 1), but the size of the transfer also represents new territory for Klopp.

The crucial factor in the signing of Van Dijk was not money at all but how Liverpool repaired the relationship with Southampton

There were occasions during the pursuit of Van Dijk when Mike Gordon, the president of Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), and Michael Edwards, the sporting director, sought to offer context to allay any lingering misgivings Klopp had that they were being asked to pay too much.

The 6ft 4in Van Dijk has always been Klopp’s No 1 defensive target, and his delight at finally landing the player was clear around Melwood yesterday. There have never been any doubts about the quality of the player.

Simply, the adjustment to the money-obsessed world of the Premier League has not always been an easy one for the man at the helm, whose biggest outlay at Borussia Dortmund was the €27.5 million (about £24.5 million) paid to prise Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013.

“I can imagine people will think, ‘Wow, what a number it is,’ but for me it is not really interesting,” Klopp said. “We do not make the price, the market makes the price and the first thing all Liverpool supporters should forget quite soon is the price. We only talk about the player and what he brings — his qualities, mentality and character.”

At first glance the figure — £70 million guaranteed and £4 million in add-ons — that has brought Van Dijk to Anfield feels outlandish.

Yet realism needs to be applied. Van Dijk had four and a half years left on his deal at Southampton, whose position was further strengthened by the knowledge he was wanted by Chelsea as far back as January, while Manchester City were especially keen, having recently contacted officials at St Mary’s, and Arsenal remained in the background.

Supply and demand also raised the price. Pep Guardiola, the City manager, had targeted Aymeric Laporte when he took over and the Athletic Bilbao defender had a £58million buyout clause to be settled in one payment. Antonio Conte tried to sign Kalidou Koulibaly upon arrival at Chelsea, but Napoli rebuffed a £58 million bid.


Gordon will have received the background information on Van Dijk — as well as the price of the available alternatives — which he relayed to the rest of FSG, including John W Henry, the principal owner, and Tom Werner, the Liverpool chairman.

Of course, the crucial factor in the signing of Van Dijk was how Liverpool repaired the relationship with Southampton after June’s spat when they were accused of tapping up the player.

It was Gordon who, having told Liverpool to publicly pull out of the race for fear of a Premier League charge, started building bridges with Ralph Krueger, the Southampton chairman.

Liverpool did not bid officially during the summer, but reiterated they would pay whatever it took if Southampton were prepared to sell. That pledge was in place on the final day of the August transfer window. A phone call from St Mary’s would have set the ball rolling.

In recent weeks, contact was re-established, with Liverpool insistent that Van Dijk was their No 1 choice but that they would buy a defender next month regardless and had other targets. The back-up plan was not needed.

By Christmas, Van Dijk’s performances did not warrant a place in Mauricio Pellegrino’s line-up, while Southampton’s tailspin meant hanging on to a £70 milllion player who was no longer much of an asset did not make sense. Not when £70 million — if spent correctly next month — could steady fortunes in the face of a possible fraught fight for Premier League survival.

Southampton’s decision belatedly to name a price was an invitation to the negotiating table that Liverpool were not about to pass up. They quickly showed the colour of their money.

Andy Massey, the Liverpool club doctor, oversaw the medical on Wednesday at Nuffield Hospital in Bournemouth.

It was then that Klopp finally had his man and, the more he reflects on the deal, the surer he is that Van Dijk will not leave Liverpool short-changed.
 
Well if Rose is off to Utd, then I would negotiate a 6 month loan deal for Shaw with a pre-agreed transfer next summer if he proves himself. It would need to be on our terms and separate from the very public Rose nonsense. The way the league is this season it would be a very painful scenario to sell Rose to any of the other top 6 sides.

I'd also be all over Sessegnon as well. Fulham have now pushed him further upfield and he seems to be getting better and better from what I hear. We should have closed that deal before now.

As for Llorente, I'm still willing to trust Poch for a while longer. What we need more is goals shared around the attacking players in the squad. If we can just get Eriksen, Son and Alli firing on all cylinders with Lamela getting in on the act, I believe the goals will flow again and it will be less about what our number 2 striker is doing. There's a few goals amongst our attacking players but not where we need it to be yet.
 
xvausch - 16/1/2018 20:16

I wonder how James Ward Prowse would fit into this Spurs squad.

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My family are Saints fans and he drives them mad. He's drifted and never pushed on from the potential he showed at youth level.
 
Finding a report that Alladyce is trying to offload Michael Keane in the last days of the window a bit strange
He is somebody that I thought would be good for us Good defender . Young . English. Surprised they want to get rid , allegedly
 
I wonder what top keeper they have in mind and how much they'll be willing to pay. Ederson isn't an Elite keeper and he went for 40 million.

What I do see happening though is the Liverpool players going to the board and asking for new contracts. Smashing the wage structure has consequences, and there's no way that Mane and Salah will be ok with a CB earning twice as much.

I am not sure that Keita and VVD will improve the squad considering they are losing Can and Coutinho.


 
Matic - 16/1/2018 15:11

xvausch - 16/1/2018 20:16

I wonder how James Ward Prowse would fit into this Spurs squad.

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My family are Saints fans and he drives them mad. He's drifted and never pushed on from the potential he showed at youth level.
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Maybe he needs Poch.

From what I know of him, he's a pretty tough kid. Undoubtedly has a tremendous ability to deliver a ball. I think he's keen to go past people on the outside. Kinda thought he'd be a better player on the right than as a CM.

Maybe he needs a change.

I bet he'd be gat for around 12m.

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xvausch - 17/1/2018 00:50

Matic - 16/1/2018 15:11

xvausch - 16/1/2018 20:16

I wonder how James Ward Prowse would fit into this Spurs squad.

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Click to expand...

My family are Saints fans and he drives them mad. He's drifted and never pushed on from the potential he showed at youth level.
Click to expand...

Maybe he needs Poch.

From what I know of him, he's a pretty tough kid. Undoubtedly has a tremendous ability to deliver a ball. I think he's keen to go past people on the outside. Kinda thought he'd be a better player on the right than as a CM.

Maybe he needs a change.

I bet he'd be gat for around 12m.

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Unless his contract is nearly up I'd guess nearer £20m. Still young, in that bracket of English player who COULD go up a level, plus money is crackers now. He wouldn't be my choice. I'd prefer we took a punt on this Maddison for that money.
 
Ex-Fulham man Leroy Rosenior believes Tottenham have already agreed a deal for Ryan Sessegnon

The former Fulham man believes that the 17-year-old's future has been mapped out already

ByRyan O'Donovan
Fulham FC Reporter
11:23, 21 FEB 2018

Former Fulham man Leroy Rosenior believes Tottenham Hotspur have already agreed a deal to sign Ryan Sessegnon in the summer.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Totally Football Show , the 53-year-old believes a deal has already been done by Spurs to snatch him away from the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool in the summer.

A whole host of Premier League and foreign clubs were after Fulham's top scorer in the summer, but Director of Football Operations at the club, Tony Khan, issued a statement declaring he was not for sale and would be staying at the club.

Sessegnon has been at Fulham since he was eight, joining the U9s in 2008 and has continued his development at the club at a rapid rate this season - scoring 12 goals to make him the top scorer at the club this season.

And if Rosenior is to be believed, Spurs already have their man.

He said: "I think that a deal has been done for Ryan as teams have been in for him.

"It's a Premier League side with strong rumours of Tottenham. I wouldn't be surprised if other sides have been in for him as well.

"He's stays at Fulham before moving in the summer. His future is already mapped out.

"Ryan has great potential. He is one of those players who you think he's not a left-back and not a left-winger.

"He could be an amazing player."

https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/ex-fulham-man-leroy-rosenior-14317945
 
https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/transfers/tottenham-watford-richarlison-doucoure/

Richarlison & Doucoure "swoop" on the cards apparently.
 
Liverpool and Tottenham battling for Barcelona midfielder’s signature
by Benjamin Barkworth1 day agoFollow @BenB1994
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The Reds are set to rival Tottenham for André Gomes’ signature in the summer.
According to reports, the Portuguese midfielder is a major summer target for both clubs. Gomes has struggled to live up to expectations during his time in Barcelona. It seems like now might be the right time for the Catalans to cash in on him in order to regain some of their expenditure on him. The inflated prices in the transfer market will certainly help in this regard especially because multiple Premier League clubs are after him.

Barcelona currently have a surplus of midfielders, so that also may be influencing their decision to sell him. Philippe Coutinho was brought in during the last transfer window, and there are rumours that Brazilian starlet Arthur may join in January next year. Even if Arda Turan and Rafinha permanently move in the summer, Barça will still have nine midfielders vying for places. This isn’t good from a financial or a footballing standpoint; it’s a waste of the wage budget and it hurts morale due to lack of game time for some players.

Gomes has the potential to be a top player; he’s intelligent, technical and powerful at his best. However, his mentality seems to be his main issue as a lack of confidence has stifled his development. Although the high expectations and intellectually demanding playing style at Barcelona are hard to adjust to.


At 24-years-old he still has plenty of time to fill his potential. Jürgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino both have deserved reputations for improving players. With Gomes’ range of abilities, he could be moulded into a variety of different positions. This naturally makes him appealing to both managers because of their propensity to use various tactical setups.

Which team suits him better?
Spurs would be the better fit of the two clubs. Pochettino’s does like to press the opposition intensely, but this is usually done in stages. They also alternate between various styles depending on the strengths of the opposition.

Liverpool, on the other hand, rely a lot more on a high press to destabilise the opposition. Gomes is unlikely to suit Liverpool’s high-octane style although he could be useful in helping break down a low block from the opposition. He is also used to counter-pressing due to it being a key element of Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona, which is beneficial for both teams.

NEXT: Spurs target says he would rather join Arsenal


Pochettino could mould Gomes into a deep-lying playmaker and he could act as part of the long-term solution to replace Mousa Dembélé along with Harry Winks. In that role he would have the space and time to control games and create openings which would suit him. Therefore, unless Liverpool transition away from their reliance on the high press, Spurs is the better option.

https://playingfor90.com/2018/02/21/liverpool-tottenham-battling-barcelona-midfielders-signature/
 
I can't see Poch playing with only one defensive type central midfield player. To be fair when he has tried it we have looked weak.

I think we need to go with a trio. One tempo setter with two defensive, athletic, strong players either side. Stamina, ability to pass and tackle and run all day type CM's. That way we can play with 3 attacking players further forward. Giving us options to use AM's and winger type players.

I think we already have two tempo setters in the squad. Eriksen and Winks.
 
Is this the window where the 9th august deadline kicks in. If so then at least we know our business will be wrapped up early and we then can't moan about not having everyone in
 
I see we're using the Winter Transfer Window thread...
 
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