Liverpool Fc @ Anfield - Reds Supporters Gatherings

[Anfield2017]

Was disappointed that we missed out on VVD.

Liverpool bought wisely this summer - but lack of defensive cover could return to haunt Klopp

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the only incoming for the Reds on transfer deadline day

It was an underwhelming end to the transfer window for Liverpool .

Deals for targets Virgil van Dijk and Thomas Lemar failed to materialise with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain the only new arrival on deadline day.

The Reds couldn’t thrash out a deal with Monaco for attacking midfielder Lemar and Southampton stuck to their summer-long stance that Van Dijk wasn’t for sale.

Missing out on the Dutch defender will undoubtedly frustrate Kopites the most. Van Dijk has spent the past month in exile after telling Saints he wanted to move to Anfield and subsequently submitting a transfer request.

Liverpool had to tread carefully after issuing an apology to Southampton and publicly ending their interest back in June when they stood accused of tapping up the centre-back.

The owners were adamant that the Reds couldn’t be seen to be trying to force the issue, but were ready and waiting if Saints had a change of heart and fancied pocketing £70million. They didn’t and Van Dijk stayed put.

Liverpool could hardly complain having adopted the same bullish stance with Philippe Coutinho in the face of Barcelona’s aggressive pursuit. The Spanish window doesn’t shut until Friday night but the Brazilian is going nowhere.

Now that his mysterious back injury has cleared up, Coutinho will return to the fold after the international break having failed in his bid to force a move to the Camp Nou.

Jurgen Klopp ended the summer window with four new signings in Mohamed Salah, Dominic Solanke, Andy Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain - five if you count Naby Keita, whose services have been secured from July 2018.

Not including the deal for Keita, the Reds’ total outlay was around £80million - a figure which will be inflated when a tribunal decides on the fee for Solanke.

They generated around £44million from sales and loan fees. Mamadou Sakho sealed a £26million move to Crystal Palace on deadline as he followed Lucas Leiva, Kevin Stewart and Andre Wisdom out the exit door.

Divock Origi (Wolfsburg), Allan Rodrigues de Souza (Apollon Limassol) and Ryan Kent (SC Freiburg) joined Sheyi Ojo, Connor Randall and Pedro Chirivella in departing on loan. The Reds have got the option of recalling Origi in January.

The business Liverpool did get done looks outstanding.

Flying winger Salah has made a blistering start to his Reds career and looks worth every penny of the £36.9million it cost to sign him from Roma.

England Under-21s international striker Solanke has already jumped above Origi in the pecking order and shown why Chelsea were so angry to lose him after his contract expired.

Andy Robertson is a left-back with plenty of potential who treated Anfield to an eye-catching debut against Crystal Palace.

In signing Oxlade-Chamberlain for £35million from Arsenal, Liverpool weakened one top four rival and out-flanked another as the England midfielder snubbed Chelsea.

As for Keita, having reluctantly accepted that Leipzig simply wouldn’t sell the gifted Guinea midfielder this summer, the Reds moved quickly to ensure he will be Anfield-bound next summer. He’s a serious talent.

But concerns remain about whether they have brought in sufficient reinforcements.

Klopp didn’t want to pursue an alternative defensive target to Van Dijk - insisting that if the former Celtic man remained out of reach he would push on with what he’s got.

That looks like a major gamble with Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez the only back-up to the first choice centre-back duo of Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip as Liverpool look to compete on four fronts this season. One injury in that department and the squad will really be stretched.

Elsewhere, Liverpool look well equipped for the challenge ahead.

Spirits are currently high after taking seven points out of a possible nine in the Premier League and progressing to the group stage of the Champions League.

And Klopp’s options will be further boosted by the return of Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne. With youngsters Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ben Woodburn flourishing, the squad is undoubtedly stronger.

Attacking wise, Klopp’s Liverpool look breathtaking, but the nagging fear is that defensively they still lack sufficient quality and depth.

Whether they pay the price for failing to address that area this summer, only time will tell.

[escobar43535]

The wait for #19 looks like its going to continue for another year.

If Naby Keita had come in this season I would have been more hopeful but as it stands without any improvement to our CBs, its going to be another roller coaster ride at the back and dont get me started on Mignolet and Karius.

Klopp really should have had a back up plan to the VVD situation, even a temporary one for this season at the very least. For instance, Johnny Evans looked like a reasonable choice or worse case scenario we should have held on to Lucas for cover.

Surprised to see Markovic still in the squad as well.

On Coutinho, expect to see him buckle down and get on with performing for us, at least for this season.

Oh well, it is what it is, we now just have to score more goals than we concede in every game!

Finally, wish MaMa Sakho all the best, pity things did not work out for him at Anfield.

[LeeHsienLoong]

Virgil van Dijk stays.
Lemar stays.
Coutinho stays.

We strengthen the attack but failed on the defence.
No problem if Southampton does not want to sell just like we did not want to sell Coutinho.
Where is the back up plan?!

We want to score goals in the league but we are going to conced too.
What happens if Matip or Lovren picks up an injury?
Klavan or Gomez is going to cover?

[Baigonggong]

Now that the transfer window is closed for England . Liverpool managed to get another 5 players . 1 player will only come in next year July1 2018 . No VVD and no Lemar . Coutihno still at Liverpool . Ah Gong is wondering what Liverpool and Klopp will do to Coutinho ?

[CTOA3954]

Originally Posted by Baigonggong

Now that the transfer window is closed for England . Liverpool managed to get another 5 players . 1 player will only come in next year July1 2018 . No VVD and no Lemar . Coutihno still at Liverpool . Ah Gong is wondering what Liverpool and Klopp will do to Coutinho ?

Spain transfer window closes on 1 September instead of 31 August..... so keep your fingers crossed for another 24 hrs

[pomrakthai]

IMHO, Liverpool should sell and cash in that "heartless chicken" Cunti-no. No point keeping a player with no more passion to play for Pool

[naemlo]

Originally Posted by pomrakthai

IMHO, Liverpool should sell and cash in that "heartless chicken" Cunti-no. No point keeping a player with no more passion to play for Pool

Hopefully, he can be sold today.

[snakehead]

Originally Posted by pomrakthai

IMHO, Liverpool should sell and cash in that "heartless chicken" Cunti-no. No point keeping a player with no more passion to play for Pool

Back injury as claimed by Liverpool ...... but can play and score for Brazil last night.

All along FSG had intended to sell him to Barca.... just that the $$$ yet to be agreed on.

[snakehead]

Originally Posted by naemlo

Hopefully, he can be sold today.

Heard that FSG backtracked and accepted Barca's previous last bid for Coutinho.
So it's finally revealed the transfer saga is all a wayang show actually.

[pomrakthai]

Originally Posted by snakehead

Back injury as claimed by Liverpool ...... but can play and score for Brazil last night.

All along FSG had intended to sell him to Barca.... just that the $$$ yet to be agreed on.

Brazilian doctors said that Cunt-tino had a back ache due to stress or distress looking at Klopp
After no see Klopp, back ache all gone, can kick well and score and can even kick the bucket to the joy of many

[naemlo]

Originally Posted by naemlo

Barca has offered near to 150 mils. If agreed, Coutinho will be the 2nd most ex player after Neymar. With this 150 mils, Liverpool can spend on VVD and Lemar.

Originally Posted by snakehead

Heard that FSG backtracked and accepted Barca's previous last bid for Coutinho.
So it's finally revealed the transfer saga is all a wayang show actually.

It is good to sell...

Selling Coutinho, Liverpool making profit again this season. In business term, it is an achievement for FSG. The transfer team should give themselves a pat on their back and wait for yr end big bonus.

Players spent about 80 mils excludes 60 mils for Keita.
Players transferred out about 40 mils excludes 150 mils for Coutinho.

[masterwanker]

Originally Posted by snakehead

Back injury as claimed by Liverpool ...... but can play and score for Brazil last night.

All along FSG had intended to sell him to Barca.... just that the $$$ yet to be agreed on.

That is why someone not telling the truth .

[masterwanker]

Originally Posted by naemlo

It is good to sell...

Selling Coutinho, Liverpool making profit again this season. In business term, it is an achievement for FSG. The transfer team should give themselves a pat on their back and wait for yr end big bonus.

Players spent about 80 mils excludes 60 mils for Keita.
Players transferred out about 40 mils excludes 150 mils for Coutinho.

FSG is only purely on the business aspect of running Liverpool FC . They have no ambition to win titles and glory . Since they took over they managed to turn the books back into black. By the next financial year reporting FSG would proudly announce that Liverpool FS is once again profitable . So far under FSG Liverpool only win 1 small trophy if I am not mistaken.

[masterwanker]

Originally Posted by pomrakthai

Brazilian doctors said that Cunt-tino had a back ache due to stress or distress looking at Klopp
After no see Klopp, back ache all gone, can kick well and score and can even kick the bucket to the joy of many

Maybe when Coutinho comes back FSG and Klopp should send him to play with the U23s. Since Liverpool is playing so well without him.

[escobar43535]

The inside story of why Liverpool simply couldn't buckle and sell Philippe Coutinho to a man they used to know

John W Henry personally intervened to ensure Coutinho was going nowhere, and Simon Hughes explains why...



Five years separates two stories involving the same characters; one prevalent in this country, the another not so well known. They are tales that go some way towards explaining why Barcelona were so forceful in their attempt to sign Philippe Coutinho but ultimately, why their attempt will prove not to be quite forceful enough.

It was in July 2012 when Pep Segura, then the technical manager at Liverpool’s academy, ended his three-year association at the club after previously being told by Liverpool’s owner, John W. Henry, he had earned a promotion.

Before Brendan Rodgers became Liverpool’s manager, Henry and Segura held a three-hour meeting and it was concluded that Segura would become Liverpool’s new sporting director, filling the administrative space left behind by Damien Comolli’s sacking a few months earlier.

Rodgers, though, had other ideas, insisting his own appointment would not involve another tier of management above him. For Segura – a decent man, and someone respected inside Liverpool particularly for his contribution towards the development of Raheem Sterling – there was reasonable embarrassment when he arrived at Melwood for the start of pre-season training only to find out then there would be no place for him in the new set-up.

Despite his efforts to contact Henry about his proposed fresh responsibilities, the line of communication had gone stone cold since Rodgers’s arrival. Though he expected that plans had changed, Segura was upset and angry that he had found out this way and so, on that July morning, rather than driving to the academy in Kirkby as he had been told to by Rodgers, he resigned on the spot – though the announcement of his departure was made a month later.

Those who knew Segura best from his time at Liverpool describe him as a professional and so, his hurt was understandable considering he had been treated without the necessary level of respect. Sources in Catalonia, meanwhile, say Segura has a long memory. Now Barcelona’s general manager having returned to the club where he built his coaching reputation, and as the person overseeing player recruitment, it is told he has viewed the signing of Coutinho as a personal mission.

While Coutinho is seen as a long-term successor for the fading Andrés Iniesta, the whiplash of his own departure from Liverpool still stings and it is said he would like nothing better than to expose Fenway Sports Group’s collective stance over Coutinho’s future as total mush.

It was a small but significant detail when Fenway released a “definitive” statement earlier this month, outlining that Coutinho would not be sold, this was not a statement released by Liverpool FC but by its ownership group, a statement, indeed, that was not signed off by any person in particular as they often are when something important is announced

Hour-by-hour, day-to-day, week-to-week, Henry does not have much involvement in the decision-making processes at the club and instead, key issues are dealt with by Jürgen Klopp, Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s sporting director, and Mike Gordon, Fenway’s president.

Henry only intervenes when he really needs to and this was one of his calls. Before Coutinho had submitted his transfer request, Henry knew that his scan, taken on Tuesday August 8, for mysterious back strain had returned without obvious signs of injury. He knew as well that two days later a 3pm meeting involving Edwards and Coutinho’s representatives had not gone well at all. Any owner of a well-run football club should also be informed and be able to imagine what might follow when a star player signs a new five year-contract – as Coutinho did in January – but proceeds to only agree a short-term lease on his home, especially when it has already been reported that Barcelona are interested in him.

Those that have dealt with Henry regularly know how he is capable of brain lapses, instances where he has appeared completely engrossed on a subject one moment and unreachable the next. Particularly relating to Liverpool matters, perhaps living on the other side of an ocean while running a business empire where Anfield forms only a part of his thoughts contributes towards the way he approaches things. Perhaps, indeed, this is why Segura found himself isolated very quickly from what seemed a position of promise.

Henry’s distance from Merseyside has not helped in the past because he has not been around to cast judgements for himself. He has instead relied on the opinions of his appointments, which have been bad ones too often – meaning that he has only acted when it has been too late, contributing towards a generally negative impression of his and Fenway’s intentions.

Having decided that Coutinho would stay, he could not afford to back down particularly when the transfer market did not map out exactly the way Liverpool or its febrile supporter base would have wanted in terms of incomings. Fenway have been determined to change Liverpool’s reputation and by not relenting to Coutinho’s wishes, for the time being at least, it sends a message to their own players as well as rivals that this is not a selling club.

Any other outcome would have been received as deception and from then on, it is hard to see how any of the messages coming out of Liverpool would ever be trusted again