Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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The season is over, but we're going to start with a gutter. We are here in association with Saley. If you're going abroad this summer, download the Saley app and find the package that suits the place that you're going to go so that you've got free use of your phone all the time whilst you're abroad for a very, very, very reasonable small fee.
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i've also used the customer service which has been tremendous i am a genuine uh fan of salee so do check it out uh when you're thinking about your summer trip you're on a way soon i am yeah absolutely excellent stuff uh good to know and you can see with that we're just doing conversions one-on-one and use the code taw and go from there uh joel joel penny andy bell and uh carl carpac with me
the season is over, which means that we can assess where we are. Now, this is a bit of a risk. Very rarely pre-record a day before transfer gutter shows at the Anfield Wrap because you think that it moves quite quickly. But I wanted to do the end of season thing to talk about where the gaps are and then go from there. Rob's also away. He's away for a few days, by the way.
It's not like he's back tomorrow and could therefore have done it. So this is coming out on Tuesday morning. We're recording this right now at 3pm on Monday afternoon. If anything happens in the meantime, then honestly, it'll be another reason for me to be annoyed by Liverpool Football Club. It's a bank holiday, lads. That's what I would have thought the way we should have adopted.
It's very hot as well, although it's nice and cool in the studio. So we'll talk about what's missing. We'll talk about where we're concerned, what it is that we think needs to be different. Joel, I'll start with you. I don't think it's a complicated one, to be honest with you. But where would you like to see Liverpool focus their efforts, their investment this summer?
for me the priority has got to be the wingers um you know i'm not saying anything to outline this there i think that would be uh what everyone else is looking for and i think you know alongside wingers the word you want in front of it is fast you know we want fast wingers um and then we can begin to to maybe have some sort of a coherent attack um so yeah fast wingers is where i really want to sort of focus how many fast wingers do you think they need
So this is where it gets, you know, I think one of the most difficult things with Salah, well, it might be the output, but I think you can probably make up output in different areas, you know, the two number nines, maybe the creative output from the likes of Vert, but I think what you're really going to miss is robustness.
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Chapter 2: What is the focus of Liverpool's summer transfer strategy?
Obviously that summer we signed Mane, but then when Mane goes away to AFCON it was right back to what we had, no pace on the team, what do we do? And then Salah comes in and you've got the two of them and most of the time they're both available, but even if one's out, well you still actually have that thread in behind.
So it does have to be at least two, probably three, and I know we're going to talk about some of the names and certainly the Dame Andy link is one we're going to have to spend quite a lot of money on. Barcola, if we were to get him, we'd have to spend quite a lot of money as well. The third one isn't necessarily, I think, going to be a household name, but rather...
well actually what are we going to do here you know like five years ago Sally was away to AFCON well Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain played right wing who's quick and yes nowhere near the same output or nowhere near the same level of player but doesn't completely change how you play so it might not be a sort of household name but yet still somebody can come in and give you that threat you're not going to target Chamberlain are you because he's Chamberlain he's going to do a job for you he's going to be fine he's just not going to be Sally so do you think it's two or three wingers I think
It's funny, you know, I say injuries, I thought, yeah, but it's us. So I think you budget for three immediately just because it's us. And these things happen to us all the time. And I think that's in terms of a definite as well, because we know that Salah's not going to be here. Throughout the squad, is he going to stay? Is he going to go? What are they going to do about Jones?
They're going to keep things like that. But that's an absolute definite just because it's a winger.
But do you not think that they also need someone who can play centrally because Eketike is not going to be available? Do you think... Is in your collective heads one of these wingers will also be able to play centre-forward?
They're going to have to. And Eke Teeke is the strangest of all problems really because he's a starter for Liverpool who's not starting, definitely. And you can't spend the money to replace him because he's going to have to come back and play and be Eke Teeke.
But at the same time, you're going to have to fill in to the degree that he's almost as good as Eketike, and that means he's not necessarily going to be a centre forward, he's going to have to be a winger, and I think that's going to be a difficult thing to do.
So you're three wingers, but one of them's got to be able to play centrally? Are you also three wingers and one of them's got to be able to play centrally? Or are you three wingers and get someone who can play centrally?
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Chapter 3: Why are fast wingers a priority for Liverpool's squad?
You know, I think that could be even allowing for, you know, players to get injured from time to time. But for me, it's not so much about that. It's more about if you're playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, you can maybe start the same player up front in all three, but you can't ask him to do 270 minutes. You can't ask him to go bang, bang, bang.
You know, you need, I think, to be someone who, ideally in all three games, where you're able to say, especially if Liverpool are doing all right, let's be optimistic, say, well, you know, we can afford to take you off here, but you still need to carry the threat through the middle.
Yeah, no, definitely. And look, Gakpo hasn't shown enough, but there are just going to have to be some players who we're just going to have to step up. You know, we can't replace the entire squad, obviously. So there comes a point where, you know, can someone like Gakpo just, you know, as you say, coming on for the last 10 minutes, can he do something?
Can he fill in a League Cup game and just get more from them? I think... Not for centrally, but I think Frimpong also poses a sort of question around that. I mean, the manager starting Jones, you know, while Frimpong on the bench, makes me feel like he does not think he's a right back. So does he think he's, you know, further forward? Does that come into the numbers around attackers?
So these sorts of things we have to consider and the manager's going to have to get more out of his team if we're going to have a strong enough squad.
I think he's playing three points, to be honest, because he's got to. Just for the reasons, because he's quick, but he's not rebellious. That was my issue with him.
And I think in the same way that, for example, being a second-choice goalkeeper at Liverpool is quite unique in the sense that you know you'll get 10 games a season because this guy's going to get injured. I think we've got to understand, like the point you make with Isak, based on the last three or four seasons, he's unlucky with the Tottenham one because of his impact.
But he's still missed 39 games in the last three seasons. So you do have to account for a centre-forward playing quite a lot, whoever that is. So don't think he can get away with Gakpo for a year doing that because you're just going to see loads more of him there than what you want to see.
And this isn't Luis Suarez in 13-14 where, you know, if Iago Aspas has to come in and play Oldham at home in the Cup, that's fine, but you're actually not going to see that much of him. We're going to see quite a lot of this guy.
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Chapter 4: How does Salah's potential absence impact Liverpool's plans?
I just happen to see at the start of most tackles, I think Fernandes at West Ham, we're pretty high up on that. Obviously they've gone down, so they're probably going to lose some players. Now he's playing for one of the worst teams in the league, so probably making a lot of tackles because they're getting attacked a lot. Does that translate to Liverpool?
Not too sure, but having someone in there who can maybe throw in a challenge would be nice. So yeah, I think we need definitely an extra body in the midfield and I'd for sure keep Curtis Jones if it was my decision.
yeah um that throws us to defenders jacques coming in yeah um at the minute the last thing anyone who's in a position to know anything uh about canate's contract uh who's spoken publicly is canate who seemed to act as though he expected to sign the contract but we haven't had anything confirmed but there wasn't great scenes of dramatic goodbyes yesterday is the thing to to point out on that so that
is a little bit up in the air. Let's exist in the universe where Canate is staying, Karl. If your defensive options are Van Dijk, Canate, Jacquet, Leone, Gomez in there, are you happy with that centre-half options pool? Do you feel as though that's what you move with? That's four good centre-backs plus Joe Gomez with all his experience.
Yeah, and... And again, it's the unknowns. It's Joe Gomez. Is he coming? Is he staying or what? Year seven of this conversation with Joe Gomez, it seems to me. I think that's all right. I think that's okay. It's hard to say this because I'm so frustrated with every single one of them at the moment that if they all said, I'm going to go, fine.
But it's not the world they come to contract and there has to be a day one where they improve. And that sounds on paper, that sounds all right.
So I think you're all in agreement that that sounds all right enough. Gomez might still move on in that universe, but we'll sort of go from there and let's allow him for Canarsie.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of signing Yan Diomande?
What do you want to see at fullback, if anything?
Well... This is a big issue for me because do you buy number one full-back, number one right-back? Do you get him and they're the stayer, they're straight into the first team because you're not sure about Conor Bradley? Or do you buy someone to go behind Conor Bradley? And does that mean that for him, Pog's no longer a right-back? And to me, that would be, he's not a right-back.
I don't know why we play a wing-back when we haven't got a wing-back system. And I've never understood that. So it's, I think... So would you sell for him, Pog? Yeah, I think I would. I think I would, yeah. Because it's not his fault. He's just in a system that isn't suited to him at all. He's not a right back and he's not a right forward. It just doesn't work. I'm mystified.
It's difficult because he's replacing Trent, so they're just going for someone really, really quick. And 35 million? What? It's not too bad. But yeah, I just don't think he fits the system at all. So that's why I think, I think Ola Bradley's number one right back when he's fit, not Frimpong. And so Dubai above Bradley or Dubai as backup to him.
I understand the point. Do you think some people have been a little bit harsh on Frimpong at right-back at times? He's not perfect, he's not incredibly defensively solid, but he does provide something in that team, that extreme quality, which nobody else does. And that can be effective in games.
I mean, it was only three months ago we were talking about, well, Frimpong literally ran this game from right-back because of that pace that he has. Yeah, and I think there's a big issue with Frimpong in the sense that he's very horses for courses. So for me, if he comes up against somebody who is quick and strong, he's almost ineffective. Like when he came up against Jed Spence, right?
You just couldn't get past him. And he doesn't have another trick in the locker. So we can't have Frimpong as our right back for every single game or as our right winger for every single game. But there's no way to me that there's no game... Jeff Spencer was playing right wing though, wasn't he?
He was right side of forward. He wasn't playing right back.
He was, but then, yeah. So what I mean is what he does is incredible and it's an incredible quality, but it is the same thing every time.
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Chapter 6: How does Bradley Barcola fit into Liverpool's transfer plans?
If somebody kind of directs that, then that's slightly different. Whereas if he's coming up against, I don't know, like Matt Target next season, he's not because he plays for Middlesbrough, but you know what I mean. You can see how Frimpong can get the better of him, just give him a horrible time.
For me, there isn't a world in which next season there is no games where that incredible frimpong quality isn't useful for us. But I totally agree with the point of Bradley's not coming back and we don't know what player Bradley's going to be when he does come back. Where do we go from there? Are we doing half a season of frimpong at right back? What happens if that's going really, really bad?
Are we potentially burning another season off the back of that? So, yeah, it's a tricky one right back, I think.
OK, I'm going to pass over to you.
Would you want Liverpool to go in and try to invest in a right back? Potentially. I think there's a build-up issue. I think Curtis Jones is starting at the back because we're struggling to build up from the back. Now, the problem is those profiles of players don't exist much. We had the best one, but he obviously went to Madrid.
One thing that didn't stress me, another ex-Liverpool player that could play on both sides of the full-back was Nico Williams. Now, I'm not saying that's at all realistic. I have no idea if that would be at all a possibility. But maybe someone who can fill in both sides is quite a rare commodity in a full-back position. But I think it's a case of what does the manager want?
Because if the manager's sticking with Curtis Jones, He obviously wants someone who can build up quite well, and Fringpong isn't that player. I think he's got a lot of qualities. I think when he's got space in front of him, he can be really effective. And I do think we are forgetting a bit about Bradley's qualities as well, because he's been out for so long. So it is a difficult one.
I think it's how the manager is going to want to build out from the back and what sorts of choices he wants to make there.
For me, Joel, it's the biggest mystery. I feel for right back, everything else I feel is really, really straightforward. I think Liverpool need to work out how to build them through midfield better, stronger. I think you can do that with recruitment.
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Chapter 7: What challenges does Liverpool face in the transfer market?
But you can sort of get like, you know, whenever I play around with stats bomb and do some bits and pieces of like certain parameters. If you go one way, you get a lot of Jake O'Brien. If you go another way, you know, you get a lot of frimpongy sort of style. But there's not. But Jake O'Brien himself is a centre back who's playing right back.
That's what Everton's option is, you know, and you've almost got to get to Liveramento or Malagusto before you get to right-backs.
I'd say that the manager would look at that system and have a full centre-back at right-back and he's got Joe Gomez and he won't care about Jones. Exactly, yeah. So yeah, he wants something more than a centre back at right back.
I think as well, he's probably wanted to do a little bit more experimentation to work out what Frimpong is in this squad, and he just hasn't been able to because of how the season's gone, and he's ended up going for a little bit more of a solid, sure thing. And a lot of injuries as well.
And a lot of injuries, so there might be a point where he is able to sort of work that out a little bit better next season, but It's almost sort of a short-term question because I do believe, and I am biased on this as well, but I do believe if Conor Bradley comes back the same player and sorts his injury record out, he is absolutely capable of being the number one right-back for Liverpool.
Does he do that? Is it February before he does that? And what do we do until then? It doesn't feel very Liverpool to get somebody in short-term. But, I mean, we know here Trada has done right-back and has done centre-mid, so it can give you a little bit there and, you know,
You're going to come in until Christmas and you're going to play right back, but when Conor Brown comes back, it is his spot, but you'll get your odd game here, you'll get your odd game there. I mean, he hasn't even played that much for Sunderland this season, but their fans do seem to read him. So I don't think that one's completely out of the equation, is it?
Left-back? The manager said a couple of times in press conferences that effectively Shimakas is coming back. Does anyone want to see any experimentation there or are you all relatively comfortable with the idea of Shimakas coming back in and doing a season as backup left back?
I think I'd be a bit annoyed if that was him, though, because you couldn't get in the first time because you've got Andy Robertson there, and then we bought someone who's going to start in Kirkes, and do you want to come back and not play again? I find that an odd thing to do.
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Chapter 8: How do Liverpool's current players influence transfer decisions?
Sorry, I think it's seven.
Well, he plays in that Roma game where we beat them 5-0 after the 4-4, why are we buying it?
He's given us eight years and you can understand, especially given the injuries that he's had and his body's certainly a little bit different to what it was at one stage. You would quite like to be able to say, actually, if you want to go, then we're not going to stand in your way, but...
The situation is, I think he's just going to have to suck it up and give us another season because we're not convinced about what's behind him right now. I'm not comfortable with Mamadashvili coming in and becoming the first choice. Maybe after another year.
Arnott's thought will know 100% whether it went okay are we going to need to then go out and get another keeper to replace Ellison or are we happy with Llamadash filly I just don't think you can make that decision now and if you are making that decision now the answer for me is no and so you have to go out and buy somebody else and it just feels like something but Llamadash filly wasn't cheap either no that's another factor for me no absolutely but he's not good enough he's not good enough so we just have to wait and see so is there an argument to sell Llamadash filly
I'm comfortable enough with him coming in and when Alisson inevitably misses 10, 15 games next season, I'm fine with that. I'm just not sure I can do a full season of him yet. So no, because if you sell him then you've got to do something else there. I think he's okay as a backup right now, I'm just not sure he can make the step up.
Yeah, I think it'd be crazy if we get rid of Alisson, to be honest. Screw his feelings. Again, it comes to the work, it's why we're giving ourselves more work today. We've already got so many gaps in the team, so just keep him. He's being paid the wage, he's living an alright life, I'm sure he'll be fine for another year.
And then maybe you can start to put him into more of a second keeper role and start to bleed Mamedashvili in and hopefully we'll see the level of performance that we need. But yeah, I think Liverpool just have to be firm on this one. It'll all stand in its way physically if we have to.
Yeah, literally. The airport's shut.
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