Liverpool are in danger of making the same ‘huge mistake’ which ‘derailed’ Jurgen Klopp; the champions cannot continue to trust one liability in particular.

Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.

 

Maybe do nothing?
As a United fan who is admittedly addicted to hope at the minute rather than anything tangible happening expectation of improvement, I understand the frustrations about United’s window so far. But we really do need to suck this up for the good of the club going forwards.

Reports are suggesting that Brentford want £70M for Mbeumo and have raised that price recently, no doubt “challenging United to go as high as they can”. That is perfectly reasonable from their perspective. Crack on lads, you do you. A part of me says United should move on immediately and sign a striker. But if you’ve scouted a player and you’re confident enough that he’s your man you waste 40 days trying (and failing) reach a deal with his club, then you might as well keep going to the end of the window.

Will we miss out on other players? Definitely. But it’s not certain that will be a problem for us in the long term. If anything, our problem has been panic buying players that have ill-fitted our system (whatever it might be) after we have spent all summer trying to sign the likes of Fabregas and De Jong (Fellaini and Casemiro were the alternatives). I say wait it out and worry about it in January or next Summer.

I would however take an entirely different with the Manchester United 5 as they now seem to be known. Tyrell Malacia I would not worry too much about. Let him train with the team and if an offer (any offer) comes in then accept it and move on. It’s not his fault he got injured (it is quite possibly the clubs though).

Jadon Sancho we are also going to have to take a hit on. Just get it done. Whether that’s a lower fee or a bigger pay off to him, he needs to go. Both parties have failed each other, forget about the money and let everyone heal. Considering the payoffs to Ten Hag and Ashworth last year, this wouldn’t be the wort thing INEOS have done and won’t be their fault at all.

For Rashford and Antony get the back in training. Until (if we do) we sign Mbeumo we are short on the right side and Antony is a right sided player under contract with the club. He’s not great but he’s shown at Real Betis that he’s not terrible. Keep until a suitable offer arrives. Similar for Rashford, he scores goals which we lack. He does little else but it’s still more than Hojlund does. We don’t have a good striker and can’t sign one until we sell some players. Makes sense for Rashford to come back into the fold, albeit temporarily.

And for Garnacho, keeping him out of the squad makes the least sense. He must be a complete ball sack for it to have even been considered. He’s on the lowest wages of the five, I think, and arguably is one of the highest producers in the entire squad. Bring him back into the fold and tell him he’s not being sold unless someone comes in with a big enough bid (including massive sell on clause).

And to the players themselves I would point out it’s a World Cup Year. If you have any desire to make it, you’ll want to be playing regularly at a high level throughout the season. So get your heads down and represent the club you’re at properly until you manage to find a move away.

If United had taken this approach, they may have found people more willing to take a punt on these clowns. Except for Malacia and Sancho maybe.
Ashmundo

 

Sith and tired
I’m going to quote Star Wars here, “Search your feelings, you know it to be true.”

Now imagine that you’re Isak, and you believe (or people are telling you) that you’re now on par with the other elite number nines and forwards in world football.

So you’re looking at Mr Harry Kane at Bayern, Mbappe and Vini Jr at Madrid, Lewandowski at Barca, Alvarez at Atletico, Salah at Liverpool and Gyokeres joining Arsenal soon, and you’re thinking that all of them are playing for clubs fighting for the titles. Wouldn’t you then tell yourself that I need to be playing for clubs fighting for the titles too, and not 4 or 5 years down the road.

You know it, I know it, the whole footballing world knows it. Isak is coming to Liverpool.

“Search your feelings lads, you know it to be true.” – Lord Vader
Veni (This is so going to bite me back.) The Mighty Reds

 

Liverpool’s defence
I think that Al – LFC makes a good point in Thursday’s mailbox.

While I am delighted with the two full backs and Wirtz, and it looks like either Isak or Ekitike are going to come, I would like to see another centre back come in. The main reason being Joe Gomez. He’s never let Liverpool down on the pitch, ever. One of my favourites. But he can’t stay fit. His body simply won’t let him. It’s such a shame, but it’s a fact.

If Slot is going into the season with designs on him being 3rd choice CB, then he is making a huge mistake. He must replace Quansah, otherwise he’s trusting to luck.

Klopp tried something like this in 20/21. He had Van Dijk, Matip, Gomez and treated Fabinho as his utility fourth choice. The first three got season ending injuries and Fabinho eventually picked up knocks as well. It completely derailed the season.

I’m pretty sure that the club will act on this before the window shuts, they have been heavily linked with Guehi, but if they don’t…..well they can’t say they haven’t been warned.
Andy H, Swansea. 

 

Al’s email had me wondering if he really is a Liverpool fan.  Allowing the new VVD to leave! If Quansah really is that good (I do rate him btw) and achieves anywhere near VVD’s level, then Liverpool get to buy him back for £50mil, less than they paid for the real VVD 7 years ago. Arne Slot is aware that the squad needs an addition but also may fancy 3 at the back with Gravenberch able to sit in.

What’s going on at the club?  TAA had thoughts about leaving a long time ago (having been tapped up) and Klopp leaving probably reinforced his decision due to uncertainty about the new “unknown” manager.  This probably had an influence on VVD and Salah delaying signing new contracts. Diaz has been told that he won’t get a contract renewal/extension and is therefore looking for as big a pay packet he can get due to him only having 2-3 years at the top left.  I believe Konate is bluffing a little as RM have just spent £50mil on a centre back. The above and the new signings show that there is little or nothing “wrong” with the backroom staff and money men.

Nunez wouldn’t score 30-40 goals in the Conference League, he’s not unlucky, however if Al is right, then 40 goals is more than half of both Arsenal’s and City’s total goals last season and if he did then we could probably win the league with Ragnar Klavan and Ozan Kabak in front of Woodman and MacAllister marking the oppositions tallest player at all set pieces.

Al, stop worrying, and the queen is in the middle.

Also Andrew M, there’s no “e” in Shankly!
Howard (‘cos every little thing is gonna be alright)  Jones

 

Come again?
I tend to stick to the mailbox over the ever declining F365 website content but today I was baited into an article thinking some breaking news about Arteta being sacked had come in (it was early I had not had my coffee)… Arteta sack coming at Arsenal thanks to Andrea Berta, Liverpool and abhorrent fans.

It seems the premise is of the article is not a breaking news story but actually that Will Ford has imagined that  Arsenal have not won something (unclear what) next season, and then that Arteta has blamed this on a lack of net spend, and then that he gets fired because of it.

What are you on about mate? None of that has happened.

Slight side track I am surprised that Arteta is seen outside of Arsenal to be someone who always blames things on external factors. From the millions of wasted hours I spend listening to the man talk I think he very rarely does this. He always talks about being ‘excited about the challenge’ of x/y/z circumstance. Example: in the quote about the league cup ball he says ‘ you have to adapt to that’ twice.

Anyway, I am shouting into the wind. Hacks will be hacks I guess.
James W 

 

Looking into our Crystal ball
Apologies if I’m late to this, but in reality, is it not better for Palace to be in the European Conference League than the Europa League?

I can appreciate the excitement after winning the FA Cup and the buzz of being in Europe this coming season.

But, be honest, does anyone genuinely think Palace could win the Europa League? I’ll await the bullets….

I do understand the financial implications though.

Surely they now have a very good chance of winning the ECL (like West Ham did). This way, Palace could win another trophy and – assuming no rules are breached – then be in the Europa League the following season.

Yes it’s a bitter pill now, but might it work out for the best?

Or am I just an entitled Arsenal fan who can’t appreciate how others club’s supporters feel?

Yeah, might be that one…
Stu – Gooner still waiting/hoping for the signing of a striker – France.

 

MORE FROM THE F365 MAILBOX
👉 Is Man Utd in the Big Six a ‘three-card trick’ or a Harlem Globetrotters circus?
👉 Arsenal at ‘low point in toxicity-optimism cycle’ despite transfer success

 

Big Six: it’s the money
This debate runs and runs in the mailbox, mainly from fans of other prem teams who feel left out. What everyone is missing is that there is a very clear reason why we talk about the  “Big Six”

Cash, cold hard cash,

The big six are not (necessarily) better, more historic, more loved or more recently successful, they’re just wealthier.

Delloite publish a rich list of the 20 richest clubs in the world, there are 9 entries from the Premier League, which is by far the most from any league.

1. City €838m
2. Utd (!) €770m
3. Arsenal €717m
4. Liverpool €715m
5. Spurs €615m
6. Chelsea €546m
7. Newcastle €372m
8. West Ham €322m
9. Aston Villa €310m

The gap between the poorest big six team (Chelsea) and the next team is over one hundred and seventy million euros.

Almost by necessity this extra revenue does mean on pitch success (except for Man Utd) but it’s more a helpful byword for the 6 teams who can quite comfortably outbid any other team for a player and who rarely get outbid themselves. Spurs pinching Kudus from West Ham is a good recent example.

United are terrible on the pitch, but only a fool would fail to see that there is still huge support for them even now and it’s a big (if deeply unprofitable) club.

Newcastle’s massive investment does almost certainly mean they’ll get there, ffp means it’s probably harder for Villa or West Ham to make it. There is another swiftly opening gap between villa to the smaller teams of around a hundred million, so maybe we need to talk about a “mid three?”
Steve, Spurs

(This debate never ends but your team not being “Big six” doesn’t stop them being a big team or having a good history, it just means they’re not rich at the moment)

 

Poor Villa
Hi,

Long time reader rarely contributor.

It was Kevin Villa’s mail that irked me.

Is this not Aston Villa who are owned by billionaires?

Aston Villa who had 90% wages vs turnover last year so would have been a massive breach of PSR? Thank God they managed to sell their women’s team to themselves for 55m!!

It’s incredible to rail against something that your own club is actually doing!!

And I haven’t even mentioned the 100m you got for Grealish!

Don’t get me wrong I’m loving the displacement of the traditional Top 6 but don’t pretend you’re some plucky underdogs like the Mighty Ducks!!

Rant over and out
Liam Andrew 

 

The Jacksonverse
I usually enjoy Will Ford’s Chelsea articles, however I did have an issue with the latest article linking Rodrygo to the blues.

In it he mentions that Chelsea could swap Jackson with Rodrygo as ‘both players are valued around the €90m-€100m mark.’

Now, I don’t want to denigrate Will’s journalistic abilities. But I don’t think there’s a multiverse reality where Nicolas actual Jackson is worth €90-€100m.
Will (not Ford. Obvs)