Liverpool FC Thread #156 :- We Are Liverpool

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Alisson Price Set

Roma want £79m for Alisson - and will resist Liverpool’s advances until the World Cup.

That’s from The Guardian, who confirm that despite the Reds failing to make a concrete offer, contact has been made to sound out the possibility of a move.

The Serie A club are wary of selling their prized assets for a low fee - cough Salah cough - and are apparently “desperate” to keep the Brazilian stopper.

His contract expires in 2021, meaning Roma are in no great rush to sell, but the club are also planning to offer him a new deal which would increase his income by an eye-watering £1.3m-per-year.

Finally, Liverpool will return in an effort to secure Alisson’s signature this summer, but could ultimately end up being put off by a world record transfer fee for a goalkeeper.

On top of this, Real Madrid are also sniffing around and could scupper any chance of a move to Merseyside.

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It wasn’t just the signing of Fabinho that left Liverpool fans delighted on Monday evening, it was the way the Reds completed the deal for the Monaco midfielder.

The deal was as old school as they come. Not a peep was heard in the press prior to Monday night and no sooner had the rumours appeared on Twitter that Fabinho was a target had the Reds announced the deal, Melwood lean and all.

The £40m deal to bring Fabinho to Liverpool shows how Jurgen Klopp is dealing with one of the issues he has had to contend with this season, squad depth.

The midfield became a particular problem for the Reds as Klopp dealt with a number of injuries - but just two new additions could allow him to shuffle the pack when he needs two next term.

Klopp will hope to strengthen further in goal, defence and attack, and there could be surprise sales - as well as signings - of course.

Indeed, by the time next season kicks off, the Reds boss might be able to field a number of different XIs of excellent quality.

In goal



Liverpool are on the lookout for a new man to replace Simon Mignolet, who is expected to depart the club this summer.

And that man could also be of sufficient quality to demote Loris Karius to the bench after the German’s horror showing in the Champions League final against Real Madrid.

Alisson is the man identified by Jurgen Klopp as the man to solve Liverpool’s long-term goalkeeping issues, but a deal with Roma would be both complicated and expensive.

There’s also Danny Ward, who could end up being promoted to back up next season.

Defence



Liverpool are currently well-stocked in defence, but it is another department that could undergo a facelift this summer.

Virgil van Dijk’s addition in January added much-needed class to the back-line and Dejan Lovren has established himself as the Dutchman’s first choice partner.

Joel Matip will offer another experienced option when he returns from injury.

There could be questions about Ragnar Klavan’s future after the Estonian suffered with illness in the second half of the season.

Meanwhile, Joe Gomez can offer cover at both right-back and centre-back.



Andy Robertson has established himself as first choice left-back, with Alberto Moreno currently as second choice - although the Spaniard might want to go and find more regular football in the future.

The same could be said of Nathaniel Clyne, whose injury opened the door for Trent Alexander-Arnold to establish himself as first pick at right-back.

Therefore Jurgen Klopp could look to add one more centre-back and perhaps one more full-back to his squad this summer.

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Midfield



This is where things really get interesting. The addition of Fabinho coupled with the imminent arrival of Naby Keita means Liverpool are suddenly very well stocked in an area of the pitch in which they had struggled for options previously.

Granted, Emre Can will soon depart - the German is expected to have a move to Juventus confirmed in the coming days - but Liverpool will still have Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to return from injury, as well as Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum.

Liverpool will soon hope to put finalise a deal for Lyon attacker Nabil Fekir, who in theory could play deeper for the Reds, in a similar role to how he has been deployed for France, and become a replacement for Philippe Coutinho.

That might leave Adam Lallana’s future in doubt - but get him fully fit and firing and the Reds have another excellent option to hand.



Marko Grujic will return from his loan spell at Cardiff City - but the 22-year-old faces a battle for game-time at Liverpool despite being rated highly by Klopp.

Liverpool’s midfield now has the potential to be fluid, allowing Jurgen Klopp to play different systems. For example, Henderson could be allowed further forward when Fabinho plays, with Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana and Milner all able to operate as an ‘8’ for the Reds.

Wijnaldum can play in any position across the midfield and Klopp has genuine options should he decide to rotate his squad - strengthening Liverpool’s hand both in the Premier League and domestic cups.

Attack



Liverpool’s reliance on Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane has been both a strength and a weakness this season.

The trio’s magnificent form laid the foundations for an exciting and record-breaking season for Jurgen Klopp’s side - but the Reds’ boss also struggled to find able deputies when any of the three were sidelined.

Nabil Fekir’s addition would give Liverpool another immediate option - the Frenchman can operate just behind one or two strikers, or off the wing if need be.

Adam Lallana could also be pushed further forward, especially considering the amount of midfielders Klopp will have at his disposal.

Klopp is expected to seek a further addition in this department, with the likes of Christian Pulisic heavily linked with a move.



Danny Ings might be in search of regular first-team football after a difficult three years at Anfield, while Dominic Solanke and Ben Woodburn will hopefully develop further next season.

Rhian Brewster will be promoted to the first-team should he decide to stay put and the Reds will have to make a decision on Harry Wilson, now 21 and impressive on loan at Hull City.

Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge could both depart after difficult loan spells at Wolfsburg and West Brom respectively.

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[NI KI]

Fabinho has won more tackles, made more passes and won more aerial duels than any Monaco player in *each* of the last three seasons in Ligue 1.

Exactly what's needed.

[NI KI]

Liverpool have moved fast to secure the signing of Fabinho from Ligue 1 side Monaco.

But why was Jurgen Klopp so eager to get a deal done quickly for the Brazilian midfielder?

Part of the Monaco side that won the French title and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2016/17, Fabinho has been linked with a number of European giants in recent years.

Indeed, he has been one of Monaco’s best players under the management of Leonardo Jardim, and the statistics are there to prove it.

With Emre Can seemingly on his way to Juventus, Liverpool appeared to be set for a long summer search for a replacement – instead, they immediately snapped up Fabinho.

So here are 10 stats that will Liverpool fans seriously excited about their latest signing.

1. Persistent tackler

Fabinho won more tackles in Ligue 1 than any other Monaco player in 2017/18, both overall (114) and per game (3.4).

That’s exactly what Liverpool need to protect their high defensive line.

2. Consistent defensively



Fabinho’s 2017/18 campaign was anything but a flash in the pan; he has been consistent over the last three seasons.

The midfielder has won over 100 tackles in each of the last three Ligue 1 campaigns, winning 108 in 2015/16 and 113 in 2016/17.

3. Chips in with goals

He is certainly more of a defensive-minded player, but Fabinho has chipped in with an admirable number of goals and assists – although 15 of his 23 league goals have been from the spot.

Georginio Wijnaldum scored just two goals in 2017/18 – Fabinho could provide more of a goal threat if used in that box-to-box midfielder position.

4. Pass master

Fabinho completed more passes in Ligue 1 than any of his Monaco teammates in 2017/18, something Liverpool’s front three will be looking forward to taking advantage of.

In fact, the Brazilian has done so in each of the last three seasons.

5. Added creative edge



Of course, quantity isn’t all that matters – Fabinho also has the quality to make his passes matter.

He made 36 key passes in Ligue 1 last season, more than any other Liverpool midfielder managed in the Premier League.

Only Mohamed Salah (62), Roberto Firmino (57), Sadio Mane (49) and Philippe Coutinho (40) made more for the Reds.

However, when considering per 90 metrics the playing field is levelled slightly. Even then, at 1.1 chances created p/90 he is still slightly outperforming Jordan Henderson (1).

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6. Good in the air



If passing and tackling weren’t enough, Fabinho also bettered all of his Monaco teammates in the aerial column.

He won 99 aerial duels in Ligue 1 last season, meaning he will provide a useful option when defending and attacking set pieces next term.

More impressively, not only does 99 out of 145 represent a solid 68.2% win rate, only one two other midfielders in Ligue 1 won more aerial duels than Liverpool’s newest acquisition.

7. Penalty king

Fabinho is likely to take over penalty duties from James Milner at Anfield if his previous record is anything to go by.

The midfielder’s proficiency from the spot is a result of his accuracy with the ball and nerves of steel.

Extending his record to his entire career, Fabinho has missed just once out of 20 attempts.

8. Can spot a long ball



Opponents tend to sit back against the Premier League’s top sides these days, so sometimes a long ball is needed to find a way through.

Look no further than Fabinho, who completed the third-most long balls of any midfielder in Ligue 1 last term (131).

That’s also more than any Liverpool player managed, and his 70% accuracy easily trumps Jordan Henderon’s 59%.

With Jurgen Klopp constantly looking to spring counter-attacks, Fabinho has all the tools to win the possession in the first place and then launch his new side forward.

9. Through balls? No problem



No Liverpool player created more league chances via through balls than Fabinho in 2017/18 (3).

Henderson only completed two through balls, and only one of those resulted in a chance, while 8.3% of Fabinho’s total chances created came from a through ball.

Yet another vital trait for any midfielder playing behind the formidable trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

10. Another expensive signing



If reports are to be believed, at £44m Fabinho has become Liverpool’s third most expensive signing after Virgin van Dijk (£75m) and Naby Keita (£60m).

If nothing else, it shows the club has full faith in him being a success.

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With Liverpool actively seeking a new goalkeeper, it is no surprise speculation is mounting over who that could be.

Roma's Alisson remains the no.1 target, although the Serie A club will continue to drive his price up, particularly after feeling short-changed following Mohamed Salah's £36.9million move last summer.

No surprise, then, that the global media continue linking other names between the sticks with a move to Anfield.

Today, the gossip comes from Italy, with two outlets offering two different prospective signings: Thibaut Courtois and Thomas Strakosha.

According to infamous transfer tittle-tattle website Gianluca Di Marzio, the Chelsea goalkeeper has emerged as a shock target for Liverpool, with his contract expiring next summer.



Di Marzio writes both the Reds and Real Madrid are eyeing a move for the Belgian, although this is counteracted with supposed Stamford Bridge interest in Alisson.

Confused? You should be.

Something a little more straightforward is TuttoMercatoWeb's claims that Lazio stopper Strakosha is on Liverpool's radar.

The Albanian international kept 17 clean sheets last season, with the 23-year-old in impressive form throughout Lazio's Serie A campaign.



With the Reds currently set to stick with Loris Karius in some form, Strakosha would represent a player who could challenge, rather than displace, the German.

Expect plenty more speculation - particularly from abroad.

[NI KI]

Jurgen Klopp has been named the best manager in the world - by Germany’s leading football magazine, Kicker.

A survey carried out by the publication posed questions to 248 Bundesliga players from all 18 German top-flight clubs and, in a close battle for top spot, Klopp managed to see off competition from Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola (31.1%) to win with 35.7% of the vote.

The other front-runners in the survey were Bayern Munich’s Jupp Heynckes and Zinedine Zidane, orchestrator to Real Madrid’s Champions League final win over Liverpool at the weekend, who both took 10.9% of the vote.

The outcome of the survey also airs the views of Pep Guardiola himself.



The two managers were rivals when they managed Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively and, in December 2016, the 47-year-old Spanish mastermind admitted Klopp is the best manager in the world for spectators, saying: "He creates teams to attack the back four.

“I learned a lot in Germany the first time I played his team.

“I was new and it was ‘wow’, what a good lesson.”

Klopp has been lauded for his exciting brand of football and this season has seen his Liverpool side take teams apart at will.

Klopp will be hoping the next campaign will finally see his hard work rewarded with his first trophy in the Anfield dugout.

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