SafewayFox

Or we fear like Jannik, Wilf, Reid etc that he’ll be on a contract (inflated one based on our history) for a minimum of three years.

But we’ll offer him a 3 year deal and if his physical attributes haven’t already been on the decline, they definitely will during that time period. I appreciate it’s the PL when discussing his highest goals and assists return (11) but the same people reel off that Szmodics is a one season wonder.

Our demise will be documented in many business studies at universities in years to come, I genuinely believe it. Look at how forward thinking we were with sports science, data led scouting (what made us take the plunge on Kante and probably many others) yet that was all done by Rodgers and Congerton with Rudkin acting like a little fan boy.

I think his lack of blistering pace might hold him back against the better FB’s. I appreciate that wingers are hot and cold by nature but his demeanour when it wasn’t going well for him was rank last season, I hope he doesn’t sulk as much this season when it’s going to be a lot harder.

Not sure if it’s been posted already but Palace apparently are about to sign Ismaila Sarr from Marseille for £12.5m. Not sure what they paid Watford but he’s only 26 and that would have excited me a lot more than a bargain bin Ayew at 33 (in September).

A good exchange indeed. I just can’t see any upside to players who are merely expensive albeit experienced squad fillers. We have been lumbered with exactly that for too long now. I harp on to my Palace example - Ayew leaving them whilst their fans appreciate him (sounds eerily like our sentiments for Sharky) I’m sure their team performances/final position in the league won’t be decided by it. Without being too dramatic (blame the failed journalist in me) our signings this window NEED to influence our final position and feels like Cooper is making the opposite signings to what Enzo would have made which is another scary thought process.

Good description of where we’re at. You’d like to keep Bouba though mate?

I think they have the ability to change matches individually a lot more than Ayew next season but also in future seasons too. I know you’re a good poster and appreciate the differing views just can’t get excited for this type of signing when we’ve already filled the experienced quota in Reid (could argue extending Vesty and Wilf too).

Ok, I’ll try not sidestepping the main question. So let’s do a very basic deep dive on Palace - their star players = Eze and Olise who were both young, exciting players from the Championship who had zero PL experience. Ayew was never signed with the intention of being their focal point. This signing (if happens) gives me Gillespie/Howey vibes from 2003 - that’s an extremely depressing thought.

I’m happy to be accused of age bias if my worry of us adding squad fillers for players over 30 is our current business model. Our recent history alarmingly suggests that we 1) overpay on wages and 2) have a very below average DoF (solely if rating his connections/ability at moving players on). As a few have said, Reid and Ayew are not the star men at their clubs and play a role as workmen back up to the more talented ones….we lost our most valuable player based on last seasons numbers in KDH so it’s more than rational to consider the links to players like Ayew underwhelming.

Wasn’t it alleged that Rudkin/Scouts deemed Bowen as “too slow”? In our current model, he’s too young for us now and needs another 3/4 years to build up his PL experience 🙈

But a nearly 33 year old is below the level of a club trying to steer away from further PSR issues. Our scouting network is becoming a joke, imagine not having the confidence in signing a younger lad from South America/Europe with the potential of him going onto being a next big sale in a couple of years? I know that I go on and on about Brighton and their data model but are we the at stuck in the dark ages that “PL experience trumps everything else”? A hugely uninspiring and quite frankly heinous Summer when consider the off field decisions too.

With a bit of blue top (or if really wanting to push the boat out) a bit of gold top milk and it’s up there as a quality cereal 😎 Country Crisp as a cereal over Soumare as a PL midfielder any day of the week.

Another great episode lads and perfectly summed up my feelings on LCFC too, which I never thought was possible. Totally agree about Ayew, I put it on one of the now deleted threads about him - 25 goals in 274 appearances with even less assists, he’ll also be 33 in September. Happily walk him back to Selhurst if saw him at Morrisons’.

Imagine the scenes when Okoli (a position we’re pretty stacked in) is our biggest outlay this window? I can’t see that happening but a hideous thought none the less.

I almost commented earlier on your lack of appreciation for Country Crisp cereal but glad I didn’t know mate 🙌🏻 I’m going to ask a seriously dumb question - if we sold him for his book value but subsidised his wages for the remaining two years….would that hurt us too much from a PSR perspective? Or is another season long loan with a minimal loan fee the most likely outcome?

I feared that. So with amortization, would we have to sell him this summer for around £7/8m? Our midfield options of Hamza, Bouba and 2024 Wilf are such a depressing and limiting bunch (obviously not including Winks in that camp).

How long has Bouba got left on his contract? I can’t be dealing with the “Will he? Won’t he?” He’s not good enough to play in the PL, don’t be fooled by the odd diagonal that I can do in my late 30’s and played at Sunday League level.

Which I can understand to a very small degree but he’s turned us down now how many times? The fact that it’s 2024 and the most exotic league that we’ve hired a manager from is the SPL. I’m not having that there are no managers outside of Potter/the PL have a philosophy that would achieve what we’re looking to do.

Dear Jon, I grew up in the 90’s and loved the brief memory of the Crazy gang, I even had the joy of training there a few times as a kid but please use a better example. The comments have been spot on about the DoF not having a long term goal and simply sitting back and quietly taking the glory but then going into hiding when it doesn’t work. For all our sakes, I hope lessons will finally be learned if we perform as terribly as I’m fearing. Thanks for messaging though. Yours sincerely SafewayFox

37 goals and 25 assists from 274 games in the PL for Palace. Also he’ll be 33 in September….strong pass.

Would be a great rotation option but as others have said, can’t see how that benefits Liverpool or him if being honest.

“It’s pre-season, it’s only pre-season” If I say that out loud enough will the obvious flaws in our lack of tactics go away? Enzo was a stubborn handsome fecker and that may have ended terribly, Burnley style but going from such a clear philosophy to a lack of intention might not be as good an idea as I was hoping for when Enzo departed.

I’m not disputing that we haven’t reduced the wage bill but that’s because we overpaid and have had what 11 leave on free’s (don’t want to know their combined transfer fee and wages). We clearly paid PL wages (reduced last season) for Coady/Winks and just offered Jannik and Wilf contract extensions so my faith of us learning as a club is at an all time low if being honest mate.

Enzo really wound me up at parts of last season but Cooper is tactically such a downgrade isn’t he? His saving grace surely has to be his stubbornness to his way of playing football but it does make you think, what are the clubs long term aspirations? Feels very short term and just trying to stay in the league - which I understand but highlights the shambles of leadership over the past few years.