Excellent point.
I would think under normal circumstances, one of the front 3 (more than likely Mane or Salah) would be gone by now. In the past, they would have wanted to leave themselves but now they are with a manager and a squad thatâs won a CL and EPL in the previous three seasons. Thereâs been a bit of a shift in the clubâs policy too with regards improving playerâs wages to reward their performances, as opposed to bringing players in on huge wages from day one (Thiago being a notable exception in recent years). On top of this, as you point out, both Real and Barca (the only two real options unless they fancied the PSG âprojectâ) couldnât afford either or in the case of Real wouldnât prioritise forwards hitting towards 30 over a potential Mbappe swoop.
I do think Liverpool should have strengthened in the attacking department this summer as a priority. I get the clamour for a creative midfield option, but they do have a fuckload of CMs, even with Gini gone. The problem here is that Gini was always available. The rest have injury issues in recent seasons - Hendo, Fabinho, Thiago, Ox, and of course Naby lad, who is 25% made up of crisps. Thatâs not mentioning Harvey lad, Curtis lad and Jimmy Milner. Unless one more moved on, Iâm not sure they were going to add.
For the front 3, they have 4. The ACON I think only affects two league games (maybe three at most) and a FA Cup game, which Klopp clearly doesnât give a fuck about. They still a little light up there for my liking when the next options are Origi and Minamino. Giving Origi a new contract in 2019 still seems a little bonkers, despite his heroics that season. Iâm also wary of what they could actually buy for the attacking positions. Someone with potential? A 60/70 million lad who mightnât get a start and is happy to sit on the bench but would be expecting big wages too?
Theyâll be hoping Madrid donât get over the line with Mbappe for the Mbappe 2022 project.
I think they should have tried to sign someone like Harvey Barnes before he signed a new contract, but then again, heâd probably be sitting on the bench.
. This beats the Ronaldo & Messi transfers easily. Heâll be like a new signing.
