So that was our crazy German leader's first transfer window. The best overall window we've ever had IMHO.
The Incomings.
July 1. F.
Loris Karius. Mainz 05. £ 4,700,000.
Joel Matip. Schalke 04. Free Transfer.
Sadio Mane. Southampton. £30,000,000.
July 20. W.
Ragnar Klavan. FC Augsburg. £ 4,200,000.
July 22. F.
Alex Manninger. Free Agent.
Georgino Wynaldum. Newcastle. £23,000,000 plus potential £ 2,000,000 in add-ons.
£61. 9 million spent on 6 players. 7 if you include January's capture of Marko Grujic from Red Star Belgrade for £ 5.1 million.
All done quick and early within the first 3 weeks of the window. 4 key starters added. Karius in nets. Voted the second best 'keeper in the Bundesliga behind Neuer last year by his fellow professionals. Matip, vastly experienced at still only 25 and one of the best centre halfs the Bundesliga. Right up there in almost every defensive category. Wynaldum to add goals and pace from midfield. And the star signing of Sadio Mane who's had the best first three games in a L'pool shirt I can remember since Johnny Barnes. Along with being the fastest player I've ever seen in red. Dudes RAPID! Difference making player we've not had. Loved Danny Rose saying that's the hardest game he's had in three years Sat'day and he was absolutely goosed trying to keep up with him. No wonder Utd wanted him so badly. With the vastly experienced vet. Ragnar the Red adding solid, reliable depth and the exciting promise of the young Serb Grujic.
Yeah, we still haven't found the right guy to add yet at LB which is frustrating. But had Cologne not priced out Hector or Leicester's Chilwell not had a **** of a father we would of. Alas those two weren't to be. And the manager didn't see anyone else fitting into his long term plans so quite happy to wait that one out until the right guy is there rather than just buying for the sake of it. The same with waiting for Dahoud and Pulisic. Players have to improve what we have and fit everything we do or else what's the point?
VERY happy with our acquisitions. Adds to give us our strongest squad we've had for 15 years for me since Houllier's second treble winners in 2001. Much improved on last year.
The Outgoings.
July 1. F.
Jose Enrique. Unattached. Free Transfer- Released.
Jordan Rossiter. Glasgow Rangers. Free Transfer- £ 250,000 Compensation.
Jerome Sinclair. Watford £ 4,000,000.
Joao Carlos Texeira. FC Porto. Free Transfer. £ 250,000 Compensation.
Kolo Toure. Unattached. Free Transfer- Released.
July 13. W.
Sergi Canos. Norwich. £ 2,500,000 rising to potential £ 4,500,000 with add-ons/ sell-on/ buy back clause.
July 14.Th.
Martin Skrtel. Fenerbache. £ 5,500,000.
Jordan Ibe. Bournemouth. £15,000,000 plus sell-on/ buy back clauses.
July 25. M.
Joe Allen. Stoke City. £11,000,000 plus potential £ 2,000,000 in appearance related add-ons.
July 27. W.
Brad Smith. Bournemouth. £ 3,000,000 plus potential £ 3,000,000 in add-ons/ sell-on/ buy back clauses.
August 20.Sa.
Christian Benteke. Crystal Palace. £27,000,000 plus potential £ 5,000,000 in add-ons.
August 31. W.
Luis Alberto. Lazio. £ 4,300,000 plus £ 1,700,000 if Lazio qualify for Europe/ 30% sell-on clause.
Mario Balotelli. OGC Nice. Free Transfer.
£72,800,000 recouped on 13 players. (A joint record for the number of players leaving in a season through LFC's 124 year history.).
Fantastic culling of the squad with L'pool finally playing hard-ball with other clubs for our players. Not just in fees, but inserting sell-on and buy back clauses into the promising young player deals. Getting almost all what we paid back for players that had depreciated in value through their time at Anfield, along with some unthinkable fees for others. Helped somewhat by clubs being flush with money but credit still to the owners for sticking to their valuations. And to round the window off by FINALLY getting Mario off the books without having to compensate him in any way is brilliant.
Almost all objectives reached here and arguably surpassed to get rid of SO much of the deadwood.
Total Net Spend.
+ £10,900,000.
This seems to be the new fume to beat FSG with that we've come out of the window in profit. When it's not them as much as it's Klopp working the way he works. The irony of many fans who wanted him and embraced him with open arms last October, in part down to his brilliant record of finding unheralded players and coaching them up to be superstars, screaming blue murder the first window because he's not going out and dropping crazy money on some perceived big name certainly hasn't been lost on me. I look around the PL and I don't see one club's signings looking any better as a group than our own. But we 'lack the star name (and we REALLY need to embrace Mane as that because he sure as **** would slot into ANY of the top teams starting XI), and haven't splashed £50 plus million so we aren't committed and Boston are tight arses!' *Rolls eyes.
Nothing like trusting your manager and believing what he say's huh? Social media is a HORRIBLE innovation for the reactionary to situations like this. They lorded him for what he built and achieved at Dortmund. Yet they aren't prepared to be patient and let him build his L'pool in the same manner. Sighs.
Here's a thought ..... Don't worry about other clubs and cast envious looks at what they've done this window. Let THEM worry about ourselves! For they sure as heck will be as much as the other way round when they look at this squad and the way it's developing under this manager.
Some great loans too with our new 75% play or be financially penalised clause.
All things considered, that's our best ever transfer window for me in the 'window' era. Squad well improved. Nearly all the deadwood jettisoned for some great prices/ deals. Certainly exceed my expectation going in.
The Squad.
Goalkeepers.
Karius/ Mingolet/ Manninger.
BIG upgrade here in Karius. And with Danny Ward, currently tearing it up for Huddersfield the top the Championship, set to step up next year to compete with him, we're well set finally in nets.
Defenders:
RB. Clyne/ Alexander-Arnold.
LB. Milner/ Moreno.
CH. Matip/ Lovren/ Klavan/ Gomez/ Lucas. (Sakho ?).
Full back's are the one concern here. 'Iron man' Clyne rarely if ever misses a game or drops his output so no worries there. But the other side is the issue. Naturally you'd of liked a new LB in, but at least we can rely on Milner to give a solid 7/10 there which is a massive upgrade in itself over the abject Alby Moreno. And let's not forget Flanno is a long term back-up at worst who hopefully will regain his fitness and form at Burnley this year and be raring to go next pre-season.
Centre-half has been hit with Sakho being a **** but it's still a solid group. Matip and Lovren are as comparable a two to anyone and Klavan has already shown he's solid for this league. The frighteningly good potential of young Joe Gomez (who may well be a serious option at LB too), and the ever surviving Lucas are ideal for fourth/ fifth choice depth.
Defensive/ Box-to-box Midfielders.
Can/ Henderson/ Wynaldum/ Grujic/ Stewart. (Milner/ Lucas.).
Would of liked another controlling mid. there, but if Dahoud is his man and he's prepared to wait then rather that than spend for spendings sake. Emre's the key. He can dominate any one-on-one match-up. Hopefully Grujic is partnering him by the end of the season. Wynaldum it's too early to tell but he looks far better suited the attack mids than sat deeper. Looks lost at present but then it's only been 4 games. Henderson I just don't personally get at all but concede he can certainly do a job in there when played right. And Kev Stewart has shown he certainly belongs at this level. Just a solid pro who does his job well with no fuss.
Milner and Lucas fill out the versatile depth.
Attacking Midfielders.
Mane/ Coutinho/ Lallana/ Ojo. (Firmino/ Wynaldum/ Origi/ Ings.).
LOVE the options here. Lallana looks completely different in the middle where he can showcase his terrific ability without worrying about the one thing he lacks. Speed. Talking of .... Mane and Ojo have it in abundance with the end product to match. Phil's Phil. And with the versatility of Firmino, Wynaldum/ Origi (more blistering pace) and Ings all able to fit anywhere across the attacking three/ four, the options there are frighteningly exciting.
Strikers.
Firmino/ Origi/ Sturridge/ Ings.
As strong a 4 anywhere the league. When your 3rd/ 4th choice strikers right now are Daniel Sturridge and Danny Ings ..... Exactly. Multitude of different options for different opposition.
With a maximum 54 games this season (if we went all the way in both cups and had the maximum number of replays), which is liable to be somewhere more around the mid 40's range; that's a real strong, ideally sized group that should grow into a closed knit unit. Really no reason why we shouldn't be looking to show strong in all three domestic competitions with those players. All lead by a top bracket manager up there with anyone.
Even accounting for the blip at Burnley, after taking 4 points from Arsenal and Tottenham, the 2nd and 3rd best teams the league last year, and completely outplaying them on their own patch (let's see how other many teams manage that over the course of this season); with all 19 home games still to come and two of the hardest aways out of the way already, allied to the players at our disposal and the true brand of Klopp 'rock and roll' footie we've shown already; you're just left counting down the days until the next game.
Our first home game. Against the Champions. In front of 54 K plus and the awesome new main stand. 10 days and counting. Can. Not. WAIT!
Write this L'pool side ..... Jurgen Klopps Liverpool side, off at your peril. We're set and raring to go!
