Welcome to the Liverpool Machine
Liverpool are looking like a well oiled machine.
A very obvious challenge for them 3 years ago was given Firmino, Salah and Mane are all of similar age they would all need replacing around the same time and their contracts expired in 2023.. Nunez’s arrival from Benfica for £67m completes the process, which started in earnest with Jota and continued with Dias.
They have sold Mane to Bayern for £27m which is pretty decent for a player entering the latter years of his career . Salah may yet sign an extension but Liverpool aren’t busting their pay structure to keep him and Firmino will be getting less minutes this season.
Not only is the forethought here the trading of fringe players many of whom really have not improved as Liverpool players is equally impressive Takumi Minamino is latest to be sold on for a profit as he completes a move to Monaco after a little over 2 years.
Buyer beware when dealing with Liverpool
Is the Bayern machine kaputt?
If not broken, misfiring a little. Bayern still seem preeminent and continue to pick up talent like Ryan Gravenberch who arrives from Ajax with a burgeoning reputation. Equally they are probably the only German club that could sign Mane at £27m However there is disquiet behind the scenes players are accusing the hierarchy of being high handed and they are losing talent as a consequence. It is rumored that Lewandowski wants out (one to watch unfold across the window) and they have lost Shule to arch rivals Dortmund on a free.
Whether this really dents Bayern’s prospects remains to be seen and a lot hinges on Dortmund and how they adapt to the post Haaland world. In a slightly counter intuitive way they needed to reinforce defensively, they conceded too many goals (the most in the top half of the Bundesliga) last season. Along with the signing of Shule they have paid £18m for young Centre Back Nico Schlotterbeck from Freiburg. If this stems the tide of goals conceded they can look forward to higher points total and Germany might get a closer title race.
Super League Elite continue to hoard talent part 101.
Real Madrid are starting to rebuild their midfield and 2nd part of that rebuild is Tchouameni for an eye watering £70m from Monaco. Exactly how it works tactically for Real is anybody’s guess but they just give Anclotti a bunch of talent and somehow he performs a strange alchemy and gets something functioning on the pitch.
Spurs have signed Bousma from Brighton for £25m. He becomes just one of many options at Spurs; it denudes Brighton of a key player. Unless teams like Brighton and Monaco can hold onto their talent they will never close the gap. The Elite’s money strangles competition.
Championship Corner
The Championship free market is interesting, as clubs continue to tighten their belts a lot of players are being released and I suspect back filled with cheaper players. Cardiff have traded heavily in the market with 8 new recruits already following the release of 5 players.
Luton have picked up Cauley Woodrow from Barnsley which is one of the very few Championship transfers to involve a fee to date
Ex-Baggies on the Move
The following have been released
Charlie Austin QPR
Joe Mattock Rotherham
Ben Foster Watford
Izzy Brown Preston
Kane Wilson has joined Bristol City form Forest Green Rovers
And finally Yan Dhanda leaves Swansea to join Ross County on a free.
.
