Isak's great but is he exactly what Liverpool need? Probably, he's good enough to adapt. I was surprised to see he's been below par in the penalty area (aside from the six-yard box) though.
We’ve not been linked with him at all, but Rodrigo Muniz at Fulham has monstrous numbers for pressing and shooting this season. As he’s on a measly £7.5k a week and his contract is up in summer 2026 I wonder if we should be looking at him a little more closely.
I feel like the 9 could be one of those positions where we wait for the right one and don’t pull the trigger yet.
It’s a real shame Danns has had so many injury problems as I feel he ticks a lot of the boxes for a Slot forward and just has a knack for goals. You can’t score from the treatment room though.
I am not super excited about any of the options. Having watched Gyokeres at Coventry I do feel he is a strong stylistic fit as he’s a prodigious worker, but he’s 27 in a month and it just doesn’t scream FSG signing.
It won’t be popular but I can see a world where we sell Núñez, buy a promising wide attacker with pace/dribbling and stick with Jota and Diaz as the 9 options next season to see what develops.
I like both Pedro and Rutter at Brighton but I am not sure either are plug and play just yet.
You could be right. Jota’s form should turn if he stays fit, but that’s a huge if, and Danns could get the cup starts.
And I agree re Gyokeres not happening. FSG have sanctioned £20m-ish fees for the veteran likes of Thiago and Endo but I can’t see them spending what it would cost to get him.
I imagine Isak would cost a large proportion of our transfer budget so I'd consider him rather unlikely? I've no idea of the contract situation of the other two strikers but whichever one was nearer the end of his contract would be the likeliest.
100% agree with you Andrew that, in addition to LB, a CF is the only "true need". I still want Diogo on the team but he'd be better as a substitute to a proven CF or in competition with a younger one. Which way will we go? It feels like you get to Ekitike, through process of elimination.
Who are the "EPL proven" options at CF? Isak would be everyone's #1 on the list but Newcastle isn't selling. Alvarez would be my 2nd choice (false 9) but, again, Atletico aren't selling. Lastly, I like Cunha (false 9) a lot as a player + he's available at a reasonable fee, but we're not in for him alongside Man U. Have his "antics" and/or wage demands scared Hughes away?
Who are the proven options at CF but in other leagues? Gyokeres & Osimhen have been very productive. However, I'm struggling to believe that FSG would invest a huge fee on a striker who's only produced in weaker leagues. At 27 next season, and the focal point of their current team's attack, would either change their style to accommodate Mo for the next 2 seasons of their "prime"?
That leaves us with a bunch of "less proven" options including Sesko, Openda, Boniface, Aghehowa, and Ekitike. Sesko & Aghehowa have np xG that doesn't stand out. The others are all "target age" and have had 1-2 seasons of impressive np xG. Of them, Ekitike seems like the best all-around player (better #s for progressive carries, pass accuracy, shot creation, & defensive actions).
Isak's great but is he exactly what Liverpool need? Probably, he's good enough to adapt. I was surprised to see he's been below par in the penalty area (aside from the six-yard box) though.
We’ve not been linked with him at all, but Rodrigo Muniz at Fulham has monstrous numbers for pressing and shooting this season. As he’s on a measly £7.5k a week and his contract is up in summer 2026 I wonder if we should be looking at him a little more closely.
That’s an interesting shout. Those wages and contract definitely feel like a Liverpool type deal.
I feel like the 9 could be one of those positions where we wait for the right one and don’t pull the trigger yet.
It’s a real shame Danns has had so many injury problems as I feel he ticks a lot of the boxes for a Slot forward and just has a knack for goals. You can’t score from the treatment room though.
I am not super excited about any of the options. Having watched Gyokeres at Coventry I do feel he is a strong stylistic fit as he’s a prodigious worker, but he’s 27 in a month and it just doesn’t scream FSG signing.
It won’t be popular but I can see a world where we sell Núñez, buy a promising wide attacker with pace/dribbling and stick with Jota and Diaz as the 9 options next season to see what develops.
I like both Pedro and Rutter at Brighton but I am not sure either are plug and play just yet.
You could be right. Jota’s form should turn if he stays fit, but that’s a huge if, and Danns could get the cup starts.
And I agree re Gyokeres not happening. FSG have sanctioned £20m-ish fees for the veteran likes of Thiago and Endo but I can’t see them spending what it would cost to get him.
I imagine Isak would cost a large proportion of our transfer budget so I'd consider him rather unlikely? I've no idea of the contract situation of the other two strikers but whichever one was nearer the end of his contract would be the likeliest.
Ekitike and Sesko have both got four years to go. That contract length hasn’t put Liverpool off in the past… https://open.substack.com/pub/andrewbeasley/p/every-man-has-his-price?r=t36r&utm_medium=ios
100% agree with you Andrew that, in addition to LB, a CF is the only "true need". I still want Diogo on the team but he'd be better as a substitute to a proven CF or in competition with a younger one. Which way will we go? It feels like you get to Ekitike, through process of elimination.
Who are the "EPL proven" options at CF? Isak would be everyone's #1 on the list but Newcastle isn't selling. Alvarez would be my 2nd choice (false 9) but, again, Atletico aren't selling. Lastly, I like Cunha (false 9) a lot as a player + he's available at a reasonable fee, but we're not in for him alongside Man U. Have his "antics" and/or wage demands scared Hughes away?
Who are the proven options at CF but in other leagues? Gyokeres & Osimhen have been very productive. However, I'm struggling to believe that FSG would invest a huge fee on a striker who's only produced in weaker leagues. At 27 next season, and the focal point of their current team's attack, would either change their style to accommodate Mo for the next 2 seasons of their "prime"?
That leaves us with a bunch of "less proven" options including Sesko, Openda, Boniface, Aghehowa, and Ekitike. Sesko & Aghehowa have np xG that doesn't stand out. The others are all "target age" and have had 1-2 seasons of impressive np xG. Of them, Ekitike seems like the best all-around player (better #s for progressive carries, pass accuracy, shot creation, & defensive actions).