While you may be right about Pope, I just assumed Butland would be an easier lift. Or, is that not how transfers after relegation work?
He certainly impressed in the (admittedly few) Burnley games I watched. Seems to me one of the most important keeper attributes that Klopp demands is ball distribution. Pope seems really good at shot stopping but I don’t recall if Pope has this in his arsenal.Everyone talks about Butland, but for me the pick of the English Keepers is Nick Pope at Burnley. To be fair I watched a lot more Burnley matches than i did Stoke or Everton, but I think Nick Pope is class. I'm trying to find comparative stats but i'm sure i read on the BBC that he has a better save % than Butland. When Tom Heaton got injured at Burnley, Pope got the nod and kept the place. He's still got room to improve and i think he will improve.
If Pope has a good season at Burnley he'll go for the big bucks.
£15m for Pope is a steal IMO, but i reckon Burnley would be daft to sell him for that. Either way, he's defo worth watching next season if he stays at Burnley. Another season under Dyche won't hurt him. Dyche is one of the coaches that can actually bring players on. Dyche raved about him in a few interviews...but next season I'll be looking out for his distribution. I don't want hm going somewhere to be a number 2, not when i think he's a future England number 1.He certainly impressed in the (admittedly few) Burnley games I watched. Seems to me one of the most important keeper attributes that Klopp demands is ball distribution. Pope seems really good at shot stopping but I don’t recall if Pope has this in his arsenal.
Liverpool are reported to be “interested” for what it’s worth.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5826467/amp/Liverpool-ready-make-15m-bid-Nick-Pope-look-resolve-goalkeeping-problems.html?__twitter_impression=true
You're right. No one expects Butland to be starting for Stoke next season. He could go for anything between £20M - £30M - i just prefer Pope and £20M probably gets it done. Are Arsenal looking for a goalie? I think there might be a bit of a EPL goalie merry go round in the next couple of seasons. I'm like most people of sound mind, in that I didn't watch any Stoke Matches last season. Okay i watched a couple but they were wiped from my memory a while back.While you may be right about Pope, I just assumed Butland would be an easier lift. Or, is that not how transfers after relegation work?
This was our undoing, in a sense, when you onsider how that first goal happened. I know Karius was probably concussed, but Karius had problems in that area anyway.Distribution, on the other hand, is an absolute must. The ideal keeper needs to be able to hit quickly and accurately with the counter or slow things down as appropriate. That's another clash you often saw, with players trying to move Karius into a quick counter or to sit on the ball.
By ‘awesome,’ you mean dreadful, right?the new away kits are awesome
Ugh, the Boxing Day/NYD fixtures list could be brutal, depending on which teams LFC are drawn with in the UCL. Matchday 6 should be right before the MUFC match.December
1 – Everton (H)
4 – Burnley (A)
8 – Bournemouth (A)
15 – Manchester United (H)
22 – Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)
26 – Newcastle United (H)
29 - Arsenal (H)
January
1 – Manchester City (A)
12 – Brighton and Hove Albion (A)
19 – Crystal Palace (H)
30 – Leicester City (H)
Not sure what you mean by nobody. I am pretty sure all teams do this when valuing players.What about the signing on bonus? He went there for free. If Juve pays him that, so be it, why count it on his wage? That´s like having players´ transfer sums count into their wages, which nobody does.
I read that van Dijk is on a 170k (or 180k) wage/week. And the number definitely never says something like 400k per week or 20mil pounds per season.Not sure what you mean by nobody. I am pretty sure all teams do this when valuing players.
Certainly hope so as he seemed a perfect fit. That link claims the sides are talking again - which is the first I’ve heard of that. I wonder which side blinked? My money is on Lyon with that silly Man U claim. It might still be 53m but with a bunch of appearance related clauses.
Given that Lovren seems to be heavily dependent on a high confidence level , this strikes me as an excellent development.
I’m personally hoping for an upgrade from closing my eyes when he takes on an attacker to merely wincing.To Echo my own point, this is an absolute brilliant signing for the price. With regards to the defense, it looks like their health has significantly improved, and I am still very excited to see what Gomez can do as an out-and-out centre-back as opposed to a centre-back playing as right back to cover for injuries. Also, his continued health is vital. I see him as the ideal centre-back partner moving forward for big Virgil.
I think I read today he will be on £120,000 a week .. which is not chicken feed.I'll be interested to see the wages, but it's very good business on the transfer fee. He's the kind of quality rotation player that Liverpool severely lacked last season. Luckily for Klopp, the squad's attackers stayed quite healthy, except Mane's early hamstring issue and Salah's take down in the CL Final. Moreover, the fellas up top are going to need some extra rest with consecutive 50+ match season sandwiching a World Cup summer.
Edit: As for the defense, yeesh. Those boys need reinforcements and better luck on the injury front.
That’s not as bad as it thought it could be given the low fee (eg, £150k/week in the current market). But it only really becomes an issue if he flops and becomes unmovable (eg, Sturridge). There’s still Wilson, Woodburn, and Ojo waiting in the wings, so to speak, as cheaper replacements.I think I read today he will be on £120,000 a week .. which is not chicken feed.
In many ways he was kind of a free transfer who could command a big salary.