xceleryx

Yeah, I think if we're weighing up futures Chilwell is probably the greater question mark right now. He'll be 28 at the end of the year and the first half of next season is likely to determine his future moving forward. He really needs to stay injury free first and foremost. Don't think we're in a rush to make a decision on left back at this point in time, not when we've got other issues requiring attention first.

Disagree IMO. I think Cucurella is fine for what he is. I like his attitude, aggressive nature, and his both his versatility and ball use. Sure, there's moments where his aggressive nature puts him into positions that can mean he gets beaten, but he also wins a heck of a lot of ball. From a metric standpoint with other fullbacks this seasons in the league he's in the 95th percentile for tackles and 92nd for tackles won, 74th for interceptions, 90th for blocks, 68th for aerial duels won. Pretty solid this season considering the nature of our team and defensive issues. If he can fine tune his game a little more to picking his moments of when to step out, maybe contribute a bit more going forward if desired tactically, then he's a solid player to have in the squad. Given Chilwell may also be an impending issue, along with several other areas of need we have to still focus on, selling Cucurella at this point is pretty low on the to-do list. Of course, like with most players, if an offer was to come in that was too good to refuse then we'd need to consider it but right now I don't see that coming.

Wouldn't be such a problem in isolation if it was just him, however it's an issue when you've got surrounding players in defensive positions that are either undersized or underwhelming aerially themselves.

Don't see you having this same energy with Enzo do we? He's served up numerous chances during the season that've been squandered, with ironically Jackson being one of the regular offenders. The hate boner for Mudryk is insane.

Hall isn't even a fullback for one and can't get into a Newcastle team. Maatsen is a slightly built 5ft 6 attacking fullback and shown nothing in the cameos he did feature in that suggested he was any type of solution. He's now doing well in a more attacking league that puts less emphasis on defence, and that ignores some of the defensive mistakes he's already made. You make it sound as if we've picked Cucurella over prime A.Cole.

Who knows, quite possible. Could maybe be trying to shop Sterling around or even Ziyech.

Kepa only has a year left on his contract so I doubt we loan him out again, it'll likely be a full sale for a minimum fee. Lukaku will probably be more of a challenge. I can't see how Roma afford to keep him, and if he really is intent on remaining in Italy then it'll only further narrow the options. We also need to be realistic with what we can possibly demand and factor in how it'll impact our bottom line.

Lukaku will be somewhere on that list I imagine. I see us doing everything we can to get his costs, similar with Kepa as I don't see us going into next season with all three of Kepa, Sanchez and Petrovic.

Appears Enzo is still struggling with his hernia issue that developed earlier in the season. Has been playing with injections but sounding as if he may require surgery to fix properly which would have a three week recovery period.

Was also kinda responsible for the goal conceded, and another in a recent league match IIRC. Obviously has talent going forward but he's also pretty average on the defensive end of things, and in a team that already has issues with height and defending crosses/set pieces, adding a 5ft 6 attacking fullback into the mix wasn't ever going to help the cause.

Wouldn't stress, don't really take any of it personally. Would have replied to the original post but not been on here as much as I usually am, so will just leave it there anyway and enjoy a commanding win for once.

Not going to get into the whole Silva argument again, because ultimately he's likely gone at seasons end anyway and we also do need to move on from relying on him as much as we have done. He played reasonably well, as one would expect of his ability. However, we also need to be mindful that this was a struggling Everton side that also had a striker with 3 goals all season leading the line in Beto. Who, on a couple of occasions, was quite unlucky not to have put the ball in the back of the net- and when he did was just offside. Defensively we still looked as vulnerable as we have done in recent weeks and months. Chalobah didn't win a single aerial duel and currently sits at a 35% win rate for the season, this cannot be ignored and as a CB is quite frankly abysmal. Thiago Silva thankfully is quite strong in the air for his size so compensated to a degree, but at the end of the day it's an area that requires addressing with neither being the solution. Really surprised Everton didn't try and go longer more often, they had us beat for size and really failed to exploit the mismatches they did have.

I could see it being an issue over pre-season when I'd expect to see this sort of intense regime, however I'm skeptical that we're taking this approach during the season, much less when we've been playing as frequently as we have done. No team really trains fitness outside of pre-season and or with individuals are coming back from injury and need the work before returning to match. All assumptions either way.

Don't think it's seen as sweetening deals as much as commission for the "work" that's done to get a deal agreed upon. Granted, the fees are outrageous and I believe have since been capped since January 2023.

https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/liverpool/feature/premier-league-agents-fees-who-spent-the-most-why-do-they-cost-so-much_403900.html Gives a little info on why. TLDR is that trying to work out the alternative approach is tricky.