This season Firmino hasn't been the most clinical but in the league we are still the top goal scorers at this point. Firmino runs and presses everything, drops to create play, isn't all that selfish etc but because of all that maybe he won't get the goals that a Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku etc will get you. Do we need that 20+ goal striker and who would you want? You'd have to imagine in this age that that would cost you 50m+ unless there is a Suarez/Torres on the periphery.

If we bring in a striker for that money, what does that mean for Firmino?

I think we need a new striker. It doesn't necessarily have to be 50m but I think you need to spend a lot to guarantee quality these days.

It wouldnt spell the end for Firmino, would just mean he rotates with the striker/AM positions. There'll be plenty of game to go around next season with European footbal (hopefully) back on the agenda.

Not sure who we could go for, Lacazette has been mentioned but rumours he's off to Spain and I'm not sure who else would be available that fits the bill. It needs to be someone that suits our still and can defend from the front/interchange with other positions

We have Danny Ings coming back. He will be just like a �50m new signing but without the �50m outlay.

With his injuries it will take time for him to come back, he was unproven at the top level, I hope he does well, but I can see him being sold/loaned out.

If we were to get a top striker, they could play with Firmino as part of a top 3 with either Mane or Coutinho, we need cover for them anyway, the way they rotate positions means they move around allot, which makes them so difficult to defend against, Firmino offers allot with his creativity and pressing, so fits Klopps mould.

I see a lot of people biggin up Danny Ings. I don't see it myself. Might be decent back up but I think people are fooling themselves if they think he is going to lead out attack.

If we did go out and burst the bank for a top class striker. We would have an incredible attack. Could you imagine a Suarez or Torres in his prime playing with couthino, firmino and mane. We would destroy teams

I don't think he will, we need to build on the class players we have, but these days the players have the power, so I guess if he wants to go, we could not stop him. Barca are faltering atm, so might not be the best tm e for him to join, with a new manager as well as aging stars, hopefully he will give us another year.

Answer is YES.
Origi is a nice lad. not strong. not fast. not very skilled.
Sturridge is a rare talent. Is lazy. Not interested in working for a living. Always sick or sulking.
Ings. A decent worker. Busts his ass infact. Not a star striker and injured frequently.

that's about it.

So we really need two or three "hit-men" if we are serious about challenging in cups and the league.

We probably need a 50m+ striker but I don't know if we can afford that + I don't know if Klopp is favourable of spending that kind of money on one player, doesn't look like he's ever done that.

Have a read of the news article regarding this from last week. It says that we're not looking to cash in (regardless of how low Koptalk regards FSG) and there's no great move from Barca (or anyone else) to suggest they'll make a move. He appears happy here too as his people aren't pushing for a move either.

It's a massively tenuous link that he's got a new contract like Suarez did to somehow butter us gullible fans up for when we sell him.

Lets not forget, Suarez 'wanted out' prior to his new contract and had no buyout clause either. Suarez's new contract was more about getting a buyout clause in than anything else and a little here's something extra for staying one more year.

What we need is the RIGHT striker regardless of cost. Just because we might get someone for �50m+ doesn't mean they'll be the right man for the job.

Was just about to say the same thing. We need an intelligent striker like Firmino and not a target man like Benteke because those never seem to work. Woodburn is a good lad but he is no Fowler so we definitely need to spend.

Benteke Carroll cost nearly �70mil

Shane long and seamus Coleman cost �70k

It has nothing to do with price and everything to do with scouting, faith in a player and a bit of luck.

Imagine the uproar had we signed either of those two! Unfortunately for some, it's all about how much they cost.

Mane is a top class player and he wasn't �50m+. And what might be a class player for us might not be for another club.

It's all about finding the right player with the right attitude and mentality to suit the team. If he costs more than �50m then fine. If not, then fine (not that he'll be given a chance based on his price tag).

He shone more than enough for Southampton last season. And how can you now not say he's top class as he hasn't done it year in year out? I bet you'd have been happy to buy Marez last summer for silly money off the back of one season?

Well there's lots that would have and look at him now. Just shows that big money doesn't always mean you're getting the best/right players.

when people talk of a �50m+ striker on here, I don't think they mean a flavour of the months �50m type. I think it means an established, proven goalscorer. Kind of like Torres was when Chelsea bought him off us for �50m.

I'm not sure which players fall into that category. I susepect any that are available would either be snapped up but our rivals or ruled out by FSG as not being good value for money.

Well, Torres was a proven 50m striker when he went to Chelsea where he turned out to be a 5m striker. So, nobody knows. Look at Ibra who came for free but on huge wages and ends up being one of the best strikers of the season

The point being that no one would have a go at Klopp or FSG if we did get someone like that. If he did go ont fail, the probelem would be with the player or the fact that we didn't play to his strengths. (Just like us spending �30m on Benteke when our style didn't match his)

Another point re: Torres though was that his form had already dipped.

Back to us and now, e.g. would we be happy if Klopp/FSG bought say Aubemayang for �80m ?

I would rather take Greizman who I thought would have been a good purchase when Suarez left. I prefer him to Aubameyang because he won't have to go to the African Cup of Nations together with Mane

We won't buy a �50m striker. The price tag for Anfield given that it would be more than Suarez and Torres cost combined would be too much to live up to. It would be putting someone right under the microscope from day one.

We need to unearth a decent goal threat without changing our style of play too much. A player who would suit what we do would be someone like Theo Walcott. We need a couple of players of that ability who can come in and immediately be a threat. Looking at players with pace we could do a lot worse than Zaha who is rapid and seems a stronger player physically this season.

These are not 20 goals a season players but we are not going to be guaranteed to win things if we get the 20 goals a season striker for �50m plus. For example Lukaku would be as useless for us as Benteke or Carroll. What we can do is share the goals round and terrify opponents with multiple goal threats. Your �50m 20+ a season guy gets injured and what have you got left? I would suggest pretty much what we have now. I just think we need to add a couple more into that mix.

I agree, I was hoping Ings would fit into this sort of player, harrying defences, getting goals, creating space. We need a replacement for Mane, someone with Pace who can create chances and get a goal, Zaha has impressed me tonight, looks strong and pacy, setting up 2 goals.

Sixties...

Why don't you try...

and put all your thoughts...

in the same...

post?

Hard to argue with any of that, Firmino is also a grafter, but doesn't score enough goals imo. Coutinho while creative doesn't score enough either, nor dies Lallana, so the argument for signing a couple of top strikers is hard to refute. However some will point to our goal tally as evidence that we don't even need to play with strikers let alone sign them in numbers! However for me having someone or better two who can score 20 - 30 goals in addition to a goodly supply from others is the more dependable way to go.

Not sure if that is a realistic expectation. Playing with specialist strikers expected to score say 20-30 goals perhaps means that the team is setup to provide that person with the chances. This then naturally reduces the chances for the other players. e.g. when we used to play with Sturidge and Suarez as our main persons up front.

In a more fluid system like the one we have now, the specialist strikers like Origi, Sturridge, Benteke... they suffer. The goals are shared between the front men with perhaps one of them being on better form every now and then. This seems to be a better option for the team. 3-4 players share the load and the limelight. With one start striker, if he gets injured the team suffers on and off the pitch.

We need to have a better striker than Origi who can play more games than Sturridge, basically a striker with Sturridge's skills but Origi's fitness

Every team will be looking for that type of striker. In addition, that type of striker will expect to be numero uno - a star man who would want to play in every game and might sulk if he was left on bench for a few. How would we accomodate him? Drop Friminho?

Here's a thought. What more has Suarez got to achieve at Barcelona? the team is about to enter a new phase again. Maybe we could tempt him back for the last few seasons of his career?

With Klopp's high intensity football, for players to be fit all season, they will need to be rotated. Even if anyone is numero Uno, he cannot play all games.

Strikers who score 20-30 goals+ aren't usually the type that. also run around doing the pressing as well. Suarez was exceptional but most out and out goal scorers preserve their energy and focus on making runs when attacking. These type don't like being rotated.

Klopp seems to expect his frontment to do a lot more than just 'goal hang'. Hence perhaps why he ends up playing with a string of front men, will all of them contributing to the goal tally.

Debate over. It's sorted:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/201...berlain-arsenal

As that is Klopp's tactics, I can't see how we could have played otherwise and to be fair we were ok till Dec. He should have planned after that as just after we were knocked out of both cups and lost ground in the league. Let's hope that Jan doesn't cost us 4th place at the end of the season.

I'd take Ox for our wing, but not at anywhere near 35m! And we'd still need a striker!

The report says Inter are keen on Moreno, maybe he could be used as part of a deal to land Icardi

OMG !

Shhh Lain,they could be reading... Sad to see him go.. errr what a great defender he is with exceptional positional sense and does not resemble in anyway a bumblebee on acid.

Perhaps Lain was referring to the �35m Ox to Anfield rumour!

Now that's just bloody rediculous .

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is going into the last year of his contract next season, so his value will drop, I reckon �20-25 million would get him in the summer, depends what happens with Wenger I guess, at that price he's worth it, my worry is he has missed allot of games with injuries, we need reliable players who will play games.

We also need players who are (significantly) better than the ones we already are in possession of.

Ox isn't even close to that.

We only have Mane who plays like Ox ( Ox is nowhere near as good), so Ox is not really a replacement for anyone, he will be backup for Mane I guess/extra winger, so times like now when Mane is out, we'd have Ox, who is much better than the alternative wingers who we don't have.

I'd prefer us to go for Mahrez, much better all round player, scores goals and needs to move on to progress, or maybe Tadic, who I think we have more chance to get, he's in and out at Southampton atm, but another Southampton player!!! Navas is worth considering as well, he's a free in the summer I think, be good cover at least for Mane if he's not a regular starter.

Sorry, nothing presonal, but I think both Tadic and Navas are c�ck.

I counter with Ings who will be back in the summer.

I know he's not a winger, but he sure can run and harrass defences. And he's free of all charges.

Mahrez would be my first choice, Ings looked good, but we just don't know how he'll come back and we need a player who can deliver something like Mane does, I don't think that's Ings, so we need a decent wide player who has pace and can get a goal.

We also have Markovic coming back, I'd give him a go, but I think we will sell him.

I should have doubled up my OMG's because Moreno needs a Taxi and the ox,well I'd get him a Cart.

Mahrez is a one season wonder, or should I say was a one season wonder, he's done literally nothing this season. He wouldn't get into our first team, when everyone is fit, not in my opinion.

Tadic flatters to deceive a lot of the time, just speak to Southampton fans and Jesus Navas at City is awful, he's an attacking right winger who hasn't scored a goal in like 2 years!

I was seeing Navas more as a free option who we could get, not someone who's going to be a massive improvement, he's be more an option if we lost Mane or to chuck on for an injection of pace to stretch teams, he's not played that much at City, so has a few years in him.

I disagree on Mahrez, I know what you mean about him being a 1 season wonder, but you don't play like he did for a season by chance/luck, he didn't have a few good games, he did a whole season, you could label the whole Leicester team as 1 season wonders as they've all had a bad season this year, I still think in the right team, with the right motivation/coaching, we could bring the best out of him and after this bad season, I reckon he will want to move on.

You could say similar things about Mane before he joined us that are being said about Tadic, wingers are notorious for flattering to deceive, in & out of games, so I think whoever we buy as a winger/cover for Mane (which we need to) will be a risk.

Zaha is the latest to be hyped, he's looked good, but I'm sure Palace will want silly money, he's also now playing for Ivory Coast, so we'd be losing him for Internationals the same time we lose Mane, so that wouldn't help much.

Hopefully Klopp can Identify another Mane, but every other manager will be trying to do the same !!!

I feel we'll go for Zaha for Sakho+15m

Mahrez is 26 years old, he's had one exceptional season in his career, the rest have been very average. He is the perfect definition of a one season wonder, if he was a top player he'd had shown in across numerous seasons, not one!

With regards to Navas, there is absolutely no point in bolstering the squad with stop gaps, he turns 32 in November and would command high wages. I'd much rather see a Harry Wilson or Ben Woodburn get opportunities ahead of someone who is well past it and really would offer nothing in terms of a threat, he doesn't score or assist and is an attacking midfielder!

Mahrez,Zaha and Navas..what a pile of junk .

So who do you want to buy?

I'd rather stay away from average players Vish.

Which obviously won't happen as this seems acceptable to many,but at least we won't be going into administration eh,happy days.

For a club that was so close to administration, not going into it is great. Would you be ok for us to spend very big, win the league and go into administration some years after like Rangers for example?

Didn't you consider Wijnaldum or even Mane average?

There was no doubting Mane's talent from me Vish although others weren't too sure

I like Wij but he's not in the same league as Mane or those we should be looking at,maybe 4 really special players to go along with the good the bad and the ugly ,is that too much to ask for?

Did you consider Pogba special before he came to United?

Pogba is massively over-rated, he has fantastic technical ability but you need more than that in the Premiership. He has a long way to go if he wants to be as good as the best midfielders seen in this country, the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes were way ahead of him.

Well said!

But depends how special and average is defined, was Pogba at Juve average or special? What is he now?

He's never been world class, a good player for sure but �89million's worth, not a chance.

I still think Mahrez is a good player and would be a good signing, he's showed more than Mane did before we signed him, it's a risk signing any player, so we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

I accept Navas hasn't showed much, but I was mentioning him as a cheap backup option as he's on a free, you never know, regular football might improve him, but probably not he seems all pace and not allot of product.

Tadic has ability but is very in & out, but allot of wingers are, sometimes a move to a big club, more expectation and better teams mates lifts the player up a level like Mane did, but sometimes they collapse and disappear.

So, who would you go for to bring us pace & goals from the wing area?

Pogba was consistently good with Juve and for more than one season. I still think he will become a top player next season as he settles though he was definitely overpriced

Agree. He is very talented

Its a tough one, I'd look at Douglas Costa at Bayern because he's behind Robben and Ribery at the moment and not getting much game time. I think we missed a trick in January on Julian Draxler, he'd have been a great signing! The wingers and full backs at Monaco are fantastic and would fit in with our style of play, their names escape me though. Oxlade-Chamberlain would be an option out wide although if we buy him I think he'll play in the middle for us. I've always liked Ivan Perisic, he's at Inter Milan now although his age would probably stop us making a move.

Sounds good, I don't get to follow much foreign football (was a Serie A expert in 90's on BSB & CH4!!!!), just watch the CL games now, the players you mentioned are good, but I doubt we can afford them, the Monaco team will be pulled apart this summer by the big payers like City, Barca, RM, Bayern etc.

Draxler was a miss, I heard we bid and weren't far off, but we had our price and wouldn't go higher, so PSG got him, real shame, with the injuries we've had he could have been a great buy and kept us in the PL hunt. But I don't want to open that can of worms again on here !!!

Were you really? That's pretty awesome! Serie A was a lot stronger then than it is now!

Used to love that Gazzetta Football Italia on Chanel 4 way back then.

And the footy back then was incredible,was lucky to see a few of the greats at the Stadio Olympico in the 90's.

Yeah, I saw Napoli (with Maradonna & Careca), v AC Milan some great players with Gullit, Van Basten, Rijkaard, Maldini & Baresi, what a team that was.

Maradonna headed one in from outside the box, as Napoli went on to win 4-1, was a great game.

Back then it was when you was only allowed 3 'foreign' players, so the Italian teams used to buy all the top players in the world.