AS the dust settles on possibly the most FFP compliant window we have seen in an age (ahem), it is now where we must judge how well we have performed and how FSG acted. It is key to remember that heading into this summer we were still suffering the H&G hangover, as well as the sour taste of failed projects.
Rewind 12 months and levels of anger and disbelief were nearing breaking point as we waved ta-ra to Andy Carroll who wandered off on-loan, whilst our Uncle Sam welcome-party petered out with a damp squib as a North London raiding squad, dressed in white, swooped in before us for Dempsey, as we failed to Makepeace with Fulham (yeah I went there!).
Fortunately we had a certain Uruguayan in the form of his life to help save face somewhat. The ultimate disappointment we suffered here had to be turned into something positive, it had to be used as a lesson for the future; it was imperative that we didn’t tread the same path in 2013 as our South American knight in shining armour may not reappear!
January, in hindsight, was an excellent indicator of the lessons learned and our new approach. From one perspective we were overpaying for a lightweight Brazilian struggling to get into the Inter Milan team and a Chelsea reject with an attitude problem! What a disaster! Fortunately, as a club we have done extensive work behind the scenes in relation to player identification and recruitment and unearthed these diamonds in the rough for an absolute steal! Is Daniel still a risk Fergie?
The goal of any transfer window has to be to improve the squad and the first team, ideally happening early on in the window to allow the proverbial team jelly to set – as much as we like a wobble in certain circumstances, on the pitch is not one!
The early business done was a clear indication of our new approach to the transfer quagmire. The scouting system in place brought us Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto, names new to most of us, identified Simon Mignolet as being capable of stepping into Reina’s boots and saw in Kolo Toure obviously what Manchester City (foolishly) didn’t. I’m sure most would agree that this was an excellent start! Young, hungry, talented players, and in Toure, possibly the best Carragher replacement we could hope for. Our Invincible! Add in to this mix the offloading for good Messrs Carroll and Downing to our Hammer Charity and the squad make up was arguably stronger and more together in terms of wage, cost and style.
Now the contentious phase!
There are 2 schools of thought here, both stemming from numerous comments ringing from a combination of Boston, Anfield and Melwood. The general theme was the desire to bring in a ‘Marquee’ signing and having a fair lump of notes in their back pocket to do so. The timeline seems to suggest we went for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Diego Costa and Willian. In my mind we didn’t get these deals because of third party ownership, plus lack of Champions League, used by agents to get players a new contract, and we wouldn’t cave to agent demands, respectively!
Now one could, and many have, taken the view that we have shown no ambition, or lack the money or in fact lack the ability to close a deal with many pointing to the lack of a Baldini character. Ever the optimist, I take a different view! I see the ambition shown by the club coupled with the new found refusal to bow to agent demands (a trait I want more clubs to adopt to deal with this bane on the game!). The only aside I may suggest was that instead of time spent on what were always likely to be deals 40-60 or less in our favour, perhaps use the time and available money to get in 2 or 3 earlier. For example, I still believe we need cover/competition for Lucas, not easy returning after two big injuries, but that’s an article for a different day!
I will freely admit that I got twitchy towards the end of the window, especially with missing out on Willian (mixed with a weird relief!) and selling Downing and even Spearing with no clear replacements on the horizon, not to mention the whole Suarez beef. Yet despite my worries and reservations we ended the window strongly, without a rush and in time old dignity unlike others.
Our business was done quietly and assured and in Sakho we have the marquee signing oft discussed. He is a cracking player and yet another victim of this influx of cash in the game, exactly the type of player we should be targeting, like Sturridge! When you look in the Premier League and Europe quite why no others went for him – looking at you City, Arsenal, Spurs, Barcelona – it is amazing. Ilori is certainly one for the future and for me, Moses is an exciting squad addition which will mean we don’t overburden Ibe or Sterling. We probably could have signed him permanently if not for Sturridge!
All in all I think we have had a very successful window. We have further reduced our unmanageable wage bill without a detrimental effect on the squad, in fact quite the opposite. We are looking lean, hungry and a team. The owners have spent money and re-invested and although there will always be those that want more, in my humble opinion FSG have done good this summer!
Agree, disagree? Other thoughts? Would love to hear them, please comment and come find me on twitter @timdibs
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Rubbish article . We have missed out on all our top targets. Failed to sign any top quality players that would make a difference
Fsg have spent just 15m NET and not improved our team at all
That’s because you are a glory hunting prat who knows nothing about football
Well said KR. Young Patrick doesn’t have a clue.
How many times you going to post with different names . Internet kiddies .
Typical young uneducated fan!!
Spot on Patrick . Ignore the trolls. Bloody kids !
Please, have a word wit urself! Think u need to support a club like chelsea/man city if u want a quick fix….cos u aint no fan of LFC…
Have a word with yourself you clown. Same foool with multiple names LOL
Attempts wer made unfortunately players wont opt for lfc…living in denial wont help.fsg has adopted a pratical alternative…norwich have spent more but position are they on the log table?
I think you are looking to bash the club/owners whatever! Even forgetting 3rd party ownership issues, at this moment in time how many players in a straight shoot out would choose Liverpool or Dortmund?
Costa used Liverpool to get himself a new contract, had no desire to leave.
Willian was a mess and we are better off out of that!
No top quality players?? Sakho? mignolet? Retaining Suarez?
Please explain why net spend is relevant?
I agree completely
Pity that the comments started so negatively. I enjoyed the article and agree with you that we had a decent window. Yes, we might have missed out on Willian, but we don’t have champs league and that seems to make a huge difference nowadays. We only have to look at our idol Suarez to realise how deeply rooted this desire for a footballer is. So stop your negative rubbish comments and look on the positive. We have a stronger team, a more disciplined transfer structure than I’ve witnessed in years and though my own pocket won’t bulge any, it pleases me that we haven’t been pushed over the barrel as so often in the past has happened. If we spent £15m, SO WHAT?? Fergie didn’t go and splash ronaldo cash right away did he? He won the league. Spurs only spent on the back of a stupid Real Madrid offer, so don’t let your fantasy football mind think here and step back into reality guys! I say well done FSG, well done brendan! Let the show commence!
Good article,not all big money buys wil be a hit…lfc should know that by now…carrol,downing,even torres compare to sturridge or courtihno or michu.we need to improve backroom staff
Don’t agree. We needed investment . Fenways let us down again. Even Norwich and Southampton have outspent us . Yanks are disgraceful
What does it matter if any other team has outspent us?
We have spent very wisely.
I can’t believe some of the complete and utter crap some so called fans spout on the Internet.
Get back in your hole or go and support chelsea or man city! !
Spent wisely ? Grow up kid. 7m on a young defender we don’t need . And aspas ? Another waste
FSG are clueless , and have proved it again
No need to name call,state your facts…do you know how much benteke cost?compare that with what we spent on carrol or what chelsea spent on torres,crespo shevshenko etc the list is endless,fact is fsg pulled us out of potential bankrucpy,are working on a new stadium to improve not just the club but community and what have you personally played financially?wil rather we keep buying prudently and with the current overstockin by rivals we wil always make rich pickings…spend wisely fsg fully support u.
We don’t need? Quite clear we have adopting a youthful approach and giving young guns an opportunity, so buying a highly rated player who can play several positions, not rock the boat and grow with the team potentially saving us millions is excellent business.
We have had 4 competitive games this season and you are stating aspas is a waste? Have a look at yourself lad! You probably sing the praises if Henderson and Lucas now after slating them for years!
What has expenditure got to do with anything????
It’s about signing the right player! Mcallister cost us most, Toure the same! Whereas Aquilani and Carroll cost loads and delivered nothing.
Torres cost Chelsea 50m whereas Michu cost Swansea 2m! Judging an owner or team on how much they spent is a pretty poor indicator of what qualities they bring
We are on top of the log,beefed up our defence,re organised our books and its clear playrs like willian wil rather shine the bench @chelsea than play x1 @ lfc yet we blame fsg.we have to stop being delusional and face reality as a club,the financial bases have to be fixed to attract better players in the long term
Dont agree i think fsg have been srewd got shut of dead wood and not over spent where building for the futer as well as now and not putting us in debt
I agree with Darren but Ffs mate learn to spell
Look, let’s be factual, football is not ALL about spending huge amounts and money does not necessarily guarantee success. I think the owners av done well. Got 8 players in that totally makes our squad better. I am a realistic fan. I am drooling to see what the team will be in 2 seasons with the academy being one of the best in the world. Let us believe!!! YNWA!!!
Liverpool needs richer owners that way we can fund for mega signings… U cannot blame the owners aswel coz of the fact that we are not in the champions league … Today footballers thrive on champions league…. But look on the bright side we beat the champions to claim top spot. So i have faith in the manager im sure he will do us proud this season…YNWA born a red die a red
This writer is dumb, it has been a poor summer with no exciting signing
You are too kind with your compliments Pavel!
What do you class as an exciting player?? Does it have to be a big name player costing many millions? An attacker??
Seems a limited response! I would argue Sakho ticks both big name and exciting! Mignolet has certainly brought excitement, coupled with young signings with bags of potential! That’s pretty exciting no?
Or in your eyes did we need to forget these signings and splash on Willian? Look at arsenal, it is clear from the outside looking in where their problems lie, and their fans were getting more vocal, yet £42.5m on a position they are well stocked in (no slight on ozil, who is world class) and everything is suddenly ok?
Teams win titles
Us fans all think is you dint buy a striker its a rubbish transfare window, in that case we got to keep suarez akso got moses and sorted out defence and goalkeeper.
my only worry now is that we don’t have cover for lucas simple and it will surely cost us arsenal,spurs,chelsea,manu,city all have covers except us absolute shame,very dissapointed with fsg or rodgers i don’t know
I agree with you there. The lad has had 2 serious injuries in recent years, big gamble. Spearing offered natural cover regardless of opinions of if he was good enough. Perhaps Sakho to step in should the worst happen?
Ilori can stepin or toure used to play in advanced position at arsenal.plus ilori apparently was a striker before shiftin to cb and has pace.
I’ve also thought we needed cover for Lucas. But Steven Gerrard can play that role if need be. So can Joe Allen.
The usual nonsense and delusion from tim Williams. I seem to remember reading much the same rubbish last year. Then tim was making excuses for Allen Borini and assaidi ….all of whom have proved to be rubbish
I didn’t realise I was making any excuses Dennis, I’m simply putting credit where I think it is due!
Feel free to go and read my piece from last year, it is on this site. I stand by he fact that Allen is a top player and will be a good player for us. Borini has been blighted with injury so I refuse to write him off, this loan move away top business, as with assaidi, for whatever reason not given a chance last year (I have my theories), this stoke move will make or break him, dumb to write him off.
Whilst I applauded the signings of Allen and sahin in particular along with the promise of borini I was and remain highly critical of the end of the window debacle that could have cost us dearly, as I have said in this article.
Again, feel free to go read it
Allen a top player ? Ha ha ha
Allen Borini and assaidi have all proven to be sh it , yet you still apologize for them .what a deluded tw@t you are. Easily the thickest writer of articles I’ve ever seen on here
You seem a lovely chap Dennis! Always found name calling to be one of the key factors in any discussion!
In my opinion yes, Allen is a very good player with potential to get better. Similarly to others he has had a rough time with injury and perhaps we are missing a key link to get the very best from him, a mascherano for example.
Again, I’m not apologising for anyone, have no need to, I’m presenting an opinion. Maybe it is just me but I refuse to write off a player while he is still at the club with an opportunity to show the fans different, take Lucas and Henderson for example. Not everyone can start like Suarez or Sturbridge.
I have argued a footballing point but failed to call you a name, I’m worried this argument is lost
You argue no football points . You just talk nonsense as usual and make yet more stupid excuses.
Dennis, I’m worried about you, you have responded without profanity!!
Not really sure how I’m making excuses and who I’m making them to??
Footballing reasons you see, let me expand:
Allen: very technical player who is excellent in possession of the football, distributes well and retains possession keeping the ball moving. To play the system we play it is crucial to have this sort of player. He has a clever footballing brain, which n itself is quite rare and reads the game meaning he intercepts and disrupt the opposition, and cn also battle as we saw against yaya Toure when city came to anfield. His form has been hot and old though a mo inaction of injury, pressure and the lack of that mascherano type player. I fully believe he will one good.
Borini: his movement off the ball is fantastic, it creates space for people to play in and when you have people like coutinho and Yates giving them extra spac can be lethal. He works hard when not in possession too. He has suffered injuries so had no chance to settle or build form. If he works on his finishing we cold well have a gem. Like Allen, a young player with his best years head of him.
Assaidi: clearly a talented player with a bag of tricks, for whatever reason didn’t get a go last season. Personally I think he s too lightweight for the premier league and not brave enough. This stoke loan is excellent as it gives him vital experience.
To write anyone off so erly is dumb, let alone young talent.
I would love to hear a profanity free response focusing on the footballing reasons you thin I’m wrong…..not sure i will get it!
Also any comment about Allen only ‘passing backwards’ disqualifies you from any intelligent football conversation in the future
Good article, well written. Pretty much agree with majority of it too. Best thing about the summer window is going forward we can concentrate on adding quality rather than numbers.
Stupid overly biased piece written by a moron with no clue about football
Top comment jack . Bang on !
You argue your point well there jack!
Such a strong footballing opinion has shaken what I though I knew! Smh
Great article
Jack is a Jackassistant…nice article!
I think its a bit soon for this article. This will probably need rewriting at the end of the season when (hopefully) we can look back and properly evaluate the new boys. Love your optimism (as always) and yes, you were right about Henderson!
I see what you are saying in terms of too soon to judge the impact the new signings have had, but this is more evaluating FSG and in my mind its fair to say lessons have been learned and it is refreshing to see that there is joined up thinking at the club! Been a while!
Good article…Its not always about marquee signings its about team building and willingness to fight and win the games. Attacks doesn’t always win you the games, its keeping clean sheets is as important as to score goals. We see Brendan doing the right choices at right time. We will see and conclude after 10 games. But I was never so pleased with transfer window, we have signed some really talented players. They can fit straight to first 11.
Now I dont think Willian really wanted to come to us look how he ditched spurs, about Henrikh Mkhitaryan he has made his decision. We were willing to pay right price for Henrik but he chose for CL. FSG or our transfer committee has really done great job. Spurs have done a gr8 job this window but its bales money. Look at soldado he was missing in almost all 3 matches, what I mean to say is its not just about top individual its about team. So keep faith in our club and support.