Warning!! Being a Liverpool supporter is not for the soft-hearted. It makes us cry, it makes us jump with happiness. On a good day, their performance makes us feel like we can beat any team in the world and on another day we can’t even score past an empty net. But this is why we love football, it has ups and down, it has sadness and happiness, it is LIFE!!
It’s the summer of 2016 and we all know what it brings with it. TRANSFER WINDOW with lots and lots of transfer rumors. With the new season on the horizon, and Liverpool’s dismal play last season, it was expected that we would get linked with numerous players. With possible Champions League games, premier league matches and cup games, we need a host of the new set of players. And here is how we deal with player transfers.
“Like a woman bargaining for a pair of shoe at a retail shop.”
Liverpool football club must be one of the biggest player transfer bottlers of all time. Let’s take an example of latest transfer debacle. It’s not the “curious case of Virgil Van Dijk” but it’s an “unbelievable case of Mohammad Salah”. When we were interested in him back in Rodgers era, he played FC Basel. Player wanted to come, Liverpool wanted him and Basel too wanted to sell him. So what went wrong? The reason was Basel wanted £11m but we were only offering them £10m. Bonkers!!! And as Mourinho’s Chelsea came calling with £15m, the deal was done and dusted in a flash. Unbelievable, right? Not yet!!
After Mane’s absence due to his national duty with Senegal at African Cup of Nations, we would clearly see the lack of pace in the team. So again with Jürgen Klopp, we are in for Mohammad Salah again. This time we are dealing with Roma’s new Sporting Director Ramón Rodríguez Verdejoalso also known as Monchi, the transfer wizard. During this period, the football transfer market has inflated a lot and so with the price of Mohammad Salah. It’ being quoted at over £35m and as usual, we are not good at bargaining but we like to until some other club snaps him away.
“We keep monitoring, other keeps buying”
Now, it’s time for the “curious case of Virgil Van Dijk”. One of the top defenders in the Premier league and the world, any club would be glad to have him in the squad. And after leaking 42 goals last season, Liverpool need a center back with utmost priority and we were in for Dutch Southampton defender. Again!! And when a player of Virgil quality rejects other teams to join you, you snap him right away. But it’s Liverpool, we have a habit of coming 2nd in a one horse race. How do you say?
The news of the defender agreeing on a move to Liverpool flooded on the news portal and social media. We were all jumping with joy, fantasizing our next season line with Van Dijk at the heart of the defense. But the happiness was short lived when Southampton released a press report accusing Liverpool of tapping into players without the club’s consent. Bravo job there!! Later, Saints filed a complaint against Liverpool with FA and Liverpool pulled out of the deal after apologizing to the Southampton football club. Awesome, right?
And oh, there was this 3-frustrating war bid for Naby Keita, that proves we have money to spent but but but…that’s all we can say for now!! I don’t even want to describe it in full length. Oh the frustration..
With the fixtures out for the next season, it’s time we act on the transfer market with no more errors. And with Barcelona trying to lure Philippe Coutinho to Spain, we need to protect him too. Apart from the negative points, this is going to be defining season for Jürgen Klopp and the squad. Let’s not make this season, “just another season” and return to where we belong. The Top!!