Reis - not ready
Khusonov - Pep seems to think he aint ready
Nico G - rarely used after the first few games - hardly got a sniff at the CWC
Ecehverri - talk of loans
Marmoush has proven quality
Alt Nouri hs proven quality
Reignders - probably proven quality
Cherki - complete unknown whether he will make it or not...he is a maverick - equal chance whether he will be brilliant or a complete flop - thats how it works with players like him.
so 3 out of 8 are absolutely ready for first team action.
HOWEVER
We desperately need one, possibly two right backs and baring in mind that neither of our new centre halves appear ready (Pep aint using them ) then we need a centre half -
We need cover for left back as well
Stones and Ake are finished...if either re in the suad we wil be moments away from losing either of them long term the moment they step on the pitch (didnt Ake get injured at the CWC for starters?)
We are absolutely in transition as we have a lot of potential but very little prove quality being brought in so far (3 players)
We need to replacey wie...
Stones, Ake - Reis and Khusonov - does anyone really see that is replacing the quality at present?
Cover for Rodri (unless Nico G is that person)
Gundo - reignders could be as good
walker - no replacement
KDB - no replacement - even if Cherki is good he aint KDB level and will take years to get there.
Then there is the issue of the wide players - Sav and Doku - both need to take huge steps to get anywhere near Sterling, Sane and Mahrez levels for instance.
That us a huge overhaul of world class players and we aint even got close to replacing them in terms of quality
The journey is the thrill for me. I also don't agree with some of what you say.
Why not sit back and relish the development and progress of those that the board has chosen?
Sterling, Sane, and Mahrez were wonderful players. I remember defending two of them from repeated criticism on here, now they are treated like gods, and often by those who were critical of them while they were here - Raz couldn't hit a barn door, and FFS Mahrez didn't get dirty shorts, apparently. Savinho and Doku are in their early twenties. Where do you think Mahrez was playing when he was 20?
Lewis and Nunes have replaced Walker. You may not feel they are good enough, the board may still be looking, so enjoy the journey. I think that both are better 'footballers' than Walker, and can potentially bring more to the team. Walker was a world class defender, outstanding one-to-one, but offered little in the offensive phase of play. It is always about balance.
I haven't seen enough of Reis, Khusanov, Gonzalez, Reijnders, or Cherki to know if they are ready or not. I cannot wait to witness their progress. So far, all I can say is that they look like a highly talented bunch. All young, all already said to be among the very best at their age or in their leagues.
We are never, ever going to be buying players at the level of peak KDB, peak Yaya, peak Vinnie. And the reason is that they reached that peak with us, years after we bought them. We forget the journey. We forget the progress and how influential they became. It was never a given that they were going to do what they did. The difference is that they had nobody before them with anything like the talent they had, so the last decade has spoiled us. We have never really bought truly established world-class stars. What we have consistently bought is world-class talent.
So what if rivals have strengthened - that is the nature of competition. Why do so many assume that the players bought by rivals will ALL hit the ground running and be immediate successes, but think the opposite of players that we have bought (not ready, years to get there)? Because that is when the heart leads the brain. Embrace the fear because sport will always create that tension. It is competition that we have thrived upon. Remember when Liverpool had the best player in the world in nearly every position on the pitch? We beat them, repeatedly, and broke every record there is.
