Tino Livramento

I have to agree. This whole "I dont like a 'big' squad because those left out are sad" just doesn't wash. There should be internal competition for places, its healthy, it raises standards. If you get left out of the squad for a big game who's fault is that? Anyway, there are enough youngsters in the squad to save the ego's of the senior players. In the multi competition arena that we operate in, how do you rebuild with a small squad? You need to leave head room for mistakes and injuries.
Someone remarked yesterday about us winning 4 PL titles in a row including the treble with a small elite squad. However, after I posted an interview from Rodri in 2023 complaining about him fearing for his health because of the amount of football he'd been expected to play, there was no reply. Crickets & tumbleweed.

Imagine buying a Hypercar and ragging it everywhere you drove without ever servicing it. Yes, you'd be the fastest thing from A to B like Roadrunner, but once the components & engine go caput, even an invalidity scooter will beat it.

Again, it was pointed out that players would all want to play in the biggest matches. Well at that point, their form & team tactics should determine who plays, no different to how things are now.

As you correctly pointed out, we had zero headroom last season, & all it took was a few key injuries & a loss of form for Foden & Bernardo, & our season turned into a disaster by City's standards.

We can't allow this to happen again. Our elite players have been rinsed to the point of exhaustion & serious injury. It's all so unnecessary imo.
 
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I have to agree. This whole "I dont like a 'big' squad because those left out are sad" just doesn't wash. There should be internal competition for places, its healthy, it raises standards. If you get left out of the squad for a big game who's fault is that? Anyway, there are enough youngsters in the squad to save the ego's of the senior players. In the multi competition arena that we operate in, how do you rebuild with a small squad? You need to leave head room for mistakes and injuries.
A squad of 24 leaves plenty of competition and room for rotation and injuries and is still bigger than last years squad.Only Chelsea have more. That's what Pep wants and that's what he'll be given . That means about 7 leaving we won't having players left out of the CL squad.
 
There must be plenty of money still in the pot for this deal as imo, Newcastle arent turning down £70m for Livramento and we now dont need to look for a new number one goalkeeper? The fact it hasnt been shot down is telling as well imo.
 
There must be plenty of money still in the pot for this deal as imo, Newcastle arent turning down £70m for Livramento and we now dont need to look for a new number one goalkeeper? The fact it hasnt been shot down is telling as well imo.

If we've raised £30 million already from CWC, I'd imagine if we get to at least the Semi's it must be close to £70/£80 million?
 
If we've raised £30 million already from CWC, I'd imagine if we get to at least the Semi's it must be close to £70/£80 million?

Yeah i would have thought so mate, i just dont see us walking away from a potential deal that could set us up for 8-10 years?
 
There must be plenty of money still in the pot for this deal as imo, Newcastle arent turning down £70m for Livramento and we now dont need to look for a new number one goalkeeper? The fact it hasnt been shot down is telling as well imo.
Think they might turn down £70 mill.
 
That was a quality problem not a squad quantity problem. The player who should have allowed Guardiola to rest Rodri was Phillips, who he didn't trust.
The squad quantity was fine the quality wasn't in that instance.
10 more Phillips equivalents would have achieved nothing.
So you need to have a squad big enough to cater for mistakes like Phillips and loss of form. Particularly during a rebuild when the uncertainty around new players increases.
 
Think they might turn down £70 mill.

I`d be surprised if they did mate, it`s a huge number and would give them a big help with PSR profit on that one sale alone. Their fans try to deny it but Newcastles turnover doesnt give them enough compared to the bigger turnovers to turn down that sort of cash imo if they want to invest for next season and now the dodgy transfers they were involved in last time are all subject to market value checks as well.
 
So you need to have a squad big enough to cater for mistakes like Phillips and loss of form. Particularly during a rebuild when the uncertainty around new players increases.
In that year Mahrez,Walker & Laporte all felt they had inadequate game time. Cancelo left half way through the season after which we improved.
Foden had a foot injury and then appendicitis.
We lost Palmer because he couldn't get games.
The only place we really had a problem with too many games was midfield because Phillips was inadequate.
Ideally we would have had a better midfielder.
We have been consistently lax with cover for Rodri but beyond that we have hardly had inadequate numbers.
 
In that year Mahrez,Walker & Laporte all felt they had inadequate game time. Cancelo left half way through the season after which we improved.
Foden had a foot injury and then appendicitis.
We lost Palmer because he couldn't get games.
The only place we really had a problem with too many games was midfield because Phillips was inadequate.
Ideally we would have had a better midfielder.
We have been consistently lax with cover for Rodri but beyond that we have hardly had inadequate numbers.
The point I am making is that the squad is in significant transition. We need breathing space this season.
 
So you need to have a squad big enough to cater for mistakes like Phillips and loss of form. Particularly during a rebuild when the uncertainty around new players increases.
Exactly, also I know it's nice to think everyone is happy and getting along, but as long as we're winning it doesn't really matter if there's some squad members unhappy with their game time. If there's some high quality players not getting a game it means the ones that are playing are doing really well.

Competition is good, everyone will get opportunities, it's up to them to take them.

Plus, the next season is basically just joined onto the last one, to create one big mega season. Then next Summer is a World Cup most of our players will be at. Injuries are becoming more regular. We need numbers.
 
There isn't a cheaper alternative to him like there was Wirtz in Cherki
There might be, but only if you go overseas. And then we'll have to overpay for another homegrown player somewhere else. It's a constant issue basically, unless we can actually start bringing some players through the academy that turn into regular starters. If we don't overpay for Livramento, we'll have to overpay for Gibbs-White, or overpay for Wharton. The only one that might have been a relative bargain is Guehi, but we've already overstocked that position.
 
Still sceptical that a deal will happen, but he'd be the final piece of the jigsaw for this season. If we landed him it would be a 10/10 window in terms of incomings.

Feels like he could be a world record fee for a defender or around there, £70m-£90m at a guess. I think given it's a glaring hole in our team, it'd probably be worth it for us.
 
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Still sceptical that a deal will happen, but he'd be the final piece of the jigsaw for this season. If we landed him it would be a 10/10 window in terms of incomings.
Same, interesting to see how Pep goes even if we do land him, he likes his 3 at the back.
 
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