Exclusive!!- Phil Thompson chats with us about potential transfers (recorded July 18th)

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:10

Hi everyone and welcome back to another edition of the Liverpool Connection Podcast. I'm Dazza. Steve is back in the house. It's nice to have you back, Steve. It seems like it's been a while, but I know you've been off to Mexico and Michigan and touring the world.

Speaker 2: 0:29

Yeah, I've been travelling quite a bit this spring and so glad to be back here and this is a great episode to be back and talking about transfers with, obviously, tom here.

Speaker 1: 0:41

Yeah, we've got Phil Thompson, as I said last time, the living legend, because he's still alive and he's still a legend. So today's episode, we're going to delve into this chance fair saga that's going on. Phil, great to have you back. Lots gone since we last talked to you, so let's delve into this. I believe that Klopp has been blindsided by the Saudis coming in for Benio and for Henderson. What's all your thoughts on the whole Saudi?

Speaker 3: 1:21

I do think it's thrown everybody. I think the biggest thing was Stevie Gerard. I think Stevie going out there, merseyside connection, everything blew up. Bobby Firmino going there Is it another China thing which they come in through? The money, that's everything, and then very quickly went away. I'm not so sure this might be the real deal, but I think the money, what they're talking about, the Saudis, is just absolutely ridiculous. We thought we'd hit possibly a ceiling with the money that plays have been offering, but this Saudi thing is just blowing it out of the water. It really has. It's sort of changed the whole landscape and players.

Speaker 3: 2:16

As much as they're aiming, they do get the mind swayed to it, particularly people who are not, maybe, as you can see with Jordan Jordan's, thinking longer and harder about it. But the Firmino one seems to be gathering pay as we speak. So we've got no real ties. And so, yes, even the Tiago is he going to be one of them? Three midfielders We've already let three go Peter, I don't know what you're seeing is injured again, oh my God. Peter Milner and Oxley Chamberlain. So it does grow up a dilemma if the players, and certainly the transfer fees, start to square everybody.

Speaker 1: 3:08

Yeah, I mean, if you offered any of us 700K a week, I mean you're going to think about it because you think about your family. Your great-great grandchildren are going to be set for life. I understand that, but I think with more so with Henderson, because of his ties with the human rights and laces out, he's getting so much backlash.

Speaker 3: 3:39

Yeah, and I do, and that's why you have to. Jordan has to think long and hard and I think that's what he's doing at the moment. It's not as straightforward as Firmino, because Jordan has championed a lot of courses that will be playing on his mind because I know that he's a good, conscientious young man. So that will have.

Speaker 3: 4:01

What I would say in the other day is I got good advice whether to go with Gerard Thulier to Aston Villa or not. I got good advice to put all the good points on one side, write them down and put all the problems the bad side on the other and see how they weigh up and the consequences of them. And it was really good advice because it was should I go down there? Do I want to be go live down in Villa? Do I want to commute down to Villa? Do I want?

Speaker 3: 4:35

So there was all those things, the financial side of it and I think Jordan should do that because he's got a lot more things to think about, as she said, the model aspect of it. So I would think he has to think long and hard and I will not judge him for whichever decision that he actually makes, but it's a tough one and it's a real big one for him, because he's 33 years of age and, you know, will he? Even last season did he start every game? No, when he was a frustrated man, and I think this season he might start even fewer games, which will make it again more difficult for him, steve.

Speaker 2: 5:22

Yeah, you know, interesting Tom.

Speaker 2: 5:25

You know you talk about Gerard and that's where really I go back to, because when there's so much money being thrown around the players, their heads are going to be turned.

Speaker 2: 5:34

But for me, the the angle of, you know, Stevie G, a legend, somebody that has come out and has wanted to to be known, that he wants to be the gaffer of Liverpool Football Club one day, knowing that we're in a transition season, you know, to come in for the captain or the current squad, I just it doesn't feel right to me. I mean, you know he brought continued to villa. Why don't you go and get him? Or go get Jeannie or somebody else that you've played with in the past or has ties to Liverpool, but to to go after the current captain, it just doesn't sit right with me. And I think that's where I revert to during this whole Hendo thing. And then I'm reading this morning that Henderson is considering about, you know, losing some of the weekly wages just to make the deal work. So I think that's I'm more disappointed in the Gerard angle than I am in the Hendo angle for some reason, and I just think because of the legacy that's been built over the years and the future prospects.

Speaker 3: 6:37

So I get where you come up from, steve, but I think, steve, we will have looked at it. He would have looked at Jordan's position in the squad and then he, looking at it in the team, and realise, and he'll probably said, to look, 33 years of age, normally these players because particularly you've had 12 years at the club we can get them for nothing, you know, but the duty bound to be honourable to them and and give them a free transfer, not when you're talking about the money that they're talking about. He's coming for our captain and I think he's looked at it and thought, jordan, I don't think you're going to be playing as often as you can, and because coming in and taking our captain and, as we speak, a member of the England side, is a big deal and it's a big, it's a big statement of intent. But I'll always come back to years 33 years of age and I'm writing a show. I've probably gone.

Speaker 3: 7:40

Old Donovan, a cooler ball, he's gone over there and I think it was 30 million. Yeah, there's 20. Jordan Henderson first. Yeah, if they are going to pay something, we should have a fee for them. That is the game at the moment. Yeah, I wanted to.

Speaker 2: 7:57

you know, I kind of remember back to when, remember when Brendan Rodgers had that conversation with Steve. As you're talking to him, like, hey, your minutes are going to be minimized. We're moving in another direction and you know, the word on the street is that maybe Klopp has had that same conversation with Hendo. Right, that your minutes are going to be minimized. So I kind of think like would and we know that Gerard ended up going to the MLS, you know, after that season would he have made, you know, similar decisions at that point If it would have been the Saudis coming in for him with that much money when Brendan Rodgers had that conversation? So, like I said, I don't put it on the player as much, I just wish it wasn't, you know, gerard coming in for Hendo.

Speaker 1: 8:41

If it wasn't one of the other teams.

Speaker 2: 8:42

I think I'd be a little bit more repalatable to me.

Speaker 3: 8:46

Yeah, but it's, it's what it is. I think Stevie wants to use his connections. That is why the Saudis, the SFI, have got him knowing but seeing all the other teams getting and it's amazing, isn't it, how many sort of British players that they're actually coming for, because they know the Premier League is the biggest, most watched game. So if we can entice some of those players, we're really sort of breaking the back of it. I don't know, is there is Spanish or German players who are going to Saudi? Doesn't seem to be so them targeting the Premier League. I think they know if they, because they want to grow it very quickly. So what are you going to do? You want to take players from the best league possible and I think to make the statement. What Stevie's done with Jordan, I think, is a big statement of intent.

Speaker 1: 9:45

Yeah, I mean, you see talk of Mahrez going as well, and Mahrez, I think, is only 29.

Speaker 3: 9:53

You know, it's just I mean, and the same for Adio Mane. Adio Mane has been touted for him to go. Is Adio 28, 29?.

Speaker 1: 10:06

Yeah, I think the whole thing is Ronaldo Is Ronaldo went and he said he doesn't want to do you know internationals anymore. They must have given him some extra money because he's like adamant. In the next five years the Saudi League will be up there and to me I just don't see it. I see it hanging about. This isn't China, because there's loads of money in Saudi. That's the issue. I mean, in five to 10 years, are Saudi teams going to be in the Champions League?

Speaker 3: 10:44

I don't know. It changes the landscape, doesn't it? If you're letting Saudi teams in, you're going to go to sort of middle eastern countries coming into their Champions League. It's going well, go get it a lot very, very messy. But money talks and, as we've seen that that is the way People are saying with the Saudis, you're throwing ridiculous amounts of money at it and does it damage them? I'd like to think and hope long term it does, because I don't like to see this exodus of our players Once the younger one starts going the mid-20s, as Nevers did, ruben Nevers did. That is weird when you see the likes of him going Up to the ones at 30, it's like the live golf. I can see the lads who were sort of 14 years of age, the golfers, jumping onto it because it's money. But all wrong, it's not too much to play in any tournaments. If they're coming sort of 50th, they're getting a million quid. So it's a no brainer. But I just feel uncomfortable with what's happening in the Saudis.

Speaker 2: 12:09

I just put out there. This is a totally different situation from the China thing, right, because first of all it's closer to Europe, china being across the world, they didn't really have the eyeballs even for the United States. There's Al Jazeera, there's BN Sports that already had footholds in the football culture. Even in the United States we watch those channels to watch games. So I think this is a huge potential problem for UEFA and FIFA in the Premier League moving forward, because you kind of see already that they've kind of really acquiesced to Saturday Arabia in previous things with the Manchester City, all their financial fair play. They've hardly been held accountable to that. So I think this is another step in that direction. Where they're. That's not even right, but it really has an effort to really be a player on the big time.

Speaker 3: 13:09

Well, it's a dilemma for FIFA, isn't it? We've had four teams in the top division who were owned by the one company, the PIF, is it? I've forgotten that, right, yeah, and that just would not be entertained by FIFA having them, because even that doesn't sit right with me when you've got who's going to win the league and you could have the team who's at the bottom playing the league at the top and who's in second place might not be one of theirs. It set out some rotten ideas. Maybe that's that cynic in me, mate.

Speaker 2: 13:50

No, I think you're absolutely right. I mean, we've seen scandals in, say, italy. Those teams aren't owned by the same people, but you see how much you know impropriety there is in those leagues in the past. So how do you help anybody accountable when they're owned by one entity? And we're not even going to get into the ref's at this point. You know where their heads are going to be with all the money that's being thrown around. So it's a huge dilemma, I think moving forward for FIFA and the governing bodies to try to figure it out.

Speaker 3: 14:27

But the player aspect is huge. As you say, márez, they will come down and I think, if I'm right, their transfer window doesn't close till a month after sort of our window closes, which then creates more problems. I think I'm right with you saying that. So you know they're going to be looking at it and they're going to have the managers that come in and listen Stevie Gerard's gone. You're watching the next couple of years. You know your clubs, your Pep Guardiola's has all that money that's being on offer. I'm talking about the next four to five years. You'll see the top coaches, top managers, all sorts of head in that way, if they keep this finances going.

Speaker 1: 15:20

So what do you think so far of our transfer window? We got McAllister in, you know, before even transfer window had even opened, and then a slobbers lie. Is that how he just pronounced his name? I think there's so many different variables.

Speaker 3: 15:37

It's slobbers lie or slobbers lie, and I don't care what he's called, as long as he does, I think, one of the great things I don't know here. I think a lot of the transfer windows have opened and we've had a big deal done very early on to sort of keep everybody look, we've done this, we've got it. And McAllister happened very, very quickly. He don't run at 35 million for him is great, and I can remember seeing when he scored that 99 minutes penalty for Brighton against Manchester United and they had them on the pitch after it. There's good a player that he is and the attributes that he has. When he was on that pitch at the end and they had a mic on him, he could have quite easily have won milked that won, a great resource. Yeah, the pressure didn't bother me. He was so humble. He was so humble is the meaner doing that interview? And I looked and I was watching on my TV and I went he's a Liverpool player. He's a person that you would need in that dressing room, a person with good attitude, good mind, and I said he would sit us down to the ground, not having an idea that he would be on our shopping list.

Speaker 3: 17:02

Long be old. We don't have one early. What does it bring? It brings creativity more, because we don't have a lot of that. We have good energy levels from that. Thiago can bring that, but he doesn't play enough games and certainly the ages come down, but it's his assists. And the same with Sobysly Sobysly don't just look at his 10 goals that he scored. He's 13 assists. When you're saying that is a lot of assists, and I think he was second in the Bundesliga for assists, you have that in your locker that doesn't leave you. So he can bring both those things. Sobysly and McAllister bringing that. That changes the dimension of what we've had in midfield. So it's a little bit of an upgrade, I believe, from what we've had.

Speaker 2: 17:59

Well, even with. Curtis Jones's. You know recent performances. You know I'm at the tail end of last season, obviously through the youth tournament, and congratulations to him and Harvey for winning the World Cup. But you know there's another person that's going to bring some energy into that midfield, what we were lacking last year. So I'm excited.

Speaker 3: 18:24

Good one, steve, because we shouldn't forget that, because he's a local at sometimes we go take him for granted. But, as you see, throughout that good spell that we had that run towards finishing fifth Curtis was a vital member of not just that squad but that team. He was in there. He looked as though his time out of it erred whetted his appetite, given more desire and thinking I can get in and I can do better than what others. So I think he's always had a confidence streak in himself and so we finished the season well. He, I think, should have been the player of the tournament, er for the under 21s, and I thought he was absolutely magnificent and I think he will get better. I do believe he will get better.

Speaker 1: 19:17

Well, do you think you know, if, if, if, if Fabinho and Hendo, you know, in a perfect world would have stayed, do you think just having McAllister and Slobyslide in there would have been enough to go again?

Speaker 3: 19:33

No, that's I. I and and this I think it goes back to what Steve said is it is the Saudi involvement with the. I don't know whether it was you or Steve who said it's Court is unaware, and I think it has done. Now, for me, you have to think of yourselves first. Don't think of the players, don't think the club's bigger than anybody. I really think we need, before Fabinho gets done, before Hendo, some will get done, before Tiago would be we've got to cover our back Because, as I said before, we've lost three players through the contract running out.

Speaker 3: 20:12

We've signed two to strengthen us and then all of a sudden we could be losing two or three midfielders and, as you said, you've got sort of Harvey Elliott, you've got Curtis Jones still young lads, we still need that bit of experience, so that I think that will have thrown the recruitment offline a little bit, because is the money too good? 40 million for Fabinho, maybe 20 million for I would like to think and hope we are reacting to this is that we've got something planned that somebody else is going to come in If we allow these to happen. We've got to make sure we're going to cover it, because we're going to not look too good here. If we've lost three players and then we'll lose another potential two or three, we are massively undercooking it in midfield.

Speaker 2: 21:05

I think that's where James Ward-Prowse would come in and be that experienced midfielder in the middle.

Speaker 3: 21:11

Yeah, do you know what he is? Is he top drawn and it's set pieces are fantastic in its grace. Does he have enough in the locker to sort of to play regular? Maybe not?

Speaker 2: 21:25

Yeah, I don't think he'd be playing regular anyway on this current edition of our, of our midfield. But someone to, like you said, bring in some leadership that's been there in the Premier League so that when we're betting in these young players you know we also have bad zed-its right. That we haven't really talked about and I don't know if Tyler Borton will stay with the first team this season or not but somebody with a little bit of veteran leadership to kind of combat losing a Fabinho and Henderson down the road.

Speaker 1: 21:52

So but yeah, just one of the names that are being tossed out there.

Speaker 1: 21:56

So that's the thing you know. It looks like Lavia is the latter, you know, close after, but he's only 19. He's only had one season. We need a defensive midfielder with experience to come in and be a starter. I don't think Lavia is that player. If Fabinho stayed, then he could be the understudy, you know. Same with Bershattic, but we need a proper DM. I mean, I'm looking at the list. I mean all of them look young. You know, grab a beer. She Arrabat. He's only, I think, 25 or something around there, and it looks like he's only 25, 30 mil as well. You know he had a good World Cup. He played really well in the Conference League against West Ham, but yeah, it's definitely a position that's worrying me.

Speaker 3: 22:55

Yeah, no, and that's why I come back to it, that's why it's called his own, the Weirs, this thing, and was the money Certainly for Fabinho, and I'm quite sure he would have run his contract down and gone for nothing at the end of next season Because somebody's going to give 40 million. It's great. You've got to have a plan. You've got to have a succession plan. Who's going to come in for him? And the guy C don't want for me? Well, I don't know if you've seen a lot of Brighton. He doesn't see.

Speaker 3: 23:26

He kept that ball rotating in there. He was very clever with his positional play Fair play to the manager of Brighton who had this and he kept that ball moving. His positional play, besides, his use of the ball, was top class. But he's going to cost top money and they're talking about 70 million to Chelsea. I would like to think we would be asking that question because there's not too many, as you'll just say there, lord of the Hutt, the boys are all young and we can't afford that. We need somebody Because we've had young midfielders, we've had ageing midfielders. We need to bridge that gap, as we have done with Slavizzai and with McAllister, but we need others if we're going to lose? Certainly Fabinho. I'm quite a great defensive midfielder. It has to be a priority list.

Speaker 1: 24:20

Yeah, we're even losing there. I mean, I know he didn't play really anything, but Phillips as well, homegrown, you know, that's another one where we have to look at if we lose Henderson and Phillips, we've got a.

Speaker 3: 24:35

Center back. You know that's a center back. He's not gonna. You know there's All ahead of him for decent ones. Well, I did mention you the day that because you've got canard today and you got Fandai, joe Gomez and Matt, if a regular bit like Tiago been injured on a regular basis, we might need a fifth one in there to get it. Whether you keep that, if I was not, I wouldn't want to go and play. You know he's gotta be 23 now, maybe 24. You can't. You can't be playing understudy to, to other guys and maybe getting a game in the in the league Cup. There ground it's. Your life is different and I think he's got a. He's got to play football and I would think with that brings about we need to get, then you can afford a young Colville. It's is yeah, and you should. I think not only ourselves, for everybody been trying to do a deal the next summer for him.

Speaker 1: 25:42

Are you stuck? Do I you you? You were stuck for a minute there, phil, so we didn't. We didn't hear what you said.

Speaker 3: 25:52

Yeah, that was probably the best of spoke anyway.

Speaker 2: 25:57

You know, you know I read something this morning that that and don't Hold me to it whether it's true or not, but that clock had reached out to Colville directly, which I don't see clock doing, that you know he's pretty, plays it close to the best on the on the rules. You know, especially after the tapping up of you know a van dyke and all that. But it's interesting, you have plastic. Rumors are true and that you know Chelsea are Are looking to sell him or not.

Speaker 3: 26:27

The way football clubs work. Sometimes you get wins that Players don't want to come to you. Do you want to go like man City with? With Declan Rice, man's man City Within they put that off it in good offer. But then you get he wants to go to Arsenal. He's not coming. But what's best? Back away from the decision so that you don't get embarrassed that you keep pushing, keep pushing them and you're going. He's never coming anyway. So these sorts of players you have to know sometimes they're preference, where do you want to go? And then you walk away from a deal or you don't pursue any of it, and it's like that with a lot of players. So you know Coalville maybe has got something in his mind what he, where he wants to go and when?

Speaker 1: 27:17

Yeah, my, my, mine, one would be, you know, McCallister, slobber, sly, coalville, lavia and Concedo that would be 10 out of 10 transfer Jean-Lance, but what?

Speaker 3: 27:33

are. Your cost is about 250 300 million that.

Speaker 1: 27:41

I'll send them some money, I think we all. So what are your thoughts then? You know, obviously we need players coming in, but what about sports?

Speaker 3: 27:51

We can afford them all. Just sell you ready the trainees.

Speaker 1: 27:57

Well, I guess we're only getting Lavia.

Speaker 3: 28:00

Which we still get money. We still get money back.

Speaker 1: 28:03

Yeah, probably. So we do with with your thoughts. And For the new season, what are all your expectations? You know, if we, if club can get you know, a few more players through the door, what's your expectations for us? Is it just top four or can we challenge city again?

Speaker 3: 28:23

Well, I think we will come in city. I am impressed by Arsenal sign-ins, and particularly that mind. You have it some not not so sure about. I don't know where he fits in, but Declan Rice has been Fantastic. Jody and timber is a good player, may not the tallest, but a central defender. But the way we're designing a Declan Rice probably with their favorites for that league now, but people and I'm glad we're going in there a little bit under the radar pick after the season that we had, but we had a good finish, so the confidence will be quite high that is the starter.

Speaker 3: 29:05

I don't think pop will allow I those results that we had last season. We will turn all of them down Bournemouth, wolves, nottingham Forest. They will not happen again Because he will be on top of them. He needs to make sure and that's the biggest thing when he's got the players and I don't know psychologists or whatever. This is an area which we're playing, the big six. We've always done well and our results will probably be at the top. Those are the games which we got away from losing, those silly games against the teams at the bottom and it came back to Hauntles last year. That will. I would put that down at the top of my list to get to make sure that the mental attitude is going to be right before those games, because we were sloppy in all those games.

Speaker 2: 30:02

You know you're very important. Like you said, confidence Last year for stretches of the season we lacked the confidence and it was very unusual to see the Klopp team just being totally playing without the confidence of the abilities of the team as a cohesive unit. But it just remind people back when we were chasing for fourth place that year. What a run of games we had at near the end of the season 10 on the trot, I think at the end to get to a third place eventually. But that carried over to the next season and we just twotted everyone in one league and I think this has got into chasing trophies again. So I think this is kind of the same situation that that confidence they built at the end of last season. Hopefully with the new additions you know, carries over and I'm looking for a quick start from Liverpool this season for sure.

Speaker 3: 30:55

And I think the thing is what we've got to remember. Guys, it's a hard one to take. In the season before last, we played every game that was possible. Three season started earlier, so there wasn't the rest that they needed. When you play the Jürgen Klopp way his style, high energy, high press you need that rest. The season started earlier because of the World Cup. So those players who were brained emotionally because losing the league, losing the Champions League, that team was emotionally and physically drained and it started again too quickly and to me that was the biggest thing. So rest, recover, has to be high on the agenda now, getting this preseason Absolutely spot on.

Speaker 1: 31:50

Yeah, I think the fire will be back in their bellies for this season, the biggest thing. Just one last question if Hendo does go, who do you expect to be the captain next season?

Speaker 3: 32:04

I think it will be Virgil. I think we would Milne go in Hendo if he was to go. It would come down to Virgil, hopefully. It seems like he is the leader of the group. Didn't have a great season, it has to be said, and that would then probably take a massive box, would be to give it to the goalkeeper. Alisson, who has been, was so far above our best player all last season. That was one of the problems. Teams got through us too easy to make Alisson our best player. That would be a good option, but I've no doubt that it'll be Virgil.

Speaker 1: 32:50

No Trent Schultz.

Speaker 3: 32:53

Yeah, I see that Trent's a good player, but I don't think he's very sort of and you don't have to be like that, you can do it by your performance, but I would think somebody with more sort of vocal leadership skills I would think at this moment it might come to Trent in the next couple of years, but I would think at this moment it'll come down to Virgil.

Speaker 1: 33:21

Yeah, I'm the same and I think Robbo will be vice captain. But yeah, hopefully we'll get a few more players in and next time we talk to you we'll be all smiling and laughing. I'll have a few more pairs of those. Absolutely, it's been our pleasure. Thanks to Phil, thanks to Steve. Please like and subscribe and I'll see you next time. Thank you, Come, come to real. Bring your heart and air. Come, come to real.