2025 Summer Transfer Rumors and Discussion Closed Window

[Savant]

According to you Gomez is more important than the second best forward in the league, though.

I mean, LFC just got knocked out of UCL and lost the Carabao Cup final in two games where Gomez would have made a huge difference; especially the Cup final. We are going to see how important Gomez is when LFC start hemorrhaging points after the international break because there is no D cover. Mean while Arsenal keep chugging along without Saka.

 

[Savant]

Yeah, the Kompany argument is basically that he brought solidity to the City back line, won a bunch of trophies as the captain, and had the lowest GA four times (compared to VVD's 2). I don't think Vidic's top level time was that short tbh, and he definitely did it at the national team level, too.

Kompany I think is a bit underrated, but if you swap Kompany with VVD, City are either the same or better (probably have more UCLs) and LFC is worse. Yeah City had lower GA four times, but that's more about City as a whole.

 

[bluesfan94]

I mean, LFC just got knocked out of UCL and lost the Carabao Cup final in two games where Gomez would have made a huge difference; especially the Cup final. We are going to see how important Gomez is when LFC start hemorrhaging points after the international break because there is no D cover. Mean while Arsenal keep chugging along without Saka.

Arsenal has dropped points in 3 of its last 4, scoring 0.5 goals per game. Keep chugging along...

 

[les Habs]

How do we define era? It's a slippery term. But I will note that the current crop of top CBs (and this has been the case for 5-6 years now, IMO, so it's relevant in terms of thinking of Van Dijk "in his era") is the weakest it's been in a long while - an opinion of mine which I do not think is nostalgia-driven. The push towards the all-action dominant #6 has pulled top prospects away from playing CB and towards playing CDM, such that many guys who would've been in the mixer for "best CB in the world" ten years ago were instead developed into midfielders. All you have to do is look at FIFPRO World XIs from the last few years to see the drop in top defensive quality.

It helps him that he's maintained a very high level into his mid-30s, as the fact that he was a very late bloomer as a top player would otherwise be problematic (he shares this with Thiago Silva, although even Silva broke out about three years younger than VVD). But his late blooming makes it hard to assess him with regards to era. He's a 1991, which puts him in a weird spot between the really good mid-to-late 1980s CBs (spanning roughly from Thiago Silva to Hummels and Boateng, encompassing also Ramos, Pique, Godin, Chiellini, etc.) to the really good mid-1990s CBs (Varane and Marquinhos being the standard-bearers here). Who is his era? By the time Van Dijk broke out, Varane had been a top CB for 5 years despite being 2 years younger, but has now retired while Van Dijk is still at a top level. Van Dijk's late development curve means that he straddles "eras" pretty awkwardly.

With regards to his all-time PL status, he's in the mixer for #2 no doubt (Terry is fully, unambiguously, no shred of debate #1).

And with regards to BDO, all that need be said is that Modric and Rodri have two while Xavi and Iniesta have none, and that the only Italian centreback with one was at absolute best the third best centreback of his country's generation.

Varane? Marquinhos? I'm not arguing for Van Dijk, but anyone questioning him (not that you are) should be questioning them as much.

absolutely.
Sergio Ramos (I know I'm gonna get quoted for saying this) should be up there as well if it's 10.
Can't come up with many other names, maybe Thiago Silva or Chiellini, both below VVD in my books

LOL, TF? Is he related to you? Former crush from your schooldays? And despite that second line in your post, I think it's clear who I'm referring to.

 

[Savant]

Arsenal has dropped points in 3 of its last 4, scoring 0.5 goals per game. Keep chugging along...

Advanced to next round of UCL and not mathematically out of the PL yet. But yeah, if you want to ignore that LFC’s wheels are about to fall off, go right ahead; but don’t act surprised

 

[Vasilevskiy]

Varane? Marquinhos? I'm not arguing for Van Dijk, but anyone questioning him (not that you are) should be questioning them as much.



LOL, TF? Is he related to you? Former crush from your schooldays? And despite that second line in your post, I think it's clear who I'm referring to.

He was a top defender no matter your hatred for him

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

He was a top defender no matter your hatred for him

If someone wants to talk about overrated

 

[Epictetus]

Which Campbell?

Is it a colour thing?

 

[les Habs]

He was a top defender no matter your hatred for him

A top defender is different than the top defender which he was not. And yes, he was a top defender and even generational. Just not top.

 

[bluesfan94]

Apparently Newcastle are interested in Quansah

 

[Savant]

Apparently Newcastle are interested in Quansah

They wanted him last summer in the Gordon deal but LFC said no. He is a long term target for them.

With Virgil and Konate unextended, it would be absolutely insane to sell Quansah. They aren’t going to be able to replace Quansah with anyone cheaper, and with Trent leaving the HGP thing is going to be an even worse problem without Quansah.

In a vacuum, sure, but in this situation LFC can give themselves any more work to do this summer than they already have to. Especially considering I don’t know if Richard Hughes can walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone multitask at the level he needs to.

 

[S E P H]

- Soton will not sell Dibling for anything less than 100 million pounds lol.

- Spurs don't mind selling Romero to fund the Dibling deal lol.

- Inter are close to signing Jonathan David on a free.

- Many top clubs, including Arsenal after going after Jorrel Hato.

- Florian Wirtz is unsure of wanting to sign an extension at Leverkusen.

- Real Madrid might have to sell one of Junior or Rodrygo because of tactical/internal conflict reasons.

- Forest is going after Douglas Luiz.

- Man United scouting Kenan Yildiz.

- Seems like Osimhen wants to go to Juve.

- Hummels is not returning to Roma next season.