Blue Armour

But would the players agree? All 3 are in CL clubs., and are at or near their primes.

I'm sorry, but that comes across as a strawman argument. No one wanted Caicedo because he cost 100m, they wanted him because he is highly rated. Lukaku on the other hand already divided opinion before his arrival. Myself and several others on this forum expressed concerns about his arrival. EDIT: I see you mean Enzo, but my argument about Caicedo stands

There's a difference between recognizing mistakes and actually learning from them Based on what happened last season, I've come to the conclusion that this administration is very poor at the latter. I don't want to repeat myself by typing all over, so I leave my quote up there. If the Caicedo transfer to Liverpool is truly done and dusted, we are well on our way to having another mediocre season. Not as bad as the last one, because we at least have a decent manager at the helm., but won't be much to shout about

Come on, Jackson. Main reason why I have any kind of hope for this match

Fucking hell. No break whatsoever. First Fofana and now Nkunku. And James on the treatment watch too. As if last season wasn't enough. I don't like it, but I hope the Neymar links aren't just idle paper talk, and that we actually take the gamble of bringing him in. But then again, his injury record isn't too great either, so who knows.

Hope Mudryk realizes his potential, and either Madueke or someone else steps up. And of course Jackson to carry his preseason form. Have no faith in Sterling to deliver.

About being defensive, I fear our midfield will cave in without someone stepping in. If it's going to be Gallagher partnering Enzo, no disrespect to him, its just whats he's capable of, it's going to be a walk in the park for them. I would be glad to be proven wrong and anyone can pull my post up for rebuke if I am, but on evidence, it's not looking good

Is this kit even going to be available for purchase before the first match day?

Jackson Nkunku Fofana front 3. Would have been something to watch.

I'm not against any of the youth signings we've made this window. There's a lot of merit in acquiring so much nascent talent (especially when Fifa & Uefa are still allowing it), especially as an investment., which can pay off one way or the other in the future. But yes, I agree it's naive to think that an entirely young squad is going to go places without quality experienced players to back them up. You only need to look at Wenger's Arsenal over the years. A factory of very talented youth players who went on to achieve plenty of glory after departing Arsenal

They lack a DM too, but I'm just concerned about the Enzo Gallagher combo being too porous and easy to press into submission. Enzo in form would have changed things, but I don't think he had the best preseason tbh.

Midfield marshal Gallagher,... what a disaster waiting to happen. Even Enzo is off-form. Can't believe they're toying with the idea of setting us on the back foot without a DM in place. It's clear the club only has Caicedo in mind, but will drag this transfer saga out for the sake of pride or whatever BS reason. Here's hoping Poch and the team somehow pull a miracle

I said it before. This administration is on course to screw the Poch if they don't give him the central midfield he needs before the start of the season Before anyone accuses me of being a negative nancy who just throws shade at every move the club makes, I'll say two things. I accept the club has made a lot of good moves this window with smart buys like Jackson and Santos., and moving on deadwood But, as with everything they have done in the past season, when they try to undo mistakes, they overcompensate in the opposite extreme. They got burnt with big money signings last year, so now they want to drag their feet with the midfield replacements for our departed senior players. I'm not going to even mention the potential Vlahovic move here, because it's idle paper talk at this point. But that's definitely not a move we should be considering. All this is going to undermine any good work that Poch does.

Squawka.com

If Vlahovic is going to come in on huge wages, it will be a Lukaku/Morata style disaster all over again. And no, Jackson going to Afcon doesn't justify anything. Drogba left for Afcon in 2010. We still won the title and Drogba won the golden boot. Liverpool lost Salah and Mane to Afcon two seasons ago, and had no problems in the league.

Always fun to speculate, lol.

Haha., same. I still remember the picture of Mbappe having dinner with Hazard and Drogba, after the Ballondor(I think?), eating at Willian's and Luiz's restaurant

That's absolutely right. For all intents and purpose we are a different club from Roman's Chelsea. There's a lot that the new administration has to prove before everyone buys into their vision Here's hoping they've learned a lot from last season.

Will he get a new squad number before the start of the season? Clearly going to be part of starting 11

This guy. Just thankful the club went for him.

We really need a quality DM before before the season starts. Don't care who. Or what price. Need at least one.

Never liked it when Sterling was linked with the club. Same with Lukaku. I put both of them in the choker category long before they were even linked with the club (in Lukaku's case, the 2nd time) The CL final in 21 when we faced Sterling in a City shirt was enough for me.

Agree with that. James would be my choice too. Refuses to be mugged by the opposition during matches. Cool customer. Just hope he stays fit for most of the season this time., because we can't have an absentee captain.

Gallagher is just so slow in the head. He starts thinking about where to pass the ball, only after he receives it. That's why he holds on to it for too long and just ends up either doing a back pass or giving away possession. Some things just can't be coached I guess

But yes, I do want us to make those smug characters shut up Not just beat them. But beat them badly.