Florian Wirtz told ‘welcome to the Premier League you Fancy Dan foreigner’

Did Florian Wirtz look like a British record transfer player as Liverpool played in Newcastle? Plus, Unai Emery sack chat.

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Well done Newcastle
Nothing but admiration for the Newcastle players and fans. They played and sang their hearts out. Liverpool were not good at all and very lucky to win. We need to fix our defence super quick. Only Alisson and Van Dijk held it together. But I will say this: These players are still grieving and anyone who has lost a friend will know that it can be energy sapping. Onwards.
Derek LFC

Newcastle, Liverpool, woah…
Well that was quite a game. The 4-3 in 1996 set this fixture up with a reputation for producing classic games, and this was a worthy addition to the canon.

A few conclusions in addition to yours:

– I’d still get rid of VAR if it were up to me, but this did show the benefit. Gordon’s challenge was truly awful – high boot, nowhere near the ball, at high speed. Perhaps this is harsh, but it really looked as though he went into the challenge aiming mainly to hurt van Dijk. But you can forgive the ref for not calling it right first time given he had to position himself a way away in anticipation of van Dijk’s clearance, and that van Dijk was between him and Gordon at the moment of impact. For all its enormous flaws, it’s fair to acknowledge that VAR is sometimes a good thing.

– I didn’t think Liverpool were quite as bad as you made out. Gravenberch and Jones worked well as a double pivot, albeit their good work in recovering and recycling the ball was often wasted by teammates making silly mistakes. Szoboszlai filled in well at right back. Alison did a decent job against the hundreds of crosses and came out smartly from his line a couple of times.

– But I agree Konate has looked a liability through our first two games; poor positioning, slow reactions, getting outmuscled. He’s had sticky patches before, so perhaps he’ll snap out of it, but he really doesn’t look good. If I had the choice between us signing Isaak and Guehi right now, I’d absolutely choose Guehi.

– Slot’s post match comments about Newcastle not playing football because they put all their free kicks into the box were odd. With a Newcastle side with plenty of tough penalty box scrappers, and against a wobbly defence with Konate and Kerkez both looking shaky against every cross, what did he expect?

– This was a classic “welcome to the Premier League you Fancy Dan foreigner” game for Wirtz. There were some good signs – a few really sharp first touch passes on the turn which would have created chances had teammates (particularly Ekitike) been more on his wavelength and had better control. But the game started to pass him by later on. Szoboszlai was an improvement when he replaced him as No. 10.

– Four senior forwards for three positions really doesn’t feel to me like a “disaster waiting to happen” to me. Salah, Gakpo and Ekitke all have strong fitness records. We have strong cover in the No. 10 role in Szoboszlai, Elliott and Jones if Wirtz does move up to false nine or on the left. Plus Frimpong can play right wing. And Ngumoha looks good enough for a couple of starts and/or several 60th-minute introductions to give the senior players a break. And Chiesa is a much better player than you give him credit for. Afcon is obviously an issue with Salah, but Chiesa, Wirtz, Frimpong would be a first choice front three for a lot of EPL clubs, I wouldn’t mind seeing that combination in action.

– Centre back looks by far the more vulnerable area in the squad. Konate is having a mare and is somewhat injury prone, Gomez hasn’t strung more than five games together in a row in two years. van Dijk is great but must eventually start to drop off with age. And Leoni is 18 and has never kicked a ball in the Premier League. I love Endo, but he’s not a centre back, and moving Gravenberch back weakens the midfield too much. And that’s the sum total of our options. When there’s a really good, 25 year-old-centre back with 134 EPL appearances and 23 England caps available (apparently) for around £40m, it’s bizarre we haven’t signed him already.

– Newcastle, Gordon’s horror tackle apart, were really good. Never stopped running, stayed aggressive but without (again, Gordon apart) losing their heads, hit some fabulous balls into the box and pressed like they were possessed. None of them (again, Gordon apart…) deserved to finish on the losing side. A shared sense of injustice in a squad can be a powerful motivator with the right manager. Their nightmare summer in the transfer market could yet prove to be a blessing in disguise.

(btw, when you wrote that Chiesa’s goal against Bournemouth was a “blessing in disguise” did you mean “curse in disguise”? As blessings go, scoring in the 88th minute to make it 3-2 after your team surrendered a two-goal lead doesn’t seem very disguised…)
Tom, LFC

Liverpool yet to have their midfield pair
SIXTEEN conclusions and many, many more points made but no mention of the fact that Liverpool have yet been able to field their two most important midfielders – in terms of commanding football matches – in MacAllister and Gravenberch together this fledgling season.
That pair gives us control and protects the defence. Perhaps that might be why we look like we’ve lacked control and our defence looks as exposed as poor, salty Chris (NUFC)’s feelings. I suppose Newcy Brown is a bitter after all…

Arsenal at Anfield next and we should have MacAllister and Gravenberch on the pitch and we’ll need to. Hoping VVD will be lining up alongside Guehi as well, although even if we don’t bring in anyone else this has been a solid 8/10 transfer window.
Jo (Howay The Lad Rio) Kent

Negotiating is not a crime
Now, I’m not a fancy big-city lawyer *audible gasp* but there seems to be some glaring holes in all the hand wringing and wailing happening with regards to Isak. Please, won’t somebody think of the children…

Liverpool has done something EVERY club in the football league system has done. They’ve put in a bid for a player that falls short of the selling club’s value.

This may come as a shock, this isn’t a crime. I know right, wild.

Want to know something else that is crazy, Newcastle has done exactly the same thing with Wissa at Brentford. Also wild, no?

There is an expression in negotiation called “win win” – it is the belief that for a deal to take place, both parties have to walk away happy with how the deal ended. That isn’t true. A deal can be accepted without both parties being happy as long as the outcome still aligns to business goals. Business does not care for emotion or sentiment ultimately.

There is another expression in negotiations called “anchoring” whereby either party sets a value to start a negotiation. Newcastle for example has anchored Isak’s value at £150m. Liverpool has anchored Isak’s value at £110m.

Do either club expect to get that deal? Absolutely not.

Does that make Liverpool monsters, or Newcastle victims of a nefarious situation? Also no.

Negotiations are entirely legal. Just because someone puts a value on a product or service, it doesn’t mean you HAVE to pay it. Commerce allows, nay actively encourages, you to get the best possible price as both the seller and the buyer.

Now unless Will Ford is earning obscene F365 money, I refuse to believe that he has bought either a house or car, and simply paid the first value quoted.

Seriously folks, in what world do we live in, can £110m be considered derisory? Have we all lost sense of value and money? The entirety of Newcastle FC was purchased for £305m, four years ago. Is Isak really worth half a Newcastle FC?!

I understand why Newcastle would want to retain Isak, and I can see why Liverpool would like to pay for his services. I can’t get onboard however with all the drivel that has been written this summer about the potential for the deal to happen.

In another universe, Newcastle would have the charm and aura to sign strikers who would improve their squad. The real problem is they don’t, and they obviously can’t leave themselves short now.

Sooner the window shuts, regardless of outcome, the better.
Barry (Perth)

Newcastle need to be better hosts
It’s high time Newcastle were forced to host away fans properly.

A sixteen year-old scored a dramatic winner last night, didn’t know where to run to and was met with abuse from the Newcastle fans because the Scousers were seated high up in the upper tier.

Newcastle have been getting away with this for years, but the geordies get lower tier seating at the Emirates like everyone else.

Maybe it’s time all the other 19 clubs treat Newcastle fans the way their club treats travelling support.

We’ve got them on Sunday, but I’m actually glad Liverpool beat Newcastle.
Graham Simons, Gooner, Norf London

Plus and minus
The biggest question I’m left with after reading Gab YNWA’s conclusions: Why did the pluses get a colon but only one of the minuses? Madness in punctuation.

Also, thanks for the concern TXBill, but we’re part of The Big Six simply because we are. It is based on a sustained period of league position for a period of 20+ years. Nothing to do with a run to the CL final very late into that period. I’ll remind you it was The Top Six until Chelsea decided to muck around with the concept by coming 11th one year. Before that it was The Top/Big Four, until City went all megawonga and Spurs decided they’d have a bit of the moniker too.
TGWolf (Yes very happy with the results and the manner of said results) THFC

F365 concocting Emery fury?
Come on guys, I’ve been a reader forever and like what you do but please stop with the content like your recent article defending Emery from a minority of keyboard warriors. Is there such little going on elsewhere or no other angle you can use to frame his excellent performance over 4-odd years and the patience in the bank as a result?

It’s a shame to see you guys doing similar to a lot of other news media, seeing a v v small minority of people (on the internet of course) do / say something and amplifying that to come across as applying to an entire group, even if you can hide behind the odd caveats words here and there. That’s a shame but the way of the world now it seems!
Duck

Actually…
Must say I was a bit worried by your piece on Villa fans losing patience with Unai Emery. I noticed some of the usual babies on social media not getting what they wanted immediately and so shouting at the world, but this is standard. And I don’t listen to phone-ins, because, well obviously. But if it’s become noticeable enough that people are giving it space on here, this has now become a Vocal Minority report and I do not like it.

Let’s not beat around the bush: I was f***ing furious on Saturday. Aside from the defeat – and giving High Performance Keith Andrews more fuel for the biggest bullshit mouth in England – the performance was absolutely horrifying. Probably the worst performance under Emery (excluding any games against Glasner-era Palace obviously, see you on Sunday lads.) It most reminded me of the game that really finished Gerrard, when he lost on the opening day against Scott Parker’s Bournemouth, and then used the media around the game to double down on slagging off Tyrone Mings for reasons unknown.

And Ramsey leaving was a genuine knife in the heart. There’s ‘one of your own’; and then there are players who have their family on the books at the club, who are seen on TV in the away end going batshit at St Andrews after a Grealish winner. And then the players who were expected to leave, and haven’t – Dibu, Watkins, Rogers, Cash – are playing like absolutely shite. The big signing of the summer was a new deal for Kamara and now he’s done his hamstring.

BUT: Aston Villa are currently unbeaten at home in the league for over 365 days. Our current manager is the only manager in Aston Villa’s history with a win rate over 50%. We were in the quarter finals of the European Cup last season. This is the most sustained period of enjoying the club I’ve had in the premier league. (Deano, Grealo, Uncle Albert, Tammy, Jed, McGinniesta, Scafu, pipping Leeds, Frank and Baggies in the play offs etc in the Champ won’t be beaten without a trophy obvs)

People – F365 definitely included – can be sniffy about our dislike of PSR, SCR, FFP, etc, but: our best player in 2023 was Douglas Luiz; he had to be sold for PSR. Then our record signing, Moussa Diaby, had to be sold in 2024 because of PSR. The wonderful Jhon Duran had to go in January 2025, for PSR; and then Ramsey this summer, for PSR. And while UEFA are fining the pants off us, we’re not allowed to spend any money; and the FA have also chucked in a fine of their own for our ball kids throwing balls back to players too quickly, just for the lolz. Imagine this happened to, say, Liverpool in every transfer window. There would be soldiers on the streets.

Why is this? What galacticos are we rolling onto the pitch every week? Watkins, Konsa, Rogers, Buendia, Cash – all signed from the Championship; Mings and McGinn were signed while we were in the Champ ourselves. Youri and Kamara were both freebies; Leno understudy Martinez was not a multiple trophy winner when we signed him from Arsenal. The only Emery signings who’ve started both games so far are Rogers and Onana. Yes, there’s a fair bit of Purslow splurge remaining on the fringes of the accounts – Carlos, Buendia, Coutinho, Bailey, Digne; and the rank career-ending shenanigans to get around the accounting put in place in case the 2 multi-billionaires who own the club are unable to pay the electric bill.

But essentially, Unai Emery has picked up most of the squad that Dean Smith assembled to win a relegation battle, and has taken it to within a Donnarumma save of being a Champions League winning contender. Whatever it is we have to do to be allowed to sign players anywhere near the quality and quantity of the teams who finished above us last season – or in 17th for that matter – let’s focus on doing that. Not sacking our best ever manager.
Neil Raines SOTC

VAT chat
Re Matt Snorts VAT question on the undisclosed fee. The clubs doing the deal disclose the fee to each other, calculate the VAT and pay / reclaim it from HMRC. They just don’t tell you what the fee is.
Mel – Dublin, Berlin, Athlone Town

Where were City v Spurs conclusions
Why no 16 Conclusions for City v Spurs? I know it means the team at f365 would have to stop their mutual reach around wankathon over Arsenal for 5 minutes but c’mon. Cant help but get the feeling that it would have got one if City tonked Spurs.
ATB

(Sweetly naive that you think we can decide whether to write over 3000 words on the hoof, depending on the result. It was entirely a staffing issue; 16 Conclusions takes a long time and the Saturday lunchtime slot is not ideal. Or you can believe it’s a weird conspiracy that we temporarily forgot when we did 16 Conclusions on the 4-0 last year – Ed)