‘Liverpool buying the Premier League’ so Arne Slot sack incoming…

Add Alexander Isak to this unbeaten Liverpool side and they absolutely have to win the Premier League.

The pressure is now on Arne Slot just as the pressure was on Chelsea managers.

Send your views to theeditor@football365.com

Why didn’t Newcastle sell weeks ago?

If the club was just going to cave on the £150million asking price, then why didn’t they just negotiate weeks ago? We could’ve got another forward in and not had a disrupted first few weeks of the season. With a good striker in from the start there’s a good chance we’d have got 9 points, instead of 2.

That being said my preferred option was Isak sitting out 3 years of his career and bring fined every time he missed a match.

In 2 years’ time he’ll be on strike trying to force a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Chris, NUFC

…As reported by the Guardian, on 01 August LFC bid GBP 110m + add-ons. The add-ons and total offer were just shy of GBP 120m which is the figure that Richard Hughes had discussed with Newcastle two weeks earlier, so mid July?

Newcastle sell Isak for GBP 125 million on 01 September.

Acrimony and tension and rage and noise, and the fee is 5 million more on deadline day than what LFC discussed with Newcastle in Mid July.

No one is blameless in a conflict; all three parties here look bloody inept, and it’s yet another bit of evidence on the ‘isn’t-modern-football-rubbish-o-metre’.

But bloody hell, 5 million quid for all this noise.
Tom G

What do Newcastle do now?

So, all the reports say Isak is going today. I can only assume this means Newcastle will do what is required to get Wissa or maybe Strand Larsson. With all the ins and outs considered I think Newcastle emerge from the window with a slightly better squad for the CL season ahead (we were woefully light beyond the first XI last time) but definitely a worse starting XI.

I know next to nothing about Woltemade other than he could be a good background actor in a Three Musketeers movie. The Youtube reels looks pretty good, but will never show missed opportunities and despite his size you never know how he’ll adjust to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. Fingers crossed on that one.

I have very mixed feelings about Isak’s departure. I think Liverpool just did what all other big teams do, and what we have probably done to smaller teams in the past. A lot of Liverpool fans and pundits though have been a real pain in the arse. Newcastle may or may not have made assurances to him, but we kept getting shafted in our attempts to buy an adequate replacement, so were never going to let him walk away before at least one striker came in, with Callum Wilson already gone.

For what its worth I think Newcastle stick by players in general, where reasonable. Isak had a poor injury record and was always supported, Tonali had his issues and was never painted as deceptive or a villain. Isak downing tools to force a move has very much tarnished his reputation and will be a black mark against him forever more. I expect most Newcastle fans will forgive but won’t forget all of this.

If he’d handled things differently he’d have always been remembered for finally bringing a trophy, but I’m sure he won’t care too much about that if he’s lifting the Champions League trophy in the next few years, something he would have 0% chance of doing with Newcastle. Hope he doesn’t mind getting booed and clobbered by Dan Burn in the return fixture.

To try and give a balanced view of things, I don’t like how Wissa handled himself either. He has a little bit of extra mitigation though, as at his age this was most likely his last chance to get a swing at the Champions League. Refusing to play is bad form though, no matter how you look at it.
Derek from Dundalk

…So Isak got his way.

Good riddance.

Can’t wait to see what happens in 2026 when Real Madrid give up on Mbappe and Isak throws his toys out of the pram until he gets transferred to Madrid.

And I bet Hugo Ekitike is REAL happy tonight as I am sure “promises were made” that he would be the central striker for Liverpool.

I am so glad this transfer window is over.
JH Aruba (NUFC)

Liverpool buying the league…?

I’ve got a mate. Well, I’ve got a few. But I’ve got one who’s a Liverpool fan. In London/kent. Where we all grew up.

For years all I’ve heard is him slate teams for “buying the league” and spending more than anyone else. I’ve listened to him tell me “Chelsea/city should sack that manager after he has been given £200m to spend” yada yada yada.

I write this – late, thanks summer holidays? – as it’s confirmed that Isak has joined Liverpool for £125m. So, by my possibly bad but semi accurate accounting, Liverpool have now spent more in a single summer transfer window than any club in the world ever. Possibly adding Guehi for another £35m in the next rotation of the planet.

So Liverpool fans… feels good doesn’t it? Splashing the cash! Not holier than thou anymore, are we?

And if Liverpool don’t win the league this season, slot has got to go.

Facts.

Yours,
Ash, CFC (the small horse)

This Liverpool team plus Isak, is it?

Stopped writing in when we had mathematically won the league last season;

With the international break coming in, and the transfer window closing today, add the ‘lucky’ narratives that is added to us, just sharing my two cents here;

To the rival fans-
1. Liverpool have just added Isak to THIS team

2. The team haven’t clicked yet

3. Yet got maximum points from the opening 3 fixtures, out of which one was away to a hostile top four competitor (with the Isak beef) and the ‘favourites’ to win the league this season;

An argument which is fair given the overall balance of the squad that Arsenal have; your muscle injuries are something to do with your manager’s training sessions.

The team will gel, chemistries will develop, and the Liverpool machine will purr sooner than later, exciting times to be a Liverpool fan.
M. Nair. Mumbai (Happy with Gomez if Guehi doesn’t happen)

…9 from 9, nearest rivals seen off, Isak in the bag.

Have a lovely international break, lads.
Nick Glover, Scouser in Brum

Liverpool bloated? Really?

I’ve read a number of comments recently suggesting Liverpool now have a “bloated” squad. Ok, so they’ve spent a lot on players this summer but Jota was tragically lost, Diaz and Nunez have been sold, Trent has gone on holiday to Spain, and Quansah to Germany. In this context buying Isak and Ekitike, whilst leaving the door open to Ngumoha, seems perfectly prudent. Not buying a new right back would have been silly.

The only signing that could be considered a luxury purchase is Wirtz, and given the potential sale of Elliot, it’s pretty much a like-for-like, with significant potential up-side.

And, at time of writing, Liverpool still look light at centre back.

The reality is, Liverpool have restructured the squad and are preparing for the future*, and after some fantastic financial management over the years, they were in a position to buy the very best.
Rob

* I’m starting to wonder if VVD is immortal – there can be only one.

This means more

It’s a great feeling going in to the international break top of the table with a100% record. Just need to hang on for 42 more games.
Come on Boro, this means more.
James Clarke, Dundalk

Getting tenure

Interesting mail from Gazza V yesterday. How long should a manager be given?

Trouble here is that there is not much by way of evidence to show that giving managers more time will ultimately lead to success. ‘One last min goal from the sack’ Fergie, yes. There aren’t too many others.

I guess the key is not necessarily results, but can you see signs of progression? Can you see what the manager wants to do with the team? Are the players adapting? Half the complaints with the last bloke was that the answer to most of those questions was “no” although results were up and down.

To be fair to the board they have bought in someone with a very obvious playing style. Will giving him more time prove to ultimately be a winning strategy? None of us really know. Football club boards pull the trigger pretty quickly, so if United continue in their current form for another couple of months with no obvious signs of improvement, he’ll be gone.

Maybe by season 5 he’d be winning titles and crushing all before him. Maybe ‘sacked in season 3’ Mourinho is actually a brilliant manager from seasons 9-22 dominating domestic and European football with a harmonious squad and a board that loves him. We’ll never know because he’s always sacked in season 3.

I assume Amorim is aware that however pure and true his path to 3-at-the-back glory is, he’s getting the tin tack if United are 15th at Christmas. The question is does he believe it’ll come together before then with the current plan, or does he adapt in the name of results? Seems more like the former to me, and it’ll be fun to see if he’s right.
Jeremy (If Tim Sherwood had been given more time, Spurs would have multiple premier league titles by now – prove me wrong) Aves

Some Arsenal context

I know you’ll get loads of emails from Stewie and the like mocking Arteta and Arsenal for their defeat at Anfield. I for one have disagreed with many of Arteta’s decisions as Arsenal manager e.g signing Jesus, Havertz, Merino and Madueke, amongst other things (including his team selection at Anfield yesterday).

However we need to add some context to the Anfield defeat.

Arsenal were shorn of their best defender in Saliba, the full back Arteta tends to start in big games in White, their captain Odegaard, their best player in Saka and their top PL scorer from last season in Havertz.

That’s 5 quality starting XI players missing.

Even with this situation, it was still a tight game that needed a worldie to settle it.

If Liverpool had come to the Emirates with the the equivalent players missing (which would be VVD, Salah etc.), I think they would have struggled and lost too.

So, some context please.
Izzy

…I am sure the mailbox will be full of balanced, level-headed commentary after a team went to the current Premier League Champions and nearly left with a very comfortable draw with 4 first team players out.

Ill let Slot explain it:

“If we play this game 10x more, in the same fashion, then I think it is 8 times a draw, we (Liverpool) win it 1 time, and Arsenal win it 1 time.”

We have more gears to go. Excited for the rest of the season, I think it will be tight at the to….

Oh they bought Isak. S***
Rob A (Eze looks different gravy) AFC

Were Arsenal really crowned champions?

After listening to a few radio stations, podcasts and fans the latter part of last week I must ask the question how dare Liverpool turn up to the game Sunday, let alone win the damn thing?

After winning the transfer window trophy with 5 days to go, and then beating the powerhouse that is Man U and newly promoted Leeds, the fourth estate all but crowned them champions and basically said that all they needed to do was turn up to Anfield yesterday and they would have won.

Just another nail in the coffin of the “great manager” that is Arteta. G Nev called Chelsea billion dollar bottle jobs – Hmm, there may be a new contender for that crown.
Ian H

READ: Mikel Arteta ‘loser philosophy’ has left Arsenal with ‘perverse’ Anfield record

It’s all very exciting

3 undefeated teams- yes just 3 .. after 3 games!! What is happening? Fun to watch, but interesting. Trivia- when was the last time we had just 3 teams unbeaten after 3 rounds? And City languishing below united? Is the manchester hegemony truly over?
Nitz