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SixCrazyMinutes - Liverpool FC Fans Forum

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You Aina seen nothing yet

As Liverpool prepare for what could be a transformative summer transfer window, the club’s recruitment team is already lining up contingency plans — and one name gaining traction is Nottingham Forest full-back Ola Aina.

The upcoming window promises to be one of upheaval at Anfield. Several first-team players are expected to depart, but no potential exit looms larger than that of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The England international is attracting serious attention from Real Madrid, and sources indicate he could be on the move, leaving a significant void in Liverpool’s defensive and creative structure.

Liverpool’s recruitment department has already turned its attention to finding a suitable replacement should Alexander-Arnold depart. According to sources via Caught Offside, Ola Aina has been identified as a serious target.

The 27-year-old Nigerian international has enjoyed a standout season with Nottingham Forest, making 32 appearances and emerging as one of the Premier League’s most reliable right-backs. His blend of pace, composure, and tactical intelligence makes him a natural fit for a high-pressing, possession-based side.

Aina’s versatility — equally capable of operating as a traditional right-back or in an inverted role — aligns well with Slot’s tactical fluidity, further elevating his appeal.

Liverpool are not alone in their admiration for Aina. Chelsea, where he began his professional career, are exploring the possibility of a reunion. The Blues, along with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, have expressed interest in securing the defender’s signature this summer.

Chelsea’s pursuit carries a sentimental angle — Aina was developed in the club’s youth academy and made senior appearances before moving abroad. A return to Stamford Bridge would represent a full-circle moment in his career.

Newcastle and Spurs are also monitoring the situation closely, and are expected to initiate contact with Aina’s representatives in the coming weeks as they look to bolster their squads.

Nottingham Forest remain determined to keep hold of their defensive talisman. The club are in active negotiations to offer Aina a new long-term contract. However, with his current deal set to expire this summer, Forest face an uphill struggle to retain the player.

Given the volume of interest, Aina may feel the time is right to return to a club competing in European competitions. His future could hinge on how compelling Forest’s vision for the coming seasons proves to be.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are also monitoring Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong as an alternative option at right-back. But the Premier League-proven pedigree of Aina may give him the edge as Liverpool consider their next move in what is shaping up to be a critical summer.

===========

Thoughts on him?

Who will stay and who will go?

Here is my attempt at estimating the likelihood of each of our first team (senior only) players leaving this summer. Feel free to offer your estimation.

================

Alisson 20% Entirely depends on Alli and whether he wants a new challenge – surely LFC will not push the best GK in the world out of the door. That PSG away performance put any doubts about potential decline to bed. I think he says for 1 more season.
Kelleher 80% Unless the club makes a U-turn on the Mamardashvili purchase or Alisson decides to leave, it’s hard to see Irish Kevin staying. Good luck to him!

Virgil 0%
Konate 40%
Gomez 60%
I think Gomez might want to explore a new challenge, but if Konate’s contract impasse proves unresolvable and we are forced to sell Ibu to PSG, surely the club will hold on to Gomez. So I think one of Gomez or Konate is almost definitely leaving and the other is almost definitely staying.
Quansah 0%
Trent 80%
Barring a last-minute U-turn, we all know what’s going to happen.
Bradley 0%
Tsimikas 65%
Robertson 35%
Much like with the Konate/Gomez situation, I think one of our LBs will stay and the other will go. Keeping Robbo seemed like a no-brainer, but the fact that Tsimikas is finishing the season as first-choice just as his best friend Mo has signed a new deal makes me think it’s not so clear-cut yet. Financially, the club might quite like the idea of keeping Tsimikas as a back-up on far less money than Robbo is earning. On the other hand, replacing Robbo’s leadership and experience won’t be so easy. This will be a big decision among many this summer.

Gravenberch 0%
Endo 40%
I think Endo has won Slot over to some extent and the decision whether to stay or leave would be entirely up to him, whether he values the chance of winning trophies over regular playing time. If I were him, I would stay.
Szoboszlai 0%
Mac Allister 5%
Only if Real Madrid suddenly decides they desperately need Mac Allister in their life. Still might happen, but probably not this season.
Jones 5% We need homegrown players; I can only see us selling if someone offers silly money.
Elliott 75% Sadly, Slot doesn’t seem to rate him. He will leave with the Premier League winners’ medal – far from the worst way to end this chapter for a boyhood fan.

Salah 0%
Gakpo 0%
Diaz 40%
Jota 50%
There is a case for selling 4 out of our 6 forwards, but I cannot imagine that the club will want to let all 4 go in one summer. So with Chiesa and Nunez almost certain to leave, probably only one of Diaz or Jota will be sold and there is even a small chance that both will stay if we can’t get a good enough replacement.
Chiesa 75% There is a case for giving him one more season to try to prove his fitness; his attitude is superb and talent not in question. Just hard to see it with him not even making the squad lately.
Nunez 90% I think everyone is ready to move on; that training spat or whatever it was probably sealed it.

================

So from this rough estimate, it seems the club will need to replace 6-7 senior players, not counting the back-up GK: a CB, a RB, a LB, an AM and 2 or 3 forwards/wingers – that’s quite a lot for one summer and for that reason I think borderline cases such as Endo or Diaz/Jota might be decided in favour of keeping, just to minimize the churn. Also I wonder if there might be any opportunities to promote from within: maybe Bajcetic can be one and at a stretch Nyoni for Elliott? Doesn’t seem like there are many more youngsters that will be ready to take over (not counting Bradley for Trent, which is already built-in, but he will need back-up/competition), so that gives us an idea of how many signings to expect. This promises to be a busy summer!

Pre Match - Spurs (H) - Sun 16:30

Here it is lads, here it fucking is.

As it stands - win and we are crowned Premier League Champions. This could change if Arsenal drop points on Wednesdays

The stadium will be electric. The players surely playing care free. This is the game to come out of the blocks and put on a show. Especially with an opponent who may even rest players for their Europa League tie.

I think we will see

Alisson

Trent
Konate
Virgil
Robbo

Gravy
Macca
Szobo

Salah
Diaz
Gakpo

Is this sustainable?

First of all, I cannot express how grateful I am to Slot and his team, FSG, and the background team, for everything they did to get us to this point. If you had asked me at any point between 2000 and 2013, I honestly didn't think I would see us lift the PL once in my lifetime, let alone twice. With one more win, Slot, in my opinion, enters the pantheon of LFC great managers - Shankly, Paisley, Fagan, King Kenny, Rafa, Klopp, and now Slot. One more face in that flag.

Having said that, do you think the current style of play is sustainable? I am deliriously happy about what we are going to witness and at the same time worried about what comes next? In terms of the eye test, we are failing miserably. We are out of all cup competitions, playing one game a week. It seems like any half-competent manager with a half-decent squad, with a little bit of physicality, and we can lose. Is tiredness still an excuse? Will two or three signings fix this or is this a fundamental approach issue. If we start the next season with the same attitude, there's a decent chance that our outcomes will regress to the mean and be reflected in our points total.

If it's not on the manager and this squad consistently falls off the cliff in late winter and early spring, maybe we should look at large-scale replacement. We are going to be the PL champions and there has been no statement display in the last month. We are tentative for the most part and the nervousness is seeping into the fans and the atmosphere. I don't mind losing to Newcastle in the cup final or going out to PSG in the Champions League. What bothers me is that we could have replayed the final and the two Champions League legs, and I'm not confident the result would have been any different.

I know on these boards, discussions often devolve into you having to be on one side or the other with nothing in between. I am also going to get pelters from some posters and others are going to provide a whole loads of statistics claiming I am wrong. Is anyone else in the same boat as me - incredibly delighted and grateful for what we are about to witness and still scratching their head and worried about the future?

MOTM Leicester (A) 0-1 - Momo’s POTS award

3 down and 3 to go. Pick your top errr 3.

Alisson
Bradley (Alexander-Arnold)
Konate
Van Dijk
Tsimikas
Gravenberch
Szoboszlai (Elliott)
Mac Allister
Salah
Diaz (Jones)
Gakpo (Jota)

Leicester (A) 0-1 Sun 20th April 16:30

One more win - Let's do it at home

Other games thread 19-23 April

There’s no lunchtime game which is a load of my hoop.

Today 15:00 unless stated.

Brentford - Brighton
Palace - Bournemouth
Shite - cheats
West Ham - Southampton
Villa - Newcastle (17:30)

Sunday 14:00

Fulham - Chelsea
Ipswich - Arsenal
Scum - Wolves

Monday 20:00

Spurs - Forest

Tuesday

Cheats - Villa

Wednesday

Arsenal - Palace

Et Tu Trente?

Virgil has signed...

Salah has signed...

over to you, Trent Alexander Arnold..

Future Captain of Liverpool
Let's see ya commit to your club.
Real are brutal anyway.

Which teams will grab the remaining three CL spots?

6 games left in the Prem, one team already qualified, one team all but qualified.

Who joins us and Arsenal in the CL next season?

Here are the last six fixtures for each team, along with their current point totals:

Newcastle United (59 points)​

  • Aston Villa (A)
  • Ipswich Town (H)
  • Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
  • Chelsea (H)
  • Arsenal (A)
  • Everton (H)

Nottingham Forest (57 points)​

  • Tottenham (A)
  • Brentford (H)
  • Crystal Palace (A)
  • Leicester City (H)
  • West Ham United (A)
  • Chelsea (H)

Manchester City (55 points)​

  • Everton (A)
  • Aston Villa (H)
  • Wolves (H)
  • Southampton (A)
  • Bournemouth (H)
  • Fulham (A)

Chelsea (54 points)​

  • Fulham (A)
  • Everton (H)
  • Liverpool (H)
  • Newcastle (A)
  • Manchester United (H)
  • Nottingham Forest (A)

Aston Villa (54 points)​

  • Newcastle (H)
  • Manchester City (A)
  • Fulham (H)
  • Bournemouth (A)
  • Tottenham (H)
  • Manchester United (A)
  • Published
    Jan 15, 2024
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Staff online

Latest poll

  • Newcastle

    Votes: 32 100.0%
  • Forest

    Votes: 18 56.3%
  • City

    Votes: 26 81.3%
  • Chelsea

    Votes: 6 18.8%
  • Villa

    Votes: 13 40.6%
  • Other team

    Votes: 0 0.0%

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