Jim Boardman and Jay Reid return for a new episode of Scouser Tommies, looking ahead to the pre-season tour and the season itself, as well as discussing the latest transfer stories.
First of all, however, is the first chance for Jay and Jim to talk about the shocking and sudden loss of Diogo Jota. They discuss the impact of his passing on the club – players, coaches, staff, and fans – and even the wider footballing world. The club’s handling of the tragedy has been perfect, including the decision to retire Diogo’s No. 20 shirt, and it has been moving to see just how far and wide the tributes have come from.
The Reds have now returned to action, with their first pre-season game a win over Preston last weekend. As Jay explains, it was odd to see the players still wearing last season’s shirts, but Nike have clearly stuck to their guns over their contract with the Reds. It won’t be until after the tour of Japan that we see our players donning the new Adidas offerings – not that it’s stopped said shirts from appearing elsewhere.
The recruitment team at Anfield have already been busy this summer, mostly with players coming in, and the latest stories suggest there is still plenty of money available to spend. Jim and Jay discuss what this might mean for next season in terms of challenging on all fronts.
With PSR (Profitability and Sustainability Rules) still in place, clubs are going to have to be more careful about how and when they spend their money. However, it seems Liverpool have plenty of headroom given the stadium expansion, strong commercial performance, and even stronger on-pitch performance. Not spending money for the sake of it last summer hasn’t done any harm either.
Money isn’t everything, of course, and whilst plenty of it is still needed to sign players of the quality required to improve Liverpool, there’s far more to signing for the Reds than that. To fit in at Anfield, money would not be the clincher for the right kind of player. Jay and Jim talk about why playing at Anfield will be such a draw for potential new signings, and why it might just be what makes it so difficult for other clubs to hold onto their stars.
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