Look forward to us "cashing in" (for whatever amount) in the summer. It'll be the best outcome for all parties. He's a bit too slow for this league and getting slower, as well as all the deficits of personality and conduct he has shone forth with over the years.

Needs to get himself pensioned off in a less dynamic league, I'm sure he'll be well liked by his new home fans, at least those who think a massive attitude problem is some sort of evidence of commitment on the pitch.

IMO Aouar was going to be the Xhaka replacement but we were given an either/or scenario and went for Partey instead.
That said with his current contract status we could still well sign him in the summer and have our twin playmakers ahead of Partey as #6. Aouar would also improve our goal capability from midfield.

As for the defensive cover = IMO if Partey can be as effective as he has of late with Xhaka not likely to be of any assistance, then he can do so with Aouar who is more dynamic and press resistant.

I'd take Aouar ahead of the likes of Coutinho or Hazard because IIRC he will be a free agent or close enough to it that he will not cost a bomb. I think we will try to look for cost effective options re CM because there are options out there that we can get, and then we can load up on our ST/CF options, as genuine goal scoring forwards are at a premium and clubs will want big numbers for them in order to sell.

And just because I really, really, really strongly dislike Xhaka and any move to retain him beyond the end of the season is an automatic fail for mind, as I will never forgive him for his strop when subbed off v Palace.

Let's just replace him with Barella and win everything

That'd certainly up the creativity from midfield.

too many teams are after Barella.

Keep Xhaka.

Get another top midefielder and then you can rotate the two and Partey

Tchouaméni is still the one I think we should be after.

His hair is rather bad nowadays isn't it.

A far cry from when Y va thought he was less criticized than other players would've been because of his good haircut.

Klaus wrote:

His hair is rather bad nowadays isn't it.

Looks thinner. Needs to get some tips from Holdinho.

In terms of teams, Liverpool have averaged the most fouls per booking in the Premier League this season having received 35 yellow cards for 285 fouls at an average of 8.1 per card.

Not surprised by this after watching our last game against them...

And it's quite obvious that Xhaka gets an unfair treatment from the referees in the league. Just like it's obvious that some players get favourable treatment. It's very blatant bias, not even subtle. But it just adds to the overall incompetence of the english referees. It's a much bigger problem going on then Xhaka getting an unfair card here or there...

One thing I've been thinking about is how, it at all, fans have been complicit in generating the reputation that now dogs Xhaka! in this league. Even if it was lighthearted and not suggesting at all that if is a factor, that its the defining one.

Another one is the type of fouls committed earlier in his Arsenal tenure and how they may have developed the bias. Blatantly pulling a shirt to stop a counter a couple times, a very late, blatant leg in from time to time etc. Its unfair that this bias developed from that. Not excusing that in the slightest. Also, it developed completely different and unfair way for Scholes, Fletcher, Barry etc. These days half the Liverpool team.

I don't know if the stats in this thread are right, but if credible then they're supportive and even more damning than the ones punched out by Sky:

Liverpool definitely get away with more than most. Thats always been the case.]

I disagree about Xhaka being targetted though. He gets away with as much as he's punished for. He reacts to things stupidly, he gets caught out often and makes rash decisions to try and make up for it. There is a habit now after he does something stupid of people searching for excuses, like the yellow vs Villa. During the game everyone seen why it was given, his reaction to McGinn was stupid and needless and he got a booking for it but then twitter started with the "oh the ref said this" stuff. The reality is he'd never have been booked if he hadn't had a childish niggle after the tackle.

Qwiss! wrote:

Liverpool definitely get away with more than most. Thats always been the case.]

I disagree about Xhaka being targetted though. He gets away with as much as he's punished for. He reacts to things stupidly, he gets caught out often and makes rash decisions to try and make up for it. There is a habit now after he does something stupid of people searching for excuses, like the yellow vs Villa. During the game everyone seen why it was given, his reaction to McGinn was stupid and needless and he got a booking for it but then twitter started with the "oh the ref said this" stuff. The reality is he'd never have been booked if he hadn't had a childish niggle after the tackle.

It was Buendia not McGinn and the childish niggle came first from him, for which he did not receive a card.
Let's not get blindsided because of a dislike for a player. It was a soft and undeserved yellow whichever way you look at it. And if it was another player you would probably have the same opinion.

Qwiss! wrote:

Liverpool definitely get away with more than most. Thats always been the case.]

I disagree about Xhaka being targetted though. He gets away with as much as he's punished for. He reacts to things stupidly, he gets caught out often and makes rash decisions to try and make up for it. There is a habit now after he does something stupid of people searching for excuses, like the yellow vs Villa. During the game everyone seen why it was given, his reaction to McGinn was stupid and needless and he got a booking for it but then twitter started with the "oh the ref said this" stuff. The reality is he'd never have been booked if he hadn't had a childish niggle after the tackle.

This would sound rational if it weren't for the fact that it was specifically identified why Xhaka got the yellow, even the article shared mentions why.

Nah, Qs has this right, there was an official reason for the sanction but Xhaka really does attract attention from referees in all sorts of lateral, unofficial ways with his fucking stupid gestures, habits and patterns of behaviour on the pitch.

I really hope he leaves the club soon, I have not forgotten the sheer fury I've felt more than once about witnessing him in our shirt.

His antics don’t help him that’s for sure, but he’s a gladiator.

I think we’d be sorry to let him go.

Guy has helped give the team a sense of fight, he’s a big guy and holds his own. He’s also a great passer. Love the angles he gets on them. Think it’s because the slightly inverted angles of his legs and feet. Sort of brushes it with side spin. That awkwardness though can mean he’s not nimble enough in tight spaces so not always as press resistant as we’d like