Kyogo Furuhashi

You are so right and this is really ticking me off just now. It's clearly not Brendan's plan and I have absolutely no idea why people suddenly think Jota coming means that's the plan. Jota is going to take weeks if not more to get back up to speed Daizen will be playing on the left for the foreseeable.

 

A bit stunned this rumour has gathered momentum, so soon after last night’s fantastic result.

Kyogo has been a wonderful player for us, and deep down I’d be happy if we keep him for another couple of years

 

A special player who will be remembered as a legend. It’s hard to see him go but taking emotion out of it, it’s probably a good decision for everyone. We get £10m to fund a replacement (younger striker who can potentially fit our style better) and Kyogo gets a new experience, another pay day and potentially helps his chances of securing a seat on the plane to the WC.

 

If we pay 10m for Jota, it's safe to say he'll be starting at LW. Maeda is arguably our best player this season. We know for a fact Rodgers loves his game. You expect him to get benched? Highly doubt it. Question becomes, where do we play him? The obvious answer is through the middle in the front 3. The unconventional approach would be to change the system to fit him in. In any case, he's far too good to become Jota's backup.

 

Think the time to sell him would have been end of season. Its a strange one for me.

Hes going to a team that are in a relegation battle with no prospect of European football next year. Rennes have no hope of winning the league there.

Hes leaving a team mid season thats in the hunt for a treble and in the knock out stages of the Champions Leage - which hes unlikely to experience ever again.

Why not enjoy the ride for the next 4 months and evaluate your options end of season instead of heading into a relegation scrap.

The club dont particularly need the money right now and would be better served having him available to play in Champions League and try and see out a treble than having 10MM sitting in the bank.

Unless we have a target well scouted and ready to sign its leaving things tight to get a replacement in. Even if we get a good one, it may take time to settle in.

 

Just think that could be an option mate, and one Rodgers might use. Not all the time, but for me, I struggle to leave Maeda out my team, because he brings so much to us. He chips in with a fair amount of goals and assists but that work rate of his is infectious. There seems to be this myth that Maeda isn’t useful against teams that sit deep domestically, and I think it’s nonsense. Because he is key to suffocating these teams when they are trying to play out when they do get the ball. If we left buying a striker until the summer but brought in Jota and Tierney now, I wouldn’t be concerned.

 

You are so far off the mark its not true. You could make the exact same argument about Adam Idah being more expensive than Jota and why's he been on the bench. The fact is Jota will be on the bench and will have to displace Maeda at LW, or they'll alternate it round depending on the game. Maeda has not been, and will not be a first choice up front. I'll happily come back and continue this conversation at the end of the season.

 

I know mate, it was just because I have kind of hinted that I wouldn’t be too disappointed if Maeda was to move through the middle for a time. My concern would be his ability to link the game. If we have Jota and Kuhn either wing, a striker in the mould of what Firmino was like for Liverpool is the missing piece in my opinion. Something I don’t see Idah or Maeda as. I’m just no ready for Maeda to not be a regular starter

 

I was hoping we would keep him until the summer, and thought Reo would be away before him. And always the first in our team to go up to the fans after each game. Wish it clicked for him better the past season and a half.

 

I suspect it's because we typically seem to aim for a net zero, at most, spend in a transfer window. So if we are getting 10m for Kyogo and Jota is costing around the same most people aren't expecting us to go out and spend on another striker.

I expect we will though, it would make sense to get it on the accounts now with CL money incoming rather than the summer where CL money is only a possibility.

 

I don't see him accepting it either, particularly with playoffs coming up and qualifiers in the summer. But I can see why some are thinking we won't spend much, if anything, on a striker due to past experiences. Even if it doesn't entirely line up with recent experience.

 

The very best Kyogo, a great servant to the club who helped us bounce back so quickly after losing Terry Munroe. Will always hold a special place to me.

 

This is the main thing for me - Kyogo's movement and intelligence is first class but it's his touch and technique which allows him to score so many goals. How many times has he made a run off the shoulder, ball is fizzed into him and he takes a perfect touch to get it out of his feet and set himself for a shot? Thinking of that brilliant goal at home against Ferencvaros, if that's Maeda the touch is much heavier and gives the keeper a much better chance of getting there.

 

Just watching his highlights and wee tidbits of him being daft and now I want to hug my pillow and sob

 

Don't mean to be overdramatic but still doesn't feel real that he's likely to go.