Jamie Carragher’s HONEST opinion on Isak and Guehi Deadline Day drama

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Jamie Carragher discusses Isak’s move to Liverpool and Marc Guehi’s deal falling through on deadline day.

00:00 Isak to Liverpool
01:33 Isak fitness
03:28 Liverpool title favourites?
04:40 Marc Guehi
07:22 Liverpool defensive gaps
08:52 Harvey Elliott

#premierleague #skysports #liverpool

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Now, let’s start with Liverpool after they smash the British transfer record to sign Alexander Isach from Newcastle in a deal worth 125 million pounds. It concludes what’s been a productive window for the Champions to say the least. And who better to speak about it than former Liverpool defender Jamie Carrager. He’s coming. Good morning to you, Jamie. There you are. You look quite happy this morning. I’m kind of not surprised by that. Uh look, are you relieved? are you uh that it just got resolved and how excited are you to see Alexander Isac wearing that red of your beloved Liverpool? Yeah, I think it is exciting for Liverpool supporters. I think a lot has been made about how much Liverpool have spent and rightly so in this window, but it hasn’t been the norm in the past. I think Liverpool supporters have been frustrated at different times and it’s felt like other teams were were splashing the cash and you know breaking transfer records and that’s what Liverpool I think have done twice in this window. So yes it is exciting to think that you know Liverpool are buying sort of readymade worldass players rather than turning them into worldass players. So uh yeah it’s just interesting to see now how the the manager fits everybody in. Yeah, it’s going to be quite a good dilemma, I’m sure, for Anna Slot, one that he won’t mind too much. Uh, look, there’s been questions about Isach’s durability in the past. He did play quite a considerable amount last season, though. Is that something that perhaps there’s a concern for Liverpool, especially considering the fee that they paid for the player? Yeah, I think so. I think it it was his fair season more than any at Newcastle where he he missed quite a few games that season and listen it’s difficult for anybody to replicate what Liverpool had a few years ago where they used to have you know you know Salah Firmino and Mané and they they played every game you know they never got injured uh but hopefully you know when you look at the injury situation at Liverpool last season that improved a lot under an Sloth from what we’ve seen before under Jurgen Klopp so hopefully his way of doing things and going about things on the training pitch will help EAC in that situation because when you pay that type of money, you want that player on the pitch nine times out of 10. So Jamie, you mentioned as well previously Ann Arnold Slots’s got to figure out a way of fitting all his attacking players in. If you’re on a slot, how do you fit them all in? Well, I think Mo Salah plays on the on the the right wing. I think Isak play center forward now. I think Florian Vers will play in that number 10 position then. The left wing position is probably up for grabs I would say a little bit with sort of gakpo young Rio maybe Yakatik can play there as well and can also fill in for for Isak maybe at times we’ll see a front two employed by the manager uh because Florian Verz can play from the left as well so I think he’s got a lot more options on the left I think we’ll see a lot more rotation in that position than the other front four positions but as I said you need a big squad we know that you look at what Liverpool have been bringing off the bench in the first two or three games. They’ve actually won games from the bench, but they they certainly haven’t had the quality uh off the bench that maybe that we saw when you think of what Arsenal did at the weekend when they bringing Odigard and Ez off the bench. Liverpool don’t quite have that strength, but I think bringing Isak in now obviously it gives them such a greater strength in depth. And Jamie, look, the question that a lot of people are asking, we’re still early into the season. Liverpool perhaps favorites already anyway considering they’re Premier League champions, but surely now they must be clear favorites to win the league this season again. Yeah, I think when the champions go and spend, you know, about 400 million in the in the transfer market, I think it’s hard not to make them them champions. Uh I think the worrying thing for the opposition is the fact that Liverpool have nine points out of nine. And I wouldn’t say in either of those three games, Liverpool have looked anywhere near the best or certainly the Liverpool that we saw last season. So it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes to sort of bed in the new players, a new system, a new way of doing things if you like. And uh you know if Liverpool are doing that and still getting results that that that is a big worry for the rest. And look Jamie, look, we’ve seen throughout this window there’s been different ways that players seem to be pushing moves. Some have dealt with it maybe in a negative way by refusing to play like Alexander Isack, Yoan Whista, uh kind of similar circumstance. Mark Gayhee on the flip side of that, head down, captained his side, knuckled down, turned up to training all the time. But Mark Gay didn’t get his move. Alexander Isac did get his move. Do you think we’re going to start seeing this player power come into fruition a lot more now moving forward? Well, you probably think so and and I hope that doesn’t happen. Uh you look at you know Gay has conducted himself fantastically well. uh still seems a fan’s favorite with, you know, the supporters and, you know, the manager speaking really highly of him as well. And you’ll probably have to wait maybe till January now or or next summer to get that move on and maybe other players in this position in a year’s time would be looking at how EAC and and Whistler have gone about it and maybe feel that gives them the greater opportunity to get out and that that would be a sad day to for football really because I don’t think it’s it’s been great the way, you know, both both players have conducted themselves and I I don’t have a problem with anyone wanting to leave a club. Transfers happen. It’s part and parcel of the game and it’s understandable that those two players want to move on and play for bigger clubs who, you know, give them a a better chance of having a better career or, you know, winning more or silverware or maybe gaining more money. But I I just can’t help but think that you, you know, if someone’s putting thousands of pounds in your bank account every week, you should be training and you should be playing. Uh, but would both those players have got their moves if if that was the case? You know, we don’t know. both players have now got what they want and you know that we have to move on from that now it’s it’s in the past for both players and let’s see how they both do for for Liverpool and Newcastle respectively Jamie when you were playing was there situation like Alexander Eack your whistle that you saw in the changing room how was you you as players deal with that situation if it arose yeah there was probably two or three instances like that when I was a player at at Liverpool certainly some as well when when I when I moved on. I think notably with Luis Suarez as well. But players are like supporters. They can forgive really quickly because you when you’re playing a game of football, you want the best players on the pitch. And if someone’s given you a greater chance of winning games, when winning trophies, you soon get over it. So I think if if either of those players would have stayed at their clubs, you know, Isak or or Whistler or other players involved in transfers this summer, it can change very quickly in the in the eyes of the supporters because I said as soon as Each or Whistler would have started scoring goals, people are celebrating, people are hugging and kissing them and it’s it’s all forgone. Now let’s go around and talk about Mark Ghee. Move didn’t quite happen in the end. How crucial was it that Liverpool first of all kept Joe Gomez to make sure they had more defensive cover at the back? But do you feel like that was an area maybe they’ll be disappointed that they didn’t quite get that deal over the line at the deadline day? Well, they’d be disappointed because they wanted the player uh you know they didn’t get him. But I think there was a lot of talk over the summer or certainly the last couple of weeks saying that Mark Gay was actually more important than bringing EAC in which I I don’t agree with that at all. Actually Liverpool only had one center forward so they needed to buy a striker that was, you know, there was no doubt about that. Liverpool had to bring a striker in whether it was EAC or not. Liverpool have numbers at center back. It’s just whether they have the quality. Now what Liverpool have had in the last year and will have now until at least Christmas is they don’t have real competition for the first choice center backs in Canata and Van Djk. They have two backup players in Joe Gomez and young Leone the Italian Laru who’s come in. So they definitely have four center backs. That’s what most clubs want in an emergency. I think Raven Burge could play there as well and Liverpool will just I think get to January and try and resurrect the deal for for Mark Gayhee. But what Gay would have done was have three center backs going for two positions and put real uh competition certainly for Kenate to play alongside uh Virgil Van Djk. We understand there’s a situation right now with Canat’s contract. Virgil van Dijk’s getting older as well. So Liverpool did need a center back, but it wasn’t as imperative as getting in a striker. That was far more important because there’s no way Hugo Eat could have led the line for Liverpool alone between now and Christmas. Look, we’ve talked a lot about incomings at Liverpool. Let’s mention one outgoing Harvey Elliot joining Aston Villa on loan with a view to make that permanent. Good move for Harvey Elliot. Was that just a necessary move now to further his career to give him the game time that he needs to develop? Yeah, I think it was a it’s a good move for everybody really. When you think of what he did in the summer, rated or voted the best player in the under21 uh tournament that England won. He’s got to move to another huge football club. Uh he probably did have to take a little step down from Liverpool. You know, Liverpool are going for the title in the Champions League and it’s very difficult to become a regular in that team when you look at the quality. I mean, the players he’s up against. Uh you know, you think it’s it’s Mo Salah and Florian Virtually, they’re the two players in the positions that he he likes to play. So, it was always going to be difficult for him. He’s been a great squad player for Liverpool. Always comes on and scores goals. He’s been a great sub for Liverpool. But when you’ve had that role for three or four years, eventually you have to become a regular. And if it doesn’t happen, you have to move on. And I mean, as I said, he’s got a great manager in Emory. Now, the fee, I think, is really good for Ashtonville. I think he played 12 months time, 35 million. But I think Liverpool would have wanted more money for Harvey Elliot, but I think they recognize the job that he’s done and how loyal he’s been to the club in the last three or four years. Uh, you know, not kicking up a force, causing trouble at the club because he hasn’t been a regular. So they’ve allowed him to move on for, you know, a reasonable fee and he’s going to a great