There is no doubt it has been a stressful season for Liverpool fans. On one hand they have been forced into watching their team succumb to horrendous losses to Notting Forest, Leeds Utd and Brighton and on the other spectacular goal fests against Manchester Utd, Bournemouth and Glasgow Rangers. These inconsistencies in performances have been hard to stomach and tougher on anyone with a heart condition, but the stresses and strains of being a red don’t end with what happens on the football pitch. Due to the obvious need to strengthen the squad in the summer and with Jurgen Klopp admitting that we will have a busy transfer period the amount rumours circulating about who we will sign or not is growing by the day.
Of course there was the on-going saga of Jude Bellingham, who was a player that many of the faithful had pin pointed as a must for the Liverpool re-build. According to many top tier journalist Jude was a definitely a top target and the thoughts were that he was also keen on the move. However, we all know that Liverpool have since distanced themselves from the deal saying they need to use the 100 million plus that it would take to prise him away from Germany to strengthen in multiple areas.
This news in itself sent Twitter into melt down and pulses sky rocketing as many fans saw it as another sign of Liverpool’s decline. But the knock on effect for those with high blood pressure has been much much worse. With every man and his dog knowing that Klopp is looking to bolster his midfield options for next season the list of prospective signings is growing longer and longer and it’s easy for the wannabe ITK (In The Know) accounts to start new rumours. First there was Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher. Then Nicolo Barella, Romeo Lavia, James Ward Prowse, Alexis Mac Allister and Khephren Thuram, who were all linked one day only to be shot down the next. The latest on this list is Sporting Lisbon star and Rush The Kop favourite, Manuel Ugarte. It had been reported by some random account on Twitter that Ugarte’s agent was on his way to Lisbon to listen to an offer from Liverpool and that we were willing to meet the 60 million Euro release clause. This news got many fans excited and rightly so as the Uruguayan international would prove to be an excellent addition to the squad. However, the latest news cycle has brought with it the idea that Aston Villa are in fact the favourites for Ugarte’s signature, which has again left Liverpool fans frustrated and questioning our transfer strategy.
The truth of the matter is no one has a Scooby Doo what Liverpool are planning in the coming weeks and we have to understand that the majority of the links on social media are nothing more than speculation to drum up clicks and comments. So my advice to all reds fans right now is to stay away from the rumour mill until the transfer window officially opens. Trust me, your heart will thank you for it.