How to Get Worse
Avoiding Desperation Street.
So I want to cover something that I’m growing increasingly concerned about in this post. We all want Liverpool to press on with their summer transfer business, but at the same time, the list of potential targets looks pretty dry right now.
If you’ve followed this Substack over the past few months, you’ll know my thoughts on the right-back market. You’ll know my thoughts on the right winger market, too. Two important areas of need for the Reds.
Richard Hughes must strengthen Andoni Iraola’s squad ahead of the new campaign. No doubt. But there’s a genuine risk of Liverpool getting worse if they invest in the wrong players. This is the sort of trap that’s often overlooked among supporters.
So there’s a very clear blueprint to follow in football if you want your team to get worse. We often focus on all sorts of irrelevant things in this sport, but everything comes down to recruitment. It’s all about the players that you sign.
Manchester United since Alex Ferguson perhaps offer the best example. With every passing window, the Red Devils slipped into a greater state of panic, desperate to win immediately despite managing the ongoing reality of getting worse every season.
To stop the rot, United opted for more and more short-term fixes. Investing daft amounts in proven players who bigger clubs no longer wanted. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphaël Varane, Casemiro, Alexis Sánchez, Radamel Falcao. The list goes on.
Trimming the fat of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich was essentially United’s means of returning to the top. Good plan, lads. And alongside those guys, they invested in a whole host of talents who ultimately ended up failing to perform at the required level.
From Antony to Marcos Rojo to Matteo Darmian to Victor Lindelöf to Fred to Aaron Wan-Bissaka. A gang of relatively ordinary players who naturally struggled to move the needle for United, resulting in them eventually falling as low as 15th in 2024/25.
Tottenham Hotspur offer another great example in their current state. After picking up quite a few gems like Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Kyle Walker, Spurs simply bought worse players to replace them, often out of desperation.
The list of players who have landed at White Hart Lane over the years is truly painful. So many bang average guys. Bryan Gil, Emerson Royal, Brennan Johnson, Joe Rodon. I’d even throw Dominic Solanke in there. Players who won't do anything for your ability to punch up.
Their recent capture of Kevin Danso perhaps epitomises exactly what I’m talking about. While in the midst of an injury crisis at centre-back, Spurs signed Danso from Lens in the middle of 2024/25.
He only cost £21m, but the Austrian was purchased as cover. He was an emergency pick-up. Spurs needed a centre-back, and he was the best option available to them at the time.
That sort of thing terrifies me. Because like the rest of their signings in recent times, Danso is perfectly ordinary. The most vanilla ice cream you’ll ever taste. He arrived as a 25 year old — meaning he was unlikely to evolve much further — and failed to pop in any department.
