FSG's sly Liverpool tactic will BACKFIRE

FSG and Liverpool deserve plaudits for what they did this week. Ultimately, though, this is one that will only invite more pressure.

Liverpool and FSG are under pressure right now. How could they not be?

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Just look at what the last 8 months has been. Liverpool failed to secure their major summer signing in Martin Zubimendi and has precisely zero alternatives that they liked.

They signed Federico Chiesa from Juventus as the only addition to Arne Slot's squad. That on its own was a questionable one, if only because Joel Matip and Thiago both left at the end of last season.

And to make matters worse, Chiesa has barely featured. Injuries and fitness have curtailed his impact almost completely.

Then there's the big one - the contract situation. Liverpool failed to agree new terms with any of Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah or Trent Alexander-Arnold.

All of them can depart on free transfers in the summer. In fact, they can agree pre-contracts to move in July right now.

This has all been bubbling in the background this season and the back-to-back failures to win last week had a mini-crisis brewing as pressure grew rapidly. Liverpool and FSG, however, quite blatantly moved to ease that.

The Kvaratskhelia play

Fans haven't actually been discussing the contracts or the failed summer after the Tottenham Hotspur defeat. Instead, there was a ton of focus on Kvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The Athletic were one of a few strong sources to report that Liverpool 'could make a move this month if he becomes available'. The hype grew rapidly and understandably so - what a player Kvaratskhelia is.

Only, read that line again. Liverpool could make a move if he becomes available. That was the message from the club.

It's about as non-committal as it gets. Especially as Kvaratskhelia is available and Liverpool aren't getting him. He's almost certainly off to Paris Saint-Germain instead.

Maybe it's overly cynical to say but it feels as though the club used the Georgian's situation to ease a bit of pressure on themselves. Everyone shifted to talking about a possible transfer - and a very exciting one - instead of the contract mess for once.

The narrative was controlled, in other words. Only, we think it'll backfire.

Fans are in the mood for a big transfer lift, rather than the transfer misery they're currently in line to witness. We're not sure it's coming.

Liverpool are after the same kind of players they usually are - those the transfer market is undervaluing. They're in talks for Stefanos Tzimas, for example.

With all due respect to Tzimas, he's a young forward playing in the German second tier. He is not at the level of Kvartskhelia but he will be compared to him.

FSG and Liverpool eased the pressure in a difficult week with their Kvaratskhelia 'plan'. It won't last though, and if there's another slip at the wrong time, that pressure could quickly become unbearable - and quite toxic.

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