Liverpool Signings and General Rumours Thread

p.pete

Reds fear Gerrard will quit Anfield < link >
Jul 5 2005

By Chris Bascombe, Liverpoo Echo

LIVERPOOL are increasingly resigned to losing captain Steven Gerrard, despite rejecting a £32m bid from Chelsea.

The Reds' only hope of keeping their skipper is for another u-turn by the midfielder, but Anfield officials are pessimistic and believe he's made up his mind to go.

Talks were revived with Gerrard and his agent Struan Marshall at Melwood last night when a lucrative four year deal was offered to the 25-year-old.

By then, the Stamford Bridge club had faxed a British record offer for the midfielder. Liverpool have responded by saying they have no intention of selling Gerrard.

Said chief executive Rick Parry today: "I can confirm we have had a bid from Chelsea and that it will be rejected by us."

Gerrard spent the night agonising over his decision on Liverpool's contract and was training at Melwood today as he mulled over his future.

In a baffling twist, Gerrard has confided to friends he desperately wants to stay at Anfield but he's concerned the club won't be strong enough to compete for honours next season.

He is also worried that by signing a deal reportedly worth £100,000 a week, he will swallow up most of Rafa Benitez's transfer kitty and the club won't be challenging for the Premiership.

Liverpool insist that shouldn't be an issue and, having won the Champions League, believe Gerrard has all evidence he needs Benitez will lead the club to their ultimate prize.

Following last night's talks, club officials were '99 per cent certain' Gerrard was on his way out of the club and were bracing themselves for bad news today.

The only glimmer of hope is the events of last summer when, faced with the same dilemma, the skipper decided to reject Chelsea and commit himself to Anfield.

There are those who fear representatives from agents SFX will be working overtime to ensure the skipper doesn't do this again.

If Gerrard rejects Liverpool's deal, a week of transfer posturing lies in store as Chelsea's first bid was turned down flat.

Real Madrid are also expected to join the race for Gerrard's signature.

Benitez will have no choice but to seek an early resolution in order to fill the chasm Gerrard's departure will leave in his squad.

redspider

The problem with this whole Gerrard saga, is that it takes so much focus and drains everyone at the club, no matter what the result. So much focus on a single player cant be good. Its one thing for the media to hype it up, but for the agent to be talking to the media, saying a deal is off, and then for Parry and Benitez to have to resort to also going through the media to respond is making this thing much bigger than it needs to be.

One suggestion is to stipulate in contracts that discussing your contract and future contracts at a club, whether by the player or proxy via an agent is a "sackable offence", essentially the player can be docked salary (say 26 weeks!) and can be put up for transfer without extra compensation. If you have a deterrent, they wont do it. Maybe the G14 need to get their act together on this. I realise its dificult to handle prima donna's, and the clubs are competing to pamper them as much as they can for as little as they can whilst retaining their services, but all of these negotiations would be much better done behind closed doors. For example, there's not much hype over Carra. What a character he is.

In terms of Gerrard, I'd like to mention last year, if people cant bear to read, look away now! One of the problems Liverpool had in away games last season was the fact that players that were up for it one week at Anfield, or in a CL match, were sub-standard in an away match. One of the key culprits of this was Stevie G, who I observed on very many occasions not being arsed to go faster than walking pace in the middle of the park. He just couldnt give a toss at times and was in his mind looking forward to being sold to Chelsea or whoever. Clearly, unlike Carra, he sees himself playing in another jersey. He is not just hoping to increase his salary, at 100k a week that is 5m a year and the club can do a lot with that. They can also do a lot with 32m or more if he is sold. Real and Chelsea can pay more. He has friends at both clubs with Owen and Lampard.

From a Liverpool perspective, selling him to Real makes more sense from a footballing point of view. If we think he will add to the Chelsea team, then it would be better that he is sold elsewhere.

At 32m and with a 5m salary pa off the table, I would be tempted to sell him. Benitez, for all his bluster (suggesting to make him Chief Scout at some point is an unusual thing to say!) may be thinking likewise, but the timing of getting in others in is crucial.

Someone mentioned the dance, this will be choreography of the highest degree .....

Redspider

ps: I will come back to the other posts (eg: PHB)

TheMonster

Financially what the difference if Liverpool put him on the transfer list or he requests a transfer. Has Benitez actually said he will sell him if he doesn't sign an extension.

kaimera

if the player wants away, teams coming in for him know this so can putz about with offers around/below the asking price.

if the team want rid of him it works differently.

or so I see it. :-/

PHB

Real Madrid only bid on a player if they put in a transfer request.
So Real Madrid will only get interested if Gerrard does that.

Shred

redspider wrote:

(suggesting to make him Chief Scout at some point is an unusual thing to say!)

Somebody mentioned (not sure if was here) that Gerrard isn't happy with the quality of the signings Benitez is making and that this was possibly Benitez getting a dig in

Villain

PHB wrote:

Real Madrid only bid on a player if they put in a transfer request.
So Real Madrid will only get interested if Gerrard does that.

I don't remember Owen signing a transfer request!

Shred

Here's Paul Tomkin's take on it btw:

Steven Gerrard: Sign Up, Or Ship Out


I am not a great one for predictions, as they are the airborne egg ready to impact with the face. But last season I made two particularly bold ones, which, fortunately for me, proved true. (I won't mention a couple that didn't!) In March, before the Juventus quarter-final, stating that Liverpool would go on to win the Champions League. And before then, last summer, when the news stories containing the words 'Gerrard' and 'Chelsea' broke, that the Liverpool captain was going nowhere.

He stayed.

However, the saga rumbled on throughout the season, to the point where it began to overshadow the club, and disrupt the team's preparations for key games. He stayed, but was it just temporary? He also came far closer to leaving last summer than I anticipated; I underestimated the lure of Chelsea. Where Everton found freedom in losing Rooney, Liverpool found a media circus surrounding Gerrard.

But now Chelsea are back, and this time –– actually for the first time –– with an official £32m bid. (It's amazing how close a player can actually come to leaving in order to join a club who hadn't actually bid for him.)

And this time the situation is more delicately poised: two years remaining on a contract is make-or-break time. That's when big players need to sign new contracts otherwise, as seen with Michael Owen, their value more than halves in twelve months' time, and twelve months after that they are 'worthless'. Keeping Gerrard until 2006, without him signing a new deal, would effectively wipe £15-25m off his value. Either he stays or he goes –– there can be none of the 'in-between' of last season. Sign up, or ship out. It really is that simple. Time to put sentiment aside, and look at it in cold, hard terms.


Touch and go

One of the great dilemmas when writing "Golden Past, Red Future" was how to handle the Gerrard saga, given it was one of the main themes of last season. Documenting what went on was mostly simple enough; as was stating how good the player himself is, including listing his myriad qualities. But how to conclude it? At the time the book went to print, it looked like he was staying: he had said as much himself, albeit in the heat of an emotional moment in Istanbul. But I wasn't foolish enough to categorically state, in writing, that he would be at Anfield next season. Football changes too quickly. And negotiations take place in cold blood.

The most important thing is the that a club's best players are its best-paid players. A player will have less of an issue if he's earning £50,000 a week –– despite knowing he could earn £60,000 a week elsewhere –– if his current teammates are only earning £30,000 a week. He feels duly valued and rewarded.

The problem comes when an average player is earning more than the best. That's not a danger for Gerrard at Liverpool: he will be the best paid player at the club, whatever the club chose to offer him. No one can expect to earn more than him, and no one would demand it. So that's not an issue.

So then there is another potential problem: when another club can offer so much more money that you end up talking not about an extra 20%, but the ability to double a player's salary. Then it gets confusing, as the pound signs ker-ching. How many of us, however content we are, could turn down the chance of earning twice as much money? Even if we don't need the money, we'd be tempted –– it's a human failing. And if our careers were ten years from ending, would we not be even more tempted?

But it has to be balanced with contentment in one's personal life, and happiness on the pitch. We might be tempted by more money, but only because we think it will make us happier; if we knew it would upset our home life, and lead to a miserable time professionally, we'd stay where we are. Footballers and optimistic, opportunist and ambitious. The sport is all about taking your chance when it comes your way. Do we want them ruthless on the pitch, but lambs away from it?

Much of the problem lies with the agents. As much as we hate them, agents have a job to do. Ideally they wouldn't exist. But in order to make their cut –– and here we're talking about millions of pounds –– they need to do their job a certain way. Sometimes an agent has to stir things up, as it leads to a richer client, and more money in their own bank accounts. It stinks, to a large degree, but it's the way of the game, and few players are honourable enough to steer clear of such shenanigans. (Someone like Paul Scholes is a rare exception.) Clubs also use agents to procure players from other clubs, so clubs can hardly cry foul. It cuts both ways.

It gets much trickier when the player is more than just a player, but a local icon. It becomes so much more emotive. Gerrard, and his agents, have a right to try and get the best deal possible from Liverpool; but not to get the impossible. (Or to use the failure to get the 'impossible' as an excuse to leave.) As the local hero, you cannot play the games other players and their agents indulge in. Or rather, you can, but you can't expect fans to feel the same way about it. Gerrard may never have asked to be the local hero, but he got a lot more adoration with that being the case. It was a role he clearly enjoyed.

Are SFX trying to turn the club into the villains, to 'smooth' an exit for their client? Clearly the press are being fed one version of events, and that is not the club's version.

Fan uproar is clearly one of the major factors stopping Gerrard from leaving. He is bound to Liverpool in a way that Xabi Alonso isn't, and can never be –– even if we come to think of Alonso as the better player (many now do). Some players we see as blessing us for a year, or five years, before moving on to pastures new, with our reluctant best wishes. Others are seen as part of the furniture, and again, that expression cuts both ways: we want them forever, but we also might also take them for granted.


Trophies

So Gerrard wanted to win trophies at Liverpool. The Reds won the biggest. As much as Gerrard would love the league title, the European Cup is the trophy all players dream of lifting. It's the 'rare' one –– nearly five times as rare at Anfield as the league title going into last season (and about eight times as rare at Old Trafford). If he wanted evidence that the club was moving in the right direction, that was undeniably it, even if doubts exist in other areas: it is not a finished project, but only the start. But what a start!

Being part of a Liverpool side that achieved a kind of immortality, and which can go on and achieve more –– even if it will be a struggle –– has to mean something to Gerrard. He wanted to win things at Liverpool, and he's won five cup medals, including the biggest in club football. But of course, now he can turn around and say: I gave you the European Cup, so I'm on my bike.

Gerrard is a very important player. Clearly. But no player is bigger than the club –– a cliché, but never more apposite. He was the club's joint-top scorer last season, but stats also seemed to suggest (rather surreally) that the team did fractionally better without him than when he was in the starting XI. His value to Liverpool is skewed slightly by his status as 50% of the Scouse heart of the side, and there are no Scousers waiting in the wings to fill that void (Welsh has a long way to go). But that's only relevant if Gerrard's heart is in the job. Better an eager and committed Spanish or Dutch or German heart than a dissatisfied local one.

If he stays, he needs to stay and put the whole speculation to bed. No club needs the man seen by many as its best player to not have his heart and soul in the task. At times that was the case last season, when he looked distinctly average. When he was stirred into action, we saw how effective and unstoppable he can be. I'm sure most fans only want the latter player at Anfield.

At this point in time I actually don't care that much if he stays or goes, as I see Liverpool being winners both ways. Losing him on the cheap in 2006 or 2007 would be a disaster; but someone paying top dollar this summer would satisfy me, as it would give Rafa the chance to build a better all-round side, providing he spends that money wisely (he has tended to, so far). If prospective players might want to play alongside Gerrard, then I feel satisfied that this will pale when compared to their desire to play for Benítez.

All I care about is where Gerrard goes. Chelsea or Manchester United, and I'd feel sick to the core, and concerned at strengthening our domestic rivals; Real Madrid and I'd see a lot of new 'possibilities' –– a better Real Madrid, of course, but a better, and more unified Liverpool, too.

redspider

PHB wrote:

Redspider, do you expect Liverpool to repeat their success in the CL next year? Like Semi-finals level?

No, I dont expect them to, nor did I expect them to get that far last season! Last season, I thought reasonable targets for the team were 4th in the league, maybe a cup win or cup final, at least a cup semi-final, and reaching the last-16 in the CL. They were **** in the league at times, and performed well in the CL at times, and reached the Carling Cup final, losing it unfortunately by giving away that og. The FA Cup was a shambles as Benitez's gamble (he does quite a bit of gambling when you look at his decisions) with playing a 2nd string didnt pay off.

We will need to see the shape of the team before exact targets can be made. Liverpool are having to go through the qualification for the CL which will be an extra burden on resources, as will playing in the World Club Cup. We cant predict injuries, but Liverpool tend to get more than other clubs over the years it would seem to me, and usually have less numbers of quality players to draw on so injuries affect them more.

Realistic targets are again top-4 in the league for me, but a comfortable top-4 place, not going down to the wire. Of course, what happens in the CL could affect that. If the CL run goes well, it could mean pressure in the league. I think Benitez should be able to solve to some extent the away form problem in the league. This is a mindset thing, not footballing capability. Liverpool should reach the last 16 of the CL, although after having won it last year, they are more than likely to find it tougher this year and clubs may play more defensive, etc. Again, reasonable targets in the cups should be at least one semi-final.

Lets see what team is there before predictions are made.


In terms of Zenden and Figo, Zenden is more or less a Chelsea reject. Were Arsenal and Man U chasing him? No, they weren't. Will he be a huge player for Liverpool - I dont expect him to as I think he is past his best. He should do ok, and should be better than a Biscan. The "rejects" at Mid'boro did quite good last season, Hasselbaink, Parlour, Viduka (a reject in the sense of not getting picked up by a bigger club after leaving Leeds, ala Smith). But these players are past their best, as is Zenden.

And as is Figo. Real want to get rid of Figo as he is on 90k a week. Real may want to do some sort of deal with Figo. Liverpool need a winger, Figo is past his best and is now short on pace. He may do a few things but I dont think we can see him run up and down the wing all season. Even Portugal have switched from relying on Figo to C.Ronaldo, and Man U rely on him heaviliy. Liverpool really need a winger with legs, and Figo is a half-hearted stop gap that is slower than he was and is likely to get slower next year.

Redspider

StickyMcGinty

any word on kuyt?

i'm being slowly persuaded that liverpool are in a win-win situation with stevie g. thats an excellent post Shred, cheers for that!

there are two reasons why i dont think we shouyld sell stevie g though:

1. He's a good, English player - hard to come by, and you need a few domestics in your team

2. i cant see benitez replacing him with someone better! i just cant!

redspider

Shred wrote:

Here's Paul Tomkin's take on it btw:

Much of the problem lies with the agents. As much as we hate them, agents have a job to do. Ideally they wouldn't exist. But in order to make their cut –– and here we're talking about millions of pounds –– they need to do their job a certain way. Sometimes an agent has to stir things up, as it leads to a richer client, and more money in their own bank accounts. It stinks, to a large degree, but it's the way of the game, and few players are honourable enough to steer clear of such shenanigans.

The above bit is especially of note - I've said it once, I've said it 1000 times. The Agents (or leeches, pre-apologies to you Bannor) are taking money from the game and the clubs need to wake up to this. However, one porblem is that the Managers and staff in the clubs are, I have no doubt, getting back-handers in mutually exclusive deals with the agents. Many agents and club staff willbe bringing secrets with them to their graves. Gone are the days of amateur "bungs", this is the era of secret deals and bank accounts in Switzerland and property in Dubai and off-shore locations.

I would concur with most points in the article. I think now is a good time to sell Gerrard, to Real or Milan, not to Chelsea, and if a bid for 35m comes in, nd say they are paying him 150k a week, its a win-win situation all round. Stevie can ce out and say, I love Liverpool, I've been hapy here, but to secure the future of my family and to have a new challenge etc. Foreign is tough though especially for a scouser who has played all his football at Liverpool. Even going to London will be a wrench and a culture shock for him.

Redspider

Shred

VinnyL wrote:

any word on kuyt?

i'm being slowly persuaded that liverpool are in a win-win situation with stevie g. thats an excellent post Shred, cheers for that!

It's always worth reading Paul Tomkin's articles, as when everyone else (meself included ) are going mental he comes along with a well thought out and level headed article that makes you re-think the entire situation.

Everyone seems to have gone very quiet on the Kuyt thing all of a sudden though

Ardent

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/0100news/tm_objectid=15701929%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=he%2ds%2doff%2d-name_page.html

He's off!

Jul 5 2005

World Exclusive by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo


Steven Gerrard

STEVEN Gerrard this afternoon delivered the news every Reds fan was dreading - he wants to leave the club.

It came only hours after Liverpool rejected a £32m bid from Chelsea, countering it with a proposal to Gerrard understood to be offering him £100,000 a week to stay.

The devastating blow came in a message to Anfield chief executive Rick Parry, delivered via Gerrard's agent Struan Marshall from SFX.

It marks a massive U-turn by the Reds' Huyton-born skipper, who insisted after the heroic European Cup Final win in Turkey that he wanted to remain at Anfield.

That's that then. As long as he doesn't go to Chelsea.

Shred

Confirmed on the official site:

LFC PRESS STATEMENT REGARDING GERRARD

Liverpool FC today issued the following press statement regarding Steven Gerrard.
"The club has made it crystal clear we want to keep Steven at Anfield. Sadly, he has told us this afternoon that he will not accept our offer of an improved and extended contract because he wants to leave Liverpool. We very much regret the decision he has taken."

RE*AC*TOR

ah....... balls!

well £30+ million please.

kaimera

:mad:

****er anyway. £100,000/week just isn't enough anymore.

oh, and a CL medal either.

Shred

I'd say he'll be going to Chelsea and LFC will accept their £32m bid now

Ardent

I applaud his honesty. At least he's not trying to do an Owen on us.

With the money we get for him, Rafa will be able to address his absence in the first team. Don't sell him to Chelsea (unless they offer 40+ mill).

meditraitor

Bollox to that :mad:

although there is no point in having him if all he is going to do is disrupt the team,

Hopefully Real m come in a with another couple of million(on top of chelseas 32) , nice little earner for the club..

emc2

Stevie G has had in a transfer request.

seabee

Hopefully Carragher is made captain now coz he really deserves it!

yom 1

if he wants to go let him go he isn't much good to us anymore if he doesn't want to play for us

just dont let him go to chelsea
Makele(sp) Lampard Gerrard Duff & Robben
that is just awesome and only liverpool can stop it happening now

Carragher for captain

PiE

F*ck him, we have Bolo Zenden!

Whatever he says about "wanting to win trophies" is horsesh*t. He's won everything bar the league at Liverpool, and he's gonna find it tough to win the English Premier League at Real Madrid. If he goes to Chelsea (I know he won't go to UTD) he's dead to me*

*Drama queen mode: engaged.

Shred

Trying to be positive - a lot of good can come from this. For starters there's £30m or so of an additional kitty for Rafa to spend now, then we won't have another season of intense media speculation....But I'm still pissed off about it regardless

Kone

seabee wrote:

Hopefully Carragher is made captain now coz he really deserves it!

Come on Captain Carra! :cool: He's a true and true red!

Stevie, thanks for the memories.

Rafa, go make some big buys! NOW!!!

Ardent

PiE wrote:

F*ck him, we have Bolo Zenden!

Whatever he says about "wanting to win trophies" is horsesh*t. He's won everything bar the league at Liverpool, and he's gonna find it tough to win the English Premier League at Real Madrid. If he goes to Chelsea (I know he won't go to UTD) he's dead to me*

*Drama queen mode: engaged.

It's all about the moolah. Wasn't it said Madrid were willing to offer him ~130k/week? I reckon that's where he'll be going.

~Rebel~

**** sake. Must say am unimpressed with him. Obviously all the stuff about them trying to push him out was ass anyway with him now saying he rejected the 100k a week offer. How can anyone need more money then that?!? Most people would kill to represent their childhood hero's and be a pivatol part to them trying to return to the glory days. If he wont accept 100 thousand pounds a week for that, **** him. He could have been remembered forever as a legend and hero instead of now being just a nother player at a bigger club. Right thats enough ranting, screw crouch lets bring in someone top class. could maybe sell him to real and get pablo garcia and juanfran or guti plus 25mill or something as part of the deal..

Shred

If Carra is made captain it'll be such a breath of fresh air - Stevie was never a real leader off the pitch, he was too negative in most interviews he gave. Some might say realistic, but he was hardly inspiring his team mates with some of his post match inteviews :rolleyes:

HashSlinging

Glad all thats over now, liverpool are not just a one player team. They can have a proper team now with everyone singing off the same sheet. Rafa has been scared to drop him all season as he feared the reaction from the fans. Now he can build a team around all the players not just Stevie G, as that wasnt a very good tactic last season(Prem)....

Go and join your muppet mate owen, we'll be laughing again next season.

~Rebel~

true, like when he said we had no chance of winning the champions league this year and rafa beat him for it afterwards!

Would like to see carra captain, xabi alonso as vice captain, have to mould the team around him now i think..

RE*AC*TOR

Screw the £35+ million - keep him for the final 2 years of his contract and NEVER play him in any games.. reserve or otherwise. He'll lose his England place and miss out on the world cup - he can rot. See how many teams jump for him then.

LizardKing

yeah Thanks and Good riddance ... go off and make more money ... Looking forward to some big name replacements (fingers crossed)

Shred

Anyone got Ballack's phone number

yom 1

Bye bye Gerrard. Thanks for the memories now f*ck off to spain wit that other little Mickey you money hungry git(never thought I would speak wit so much hatred about him)

Has Ballack signed for anyone yet, iirc didn't he turn down a move to Barcelona

I wonder will Rafa go in for Aimar now aswell

is there any other big name midfielders potentially on the move

HashSlinging

ROY KEANE!!

only jokin!!

astrofool

is it a good/bad reflection on Liverpool that now 3 of their home grown players have wanted to leave (owen/macca/gerrard).

Most of Arsenal and Utd home grown players leave when the club wants to sell them, not the other way around.

redspider

astrofool wrote:

is it a good/bad reflection on Liverpool that now 3 of their home grown players have wanted to leave (owen/macca/gerrard). Most of Arsenal and Utd home grown players leave when the club wants to sell them, not the other way around.

To some extent, it reflects that the expected standard from the youths as they come up through the ranks is to reach the Liverpool standard of winning trophies on a regular basis, such as was acheived in the 70's and 80's. They look forward to achieving that, but when the Liverpool team they are a part of fails to reach that illustrious and perhaps exaggerated target, and more money beckons elsewhere, they decide to take the plunge and move.

I think that MacManaman and Owen were brave to move to Real and leave Liverpool. Staying with what you know best is the easy choice in a way, and it shows us that these players, Gerard included, are talented and brave.

For example, Henry is more than happy to stay at Arsenal, where he is adored and molly-cuddled by his manager rather than risk moving to AC Milan or somewhere. The same for Roy Keane. He didnt really want to risk playing at a top level in another league. So, I applaud Gerrard for that, if he does indeed go to Real, Barca or AC Milan.

I cant think of any home-grown players that left Man U or Arsenal for a big signing abroad, apart from Beckham. Whether that was because they didnt reach the capability of Owen, etc, or whether Man U and Arsenal could afford more wages, which they clearly did, or a combination of those factors, is an interesting point.

All things are now pointing for Gerrard to go to Real for 35m or so, or even 32m. I think LFC will be fine with this, but it does mean a lot of changes in a couple of years. The Kuyt deal should be back on the table, and may be negotiated in parallel.

This is wheeling and dealing time ..... poker of a sort.

Redspider

Jivin Turkey

redspider wrote:

I cant think of any home-grown players that left Man U or Arsenal for a big signing abroad, apart from Beckham. Whether that was because they didnt reach the capability of Owen, etc, or whether Man U and Arsenal could afford more wages, which they clearly did, or a combination of those factors, is an interesting point.

You are being naive if you think they didnt leave for any other reason that they didnt have to because they were successful.

Jivin Turkey

redspider wrote:

In terms of Zenden and Figo, Zenden is more or less a Chelsea reject. Were Arsenal and Man U chasing him? No, they weren't. Will he be a huge player for Liverpool - I dont expect him to as I think he is past his best. He should do ok, and should be better than a Biscan. The "rejects" at Mid'boro did quite good last season, Hasselbaink, Parlour, Viduka (a reject in the sense of not getting picked up by a bigger club after leaving Leeds, ala Smith). But these players are past their best, as is Zenden.

Zenden was rejected by Chelsea under Ranieri without ever getting a proper run in the team, shock horror.

I cant understand how you think he can be past his best, as he is only 28 and only in the last two years has he been settled. The lad has played hardly any football for a player his age and there is a lot more to come from him.

I watched him closely last year, all be it as a result of a by-product of my interest with Stuart Downing, but he was a class act. I think you and a lot of other people will be presently surprised to see how strong a player he is.

redspider wrote:

And as is Figo. Real want to get rid of Figo as he is on 90k a week. Real may want to do some sort of deal with Figo. Liverpool need a winger, Figo is past his best and is now short on pace. He may do a few things but I dont think we can see him run up and down the wing all season. Even Portugal have switched from relying on Figo to C.Ronaldo, and Man U rely on him heaviliy. Liverpool really need a winger with legs, and Figo is a half-hearted stop gap that is slower than he was and is likely to get slower next year.

Figo never had an abundance of pace so I dont think he will miss it all that much. His game has always been about raw technique and skill.

Portugal still rely heavily on Figo. Ronaldo rarely plays full games for Portugal so I fail to see how they could possibly rely on him so heavily.

While I would be apprehensive somewhat about the Figo signing, if he is got on a reasonable contract he could be a revelation. He was the best player in the world a couple of years ago. Im sure he could do a job when we are running out of ideas in Fratton Park.

opr

Sky Sports

To be honest its the worst statement i have ever heard its says nothing about his motivation for leaving.

I really want him to hold a press conference and tell the fans why he wants to leave even if it is he doesn't think he will win more trophies with Liverpool i want to hear HIM say it and i think he owes it to Liverpool fans to do so.

cregser

opr wrote:

Sky Sports

To be honest its the worst statement i have ever heard its says nothing about his motivation for leaving.

I really want him to hold a press conference and tell the fans why he wants to leave even if it is he doesn't think he will win more trophies with Liverpool i want to hear HIM say it and i think he owes it to Liverpool fans to do so.

My sentiments exactly.

Johnny_the_fox

liverpool should play him in next weeks champions league match - so he can't play for any other team in the competition.

if he doesnt want to play... fine him..

galwaydude

thats a joke if the theory is that s.gerrard wants to leave liverpool to win more trophies.Is the CL not enough.Well good riddence when he does go.Liverpool proved that we are not a one man team when owen left last year, now he regrets it i bet.
We have the perfect replacement in alonso.

Now we can go after essien for 20 million with plenty to spare.
I have full faith in benitez.

stevey gerrard thank for the memories but your a gready ****ard if you leave.

StickyMcGinty

is essien even gonna want to come to us???

galwaydude

not sure with the whole houiller factor with him been the boss at lyon now.Why not we are the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS for 2005 after all.

Hes the type we should be aiming for but anyways we have alonso as the creative force and hamann as the holding midfielder.Maybe now we will go after aimar from valencia.

Chucky the tree

Personnally i am delighted with the signs rafa has made so far.

COmpared to arsenal, united, and chelsea we have done alot of business. DOnt need to sign players for CL until August 7th or so, even then i am sure we have enough to make it past the 3rd round.

Jivin Turkey

galwaydude wrote:

Hes the type we should be aiming for but anyways we have alonso as the creative force and hamann as the holding midfielder.Maybe now we will go after aimar from valencia.

I hope to God that Liverpool dont sign Essien or Aimar, and Ill they sign both Ill hit the roof.

Two totally overrated players.

el rabitos

i was going to post on the news earliar....BUT, its pretty funny watching everyone panic about the whole situation.

losing gerrard is a massive loss no doubt, but better teams have won more cups and being more successful without needing a captain or central midfielder thats a local boy

theres better passers of the ball than gerrard, better stikers of the ball (not many better, but a few) and there are players out there that would relish the chance to be a liverpool player and play on that pitch and show loyalty.

gerrards strengths were his ability to lift the team, by making a tackle, jumping up and making another and pushing the team, he was also great for scoring an important goal.

but all of that was mostly at anfield and limited to the major away games.

if gerrard shoes the same desire at chelsea or madrid or wherever he goes i'd be very suprised

liverpool need 11 players that want to win EVERY game, not just the home games where the crowd with eat them alive for ****e performances, and not just big games like champions league matches.

11 players have to want to win EVERY game, just like what chelsea players showed last year, and they didnt pay a penny for that kind of desire.

no player is is bigger than the club. a squad of players with the desire to win every game like chelsea had last season will do us alot better that 1 defender with the desire to win EVERY match, a captain that was in 2 minds about where he wanted to play his football and a bunch of other players going half a$$ the rest of the time

StickyMcGinty

your right about one thing, consistency has to be our biggest improvement next year. you cant beat arsenal one week and loose to WBA the next and expect to mount a serious title challenge...

Roddy23

"

i have been told from a very reliable source that the 2-3 signings that rafa spoke of yesterday are:

Milito
Figo

"


Just seen this tonight on the web.
Taken from squarefootball.

According to a text message from a source with Anfield connections, Luis Figo has tonight signed for Liverpool on a one year deal. Whether this is a loan or signing is probably immaterial, but no further details are available and the news has cerainly not been released to the press at this time. So consider this a rumour until there are some facts available!

The talented Portuguese veteran will be 33 in November and has been considered surplus to requirements at Real Madrid for the past season. He has 107 caps having scored 29 goals and is part of the 'golden generation' of Portuguese talent that emerged in the early 1990's.

On a day when Liverpool fans learned that Steven Gerrard wanted to leave the team he has represented since he was eight years old this will come as something of a lift.

Liverpool have been very busy in the transfer market over the past few days tying up the free transfer of Bolo Zenden from Middlesbrough, signing Mark Gonzales from Albacete on loan, prising Spaniard Antonio Barragan from the Sevilla youth team and finally bagging Villarreal 'keeper Jose Reina.

Whilst Gerrard may not have been impressed at waiting to negotiate a contract, he can't help but be impressed at the number of bodies being brought in - and if Figo is confirmed it will be a fifth new signing in a week. Perhaps this was the reason for the delay in negotiations!