Liverpool Signings and General Rumours Thread

Jazzy

The Rooster wrote:

Is it correct to put Leto as a serious option for this season - or should he be treated like the two new Hungarians, an hope for future years?

Personally I think Kuyt will be a far better partner for Torres. I think he'll be better at holding the ball up and then releasing the pace of Torres. I do agree that Crouch is a good option for Europe where they can't handle his gait.

i had leto there cos i copy and pasted the format from tusky

just heard the jamie carragher radioshow thing there. wat a brilliant lad, yer man had virtually no arguement. just shows what kind of jokers they let on the radio for "expert" analysis. just like good old dunphy, there is one man id like to have a football arguement with could have had the chance but i was in the toilet at the time in work, he was outside the front door having a fag and my mate asked him to play a game of pro evo (i worked in the xbox shop) and dunphy said "I dont do techno" funny stuff

zAbbo

I remember reading an interview with Jamie a few years back about his interests outside football, and what does he do after games etc. - basically he's a football nut !, and was naming reserve games he was going to watch, spanish / italian games he had sky plused and other footie he was catching up on, all this after a full week training + game for Liverpool.

Zapp Brannigan

Yeah Carra would probably consider himself a better fan than player.
In Gerrards book he talks about how Carra knows nearly everything in football and that you'd find it almost impossible to stump him with a question.

Tusky

Benayoun to Liverpool, he will sign tomorrow after completing a medical. The fee is 5M @ 50,000 a week which is less than he was offered at West Ham. Its being reported across a number of Israeli papers and has been confirmed by his agent.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3423780,00.html

Hes obviously a replacement for Garcia which means Babel is being signed for the LW.

Leto (I think hes been brought in for the 1st team as Rafa mentioned him in the Torres conference in the same sentence as Lucas & Torres but didnt mention the other youngsters that have been brought in. Also, I think hes about 20 ? )
Veronin
Lucas
Torres
Benayoun
Babel (99% likely)

Whos next ?

~Rebel~

id say a backup Central Defender and we'll be done.

Tusky

~Rebel~ wrote:

id say a backup Central Defender and we'll be done.

Unfortunately, I agree. We desperately need more goals from the wings. Are Benayoun & Babel the answer ? Hmm.

Vokes

Can't Arbeloa play CB too? Well in a back 3 i guess.

Hey, why not get in another journeyman DF from La Liga as well ala Josemi and Kromkamp

~Rebel~

As PHB has pointed out rightly in the past, using a lesser quality player every so often for a game (Paletta, Arbeloa) is grand, but if anything long term happens to Agger or Carra we'd be pretty screwed. The difference between maintaining a title fight and drifting off could be a free signing like Ben Haim or Distin. Im sure theres someone out there who would be happy to be 3rd choice but is decent enough to step up to the responsibility if needed. Neil would have been handy if he wasnt such a money grabber.

eirebhoy

Benayoun's a great signing.

RE*AC*TOR

eirebhoy wrote:

Benayoun's a great signing.

I agree. Very underrated player. Anytime I've seen him play against Liverpool he was a real threat.

jesus_thats_gre

eirebhoy wrote:

Benayoun's a great signing.

Agree with that myself. Before West Ham signed him, GH was rumoured to be interested in him and since then, I have kept a close eye on him and considering an very underrated player.

Drag00n79

I fully agree with PHB on that also. Hyypiä is 34 in October and we are too threadbare in central defence. On a separate note, I think Benayoun is a bargain at £4m/5m.

The Rooster

Delighted with Yossi myself. I think he's better than any of the wide players we had last season. Very clever player, Premiership experience, plays for the team rather than himself. And of course our previous Israelis, Avi Cohen and Rocket Ronnie were both deadly

Sky Sports News is reporting that West Ham have said a fee has been agreed.

Daemonic

Good signing. He can give that bit of imagination Luis gave us, but hopefully with some more consistency.

Chardee MacDennis

he's not too old either. not a bad summer if himself, babel and a defender all end up signing.

zAbbo

Happy with Benayoun, I thought the time to buy him was in 2005, after his exploits in Irelands qualifying group and his consistent form at Santander, but we missed out, and have him now at twice the price, but with 2 years PL experience.

The Rooster

Just saw Bellamy interviewed on Sky Sports. Obviously very disappointed with having to leave Liverpool, but doing his best to put a brave face on it.

zing

PHB wrote:

Does that mean that if Mascherano wants, he could leave Liverpool next season, or is the option only on Liverpools side?

But maybe there is no option - maybe he's already been signed permanently ? Most of us believe it's an 18 month loan deal but none of us know for sure.

mike65

Did I miss something, is he signed? /runs off to google

I'm happy with this, some will proberly have a moan that he's not Spanish/Argentinian etc and is too cheap to be any good (!) but he's always looked like a versatile lively talent going forwards.

Mike.

Tusky

mike65 wrote:

Did I miss something, is he signed? /runs off to google

Mike.

Signing tomorrow.

Mr Alan

good signing and good value if this is true

zing

Beeb & Sky both saying 4m

evil_seed

maybe it was on this board, i'm not sure. but.. i like the way rafa is getting not only good players but leaders. by that i mean that torres was captain of athletico sine 19 yrs old, yossi is captain of the isreal national team & lucas captain of the brazilian u-20 team. pretty good thing to have in the squad imo as regards to attitudes and setting examples

Zapp Brannigan

I'm not sure about Benayoun, he's not a winger and that's what we need.
Still he's not a bad player.

Stky10

Zapp Brannigan wrote:

I'm not sure about Benayoun, he's not a winger and that's what we need.

I'd agree. Supposedly a replacement for Garcia, yet his goals to game ratio at West Ham is about one in ten, whereas for Garcia it was one in four.

sweetie

PHB wrote:

So if Joorbachian got a bid from Real for say 100 million, Mascherano would have the choice between Liverpool who would pay the pre-arranged fee or Real?

Surely it wouldn't mean anything to Mascherano how much was bid, it'd be Kirobachian who would be getting the fee.

Daemonic wrote:

Everyone has Babel listed as a winger, his agent seems to think different. Hopefully its not another FSP job of trying to get a striker to play on the wing.

I quite like the idea of a winger who likes to score as well as cross.

Kanney

Heh, just Wiki'd Yossi for the craic and saw in Israel he is nicknamed "the Kid". Heh heh.

zAbbo

Kanney wrote:

Heh, just Wiki'd Yossi for the craic and saw in Israel he is nicknamed "the Kid". Heh heh.

I see a pattern emerging....

PHB

Surely it wouldn't mean anything to Mascherano how much was bid, it'd be Kirobachian who would be getting the fee.

What I meant by that example was, if Kirobachian wanted him to go elsewhere, did he have any say, or was it up to Mascherano?

PiE

If a future fee has been agreed and both Mascherano and Liverpool want to go ahead with it, the Kia chap can't prevent it.

I can still see Rafa springing a surprise with his signings. Things seem to be going a little too straight-forward.

The Rooster

Liverpool laauncing a TV channel

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N156233070711-0734.htm

Liverpool Football Club will launch its very own dedicated television channel - LFC TV - in September after signing a major three-year deal with Setanta Sports. LFC TV will be carried at no extra charge as part of the Setanta Sports Pack, a nine-channel offering, available on satellite.

The channel will also be broadcast live on www.liverpoolfc.tv as part of e-Season Ticket, the official website's premium content service.

With LFC TV positioned right at the heart of the club, the channel's flagship news programme 'LFC Now' will have every angle covered – including exclusive interviews with the manager, former stars and, of course, the current players themselves.

With LFC TV planning to broadcast selected Reserve team games live, fans will also be given a unique opportunity to cast an eye over the emerging talent knocking on the first team dressing room door.

And for a glimpse of the future, we'll report from the club's state-of-the-art Academy on the youngsters hoping to lift trophies for the Reds after the current crop of stars have hung up their boots.

While the club's future success is paramount, LFC TV will also cast a respectful eye on the dramas and triumphs of days gone by, the bedrock on which the Anfield success story has been built.

Many of the players who brought so much joy to fans on the way to earning legendary status at the club will be regular visitors to the LFC TV studios. The expert views of former heroes – trophy winners all – will form the backbone of the channel's innovative 'This is Anfield' show – a live, interactive football forum where the big issues are debated.

And it won't just be the professional pundits who have their say - 'This is Anfield' will provide a platform for the fans to have their say. It's the perfect opportunity for supporters to put forward their views and demonstrate why Liverpool followers are rightly considered by many to be the most passionate and knowledgeable in the world.

What's On LFC TV and When

• All Liverpool FC matches in the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League (not live)
  
• At least six hours of original programming content per day, five days a week, fifty two weeks per year
  
• Daily news round-up with all the latest from Anfield and Melwood
  
• Exclusive interviews with the manager, coaching staff and current players
  
• Classic matches from Liverpool's illustrious past
  
• Live studio discussions with former Liverpool stars, supporters, celebrity fans and football experts
  
• No less than 50% of all friendlies involving the Liverpool football team on a live and exclusive basis

Liverpool's weekend matches will be transmitted in the first instance at midnight on Sunday, then repeated throughout the next day and at regular intervals during the following week. Midweek games will be available from midnight the same night – and again repeated over the next few days at varying times allowing fans to watch matches at their leisure and, most importantly, at a time it suits them.

Our match previews will be extensive, with the latest word from Melwood on team selection and injury news as well as exclusive pre-match interviews with the manager and his players and, of course, the low-down on the opposition.

And after the game, our post-match analysis will be all-encompassing with our resident experts casting a critical eye on the day's events alongside the views of the Liverpool camp at the game. And you can be sure that if the Man of the Match is wearing a red shirt - we'll be looking to speak to him.

LFC TV will be available at no extra cost as part of the Setanta Sports Pack. Setanta's exclusive live content includes:

LFC TV viewers subscribing to Setanta Sports will receive the club's brand new designated channel plus:
Setanta Sports 1
Setanta Sports 2
Setanta Golf
Racing UK
Racing World
NASN (North American Sports Network)
Celtic TV
Rangers TV

I think the Setanta package is €10 a month for NTL/Chorus customers, and €18 a month on for Sky Digital customers. £9.99 or £13 in Northern Ireland.

zAbbo

LFC TV sounds good, deffo worth getting Setanta now.

Gossip -

Liverpool are lining up a £600,000 double swoop for Millwall's teenage starlets Preston Edwards and David Amoo. (Daily Star)

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has told his team-mates not to blow the Premier League in the first two months of the season. (Daily Star)

Lex Luthor

With Benayoun signing and him being a captain of his country, it seems Rafa is building a team of leaders with a lot of players either being their previous team captain or of their country

RE*AC*TOR

Graham Hunter this morning said that Liverpool are in for Quaresma, but Liverpool and Athletico Madrid are being played off each other in a bidding war.

He also said that the Ryan Babel transfer is a bit of a mystery as he is a very raw player, but that it could indicate Liverpool have a lot of money to spend and they are willing to take a chance on Babel taking a year or 18 months to improve.

The Rooster

zabbo wrote:

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has told his team-mates not to blow the Premier League in the first two months of the season. (Daily Star)

Thats a good plan! Pity he didnt think of it last year or the year before

Thanx 4 The Fish

The Rooster wrote:

Thats a good plan! Pity he didnt think of it last year or the year before

In fairness the rest of that goes on to say that this is the frst real seasons break and while Man U and Chelsea had strength in depth to deal with that, Pool didn't and so fatigue set in.

Think I will be getting setanta too. No annual package, tenner a month and I get all of setanta sports with LFC TV too. Bargain.

mike65

And there was me hoping to wean myself off NTL and buy a cheap FTA box!

Mike.

Thanx 4 The Fish

You can get Setanta on a Freeview box over here, not sure if it can be done in Ireland mind.

mike65

Nope unless I lived right near the border.

Mike.

zAbbo

Thanx 4 The Fish wrote:

In fairness the rest of that goes on to say that this is the frst real seasons break and while Man U and Chelsea had strength in depth to deal with that, Pool didn't and so fatigue set in.

Think I will be getting setanta too. No annual package, tenner a month and I get all of setanta sports with LFC TV too. Bargain.

They'll also be showing the Rugby World Cup as well as Magners league rugby, if you're into egg chasing

Looks good value, but I'd say a price hike could be coming.

Thanx 4 The Fish

I would imagine so too but then it would still be cheaper than SS.

eirebhoy

They only reduced the price in the UK last week so I doubt they'll hike it up. Setanta seem to be targetting Liverpool. They're showing a load of their pre-season friendlies.

Zapp Brannigan

Hmm I might just have to get Setanta now. Though I work on saturdays and sundays but I could still watch the repeats rather than feckin selected highlights on MoTD.

I'd love if we were still in for Quaresma, he may be a dancer but he'd defintely make LFC a more exciting team.

spockety

Screw that. You can get the LFC TV station live, the same as is going out on Setanta, on the e-season ticket which is a fraction of the price.

"The channel will also be broadcast live on www.liverpoolfc.tv as part of e-Season Ticket, the official website's premium content service."

zAbbo

spockety wrote:

Screw that. You can get the LFC TV station live, the same as is going out on Setanta, on the e-season ticket which is a fraction of the price.

"The channel will also be broadcast live on www.liverpoolfc.tv as part of e-Season Ticket, the official website's premium content service."

yeah but can you watch it as easily as on your tv, sky plus the games etc.

Thanx 4 The Fish

Everything will be a fraction of the price, that's the interesting thing about fractions, any two numbers can be expressed as on.

If I got it for the 8 months or so of the season that will cost me 80 quid and I get to see live matches, rugby and the like too. In Ireland it will cost £45 stg (not sure what that is in euro) and you have to have a reasonably good internet connection and computer to watch the channel. You save the money form going to the pub to watch the games live... Seems to be quite reasonable to me.

Tusky

Zapp Brannigan wrote:

Hmm I might just have to get Setanta now. Though I work on saturdays and sundays but I could still watch the repeats rather than feckin selected highlights on MoTD.

I'd love if we were still in for Quaresma, he may be a dancer but he'd defintely make LFC a more exciting team.

Yeah...so far Torres is the only signing that will actually change the first 11. Bamel, Benayoun, Veronin & Lucas certainly improve the bench but thats not we need!

zing

A bit annoyed about the TV channel myself - would rather not have to subscribe to Setanta or any other package if I didn't want to. Would much rather be able to subscribe to it on it's own but it's understandable that they'd partner with the likes of Setanta to at least get started. But ultimately they should be looking to make that channel a lot more global along the lines of MUTV, Chelsea TV or Real Madrid TV.

spockety

Thanx 4 The Fish wrote:

Everything will be a fraction of the price, that's the interesting thing about fractions, any two numbers can be expressed as on.

Very clever well done, my maths skills are obviously no match for your own.
By the way, that's "one", not "on".

If I got it for the 8 months or so of the season that will cost me 80 quid and I get to see live matches, rugby and the like too. In Ireland it will cost £45 stg (not sure what that is in euro) and you have to have a reasonably good internet connection and computer to watch the channel. You save the money form going to the pub to watch the games live... Seems to be quite reasonable to me.

Not sure where you're getting your figures from, but Setanta Sports is 18.99 a month, which is not 80 quid for 8 months.

E-season ticket costs me 6.77 a month, and for that I am going to get the same channel that goes out on Setanta, PLUS all highlights for the last 6 years on demand, plus interviews, etc., etc.,. I have plugged the e-season ticket out of my PC and into my TV and I can tell you that the quality is good enough to watch no problem.

Setanta was supposed to be good for the consumer, bringing competition etc. All it has done is split the market but Sky have retained their pricing structure, and Setanta have come in with their pricing on top of that. Consumers are being bled dry by TV companies now for sport.

Mr Alan

Tusky wrote:

Yeah...so far Torres is the only signing that will actually change the first 11. Bamel, Benayoun, Veronin & Lucas certainly improve the bench but thats not we need!

I wouldn't nescessarily agree.

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Reina/Carson

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Finnan--Carra---Agger

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Aurelio/Riise

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Gerrard/

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Alonso/Mascherano---Riise/
Pennant/

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Gerrard/Lucas----Aurelio/
Benayoun.

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Babel/Kewell

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Kuyt/Torres/Babel

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Crouch/Voronin

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In my humble opinion if the above team performs,it is more than capable of winning the league.

I know Babel ain't a done deal, but i'm just working on the basis that we'll be bringing in someone of that quality. Cover for centre back brought in and i'd be happy.