Liverpool Rumours And General Discussion 2007/2008

monkey9

Nigerian international forward Osaze Odemwingie may be on his way into the Premiership after dishing out an impressive performance at the recently concluded African Cup of Nations in Ghana.
According to reports on Brilafm.net, the Locomotiv Moscow
striker could be making an 8 million pound move from his Russian club side to Premiership giants Liverpool during the summer transfer window.

The site indicates that Reds Boss, Rafael Benitez had sent a scout, Marc Guinness, to monitor the forward player during the African Championship, with the scout in turn being impressed with the player's abilities on the ball.

Rafael Benitez could be ready to swap his Ukrainian hitman, Andriy Voronin, for the Super Eagles star striker during the summer.

Odenwingie, born in Tashkent, is a versatile 26-year-old who can play on the left flank or through the middle. He signed on at "Loko" in 2007 from Lille OSC.

prendy

we dont need "versatile".:mad:
voronin and kuyt are versatile.
we need a STRIKER.

these kinda buys are ruining the good work rafa does in other areas IMO.

missingtime

Would this be a sign he's planing more for a 4-3-3 formation.

zing

There was an article a few weeks back saying ourselves & 2 or 3 other clubs were the only prem clubs NOT to have sent scouts to the African Cup. Whoever wrote it had contacted all the clubs and we'd said we weren't sending any scouts to it.

Link to story I was referring to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/7212930.stm

missingtime

Here are his stats from Wikipedia

Tusky

Hopefully its a nothing story.

~Rebel~

To be honest i quite like him. Has looked good anytime i saw him play for Lille. Would definately be a 4-3-3 signing alright, would fit that perfectly. I think we should be aiming higher for someone like Benzema, but he's still a big step up from Voronin. Incisive dangerous fast attacking player.

monkey9

Tusky wrote: »

Hopefully its a nothing story.

Yeah, cos he does not sound like he'd improve the squad at all. Just the same old that we already have. I wouldn't say there's anything in it

citytillidie

Just need someone else who can shot on target and head the ball

yayamark

I wouldnt have much hope in liverpools signing any african player after the diouf signing and the other african signings we've had.

A couple of good displays in an african tournament shouldnt be an indicator to a good player. One swallow doesnt make a summer.

sweetie

yayamark wrote: »

I wouldnt have much hope in liverpools signing any african player after the diouf signing and the other african signings we've had.

A couple of good displays in an african tournament shouldnt be an indicator to a good player. One swallow doesnt make a summer.

or signing a player that had a decent youth tournament, i.e. Babel

Mr Alan

Babel has been an excellent signing. And he was very hot property for a number of Europes top clubs before the U21 Euros.

~Rebel~

and in fairness Odenwingie has been playing in europe for years. Never seen him play for Nigeria myself, but he always impressed me with Lille.

Tusky

Was just thinking. How many players from the following would get into our first team.

Everton - ehh
Man city - Dunne/Richards & Petrov
Aston Villa - ehh
Portsmouth - hmm

Really shows how badly our team is under performing. Or am I over rating our players ?

redzerdrog

lescott at left full

Pighead

Ashley Young is better than Kewell/Yossi/Pennant in my humble opinion.

Tusky

Pighead wrote: »

Ashley Young is better than Kewell/Yossi/Pennant in my humble opinion.

True that, didnt think of him. Going on this team say.

---

Reina

Finnan--Carra--Agger--Arbeloa

Gerrard--Masch-Alonso--Babel

---

Torres--Crouch

Pighead

Tusky wrote: »

True that, didnt think of him. Going on this team say.

---

Reina

Finnan--Carra--Agger--Arbeloa

Gerrard--Masch-Alonso--Babel

---

Torres--Crouch

---

Reina

Finnan--Richards--Dunne--Arbeloa

Gerrard--Masch-Arteta--Young

---

Torres--Defoe

Sorry Jamie.:o Maybe stick him at RB instead of Finnan to appease the Liverpool masses.

PHB

Really shows how badly our team is under performing. Or am I over rating our players ?

Young would defo get in there imo. Competition with Petrov maybe. Infact Young and Petrov would both get in there I think, just one would play on the wrong side.
Agbanlahour (no idea how to spell that) would certainly be in with a shout. As would Yakubu.
I think Dunne is probably better than Agger, but Agger can get better so.

GBX

Benjani perhaps

Kimbot

Tusky wrote: »

Was just thinking. How many players from the following would get into our first team.

Everton - ehh
Man city - Dunne/Richards & Petrov
Aston Villa - ehh
Portsmouth - hmm

Really shows how badly our team is under performing. Or am I over rating our players ?

Not overrating, we have some class players, between loss of form and everything going on off the pitch it hasn't helped.

I think the following is our main problems:

Agger - This was the man that always brought the ball out from the heart of our defence. Since he has been injured we relied on Hyypia, with his lack of pace Carra has been over complicating things by not having enough faith in his defensive partner's pace. Carra just hoofs the ball upfield to just get it away from the defence.

Strikers - Torres Has been unreal for us but it seems like the rest of the forwards are too over reliant on him to score where they can help set him up.

LB - With Aurelio injured and Riise's loss of form we have been exposed there unless Arbeloa has been slotted in there.

LW - Still an issue, why hasn't kewell been played there some more?? I though he would have come on against chelsea and done a job for us!!

Sqaull20

~Rebel~ wrote: »

To be honest i quite like him. Has looked good anytime i saw him play for Lille. Would definately be a 4-3-3 signing alright, would fit that perfectly.

He had no trouble doing Ferdinand for pace when he faced United last season, something Torres couldnt do....

Ive seen him play with Lille many times and he is definitely good enough for the Pool, great pace with dribbling skills to boot, he worked his arse off for Lille, playing on the wing sometimes so the goal to game ratio isnt really a fair way to judge him as a Striker....

He's as good a finisher as Torres (wasteful), has more pace and is dangerous on the wing....

Could do alot worse

redzerdrog

as good a finisher and more pace than torres sign this man up surely he is world class:rolleyes:

PHB

He is as fast, and is a pretty good finisher, but as I remember, he's nowhere near that as intelligent in his play as Torres, and he doesn't have anywhere near the dribbling ability of Torres.

Zapp Brannigan

A. Young, Petrov and Richards. Would take all of those from other teams. Young on the right, Petrov on the left. That would be some wing pairing.

mike65

Liverpool crash out of the FA Youth Cup. Sunderland 5 - 3 Liverpool (AET).

Ah well. So long as the seniors don't follow suit this weekend.

Mike.

~Rebel~

mike65 wrote: »

Liverpool crash out of the FA Youth Cup. Sunderland 5 - 3 Liverpool (AET).

Ah well. So long as the seniors don't follow suit this weekend.

Mike.

aww no, didnt even realise that was tonight. thats a balls anyway, no 3 in a row Sunderland have their revenge for last night.

Tusky

Pighead wrote: »

---

Reina

Finnan--Richards--Dunne--Arbeloa

Gerrard--Masch-Arteta--Young

---

Torres--Defoe

Sorry Jamie.:o Maybe stick him at RB instead of Finnan to appease the Liverpool masses.

I didn't mean a collaboration of the other 4 teams. I meant each team separately. Arteta ahead of Alonso ? really ? Would I be wrong in saying that Arteta hasnt even been called up to the Spanish team ?

LostinBlanch

It looks like some pool fans are planning on going down the fc united route.

http://www.afcliverpool.org.uk/

Fair play.

Jesus Wept

LostinBlanch wrote: »

It looks like some pool fans are planning on going down the fc united route.

http://www.afcliverpool.org.uk/

Fair play.

I'd say Hicks & Gillette are shíting themselves.

Xavi6

mike65 wrote: »

Liverpool crash out of the FA Youth Cup. Sunderland 5 - 3 Liverpool (AET).

Ah well. So long as the seniors don't follow suit this weekend.

Mike.

No revenge for City We'd have beaten you this year.

Mr Alan

This talk just won't go away . . . . . . . . . . .

EXCLUSIVE
By Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer 14/02/2008
Related Articles

Liverpool are poised to change hands again - by the middle of next month - as the club's US owners close in on a double-your-money offer from Dubai.

Despite denials from Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Mirror Sport understands that an outline agreement to transfer ownership of the Anfield giants to Dubai International Capital is in the pipeline.

Sources in New York have confirmed that a £460million deal with DIC - the Dubai government's financial arm and headed by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum - is now on the verge of conclusion. Anfield fans will rejoice at the news that the two Americans' ill-starred reign is ending after a series of protests in recent weeks over their treatment of boss Rafa Benitez.

Supporters have demanded a sale to DIC, who were jilted at the end of 2006 when the Liverpool board wrongly believed the deal with the Americans would safeguard the interests of the club. Hicks is expected to stay as part of the new club directorate in the immediate aftermath of the sale.

The effective sale price is nowhere near the ambitious £1billion valuation Mirror Sport exclusively revealed was put on the club by Hicks in November. He and Gillett paid just £219m to take control of Liverpool from David Moores a year ago.

One insider said: "These talks are still ongoing. Tom and George want to make sure they get the right price for giving up the club."

Despite leaving Liverpool with a £350m debt, they will be able to walk away having made a substantial profit.

IrishMike

Mr Alan wrote: »

This talk just won't go away . . . . . . . . . . .

EXCLUSIVE
By Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer 14/02/2008
Related Articles

Liverpool are poised to change hands again - by the middle of next month - as the club's US owners close in on a double-your-money offer from Dubai.

Despite denials from Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Mirror Sport ........

I stopped reading about there.
Its from the Mirror so it can be completely ignored.
Wishful thinking im afraid

Mr Alan

i suppose....everything Gillette and Hicks say is usually true?!

dardoz

Football365 are reporting the same

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_3145037,00.html

Stky10

I can't see Dubai paying more than twice what they were willing to a year ago, when the club has gone backwards in that time. It doesn't make sense.

jesus_thats_gre

That story is everywhere tbh.. .

zing

Stky10 wrote: »

I can't see Dubai paying more than twice what they were willing to a year ago, when the club has gone backwards in that time. It doesn't make sense.

It wasn't that they weren't willing to pay more last year - that didn't really come into it iirc. The deal had been agreed and was to be ratified by the board. Then Moores/Parry started stalling as Gillet & Hicks rode into town on their shiny piebalds. DIC saw what was going on and told Moores/Parry to honour the agreement or they were off - and unlike Moores/Parry they stayed through to their word and pulled their offer off the table when Moores/Parry wouldn't do so.

Mr Alan

Valuations of football clubs are a bit all over the shop anyway, very hard to put an actual price on them

prendy

Liverpool could sell keeper Nikolay Mihaylov - bought for £225,000 - to FC Twente as the Dutch club, who have him on loan, want to sign him for £4m.

from the bbc gossip pages.
would make good sense to sell if we got £4m for him.
one thing were never short of is impressive young keepers coming through!

mike65

I did'nt know that Liverpool has a Nikolay Mihaylov on the books!

from wiki

Nikolay Mihaylov currently dates Bulgarian 2006 Playmate of the Year Nikoleta Lozanova

edit - He hasn't got a permit yet.

Goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov is reported as saying he expect to be back in Liverpool in the summer after they slapped a £4million price-tag on him.

The 19-year-old Bulgarian custodian joined the Reds in a £225,000 from Levski Sofia last summer, but was sent on loan to FC Twente in Holland due to work permit issues.

Twente officials are now said to be chasing a full signing, at a cost of £4million.

"Liverpool have asked for such a high price, because they wanted to discourage Twente from buying me," he said.

"I expect to join Liverpool in July, because my visa problems will be settled by then."

Mike.

monkey9

RAFA HANDED QUADRUPLE FITNESS BOOST
Jimmy Rice 14 February 2008
Rafa Benitez has been handed a quadruple fitness boost ahead of the forthcoming Cup double-header – but has yet to decide whether to risk his returning stars in the first clash against Barnsley on Saturday.
Fernando Torres was involved in part of yesterday's training session alongside fellow absentees Sami Hyypia, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Aurelio.

All four could be available for the FA Cup fifth round, but with Inter Milan arriving at Anfield just three days later, Benitez has some tricky decisions ahead.

"I need to consider both games but I know it's important to progress in the FA Cup, so I will try to use a strong team," the boss told Liverpoolfc.tv.

"Sami Hyypia is improving. He did the warm up and could be available, but we will have to analyse the situation. Torres also did the warm up, as well as Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa, and they are really close.

"Now it is about whether we will take the risk or not.

"For Inter, Torres will be okay. We will have to check before Barnsley."

monkey9

ON THIS DAY: RIP BOB PAISLEY
Paul Hassall 14 February 2008
Liverpool Football Club was left to mourn the passing of the most successful football manager in its history on this day in 1996.
The late, great Bob Paisley, a man who inherited Bill Shankly's legacy and took it to new, unparalleled levels of success, died at the age of 77 after a four-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

He led the club to six League titles, three European Cups, one UEFA Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, three League Cups and five Charity Shields in just nine years in charge.

His association with Liverpool began in 1939 when he joined the club as a young wing-half, and stretched through to a role as physio, coach, manager and eventually a director.

He retired from the board in 1992 due to ill health but will go down in history as one of the club's most loyal servants and was rightly immortalised in Reds folklore with the creation of the Paisley Gateway on April 8, 1999.


A true Reds legend.

R.I.P. Bob.

mike65

Benitez has some tricky decisions ahead.

No he doesn't! Keep them fresh.

Am I the only one who thinks Bob Paisley tends to get overlooked? Everyone goes on about Shanks with his larger than life personality and bon mots but it was Paisley made Liverpool a relentless machine.

Mike.

Mr Alan

mike65 wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks Bob Paisley tends to get overlooked? Everyone goes on about Shanks with his larger than life personality and bon mots but it was Paisley made Liverpool a relentless machine.

Agree. Best of all time imo.

redspider

Liverpool's position in THE table.

The latest football money league table was published by Deloitte:

Rank Club Revenue (euro million)
1. Real Madrid 351.8
2. Manchester United FC 315.4
3. FC Barcelona 291.1
4. Chelsea FC 284.4
5. Arsenal F.C. 264.2
6. AC Milan 227.7
7. FC Bayern Munich 223.7
8. Liverpool FC 202.1
9. FC Internazionale Milano 195.4
10. A.S. Roma 157.7
11. Tottenham Hotspur 153.6
12. Juventus FC 145.5
13. Olympique Lyonnais 141.5
14. Newcastle United 129.4
15. Hamburger SV 121.3
16. Schalke 04 114.5
17. Celtic 111.8
18. Valencia CF 107.8
19. Olympique de Marseille 99.7
20. Werder Bremen 97.0

Liverpool increased their revenue by +30m in comparison with the previous season and gained two places from 10th to 8th.
Arsenal are up 90m and from 9th to 5th.
Man Utd up 70m.
Chelsea up 61m
Barca up 32m.
Real up 60m, retaining top spot.

Juve dropped by -106m!
AC Milan -11m
Inter -11m
But Roma, +30m !
Bayern up 20m.

Newcastle +5m
Spurs +46m
Celtic up at least 25m ...

More analysis next week, maybe ....

Its a funny old game (its a money old game) ...

Redspider

Attractive Nun

lol, Newcastle. How are they entering a relegation battle!?

zing

On DIC taking over:

Meanwhile, despite reports in a national newspaper that Liverpool's American owners will sell to DIC by next month, the ECHO understands that although discussions between the parties are ongoing, no deal is certain.

From: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2008/02/14/liverpool-welcome-back-torres-aurelio-hyypia-and-arbeloa-100252-20475273/

Mr Alan

Discussions ongoing is good enough for me

ShiverinEskimo

Shows the stature of the English game if you look at the top 10:
4 English teams,
3 Italian teams,
2 Spanish teams,
1 German team.

And overall revenue by country for the top 20:
England 1349.1
Spain 750.7
Italy 726.3
Germany 556.5
France 241.2
Scotland 111.8

Yes. I'm Bored in work.