Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

flahavaj

Mr Alan wrote: »

I actually think Cattermole is a decent young player tbh.

Oh and Ballague says that Real are done with Alonso & have made their last bid already, for those who place importance on what he says.

http://www.guillembalague.com/rumores_desp.php?id=212&titulo=Final%20Real%20bid%20for%20Alonso%20falls%20short

Madrid are waiting for Alonso to force the issue now, I reckon. Clever.

jesus_thats_gre

Mr Alan wrote: »

I actually think Cattermole is a decent young player tbh.

Oh and Ballague says that Real are done with Alonso & have made their last bid already, for those who place importance on what he says.

http://www.guillembalague.com/rumores_desp.php?id=212&titulo=Final%20Real%20bid%20for%20Alonso%20falls%20short

Was happy when we were linked to him last summer too. Good young player and English too.

shotamoose

Do any of these people claiming that Alonso has asked for a move have any actual evidence for it? The only relevant quote I've seen is him saying he'd be happy to stay if that's how it turns out.

Glico Man

In my opinion Cattermole could do a job for us if Masch goes to Barça, similar ankle snapping styles, but a few more fouls given away, but I'm sure Rafa could help him cut those out.

Plus he would fill another C.L home grown quota spot.

But I don't think he would be a good replacement for Alonso. If there's gonna be a part exchange then the only player I would take would be between Van Der Vaart or Sneijder. Both have excellent playmaking ability, but have suffered of sorts on La Liga.

And theres no hope of getting Klaas-Jan thrown in as part of any Xabi as he's off to Markus Babbel's club Stuttgart apparently.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11881_5424611,00.html

missingtime

Did any one see this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1198865/Liverpool-captain-Steven-Gerrard-promises-One-Night-Only-England-star-takes-stage--PICTURE-SPECIAL.html

The Reds captain Steven Gerrard took to the small stage last night for a special cameo appearance in the city's theatre production of One Night in Istanbul - a play to celebrate to club's historic 2005 Champions League win over AC Milan.

The England midfielder was welcomed on the stage to a standing ovation alongside manager Rafa Benitez, assistant boss Sammy Lee and defender Jamie Carragher, each clutching a European Cup to share a dance finale with the cast on the opening night of playwright Nicky Allt's Liverpool Empire performance.
Steven Gerard at One Night in Istanbul premiere

Sticking to the day job: Reds skipper Steven Gerrard

'It was a great night,' Gerrard added. 'It brought back so many memories. Superb.'

The quartet wore 'Justice' armbands as part of the club's continued campaign for the release of Liverpool supporter Michael Shields, who was wrongly imprisoned for the attempted murder of Martin Georgiev in Bulgaria on the night of the Reds famous win.

Carragher admitted he got a little bit caught up in the curtain call, singing the show's songs while boss Benitez jovially clapped along.

He said: 'That was proper Liverpool. It couldn't happen anywhere else.

'But the real heroes are the actors and the people who put on the show.'

Benitez and his squad set off to Switzerland next week as they kick-off their pre-season preparations against St Gallen on Wednesday before crossing the border to take on Austrian side Rapid Vienna.

missingtime

Nabil El Zhar has signed an extension to his current Liverpool contract that will keep him at Anfield until 2012.
The 22-year-old, who made 19 appearances for the Reds' first-team last season, follows Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Yossi Benayoun and Daniel Agger in committing his long-term future to the club.

The Moroccan international joined Liverpool from Saint Etienne in October 2006.

The youngster was born in France and played for Les Bleus at youth level before defecting to Morocco, where his parents were raised.

He first caught the eye during the 2005 World Youth Championships when he helped his country reach the semi-final stage.

Our No.31, who can play on either flank or behind the striker, made his Reds senior debut as a 71st minute substitute against Portsmouth on November 29, 2006. It was the first of three appearances in 2006-07.

The following year saw El Zhar score a 25-yard stunner in front of the Kop during his first start of the campaign against Cardiff City in the Carling Cup.

He found the net again during his senior bow for Morocco versus Belgium in March 2008 before helping Liverpool Reserves clinch the 2007-08 national title.

Last season was El Zhar's most productive one yet at Anfield as he played a prominent role in some of the Reds' dramatic early season comebacks, leading manager Rafa Benitez to describe the winger as a 'lucky charm'.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N165002090711-1049.htm

UnitedIrishman

Mr Alan wrote: »

I actually think Cattermole is a decent young player tbh.

Oh and Ballague says that Real are done with Alonso & have made their last bid already, for those who place importance on what he says.

http://www.guillembalague.com/rumores_desp.php?id=212&titulo=Final%20Real%20bid%20for%20Alonso%20falls%20short

Good young player alright. One of the few Boro players that would get a place in decent Premiership clubs. Would be decent backup for ye.

And to be honest, Guillem Balague is easily the most inaccurate analyst/reporter I have seen in a long time (bar Shaun Custis).

Headshot

liverpool sign defender chris mavinga from paris st germain.

Last signing according to rafa the other day

missingtime

And one more

Liverpool boss Benitez keeps moves for Cambiasso and Valbuena up his sleeve

By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 1:12 AM on 09th July 2009

Liverpool have reportedly lined up Esteban Cambiasso and Mathieu Valbuena as potential reinforcements in case their midfield is weakened by raids from Spain.

Real Madrid have cooled their interest in Xabi Alonso but Barcelona are still very much in the hunt for Anfield holding midfielder, leaving Rafa Benitez very much in need of a contingency plan.

Reports in Spain suggest Inter Milan midfielder Esteban Cambiasso is their primary target, but the versatile 28-year-old Argentina international is also said to be wanted by Manchester City.

Reports in France, meanwhile, say Liverpool are among several Barclays Premier League clubs chasing diminutive Marseille midfielder Valbuena.

The 24-year-old, who scored the eye-catching winner from the edge of the box in Marseille's 1-0 Champions League win at Anfield in October 2007, is also linked to Wigan Athletic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqU8Rimbow0

ecoli

Headshot wrote: »

liverpool sign defender chris mavinga from paris st germain.

Last signing according to rafa the other day

Anyone know anything about him?

elshambo

UnitedIrishman wrote: »

And to be honest, Guillem Balague is easily the most inaccurate analyst/reporter I have seen in a long time (bar Shaun Custis).

Him and Marcotti

The Bluffer supreme (reference for the auld lads;))
I reckon if Balague was British/Irish, he would be doing well to be signing on the dole never mind writing for a newspaper

Full of it, its the broken english and long sentences,
As James Brown would have said of him
"He's talking loud and saying nothing"

yabadabado

its been reported on SSN that Real have bid for Gaetano Dagostino.thats probably the end of their interest in Alonso

MementoMori

Headshot wrote: »

liverpool sign defender chris mavinga from paris st germain.

Last signing according to rafa the other day

Don't think this was exactly what he was talking about.

Mavinga is clearly a buy for the future imo. He is going to be playing in the reserves this season and probably next one as well. Really don't think he's going to impact the transfer budget much given we only have to pay PSG a "compensation fee".

Good job on the contract extension signing by El Zhar.By my reckoning the only members of the first squad whose contract are up next season are Arbeloa and Aurelio. At reserve level, the only ones whose contracts are up in 2010 who are maybe likely to feature at first-team level this year are Plessis, San Jose and Nemeth. There are a couple more as well but I can't see anyone being a massive problem as regards signing extensions, except maybe Mihaylov. There were reports when he signed of a three year contract with an optional additional year. Since he signed in 2007, this would mean the option would be next year. Been no word on what he's up to next year (apart from dodging some Eastern Mafia types:p) OVerall the contract status of the players at the club looks pretty solid.

jesus_thats_gre

I have a feeling that Aurelio could be let go next year.

MementoMori

ecoli wrote: »

Anyone know anything about him?

Shamlessly stolen from elsewhere - sounds like a pretty decent prospect especially for a bargain basement/compensation fee. Fingers crossed he does as well as our last arrival from PSG.

Off tlw.

Red House Red House is offline
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Re: Liverpool beat Arsenal to sign 18-year-old France starlet Chris Mavinga from Paris

Just done some reasearch on a PSG forum (they were pretty spot on about Ngog), and they seem to think that he's one of their top prospects.
Learnt that he's of Congolese origin, was elected best defender in a big under-16 world club tournament, had a rejected bid from Arsenal, and has very much held his own when training with first-teamers.
Qualities: very accurate clearances with his left peg, massive potential - weaknesses: too one-footed, need to build up physically (tho there were contrasting reports about that bit).

MementoMori

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

I have a feeling that Aurelio could be let go next year.

Not beyond the bounds of possibility really, especially in the unlikely event Dossena still being around. Fabio will be 30 this summer - so in another year would be 31. Given he was signed on a free his wages are probably on the high side, especially for someone who picks up so many injuries. Also if the LB prospects develop as we hope there could be serious competition there in a year or two. Might see him given a year extension though in order to give the younger LB prospects time to develop. Even if he did head off on a free, it wouldn't be a disaster given there is cover there and we didn't actually have to pay a transfer fee. Pretty big difference between a player who arrived on a free leaving on a free and a player we spent a couple of million on leaving on a free imo.

Currently at LB we have

Insua
Aurelio
Dossena
Mavinga
Buchtmann

mike65

Rafa speaks

RAFA BENITEZ believes attack will be the best form of defence for Liverpool as they bid to turn Anfield into a fortress in the coming season.

Seven home draws were the main reason why the Reds were unable to wrestle the league title from Manchester United’s grasp in the last campaign and Benitez is now looking to create an increased spirit of adventure in his side this time around.

The Reds boss believes new signing Glen Johnson will prove pivotal to his new philosophy with his ability to raid forward from a full back position.

And he also reckons the ball carrying ability of Daniel Agger will help his team turn defence into attack, particularly in fixtures when Liverpool’s opponents are employing negative tactics.

“We want to improve our power in attack, this is our idea,” said Benitez.

“There have been games in the past we have played with three centre backs and two offensive full backs, it depends on the game.

“But normally we play with a line of four in defence because this suits the way we play on both occasions.

“We were talking last season about the draws we had at home and when teams play really deep against you you need quality in the full back and central defensive positions.

“When we talk about Daniel Agger scoring goals and using the ball well it is because we know these qualities are necessary if you want to turn the draws into wins.”

Good to see the intention to carry on from where the team left off last season.

MementoMori

Looking forward to seeing a back four of Johnson - Carra - Agger - Insua so.

Would be a pretty sweet in terms of attacking play {Carra aside;)} I'd imagine as all of the other three are well able to bomb forward and support the forwards.

Masch as DM will be able to offer solid protection to help mind the house.:D

Karmafaerie

MementoMori wrote: »

Don't think this was exactly what he was talking about.

Mavinga is clearly a buy for the future imo. He is going to be playing in the reserves this season and probably next one as well.

Don't think so.
I think Mavinga will be in the reserves, be will be training with the first team, and will make a few appearances this term.

He's in the Babel/Lucas/Ngog bracket.

joe123

If we can hang onto Masch and Alonso I still think we need that attacking winger who can play either side and through the middle. Im also very worried about not having a decent backup to Torres should he get injured.

Someone told me today that Huntelaar is on his way to Hamburg!? How much does anyone know? They are a pretty rich club as I think they spent 20 million of Van der vaart back in the day.

I still dont think this is the last weve heard of the Alonso situation. Still maintain anything below 30 million would be awful.

Realisticly 30 million plus Sneijder would be a good deal. But id still much prefer to keep Alonso.

Edit: This talk off Cattermole doesnt fill me with joy at all. Hes a decent player but he doesnt touch masch in terms of quality. Hes a completley different type of player to Alonso so dont know why hes been stated as a replacement to him. Scott Parker is more of an Alonso than Cattermole.

MementoMori

Karmafaerie wrote: »

Don't think so.
I think Mavinga will be in the reserves, be will be training with the first team, and will make a few appearances this term.

He's in the Babel/Lucas/Ngog bracket.

Currently he's got Insua,Aurelio and Dossena ahead of him.
Can't see him making more than a handful of appearances this season and even then that's only if Dossena goes.

Definately not in the Babel/Lucas/Ngog bracket for this season. Maybe in a year or two, but not this season. Also probably unfair to lump Ngog in with Lucas and Babel
Lucas 39 first-team appearances last season 23 years old (1498 mins)
Babel 40 first-team appearances last season 23 years old
Ngog 19 first-team appearances last season 20 years old (954 mins)

Mavinga
Just turned 18 at the end of May.
Made no appearances for the PSG first-team.
Wasn't even signed to a professional contract at PSG.
From the account I've seen he needs to bulk up physically.

I think he is going to match the pattern of promising players bought on the cheap who are likely to feature in the reserves for a year or two, until Rafa feels they are ready for the step-up.

Sorry Karma I respectfully disagree

MementoMori

joe123 wrote: »

If we can hang onto Masch and Alonso I still think we need that attacking winger who can play either side and through the middle. Im also very worried about not having a decent backup to Torres should he get injured.

Someone told me today that Huntelaar is on his way to Hamburg!? How much does anyone know? They are a pretty rich club as I think they spent 20 million of Van der vaart back in the day.

I still dont think this is the last weve heard of the Alonso situation. Still maintain anything below 30 million would be awful.

Realisticly 30 million plus Sneijder would be a good deal. But id still much prefer to keep Alonso.

Edit: This talk off Cattermole doesnt fill me with joy at all. Hes a decent player but he doesnt touch masch in terms of quality. Hes a completley different type of player to Alonso so dont know why hes been stated as a replacement to him. Scott Parker is more of an Alonso than Cattermole.

Cattermole would be a replacement for Masch I presume as opposed to Alonso. Or possibly an upgrade on Plessis in terms of squad cover? An upgrade on our second choice DM perhaps. Don't give it much creedence tbh.

Fee for Huntelaar is supposedly €20m (£17.2m)

On Alonso I will be a lot more confident of him staying after he has played in his first-season friendly. Unfortunately wont be the St Gallen one with the extended hols due to the Confed Cup , but I can see the fans chanting his and Masch's name for the entire 90 mins to send Rafa and the Yanks a message.

Anyone going to the Dunmanway match? Got a cousin down that direction chasing some tickets. Will be interesting to see just who exactly will be over.
Presume it will be a weak reserve squad if the promising youngster like Pacheco, Nemeth, San Jose etc involved with the first-team pre-seasons.

Could see all the U-18 who were promoted to Melwood this summer being invovled (LDV, Buchtmann, Oldfield (whose Irish), Kacaniklic ) Some more who might be over - Weijl, Ecclestone, Irwin, Saric, Bruna, Poloskei, Flora, Duran.
Tough to figure what other keepers will be involved.

Karmafaerie

MementoMori wrote: »

Currently he's got Insua,Aurelio and Dossena ahead of him.
Can't see him making more than a handful of appearances this season and even then that's only if Dossena goes.

If Dosenna goes, and Aurelio misses the first month, then it leaves him and Insua.

MementoMori wrote:

Definately not in the Babel/Lucas/Ngog bracket for this season. Maybe in a year or two, but not this season. Also probably unfair to lump Ngog in with Lucas and Babel
Lucas 39 first-team appearances last season 23 years old (1498 mins)
Babel 40 first-team appearances last season 23 years old
Ngog 19 first-team appearances last season 20 years old (954 mins)

This was Ngog's first season however, not his second.

MementoMori wrote:

Mavinga
Just turned 18 at the end of May.
Made no appearances for the PSG first-team.
Wasn't even signed to a professional contract at PSG.
From the account I've seen he needs to bulk up physically.

I think he is going to match the pattern of promising players bought on the cheap who are likely to feature in the reserves for a year or two, until Rafa feels they are ready for the step-up.

He wasn't on a professional contract at PSV as you can't sign them in France until you are 18.
He was offered one at 18, but when interest from abroad comes in, he decided to wait, and now he's here.
I believe that Dossena will go, so we will have Mavinga as third choice left back.
Seeing as Aurelio is injured and there's a good chance that either Fabio again or Insua will miss a few games, I believe that Mavinga will make some first team appearances this term.
I'd put him in the same position (with a lot more to proove) as Darby on te right.
Third choice full back.

MementoMori wrote:

Sorry Karma I respectfully disagree

Not a bother man.
It's what we're here for.

missingtime

What about seeing Agger in a DM position?

In my opinion he has a great passing range and is very good at bringing the ball out of our half.
We all know he has great talent in bombing forward and has a decent shot on him too.

Mr Alan

I've been of the opinion for quite a while that Danny Agger could one day be a world class defensive midfielder.

MementoMori

Karmafaerie wrote: »

If Dosenna goes, and Aurelio misses the first month, then it leaves him and Insua.

I think if Dossena left and Insua picked up a knock in Sept (Fowler forbid), Arbeloa, Agger and possibly even Skrterl/Masch are more likely to play at LB ahead of Mavinga. I just can't see Rafa throwing him in. Just not the way he works.

On Darby I'm not 100% sure where he is in the pecking order but I think given his age if Johnson and Arbeloa were both injured, I think Degen would be picked ahead of him. The main reason is that Rafa tends to trust more experienced players. There was some chat about Darby heading to Tranmere on a season long-loan in order to get games, which wouldn't strike me as the worst idea in the world especially if Arbeloa stays.

Tis all most likely hypothetical stuff for the future anyway.

jesus_thats_gre

I would be curious to see how that would work out alright..

MementoMori

Mr Alan wrote: »

I've been of the opinion for quite a while that Danny Agger could one day be a world class defensive defender.

FYP

I can see where people are coming from - but I say leave him as CB unless for extreme emergencies. Is he going to be any better than Masch? I prefer him as an attacking CB.

What are people's opinions on the first-choice CB for this year?
I know things will probably become clearer after pre-season but I really think it's going to be Carra and Agger, as it's a better balance than Carra/Skrtel and can't see Carra being displaced just yet.

Superhands

joe123 wrote: »

If we can hang onto Masch and Alonso I still think we need that attacking winger who can play either side and through the middle. Im also very worried about not having a decent backup to Torres should he get injured.

Someone told me today that Huntelaar is on his way to Hamburg!? How much does anyone know? They are a pretty rich club as I think they spent 20 million of Van der vaart back in the day.

I still dont think this is the last weve heard of the Alonso situation. Still maintain anything below 30 million would be awful.

Realisticly 30 million plus Sneijder would be a good deal. But id still much prefer to keep Alonso.

Edit: This talk off Cattermole doesnt fill me with joy at all. Hes a decent player but he doesnt touch masch in terms of quality. Hes a completley different type of player to Alonso so dont know why hes been stated as a replacement to him. Scott Parker is more of an Alonso than Cattermole.

what about Benayoun ? I think Rafa sees him playing a big role this season, he's not a natural winger but I think he'll start a lot of games as the nominal right winger

with Johnson and Riera there should be enough width

Huntelaar looks like he's going to Stuttgart btw

Morzadec

Superhands wrote: »

what about Benayoun ? I think Rafa sees him playing a big role this season, he's not a natural winger but I think he'll start a lot of games as the nominal right winger

with Johnson and Riera there should be enough width

Huntelaar looks like he's going to Stuttgart btw

OT, but is your user name based on the Peep Show character? You know its SuperHans not SuperHands?

Karmafaerie

MementoMori wrote: »

I think if Dossena left and Insua picked up a knock in Sept (Fowler forbid), Arbeloa, Agger and possibly even Skrterl/Masch are more likely to play at LB ahead of Mavinga. I just can't see Rafa throwing him in. Just not the way he works.

On Darby I'm not 100% sure where he is in the pecking order but I think given his age if Johnson and Arbeloa were both injured, I think Degen would be picked ahead of him. The main reason is that Rafa tends to trust more experienced players. There was some chat about Darby heading to Tranmere on a season long-loan in order to get games, which wouldn't strike me as the worst idea in the world especially if Arbeloa stays.

Tis all most likely hypothetical stuff for the future anyway.

Could Degen make it past a the warm-up though?!;)

Karmafaerie

Superhands wrote: »

what about Benayoun ? I think Rafa sees him playing a big role this season, he's not a natural winger but I think he'll start a lot of games as the nominal right winger

with Johnson and Riera there should be enough width

Huntelaar looks like he's going to Stuttgart btw

Benayoun on the right with Johnson, isn't as strong as dirk with GJ.
I'm not trying to make another Dirk is great speel (even though he is!:p) but Dirk and Glen do offer more.

Benni while great going forward, is lightweight and isn't known for his defending.
Dirk and Glen are both monsters physically, and seeing Glen will be getting forward a lot, Dirk's industry and tracking back will ballance it out.
Ig it was Yossi and Glen, I get the feeling we would be caught at the back more, especially against higheer class forwars and wingers.

If we loose Masch, it becomes even more of a problem, as we'd be missing his covering ability in the corners too.

joe123

Superhands wrote: »

what about Benayoun ? I think Rafa sees him playing a big role this season, he's not a natural winger but I think he'll start a lot of games as the nominal right winger

with Johnson and Riera there should be enough width

Huntelaar looks like he's going to Stuttgart btw

Benayoun was quality in the second half of last season so I could see Rafa placing alot of faith in him being that attacking midfielder/winger but at the start of the summer I was hoping wed sign a world class winger/att midfielder.

And if Torres does get injured we are screwed as I dont think Kuyt/Ngog can play that role and with Babel who knows will he actually turn into that player he was promised to be or just a bit ****e in the end.

I thought saviola would of been a good player to pick up on a free but hes joined Benfica. 17 million regarding huntelaar is to much to spend on a player who will be on the bench behind Torres.

PHB

If Rafa is telling the truth [which he may not be, like it makes sense to lie], and Liverpool aren't looking at any more big money signings, is anybody else very surprised that he spent the one big transfer he had on Johnson instead of an attacker?

mink_man

PHB wrote: »

If Rafa is telling the truth [which he may not be, like it makes sense to lie], and Liverpool aren't looking at any more big money signings, is anybody else very surprised that he spent the one big transfer he had on Johnson instead of an attacker?

we all know he loves kuyt and benayoun and torres and gerrard and they will always be his first choice no matter what!

Bounty Hunter

PHB wrote: »

If Rafa is telling the truth [which he may not be, like it makes sense to lie], and Liverpool aren't looking at any more big money signings, is anybody else very surprised that he spent the one big transfer he had on Johnson instead of an attacker?

when did he say that i thought Rafa stated they had the money for one more signing without selling anyone but wasnt giving any hints on his targets

Chardee MacDennis

i would say we havent been able to get any of our targets, which is upsetting if true...

missingtime

Morzadec wrote: »

OT, but is your user name based on the Peep Show character? You know its SuperHans not SuperHands?

Was thinking the exact same thing.

Headshot

BastardPrince wrote: »

i would say we havent been able to get any of our targets, which is upsetting if true...

welcome to utd's world

madrid has properly ****ed both of our teams right up

mink_man

not really, it means we are starting off equal and should make for a more exciting premier league. didnt rafa say there was a good chance of them breaking their club record before?

MementoMori

Bouzanis off on loan to Wrexham - no details on length of loan yet.

Only one other keeper in the Wrexham squad so a decent chance he might get some games for them. The other keeper is 18 as well :eek:

Cuts down on the keeper congestion a bit.

Pepe Reina - Going no-where:D
Diego Cavalieri - Excellent bench sitting skills Keep up the good work Diego.
Charles Itandje - GTFO
David Martin - I think it's a case of no reasonable offer refused at this stage.
Nikolay Mihaylov - Interesting one; will he go on loan again?. Hard to figure
Péter Gulácsi - Reserve keeper
Martin Hansen - Reserve keeper
Chris Oldfield - Reserve keeper
Dean Bouzanis - Loan at Wrexham

If we could get rid of Itandje and sell Martin - maybe to a League One team that would be good as neither as a future at the club.
Could easily loan one of Mihaylov, Gulacsi and Hansen somewhere as well.
Mihaylov is the likeliest - surely someone would be interested in him given he currently an international number 2 keeper at the age of 21. If he goes he has to get games though.
Probably best to keep Oldfield around Melwood this season after promoting him - maybe use him as one of the overage players in the Youth Cup as well to give him games.

So to sum up - sell/release 2 {Itandje and Martin} and loan at least one (Mihaylov most likely)

Wrexham FC sign Liverpool keeper
Jul 11 2009 by Mark Currie, Daily Post

WREXHAM have agreed a deal with Premier League giants Liverpool to take goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis on loan, although the Anfield youngster is unlikely to figure in this afternoon’s friendly against Coventry City at the Racecourse.

Australia-born Bouzanis, 18, was a member of the Liverpool side that reached the FA Youth Cup final last season and will compete with Chris Maxwell for a place between the posts this season.

Wrexham manager Dean Saunders said yesterday: “We’ve agreed with Liverpool to take goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis on loan, although we have yet to finalise the length of the deal and the figures, but the boy has agreed to come and the two clubs have given it the go-ahead.

“That’s ongoing so it might be a bit of a rush to get anything sorted by tomorrow, but we have two games next week and the quicker we get him in the better. There are a few things to tie up because he is eligible to play for both Australia and Greece and he has been asked to play in an international tournament so that’s another issue to sort out.”

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/sport-news/wrexham-fc/2009/07/11/wrexham-fc-sign-liverpool-keeper-55578-24127578/

mink_man

MementoMori wrote: »

Bouzanis off on loan to Wrexham - no details on length of loan yet.

Only one other keeper in the Wrexham squad so a decent chance he might get some games for them. The other keeper is 18 as well :eek:

Cuts down on the keeper congestion a bit.

Pepe Reina - Going no-where:D
Diego Cavalieri - Excellent bench sitting skills Keep up the good work Diego.
Charles Itandje - GTFO
David Martin - I think it's a case of no reasonable offer refused at this stage.
Nikolay Mihaylov - Interesting one; will he go on loan again?. Hard to figure
Péter Gulácsi - Reserve keeper
Martin Hansen - Reserve keeper
Chris Oldfield - Reserve keeper
Dean Bouzanis - Loan at Wrexham

If we could get rid of Itandje and sell Martin - maybe to a League One team that would be good as neither as a future at the club.
Could easily loan one of Mihaylov, Gulacsi and Hansen somewhere as well.
Mihaylov is the likeliest - surely someone would be interested in him given he currently an international number 2 keeper at the age of 21. If he goes he has to get games though.
Probably best to keep Oldfield around Melwood this season after promoting him - maybe use him as one of the overage players in the Youth Cup as well to give him games.

So to sum up - sell/release 2 {Itandje and Martin} and loan at least one (Mihaylov most likely)



http://www.dailypost.co.uk/sport-news/wrexham-fc/2009/07/11/wrexham-fc-sign-liverpool-keeper-55578-24127578/

my god, ye have alot of keepers!

Mr Alan

PHB wrote: »

If Rafa is telling the truth [which he may not be, like it makes sense to lie], and Liverpool aren't looking at any more big money signings, is anybody else very surprised that he spent the one big transfer he had on Johnson instead of an attacker?

the lad from PSG isn't really counted as a signing, Rafa is forever signing these youngsters.

I'd imagine Rafa meant a signing for the first team so i still expect a forward player to come in.

however, if we were done in the market, and johnson was it.....i'd be happy enough, last years squad was a gee hair from winning the league.

Johnson in will have improved the team, many feel he was the best RB in the league last year.

combined with the business other teams have done (ins & outs), if the transfer window was to close tomorrow, i'd be happy.

Karmafaerie

PHB wrote: »

If Rafa is telling the truth [which he may not be, like it makes sense to lie], and Liverpool aren't looking at any more big money signings, is anybody else very surprised that he spent the one big transfer he had on Johnson instead of an attacker?

Huh?!

Rafa said one more signing for the team, without having to sell.
You think a barely 18 year old French left back, with no first team experience is going to walk into the team?

Plus, the Mavenga deal was been worked on for the last few weeks and he just signed now.
It was all wrapped up on Thursday when Rafa said he was looking into one more signing, so Rafa wouldn't have been talking about trying to sign someone who'd already agreed to sign.

Mr Alan

Reals "interest" in that other CM didn't last long.....they are so ****ing transparent in what they are trying to do :rolleyes:

http://goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2009/07/11/1376962/real-madrid-drop-interest-in-udineses-dagostino-report

MementoMori

mink_man wrote: »

my god, ye have alot of keepers!

Probably looks worse than it is.

Gulácsi, Hansen and Oldfield are all 19 and Bouzanis is 18.

Seems like the youth side of thing are well able to bring keepers through, as the reports on all of them are pretty promising Bouzanis in particular.

Could do with a bit of a cull allright, which is why I expect Itandje and Martin to leave this transfer window.

PHB

"I will be really pleased if we can keep this squad together because I don't think we need to do too many things," said Benitez.

"I don't think we'll be signing anyone else for big, big money, just maybe the ones who can fit into our team.

"Right now we are just thinking of improving the fitness of the players, not thinking about the transfer market.

"We have the quality there and we will have our chances again."

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_5425472,00.html

Sounds like he is looking at a couple of squad signings, no big name one.

mike65

Smokescreen!

Kimbot

0927 BST: Real Madrid had hoped to continue their incredible spending spree with the £65m signing of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, but Reds boss Rafa Benitez rejected the bid.

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/tm_headline=rafa-benitez-snubs-163-65m-real-madrid-bid-for-fernando-torres&method=full&objectid=21513462&siteid=93463-name_page.html

Liverpool have rejected an offer for striker Fernando Torres, believed to be around £60m, from an English club other than Manchester City, says Reds manager Rafael Benitez.

"It was a proper offer, a big one, but we said no and he wanted to stay here," said Benitez.

Alternatively, Liverpool have in fact received three such bids for Torres, from Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea.

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/88695/Trio-bid-60m-for-Nando/

Madness.... El Nino is going nowhere!!

PHB

There is random chatter in Spanish newspapers which say Alonso asked Rafa to be released.

You know whats so annoying about the press. This may or may not be true, but there's just no way I'll believe it until I hear him say it on TV, because even quotes are faked these days. Like whats the point.