Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread [mod warning #11145, #32140 (see OP)]

zAbbo

Eire-Dearg

Any idea what number he'll be?

Might be worth a go at #7 - and bring an end to the bad omen. Not very traditional for a centre midfielder. Other than that, #14 of course.

If Rafa is to make 1 more signing it has to be Javi Martínez,this Kid is class.Way better than Silva,think of him as a Gerrard clone who could do a job on the wing or second striker but he is more a midfielder.

He is 20 and plays for Athletic Bilboa,he would cost a fortune though,more than SIlva I would think.He is so good and only 20.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI-v9Vvb9A8

mike65

Still to early to talk about the game tonight?

Martin Kelly is looking very useful, Plesis was composed as auxillery CB, hope Rieras not badly crooked, Torres is practically jogging though pre-season, Degan is a mystery, Johnson again looked good at time going forwards but twice left the right back area badly exposed, Babel looked smart from the right side, Lucas did well quite I thought, quick to get forward.

All that said I'll be happier when the season gets going and we see more general umph around the park. Hopefuly they'll set it up for Atletico.

zAbbo

Martinez is too raw for what we need now.

Haven't seen much of Aquaman, but in true fanatic style - I'll proclaim that he's better than Gerrard and I've been following his progress since he played in some youth tournie back in late 90's, either that or he'll flop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yX_BBFUyVE

SlickRic

joe123 wrote: »

Great to see Aquilani signed so quickly but still feel hes not a patch on Xabi.

he's a different kind of player, and we won't know if he's a patch on xabi until he gets going.

what can't be disputed is he seems to have the talent, so, as Rafa said, we should be very excited. if we can help get his fitness right, like we have done with Gerrard under Rafa, we could have a very significant signing on our hands.

Eire-Dearg

Don't know about Javi being more expensive than David Silva - I've seen him mentioned at €12m.

The Telegraph (I think) had a look at possible Alonso replacements and he was at £10m.

Mr Alan

looking forward to Voronin proving a lot of people wrong this season.

gonna be a very good squad player for us.

mike65

Voronin smells.

Thanx 4 The Fish

mike65 wrote: »

Voronin smells.

Smells of goals................

Ha..........

Eire-Dearg

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

Don't know about Javi being more expensive than David Silva - I've seen him mentioned at €12m.

The Telegraph (I think) had a look at possible Alonso replacements and he was at £10m.

I highly doubt they would accept less than 20 euros for him if not more,he is absolutely class,its not really a gamble because he is so good and they know this.

Ardent

Mr Alan wrote: »

looking forward to Voronin proving a lot of people wrong this season.

gonna be a very good squad player for us.

LOL. Right.

Statso

Elisa Hallowed Beekeeper wrote: »

I highly doubt they would accept less than 20 euros for him if not more,he is absolutely class,its not really a gamble because he is so good and they know this.

Well if we can get him for 20 euros then why not take a shot with him!

SlickRic

Statso wrote: »

Well if we can get him for 20 euros then why not take a shot with him!

ha...i'll send the €20 note in an envelope to those frugal Americans myself

redzerdrog

having the spoilers for a pre season game is a pain in the ass.

just a quick question if there a was a thread made for tonights match would it be a) deleted or b) allowed to stay and discuss the match without spoilers???????

Mr Alan

presume it'd have been allowed stay, there's been a few pre-season friendly threads.

personally thought the spoilers were great as i wanted to read the chat about Aquilani when i got home while i was waiting for the game to begin, but didn't want the game ruinned, so i thought they were great

missingtime

Aguero.

Eire-Dearg

missingtime wrote: »

Aguero.

I would cream myself if he joined.

missingtime

mike65 wrote: »

Still to early to talk about the game tonight?

Martin Kelly is looking very useful, Plesis was composed as auxillery CB, hope Rieras not badly crooked, Torres is practically jogging though pre-season, Degan is a mystery, Johnson again looked good at time going forwards but twice left the right back area badly exposed, Babel looked smart from the right side, Lucas did well quite I thought, quick to get forward.

All that said I'll be happier when the season gets going and we see more general umph around the park. Hopefuly they'll set it up for Atletico.

Match analysis:

Only caught the first goal and the second half.

Voronin did well in creating that and finishing it. Babel also did very well to get the ball in.

Martin Kelly is really looking a class act. I would say he'll be a very strong second on the right back position.

Degen I was impressed with in this match. He made some very good runs but the final ball was so-so. Great attitude, made plenty of tackles in the opponents half.

Torres was b o r e d. Could not be arsed I'd say.

No one else really stood out for me.

DeadSkin

New thread, first post, page 59, we are gonna miss Alonso. Fact.

This Aquallini dude, I know sweet feck all about, but the usual time to fit in etc, is gonna be a pain in the ass. Who knows, he might just click.

Eire-Dearg

RTE News on 2 just said Aquilani will be €24m - which is about £21m/22m right?

redzerdrog

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

RTE News on 2 just said Aquilani will be €24m - which is about £21m/22m right?

€24m is more like £20m id say maybe a little over

stevoslice

RealMadrid.com

Xabi Alonso: "Hopefully this team can offer dazzling football; the best recipe for success"

Cristina Monge / Translation by realmadrid.com

Xabi Alonso held his first press conference as a Madridista on Wednesday and expressed how eager he is to be joining such "an exciting project that has laid important groundwork."

One of the driving forces behind Real Madrid’s efforts was your desire to join this project.
I wasn’t sure if signing for Real Madrid would happen, but I was pretty confident. A made the decision to leave some time ago and there was no better club to sign for. I need to thank Real Madrid for their confidence in me, and this is the outcome I wanted. I am very happy.

What was your farewell from Liverpool like?
Very hasty. It all happened so fast and I didn’t have time to say goodbye properly. I will return to bid farewell as soon as I have a chance. I am very grateful to everyone. There will be time for a proper goodbye.

A lot has been said about your deteriorating relationship with Rafa Benitez.
I know a lot has been said, but there is mutual respect between us and professionalism. We have a cordial relationship.

Will you have to chance your style of football to adapt to Real Madrid?
Real Madrid and Liverpool obviously play differently, but I always try to maintain the same characteristics. I hope to contribute my very best. I am looking forward to participating and to becoming involved with the team.

How did your new teammates welcome you to your first training session?
I arrived a little late and they welcomed me with an applause. I talked to everyone. I will start to get to know them all better with time. I don’t think I will have any trouble adapting because I never have had any.

You almost signed for Real Madrid five years ago.
And five years later I am now a part of this club. This is the start of a new phase and there are high expectations and a lot of responsibility. I think great things will come out of this project.

You may make your Real Madrid debut in Anoeta Stadium.
I am hoping for a warm welcome. It is my home and I have always been treated kindly.

What did your time at Liverpool teach you?
I matured a lot during my five years in Liverpool. I grew as a player, played in the Champions League, won finals… The affection I left with and the many great nights I experienced… I know have more experience and want to do as best I can.

Did you have to do anything special to process for your transfer to be processed?
Informing the Federation wasn’t necessary. There is a formal process by which you put in a transfer request. The method by which my transfer took place doesn’t matter. What is important is that the operation was carried out.

When and how did you tell Liverpool that you wanted to leave?
I spoke to Rafa on several occasions last season, during the preseason and this summer. We knew there was a possibility so I immediately expressed my desire to return to Spanish football. In fact, when the season ended I spent several days training in Liverpool and I sat down with Rafa for two hours. We shared ideas and I told him I needed a change.

Do you feel pressure having to distribute balls to players like Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo?
The simple fact of playing for Real Madrid entails pressure that you must accept. I am up for the challenge. I know expectations are high for this project. I wil try to contribute with the same way I have always played in the midfield: by offering solutions to my teammates, directing the game… Everything I know how to do.

What are your thoughts on this project?
I think it is a very exciting project that has laid important groundwork. There were already good players here and new players who will contribute new things have arrived. Hopefully this compact mix of players can offer dazzling football, which is always the best recipe for success.

Is there anything you want to say to Liverpool fans?
I am very grateful to Liverpool fans who made my five years there fantastic. They must understand, though, that this opportunity came up and it was the best option for me.

Do you know why Benitez wasn’t giving you much playing time this preseason?
I don’t know, but I don’t have an opinion on the matter. Rafa has his reasons and I respect him. He wanted to try other people, so I understand.

You are the icing on the cake in making this team more Spanish.
Making the team more Spanish is a good thing. Many years ago there was a great mix of Spaniards and foreigners and it worked to perfection. Now there are several national team players here; people who know one another. There are players who are the perfect age and have proven how good they are. It is a great mix that hopefully works well.

JPA

"Roma have allowed us to talk with him, so that's good and positive. He is a player with the quality we are looking for," said Benitez.

"He can play a little bit higher than Javier Mascherano - maybe between him and Steven Gerrard.

"He has good passing - the final ball is good - and he also works. If he can settle down properly in England he can be a very good addition.

"I think the signing should excite the fans. He won the U19 European Championship with his country, and U21 too. He has some trophies - including the Italian Cup.

"I always remember one game - England versus Italy U21s at Wembley, and he was man of the match in a 3-0 win."

ermmm.... this match never happened.

redzerdrog

I think there will be one more big signing but have no idea who it will be.

quickly looking at the figures there has to be money there for 1 signing, iirc rafa said at the start of the summer there was money for 1 big signing without selling anyone.

johnson 17m + aquilinni 20m is paid for with alonso 30m + 7m from the crouch deal

then there is 3/4m that arbeloa went for aswell as what leto for and pennent off the wage bill. so there is money there.

spockety

thebhoy wrote: »

RealMadrid.com

Cock. It's like being dumped and hearing your ex going on about their new love while saying they still want to be 'friends' with you. Xabi please come back. All those amazing tuesday and wednesday nights we spent together.. Surely they still mean something?

DeadSkin

redzerdrog wrote: »

I think there will be one more big signing but have no idea who it will be.

quickly looking at the figures there has to be money there for 1 signing, iirc rafa said at the start of the summer there was money for 1 big signing without selling anyone.

johnson 17m + aquilinni 20m is paid for with alonso 30m + 7m from the crouch deal

then there is 3/4m that arbeloa went for aswell as what leto for and pennent off the wage bill. so there is money there.

There's a big fookin' debt too.

I hear ya though.

missingtime

redzerdrog wrote: »

then there is 3/4m that arbeloa went for aswell as what leto for and pennent off the wage bill. so there is money there.

money from the keane deal as well.

flahavaj

redzerdrog wrote: »

I think there will be one more big signing but have no idea who it will be.

quickly looking at the figures there has to be money there for 1 signing, iirc rafa said at the start of the summer there was money for 1 big signing without selling anyone.

johnson 17m + aquilinni 20m is paid for with alonso 30m + 7m from the crouch deal

then there is 3/4m that arbeloa went for aswell as what leto for and pennent off the wage bill. so there is money there.

Cattermole I think. Needs another body at MF I think, especially if Aquilani needs to be slowly introduced to the pace of the Prem etc.

Karmafaerie

noodler wrote: »

I'll explain so. Nobody called Rafa a liar, as usual some posters jump to the man's defence when no actual attack has taken place.

Some supporters saying they don't feel Liverpool will sign anyone else shouldn't be seen as akin to calling Rafa a liar. What Rafa said this morning is what every manager in the premiership says during the transfer window - that they are working on players, deals nearly in place etc etc. Whats more it was said the day Alonso was taking his medical at Madrid - the point? That it is very understandable if a manager was keeping the masses happy with promises of immediate signings (as all managers do). It is rarely completely true, whether in content or timeframe.

Finally, Rafa could have all the good intentions in the world with regards transfers but until the deal is actually signed and the player has arrived then nothing is for certain.

Calling Rafa a liar - Jeez.

I'm sorry, but can you read English?
Seriously?

This morning Rafa said, and I quote.....

Rafa wrote:

"We'll bring in the best replacement."

That is Rafa saying, point blank, that there is a replacement coming in.
No manager speak.
No vauge portent.

In plain English he said we will buy a player.

A few hours later Maloney_09 said.....

Maloney_09 wrote:

Imo Benitez won't signing anyone

And you replied...

Noodler wrote:

I would be leaning this way as well. He has time but some targets could also be cup-tied.



Time constraints?Fear of being ripped-off?

Rafa doesn't really do panic buys.

So to recap for those in the cheap seats.

Rafa comes out and deliberately says I will buy a player.
You and Maloney come out and say that you don't think he will.
That means that you aren't believing what Rafa said was true.

Now to borrow from a little book I like to call the dictionary.

Lie
–noun 1. a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood.



So again I return to my original question.
Can you actually read English?!!

DeadSkin

spockety wrote: »

Cock. It's like being dumped and hearing your ex going on about their new love while saying they still want to be 'friends' with you. Xabi please come back. All those amazing tuesday and wednesday nights we spent together.. Surely they still mean something?

Aye.

Ah, we'll move on, gettin' drunk and sending the odd text message :pac:

NukaCola

DeadSkin wrote: »

Aye.

Ah, we'll move on, gettin' drunk and sending the odd text message :pac:

Well he's gone now...and move on we must.
What about the new guy, Aquillani...
Risky? Final piece of the puzzle?
Talking to someone about him earlier and he was singing his praises....
''A hybrid of Alonso and Gerard'' I was told.
I'm slightly worried about injuries and adapting to the EPL but over all happy about the signing....

Dont know if there will be any more ''Big'' signings but can see Rafa bringing in 1 or 2 squad players.

DeadSkin

Just saw this on some of the lads on here new site, think Xabi has just realised what he has done

Eire-Dearg

Caption competition FTW!

"What the fuck was I thinking, these lads are ****e!?"

DeadSkin

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

Caption competition FTW!

"What the fuck was I thinking, these lads are ****e!?"

Heh, too easy :P


Goodnight!

Jayob10

Of all the players in all the world, why does Rafa Benitez seem intent on gambling a reputed £20m of the club's money on an injury prone midfielder who has barely managed 27 league starts in the last 3 years?

Rafa was very complimentary indeed:

“Alberto is a very good player who has a winning mentality and great experience... He has long been recognised as a top class talent in Italy, captaining his country at both under 19 and under 21 levels before establishing himself in the senior national side."

Despite Benitez’s (exaggerated) claims, I really do not get the logic behind this buy. When Xabi Alonso’s move to Real Madrid was confirmed, Benitez revealed that he would try and find the “best replacement” available and do the “best deal for the club". Considering Aquilani’s horrendous injury record and intermittent appearance record, how is he the “best replacement” for Alonso?

Aquilani’s recent injury record
* 4 Oct 2007 – 1 Jan 2008: Calf injury
* 24 Oct 2008 – 21 Nov 2008: Thigh injury
* 28 Nov 2008 – 2 Jan 2009: Thigh injury
* 13 Feb 2009 – 10 Mar 2009: Ankle
* 12 Mar 2009 – Present: Ankle (recent surgery)

Add up the months spent on the sidelines! These are just recent injury figures and do not include injuries from earlier in his career.

Appearance stats

* Last 3 years: Started 27 league games out of a possible 114 (23% of games)
* Last 5 years: Started 61 league games out of a possible 190 (32% of games)

With the above in mind, how can Aquilani be considered “the best deal for the club”?! It’s utterly ludicrous that Benitez is even considering replacing someone as important as Alonso with a player with this kind of injury/appearance record.

To make matters worse, Aquilani is injured *at this very moment*, which means the chances of him being properly fit for the first stage of the season are practically nill. And let’s get real here – Aquilani’s ongoing injury curse is not just going to magically disappear just because he moves from Italy to England, is it?! Indeed, the Premiership is far more physical than Serie A, so the probability of him getting injured again at some point has to be very high. I watch alot of Serie A football, I always have. He is a decent player when fit. Under no circumstances is he a 20million player even if he had no question mark over him re: injuries.

With the lack of a proper pre-season and recovering from his latest injury, it’s going to be at least a season before Aquilani adapts to the Premiership and starts to play at a decent level, all of which begs the question, what's the point in signing him in the first place? We’ve been here before of course; Benitez displayed his acute injury blindness last year with the signing of Philip Degen, who has since pocketed hundreds of thousands of pounds sitting on the sidelines. Yes he was a bosman but thats no excuse. Anyone who argues otherwise is displaying this crap "in Rafa we trust crap".

Degen only played 10 games for Borussia Dortmund in the 2007-08 season, but Benitez ignored this, just like he is seemingly ignoring Aquilani’s infinitely worse record. Degen was (thankfully) a free transfer but Aquilani will cost a significant amount of money. I do not doubt that Aquilani is a decent player, but Liverpool need someone to come in and do the job NOW, not in three months. The club should be looking for a reliable player who can *consistently* contribute, not someone who, in all probability, will spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch.

It really is beyond belief that of all the players Liverpool could sign, Aquilani is the best Benitez can come up with. Even if he passes the medical, the probability that he will get injured again is extremely high. Roma are the only club getting the 'best deal' here. The Roma Board will be rubbing their hands together right about now, gleefully toasting their good fortune before laughing all the way to the bank with £20m of Liverpool FC’s money.

And Liverpool will suffer the consequences of yet another major transfer blunder.

And don't forget we signed some gems last summer in Robbie Keane and Andrea Dossena for between 26 and 28 million. No matter what anyone says that shocking business. He must be questioned in his transfer dealings.

Glico Man

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

Caption competition FTW!

"What the fuck was I thinking, these lads are ****e!?"

"So this is why we beat them 5-0 on aggregate last season...."

missingtime

We'll be hoping all those injuries are due to Roma's training practices

Eire-Dearg

Fair points, Jayob, but there's no point jumping to conclusions that he'll be injury ravaged next season. Players can overcome injuries after all, and with a bit of luck of course there's as much chance he'll stay fit as there is he won't.

Obviously stats from previous seasons don't paint a pretty picture - but there's quality there definately. He's not a shot in the dark.

It's a risk - but so is every transfer. You simply don't know what'll come around the corner once he's at the club.

flahavaj

Jayob10 wrote: »

Of all the players in all the world, why does Rafa Benitez seem intent on gambling a reputed £20m of the club's money on an injury prone midfielder who has barely managed 27 league starts in the last 3 years?

Rafa was very complimentary indeed:

“Alberto is a very good player who has a winning mentality and great experience... He has long been recognised as a top class talent in Italy, captaining his country at both under 19 and under 21 levels before establishing himself in the senior national side."

Despite Benitez’s (exaggerated) claims, I really do not get the logic behind this buy. When Xabi Alonso’s move to Real Madrid was confirmed, Benitez revealed that he would try and find the “best replacement” available and do the “best deal for the club". Considering Aquilani’s horrendous injury record and intermittent appearance record, how is he the “best replacement” for Alonso?

Aquilani’s recent injury record
* 4 Oct 2007 – 1 Jan 2008: Calf injury
* 24 Oct 2008 – 21 Nov 2008: Thigh injury
* 28 Nov 2008 – 2 Jan 2009: Thigh injury
* 13 Feb 2009 – 10 Mar 2009: Ankle
* 12 Mar 2009 – Present: Ankle (recent surgery)

Add up the months spent on the sidelines! These are just recent injury figures and do not include injuries from earlier in his career.

Appearance stats

* Last 3 years: Started 27 league games out of a possible 114 (23% of games)
* Last 5 years: Started 61 league games out of a possible 190 (32% of games)

With the above in mind, how can Aquilani be considered “the best deal for the club”?! It’s utterly ludicrous that Benitez is even considering replacing someone as important as Alonso with a player with this kind of injury/appearance record.

To make matters worse, Aquilani is injured *at this very moment*, which means the chances of him being properly fit for the first stage of the season are practically nill. And let’s get real here – Aquilani’s ongoing injury curse is not just going to magically disappear just because he moves from Italy to England, is it?! Indeed, the Premiership is far more physical than Serie A, so the probability of him getting injured again at some point has to be very high. I watch alot of Serie A football, I always have. He is a decent player when fit. Under no circumstances is he a 20million player even if he had no question mark over him re: injuries.

With the lack of a proper pre-season and recovering from his latest injury, it’s going to be at least a season before Aquilani adapts to the Premiership and starts to play at a decent level, all of which begs the question, what's the point in signing him in the first place? We’ve been here before of course; Benitez displayed his acute injury blindness last year with the signing of Philip Degen, who has since pocketed hundreds of thousands of pounds sitting on the sidelines. Yes he was a bosman but thats no excuse. Anyone who argues otherwise is displaying this crap "in Rafa we trust crap".

Degen only played 10 games for Borussia Dortmund in the 2007-08 season, but Benitez ignored this, just like he is seemingly ignoring Aquilani’s infinitely worse record. Degen was (thankfully) a free transfer but Aquilani will cost a significant amount of money. I do not doubt that Aquilani is a decent player, but Liverpool need someone to come in and do the job NOW, not in three months. The club should be looking for a reliable player who can *consistently* contribute, not someone who, in all probability, will spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch.

It really is beyond belief that of all the players Liverpool could sign, Aquilani is the best Benitez can come up with. Even if he passes the medical, the probability that he will get injured again is extremely high. Roma are the only club getting the 'best deal' here. The Roma Board will be rubbing their hands together right about now, gleefully toasting their good fortune before laughing all the way to the bank with £20m of Liverpool FC’s money.

And Liverpool will suffer the consequences of yet another major transfer blunder.

And don't forget we signed some gems last summer in Robbie Keane and Andrea Dossena for between 26 and 28 million. No matter what anyone says that shocking business. He must be questioned in his transfer dealings.

It also begs the question where are all the Liverpool fans now who derided the signing of Michael Owen on the grounds of his injury record? What have ye got to say in reply to this? Is Aquilani the new Hargreaves?

Good post by the way.

Glico Man

Jayob10 wrote: »

Of all the players in all the world, why does Rafa Benitez seem intent on gambling a reputed £20m of the club's money on an injury prone midfielder who has barely managed 27 league starts in the last 3 years?

Rafa was very complimentary indeed:

“Alberto is a very good player who has a winning mentality and great experience... He has long been recognised as a top class talent in Italy, captaining his country at both under 19 and under 21 levels before establishing himself in the senior national side."

Despite Benitez’s (exaggerated) claims, I really do not get the logic behind this buy. When Xabi Alonso’s move to Real Madrid was confirmed, Benitez revealed that he would try and find the “best replacement” available and do the “best deal for the club". Considering Aquilani’s horrendous injury record and intermittent appearance record, how is he the “best replacement” for Alonso?

Aquilani’s recent injury record
* 4 Oct 2007 – 1 Jan 2008: Calf injury
* 24 Oct 2008 – 21 Nov 2008: Thigh injury
* 28 Nov 2008 – 2 Jan 2009: Thigh injury
* 13 Feb 2009 – 10 Mar 2009: Ankle
* 12 Mar 2009 – Present: Ankle (recent surgery)

Add up the months spent on the sidelines! These are just recent injury figures and do not include injuries from earlier in his career.

Appearance stats

* Last 3 years: Started 27 league games out of a possible 114 (23% of games)
* Last 5 years: Started 61 league games out of a possible 190 (32% of games)

With the above in mind, how can Aquilani be considered “the best deal for the club”?! It’s utterly ludicrous that Benitez is even considering replacing someone as important as Alonso with a player with this kind of injury/appearance record.

To make matters worse, Aquilani is injured *at this very moment*, which means the chances of him being properly fit for the first stage of the season are practically nill. And let’s get real here – Aquilani’s ongoing injury curse is not just going to magically disappear just because he moves from Italy to England, is it?! Indeed, the Premiership is far more physical than Serie A, so the probability of him getting injured again at some point has to be very high. I watch alot of Serie A football, I always have. He is a decent player when fit. Under no circumstances is he a 20million player even if he had no question mark over him re: injuries.

With the lack of a proper pre-season and recovering from his latest injury, it’s going to be at least a season before Aquilani adapts to the Premiership and starts to play at a decent level, all of which begs the question, what's the point in signing him in the first place? We’ve been here before of course; Benitez displayed his acute injury blindness last year with the signing of Philip Degen, who has since pocketed hundreds of thousands of pounds sitting on the sidelines. Yes he was a bosman but thats no excuse. Anyone who argues otherwise is displaying this crap "in Rafa we trust crap".

Degen only played 10 games for Borussia Dortmund in the 2007-08 season, but Benitez ignored this, just like he is seemingly ignoring Aquilani’s infinitely worse record. Degen was (thankfully) a free transfer but Aquilani will cost a significant amount of money. I do not doubt that Aquilani is a decent player, but Liverpool need someone to come in and do the job NOW, not in three months. The club should be looking for a reliable player who can *consistently* contribute, not someone who, in all probability, will spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch.

It really is beyond belief that of all the players Liverpool could sign, Aquilani is the best Benitez can come up with. Even if he passes the medical, the probability that he will get injured again is extremely high. Roma are the only club getting the 'best deal' here. The Roma Board will be rubbing their hands together right about now, gleefully toasting their good fortune before laughing all the way to the bank with £20m of Liverpool FC’s money.

And Liverpool will suffer the consequences of yet another major transfer blunder.

And don't forget we signed some gems last summer in Robbie Keane and Andrea Dossena for between 26 and 28 million. No matter what anyone says that shocking business. He must be questioned in his transfer dealings.

It's all well and good saying he has a bad injury record but, Roma have a history of pushing their players far too hard in training.

They themselves have injured quite a few of their own players through extremely intensive training programs that would make a marine drill instructor look like the stay puft marshmallow man...ie soft

If you google the phrase Roma player injured in training, the return for answers is quite incredible.

missingtime

DeadSkin wrote: »

Just saw this on some of the lads on here new site, think Xabi has just realised what he has done

"Aww, i forgot ronaldo's here"

Jayob10

he has a shocking injury record.

Couple that with the fact he is not a 20million pound player and I seriously question our managers judgement.

I always give Rafa the benefit of the doubt. I stood up for him even after high profile signings backfired last season.

But 20million on this guy is crazy. Absolutely nonsensical.

rossie1977

flahavaj wrote: »

It also begs the question where are all the Liverpool fans now who derided the signing of Michael Owen on the grounds of his injury record? What have ye got to say in reply to this? Is Aquilani the new Hargreaves?

i think most liverpool fans realise that michael owen is a very special talent and that if he stays injury free will be a fantastic signing

Aquilani on the other hand is a very strange one, i gave my thoughts on him about 2 weeks ago on here, imo he will struggle big time to adapt to the pace and ferocity of the premiership, injuries or no injuries, he is not in alonso's league and liverpool were better off changing their tactics than trying to replace someone that is the best or one of the best at what he does on planet earth

Headshot

rossie1977 wrote: »

Aquilani on the other hand is a very strange one, i gave my thoughts on him about 2 weeks ago on here, imo he will struggle big time to adapt to the premiership injuries or no injuries, he is not in alonso's league and liverpool were better off changing their tactics than trying to replace someone that is the best or one of the best at what he does on planet earth

worse thing from a liverpool point of view he wont have any pre-season what so ever

idk is it true or not but has come injured to liverpool too

zing

Jayob10 wrote: »

Aquilani’s recent injury record
* 4 Oct 2007 – 1 Jan 2008: Calf injury
* 24 Oct 2008 – 21 Nov 2008: Thigh injury
* 28 Nov 2008 – 2 Jan 2009: Thigh injury
* 13 Feb 2009 – 10 Mar 2009: Ankle
* 12 Mar 2009 – Present: Ankle (recent surgery)

Not trying to defend his injury history - as I know sfa about it - but the two thigh injuries above are most likely directly related given the dates for them - player came back from injury a bit too soon and the injury flared up again sort of scenario. Extend period out the 2nd time to insure it's given sufficient time to heal.

Ditto for the ankle injury (unless he buggered up his other ankle after coming back from the first). Problem wasn't healing so they decided surgery was the best option. And hopefully it'll resolve the issue.

But there's no doubting that he is something of a gamble and for that reason I'd prefer to have seen Defour signed instead of him. And better again would be to see someone like Martinez signed as well but I can't see that happening.

And let's not forget that the deal won't be sealed until after he's passed a stringent medical. We certainly don't need another Kewell and Aurelio seems to be doing a good job of keeping the medical team busy - wouldn't want to go adding to their workload.

mayordenis

meh there's a long list of sicknotes at roma - just look at Totti aswell - always rushing players back.
Oh and the more reliable reports are saying it's 16m so can everyone stop saying "ARRRHGUEGH 20M OMGZ"

happyoutscan

Just checked out the Real Madrid website there. I'm gutted.

flahavaj

happyoutscan wrote: »

Just checked out the Real Madrid website there. I'm gutted.

"THIS IS AN EXCITING PROJECT AND THE TITLES WILL COME":pac:

5starpool

DeadSkin wrote: »

Wait, didn't we hammer ye lot last year? I thought ye were the good Spanish team?