Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/2014

amiable

Pedalstool wrote: »

The question is why the reluctance to go for him? Or Eriksen for that matter?

Do they believe they are targeting better players or perhaps they believe they will get one or both at better value as the window draws to a close?

Liverpool stopped scouting Eriksen in april when they decided he wasn't good enough and made Mkh a priority.

Pedalstool

amiable wrote: »

Liverpool stopped scouting Eriksen in april when they decided he wasn't good enough and made Mkh a priority.

It seems everyone else came to the same conclusion.

billy2012

djPSB wrote: »

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/new-centre-back-dont-need-one-5373203

Brendan Rodgers says the impact of Kolo Toure at Anfield has made him reconsider plans to buy another established centre-back.

The Reds boss, who is seeking a left-back and another attacking player before the window shuts, was thwarted in his attempts to sign top defensive target Kyriakos Papadopoulos.

Schalke’s £18million asking price, coupled with concerns about the Greek defender’s fitness following a knee injury, meant Liverpool abandoned their pursuit.

Toure, a free transfer from Manchester City, was initially viewed as a squad player but having impressed in pre-season he now looks set to command a starting role.

“Defensively, I think we’ll be fine,” Rodgers said.

“Kolo has been terrific since he came in here. He may be 32 years of age but he’s super fit and in great condition.

“He’s a player who has looked after himself all his life. His age is no barrier and he’s someone with a winning mentality.

“He’s someone we felt could come in and support the group with his experience and his qualities.

“I’ve looked at him over the course of his career and watched him a lot last year. Having seen him first hand since he joined the club, he will be very good for us this season.

“We have a number of other outstanding centre-halves in Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. We also have an up-and-coming top talent in Andre Wisdom who will be a very good centre-half for Liverpool in the future. And we still have Sebastian Coates too.”

Points to take from this:

• We won't be signing another centre back
• Toure will most likely start alongside Agger
• Rodgers rates Wisdom above Coates

• Kelly not considered as a centre back

Have been saying this since day one and 90 % said NO WAY :D

I wouldn't be surprised if SKrtel is sold and we buy Papa for about 12m.

mike65

I can see Eriksen walking behind Sky Sport reporters on deadline day with a banner pleading for a move at this rate.

Raif Severance

mike65 wrote: »

I can see Eriksen walking behind Sky Sport reporters on deadline day with a banner pleading for a move at this rate.

He'd do it Odemwingie-Style!

He'd drive up to Melwood and do a Leaning Pose.

Hidalgo

Anyone wrote: »

But you havent, you haven't signed any player of any high value in years. Your biggest purchase is £13m for Wiltord. On the other side, you are consistently selling players for 20m+ every year.

Arsenal also have the highest tickets prices in the premier league. So yes, your finances are good, but they are not being spent on high priced players. Making bids on players means feck all if you cant sign them.

Just because Arsenal aren't paying massive money doesn't mean they're not well ran, Liverpool paid £35m for for Carroll, 20 for Downing, 16 for Henderson and 15.5 for Allen.
To contrast, Arsenal paid £12. for Carzola, which of those is the better option?

People saying their a feeder to club to the likes of Barca, Fabregas was always going to pine for a return to Barca, if anything they did well to hold him for as long as they did considering Fab to Barca ran for a few years like Suarez story this summer.
In hindsight, Nasri to City doesn't look like the worst piece of business.

RVP to Utd however was terrible, length of contract remaining aside, it sends out completely the wrong message.

smileyj1987

Raif Severance wrote: »

He'd do it Odemwingie-Style!

He'd drive up to Melwood and do a Leaning Pose.

Nah I can picture him using a wheelie bin to climb over the wall

YouTookMyName

Replace Skrtel with Papa? I'd take that.

Raif Severance

YouTookMyName wrote: »

Replace Skrtel with Papa? I'd take that.

Even with his Injury, I would be in Favor of taking a chance on him for 10M-12M.

But Schalke wants 20M!

LiverpoolFC News
‏@LFCTransferNRS
#LFC want to begin negotiations at around £12m, but Schalke want closer to £20m for Papa, with the deal looking likely to drag on. (Echo)

Whatever they are Smoking there, must be the same ones as the Emirates.

Hidalgo

NukaCola wrote: »

They are almost on a par, Alderwierald is better in the air IMO.......but we stood by while Norwich looked to sign him so I'm guessing he's not a target.

I'd be all for keeping Skrtel if he can regain some form, i think he is a fine 3rd choice CB. We need a quality CB to compliment Agger.......IMO Papadopoulos would be perfect partnership, but thats not going to happen either.

Were Liverpool not playing deeper when Skrtel had his really good season under Kenny.
Playing a higher line under Rodgers didn't suit him and his struggles began to mount.

The again if Lucas hits the ground running with the benefit of a full pre-season rather than recovering from injuries that might help whoever is CB

We start at £12m, they want £20m. Give them £16/17m, get it done and move to the next target.

Anyone

Hidalgo wrote: »

Just because Arsenal aren't paying massive money doesn't mean they're not well ran, Liverpool paid £35m for for Carroll, 20 for Downing, 16 for Henderson and 15.5 for Allen.
To contrast, Arsenal paid £12. for Carzola, which of those is the better option?

I never claimed they weren't well run, they are. They turn a profit every year. I disputed his claim that Arsenal were able to match it with the big spenders, when they have never ever done so in the past, and still haven't done it this season.

I'm going to ignore the bit about our signings as it's irrelevant to my point.

Hidalgo

Pedalstool wrote: »

It seems everyone else came to the same conclusion.

You'd imagine they've moved onto someone else so since failing to land MK, that's 2 AMs linked/scouted so surely its a position that they're aiming to fill. Also a position Rodgers has stated he wants improved.

livinginkorea

No sure if this has been posted before...

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/liverpool-for-sale-1010954-Jul2013/

Liverpool owners dismiss suggestions club is for sale again

The Sun reports that Fenway chiefs are unofficially welcoming offers for the club.

42 minutes ago 377 Views 1 Comment Share1 Tweet11 Email

LIVERPOOL FC OWNERS Fenway Sports Group have denied rumours that the club has been put up for sale.
Reports emerging in the British media today suggested that the American investment company were prepared to pull out of the Premier League, with a Saudi Arabian oil firm believed to be interested in purchasing the Anfield side.
However, both the Merseyside club and their owners have moved to strenuously deny the claims.
A spokesperson said in a statement released to Press Association Sport: “Fenway Sports Group has made its position clear, Liverpool Football Club is not for sale. There is no truth in this story.”
And an FSG spokesperson added: “Like so many rumours in the past about a sale of Liverpool Football Club, there is absolutely no truth in this. We have had no meetings with anyone about a sale, we don’t know who the source of the rumour is.”
FSG purchased Liverpool from American businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett in October 2010 after a fan-led protest movement helped oust the controversial duo. The Boston-based group have since sacked both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish, with the latter manager having won the only trophy of their tenure thus far in the form of the 2011-12 League Cup.
FSG have also owned Major League Baseball team the Boston Red Sox since 2002, and oversaw the end of their 82-year wait for a World Series victory in 2004.

livinginkorea

Wenger saying now that they are not close to signing Suarez.

“We are not close to signing Suarez … or anyone else,” he said. “We are ready to do quick deals but all the transfers do not depend only on us. We are prepared to wait.
“It looks very unlikely that we will have anyone before the Emirates Cup next week because everyone is on tour at the moment and it’s very difficult to get in touch with people.”
“With or without additions we can be title challengers next season,” he said. “We try to do the job and we will try to do it well, but nothing has been concluded with anybody.
“What we want is not a name but a good player. The name is less important. What is more important is the quality of the player. At the moment I must tell you we are not close to signing anybody.
“Of course we want to do as many top players as we can, but we also have to focus on the players we have and develop them.”

No much really...still can't believe that they will break the bank for Suarez.

livinginkorea

livinginkorea wrote: »

No sure if this has been posted before...

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/liverpool-for-sale-1010954-Jul2013/

Liverpool owners dismiss suggestions club is for sale again

The Sun reports that Fenway chiefs are unofficially welcoming offers for the club.

42 minutes ago 377 Views 1 Comment Share1 Tweet11 Email

LIVERPOOL FC OWNERS Fenway Sports Group have denied rumours that the club has been put up for sale.
Reports emerging in the British media today suggested that the American investment company were prepared to pull out of the Premier League, with a Saudi Arabian oil firm believed to be interested in purchasing the Anfield side.
However, both the Merseyside club and their owners have moved to strenuously deny the claims.
A spokesperson said in a statement released to Press Association Sport: “Fenway Sports Group has made its position clear, Liverpool Football Club is not for sale. There is no truth in this story.”
And an FSG spokesperson added: “Like so many rumours in the past about a sale of Liverpool Football Club, there is absolutely no truth in this. We have had no meetings with anyone about a sale, we don’t know who the source of the rumour is.”
FSG purchased Liverpool from American businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett in October 2010 after a fan-led protest movement helped oust the controversial duo. The Boston-based group have since sacked both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish, with the latter manager having won the only trophy of their tenure thus far in the form of the 2011-12 League Cup.
FSG have also owned Major League Baseball team the Boston Red Sox since 2002, and oversaw the end of their 82-year wait for a World Series victory in 2004.

Raif Severance

rarnes1 wrote: »

We start at £12m, they want £20m. Give them £16/17m, get it done and move to the next target.

That's why we always get Mugged in the Transfer Deals.

Schalke has agreed to sell Papa to Zenit for 16M, Pre-Injury!

He's Injured now, but his Value rose by 4M?

Sorry Mate, but our Offer is already more than Fair. If Schalke wants 20M, then they can keep him.

Papadopoulos rejects Zenit
Greece international declares his love for the Bundesliga club

Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos has confirmed he rejected a £16million move to Zenit St Petersburg.

The 20-year-old is highly rated by coach Huub Stevens but the wealthy Russians sought to test the resolve of the Bundesliga club.

An initial bid of £10.25m was tabled which was rebuffed before they returned with an improved offer of £16m.

And despite admitting that he did give the move some thought, Papadopoulos has opted to remain in Germany.

"As you can imagine, I had to give the move some thought," he told his official website.

"The offer from Zenit St Petersburg was very lucrative but the fact that I am staying at Schalke says a lot.

"I am going to remain a Schalke player because I enjoy playing for the club."

messinkiapina

I think Wisdom will make a fine CB. I suppose Agger, Toure, Skrtel, Wisdom, Coates, Kelly (possibly) isn't terrible. Though the latter 3 are pretty inexperienced so it would be nice to have one more established CB in there, possibly in place of Skrtel.

Raif Severance

Raif Severance wrote: »

That's why we always gets Mug in the Transfer Deals.

Schalke has agreed to sell Papa to Zenit for 16M, Pre-Injury!

He's Injured now, but his Value rose by 4M?

Sorry Mate, but our Offer is already more than Fair. If Schalke wants 20M, then they can keep him.

You do realise clubs negotiate? Read my post again

It's like Spurs saying Bale will cost £100m. Do you really think he'd be sold for that?

That's the way these things work

Raif Severance

rarnes1 wrote: »

You do realise clubs negotiate? Read my post again

It's like Spurs saying Bale will cost £100m. Do you really think he'd be sold for that?

That's the way these things work

12M for Papa that's still in Rehab, is already a Fair Price.

They were ready to sell him for 16M, Pre-Injury.

So giving them 16M-17M like you've suggested, sends all the Wrong Signals.

Kess73

mike65 wrote: »

I can see Eriksen walking behind Sky Sport reporters on deadline day with a banner pleading for a move at this rate.

Not a chance. He has made it very clear that he wants Ajax to make money on him, and has agreed a pre contract with Ajax stating that if he does not get a move this window that he extends his current contract by 12 months to ensure Ajax will get something for him rather than him walking away for free.


Seems that it has all been very upfront from the player and the club, and there has been no running to the media or sulking by the player in order to geta move. Both the player and club have also confirmed that there has been offers for the player and that the player is the reason why he has not jumped ship yet as he has speciffic clubs/projects in mind rather than moving for the payday.

Speaks well of Ajax the way their big players that leave or who make it clear they want to leave mostly seem to be able to do so in a manner that keeps all parties onside with each other and also with the supporters.

Kess73

Pedalstool wrote: »

The question is why the reluctance to go for him? Or Eriksen for that matter?

Do they believe they are targeting better players or perhaps they believe they will get one or both at better value as the window draws to a close?

Could ask the same question about Suarez. There is no long line of clubs climbing over themselves to get him either.

Hell look at most of our own team, you rarely see lots of interest in them.

The truth is that most players move without any great scramble for them, and it is the minority that have bidding wars for their services. Looks atthe bigger moves in England and around Europe so far this window, did you see many bidding wars or did you see players moving after only one club was willing to buy them? The latter methinks is the norm.

Raif Severance

Raif Severance wrote: »

12M for Papa that's still in Rehab, is already a Fair Price.

They were ready to sell him for 16M, Pre-Injury.

So giving them 16M-17M like you've suggested, sends all the Wrong Signals.

When I posted that I wasn't aware that the offer on the table before was £16m. We still need to be closing these deals.

How long is he out for?

As mentioned yesterday, our interest in him has probably waned anyway and this is all rehased nonsense.

michael999999

Kess73 wrote: »

Not a chance. He has made it very clear that he wants Ajax to make money on him, and has agreed a pre contract with Ajax stating that if he does not get a move this window that he extends his current contract by 12 months to ensure Ajax will get something for him rather than him walking away for free.


Seems that it has all been very upfront from the player and the club, and there has been no running to the media or sulking by the player in order to geta move. Both the player and club have also confirmed that there has been offers for the player and that the player is the reason why he has not jumped ship yet as he has speciffic clubs/projects in mind rather than moving for the payday.

Speaks well of Ajax the way their big players that leave or who make it clear they want to leave mostly seem to be able to do so in a manner that keeps all parties onside with each other and also with the supporters.

And there was me thinking that loyalty infootball was gone!

billy2012

Kolo Toure insists he is in peak physical condition and as hungry as ever to succeed in what he believes will be a 'massive' season at Liverpool.
Most Recent News

Brendan goal inspires Reds comeback
'I've never seen support like this'
Boss confident in centre-back group
Ibe on 'friendly' Sterling competitio…
On demand: Three exclusive interviews

Brendan Rodgers moved quickly to recruit the Ivorian due to the wealth of experience he will bring to a defence which has lost a stalwart in Jamie Carragher.

Toure knows he faces a tough task in filling the void left by Carragher's departure - but intends to prove that he is still one of the game's best defenders when the 2013-14 campaign gets underway.

He told LFC TV: "I'm still really hungry for more. I still think I can bring more in football.

"This season is going to be massive for me. I will just try to show that I am still one of the best defenders. For a defender, 32 is nothing and physically I feel great.

"It's hard [to replace Carragher] because Jamie is Jamie. He was a fantastic player for Liverpool and in his time here, he was amazing.

"For me, I just like to try to do things my way and I will try to do what I can, but I think it's going to be really difficult to replace him. I will give my all and it's going to be a great challenge for me."


Toure featured in Liverpool's 2-0 victory over an Indonesia XI in Jakarta on Saturday; however, a minor injury forced him to watch from the sidelines during the Reds' win over Melbourne Victory at the MCG on Wednesday.

The centre-back has had plenty of time to train alongside his new teammates - and he explained how he's been offering pointers to some of the less experienced defenders in the squad.

"They have fantastic quality and for me, I just want to help them, encourage them and be there for them as well," he said.

"As a young player, you can go through a hard time and need somebody to say, 'you have to do that' or 'you don't have to do that' and that's what, when I was young, Tony Adams and Martin Keown used to do for me. Now I will try to do the same."

Toure has won titles at Arsenal and Manchester City, captained both outfits and racked up 106 appearances for his country.

While the veteran remains fully focused on delivering for the Reds next campaign, he took time out to discuss the prospect of becoming a coach in the years to come.

"When I'm at home, I have about 400 channels, but I only watch the football channels," explained Toure. "I love sport, I like football and I can see myself in football at the end of my career.

"I like Barcelona. I like the way they play - but I like teams who play good football, football on the ground like Liverpool play, of course.

"I am learning all the time. I love it - that's my life. For me, playing football is not a job. I just enjoy playing football. The time when I am really, really happy is when I am on the pitch."

.....

Kess73

michael999999 wrote: »

And there was me thinking that loyalty infootball was gone!

Seems to be there a lot at Ajax anyway. Maybe not loyalty in the purest sense of the word, but good communication and a lot of working together on things.

Raif Severance

rarnes1 wrote: »

When I posted that I wasn't aware that the offer on the table before was £16m. We still need to be closing these deals.

How long is he out for?

As mentioned yesterday, our interest in him has probably waned anyway and this is all rehased nonsense.

Schalke UK news ‏@Schalke_UK 10 Jul
Jones and Uchida are still on holiday. Papa has flown to Greece for more rehab. Escudero and Annan are surplus to requirements.

If that's true, then he's too far off.

Like I've said earlier, it will probably be in the 2nd Half of the Season before he even Plays.

Allyall

I saw this, after another BS article about the death threats.
(Nobody has seen this phantom tweet).
Anyway, thought it was funny, but not surprising.

ush

Hasn't Liverpool always been unofficially on the market? FSG bought it for a song, sorted the finances, worked on the stadium issue and improved the organisational structure. Makes sense that they'd want to cash in.

djPSB

I would imagine that if Skrtel doesn't feature in the first few PL games, he will push for a move.

No way will he sit on the bench for the season.

opr

Guardian - Liverpool say 'there is no truth' in reports the club is for sale

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/27/liverpool-deny-reports-club-for-sale

Opr

Raif Severance

Raif Severance wrote: »

If that's true, then he's too far off.

Like I've said earlier, it will probably be in the 2nd Half of the Season before he even Plays.

I'd stay away so tbh.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

rarnes1 wrote: »

I'd stay away so tbh.

Buy him in ther next window.

Raif Severance

rarnes1 wrote: »

I'd stay away so tbh.

What's more worrying is that he had the Knee Operation in December. So he's supposed to be back ready for Preseason.

There's a Training Pic of him on the Schalke Website.
http://www.bundesliga.com/en/bildergalerien/galerien/0000261628.php

But due to some Complications on his Knee (Twitter says it's Swelling), he has flown back to Greece for some more Treatment.

I think it's more than likely, that we've Dropped our Interest on him, around this time.

Courtesy Flush

Rumours Madrid seem to be stepping up their pursuit of Bale with an £81m bid
Spurs rejected

Outkast_IRE

Courtesy Flush wrote: »

Rumours Madrid seem to be stepping up their pursuit of Bale with an £81m bid
Spurs rejected

There is no way they rejected £81 million, that's into silly money territory.

Kess73

Raif Severance wrote: »

What's more worrying is that he had the Knee Operation in December. So he's supposed to be back ready for Preseason.

There's a Training Pic of him on the Schalke Website.
http://www.bundesliga.com/en/bildergalerien/galerien/0000261628.php

But due to some Complications on his Knee (Twitter says it's Swelling), he has flown back to Greece for some more Treatment.

I think it's more than likely, that we've Dropped our Interest on him, around this time.

Rami is rumoured to be available for around 8m. Valencia's money issues mean pretty much any player they have is available.

Godin is rumoured to have a similar price tag.


Alderweireld would be in and around the same price.

That's just three options that would most likely be gettable if we want a RCB.

jesus_thats_gre

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

There is no way they rejected £81 million, that's into silly money territory.

Yup, would agree with you hear. Once you start reaching 50m, it is bordering on irresponsible not to entertain the bid. 80m must be close to a third of the value of the whole club.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

There is no way they rejected £81 million, that's into silly money territory.

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Yup, would agree with you hear. Once you start reaching 50m, it is bordering on irresponsible not to entertain the bid. 80m must be close to a third of the value of the whole club.

Unless they felt they could get more money...?

Raif Severance

Kess73 wrote: »

Rami is rumoured to be available for around 8m. Valencia's money issues mean pretty much any player they have is available.

Godin is rumoured to have a similar price tag.


Alderweireld would be in and around the same price.

That's just three options that would most likely be gettable if we want a RCB.

I don't know, Mate. I thought I had some inklings concerning our Transfer Team, but I'm clearly Stumped. And from the looks of it, even the ITKs!

One thing is Clear though, we don't seem to be looking at the Obvious Ones.

Take Eriksen, Wanyama and Toby, 3 Players that were Heavily Linked to us, that I know we can get and I know would Love to come here. But we don't seem to have any Interest in them.

The only RCBs that we have definite Interests are Zouma (According to his Agent) and Papa.

So this leads to me to Believe that...

A. We are waiting on both Zouma and Papa see how they do in the Coming Season, before we commit.
B. We're going to take a chance on Wisdom and see how he Develops.
C. Both A and B.

Raif Severance

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

There is no way they rejected £81 million, that's into silly money territory.

Well according to this, it's 93M!

Transfer Centre (@CentreTransfer)
7/27/13, 11:04 AM
Real Madrid have offered €93m for Bale. (Marca) #Transfers pic.twitter.com/omdkyjiQsH

jesus_thats_gre

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Unless they felt they could get more money...?

That goes without saying. I did say "entertain" too.

Outkast_IRE

No player on the planet it worth that sort of money, I will only believe the offer when spurs come out and say we accepted or rejected an offer of X amount.

Raif Severance

So many Clubs wants Assaidi, except the one that currently employs him.

Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland)
7/27/13, 1:16 PM
Anderlecht are hoping to sign Oussama #Assaidi from #LFC, though the Belgian champions still have to unload some players first. #rsca

Mignolet...

Rise Of The Kop (@RiseOfTheKop)
7/27/13, 10:27 AM
Mignolet: "They told me this tour would be big but now I’ve seen it with my own eyes."

Rise Of The Kop (@RiseOfTheKop)
7/27/13, 10:27 AM
Mignolet: "It's been brilliant for me to experience this tour and be part of it. The amount of fans has surprised me."

Rise Of The Kop (@RiseOfTheKop)
7/27/13, 10:28 AM
Mignolet: “Melbourne was special, playing in front of 95,000 – I’d never played in front of a crowd that big before.When they started signing You’ll Never Walk Alone that was a great moment"

Rise Of The Kop (@RiseOfTheKop)
7/27/13, 10:08 AM
Straight in at no.1 – Simon Mignolet already a hit with Liverpool FC fans - liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football…

Kess73

Raif Severance wrote: »

I don't know, Mate. I thought I had some inklings concerning our Transfer Team, but I'm clearly Stumped. And from the looks of it, even the ITKs!

One thing is Clear though, we don't seem to be looking at the Obvious Ones.

Take Eriksen, Wanyama and Toby, 3 Players that were Heavily Linked to us, that I know we can get and I know would Love to come here. But we don't seem to have any Interest in them.

The only RCB that we have definite Interests are Zouma (According to his Agent) and Papa.

So this leaves to me to Believe that...

A. We are waiting on both Zouma and Papa see how they do in the Coming Season, before we commit.
B. We're going to take a chance on Wisdom and see how he Develops.
C. Both A and B.

Yeah it seems a bit odd because the two areas of our team that looked to need the biggests boosts were the centre of midfield and the centre of defense.

If we took the squad that finished the season, and just added one quality centre back and a quality central midfielder, then those two moves alone would have strengthened us a lot and made us a better looking unit for the new season.

I think the centre of midfield is missing three things. Steel, playmaking, and pace. A quality midfielder who could bring one or two of those into the centre would really boost us, and even if we did not get a new AM we would have the option of putting Gerrard further forward in the attacking midfielder role and let the new player slot in by Lucas.

As things stand now we have Lucas, Gerrard, Allen, and Henderson for the two cm roles and between them there is a serious lack of pace, a serious lack of steel, and no genuine playmaker of note. As a quartet they are fine against the lesser lights of the division, but over the course of a season I don't expect them to show themselves to be as consistent as the midfields of Spurs, Arsenal, City, United, and Chelsea. People on here (and elsewhere) like to say that our midfielders are as good as any in the league on paper, but the truth of the matter is that people are talking about past glories or potential they hope will be realised when saying that. We, imo, need quality in the centre, genuine stand out quality.

Same goes for our back line. We have no two stand out centre backs that we can look at and know that they are going to be good as a pairing and as individuals more often than not. Agger is the closest we have as he is generally very consistent in his play and will have far more good games in a season than poor ones. But what we need is another player alongside him who is at Agger's level at the very least.

We could also debate the need for a new full back and a new winger or wide forward, but I think it is in the central positions where we were found lacking at times last season. Lacking in that we did not have that bit of extra quality to make our spine more robust, and lacking in genuine guile going forward and backwards.

Ignoring the Suarez situation totally, I really don't get why the defence and midfield has not seen first team additions. Granted they may still arrive, but a lot of my hopes for the new season will depend on what happens in those parts of the pitch. My expectations for the season remain what they are, but my hopes and belief in the team are far more pliable.

5live

Kess73 wrote: »

Yeah it seems a bit odd because the two areas of our team that looked to need the biggests boosts were the centre of midfield and the centre of defense.

If we took the squad that finished the season, and just added one quality centre back and a quality central midfielder, then those two moves alone would have strengthened us a lot and made us a better looking unit for the new season.

I think the centre of midfield is missing three things. Steel, playmaking, and pace. A quality midfielder who could bring one or two of those into the centre would really boost us, and even if we did not get a new AM we would have the option of putting Gerrard further forward in the attacking midfielder role and let the new player slot in by Lucas.

As things stand now we have Lucas, Gerrard, Allen, and Henderson for the two cm roles and between them there is a serious lack of pace, a serious lack of steel, and no genuine playmaker of note. As a quartet they are fine against the lesser lights of the division, but over the course of a season I don't expect them to show themselves to be as consistent as the midfields of Spurs, Arsenal, City, United, and Chelsea. People on here (and elsewhere) like to say that our midfielders are as good as any in the league on paper, but the truth of the matter is that people are talking about past glories or potential they hope will be realised when saying that. We, imo, need quality in the centre, genuine stand out quality.

Same goes for our back line. We have no two stand out centre backs that we can look at and know that they are going to be good as a pairing and as individuals more often than not. Agger is the closest we have as he is generally very consistent in his play and will have far more good games in a season than poor ones. But what we need is another player alongside him who is at Agger's level at the very least.

We could also debate the need for a new full back and a new winger or wide forward, but I think it is in the central positions where we were found lacking at times last season. Lacking in that we did not have that bit of extra quality to make our spine more robust, and lacking in genuine guile going forward and backwards.

Ignoring the Suarez situation totally, I really don't get why the defence and midfield has not seen first team additions. Granted they may still arrive, but a lot of my hopes for the new season will depend on what happens in those parts of the pitch. My expectations for the season remain what they are, but my hopes and belief in the team are far more pliable.

Perhaps we need to start playing on paper.

Then this year would be......our year!

Raif Severance

It seems Anderlecht is really serious about Assaidi.

Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland)
7/27/13, 2:30 PM
John Van den Brom, #RSCA coach about Assaidi: "I ve already talked to the player. He prefers to join Anderlecht." #LFC (1/2)


Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland)
7/27/13, 2:31 PM
John Van den Brom, #RSCA coach about Assaidi: "Now the club has to decide if he fits into our budget. I know him and I wqnt him." #LFC (2/2)

Kess73

5live wrote: »

Perhaps we need to start playing on paper.

Then this year would be......our year!

If we played on paper, then we have had loads of top class players in our starting XI over the past four seasons and it is only bad luck and bad refereeing decisions that cost us better league finishing positions.


In the real world it might be a case of many of our paper players not being as good as we like to think.

5live

ush wrote: »

Hasn't Liverpool always been unofficially on the market? FSG bought it for a song, sorted the finances, worked on the stadium issue and improved the organisational structure. Makes sense that they'd want to cash in.

I have to agree. If someone came in with enough cash, FSG would be gone.

Unlike the Glazers, FSG dont seem to be taking any cash out of the club to pay for the purchase. Indeed, they have given the club loans to keep the club going. They have no interest in football in general or the club in particular so how are they going to make money?

The only way that can happen is if the club is sold, and for more than they have invested in it.

No great surprise really.

Raif Severance

It seems the Taider Link is gaining ground.

Bola.net - Serie A, Internazionale will reportedly attempt to overtake Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the hunt for young players from Bologna , Saphir Taider . As reported by Sky Italia , Nerazzurri will soon release an offer to rossoblu to open up the possibility of getting the player of Algerian origin. The Bavarians and the Reds was previously rumored to be interested in the potential of Taider, but until now they have not given an official offer. Taider itself still has a contract until 2015 Renato Dall'Ara. Allenatore Stefano Pioli was skuatnya want to survive in the next season. Taider join Bologna in 2011 and after transfer from French club Grenoble . 21-year-old midfielder last season featured as many as 34 games for Bologna.

You know something about Taider, Kess?

I used to watch Serie A alot during Kaka's Days with AC Milan. Not so much right now.

In case anyone wonders, Kaka and Ronaldo are 2 of my Favorite Non-LFC Players.