Liverpool to bid £12m for Premier League star: He’s good but is he good enough for Rafa!
by Mr Comfort on August 20th, 2008
| 228 words |
According to this source, a certain Middlesbrough favourite is top of the list of feasible targets for Rafa Benitez.
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Liverpool look set to renew their interest in Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing after Espanyol demanded £16million for Albert Riera.
Having failed to raise the funds to buy Gareth Barry from Aston Villa, the Reds were hoping to buy Riera for around £9m, but the Spanish club have reportedly invoked a £16m release clause for the winger.
That means that Liverpool are instead likely to turn back to Downing, who could be available for a more realistic £12million. (Foxsport)
The England international had a great start to the season, with an arguably man of the match performance helping to ease aside Spurs on day one. However he is a player who I have never rated as being fantastic, and he is in many ways not good enough to play for a top four side. Every summer for a few years now, he has been linked with a move to one of the big guns, but nothing materialises. If Rafa really is about to put in a bid, I would imagine it would be mainly because every other alternative has been exhausted by the Spaniard. Do Liverpool fans think that Downing is Anfield material?
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Tagged Under: liverpool fc, Middlesbrough FC, Premier League, Transfer Rumours
Michael A - August 21st, 2008 at 1:02 am
I’m a Liverpool fan and also a big fan of Downing. People criticise him but I believe his statistics last season are just as good, if not better, than Bentley’s (who most people seem to rate quite highly). It’s a case of Middlesbrough being an unfashionable club and not a team that people watch week in week out, apart from Middlesbrough fans (who seem to rate him very highly). Also it’s perhaps that he doesn’t come across as being the glamour boy that Bentley does. He’s a very good crosser of the ball, is capable of beating full-backs and scores a few goals. He’d thrive at Liverpool, and most importantly Torres and Keane would thrive from his precise crosses.
lfc4life - August 21st, 2008 at 1:09 am
if rafa buys downing or riera then i shall lose faith. we need real quality not the best you can find in the bargain basement 2 for a pound. Barry gone, Silva gone, even lower class signings like milner etc gone. Yanks OUT, please let’s make this happen!! DIC in!
Lee - August 21st, 2008 at 1:46 am
i’d never really be a person to say yes to signing a player of a club like middlesborough but i think stewart downing could be a diamond in the rough.
he’s put in some excellent performances last season and he looked impressive in the opening game of the league.
12 mil might be a bit much but i’d prefer him to a manchester city reject like riera
0500Silva - August 21st, 2008 at 4:14 am
Yea can’t believe we’d even consider a reject like Reira…..he’s an absolute piece of garbage. I hope Espanyol ask for 20 mill pounds so we can go for Downing. Downing is way better anyday of the week. Shame we couldn’t get Barry though. A real shame.
Richard Hudgens - August 21st, 2008 at 4:32 am
Downing is English and has great potential. He is a true winger, which the Reds do not have. He crosses well, has a bit of craftiness to his game, and has a good attitude. If given a chance at a top four club, he might excel. However, I don’t think Southgate will let him go. Marko Marin is a top notch winger, as well. He performed well for Germany today, and I feel he could make the Premier League adjustment. Whatever happens must happen quickly, or Rafa is going to run out of time. Hopefully, Parry won’t botch another possible transfer.
Croco Bob - August 21st, 2008 at 4:37 am
RICK PARRY OUT! OUT! OUT! Can get the cash to buy good players. Always wait to the end… & we dont get them. With our club’s name & history, we should be making tons of money thru marketing & sponsors….. but what the Dick Parry did in 10 years… NOT 10 Months…????
Fuck Him OFF. Get Peter Kenyon! He make us the no 1 club in the world.
HateParry - August 21st, 2008 at 5:21 am
Indeed. Parry, fuck off! We will be better without him!
Aman Ramdeyal - August 21st, 2008 at 7:28 am
Good day all.
I also agree, Rick Parry should leave. I can’t understand why he doesn’t support Rafa when it comes down to buying players. It is because of him that everyone thinks we don’t have money, Rafa confirmed we have the money to make another 20million signing but it is because of Rick Parry that we don’t get the players Rafa wants. Van Der Vaart was a target and would have signed for us if Rick Parry moved quickly for him but he didn’t. How I know this is because my cousin works at Hamburg and he was told that we made a bid for Van Der Vaart but on the same day that Real Madrid made their bid. If Rick Parry had only been quicker Van Der Vaart would be at Liverpool.
LFC4LIFE - August 21st, 2008 at 10:25 am
Stewert downing will be a great signing for the club! Bring him in ASAP!!
seb - August 21st, 2008 at 10:52 am
Until the finances are sorted at LFC the story will remain the same. Rafa will have to look for the next best thing as he can’t afford the best. It’s a mess, and no wonder Liverpool are stuggling to challenge for title. The average price for a good player is about £10-12million (add another £8-10M if the player is british!). Players like Deco will go for 8m but he was only going to Chelsea or Inter and he is in his 30s. Any player that does come through will have massive weight of expectation on his shoulders as he will be seen as the missing link, the playmaker/winger to solve the problems. The main issue with this is that every player that comes in will need to settle and that puts the team back a year. We have finge players that other teams don’t want and Parry is way out of his league in the transfer market, his procrastination is costing us money and players.
...5 Times - August 21st, 2008 at 11:13 am
Yet another disapointment. The Yanks where suposed to bring money and back Rafa with his plans. They havn’t done that, sure they bought Torres, Babel, Benayoun etc. but they have money problems tht they wont admit to. (typical american) they are tearing the club apart. why cant they sell up and DIC can take over. They have money to spend and they know Rafa knows more about football and what the team needs than themselves.
rafasreturn - August 21st, 2008 at 11:55 am
I am usually very sceptical of any new signings we make but on this occassion I would say that Stewart Downing will 110% prove to be a very shrewd signing for the KOP. He is just the kind of player we need, good engine, good crosser of the ball and will even chip in with over 5goals a season easily. He has a fierce shot, good in a tackle and best of all he is English which will stand the club in good stead for the future. Also it will mean Liverpool have 2players in the england squad as currently we only have Stevie Gerrard alone.
lfc4eva - August 21st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
if we sign stewart downing i will be amazed cuz the manager said he wont go but he wants to go and riera or what hes called at least hes beter than kuyt or babel there shit
michael - August 21st, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Lfc 4 eva did u just say babel was shit stop playin the playstation and watch a game 4 once in ur life a 10 year old wud notice how much talent there is in babel
Paul - August 21st, 2008 at 2:04 pm
wtf? rafa is crazy! he said he needs time to build the team but since he’s come he has bought several players and then sell them afterwards.. like pelegrino, morientes, gonzalez, sissoko and bellamy.. is it what he means by constructing a team? just have a look at wenger.. this guy always makes the right choice and never buys a player if he thinks the latter doesnt enter his system! rafa keeps buying and selling! i think that’s his last chance to win the title!
Bill Vector - August 21st, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Kenyon is an anus
Bill Vector - August 21st, 2008 at 2:18 pm
But Paul, all those players were crap (apart from Sissoko, who became crap). He did buy Torres…. and Reina,,,, and Godwin Antwi
Donavan Ried - August 21st, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Paul - August 21st, 2008 at 2:04 pm : Your comments are spot on…..He as wasted so much money doing this over and over with players, Can anyone of you see now why Gillette (whom I dislike) and Hicks have loss faith in Rafa, and don’t trust him spend money on players?……..This is becoming Embarrassing for the owners,Rafa, an Liverpool Fc, especially when he tries to pressure the owners in to his way of think through airing the broads disagreements with him in public……. DIC would not stand for that for an instance. The writing is on the wall Rafa. Read it.
Gibbons the hoop - August 21st, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Hopefully Jesus shows Rafa the way… Out the door.
Ben - August 22nd, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Hope so he is good at club level, think he could do good for us, sort the problem on the right!