Liverpool ready for MASSIVE £18m PAIR move: ONE Great, ONE Average!

Stevie D - January 4th, 2009 at 7:21 pm

Would like to see heskey back as it would give us a real target man that we dont have.
Lennon is to hit and miss in my opinion and babel is better so no thanks.

rudeboy - January 4th, 2009 at 7:25 pm

neither thanks sell babel too bring in kuba and johnson

Ian - January 4th, 2009 at 7:57 pm

if alonso goes midfield will be shit. Alonso is the maestro of liverpool’s midfield. masherano is defensive type and gerrard now plays behind Torres. who will play in midfield… Lucas- not a football player… i think he’s an actor of a very old serial.

lfc - January 4th, 2009 at 8:09 pm

why would rafa sell alonso???? hes been pretty much our best player this season and alonso said he doesnt want to go many times, so im sure he wont be going. heskey isnt worth it, hes not good enough and hes getting old

Riv - January 4th, 2009 at 8:19 pm

Spurs won’t sell Lennon for anything but silly money. He’s been close to their best player all season.

slicky4 - January 5th, 2009 at 12:01 am

XABI has found his form again and has been instrumental for us this season,,,, WHY OH WHY would we sell him??????????? i didn’t agree with the idea in the summer of selling him, even if BARRY had arrived…. at most i saw BARRY as cover for XABI & JAVIER….more of a 1st teamer at left back or left midfield… then we signed RIERA who’s impressed… so BARRY would have played at left back, which would have been miles better than DOSSENA….. but would have BARRY been happy there????? we need to strengthen in areas LEFT BACK & RIGHT MIDFIELD mainly…… if we aquire GLEN JOHNSON for right back then ok but do you swap ARBELOA to the left…. he can cover all along the back line.. INSUA has played well and slotted in, AURELIO is fit again……. so the JOHNSON deal makes sense to me because DEGEN is STILL injured and now ARBELOA, & everyone knows CARRA’s strength is centre back….. but as always you could play him in goal and he’d do a job……..we need a right winger/midfielder……. the best out of the bunch is KUYT…. now now all the comments ive read saying he should be shipped out,, nonsense… he scores goals, he runs forever, and always has the right attitude. The last one attitude is FUNDAMENTAL in playing in a side that wants to win things.. BABEL, BENAYOUN, & PENNANT all have similar flaws… BABEL can play left or right but he lacks the confidence at the mo, plus he’ll probably benefit playin behind the main striker…… BENAYOUN has openly said he wants 1st team soccer, he blows hot & cold when he plays…. so if he thinks he can do better elsewhere… good luck to him….. same with PENNANT…. players arrive at LIVERPOOL and think they’ve made it to the big time…… you walk into MELWOOD then the hard work begins, these players should understand they are coming to a club steeped in tradition and going for trophies….. you play bad you’re out the team…… get over it and get on with it

slicky4 - January 5th, 2009 at 12:51 am

NOW thats off my chest………… HESKEY yeah, but he’ll be a squad player….. not 1st choice like at wigan.. he’ll play when required or to change a situation. such is RAFA’s knowledge of tactics and formations…. whatever people say of him i think he’s a genius…. just like HOULLIER til the illness got the better of him( nobody wins 3 knockout cups without some knowledge of the game)…… HESKEY was on fire in that 2000-01 season then amazingly dipped in form…..if he can show some sort of form then maybe he gets a run in the side…. HESKEY has recently shown good form which has got him back in the ENGLAND set up…. i think overall he needs good man management,, to get the best out of him…. RAFA’s all hands on so it could be a good signing………
RIGHT……. LENNON……. same mould as SWP yet lacks the consistency….. on good days he’s dangerous and almost unplayable…. on bad days he’d be non -existent….. we could certainly do with his flair down the right and under RAFA he might get the best out of him….. now don’t compare PENNANT to this… because it seems to me that he can’t be turned….. only STEVE BRUCE got the message through to him at birmingham…. so obviously he took it in to move to a better club…no offence birmingham…… SPURS are more high profile and LENNON i think would cope with the step up and knuckle down… it’d do his ENGLAND chances no harm……may even get BABEL to come out of his shell….. so if these 2 RUMOURS are true then go for it……… A RUMOUR IVE HEARD…… heard don’t quote me……..CLARENCE SEEDORF even tho 32 he’s a very versatile player can play all across midfield and is apparently bein brought in for his dutch influence to help BABEL settle and come out of his shell………. its only something ive heard….

f*ck your 5 - January 5th, 2009 at 2:48 am

5 years everyone got put out of europe because of you liverpoo scumbags thats what your great 5 stands for at anfield.. who cares who the spanish waiter signs you still wont win the prem 18 years and counting lol,,,,,,,,,who in their right mind would sign for a club whos own fans rob their houses ..not only that but they also rob their own supporters as we seen at the champs lge final….face it liverpoo your a mickey mouse club trying to play fantasy football

Croco Bob - January 5th, 2009 at 5:06 am

Wow Slicky4 u could write a novel…. Stevie D, since when did Liverpool under Rafa play with a target man? & Heskey dont score goals in double figures…. Rafa plays single striker. At the moment ONLY Torres & Drogba fits into this system.

imi - January 5th, 2009 at 5:35 am

we dont need anyone!!

our £25m + man torres is back… skirtel and aurelio too are back!

and if babel, who will show his class and kean find form, we will clear up

frank - January 5th, 2009 at 5:48 am

Definitely true…… If Alonso goes, LFC will be in “DEEP” shit!!!!

chris smith - January 5th, 2009 at 8:16 am

WE WANT KUBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

chris smith - January 5th, 2009 at 8:17 am

DO NOT SELL ALONSO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

chris smith - January 5th, 2009 at 8:18 am

DO NOT SELL ALONSO, WE WANT KUBA!!!

Kop4life - January 5th, 2009 at 9:11 am

Kudos Slicky4, that’s real blogging analysis. However, you had to go and ruin it with that Seedorf sign-off. And Croco Bob, I reckon Crouchie was nothing if not a target man.
To the rumours then. Since I’m not local in the UK, I can only hope the G. Johnson and A. Lennon moves happen because they add impetuous to the side. Impetuous simply substituted means speed. A quick glance at the big clubs, England and overseas, will reveal a plethora of quick players in wide positions. And for good reason too. Our wide areas are short in this respect especially when teams come ‘for a result’ as has happened at Anfield.
In such times, when tactics have been nullified, and the main stars (read Stevie and FT) are being monitored out of the game, attack savvy wide men come in handy. You may ask the purpose of speed when the opposition dedicates ten defenders to stifle one their third of the pitch. Well, because they recover faster, latch onto delicate through balls easier and are useful on the counter when the ‘team of ten defenders’ eventually venture forward for say a corner kick. Games are won or lost on these fine details.
Now don’t get me wrong, i think Riera, Kuyt and Arbeloa are great talents but not at taking on players. Babel and el Zhar can but still need time. Dossena is comparable to a headless chicken and Benayoun unpredictability applies to his dribbling as it does to his form. Insua, Pacheco and Bruna are for another season.
G. Johnson and A. Lennon are English which apart from the obvious advantages also means that in theory, they’ll bed into the team faster. There are of course deficiencies to consider. Wide men should not lack crossing ability(Lennon), mentality(Johnson), work rate(Johnson) and defensive ability(Lennon). The last requirement is a prerequisite in Rafa’s teams no matter the position. But if Rafa in fact wants that duo, then he will have noted and decided that he can repair those deficiencies.
As for Heskey, he’s had a rebirth of sorts and watched him pull a Torres drag-and-score in this period. But this was also the case when we first acquired him so I’ll stick to the adage bitten once, twice shy.
In Rafa we trust.

Larry - January 5th, 2009 at 9:41 am

Where on earth are we getting all this money from? We’re broke. We can’t afford a new stadium, and we certainly can’t afford any world class players. I wish Rafa would just stop buying shit with his meagre budgets, build the kitty, and go out and get us someone who’s going to have a major impact on the club.

Johnson would be a good buy, but how are we going to fund that? By selling Agger? Yes, we need Johnson more than we do Agger, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that Agger is a quality prospect.

If we sign Lennon then that’s it, I’ve had enough of Rafa. Lennon is absolutely diabolical. He can’t cross, can’t pass, can’t tackle, and most importantly, he can’t even kick a ball further than 30yds. Why the hell do we want a bench player at Spurs? Plus he’d probably cost us £15m after the sensationalist British press label him as a world beater just because he’s pretty quick. And I can guarantee you, the three other young English lads (Agbonlahor, Young and Walcott) would smash him over 100m. Why Rafa can’t just wait 6months, stick an extra £10m in the kitty, and splash out on Ashley Young is beyond me.

9torres - January 5th, 2009 at 10:09 am

If we only signed Lennon and Johnson then i would be more than happy. This would address the positions that needed strengthening and would be done so with young, pacy, skillful, Englishmen.

Steve McMahon - January 5th, 2009 at 1:24 pm

Heskey? No! I needent say any more.

Lennon, yes, personally I think he is a good pacey player, that can frighten defenders, go past defenders, ( Ok the crossing sometimes leaves a lot to be desired) but he is young and could do a job for us and will also help the upcoming rule on home grown players, etc.

With regards to the Ashley Young shout, yep good call, but there is no way we could afford him, M.O.N will once again put a stupid price tag on his head, end of story. So that rules him out of the equation.

Larry - January 5th, 2009 at 1:39 pm

I rekon £20-25m would land Young, and how much is Lennon gunna cost from Delboy over at White Hart Lane? An arm and a leg thats how much! Lennon hasn’t progressed as a footballer one single jot since he was 18, why should we pay through the nose for more dross? Rafa Bentiez and his shit transfer dealings thats why. He seems to feel the need to spend every single cent available to him in every window, if that means buying good then fair play, but the amount of shit he has brought to Anfield is dispicable. Ferguson hasn’t bought that much shit in 20 years, never mind 5.

What has Lennon got that El Zhar hasn’t? Other than experience of course, but how much of that is El Zhar gunna get if we go out and waste our pocket money on Lennon.

Rafa has only brought 5 players of any real quality to Anfield… Alonso, Reina, Torres, Mascherano and Skrtel. The rest is just piss and i’m sick of it.

9torres - January 5th, 2009 at 1:50 pm

Larry, i get where you’re coming from in that Lennon and El Zhar are very similar players and the only difference is experience. We should keep El Zhar and use him as we would have used Lennon. El Zhar doesn’t have much Prem experience but what he lacks in that he makes up for with experience of how Liverpool play and are set up tactically, something Rafa spends a lot of time drumming in to the youth players.

I can’t agree that he has only bought 5 good players though. Don’t forget he persuaded Gerrard to stay when he was having doubts, Luis Garcia made an invaluable contribution in us winning both the CL. Agger is a top draw player. Arbeloa’s versatility has helped us on so many occasions. Also look at the youth he has signed. Mikel San Jose looks like he will be a first teamer in a few years, same with Pacheco, Nemeth, Bruna and possibly Weijl.

He’s signed some duffers like Nunez, Josemi, Voronin and Degen, but he only has a net spend of £9m in the 5 years he has been with us, so he has hardly wasted money. He buys cheap bar Torres and Keane so it is inevitable that not all his cheaper signings will work out to be stars.

9torres - January 5th, 2009 at 1:51 pm

“Luis Garcia made an invaluable contribution in us winning both the CL AND FA CUP” sorry, typo

Larry - January 5th, 2009 at 2:08 pm

Nunez, Josemi, Voronin, Degen… and the rest… Morientes, Zenden, Kromkamp, Bellamy, Paletta, Gonzalez, Aurelio, Pennant, Lucas, Leto, Itandje.

I’m sorry if you disagree… but that many shit signings in only 5 years is just pathetic. You right, he buys cheap, but thats because he buys shit. Our squad is shaped nicely, we’ve got depth all over the pitch. All we need now is quality, and nothing less. Getting to within touching distance of a premier league title is the easy part, actually going ahead and winning one is where the real work begins. No middle of the road Aaron Lennon’s or Emile Heskey’s are going to give us that something extra that a title winning team has. What’s the point in going out and wasting 5m here and 6m there on crap? What did we get out of Morientes, Bellamy, Gonzalez and Pennant? Absolutely nothing… but we spent about £24m on that lot… that money would get us Ashely Young.

Larry - January 5th, 2009 at 2:12 pm

Dossena!!! How the fuck could I forget Dossena?

Kop4life - January 5th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

Just to emphasize your point 9Torres, Crouchie and Bellamy too were brought in with limited funds, did a decent job, and were sold for a net profit. Also, I really rate Kuyt, Arbeloa, Babel and Keane (forget Saturday’s match) as footballers.
And then Sir Alex hasn’t had to build from scratch for over a decade now. So i think any comparisons in that light are a tad unfair.
I sense Larry, that you are angry. That is your right but consider that Chelsea and United aren’t the only Premier League sides that outspend us in the market. Rafa has done a decent job and is currently threatening to land us on cloud nine come May.

9torres - January 5th, 2009 at 2:20 pm

You have an undeniable point. The thing is, at the time those players were bought to fill gaps as we progressed in other players. Buying cheap there allowed us to be in a position to afford Torres, Babel, Keane etc. Players bought in Jan (with the exception of City), are usually bought to plug holes in gaps that we have at the moment, as opposed to the july transfer window where major 1st teamers are bought.

Leto is doing well at Olympiakos, Lucas is getting better with every game and Aurelio has even begun to play well when fit. Morientes was a flop, as was Bellamy, but there was undoubted potential, same with Gonzalez and Cisse.

Above all, i would rather we only lost out on £4/5m on a failure, than £29m as United did on Veron, or the £30m that Chelsea lost on Shevchenko, or the ridiculous amounts they spent on Malouda and Kalou.

At the end of the day, who would have thought Shevchenko, Malouda, Wright-Phillips, Veron, Forlan, Morientes etc would have been wastes of money??

We can’t afford to take the risks in our current financial situation so we have to pick the players that will fit into the team and are within a price bracket we can afford.

9torres - January 5th, 2009 at 2:22 pm

Dossena is god awful, but we will recoup the majority of our transfer fee paid out for him.

Steve McMahon - January 5th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

Ashley Young would be agreat buy Larry, but according to at least one paper over the weekend, M.O.N. is under the impression that if Man City paid 12 mill for W.Bridge then Ashley young is worth a hell of a lot more. Be realistic, do you think we could afford A.Young at the moment? maybe in the summer when we have more time to sell a lot of the dead wood and raise some cash that this type of player could be an option, but not in January. Lennon might be an option in January, he might make the difference come the end of the season, we might be able to do some sort of a player plus cash swap deal with Spurs, but not a hope with Villa.
And yes I fully agree that Raffa has bought bucket loads of waste over the last 5 years, personall I would like to see a number of players sold this month and 2 or 3 come in, but this will more than likely not happen due to the fact we will have to sell first, then buy, and we only have one month to do this. I would be happy if we could get Lennon, Podolski and Johnson. And I know, I am probably dreaming.

Larry - January 5th, 2009 at 2:53 pm

I’m not denying that we could strike a deal for Lennon now, whereas we couldn’t get close to Young this month… but that’s the exact point I’m trying to make. Lennon is crap, he WILL NOT contribute anything towards a title tilt, and therefore why are we considering wasting our money yet again? Save the cash until the summer, and buy someone who has Rafa’s buzzword… ‘quality’.

If January is for ‘plugging gaps’ why do we seem to be going out a buying a right back, when we are clearly in much more need of a left back, winger (not Lennon) and a striker?

Kop4Life – You could say I’m angry… I’d say more exhausted. It’s just painful to see the kind of transfers we’re linked with. I know that not only Man Utd and Chelsea spend more than us, but thats because we aren’t a financial powerhouse, we never have been, and won’t be until our new stadium has been in place for a good decade.

9torres – If you think Dossena has a resale value of anywhere near £8m then can I please have some of what your smoking.

Steve McMahon – Podolski would be a perfect signing for Liverpool, available for EUR 10m, but Rafa won’t go for him, as he daren’t admit he could have made a mistake with Keane.

9torres - January 5th, 2009 at 3:20 pm

Dossena’s value to an English club, no one would touch him, but back in italy he has a high value, £6/7million. AC Milan, Roma and Udinese are all apparently interested.

As for Lennon, i don’t think we should bid for him, i would much rather go for Kuba, who is probably valued at a similar amount. Young is the only winger who would be close to being a certain hit, Silva could cost £20m and may not be effective. Likelyhood is Villa wouldn’t sell us any of their decent players after the Barry fiasco unless they got ridiculous money.

Any player is a risk and Liverpool could only afford to risk around £10m on a winger regardless of which transfer window it is.

coggin - January 5th, 2009 at 5:12 pm

I am not sure if Dossena will be sold in the Jan window as Insua is now away for a month on international duty and if he was to get injured then we could be in the Shit.

rentz - January 5th, 2009 at 8:17 pm

I like these debates. as many of you liverpool fans have said! Alonso cant go anywhere. He is the creator. I think pennant is defo away which wont be a miss. but i think we do need to give babel more playing time. when someone like van-baasten praises him and arsenal wanted him and Rafa bought him that should tell us all we need to know. As for lennon i think unless we sell 1 of our stars we wont get him. its a pitty coz hes an awesome player. But sorry for this but im starting to get nasty! why dont we go for theo walcot, lets stir it up a bit put in an offer to see if we can get him for under 1 million. hes sick of waiting on a contract renewal so lets see if he wants to come to the best team in the world. As for the big man Heskey, if we could get him for roughly 4 mill we cant realy grumble can we? But all that aside we have Torres,skrtel and aurellio back and soon arbeloa. so if we dont get any1 does it realy matter? In Rafa we trust.
YOU,LL NEVER WALK ALONE

slicky4 - January 6th, 2009 at 3:15 am

CROCO BOB…. i can’t help to write novels LIVERPOOL FC is in my blood and i care tooo much to ignore what goes on…. the missus thinks im mad….. KOP4LIFE…. the SEEDORF thing was just a rumour id heard and even said “don’t quote me on it”…….TORRES9 always quality imputs… keep it up…. HAPPY NEW YEAR ….. to one and all…… 2009 will be a great year….. in RAFA I TRUST…… YNWA

coggin - January 6th, 2009 at 8:40 am

rentz – January 5th, 2009 at 8:17 pm

Re: Theo, as I understand it he can buy out his contract at the end of the season fo 1 million so we might have to bid more than 1 Mill this window but worth a shot I would say.

Croco Bob - January 6th, 2009 at 9:09 am

Slicky 4 no hard feelings man…. keep up the good work. Most of the time I’m kinda busy, so its nice to read a lot of Liver stories in one go.

mark - January 6th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

lennon is crap- don’t believe the hype. benitez has come out and said dossena won’t be going in january so we can rule that out, as for alonso going, as many people have already said it would be an absoloute disaster, same goes for lucas this lad has huge poetential and to sell him just when he’s starting to come good would be a bad move. with skrtel and torres coming back liverpool will definately get better, but to be honest haven’t really heard anything about the steven gerrard issue, as anyone got any news?

mark - January 6th, 2009 at 12:28 pm

as for heskey- he won’t be coming back to anfield. and young is just a pipe dream unless o’neil leaves which is highly doubtful

9torres - January 6th, 2009 at 12:35 pm

Heard from a friend of a friend that Gerrard was out with mates, they requested a song, DJ refused to play it/started taking the piss, Gerrards mates ended up kicking off, everyone piled in. We may never know the full story but hopefully find the outcome at the end of Jan.