Liverpool Star Set For £8.5m Tottenham Move: Should Rafa Reconsider?
by Steven Constable on May 29th, 2009 377 words | 22 commentsThe all new rumour reporting article system is in full effect!
The Rumour
Tottenham are eyeing Liverpool winger Ryan Babel.
The Daily Mail says Babel has been told his Anfield career is effectively over following showdown talks between his agent and Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.
The 22-year-old Holland forward brought matters to a head by requesting a meeting with Benitez to discuss his growing frustration at being on the fringes for most of the two years since his £10m arrival from Ajax.
His adviser Winnie Haatrecht made it clear Babel was looking for assurances that he would have more opportunities next season.
Benitez refused to give any and stunned Haatrecht by telling him he was free to start looking for another club for the Anfield misfit.
The Souce: (Tribalfootball.com)
The Analysis
Ryan Babel is at a crunch point in his career at Anfield and Rafa is in a similar point in terms of what he plans on doing with the at times explosive Dutchman.
Two seasons as a part time Liverpool player and sometime cameo sub sensation have shown only glimpses of what Babel is capable of but clearly Benitez is still not greatly impressed by the former Ajax man’s ability to be an impact player on a regular basis. The winger started just six Premier League games this season as opposed to 15 in his first term.
Ryan is also rightly considering his options and may not want to wait around for the run in the first team he may feel he deserves so it’s Catch 22 time for all parties concerned.
I am not surprised that Spurs have registered an interest and on paper the wing pairing of Lennon and Babel would be a great one but Harry Redknapp will obviously realise that the success of any such signing would hinge on Tottenham being able to give the time and space for the 22 year old to get an established grip on a spot in the starting eleven and perhaps this would lead to the player fulfilling his undoubted potential.
The Likelihood
Babel to Spurs: It is quite possible that Ryan could leave Anfield but i feel it is far more likely that if he did so he would move to another league altogether.
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Liverpool star is told “He is Free to Leave” for £8m Premier League Move
Coggin - May 29th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Liverpool paid 11.5M for Babel so I would hope for nearer that figure as he is not a bad player just not what Rafa wants. Also it’s interesting to note that Yossi signed about the same time at only 5m and seems to have made the bigger impact of the two and would be worth more than the price paid for him.
Babel could be used in part exchange for Lennon I suppose.
Dom - May 29th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Agreed on both fronts. If they want hi, it has to be done either one of 2 ways.
1, no less than 12mil.
Or 2. Part exchange with lennon.
And yes your right. Yossi is amazing. Wasn’t sure wen we first got him
Donavan Ried - May 29th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Afternoon Coggin, Dom…. Still feel that we should appoach Arsenal for Gael Clichy or Kieran Gibbs as Arsenal are almost desperate for a striker as Emmanuel Adebayor does not really want to be at Arsenal and is showing it with lack luster performances and Nicklas Bendtner is just poor……. Bable for Theo Walcott ?…. Supports Liverpool,Has real speed,Can show some brillants at times , but just way too inconsistant for me……. Chichy as we need a solid LB, But wouldn’t say no to his deputy Gibbs either.
Coggin - May 29th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Dom, I would put Yossi as the best improved player this year, he was poor when he started but has scored more goals than Babel with only a few more games.
Coggin - May 29th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Donavan
Can’t see Arsenal allowing Theo to leave, or to let any player leave for a top 4 team but you never know.
Kop 4 ever - May 29th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
i think an exchange or nothing less for what we brought him for
Donavan Ried - May 29th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Coggin – May 29th, 2009 at 1:11 pm …….. Sorry mate, did not mean Bable for Walcott, but instead for Gael Clichy or Kieran Gibbs, Walcott is to inconsistant.
Dom - May 29th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Yossi is amazing. I think silva would be the same type of player for us, only with more technical ability.
I wanted to sell yossi last season. Glad we didn’t. He’s one of our more consitant performers!
vince - May 29th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
babel reminds me of a young Thierry Henry who joined juventus and was tagged as hot prospect but things did not work out and moved to arsenal…. i think babel is the same, an offer mite come from italy maybe from a juventus or ac milan especially if this kaka deal happens with madrid. I think milan may look at him they need young players.
coggin - May 29th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
We were all hoping that Babel was the next big thing and we should give him more time, I am sure that the Manager and coaches see him in training all the time and I can only think that they don’t see him in that way. I have said earlier that maybe he needs to go out on loan, he may shine and we can have him back, if not then sell him on. Of course if Rafa needs the cash to buy someone else then sell him and hope the replacement is as good as torres is.
Ash T - May 29th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
i woudnt mind babel going to spurs maybe even a swap deal with bentley or lennon for the right mid
coggin - May 29th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Ash T – May 29th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
The only Bentley that should be seen at Liverpool is one driven by Gerrard, I have yet to see anything but hype about this boy, a glimmer here and there maybe but LFC standard I am not convinced.
Donavan Ried – May 29th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Coggin – May 29th, 2009 at 1:11 pm …….. Sorry mate, did not mean Bable for Walcott, but instead for Gael Clichy or Kieran Gibbs, Walcott is to inconsistant.
Sorry I read it the wrong way…your right of course
matty - May 29th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Let him go he hasnt lived up to expectations i was expecting big things hes no good.
Vorian - May 29th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
After babel knoed us out of the champions league I would say it would be stupid to sell him.
mighty reds - May 29th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
u guys are very funny. i could remember when all of u were saying that yossi should go. now he is fantastic. the same thing goes for babel its just that rafa has a man-management fault. rafa cant really pick players and polish them to great stars liked wenger and Alex
Donavan Ried - May 29th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
mighty reds – May 29th, 2009 at 5:47 pm ……… “the same thing goes for babel its just that rafa has a man-management fault. rafa cant really pick players and polish them to great stars liked wenger and Alex” ……. Agreed with you 100% there. You can see the lad has no conifedence…… Look how good he was starting to play at the end of last season ……. barring injury a player only gets that crappy through lack of confidence. But I will sick by what i have ben saying, and that is “If Rafa is not going to play Bable then we should sell him” ….. It is a waste of time a money playing him from the bench when his confidence will drop lower and lower. lets get the best price/deal we can for him while we still can.
Ash T - May 29th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
all you lot forget how long wenger and alex been at there clubs and how meny mistakes they have made with players you just dont realy hear about them cause when they polish there players off there some of the best players in the world but when they carnt polish the players they realy turn out s**t.
Ash T - May 29th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
and maybe if bentley not good anough then maybe try and get lennon or give that hammill kid a good in the sqaud
LFC "Supporter" - May 29th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Babel has been good this season, albeit not the player we expected him to be. He’s had good games coming off the bench to be honest but obviously not what we expect him to be. The only good start he had was the Real Madrid game at Anfield.
Obviously i would swap him for a class player but he’s proven effective against tired legs.
travis - May 30th, 2009 at 4:25 am
The problem here is rafa, and the septic tanks (yanks). 1st move i would make is to give Guus hiddink wat eva he wants to manage pool. 2/ Keep babel and play him ahead of kuyt or reira. Give the boy licence to score and you will see the best come out of him. Rafa has shattered his confidence to the point he feels he has to work a miracle in the 10 minute game time he gets. no good for anyones confidence. my team would be
reina
johnson carra skyrtl agger
alonso mas
gerrad (ram) babel (lam)
torres tevez/aguero
Yale - May 31st, 2009 at 12:48 pm
travis are u outa ur mind???? not only has rafa done miles better than even ferguson had done by the same span of time at united but getting rid of benitez for the sake of babel is stupid. babel admittedly is a quality player who isn’t played enough and scored some vital goals this season. but as benayoun proved sometimes u need 2 b a team player sit on the bench sometimes and take all ur chances wen u get them instead of sulking. i’d say sell now but defnately not to buy bentley- as he’s hardly played 4 spurs this year due to lennon so surely an offer for lennon would be the logical plan if we decided to sign any1 from tottenham. i’d rather see silva at anfield than any other winger
SPECIAL YID - June 3rd, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Babel for Lennon !! Dont make me laugh !!!
Babel plus 10 million wouldn’t even tempt us to sell Lennon, dream on, dream on !!!
Dont really want Babel at Spurs to be honest he is nothing special, as your comments seem to suggest !!