Liverpool In Danger Of Losing £7m Midfielder: What Should Rafa do?
by Steven Constable on June 12th, 2009 399 words | 20 commentsUtility player wants assurances on his Anfield future.
The Rumour
Liverpool face a battle to keep hold onto midfielder Yossi Benayoun.
The Daily Mail says according to sources close to Benayoun, senior figures at Barcelona have contacted their Anfield counterparts and enquired about his availability and an asking price.
Benayoun crowned an impressive season for Liverpool with a late Champions League winner against Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and his form has been noted by Pep Guardiola, who believes his touch and vision would make him a useful addition to his Nou Camp squad.
But Benayoun’s Liverpool future already appeared to be in the balance after he recently admitted receiving approaches from clubs at home and abroad.
Manchester City and his former club West Ham have been monitoring his impact on Liverpool’s hunt for honours, while Atletico Madrid and Villarreal have also declared an interest.
It is understood that, at 29, he feels there is one more big pay day to come and that an offer of contract talks at Anfield would be enough to banish any thoughts of moving on.
The Source: (The Daily Mail as reported on tribalfootball.com)
The Analysis
Rafa has a tricky balancing act to pull off here. In Yossi he has an adaptable hard working and talented midfielder who always gives his all for the cause and clearly loves the club, but Benitez knows that in many ways the Israeli is just a stop gap a player who only gets a run in the team if others are injured or experiencing bouts of poor form.
Benayoun wants assurances or his place in the Liverpool side and also wants the long term security of an extended contract. I am not surprised that many sides are trailing him but I think his heart is with the club. The thing is that whilst some big teams are after him he knows that he would in all likelihood find himself in a similar position waiting for his time in the starting eleven. In fact of all the clubs mentioned West Ham are probably the only side he knows would offer him a steady run in the team but he also wants to be at a club who can challenge on multiple fronts.
The Likelihood
Benayoun to leave Liverpool: Wants to stay and Rafa will surely offer him an improved deal and more time in his first 11.
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endex - June 12th, 2009 at 10:19 am
no one can take him away from our hand
Guillem - June 12th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Yet again a players agent seeking a new deal from generrafa the gaffa.
craig - June 12th, 2009 at 11:06 am
yossi is grate, doesint start games but when we bring him on he’s a big impact and changes the game, he has grate ball controll and finds himself in the right possition, i’d prefer to keep yossi and sell babel
9torres - June 12th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I personally would let him go, and use the money to sign Saviola, Lavezzi/Silva and Glen Johnson, keep Alonso and we will line up as… (Steve McMahon, you’ll love this one!!)
Reina
Johnson Carragher Agger Aurelio
Mascherano
Alonso Gerrard
Saviola/Kuyt Silva/Lavezzi
Torres
liverpooldian - June 12th, 2009 at 11:26 am
agree with 9torres..
maybe rafa can inflate the price until at least 12 mil ++ so with that money, we can sign lavezzi.
Kop 4 ever - June 12th, 2009 at 11:30 am
keep him i think we should use him more. sell babel aas we would get as much or more
SI - June 12th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
sell dosena and babel and buy silva and johnson, 2 squad players for 2 very good 1st teamers !
-lfc- - June 12th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
he wants to stay rafa wants him to stay he is not going anywhere
Dom - June 12th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Apparently we’ve made a bid for lavezzi.
I still think we will end up with lavezzi and silva
Mighty reds - June 12th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
9Torres- though you have a point but i also know you never liked yossi. Anyway this is the only player i know that can change games for us each time he comes off the bench. I can only let him go if he is involved in a swap deal with a fantastic player. Anyway players like lucas, dossena, leto, babel(loan) should all go before him.
Warrenisaredfan - June 12th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Yossi is a better player than Riera, and has shown better form than Babel therefore I would play Benny on the left in th 1st team that is unless we sign Silva or Adam Johnson. We must not sell him, we will just be going backwards if we do.
Donavan Ried - June 12th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Afternoon 9torres,Mighty reds, Dom,Warrenisaredfan and all…….. I like Yossi Benayoun, for the say reasons that i liked Vladimir Smicer, I like him because he will run at players and take them on. I feel that he was the mosted improved player of last season. Have said that I would have to agree with 9torres…. We need to be improving the team, and as good for us as Yossi has been we could do better,But he sould not be sold to buy the likes of Crouch or Tuncay.
TEDSUZUKI - June 12th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
It’s just bullshit paper talk. Look Yossi has already he is saying. So relax. Unless of course Barca offer ridiculous amount like 30 million. Otherwise, no way Yossi is going. I am very confident he will be wearing the reds jersey next season.
Mighty reds - June 12th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Afternoon donovan. Yes we can do without him. But i think we shouldn’t be in a haste to sell him when we still have loads of other deadwoods. I could go on to remind you tens of games we won cos of his presence and tens of games we drew cos of lucas presence.
The Truth - June 12th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
to 9torres, i doubt the price were being offered for Yoshi will even come close to what would be needed to “sign Saviola, Lavezzi/Silva and Glen Johnson”, realistically the most we’ll get is about 7mill, and even that would take some extreme negotiation to raise the price to that level.
Yossi is without question a central attacking midfielder and has his biggest impact in the middle. To play him on the wing is not the right move for a team chasing the Premier League. Yossi is Gerrards understudy, which is why the centre forward we sign needs to be able to lead the line, not like Saviola who’s a bit short.
If we flog Yoshi i doubt the small amount of cash would have much impact on our signing power this summer so whats the point unsettling the team for no reason.
PS. Give Babel another chance, true he has been pretty much completley fucking useless for us, but one last season to prove himself, worst comes to the worst we flog him at world cup time and easily add four or five mill to his price. The £8mill quoted for him elsewhere is simply not good enough.
red - June 12th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
evening all guys…personally i only see Yossi being a squad player and not a first teamer. think he’s good against the likes of fulham and other mid-table teams, but against quality opposition he’s not brilliant.
i think it’s the age old dilemma…unless we can find someone better, we’ll have to keep him OR (shock horror) bring through a youth player!
Days Of Dalglish Are Nearly Back - June 12th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
red is right. Squad player at best. So if we manage to bring in one or two quality winger(s)/forwards a la Silva, Aguero, Levazzi, Sessegnon, A Young, A Valencia, then we can afford Yossi got to finance such deals. I would rather keep him as he can play left, right or in behind Torres and let Dossena, Lucas and Babel go.
TEDSUZUKI - June 13th, 2009 at 7:43 am
On the topic itself ‘…losing 7 million pounds midfielder…what should Rafa do?’
Well, nothing more to what he has already done. Rafa has already come saying the value Yossi brings to the team. Yossi himself has already he is not interested. In fact he would be very surprise if anything happens. Case close!!!
Off the topic slightly. i find encouraging to see Liverpool players being linked with Barca, Man City, Real Madrid – those who have the bank to pay. It’s a good indication of the squad that Rafa has built. it proves some of the players he bought would bring tremendous value to any team. Now I hope we can hang on to them because you don’t win championships by losing your best players.
TEDSUZUKI - June 13th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Sorry was typing /\ /\ in a hurry. Left out a few words. I hope it’s not too confusing 8 )
Donavan Ried - June 13th, 2009 at 11:41 am
red – June 12th, 2009 at 9:06 pm ……… ” i think it’s the age old dilemma…unless we can find someone better, we’ll have to keep him OR (shock horror) bring through a youth player!”……. You summed it up right there red, well said