Liverpool Chase Impressive £19m Trio and Recieve £8m Babel Bid

RaNE - January 5th, 2010 at 12:22 pm

Babel isn’t for sale.

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 1:05 pm

Who ever is sold we should hold on to the money for now. Trust in the youths

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 2:07 pm

anonymous – January 5th, 2010 at 1:44 pm …..”All this Babel is a striker nonsense. When has Babel ever played as a striker? He doesn’t play there for the Dutch national team and he didn’t play there for Ajax either.2 ….. Nor does he play on the left for Holland, nor did he for Ajax ……. Here’s a great idea, and it would be right up Rafa’s street. Why don’t we play Carragher as the main striker. He is hard working ,great in the air and most of all it is not his position. What do you say???

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 2:09 pm

anonymous – January 5th, 2010 at 1:22 pm …… “Babel has been treated badly by Benitez played out of position on the wrong side and never getting a run in the team to even try to get a little momentum going. His attitude and performances did not help his cause but you cant help but wonder if they were a byproduct of the way Benitez handled him. He didnt turn into a load of guff overnight when we signed him.” …… Stop on ????…. Try putting a name to your post so i know just how i am agreeing with please….

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 2:20 pm

actually he did play as a striker for ajax and has done for the dutch national team and did do for the dutch u 21 team, if i was babel i would go to birmingham, he ll get guaranteed games with the world cup coming up, brum are doing pretty well and he will get a chance to prove to benitez and many liverpool supporters just how good he is. and will we regret it then.

i hope we dont sell him

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 2:41 pm

Rafa has tried everything to accomodate babel? 2007/08 49-apps 29-starts 20-off bench goals-11 assists-6 mins-2553 goals per min-1/232 goals/assists per min-1/150 subbed or on bench in 82% of games, scored 11 dropped after scoring 10 times. 2008/2009 36 apps goals-4 assists-5 goals per min-1/385 goals/assists per min-1/171 subbed or on bench 79% of games never started more than 2 games in a row the whole season. 2009/2010 apps-14 goals-3 assists-2 mins-478 goals per min-1/159 goals/assists per min-1/95 subbed or on bench 100% of games (correct up to november 24th 2009) liverpool career total 97-apps averaging 41 mins per app goals per min-1/254 goals/assists per min-1/147 a very good return for someone who we all know has never been played in the right position or given any run in the team and had his confidence destroyed by rafa. Kuyt in his last 18 hours of football has provided 1 assist, lucas in 54 hours 1 assist. So don’t even dream of saying benitez has tried to accomodate ryan babel!!

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 2:47 pm

anonymous at the point when he gets seven games in a row and still fails to deliver

Scouse Magic - January 5th, 2010 at 2:49 pm

I’d quite happily take £10M for Babel, I’m not saying he’s a bad player, but Rafa just doesn’t get the best out of him, therefore it would be best for him and Liverpool to leave.
With Voronin and Dossena leaving this week to Moscow and Napoli for £6M, go all out to sign Turan and Maxi. Then try to get a Striker on loan and possibly a RB, not sure if Darby is up to it, after watching the Reading game.

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 2:52 pm

Anon 2.45-we can’t tell if you talk nonsense all the time because you don’t put a name to yours so will just have to address your point here-15 minutes on the right this season he wins us the game!! Do you not think that warranted another chance there? He would have single handedly got us through in europe if it wasn’t for the defensive shambles how valuable would that goal have been if that greek tragedy hadn’t been playing? Again dropped against birmingham despite all the injuries and what happened? Loads of possession can’t put the ball in the net! What a Fucking surprise with a team full of work horses and no flair players!

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 2:59 pm

Its actually more of a risk not playing him on the right because you can guarantee kuyt isn’t going to give you anything there. Defensive strength? Their full backs and wingers wouldn’t be bombing forward at will if they had someone who they had to think about themselves. Johnson and insua wouldn’t be forced to provide all the width and leave their defensive duties behind if they had width ahead of them. They could get forward like evra, clichy, staunton or any other attacking full back in history when its safe to do so not as a necessity.

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 3:04 pm

Why do we have to accept a quality player going because the manager is a knob? Kuyt would bring us in enough along with fringe players for turan and rodriguez on loan. Why lose a player that will be worth 25m in a season under a decent manager for a 29 year old who can’t play the position he is picked in.

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 3:10 pm

Hi sid don’t think he has ever played a full game on the right. 4 sub or subbed apps i can remember and every time looked quality. Wouldn’t need 7 games. 2 full games thats what made me so mad at the arsenal carling cup game. It came just after he had won us the west ham game in 15 minutes on the right. Kuyt was dead on his feet desperate for a rest and rather than try babel on the right rafa picked kuyt.

isaac hunt - January 5th, 2010 at 3:11 pm

who would you rather have left midfield – babel or aurelio??
who would you rather have right midfield – kuyt or babel?
who would you rather play with torres up front? ngog or babel?

my answe is babel to all three of them but yet he cant even get a game against reading. wouldnt blame him if he left with the world cup but rafa has said that he is going to get a chance soon. hopefully he gets a start against spurs.

isaac hunt - January 5th, 2010 at 3:16 pm

im so fed up with kuyt this season. he aint good enough to be a striker and he is never going to be a top class winger.

i honestly think he could be a half decent defensive midfielder. doubtful that he would want to play there but strikers have been transformed into DM in the past. if you look at an ok defensive midfielder all they do is work hard and pass 5 yards. im not saying that kuyt will have to play the 40 yard alonso balls but he could do a job there is mascherano left.

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 3:23 pm

Anon 3.14 try e-mail editor@caughtoffside.com his name is mark apostolou there may be a problem he isn’t aware of and it does make for a better debate being able to associate comments with names.

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 3:25 pm

Anon 3.14 try e-mail editor(at symbol)caughtoffside(dot)com his name is mark apostolou there may be a problem he isn’t aware of. Does make for a better debate being able to associate comments with a name.

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 3:38 pm

Sid-a fair point and i do try to address each subject seperately but we all have basic beliefs of what we think is best for liverpool and we argue from there and at the end of the day most of the things wrong with liverpool in my mind can be tracked back in no more than 2 steps to benitez. Its frustrating because i really do think he could be a great manager and perfect for us but in the same way his mistakes track back mostly in 3/4 steps to his stubborness/pig-headedness whatever you want to call it inability to learn or change his mindset or take an objective look from the outside forgetting pre-conceived ideas about players he has built up. I am certain all the top managers have to do that sometimes and go back to the drawing board. I just don’t think he is capable, sure his own father cited it as a big character flaw that was there from childhood so because of that think he will just drag us down rather than go back on decisions and i fear babel, nemeth, pacheco, benayoun will all be victims of this.

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 3:53 pm

To the point of missing chances. Do you not think that has anything to do with desperation to do something special in the few opportunities he gets?

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 4:30 pm

Look at the england squad for harry Redknapp’s record on youth. Lampard, defoe, ferdinand, carrick, joe cole all products of the west ham youth setup while he was in charge sure there are loads of other examples think he brought glen johnson to the club as a teen not sure on that one though. I believe rafa has a great eye for a young player or the clubs scouting network do. Its what happens to them after they arrive, the lack of faith shown, the fact that the squad is unnecessarily full of inferior older players that stop them getting chances or in nemeth and pacheco’s cases their best position as a 2nd striker simply doesn’t exist in his system.

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 4:35 pm

I am not blind to Rafa’s good points its just i believe the bad massively outweighs the good. Don’t see it as bad form when we struggle against any team we play no matter how poor. With a squad full of quality players there is much more to it than form.

Warren Bloggs - January 5th, 2010 at 4:44 pm

Transfer news!! I did say that Rafa would be willing to sign Babel a few days back, that talk of him being valuable was just a smokescreen to keep his value high. As you probably know by now Dossena is about to sign for Napoli after talks were succesfull over the weekend, reported fees have varied from £3-6m although i doubt we would get the later. Voronin looks set to leave as well with a deal to Dynamo Moscow in the pipeline. We will get around £6-7m for the duo. Degen will now stay at Liverpool after the injury to G.Johnson and Kelly, i cannot see the logic in this, Rafa trust Darby and Kelly! As for Babel he wants to leave reportedly to kepp his world cup dreams alive but Rafa wants to re-coup all his money on the dutchmen…something that seems unlikely. Now who are we going to sign:

I do not want to tempt fate but it looks increasingly likely that Maxi Rodriguez will sign for Liverpool and now we have a date! It will be done by at the latest 15th January, this is apparently the date Rafa has given to Maxi to make his mind up on the matter. If by this time he is not a Liverpool player Rafa will look elsewhere. Arda Turan is also back in the gossip collums and a deal is possible if Babel or Riera do leave. If not Turan then Rafa will look to McGeady of Celtic or Juan Mata from Valencia, there may be a possible move for Dario Srna if the maxi deal falls through. Rafa also wants to sign a striker, not as cover for Torres but as a partner for him as Rafa wishes to revert to a 4-4-2 formation for the rest of the season! The strikers already linked to Liverpool are the following:

Carlton Cole, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Luca Toni, Emile Heskey, John Carew, Tuncay Sanli, Peter Crouch and Eric Hueklepp. I know you all know this but ‘FootballSpy’ reports that neither Heskey or Carew will move to Liverpool as O’Neill does not want to do business with Rafa as there is still bad blood over the Barry-saga. Tuncay Sanli has been earmarked once more by Rafa after he has found games hard to come by, he could well link up with Turan, how good would that be? Peter Crouch, Luca Toni and Carlton Cole are reportedly the ‘bean-pole’ strike-partner’s Rafa likes but Toni looks set to sign for Roma if he has not already and neither Crouch or Cole are within his budget as it stands. Apparently Crouch does not wish to re-sign for the reds.

So the more interesting news! We have been linked with yet MORE strikers, all our interest and all varie in quality and experience:

Bojan Krkic and Keiirrison! Both players are under Barca with the later playing for Benfica. Neither are getting game time and Barcelona are willing to allow either to go out on loan until the end of the summer, however neither player will be allowed to sign on a permanent basis.

My view: I would not want either personally, as they are both young and un-proven and i personally think Bojan is incredibely over-rated. Neither are better then what we already have at the club: Ngog. Nemeth, Pacheco, Dalle Valle etc.

Marouane Chamakh and Bafetembi Gomis! The Bordeux speed-machine has been on fine form under the merculiar Laurent Blanc and will only go from strength to strength for whoever he signs. I have seen him play and i thought he had all the qualities to be a superstar, pacey, direct and relatively skilfull. His positional sense marks him out as one of the best in Ligue 1. Likewise Gomis is also a decent forward as we saw at our cost against Lyon, he gave our defence a hell of a lot of trouble and could do a good job, his presence up-front could be exactly what we need. Chamakh could sign on a ore-contract either joining for £5m now or in the summer for free, however Spurs, Villa, Lyon and Arsenal are also inquiring. Gomis would sign on loan, no understanding over fee or wages…sorry.

My view: I think Chamack would be a brilliant coup especially for as small a fee as £5m! However he has not hinted that he wants to move and any such transfer is more likely in the summer. As for Gomis, i can understand why Rafa wants him as he is very strong, holds the ball up pretty well and has a keen eye for goal but i sdoubt he would be interested in a loan as Lyon aer in the Champo and are doing very well in the league.

Lower League players?! Jobi McAnuff has been linked with a move to the reds after impressing Rafa in the Reading tie, he is also a Liverpool fan and would cost very little…a cheap alternative? No thankyou…! Jermaine Beckford has also been sounded out by Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool after his display against United, he is reportedly happy at Leeds and they have slapped a £2.5m price tag on him (very much in Liverpool’s budget), but is he worth the gamble?

What does everyone else think? If Rafa is looking to play 4-4-2 and sign Maxi for the right then why not play Kuyt up-front with Torres and allow Ngog to cover for either. If Maxi does indeed sign then i would love for Amoo and Eccleston to get there chance as cover although this is incredibly doubtfull. However, both Turan and Chamack would be massive coups if Rafa COULD pull it off, i also rate Beckford and think he has all it takes to succeed in the Premier League.

Just in! Dani Parejo, once a QPR and Real Madrid player, currently with Getafe has been sounded out by Rafa as a cheaper alternative to Moses or Bojan….WATCH THIS SPACE.

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 4:49 pm

“Why does everyone think that Babel is a quality player/”…….?
Can anyone remember the way he played two seasons or so back and a screamer he score against Chelsea in a Champions league game we lost after coming on of Torres?…… Who then didn’t believe that he was quality??….. What happened? ….. I’ll tell you what Rafa happened…..

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 5:01 pm

Apparently olympiakos want benayoun have already bid €6m shall we let him go because rafa won’t play him in his best position and is incapable of getting the best out of him as well? Is he going to be really happy at more bench time?

Warren Bloggs - January 5th, 2010 at 5:03 pm

Donovan i for one have no time for a player who does not want to work for the club. We are not Man City, Chelsea or Real, so we do not sign mercenarie’s who have no love for the histroy or idoelogy of a club. Liverpool have a great history and i do not like the way he dis-respects the fans and greats of old by not putting in the shift when he gets his chance. By this i do not mean that he is not effective as he is very much so, we have seen this time and again e.g. Lyon, Chelsea, Man Utd. However, after scoring the wondergoal against Lyon he then fluffed a free-kick in what can only be described as an arrogant manner. I do not hate the player but just think that if he really wnated to play he should put in that extra-shift that i described earlier the kind of shift Benayoun or Kuyt put in and if he really was as good as you, Retry and Kermit continue to suggest then he would be good regardless of what wing he is on.

Although, i do agree that he has been played out of position you forget he plays in the very same position for Holland, i have seen countless dutch games and whenever he has played in the last TWO YEARS HE HAS PLAYED ON THE LEFT. Personally, i think he is simply over-rated, dont get me wrong he is effective but he is not the world-superstar you always brand him as, he has poor dribbling skills and has always been found missing for games he has started. His footing is poor, his positional sense average at best and his team-ethic terrible! I for one would not mind if he were to be sold especially if we were to sign the likes of Maxi Rodriguez and/or Arda Turan as they are better players and will be more effective on the wing. Likewise i would not mind if he were to stay and fight for his place as i do rate him, just not as highly as you, kermit or retry

I hope you do not find this as me aiming this at you alone, this is not a dig at all. As you know i regard your opinion very highly, and will always have time for what you say Donovan

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 5:12 pm

As much as i hate it but i say Babel out and Turan in…….i personally think Babel is to good for Birmingham anyway….but i guess he might spear head them into the right direction.
Retryboy convinced me that Babel would be dominating in that right mid role and i tihnk tha with abit of faith from rafa, Babel could be fantastic on the right.
this is to eveyrone but whats the latest on Maxi?

Stillontheperch - January 5th, 2010 at 6:05 pm

Andrea Dossena’s agent claims a deal to take the Liverpool defender to Napoli is all but done.

The Italy defender has long been linked with a return to his homeland, with Napoli narrowly missing out in the summer.

Reports suggest a five million euro (almost £4.5million) fee has been agreed between the two clubs and Dossena’s agent Roberto La Florio is confident his client will pen a four-and- a-half-year deal on Wednesday.

“I believe the player will arrive in Napoli tomorrow,” he told Tuttomercatoweb.

“At the moment there are logistical problems, that is to say he can’t leave Liverpool because of the snow.

“The player will arrive on a permanent basis with a contract for four-and-a-half years.”

Dossena has been strongly linked with a move away from Anfield in the winter transfer window, having failed to live up to his £7million price tag since moving to Liverpool from Udinese in 2008.

Stillontheperch - January 5th, 2010 at 6:06 pm

Apparently

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 6:06 pm

hi warren, kermit both spot on with comments and im gonna say i dont mind babel for 8 mill but i wouldnt do it personally but defo wouldnt pay more than 8m.
here is my blues dream team after jan(realistic one)
GK:hart
Defs:carr,johnson,dann,drenthe
Mids:larsson,bowyer,ferguson,n’zogbia
Fwds:chucho,boyd
Subs:michel,gardener,carsley,babel,espinoza,maik taylor,jerome
overall costing us around 23 million.

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 6:08 pm

b4 liverpool fans say go back to your own page then ill have to say i am!! this is everything to do with birmingham city!

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 6:14 pm

seems spurs want maxi and are willing to offer bentley

isaac hunt - January 5th, 2010 at 6:15 pm

Warren Bloggs – January 5th, 2010 at 4:44 pm

are you all of those players agents or something like that?
we should never ever got rid of crouch. i knew it but everybody seemed happy to take the money.
———-
i dont think babel is a great player but he is just so much exciting (when he wants to be) than kuyt is. people say that kuyt works hard and is better defensive but why would you want a defensive winger when we play teams outside the top 4 or 5?? also how do we know that any of these players will be able to cope with the prem? when babel has a bad game everybody seems to have a go at him but kuyt has had so many bad games this season that a change is surely needed. can anyone honestly say that kuyt is good enough to play for liverpool. people who are trying to paper over the cracks are deluded. were in a massive mess. benitez is definately starting to lose some of the fans. and after reading i am starting to lose it with him. we couldnt string 3 passes together and we got battered by a team who are 20th in the championship and were beat by plymouth argyle 4-1 5 days before the game. people cant defend him now. we havent won anything major for 4 years and we arent going to this year. give him to the end of the season and make a decision when a new manager wouild have time to adapt and sign players.

i think that there will only be a few players who will want to move this window.
players who arent playing and need to before the world cup.

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 6:17 pm

Warren Bloggs – January 5th, 2010 at 5:03 pm…. Thanks warren….
Can you image that you have play one of you best season for your new club, score a wonder goal after replacing Torres only to find that the next season you hardly get a looking, and when you do you are asked to play on the left of the 10 – 15mins you play. And to crown it you still play not that bad to once again the following season play even less, and every time you come on you fell you have to produce something spectacular to get noticed ….. How would you feel?
I am not the greatest Babel fan out here, Feel he has a poor touch most of the time and is clumpy in tackles, and the ball control is not that great. But how much of that can be put down to him trying to hard to impress? Just Like Dossena I feel that Babel was not really given a chance. But having said that I’m for selling him. Because under Rafa he will never get that chance.

“Personally, i think he is simply over-rated, dont get me wrong he is effective but he is not the world-superstar you always brand him as, he has poor dribbling skills and has always been found missing for games he has started. His footing is poor, his positional sense average at best and his team-ethic terrible!”…..
I agree with nearly all you have said here, although I can not say whether he is over-rated as I have not seen him given a run of 2 or more games where he is played on the right. All That I am saying is this is a option that as never been truly explored by Rafa, and yet He is look to get Maxi for the right, wasting even more money……. Just can’t understand how he is allowed to get away with it……

…samlfc…. – January 5th, 2010 at 5:12 pm …. Back at school sam? ….. Hope you had a great X-mas mate

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 6:23 pm

SEANBCFC – January 5th, 2010 at 6:08 pm ……. Why should anyone say that?…. You come here you talk football, you don’t go out of your way to abuse or insult anybody. stay here as long as you want too mate…
P.S….. Welcome to the site

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 6:25 pm

no cus last time samlfc said get lost to me so i sed that b4 he says it again m8

Reds Lewis - January 5th, 2010 at 6:27 pm

This is a difficult one….
Babel definately has the quality…but it rarely comes out, or does so in glimpses. This is mainly in my opinion due to the fact that he only gets 10 or 15 mins at the end of a game which matters and he is expected to “change the game around”…far too much pressure to give to somebody who rarely starts and knows his future depends on it.

I dont want him to leave because he definately has quality…but at the moment it looks like (mcuh to my dismay…) Benitez is staying…and under Benitez, Babel is never going to get played in a position in which he is suited to, on a regular basis. Playing him on the Left wing, when he preffers to play further up the pitch, and is right footed….doesnt seem right to me.

There is the question of whether Babel will ever reach his potential at LFC…as he could be a world beater and a club hero for any club with a manager willing to give him the time and patience required to be invested in him, to let him reach his potential. I wouldn’t want the manager or the fans to stand in his way, and it is only fair, that if he wishes to leave…that we let him go, and wish him the best of luck. After all, we can hardly blame him after the way he has been treated…and he still has a value which could be reinvested somewhere else.

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 6:31 pm

isaac hunt – January 5th, 2010 at 6:15 pm …… I have always said it. Iam a fan of Dirk Kuyt, but not a fan of Dirk Kuyt as a winger …… as you have said “why would you want a defensive winger” …….By it’s very nature a Winger is an attacking player, someone who makes raids down the wing. That is not Dirk Kuyt…. Dirk Kuyt is a poacher of goals. A goal Scorer, and should be used as a back up, or more to the point a second striker.

spota - January 5th, 2010 at 6:36 pm

well suprise suprise . i said this weeks ago . its been all round the city 4 weeks . but the fee banded about was more like 10 11 million . inless its one ov those instalment deals . or more after so many games . i really can see this happening as steve macmanaman has a lot to do with the new talent going to blues under carsen yeung . and steve mac would use his liverpool conections to get a head start in the race to sign ryan babbel . its a shame but under rafa the kids not gonna get his chances in the possition needed to get the best from such a promising young player . see ya ryan and good luck 4 the future . another talent rafa copuld not harnes . worst man manager in the league . YNWA

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 6:37 pm

ffs seanbcfc i enver said get lost to you!!!
i said there is a birmingham page (just incase you didn’t know there was one) and i said expect 99% liverpool comments on a Liverpool article
now explain to me how get lost applies to any of that!!
so before you run your mouth saying how bad i am or trying to get eveyrone against (not that i care) etc re-read what i said.
i don’t want arguments as you can ask anyone on here..even Jed that i don’t like to argue.

I’m sick to death with all of this accusions and arguements so speak soon.

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 6:37 pm

anonymous – January 5th, 2010 at 6:28 pm … That goal was like the crowning part to a good season for him, a season in which he was improving. Go back and watch how he played all of that season, and then tell me if he looked good or not…

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 6:40 pm

not accusasion you said there is a birmingham page so comment on them as this is nout to do with you

isaac hunt - January 5th, 2010 at 6:42 pm

SID

do you not accept that babel should now be given a chance and at least 10 consecutive games playing in kuyts position? he is very annoying but kuyt will never give you that moment of real quality that babel could show if he played regulalary.

Kenny Dalglish has said that Babel has the ability to terrorise defenders in the with his pace and trickery with the ball. ok he may have said that a long time ago but surely that shows that babel is capable of becoming a good player. how on earth is a player meant to have a good attitude when he has only started 24 premier league matches? 24 in 3 years ffs. it is time for him to play or leave. at the mess were in at the moment i think he should at least be given a chance until the end of the season. what is the worse that could happen??( it cant get any worse than kuyt or aurelio)

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 6:47 pm

ahahahahhaahahahahahaha boro want boyd haaaaaaa if he joins any1 itll be blues we can pay his wages and get into europe boro look like stayin in championship haaa athats laughable heeheahahaahaha

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 6:48 pm

I never said you weren’t welcome i was sayng that to see if it would interest you!! any one is welcome on to this site but if you think i said you weren’t welcome then carry on thinking hat for all i care but i know for a fact i never mean’t it like that.
…….Thats it i’m to annoyed for this now i’m off speak later.

isaac hunt - January 5th, 2010 at 6:49 pm

donavan

fair point about kuyt as a second striker but i am still not convinced that he has enough quality to be a striker. a poacher is someone who is a great finisher KUYT IS NOT!! if we needed a poacher why not van nistelrooy? or even boyd. people will say that boyd isnt good enough but why not? he scores bagfuls and would be cheap. if it didnt work out then it wouldnt be the end of the world.

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 6:49 pm

Sid -January 5th, 2010 at 6:28 pm…… Sorry jumped the gun a bit……. How much of that is down to try to impress the Manager? ….. It is not about hating Rafa…. How can I hate him? I do not know him. I simply believe that he can offer us no more and that we need to push on to the next level…. He is an average manager, and be cause we have had poor managers in the past most of the Supporters Rate him. Had he come between Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley or Joe Fagan every supporter would have known how poor he really is.

Donavan Ried - January 5th, 2010 at 6:52 pm

SEANBCFC – January 5th, 2010 at 6:25 pm HE DIDN’T…. Sam

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 6:53 pm

blues will take mcgeady your getting maxi and turan

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 6:59 pm

drop it man

dave - January 5th, 2010 at 7:00 pm

we will sell dossena,voronin and degen possibly babel this transfer window.
we will only sign two players maxi and torosidis.
maxi will play on the right while kuyt is moved up front as torres will be going in for an operation.
torosidis will be playing right back whilst johnson recovers from injury,then he will be used as left back.
aurelio will be leaving in the summer.
rafa will make mata his main signing in the summer with his 20m net transfer budget.

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 7:10 pm

Donavan Ried – January 5th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
what!?

and sean your the one who decided to bring it back up

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 7:12 pm

ok i apologise now may we forgetit?

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 7:15 pm

where abouts is the negotiations at the moment for Maxi? as amny people say we’ve practically have him an some say their is still talks.
someone fill me in please.
apparently RVN is being linked with Stoke which i think is good as i personally don’t want him. but thats my opinion

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 7:16 pm

Sean we shall
welcome to the site lol
all i want to know is Donavans comment at Donavan Ried – January 5th, 2010 at 6:52 pm

Warren Bloggs - January 5th, 2010 at 7:19 pm

I have heard a brilliant rumour that should interest everyone in here…it concerns one David Villa. Now before everyone shoots me down and tells me that we cannot afford him then hear me out ok….

….so Rafa is in the doghouse and has been given the rest of the season to show his worth….he has higlighted the problems with the team and now wants to rectify them…so he is looking for more forward options, a winger or two and a striker….then he will revert back to a 4-4-2 formation like the one we saw at Reading….except it will not be Kuyt and Aurelio on the wings it will Maxi Rodriguez and Benayoun….with Torres and X up-front…..

……(keep reading it will make sense),,,,,if AND ITS A BIG BIG IF this formation is succesfull and Liverpool with their new blood ascend the league and maybe push for some silverware and will subsequently keep his job………….

………..THEN THE UNTHINKABLE WILL HAPPEN……

……Mascherano will be sold to Barcelona! With this new funds Rafa will sign none other than DAVID VILLA!!!…….we will play this formation………

…………………………………………….REINA………………………………………………
JOHNSON…………….CARRA………………..AGGER………………….INSUA
MAXI……………………GERRARD……………..AQUILANI………….BENAYOUN
………………………………VILLA………………TORRES……………………………..

…would we all be happy with this? Well this is the news that is coming out of Anfiled..it is Rafa’s final plan his final jigsaw peice….beleive and it will happen.

Warren Bloggs - January 5th, 2010 at 7:25 pm

Sam, Maxi Rodriguez has been linked with Livepool since January 1st 2010, although i had reported the link at least two weeks back (i swear no one listen’s to me). There were reports – especially by Guillem Ballague – that Maxi had chosen Boca Juniours over Liverpool but this did not materialise and now he has been strongly linked with a move to Anfiled. So mush so that his agent came out yesterday that Maxi is ‘very likely’ to sign for Rafa shortly. the only stumbling block appears to be his wages and fee, although now with the sale of Andrea Dossena for around £5m he will join. Nothing is set in stone but all reports point to him being a red player by the end of January. The only risk is Spurs who are willing to swap Bentley in exchange but this may just be paper talk. I for one am quite confident he will sign if he has not already.

Best sources: Sky Sports, Mirror Football Spy, Liverpool Echo and the Independent. (Sources that you can read )

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 7:27 pm

Thanks Warren and i do actually litne to you but i was wondeirng if their has been any improvement today thats all
but thanks mate so i’m guessing he will come in the next 48 hours or so?

dave - January 5th, 2010 at 7:38 pm

not much happening today dueto the snow,dossena cant even get a flight,maybe tomorrow something will happen.which country you live in samlfc?

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 7:40 pm

Here comes the random questions again haha
Dave i’m from England. the south-west near Bristol to be exact

isaac hunt - January 5th, 2010 at 7:41 pm

perhaps we played so badly at reading on purpose?!?!?!

why?

well we looked so poor so rafa had a great excuse to spend some money!!!!!

mesut ozil from bremen is very decent and young.
ivan rakitic from schalke would also be a realistic signing.
at the end of the season i would like to see aaron lennon at anfield.

not saying that we will get any of them but personally they are realistic and young.

dave - January 5th, 2010 at 7:43 pm

i just thought u were’nt from the uk as i was thinking you would realise that not a lot s happening due to the weather.

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

right firstly kuyt, he was brilliant against wigan up front with ngog, he has been rubbish since on the right. he needs to play as a four four two.

to warren well spotted about the nonsense of rafa looking to sign a striker to play 4 4 2 for the rest of the year. kuyt could do this quite adequately. he seems to be in the right spot to score goals even from the right. i suggest the problem is to do with torres s inabilty to play with a strike partner, bar gerrard.

babel , enigma, demigod , or sulky fucker that thinks he is to big for his own boots, whatever your opinion on him , one thing is for sure he is a matchwinner, has been in the past with his limited moments and could be much more so in the future wiht more minutes on the pitch. when babel gets ready on the bench to come in i bet even you babel haters secretly hope he will produce some moment of magic to win us the game. and considering he gets 13 to 11 minutes here and there he doesnt do so bad.

if i was sean bcfc i d be getting excited, you are gonna get a matchwinner by the looks of things sean, i d personally hope you go to ten for him, because i would not sell to you at 8

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 7:53 pm

yeah i know bu i was hoping someone who lives in Liverpool or possibley spain might know atleast something. down here in the south-west there is bits of snow but not massive amounts.

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 8:01 pm

would i be happy with david villa up front with torres , depends on the price , david villa is 28/29 not sure which, and we d have to pay what forty to fifty million , with little or no resale value, i d rather for that much aguero, or for half that much luis suarez
thought admittedly warren the lineup with villa and torres does look a good one, but no holding midfielder??? two attacking central midfield players who havent shown they can play together yet.

i would sell torres at this stage for however much we can get for him, i know i gte slaughtered for this, but he is always injured or semi fit, he had one amazing season, i could buy three quality forwards for his transfer fee. i know he is something else as a striker but he cannot seem to play in a four four two or with any other strike partner than gerrard. personally i d take sixty plus tevez from man city, i could buy dzeko and suarez and prob santa cruz from city, leaving us with a much healthier strike force and one not so dependant on one mans fitness

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 8:05 pm

A i just think rafa has a problem with babel in that he just doesnt like him or babel has pissed him off somehow and has close to frozen him out .

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 8:06 pm

but i highly doubt we will sell torres, so we need to find the right strike partner for him

dave - January 5th, 2010 at 8:06 pm

warren it is a load of bollocks about villa,a 29 year old player with no resale value for at least 40m which we dont have.if we had it i would expect us to sign aguero but not villa

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 8:07 pm

i thought torres and tevez would have been fantastic last summer, torres and aguero yes but pricey
torres and suarez is what i would go for

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 8:08 pm

a bit of nifty negotations could see us get suarez for babel and kuyt

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 8:10 pm

torres and rooney would be ideal , never happen in a million years but they would be good together

Retryboy - January 5th, 2010 at 8:15 pm

Warren-how good was aaron lennon when ramos played him LM to accomodate bentley? Awful to play on the opposite wing to the foot you favour you need great close control and the ability to thread a pass like yossi otherwise when you come inside the only thing a defender has to watch for is a shot. On the right he can use his pace, right foot and crossing ability and use his shooting in counter attacks, obviously the position you play makes a massive difference, carragher was an ok left back moved him to centre back best in the league almost instantly, same with lennon played on his right side. Anon 6.02 quite simple lucas is a favourite who gets picked no matter what, still don’t rate him any higher than an average squad player and if babel or nemeth had been given a tenth of the faith or opportunity of lucas we wouldn’t be in this mess. Even spearing if in the team for a whole season would be better than lucas by now. Sid-i think gerrard’s best position has always been CM and would play him with mascherano giving him total freedom to get forward like he had alongside Hamann for years, but in a rafa 4-4-2 doesn’t seem like he has that licence. lucas has done well and is a good back up to mascherano but gets picked more than his abilities warrant. Benayoun has done more than enough in his 3 outings behind the striker to show he can be a world beater and yes i would leave out aquilani i know he cost 20m and yossi cost 5m but its not about about the cost of a player and only needing one of gerrard or aquilani fit would be a good thing with their injury records. Would allow gerrard to have his op once aquilani has settled. Sean you will get the steal of the century if you get babel for 8m and i guarantee he won’t be playing LM for you!

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 8:30 pm

well unfortunately for lucas gerrard and aquilani have been unavailable for half the season so he hasnt had much choice, plkus he has been expected to be midfield creator in gerrards absence, aswell as filling in the hole left by xabi alonso, dont forget that for much of this season we were missing both gerrard and alonso from last seasons midfield and its a lot to ask someone low n confidence to come in and replace those two. i thinki he has done pretty okay considering those were two massive holes to fill, add to this he was playing ina team without torres goals. too many people point the finger solely at lucas for this seasons failures but its not all his fault. he is a useful player at this moment, not a world beater, he is ample cover for midfield but by no means a regular starter but like kuyt well worthy of a place in the squad.

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 8:33 pm

he has basically become our midfield utility player. and all things considered he hasn t done so bad in this role

who is the ideal strike partner for torres??? everyone except gerrard to be considered, because we need a fucking back up plan to torres and gerarrd

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 8:47 pm

wow wow wow , true kopites are rafa supporters, is this what you are saying, and they will blindly follow him into idiocy?

i disagree , i support whatever team he puts out , doesnt mean i agree with aurelio as a left winger, or continuing to play with two holding midfielders and one striker
fuck rafa benitez, the guy is a moron and only ever makes changes when he feels his job is on the line or that the supporters are turning on him eg wigan switching to 4-4-2 which worked really really well, we looked like a football club again. and then he almost made a balls of it by reverting to 4-2-3-1 and has stuck with this formation since, barring the cup game at reading where he experiemented with ngog and torres up front , when any fool could tell you that torres and ngog cannot play together in the same team and both do well. they dont compliment each other

by the way i saw torres miss a header when he was unmarked in the box last week , does this mean he is also a shit striker

Aquilani4goals - January 5th, 2010 at 9:03 pm

sky sport news

Maxi Rodriguez’s agent has confirmed Liverpool are in talks to sign the Atletico Madrid winger.

Liverpool have lined up a move for the Argentine international as they look to bolster their squad during this month’s transfer window.

Atletico are prepared to let Rodriguez leave as he has dropped down the pecking order at Vicente Calderon and his current contract is due to expire in the summer.

Rodriguez’s representative, Jose Segui, has confirmed a deal is close after rejecting speculation in Italy that Juventus had entered the race for the 29-year-old.

“We are working. It’s true we have spoken [with Liverpool], but there is nothing definitive,” Segui told calciomercato.it.

“Juventus ? We have spoken with Liverpool and other sides, but never with Juventus.

“As for Liverpool, I don’t know when the negotiation could be closed. It’s up to the two clubs and to their decision.

“Anyway it would be a permanent transfer.”

SerbianRed - January 5th, 2010 at 9:13 pm

Yeah Kermit you’re true kopite and you support whatever team Rafa puts out. And that’s why you probably don’t watch Liverpool games till the end, like that one against Aston Villa. And about ngog and torres plaing together, I remember reading a lot of comments here, saying we should team those two up. Are the ones that made that comments fools too? And don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending Rafa here, because I’m Rafa’s follower, I’m just trying to say that everyone on here should chill out a little bit, and get down from Rafa’s back. Suddenly it seams that every bad thing that happens, it’s he’s fault, and overnight he becomes the worst manager ever. YNWA

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 9:23 pm

kermit i h8 babel nuff said

Red_Phoenix - January 5th, 2010 at 9:29 pm

Evening all, Retry, Donovan etc.

Just to put it in perspective as to whether Rafa doesn’t give Babel a chance because Babel doesn’t try hard enough in training whereas Lucas and Kuyt do. It should be recalled that these two are Rafa’s favourites over even Gerrard ands Torres. This annoys me because its not just hard work that wins matches, match winners (who incidentally work just as hard) like Gerrard and Torres do and Benitez doesn’t seem to have keyed in to this.

It is common knowledge that all footballers run a half marathon each game so all players on the pitch work hard. Granted, it is the effectiveness of the hard work that makes the player valuable. Kuyt has been more a liabilty for much of the season than an asset because he runs around like a headless chicken with no end product. Yet he is first choice for such long periods ie untouchable. Is this fair to the likes of Babel and for much of last year when it was obvious we had found a gem in Benayoun?

Also saying that Rafa sees them in training and based on that he names the team is somewhat misguided. Have we not seen Crouch (tell me he didn’t have the right attitude), Keane (same again as Crouch), Sissoko (better than Lucas and still young by the way and guess what had the right attitude) and others feel the harshness of Benitez’s methods? Babel is being mistreated because he doesn’t somehow fit into Benitez’s dream with Kuyt and Lucas in the team simple. I wouldn’t mind if his favourites were more talented and were match winners but no they are just mediocre drivel.

Sorry for the rant but someone had to say it.

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 9:33 pm

stoke 3-0 fulham atm

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 9:36 pm

Stoke beating Fulham 3-0 is a shock and a half as i thought Fulham are doing great at the moment.

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 9:39 pm

half time now lol

kopman - January 5th, 2010 at 9:45 pm

Im glad to let him go it doesnt matter if he was played out of position or not, he has been a disapointment and ontop of all that he threw his toys out his pram blaming evertone else on the team apart form himself, i remember he even slagged kuyt down because he was more involved with the spanish players.
yes ryan its called being part of a team, fuck him let him go.
People keep saying if he was played in a strikers role like he should of been he would of scored more and been a better player, but if you took torres and put him on the wing he would still have a great game and score goals when he had chances, when babel has had chances he has missed some real sitters.
If you played benayoun in torres position he would play better than what babel would.
The point is babel isnt a team player, he complained that the team never pass him the ball so he stopped passing to them well thats probably coz he wasnt in a decent position i dont think the team had anything against him i think he just wants things to go his way and crys when it doesnt.
Let him go we dont need that kind of nightmare at liverpool!

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 9:46 pm

anon 9:40 it wont make you callange cus your playing two attacking mids i think sell torres and gerrard and buy mata,silva and villa and the prem is your

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 9:47 pm

everyone is beating each other this season and i can honistly say that Birmingham are infact has shockedme the most…..Brimingham will infact be a team eveyrone maya ctually fear for the remainder of the year as they not push-overs now so…..i’m not looking forward to playing them lol

SEANBCFC to show my apologies aswell if you were wondering why a few people have images by their names you go to Gravator and use a saved image and set it as your picture. you should understand it easily.
not the best apology in the world but i can’t exactly give you a fiver through the p.c screen no can i lol

On to Liverpool……..Playing against Spurs with maxi or Turan – Good, without either of them = *shivers* i’m only worried about Lennon and i hope carragher doesn’t play RB otherwise Lennon will torture him.

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 9:52 pm

lol sam i no about gravator but im not to bothered bout it tbh cus the name says it all and with our money watch out champs league here we come(nxt season) lol

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 9:59 pm

ha just don’t replace us in the top 4 lol you’ll be a force next season for sure but everyone should keep a close eye on B.ham this season aswell as like i said your not push-overs.

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 10:00 pm

esp not the defence lol theyre beasts!

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 10:01 pm

yeah something our defense is not lol

Liverpool FC Danny - January 5th, 2010 at 10:04 pm

Could Alex Mcleish come to Anfield for 1 day and teach our team how to defend??? lol

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 10:04 pm

lol carra needs to play like he did last season and you’ll be fine

...samlfc.... - January 5th, 2010 at 10:08 pm

i know but he has lost pace but i’m sure he’ll recover form as not eveyrone has a great season.
anyways i’m of for tonight speak tomorrow sean and the rest bye.

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 10:10 pm

lol lfc danny no if it means rafa comes to us lol

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 10:10 pm

bye sam

Liverpool FC Danny - January 5th, 2010 at 10:14 pm

Rafa will probably not start Maxi against Spurs. We should sign Diego Forlan for roughly 15 million, he has been told that he is not wanted at Athletico Madrid and would work brilliantly alongside Torres, I know he is 30 but he is playing the best of his career and has said he would like to return to the premier league.

Liverpool FC Danny - January 5th, 2010 at 10:15 pm

Haha, take him, please!!!

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 10:20 pm

noo i will commit suicide

kermit - January 5th, 2010 at 10:58 pm

football is boring now

Warren Bloggs - January 5th, 2010 at 11:42 pm

Latest rumour? Rafa is again interested in a striker and once he has completed the move for Maxi he will then turn all of his attention to Diogo of Olympiakos. He is a masively rated player and would cost around £12m, Rafa sees him as the ideal strike partner for El Nino. Not a bad shout by all accounts but i would love Arda Turan to put on the red jersey!

Maxi should be completer in the nest fue days baring weather after Dossena was sold to Napoli for £4.5m which rise to £5m baring performances etc.

My team (if we sign Maxi and Diogo)

…………………………………………………..REINA…………………………………………………………
JOHNSON……………….CARRA………………………AGGER……………………………INSUA
MAXI……………………….GERRARD……………..MASCHERANO………….BEANYOUN
……………………………….DIOGO……………………..TORRES……………………………………….

Subs: Cavalieri, Skrtel, Aurelio, Lucas, Aquilani, Kuyt, Riera.

Warren Bloggs - January 5th, 2010 at 11:47 pm

The Atletico Madrid midfielder Maxi Rodriguez now appears to be very close to finalizing a transfer to Liverpool, writes Guillem Balague.

He has been left out of the Spanish club’s squad ahead of Wednesday’s Cup tie against Recreativo. As we reported earlier, the situation has been moving quickly today and the final details on a two and a half year deal at Anfield are close to being agreed.

(Updated: A possible loan agreement in place of a permanent is also being discussed)

SEANBCFC - January 5th, 2010 at 11:59 pm

ryt warren

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 12:17 am

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has targeted a move for Babel as he looks to bolster his squad in the January transfer window.

Blues owner Carson Yeung is ready to make money available to McLeish to make some big-name signings this month and McLeish has earmarked some of the funds to bring Babel to St Andrews.

Birmingham are understood to have firmed up their interest in the Dutchman with a bid for Babel and they are now waiting to see if Liverpool will accept their offer.

Liverpool are thought to be willing to cash-in on Babel as he has failed to hold down a regular place in Rafa Benitez’s side since arriving from Ajax in the summer of 2007.

Benitez is prepared to listen to offers for the 23-year-old as he looks to raise funds for his own transfer plans in January.

Birmingham are hoping the chance of regular first-team football will convince Babel to make the switch to St Andrews as he looks to secure his place in the Holland squad for this summer’s World Cup finals

Warren Bloggs - January 6th, 2010 at 12:23 am

Hello Sean i am just about to go lol! But yes i read this earlier, i think Rafa may well accept a bid between £10-12m but not at £8m and i have my doubts on whether Babel would want to go to Birmingham…no disresepect intended you are a growing club. I hope he does though, it would suit both parties for sure, you get a quality addition and we get much needed cash! I owuld love the following to happen:

Dossena £4.5m to Napoli
Voronin £3m to Cska or Dynamo Moscow
Babel to Birmingham for £10m
(then get £10m of the owners)

SIgn:
Maxi Rodriguez £3m form Atletico
Arda Turan £13m from Galatasary
Diogo for £10m from Olympiakos

This would make my decade but i doubt it!

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 12:31 am

yep your ryt waz

Warren Bloggs - January 6th, 2010 at 12:48 am

Liverpool hold talks with Marouane Chamakh as Atletico Madrid’s Maxi Rodriguez edges closer to Anfield deal

Olympiakos have been rebuffed over an inquiry for Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun but will return with an offer for his team-mate Albert Riera.

The Greek side have offered around £5million and wages of £40,000 a week tax free for Israeli Benayoun but Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez will not sell. He may be swayed on Riera, who has failed to capitalise on a good first season at Anfield.

Andrea Dossena is on the verge of completing his £4.5m transfer to Napoli but his agent says the four-and-a-half-year deal has been held up by the weather.

‘He can’t leave Liverpool because of the snow,’ said Roberto La Floria.

Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh’s representatives held talks with Liverpool yesterday over signing a pre-contract agreement.

Atletico Madrid’s Maxi Rodriguez is expected to agree terms with Liverpool over the next 24 hours.

BIG NEWS NOW WHO’S THE RUDDY DREAMER!

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 12:51 am

that idiot from b4 lol

RaNE - January 6th, 2010 at 12:55 am

NEWS: DOSSENA HAS AGREED TO MOVE FROM LIVERPOOL TO NAPOLI FOR 5MIL EUROS. EXPECT THIS DEAL TO BE DONE IN UPCOMING DAYS WITH THE MONEY RAISED FROM THIS DEAL MAXI WILL BE BROUGHT IN FROM ATHLETICO.

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 12:56 am

blues news: Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill wants to keep midfielder Craig Gardner, but admits he could be fighting a losing battle.

The 23-year-old has found first-team football hard to come by at Villa Park this season as the likes of James Milner, Ashley Young and Stiliyan Petrov have excelled.

O’Neill is desperate to keep a large squad to help the pursuit of a place in the UEFA Champions League.

But last week skysports.com revealed that Midlands rivals Wolves and Birmingham want to sign Gardner, and O’Neill acknowledges the lure of regular football.

The Villa boss said in the Daily Mirror: “In an ideal world I would like him to stay, but players like to play.”

also: Sporting Gijon are reported to be mulling over an offer from Birmingham for midfield ace Michel.

The Blues are believed to have tabled a bid of around €3million (£2.7m) for the highly-rated 24-year-old.

The Premier League outfit are also said to have included a clause in the deal which would entitle Sporting to 10 per cent of any future sale.

The Primera Liga side are reluctant to part with Michel, a product of their youth academy, but accept that financial worries may force their hand.

Club boss Manuel Preciado is hoping Birmingham’s advances will be knocked back but he accepts that the board of directors, who are currently weighing up the merits of a sale, will have the final say on the matter.

“Michel is a very important player for us,” he said.

“Maybe he is not playing at the highest level at the moment, but his progress will be best served here.

“That is only my opinion, though, and it will be the directors to make the decision.”

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 12:57 am

why do ppl say athletico wen its clearly atletico!

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 5:02 am

soccermanager.com join this site and manage teamsof your choice it is brilliant you should all try it

Liverpool FC Danny - January 6th, 2010 at 10:20 am

Warren Diogo is pretty good, he can finish and is great with his head but I would rather use the about 15 million to sign out-of-favour Diego Forlan.

Aquilani4goals - January 6th, 2010 at 10:54 am

Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh’s representatives held talks with Liverpool yesterday over signing a pre-contract agreement.
The Morocco ace is available on a free transfer at the end of the season and Rafa Benitez is ready to act quickly to tie up the deal.
Atletico Madrid’s Maxi Rodriguez is expected to agree terms with Liverpool over the next 24 hours

Olympiakos have been rebuffed over an inquiry for Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun but will return with an offer for his team-mate Albert Riera.

The Greek side have offered around £5million and wages of £40,000 a week tax free for Israeli Benayoun but Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez will not sell. He may be swayed on Riera, who has failed to capitalise on a good first season at Anfield.

Andrea Dossena is on the verge of completing his £4.5m transfer to Napoli but his agent says the four-and-a-half-year deal has been held up by the weather.

‘He can’t leave Liverpool because of the snow,’ said Roberto La Floria.
Meanwhile, misfit striker Andriy Voronin is expected to join Dinamo Moscow for £1.5m

Liverpool FC Danny - January 6th, 2010 at 11:02 am

Benayoun is worth15-20 million

Liverpool FC Danny - January 6th, 2010 at 11:07 am

Out-
Dossena-4.5 million
Voronin-1.5 million
Babel-10 million
Degen-1.5 million
In-
Maxi Rodriguez-loan/pre-contract
Forlan-15 million(bargain)

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 1:47 pm

warren wats the latest from liverpool im just gettin latest blues news

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 1:49 pm

Sporting Gijon have accepted a bid from Birmingham for Michel, but have requested more time in which to find a replacement before finalising the deal.

Reports suggest the Blues will pay around €3.2million (£2.9m) for the 24-year-old midfielder, with a two-and-a-half year contract awaiting him at St Andrews.

The agreement with will see half of the transfer fee paid during the current transfer window and the remaining 50 per cent in 12 months time.

Sporting have also included a clause in the deal which will see them receive 10 per cent of any future sale.

“We have convinced the technical staff that this is for the best, because we have to improve the financial situation at the club,” said Sporting president Manuel Vega Arango.

“I understand that (coach) Manuel Preciado was keen to limit damage to the squad, but this is what we have to do.”

Speculation in Spain suggests Sporting will look to land Atletico Madrid’s teenage playmaker Ignacio Camacho on loan to help cover the loss of Michel.

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 1:50 pm

Ryan Babel’s agent has confirmed Birmingham have made an offer for the Liverpool winger.

As revealed by skysports.com earlier this week Birmingham have tabled a bid for the unsettled Dutchman.

Liverpool are believed to be ready to offload Babel as Rafa Benitez looks to raise funds for his own signings in this month’s transfer window.

Babel’s representative, Winnie Haatrecht, insists the Holland international would consider a move to St Andrews if both clubs agree a fee for his services.

“We know that Liverpool seriously thinks about the offer from Birmingham, we would consider a deal if both clubs come to an agreement,” Haatrecht told De Telegraaf.

Next chapter
Haatrecht admits Babel would prefer to fight for his place at Liverpool but will move on if he is told to.

“In general Ryan wats to succeed at Liverpool,” added Haatrecht. “But if the people at Anfield conclude it’s better he leaves, we have to think about the next chapter in his career.

“We will look then to the team, the perspectives of the club and Ryan as well as a meeting with the manager.”

Haatrecht claims a number of clubs are interested in signing Babel, but that they are struggling to agree a deal with Liverpool

“I have sent all interested clubs to Liverpool, finally five or six clubs contacted the club,” he stated.

“None of them came to an agreement with Liverpool.”

SerbianRed - January 6th, 2010 at 1:56 pm

It seams that even if we sell more of our players, we won’t bring in new players, expect a cover defender for Glen! Instead we will save that money until summer for our top targets. Well I just hope that this mean that Babel is going to get some playing time and hopefully he can show he’s full potential.

Warren Bloggs - January 6th, 2010 at 2:02 pm

I think we will bring in Maxi Rodriguez and one other this window. Chamakh MAY sign a pre-contract for the summer to come to Anfield.

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 2:06 pm

did you read my comments warren?

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 2:13 pm

warren!!!!!

SerbianRed - January 6th, 2010 at 2:22 pm

Well Warren, I hope you’re right.

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 2:38 pm

anon 2:35 you are spot on m8

Retryboy - January 6th, 2010 at 4:43 pm

What a load of retarded crap! We have turned down a 9m bid for a player that isn’t even officially up for sale, doesn’t play and when he does gets 15 minutes. If he was playing regularly he would be worth £20m easily do you think anybody would be bidding 10m to get kuyt or lucas our first team regulars? As for the comment as to would babel get in the top sides. Would have him RM over valencia, wright-phillips. Would make a better partner to rooney than berbatov or owen he is a top player. Would lucas or kuyt get in any of those squads even? Not a chance yet rafa loves them. Sid-he had a bad game at spurs so did most players it was first game of the season and he was played LM so get over it. You bang on about one bad game for a player yet rafa has a bad 25 games, fucks everything up constantly and you call it a blip? Bad form? Wake up!! Serbian red-dick head coming on here telling people they aren’t real fans because they don’t agree with your opinion shows a pathetic little child mentality…figures having dealt with you before.
Give your opinions but don’t come on here throwing insults about and babel isn’t my lovechild you are say hi dad!

SEANBCFC - January 6th, 2010 at 5:08 pm

retry i have to say… well said!

redrob - January 7th, 2010 at 8:06 pm

warron. where did you hear the chamakh in talks news from?