CaughtOffside » Liverpool FC

Manchester United Receive Massive Injury Boost Akin To New Signing

Leroy Paine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:48:18 +0000

Midfield ace set for Old Trafford return.

Manchester United have received a fine boost with the news that Tom Cleverley is set for a return to first team action.

Cleverley, who is 22 years of age, has been out of action since October with an ankle problem, and his likely return could not be better timed.

The Red Devils play arch rivals Liverpool this weekend, and with the tension between the teams even more heightened than usual thanks to the Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra incident of racist language.

Liverpool have stood firmly behind their man, with Kenny Dalglish saying Suarez never should have been punished in the first place, but it is now expected that the Uruguayan will start the game.

It will be his first appearance since his ban, and with Liverpool having won the last encounter between the two sides last month with a score of 2-1, they will be even more confident with the return of their talisman and most creative player.

A Manchester United side containing the likes of Cleverley and Paul Scholes from the start though would be likely to dominate possession against Liverpool’s more workmanlike midfield, and Saturday’s battle will be intriguing to say the least.

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Liverpool In Running To Sign €20m Goal Machine Striker, Claims Agent

Steven Constable — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:13:47 +0000

Anderlecht goal machine on Anfield radar.

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Liverpool have been strongly linked with the signing of Anderlecht forward Dieumerci Mbokani, according to Inside Futbol.

Mbokani is having a brilliant season for Anderlecht, but did not set the world on fire at previous clubs Monaco and VfL Wolfsburg.

Still, this season the Congo international striker has scored 7 goals and supplied 4 assists in 15 appearances for the Belgian team this season, meaning he directly contributes to an Anderlecht goal on average every 123 minutes.

That compares favourably with the best players across Europe, although it should come with the caveat that his impressive form has come in the Belgian Jupiler League and UEFA Europa League.

Now his agent Fabio Baglio says he is ready for a big transfer to one of the biggest clubs in Europe, strongly hinting that a number of Premier League clubs are in the running.

“I never doubted him,” explained Baglio to Sudpresse.

“In Belgium, he’s standing head and shoulders above the rest and he knows this, but he won’t be complacent.

“People always mention his failure in France, but he ran into a coach that didn’t want to consider him.”

“His performances in recent weeks have increased the interest from big English clubs.

“When Dieumerci is ready, he’ll go abroad, but we won’t make the mistake of choosing a second-class club. He will go to a top team because he was born to play with the elite.”

“The price? I would say between €12M and €15M, but when I see that [Nabil] Dirar left for €6M (to Monaco. ed), I tell myself that Dieu is worth €15M to €20M.”

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Ten Premier League Players Destined to Leave Their Clubs This Summer

Mad Dog and Glory — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:25:05 +0000

Ten players who will almost certainly be on their way out from their current clubs at the end of the season, but where will they end up?

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Andrei Arshavin

Arsenal sure to give up on attacker who may well be heading for a Russian return.

Arsenal Plan Shock Barcelona Pair Bid, Man United Want £22m Playmaker, Liverpool Launch Barcelona Raid, Tottenham Set for £50m Bale Bid, Rangers Target Newcastle United Striker, Chelsea Linked With £50m Striker Swap, Stoke City Defender Linked With Chinese Move, AC Milan to Offload Ten, Man City Targets Spanish Defender and Much Much More

Mr Neutral — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:44:32 +0000

Transfer rumour round-up.

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Chelsea admit defeat in hunt for Brazilian hitman

Full story: FootyBunker

Aston Villa eyeing Premier League stalwart as defensive reinforcement

Full story: FootyBunker

Liverpool Plan Summer Move to Sign Barcelona Midfielder

The Newshound — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:15:22 +0000

Anfield boss keen on Nou Camp star.

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Liverpool are launching a bid for Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita.

The £2million-rated midfielder, 32, currently playing for Mali in the African Nations Cup, has been frozen out at the Nou Camp.

Keita is aware of the Reds’ interest and will demand talks with Barca coach Pep Guardiola.

SOURCE: Tribalfootball

Whilst Liverpool are seemingly adopting a youthful transfer policy a move to bring in experienced campaigner to help beef up the strength in depth at Anfield, as proven by the useful purchasing of Craig Bellamy. Seydou Keita may well be a bit part player at Barcelona but the Mali international has notched up over 150 appearances for the Catalan side collecting a myriad of trophies in the process.

Keita is an adaptable player who still has a few seasons in the tank and could well add a calming influence into the centre of Liverpool’s midfield. Indeed it would have been fairly useful to sign the former Lens man in January given that Lucas Leiva is out for the rest of the campaign.

Pep Guardiola may well be willing to sell Keita but it would surely take a bid of more than £2m to land the midfielder, even if he is 32 years of age. In this day and age £2m doesn’t really secure you any player of worth and given we are talking about a player who three La Liga triumph as well as being a double Champions League winner then surely it would take an offer of at least double that quoted by this source.

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Liverpool And Manchester City Transfer Target Issues Come And Get Me Plea

Steven Constable — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:30:58 +0000

Fiorentina star set for Old Trafford or Anfield?

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Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic has signalled his desire to move to England, with Manchester City and Liverpool likely to be at the front of the queue for his signature.

The Montenegro forward has been mightily impressive for the Florence club since returning from a cruciate knee ligament injury that kept him out for the entire season.

This season, Jovetic has scored 12 goals in 17 Serie A matches, and at the age of just 22 is already blossoming into a fine goalscorer.

Man City are very publicly looking to offload their troubled striker Carlos Tevez, which would leave senior forwards of Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko.

All great players, but Roberto Mancini is thought to want four players to ease the effects of the gruelling fixture list upon his players.

Liverpool’s need for a forward is well documented, with their desperately poor chance conversion rate of just 8.5% the worst in the league.

Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy all have some brilliant – and very different – attributes, but unfortunately not one of them is as proficient at putting away chances as they currently require.

It was that profligacy that saw Kenny Dalglish linked with a move for Aston Villa striker Darren Bent in the summer, but it would seem the Reds are looking for a player more capable of involvement in link play.

Jovetic certainly possesses that quality, being able to play either behind a striker or out wide, and he could very well be a fine solution to the goalscoring difficulties currently at Anfield.

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Feline Invasion Continues As Anfield Cat Also Seen At Barcelona Game (Video)

Mad Dog and Glory — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:04:15 +0000

Anfield cat will take over the world.

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Liverpool saw a cat run across their pitch yesterday evening, and in quite oddly coincidental timing, Barcelona’s match against Real Sociedad on Saturday evening also saw a feline guest.

You can see it run across the Camp Nou pitch in the video below:

The cats are going to take over the world.

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15 Dumb Transfers, Arsenal Plot £30m Playmaker Bid, 7 Big January Gambles, 10 Most Embarrasing Liverpool Transfer Flops, Man United Target £20m Centre Back, Wolves Join Chase for Lower League Goal Machine, AC Milan Confirm Interest In Man City Striker, Chelsea Keen On Serie A Playmaker, Tottenham Line Up Championship Starlet Bid and Much Much More

Mr Neutral — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:16:55 +0000

Transfer rumour round-up.

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AC Milan are leading the chase to sign Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli and hope to clinch his signature during the summer, according to reports in Italy.

Full story: talkSPORT

Demba Ba insists he is happy at Newcastle and is not looking to cash in on his signing-of-the-season status with a big money move away.

Full story: Daily Mirror

(Video) Cat Invades Anfield Pitch During Liverpool-Tottenham Match

Mad Dog and Glory — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:46:40 +0000

Where the hell did that cat come from?

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Cat on the field : Liverpool vs Tottenham by larrsson

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(Video) Should Luis Suarez Have Been Sent Off for Kicking Scott Parker In the Stomach?

Mad Dog and Glory — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:35:17 +0000

Opinions? The ball is about five feet above the Tottenham players head and therefore it would appear that the Anfield striker had no way of ever getting to it, so that makes his wild kick at Scott Parker’s midriff all the more baffling.

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Artera patada de Luis Suárez by red_wing_21

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