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Liverpool have already missed out on the playmaker and manager Brendan Rodgers has expressed his disappointment at seeing his club lose the race for what he described as “non-football reasons”.

 

The Merseysiders were convinced they had a deal for £27 million for the midfielder last weekend, but the fee increased when Spurs entered the race.

 

The 25-year-old instead spent the past three days in negotiations at White Hart Lane, although they were still awaiting confirmation that he would sign.

 

Rodgers was evidently frustrated he had not secured a player he said would have been a “perfect” addition. “No, it wasn’t a football one [decision] and I don’t really want to go into it.

 

"That’s for us as a club really,” he said. “The bottom line is he hasn’t come here for whatever reason and we move on. We identify the targets and then try and get the deal done financially. The club has pushed financially as hard as they felt they could but it wasn’t to be.

 

“The owners have the money and know what they can and can’t spend. I can push and do everything to get the player in, but it’s their money.”

 

The philosophy of FSG is established, principal owner John W Henry adamant he will not overpay because he believes Liverpool have been stung too often in the past.

 

“It would have been great if it was Willian. It wasn’t to be, but we can’t lose sight of trying to get the right player in,” said Rodgers.

 

“I think the owners will spend the money. They are ambitious for the club to progress and get into the Champions League places, and we also know in order to not get left behind you have to spend money.

 

“That’s rightly important, to get quality in to help you progress, and the owners want to do that. We just need to make sure we can compete and get some players in.”

 

Asked who had the final say as to how much the club will pay for any player, Rodgers said: “It’s the owners’ money and they will always have the final say because it’s they who run the club. What they have taken on here is a huge job.

 

"You have seen over the few years they will finance a project and what we have to make sure of is we get the right players and the value and worth of the player is right.

 

“It’s disappointing because this was a player who would have been perfect for us. We expect to be the best we can possibly be, but that means getting the best players. It’s not just a player, but the right player. Where they can, the owners will finance that.

 

“We’ve sat down with the recruitment guys, working tirelessly really, so we hope to unearth something before the window shuts. The challenge is the same.

 

“Chelsea have won the Champions League and spent millions upon millions, Tottenham could spend up to 90-odd million and they are outside the Champions League.

 

“For us it is a huge, huge challenge. But I don’t want to be defeatist. We can’t accept that. But make no mistake about it, it’s a big, big ask and a big challenge.”

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/10260981/Jose-Mourinho-leads-late-Chelsea-charge-to-hijack-Tottenhams-30m-Willian-deal.html

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Guest Numero Veinticinco
He will still end up at Spurs. Anzhi apparently trying to squeeze a bit more out of them.

 

Anzhi and his agents seem like mega-cunts.

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Not bothered about this guy going to Spurs, or Chelsea. or whoever is willing to overspend on him. I'm sure Rodgers, either through Ayre or directly from the owners, would have known that there was going to be a maximum amount available above which the club would not go. I'm pretty sure Rodgers wasn't told he would have a blank cheque for Willian so, although I can understand his disappointment at failing to secure a player he likes, I'm not at all sure our ire should be directed at the owners - at least not for now.

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Not bothered about this guy going to Spurs, or Chelsea. or whoever is willing to overspend on him. I'm sure Rodgers, either through Ayre or directly from the owners, would have known that there was going to be a maximum amount available above which the club would not go. I'm pretty sure Rodgers wasn't told he would have a blank cheque for Willian so, although I can understand his disappointment at failing to secure a player he likes, I'm not at all sure our ire should be directed at the owners - at least not for now.

 

At the end of the day the money is apparently there. Certainly 40M Euros worth of it.

 

The manager should have free reign on how he spends that 40M. If not then why bloody hire him? Frankly, at this level, its the most important skill for a manager to have. If he feels that spending the majority of his budget on one player is what will help him and us get where we want to be, then that is his decision. If he's wrong, he'll be unemployed.

 

This is compounded by the fact that there are no other footballing people at the club. If Rodgers was veto'd by somebody who had the smallest clue, then fair enough. Ian Ayre and FSG don't.

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30 m for that guy is too much. And can't blame the owners if they actually vetoed Rodgers over the transfer, as being suggested by many a poster here. It's the responsible thing to do. We don't have windfall money like Spurs to dump on a forward who doesn't even have a satisfactory goal scoring record. This club has wasted millions upon millions for years in this manner and high time someone put a halt to it. There is too much wailing on here for my liking over a player in whom we had no known interest previously but who Spurs, on the other hand, have reportedly been following for sometime. So this calamity befalling us seems to be more a case of a bruised ego than missing on an indispensable player without whom Liverpool cannot reclaim a spot in the top four. Stupid. Time for Rodgers to stop moaning as well (he appears to be afflicted by the same despondency as the fans) and move quickly to another target.

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The manager should have free reign (sic) on how he spends that 40M. If not then why bloody hire him? Frankly, at this level, its the most important skill for a manager to have.

 

It is wholly unrealistic to suggest that any one individual, in any business, should be able to spend 40m. For someone to be allowed to do so with only two years experience at that level would be madness.

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It is wholly unrealistic to suggest that any one individual' date=' in any business, should be able to spend 40m. For someone to be allowed to do so with only two years experience at that level would be madness.[/quote']

 

But he hasn't got two years experience.

 

Even so, why then not hire an experienced CEO?

 

Or why not hire a manager who has that experience?

 

All I am saying is that FSG shouldn't be valuing a footballer. Would I have paid that much for Willian? No. But it's the principle. There are suggestions that we won't pay the 30m for Lamela - if that's the case, and its not Rodgers who is deciding that, we are bonkers.

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All I am saying is that FSG shouldn't be valuing a footballer. Would I have paid that much for Willian? No. But it's the principle. There are suggestions that we won't pay the 30m for Lamela - if that's the case, and its not Rodgers who is deciding that, we are bonkers.

 

Firstly, you dont know that this happened. It seems very unlikely and I do not think Rodgers would have entertained it, he seems like he'd walk if he felt he was being messed about.

 

Secondly, FSG CAN look at the percentage shift in price and wages and pass judgement. It's a purchase of a commodity, and if they see that the 'value' of the commodity increased by 15% just because another club is interested then I can see why it would flash up on their radar.

 

Like you, I think it was the right thing to do, to walk away. It'll also stand us in good stead for future transfers where clubs know that they can't stall us and think we will pay the inflated asking price. £25m to £30m was a very generous offer and Anzhi, unsurprisingly, tried to take advantage of us. No thanks. I also wouldnt be surprised to see any of these deals with Anzhi being reviewed by the FA and UEFA to see if all the money is accounted for and going to the right people.

 

There's something not right about the whole thing and the firesale going on at Anzhi, and yet they insist on these massive prices. It's something we can do with not getting involved in.

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