January 2014 Transfer Thread

[TheHowieLama]

Made from the parts that have fallen off Daniel Agger.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

Headline writers must be well pleased with Shaw and Mata - just think of the puns!

[Anubis]

Paint it red, put the club crest and sponsors on the torso, pop Allen inside and he'll be good to go for the future.

 

[Jairzinho]

Ian Ayre appears to be doing a Purslow and playing Football Manager. The difference being Ian clicked "go on holiday".

 

Then went on holiday.

[Anubis]

Ian Ayre appears to be doing a Purslow and playing Football Manager. The difference being Ian clicked "go on holiday".

 

Then went on holiday.

 

Let the man have his break in peace.  It's bloody hard work undervaluing transfer targets. Almost a lost art. He deserves his holiday.

[Jairzinho]

Oh, I agree. Start negotiations for a few players now and by late August we'll er...be told to fuck off again.

[Morning Glory]

Does Henry have a Twitter account, have the internet terrorists not been in contact?

[Mustangt125]

If we dont get serious in the next week, then I won't ever believe another word from these owners.  They clearly don't give a shit about getting into CL if they won't help now, when we have our best shot in years.

[Saintslfc13]

To be fair I think the best thing they could to do to help is fire Ian Ayre (or change his role to commercial negotiations only as a compromise), problem is it's so late in the window that getting someone else in AND buying players is probably not happening.

 

[FrenchEyeGlass]

To be fair I think the best thing they could to do to help is fire Ian Ayre (or change his role to commercial negotiations only as a compromise), problem is it's so late in the window that getting someone else in AND buying players is probably not happening.

 

 

 

The best thing they can go and do is buy some motherfucking players the stupid set of fucks. But all we'll get is another fucking letter full of horseshit.

 

"Its really hard to get top quality players in January". Yeah, its near on impossible if you're a bunch of tight fisted morons who'd struggle to toss themselves off.

 

I feel sorry for Rodgers.

[Bobby Hundreds]

There's still time to buy players yet. Before I go total apathy on their arses I'll wait till the window has shut.

[BCM]

Its all about FFP folks, all those other naughty clubs will have Platini at their door demanding they sell all their best players, then us frugal reds will conquer the world..........Quick Tom get me a Cuban.

[Lee909]

This Vauxhall we are signing on Monday, does he have the engine to get around the pitvh and do Gerrards running?

[Dr Nowt]

I asked Paulo Di Canio your question, Kal-El.

 

"Corsa he does."

 

Sorted.

[Dr Nowt]

He can be very Cavalier at times though, so it's said.

 

And prefers playing on Astra-turf.

 

Still, Viva the good times, he'll be better than Adam I'm sure.

[El Dangerous]

I bet that DoF ain't looking so bad now, eh B-Rod.

[spider-neil]

I bet that DoF ain't looking so bad now, eh B-Rod.

 

What difference would a DoF make?

[Elite]

I can see us panic buying next week.

[El Dangerous]

An able bodied person to identify and negotiate transfers. Granted we could end up with another Comolli but the new model combined with somebody who has a good a grasp on transfers as the business side has to be better than jack of all trades Ayre muddling through negotiations.

[The Golden Eel]

Even Everton have strengthened.

 

Just saying.

[spider-neil]

3 targets.

First, second and third choice.

A team mess you around for a player you move on to the next target. Don't waste their time and your time if it looks like you can't do a deal.

 

6 days left.

[Evil_Ways]

In the last 10-15 years, Andy Carroll apart, have we ever done a quick deal for a somewhat high profile player?

 

Not to despair, but it seems it always drags on with us unless it's a player under the radar who we never had any competition for anyway.

[Dr Nowt]

Jan 25

 

Salah failure must not ruin plan to strengthen

 

Posted by Kristian Walsh

 

The parks are littered with red-faced joggers, their shorts as tight as their lungs. The wind is swirling, biting and lacerates the skin. Toys are put back in their boxes, never to be used again, their 48-hour shelf life truly over. This is January.

 

In the distance, a howl. In the darkness, a yellow light. Keyboards rattle furiously, steam shoots from ears, eyes turn bloodshot with rage. Managers answer questions tight lipped, resenting their very existence, instead of talking about the foot and the ball and the football. Juan Mata is going to Manchester United, Mohamed Salah is going to Chelsea, nobody is going to Liverpool. This, undoubtedly, is January.

 

It has been a quiet January transfer window, but now its anguished roar can be heard after 24 days. At least Liverpool can always be relied upon.

 

In keeping with the tradition of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Diego Costa and Willian, Liverpool saw, came, and conquered the art of bad negotiation. They failed to meet the asking price for Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah after three weeks of talks, with some even portraying the club as naive and inexperienced in their dealings with FC Basel, the footballing equivalent of offering a packet of crisps for a Ferrari.

 

That is not to say Salah is no more a Ferrari than a Ford Pinto. Indeed, any criticism the club faces is not necessarily because of whom they missed out on, but how they did it.

 

Salah could prove to be a fantastic buy for Chelsea at a price that could rise to 16 million pounds; he could also prove to be a handy loanee for feeder club Vitesse Arnhem before moving to the Bundesliga for an unlikely profit. As with most transfers, there is no guarantee their superiority in one league will translate into another, particularly if that league is in Switzerland. His speed and guile on the ball is obvious, but he still has to replicate that in a better league. If he does, the rancour will rise once more.

 

Liverpool were right not to succumb to the pressure of Basel raising the asking price of Salah, but they were wrong to allow it to get to that point. This was a deal that had been mooted for months, with opportunities arising to bring Salah to Anfield long before Chelsea required a replacement for Mata. They tried to be too clever, too keen to strike a bargain. They must now face the consequences.

 

There is a lot of muddle and bluster surrounding the transfer window. The reaction to the imminent failure of signing Salah (he must still agree to terms and pass a medical at Chelsea) has prompted a lot of anger toward anybody, and anything, that moves. The blame is fired, scattergun style, toward any target.

 

The ownership have no money, or are reluctant to release any. Managing director Ian Ayre does not possess clarity in his negotiation skills. The transfer committee and Brendan Rodgers are not in the same library, let alone on the same page.

 

They are unsubstantiated claims -- probably even unfair -- but ones the club and its hierarchy must deal with after so much transfer turmoil. It is a difficult situation, particularly without full knowledge of it, although that stops nobody.

 

Any reticence to spend more than what they perceive as value -- whatever that might be -- is understandable; noble, even. That particular concept was neglected during Fenway Sports Group's first year at the club, and they subsequently spent 55 million pounds on Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing with only a shorn ponytail, deep regret and scalded fingers to show for it.

 

But Salah was still their target, possibly their main one, and interest had yet again been made public. Clubs are bettered in the market all the time, but not so dramatically, so comically, so publicly, as Liverpool. Three now becomes four as Salah joins Mkhitaryan, Costa and Willian as players the club just could not seal the deal for -- and that is just in the past six months alone.

 

This is the same setup that managed to acquire both Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho for a combined 20 million pounds, so incompetence is not an excuse. The club are capable of finding players, excellent ones at that, who cost way below their true evaluation. Liverpool have tried to become a haven for those seeking redemption, a second-chance saloon for those whose potential has not been truly fulfilled.

 

But this is yet another high-profile snub to Rodgers, who still awaits the extra attacking player he has clamoured for since the summer. His preseason determination of adding 20 more goals to last season has been assisted hugely by Luis Suarez solidifying his status as a world-class talent, as well as the consistency of Sturridge when fit, but he has been disappointed in the pursuit of another player to alleviate the pressure on those two.

 

It could be worse for Liverpool. Missing out on Salah, or any player of attacking intent, does not seem as critical given how well Suarez and Sturridge are performing; the team have scored 53 goals in 22 games, 33 of which have come from the duo. Far more pressing -- quite literally -- is a midfielder who can harass in the middle, especially with the injury to Lucas. Just as important, after the announcement of Glen Johnson's indeterminate injuries, is a full-back who can play somewhere, anywhere, to stop opposition wingers putting crosses into the box.

 

Whether those positions are being scouted, and whether Liverpool will sign anybody, is unknown. But the Salah issue has dented confidence in the entire operation. There is now uncertainty over the transfer committee and their synergy with the manager; there are worries about how fine the line between value and parsimoniousness is and whether the club are failing to distinguish that, leaving the manager with minimal resources heading into the final four months of the season.

 

The club suffered a difficult summer transfer window, made even more so by Rodgers' fully trusting only two of the eight arrivals -- Simon Mignolet and Mamadou Sakho -- to impact upon the first team, with Kolo Toure and Aly Cissokho used only when necessary, Tiago Ilori on loan at Granada and the rest firmly consigned to minimal roles from the bench. After that, a good January was essential, crucial, potentially season-defining.

 

Indeed, a good January was required in general. Liverpool have a better chance now, more than any other time in the past five years, of reaching the Champions League. But the squad have looked tired in recent weeks, with the defence thread bare and the midfield stretched. Rodgers' news conference comments of how he has only 15 players available for the FA Cup tie with Bournemouth was tinged with frustration, after three weeks full of it.

 

And so, Salah can wait. The fallout of how and why Salah is not a Liverpool player will continue. For now, the club have to concentrate on strengthening the squad and prove that they have a contingency plan for when things go wrong; they've had plenty of opportunity to formulate one over the past few years.

 

There has been a lot of conjecture surrounding the failure to sign Salah, a lot of rumours and desperation to attribute the blame. That hysteria has to be ignored.

 

But if Liverpool fail to sign the necessary players by the end of the window, there will be no need for conjecture, for the result will be evident to all: Their best opportunity of reaching the Champions League will be an opportunity missed, one that could damage the club for years. It is then when the questions would really be asked and make the maelstrom over Salah seem like a ripple in the ocean.

[fowler_god_9]

If we don't sign a quality defensive midfielder and a left/right back, we'll definitely not finish top four. Man Utd have bought Mata and will strengten more, Spurs looks like they have got a boost after AVB got sacked and even the blues looks competative. Fuck this. Can FSG please give back Ian Ayre his old job at the club? He did a great job signing sponsor deals, but he clearly is fucking shite at transfer negotiations.

[Tyler Durden]

If we don't sign a quality defensive midfielder and a left/right back, we'll definitely not finish top four. Man Utd have bought Mata and will strengten more, Spurs looks like they have got a boost after AVB got sacked and even the blues looks competative. Fuck this. Can FSG please give back Ian Ayre his old job at the club? He did a great job signing sponsor deals, but he clearly is fucking shite at transfer negotiations.

If the muppet didn't get fucked off after last summer he never will, maybe if the owners were over here more then once a fucking year they might understand the fans frustration. They appear fucking clueless. Laughing stock.