How long can we carrry a player like Sterling?

[G Richards]

I think we should assume good players are always in demand. Obviously we don't know the half of it, but it's easy to see how Man City could find a home for Sterling as they need English players and have overcome their FFP difficulty. Sterling is from London, and there are at least two teams in the capital who would be happy to weaken us and take him off our hands. If wages are the main driver for him, then Man Utd are throwing silly money around in an effort to stay in the top four, and Sterling will have noted that. 

 

I haven't got a clue whether foreign teams would be interested. From a financial point of view Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich could all afford him, but there are greater question marks over whether they would see the outlay as value for money. But leaving aside the foreign club angle, you'd have to think that there would be other suitors in the Premier League, should we fail to agree terms with him.   

[G Richards]

PS - I think he will sign a new deal, but if not, sell him to the highest bidder this summer. We could buy Depay and Dybala with the money, and with an emerging Ibe thrown into the mix too, we might even be stronger. 

 

Generally you don't want to sell your best players though, but I think we'll be OK whatever happens in this instance. 

[trefoil]

As Rodgers has said, Liverpool is the best place for Sterling. If he goes somewhere like City or Real it won't take long before the fans turn on him and he's left on the bench. As they haven't watched him develop like we have, they will expect him to come in and instantly work magic and score goals, and the Sterling we know at the moment just won't do that. Rodgers has already had to invent two new positions for Sterling just to get the best out of him, he won't have that luxury at another club.

[billypilgrimnz]

As Rodgers has said, Liverpool is the best place for Sterling. If he goes somewhere like City or Real it won't take long before the fans turn on him and he's left on the bench. As they haven't watched him develop like we have, they will expect him to come in and instantly work magic and score goals, and the Sterling we know at the moment just won't do that. Rodgers has already had to invent two new positions for Sterling just to get the best out of him, he won't have that luxury at another club.

Which is why he is hardly irreplaceable. If it were a young Gerrard, Fowler, or even Owen, sure, pay them. But Sterling is nowhere near their class.

[Major Tom]

Yeah, this argument pretty much comes down as to whether you rate Sterling or not.

 

If you don't rate him particularly highly, why would you want the club to accede to his wage demands?

 

While he's not irreplaceable, I don't think we'd replace him adequately. Personally I think he's a good player with a high ceiling. I'd rather see us pay him than sell him.

[trefoil]

I rate Sterling highly, but feel him leaving would detriment both parties. I just think that whilst Sterling may think he has all the weight in this as he can get a move elsewhere, I also feel the club has a bargaining chip in the fact that if he leaves he will struggle and won't progress, be as popular, or get as much game time as he would here. It's whether Sterling would be happy, at 20, to take the large wages and a lot of bench time. Personally think we should tell him to take the £100k and when he starts scoring the sitters he's missing he can have the £150k in a years time

[Barnesey]

Im worried he wants to go back to London and I've heard Spurs are sniffing.

 

Id give him top dollar now if only to secure a high price if he goes in 3-4 year's time

[Ne Moe Imya]

Im worried he wants to go back to London and I've heard Spurs are sniffing.

 

I know he's not exactly the brightest lad in the world but he's not that thick.

[ratcatcher]

Yeah, this argument pretty much comes down as to whether you rate Sterling or not.

 

If you don't rate him particularly highly, why would you want the club to accede to his wage demands?

 

While he's not irreplaceable, I don't think we'd replace him adequately. Personally I think he's a good player with a high ceiling. I'd rather see us pay him than sell him.

 

To be honest, Im indifferent to sterling. Its not that I dont rate him, I just dont see him as this elite player able to change games we're struggling to win which, one could expect a player asking for over 100k a week to be able to do.

 

I dont think he's worth 100k a week and I dont think 'market rate' is over 100k a week either. If it was, all our players would be on it and clealer they arent.

 

Some fans look on these club v players battles as the player being bigger than the club. That's up to them. For me, its always club first.

 

I rate Sterling highly, but feel him leaving would detriment both parties. I just think that whilst Sterling may think he has all the weight in this as he can get a move elsewhere, I also feel the club has a bargaining chip in the fact that if he leaves he will struggle and won't progress, be as popular, or get as much game time as he would here. It's whether Sterling would be happy, at 20, to take the large wages and a lot of bench time. Personally think we should tell him to take the £100k and when he starts scoring the sitters he's missing he can have the £150k in a years time

 

The club has done that ie tell him he's in the best place for his career and to take the 100k. Someone's in his ear telling him he can get more elsewhere and if he did move, it will not harm his career otherwise they'd have told him to sign.

[ratcatcher]

Im worried he wants to go back to London and I've heard Spurs are sniffing.

 

Id give him top dollar now if only to secure a high price if he goes in 3-4 year's time

 

Well that brightened up my monday morning! Spurs? Yeah, right. Obviously he wants to play in their spankingly new stadium.

[trefoil]

To be honest, Im indifferent to sterling. Its not that I dont rate him, I just dont see him as this elite player able to change games we're struggling to win which, one could expect a player asking for over 100k a week to be able to do.

 

I dont think he's worth 100k a week and I dont think 'market rate' is over 100k a week either. If it was, all our players would be on it and clealer they arent.

 

Some fans look on these club v players battles as the player being bigger than the club. That's up to them. For me, its always club first.

 

 

The club has done that ie tell him he's in the best place for his career and to take the 100k. Someone's in his ear telling him he can get more elsewhere and if he did move, it will not harm his career otherwise they'd have told him to sign.

 

Agents get paid based on transfer fee and how big the wages they secure for their player are, so they'd be inclined to not tell him what's best for his career if it meant more money for them. We'd just have to hope that someone is in his other ear, Brendan, or even Gerrard, telling him that there may be other clubs willing to take him but other clubs won't benefit him as much as Liverpool.

[ratcatcher]

Agents get paid based on transfer fee and how big the wages they secure for their player are, so they'd be inclined to not tell him what's best for his career if it meant more money for them. We'd just have to hope that someone is in his other ear, Brendan, or even Gerrard, telling him that there may be other clubs willing to take him but other clubs won't benefit him as much as Liverpool.

 

Sure they do. But players, even young ones, need to realise you might get shitloads more money at city, chelsea or even real but, he isnt going to be playing anything like what he does here.

 

If money is the sole motivator and let's be honest, there have been a few players who've been very happy to take the money and not actually play more than a handful of first team games in 5 years, then that is fair enough.

 

Sterling should consider mouth, gift horse and looking.

[Major Tom]

To be honest, Im indifferent to sterling. Its not that I dont rate him, I just dont see him as this elite player able to change games we're struggling to win which, one could expect a player asking for over 100k a week to be able to do.

 

I dont think he's worth 100k a week and I dont think 'market rate' is over 100k a week either. If it was, all our players would be on it and clealer they arent.

 

Some fans look on these club v players battles as the player being bigger than the club. That's up to them. For me, its always club first.

 

I don't get the relevance of your last point there.

 

But the rest is all good as that's what it basically boils down to. Whether the club rate Sterling or Henderson enough to pay them what they're demanding. If they don't, they're off you would think.

[trefoil]

I agree. And to be honest the longer this drags on, unless he starts doing special things on the pitch week in week out, our fans will start to think he's a prick. At 20 what's the difference between £100k and £150k anyway? There's no rush, but if he wants to take the £150k at City now he can be playing in relegation battles for Sunderland by the time he's 23 just like Rodwell. If that's the attitude you may as well go to Qatar or the MLS now and get it over with. I'm sure his baby momma is loving his agent right now mind, child support will be going right up.

[Section_31]

I don't get the relevance of your last point there.

 

But the rest is all good as that's what it basically boils down to. Whether the club rate Sterling or Henderson enough to pay them what they're demanding. If they don't, they're off you would think.

It's not as simple as that though is it, it's 'does the club rate them enough to allow open season for all future transfer negotiations with young players and undo the whole concept of moneyball'.

[Major Tom]

It's not as simple as that though is it, it's 'does the club rate them enough to allow open season for all future transfer negotiations with young players and undo the whole concept of moneyball'.

 

Well, I think it is, Section. I don't think any wage structure can be absolute because ultimately it's arbitrary, isn't it? There has got to be a certain amount of flex or we cease to become an attractive proposition.

 

I see what you are saying with regard to setting precedents, though, but that's up to the club to factor in when negotiating with these guys. If they won't break a rigid wage structure, then the chances are they'll leave. And they have to weigh up whether saving the £30k (or whatever) a week is worth it. Both in terms of (not) setting a precedent and of the cost of replacing them.

[Josef Svejk]

Huge TV deal just signed. Agents expecting wages that reflect this fact. Get used to it...

[trefoil]

Everton used to wear David Moyes' wage cap like a badge of honour, whilst simultaneously blaming it for their mediocrity. If Liverpool start refusing wage demands and lose good players because of it, I wouldn't take mediocrity for the sake of the moral high ground. Especially when the club are charging us fans more and more anyway. I'd rather pay the wages personally. That being said in Sterling's case in particular I think he's being a bit of a prick

[ZonkoVille77]

Is this still going on?

[ratcatcher]

I don't get the relevance of your last point there.

 

But the rest is all good as that's what it basically boils down to. Whether the club rate Sterling or Henderson enough to pay them what they're demanding. If they don't, they're off you would think.

 

Some fans see this as club v player (I guess in reality everyone including me sees it as club v player!). Some will side with the player. On another forum, some have said a recent article in the echo was club propoganda and a hatchet job on sterling's agent despite there being no direct quotes or indirect reference by anyone from LFC within it.

[Major Tom]

Some fans see this as club v player (I guess in reality everyone including me sees it as club v player!). Some will side with the player. On another forum, some have said a recent article in the echo was club propoganda and a hatchet job on sterling's agent despite there being no direct quotes or indirect reference by anyone from LFC within it.

 

I want Sterling and Henderson to stay but I'm not sure I'm siding with the players. I, personally, believe them staying is best for the club. If I believed them staying was detrimental to the club, I would obviously want them sold post-haste!

[ratcatcher]

I want Sterling and Henderson to stay but I'm not sure I'm siding with the players. I, personally, believe them staying is best for the club. If I believed them staying was detrimental to the club, I would obviously want them sold post-haste!

 

Indeed so do I.

 

In the case of henderson, I think he warrants a bigger increase than the club is offerring. In the case of sterling, I think he's taking the piss turning down a near 300% increase.

[JagSquared]

If we lost sterling and Henderson for arguments sake, and couple that with losing gerrard and Johnson, do we have enough "homegrown" players in the squad? What's the minimum numbers anyway?

 

Reason I ask is if we have to buy English players in, then were fucked as by and large there all a bit shit.

[skend04]

Personally I think he's a good player with a high ceiling. I'd rather see us pay him than sell him.

When you're only 5 foot tall every ceiling is high.

[JagSquared]

Also on topic I hope Henderson and sterling agree new deals. it's a bit soon to be calling sterling a prick as we don't know the full story but this is difficult situation for the club.

 

We could lose two potentially top players for less than they are worth, or we could pay them what they think they are worth and deal with the fallout, in terms of other renewals. I'd be inclined to pay them, as I think sooner or later we will have to, and losing key players right now would be a fuck up, They are both used to the system and both have the energy we require and are Prob our two most marketable after Sturridge and gerrard. I mean no ones buying Nivea of the back of skrtels mug now are they (shitness of modern football).

 

Swapping them out would be a huge gamble and based on our recent form for bringing players in I would be a little hesitant.