Summer '09 Transfer Speculation Thread

[Bogman]

Hmmmm, interesting:

 

LIVERPOOL NEWS

Benitez: Liverpool may break transfer record

 

May 20, 2009

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Rafael Benitez has said he may well break the club's transfer record again this summer. In the last two summers, the Liverpool boss has spent £20m-plus on first Fernando Torres and then Robbie Keane.

 

 

GettyImages

 

Rafa Benitez: Plotting his summer raids.

 

And although Benitez is believed to have been given only £20m by the club's American owners for a transfer spree - any more will have to come from sales - the Spaniard is planning purchases at both ends of the financial scale.

 

Linked again with Carlos Tevez this week - a move that has been talked about at Anfield now for some while - the club say they have not made a bid to the players' third party owners.

 

But Benitez is known to be keen to pair Tevez again with his compatriot Javier Mascherano, the Argentina stars joining West Ham together back in August 2006.

 

However, he said: ''We may well break our transfer record, but certainly not Manchester United's. But it does not matter about the prices, it is doing the right thing and finding the right players.''

 

But having all but assured themselves of runners-up spot in the Premier League now behind champions Manchester United, Benitez knows he has to work carefully in the transfer market this summer to maximise the funds he has been given, or can generate.

 

He said: ''The next step is to overcome Manchester United, and that is the hardest. It does all come down to the money they have been able to spend, that is the difference.

 

''If we want to reduce this gap we have to be really good in the transfer market this summer. That can be the difference between winning the two or three extra points that we would need to win the title.

 

''We do not have that sort of money, so we have to be cute and clever in the market. Then it does not matter if you have money or not.

 

''When you have a lot of money it is easier because nobody notices your mistakes. For us it is important to find good targets to buy and make ourselves successful.

 

''We have learned a lot about our squad this season, we know each player that little bit better and it means we can improve for next season.''

 

He added: ''The fact that we have won nine of our last 10 games and not won the title just shows the high level of the Premier League.

 

''This season we have managed very good performances against the top sides, something we had not been doing before and now we have to improve a little bit more.

 

''We have 83 points and that would have been enough to win the title on six other occasions since the Premier League started. I can only underline that I am pleased and proud of my team to have gone this close.''

 

Benitez has started to generate cash from his squad by agreeing a £1m fee for defender Jack Hobbs to stay at Leicester, where he has helped them to promotion from League One. Winger Paul Anderson will also join Swansea for a fee of around £750,000.

 

Xabi Alonso is being linked with a £22m move to Real Madrid, while Ryan Babel could also be sold. Striker Andriy Voronin is also expected to be moved on.

[Sangria]

The myth that Xabi was shit for two seasons needs to end, he may not have been as good as his debut season but that was a lot to live up to.

The two average seasons plus the couple of differences of opinions between him and his boss and Rafa decided if the price was right he would be sold, not a hanging offence.

In hindsight it would have been a horrendous decision but eh hindsight is great.

[hamstrung]

If you post articles, can you post the links.

 

ta

[Guest RafaIsRafa]

Hmmmm, interesting:

 

 

Indeed, we may break our transfer record, we may not. Big, big news.

[Bogman]

Rafael Benitez: Liverpool may break transfer record - England - ESPN Soccernet

 

 

Soz.

[Whelan]

Clearly Xabi was not at his current peak over the last two campaigns prior to this one, but the reasons for that have been mentioned loads of times and none are his fault in my view (injury, lack of wide options and, last season at least, being asked to play deeper than Mascherano); nor does the lesser form equate to bad form, either. Whenever these two seasons of being shit are touted, no-one ever seems able to name the appalling performances. There's no need to polarise an argument simply to "win" it.

 

It's clear Xabi's best seasons were his first and most recent, but that doesn't make everything in between shit - nor does it make it his fault, either. Was Gerrard shit when he was playing centre mid and not getting over twenty goals a season? It seems like the same twisted thinking to me.[/QUOTE]

 

I don't get that! You say there is no need to polarise an argument and then go on to say those who have expressed doubts about his form are using 'twisted' thinking! Sorry but what is it, either accept other peoples points of view or you don't. And what has Gerrards performances got to do with Alonso's, I don't think I can recall any Liverpool fans criticising Gerrard for not getting 20 goals a season!

 

This is my big problem, I don't have any problem at all with Alonso's form, he has proved lots of people wrong, or right! and is our player of the year apart from Gerrard. But I do have a problem with some of his fans, who continuously dismiss any criticism of him at all!

 

You point to injuries playing a part, yes I think your right to a certain degree, but he was also injured in his first season! and he was performing a lot better then, and do you really think we have better wide players now? Kuyt was playing on the right last year!

 

Sorry but, for whatever reasons, Xabi underperformed for the two previous seasons and In my opinion it was perfectly acceptable for Rafa to look to swap him for Barry, the fact it did not work out and Xabi has performed the way he did if anything proves how average his previous performances were!

 

There are still a number of times where he looks pedestrian, he has played 32 times this season, and we have been criticised for looking slow! So if Xabi is as influential as people are making him out, then surely it is fair enough to look to his part in our performances early on in the season as well?

 

If Rafa sells him this year it will be a big mistake for a number of reasons, if Xabi wants to leave then I don't blame him, if Rafa has tried to sell him, then I see no problem in him looking after himself and I won't be looking at anybody other than Rafa if that is the case.

 

Sorry for a long post, I am not having a go, I really don't want Alonso to go but I can say that for a lot of players in the past, I just feel some fans allegiance to Alonso's cause is dictated by their dislike of Rafa

[Unrighteous]

Obviously a few of us could see that all of that stuff was a myth and once he was properly fit and sharp again he would excel (not that he hadn't been playing well anyway).

 

I'm really not interested in getting into it again.

 

I don't think so, Brownie. It is not a myth. If you looked at Xabi's play this season, and his previous two or three seasons. The one big thing that you would notice, is that Xabi seems to be creating more room for himself.

 

He has always shown the eye for the pass, and he always showed that he was able to handle the physical play.

 

The major faults in his game are his speed, which is most noticable when being turned.

 

He seems to be more focused and his positioning seems to have improved... if that was possible.

 

Anyway, I think my viewpoint was that Xabi was a great player but probably doesn't want to be here. I was wrong on that second part, which he has shown this season.

 

However, I understood that Rafa wants a 'more balanced squad' which means a left footed player.

 

I don't think Barry is a better footballer, and didn't then, but the difference was that I was willing to let Barry have a crack in Xabi's position then, but after the season that Alonso has had... There isn't a chance on the planet that I'd replace him.

[Bogman]

Indeed, we may break our transfer record, we may not. Big, big news.

 

Indeed, it maybe, then again, it may not.

 

Just not rafaesque.

[Torvald Utne]

If what a friend of a friend of friend told me is true then you can cross Joke Hole off the potential targets list as he was supposedly at spurs tying up a deal today.

[Red Phoenix]

If what a friend of a friend of friend told me is true then you can cross Joke Hole off the potential targets list as he was supposedly at spurs tying up a deal today.

 

Really? Not saying whoever told you was wrong, but for him to not only leave Chelski but go to another london club seems wierd. Might be really a good signing for Arry if that's true.

[Chinandeler Bong]

Just a stab in the dark here but perhaps Alonso may go because he doesnt score enough goals ? ?

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Joe Cole's knee injury must be more serious than Chelsea have let on if they're willing to sell him.

[Stoney79]

Sturridge is a good shout because he'd be on a free.

 

Due to Sturridge's age we would have to pay City compensation to sign him which, I guess, could be as high as £10m.

[The Tott]

I'm pretty sure that back to 1989 someone said something along the lines of, "a couple of people boycotting the S*n won't make a difference."

 

But it did. Because it wasn't just a couple. Their circulation plummeted.

 

The two main ways papers could make money was on the cover price and the adverts. Drop your circulation figures and you obviously lose some of that money coming in from the cover price. But you also hit problems with advertisers, because you sell ad space based on how many people are likely to see their ads.

 

How much do you think Sky charge for 30 seconds of TV advertising at half-time in a Liverpool-Mancs game? And how much for 30 seconds in the 5th commercial break of a mid-morning showjumping review?

 

They use the figures to sell themselves. The papers used to use circulation figures to bash each other about how shit their rivals were, I'm sure they do it with website hits too if it suits.

 

It's not a couple of clicks. It's a couple of clicks multiplied by everyone who thinks it's okay to do it. Imagine if everyone posting on the offal clicked off to look at the rag's website.

 

This isn't about being a proper fan. This goes further than being a fan. I personally don't know how anyone from any walk of life could read what the S*n printed back then and justify any form of support for it.

 

I don't know how any parent could read what they wrote and still think it's okay to read it for the gossip. I don't know how any decent person could.

 

I'm one of the more easy-going people in terms of what's right and wrong from supporters. I wish we just had enough seats to fit them all in, so a day tripper wasn't stopping someone local from taking his kids, and a season-ticket holder using his dead uncle's ticket was able to have one in his own name like everyone else queuing for one.

 

And my shit username is nothing to do with how much of a fan I think I am. It's partly to do with a pet-hate years ago of the Mancs calling themselves "the Reds" instead of "the red devils".

 

I don't care what kind of supporter you are, but I think I've worked out what kind of person you are.

 

Mate that is absolutely 100% correct. Fucking brilliant post. I would rep you again but i repped you earliar today so i ask all readers to rep realred because he speaks 100% truth

[Guest Rafa's Dirk]

I read in a sunday paper that Robin Van Persie is negotiating terms with Arsenal over a new contract, they have offerd him £70,000 a week but he wants closer to £90,000 a week, and according to that he could go for around £8m. Now i dont know about anyone else, but ide have him, he can play on the left, the right, up front (cover for torres), just behind the striker (cover for gerrard), he takes freekicks, penaltys, corners, now if that is true and he is available at that price i think that would be a great signing. Any1 else agree ?

[Joe Le Taxi]

I agree it's just he has had bad luck with injuries but I would have him here in a flash for 8 million.

[The Dude Abides]

I read in a sunday paper that Robin Van Persie is negotiating terms with Arsenal over a new contract' date=' they have offerd him £70,000 a week but he wants closer to £90,000 a week, and according to that he could go for around £8m. Now i dont know about anyone else, but ide have him, he can play on the left, the right, up front (cover for torres), just behind the striker (cover for gerrard), he takes freekicks, penaltys, corners, now if that is true and he is available at that price i think that would be a great signing. Any1 else agree ?[/quote']

 

No thanks, always injured and a massive fanny. Takes freekicks yes, but has a Roberto Carlos like record with them. Can play left, but he'd probably moan about it, as he would too when he gets isolated playing the lone striking role.

 

It's moot anyway, won't be happening.

[Guest simon]

I read in a sunday paper that Robin Van Persie is negotiating terms with Arsenal over a new contract' date=' they have offerd him £70,000 a week but he wants closer to £90,000 a week, and according to that he could go for around £8m. Now i dont know about anyone else, but ide have him, he can play on the left, the right, up front (cover for torres), just behind the striker (cover for gerrard), he takes freekicks, penaltys, corners, now if that is true and he is available at that price i think that would be a great signing. Any1 else agree ?[/quote']

 

I'd fucking love it if we got him i really would.

[The Infamous_LF]

Fuck that Rapist. I would be outside Anfield before his first game burning his shirt

 

Absolute scum

[Guest simon]

Fuck that Rapist. I would be outside Anfield before his first game burning his shirt

 

Absolute scum

 

A bit of a strong comment where did that come from.

[George Costanza]

If we sign Tevez then Silva really is money wasted IMO Much rather keep Xabi.

[Guest simon]

Just found this few days old like but great.

 

Liverpool Echo.co.uk - Liverpool FC - News - Liverpool FC's Xabi Alonso will stay at Anfield, says Rafa Benitez

 

RAFA BENITEZ insists Xabi Alonso will remain at Anfield beyond this summer.

 

The 27-year-old’s future has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks with Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid all linked with a move for the Spaniard.

 

Alonso, who is fit to return to the squad for tomorrow’s clash at West Brom, has enjoyed an impressive campaign at the heart of Liverpool’s midfield.

 

And the Reds boss has ruled out sacrificing him to fund any squad rebuilding.

 

“Xabi has been doing really well this season,” Benitez said.

 

“He’s a key player for us and with him being fit again it will give us a different option in midfield.

 

“Xabi has been talking about how he wants to stay here and we certainly want to keep him so I don’t think there will be any problems.”

[Dan Vito Corleone]

If van Persie was ever fit he'd be a top signing.

[Red Phoenix]

If we sign Tevez then Silva really is money wasted IMO Much rather keep Xabi.

 

Same, even though something like this could be amazing, but we'd need Barry :

 

 

------------------Masch------------------------Barry

 

 

------Silva--------------------Gerrard---------------------Tevez

 

 

---------------------------------Torres

 

 

 

If Xabi went that'd be one of the only situations where I'd still be genuinely confident we could win the title from the off.

[INTORRESTING]

van persie is class and i would definitely sign him, swap him for babel.

 

van persie, gerrard and tevez behind torres would be immense with kuyt, riera and yossi to rotate in