Arbeloa

[Captain]

Been a good player has Bob, sad to see him go if true, but wish him well.

 

Well worth the £3,000,000 we paid.

 

Same here, hopefully we'll keep him.

[sir roger]

anyone ever considered that these players might not have been willing to renew?

 

Not seen any suggestion that he was offered a contract until recently.

 

I am sure that seeing he is going cheap we would have heard that he had rejected one last year.

[Trumo]

Some lad I know got told this morning that he's been sold for £2M. He's a compulsive liar though so I'd rather believe my washing machine than him on matters football.

 

If your washing machine is also spouting shite, I'd get it checked.

[ratcatcher]

I heard nearer £6m. Be sorry to see Arbeloa leave, I thought he was a solid full back and was rarely caught out. Could understand why Jay had a go at him and I cant believe that has anything to do with his probable leaving.

 

As someone has said, with Johnson, he's not going to be first choice right back anymore so he can probably see the writing on the wall.

[zigackly]

Im a bit concerned about keeping players whos minds are elsewhere, Alonso, Dossena, Bob and Masch.

 

Bear in mind no player with international aspirations can afford not to be at the top of their game in a world cup year. I would be sanguine about keeping anyone for a year even if they were desperate to leave. I agree with whoever said earlier that Bob might be worth more to us this season than whatever derisory fee Real Madrid are no doubt prepared to pay.

[Original202]

Quite a short contract at only 3 years. We signed him in January 2007 but it seems like he's been here for longer than that.

 

Last summer would have been a good time to talk, particularly with Finnan having left. Maybe Rafa had bigger plans for Degen than we thought?

[Durka Durkastan]

it's amazing how we let players contracts run down, Insua is another one who's contract is running down. Hopefully someone doesn't forget to renew it

 

I seem to remember that he was very homsick last summer and was itching for a move back to Spain then. I imagine Rafa was just doing what he could to hold onto him. He started the season well, but has severe issues with his hammies, was out injured for a good bit over the crimbo. Johnson is better than him, but not that much, so if Johnson is worth 18m, then surely Bob is worth 10m+. I'll be disappointed to lose him. Very few wingers got the better of him...didn't he shut down Messi in his first start...classic

[WaltonRed]

Bob will be remembered as a good solid servant who never let us down.

 

Thats all that can be said, I'd love to keep him but we have Johnson and he probably wants to go home.

 

Nice one Alvaro, all the best.

[redrosetints]

I thought he'd been offered a contract extension and is deciding between signing for Madrid or staying. Even with just a year left 4.5 sounds low, given his ability to cover both full back spots.

[STATT71]

He has been linked for about 4 months with a move to Madrid but that has heated up since his onfield 'spat' with JC, and since then rumour has it he wants to go. Don't know if there is any history in it!

 

Very good player who can play more or less across the back four (was he LB against Barca on his debut?). Should get at least double what we paid. for a top world club we should be able to keep/want players of his quality - surley the likes of Degen are not as good.

 

S

[SpeedyG]

He has been linked for about 4 months with a move to Madrid but that has heated up since his onfield 'spat' with JC, and since then rumour has it he wants to go. Don't know if there is any history in it!

 

Very good player who can play more or less across the back four (was he LB against Barca on his debut?). Should get at least double what we paid. for a top world club we should be able to keep/want players of his quality - surley the likes of Degen are not as good.

 

S

 

Benitez gave an interview on the offal where he mentioned that Arbeloa had been offered a new contract, BUT that he had been told he would struggle to get games!

[STATT71]

That is fine but don't most top clubs have a back-up player the quality of Arbeloa as opposed to Degen, although we prob need the dough and as he is fringe WC squad so might want a move to to Real - and which, now, back-up Spanish player wouldn't?

 

I understand why he would like a move but we are surely in it for the money. If Johnson gets injured/out of form we have a problem of where have we a consistant replacement in Arbeloa.

 

Saying that it's only July.

[crouchaholic]

I reckon he wants to go for numerous reasons, but I would have expected him to get quite a lot of games both at right and left back, perhaps even in the centre (against "lesser" teams). He'd be the perfect versatile back up defender, really. If the fee of 4.5 is correct, that's classic LFC business, isn't it? I am aware of his contract situation, but still.

[Original202]

Saying that it's only July.

 

It is. But looking at it another way, the new season starts just 2 weeks on saturday (or sunday for us).

[Paco]

In retrospect, he was always going to return to Madrid if he got the opportunity. He's obviously a madrid fan. Brian Reade wrote something near the end of the season quoting Arbeloa as saying he couldn't wait for us to play against Barca and take them down a peg or two. We hadn't even played chelsea! I also think Carra grabbing him by the throat in the last game of the season probably helped him make his mind up about not signing a new contract.

 

In all honesty, last season was probably his worst for us. After that unbelievable debut against messi and eventually succeeding Finnan as first choice right back, he didn't really make the position his own last season even though he had it all to himself. The signing of Glen Johnson proves that Rafa wasn't convinced he should be our number 1 right back.

 

I think he has done really well and he should be very thankful to Liverpool and Rafa for taking him from obscurity. He's played at the highest level for 2 and a half years, regular in the spanish squad. I think he is making a mistake going to madrid and he may disappear.

 

I think we are now weaker at right back. With only the hopeless Degen and the so far untried Darby I feel we are a bit thin on that side and if Johnson gets injured we may have to use Carragher out there again if Degen or Darby can't cut it.

[INTORRESTING]

I wonder if Rafa got Carra to test Arbeloa and Alonso out in an Ayala style way.

 

If he does want to go then a 2 mil profit is pretty good although it will be a shame to see him go. However i don't think the spanish speaking players we get will hang around forever as Barca or Madrid is the dream or they will go back to their club to finish their career.

[bobhorse]

For What its worth i think he will have a fee around 4m? the same amount Real Madrid paid to resign Negredo

Both will be part of the Alonso sale and that will allow both sides to claim victory over the price

Real Madrid will price Negredo around 14m and pay 22m-25m Cash for Alonso meeting Liverpools £32-£35m so Liverpool will be happy that they got the £30m odd for Alonso

 

Real Madrid can clain they got Arbeloa and Alonso for the £4m Negredo cost them plus £25m in Cash = total outlay £29m and they will say £4m of that was for Arbeloa meaning Alonso only cost £25m

 

Both teams will be correct but it will be how you value Negredo as to who got the better of the deal

 

all just my opinion of how it could proceed

[INTORRESTING]

I don't fancy that deal as Negredo is barely going to play. Would rather Tuncay who can cover 4 positions.

 

I would only want robben or sneijder in any swap. I could cope with losing Xabi if we got sneijder and silva or we could get robben and then use the cash for a cm.

 

We also need some money for a cb who can cover full back.

 

If we keep our team as it is we can win the title, i would sell dossenna and arbeloa and get in tuncay and distin and call it a day if our finances are fucked.

 

The other teams are going through so much transition, staying together could be what wins us the title

[Trumo]

The other teams are going through so much transition, staying together could be what wins us the title

 

That has to be just about the sanest point on the whole thread.

[bobhorse]

Roben and Snejider will be both on mega money and as such will be very expensive to keep, add to that Roben is always injured it could prove a desaster bigger than Kewell

Negredo would be on very little in comparison and Rafa might go with 2 strikers and Gerrard back in CM so maybe the need for a Midfielder isnt what Rafa is looking at

There are people who will point to Gerrard scoring 20-20 goals a season playing in behind Torres, but he would get 15 plus from midfield and if Negredo is as good as he has been in Spain then he could score 20 odd goals alongside Torres meaning that we have gained 10 goals from our midfield this season it is all down to how Rafa sees it and how he spends the cash but Alonso might just come out and say im staying

[Unrighteous]

Sneijder and Negredo plus a bit of cash would be a perfect deal for us... Pick up someone like Moussa Sissoko, Marek Hamsik, etc. we'd be better than we were, despite the gulf in quality from Alonso to our replacement.

[INTORRESTING]

Gerrard and Torres is the best strike force in the world and should not be changed for any reason imo unless our midfielders get wiped out.

[Woo]

I'd tell Madrid I want £4m plus Miguel Torres for Arbeloa, and I wouldn't sell Xabi. If however, Xabi decided to force the move, I would want £20m plus Negredo and Robben. Robben would be the player we need on the left side of attack, and the other 2 would improve the squad in areas that need improving, giving us that £24m, plus the money we have made from sales, to go towards a world class midfielder to try and replace Xabi.

 

Fuck Madrid. They're fucking minted, and have thrown away their money on countless players, so they can pay top dollar for our star players aswell, or fucking do one.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

He might be able to ride on the coat tails of Ronaldo and friends all the way to a Copa Del Rey runners up medal.

[dennis tooth]

I'll be the first to start an Arbeloa tribute thread if he does leave.