Summer 2011

[Beantown Red]

Sylvain Marveaux is on the brink of becoming a Liverpool player after he arrived on Merseyside for a medical.

 

The French winger, 25, who is available on a free from Rennes, is a long-term Anfield target.

 

Once that deal is completed, Liverpool will press to sign Stewart Downing from Aston Villa.

 

Read more: Liverpool to go for Stewart Downing after signing Sylvain Marveaux | Mail Online

[Guest PurpleNose]

If Maxi does want to go back to Newells I think we should entertain the idea of a straight swap with Lucas Bernardi.

[Pidge]

Another one?!

 

edit: kudos to whoever hit wiki before I got there!

[Guest PurpleNose]

As the Doni deal looks to have fallen through, David Lucas at Swindon could do a job.

[Skully]

Tony Barrett 1 minute ago

Liverpool have stepped up their transfer activity, with Sylvain Marveaux on the verge of completing his move from Rennes after a medical examination and talks set to begin with Blackpool over a proposed deal to take Charlie Adam to Anfield.

 

In what promises to be a particularly hectic window for Liverpool, Marveaux has taken a step nearer to becoming their second summer signing and the latest additional midfield option for Kenny Dalglish after the £16 million capture of Jordan Henderson from Sunderland last week.

 

Although Marveaux, a France Under-21 player, is not able to complete his free transfer until July 1, when the transfer window opens in Europe, Liverpool are already working to tie up the loose ends on the deal for a winger who has been likened to Florent Malouda, of Chelsea.

 

Next on the agenda for Dalglish is for Liverpool’s longstanding interest in Adam to come to fruition. Manchester United have been linked with a move for the midfield player, but Liverpool remain Adam’s favoured option, an obvious negotiating tool for the Merseyside club when talks with Blackpool finally get under way.

 

A fee in the region of £12 million has been mooted for the 25-year-old, but Liverpool would be unwilling to spend that much on a player who has entered the final year of his contract and would therefore be able to leave on a free transfer at the end of next season.

 

Liverpool’s attempts to improve a squad that has disappointed John W. Henry, the club’s principal owner, because of its lack of strength in depth given the size of the accompanying wage bill, will also result in several players being made available for transfer.

 

The signing of Henderson, imminent acquisition of Marveaux and proposed moves for Adam and Stewart Downing, of Aston Villa, mean that Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani are surplus to requirements. The future of Raul Meireles is also in doubt, with Inter Milan monitoring his situation.

 

The Italian club must first appoint a coach before their tentative interest becomes more concrete, but should they offer Liverpool a fee that would represent a significant profit on the £11 million they paid Porto for the 28-year-old last August, then Dalglish would have to decide whether to cash in on last season’s PFA Fans’ Player of the Year.

 

Sotirios Kyrgiakos, though, appears set to remain at Anfield for the duration of the coming season at least after earning a one-year contract extension.

 

The Greece defender, who turns 32 next month, originally joined Liverpool on a two-year deal at the onset of the 2009-10 campaign. But having played a predetermined number of matches, Kyrgiakos has automatically triggered the extension and will be retained to provide back-up to Liverpool’s frontline central defenders.

[zigackly]

We all dream of a team of Lucases ...

[Pidge]

Get him in. We should try and wrestle Lucas Piazon off of Chelsea while we're at it.

[TommyGun]

Gotta love a good restaurant rumour!

 

That kid Lucas sure is something. But aren't we allowed only one Lucas since they're not EU members?

[zigackly]

Gotta love a good restaurant rumour!

 

That kid Lucas sure is something. But aren't we allowed only one Lucas since they're not EU members?

 

Nope, you can have seventeen non EU players if they can get work permits.

 

25 if they are also home grown ...

[TommyGun]

Nope, you can have seventeen non EU players if they can get work permits.

 

25 if they are also home grown ...

 

Then get him and Lucas Neil and George Lucas!

[Red House]

Has the Guardian journo mistaken Moura (this guy) for Marveaux :

 

 

 

Or has the restauranteur sadly mistaken Marveaux for Moura ...

 

I know it's just a youtube clip, but goodness me, this fella is a dribbling machine, even though he can't finish.

[Beantown Red]

Anybody know if this twitter page for Jose Enrique is legit?

 

26 minutes ago

 

José Enrique

@J_Enrique3 José Enrique

 

Donde quiera que esté en mi futura carrera quiero que sepas que Newcastle estará por siempre en mi corazón. Gracias!

 

Google translates to

 

Wherever you are in my future career I know that Newcastle will be forever in my heart. Thanks!

[Mustangt125]

So any updates on that restaurant story or whatever? Why would we have first refusal?

 

His release clause is something stupid like 100 mill

[Brownie]

Tell you what, it seems as though it's gonna be a massive summer for us doesn't it?! We're always linked to a shitload of players but this summer we could actually bring in up to 9 first teamers, which is pretty mental when you think about it.

 

At one point, I thought we'd only be bringing 3 in - wrong again!

[lifetime fan]

Tell you what, it seems as though it's gonna be a massive summer for us doesn't it?! We're always linked to a shitload of players but this summer we could actually bring in up to 9 first teamers, which is pretty mental when you think about it.

 

At one point, I thought we'd only be bringing 3 in - wrong again!

 

I'd say around 4 first teamers and possibly the same to add to the squad.

[Brownie]

 

I'd say around 4 first teamers and possibly the same to add to the squad.

 

When I say first teamers i'm including squad players in that mate i.e. players who will be in the first team squad, as opposed to being bought for the future and therefore put in the reserves or youth team squads.

[lifetime fan]

When I say first teamers i'm including squad players in that mate i.e. players who will be in the first team squad, as opposed to being bought for the future and therefore put in the reserves or youth team squads.

 

No worries mate.

 

As a starting 11 I'd expect a new LB, winger, midfielder and possibly a centre half.

[lifetime fan]

Jay Fucking Bothroyd.

[Brownie]

If we get all of our targets we could end up with a squad like this ( as Dave has said, under Kenny the positions won't be as important as previously, as we'll be very fluid):

 

GK

 

Reina

New Player

 

RB

 

Johnson

Kelly

Flanagan

 

LB

 

Clichy

Aurelio

Robinson

 

CB

 

Carra

Cahill

Skrtel

(Kelly)

 

RM

 

Hazard*

Henderson

(Downing)

(Kuyt)

 

LM

 

Downing

Marveaux

(Hazard)

(Kuyt)

 

CM

 

Gerrard

Lucas

Adam

Henderson

 

CF

 

Suarez

Carroll

Kuyt

Wickham

[Eire-Scouse]

Click Click

[lifetime fan]

If we get all of our targets we could end up with a squad like this ( as Dave has said, under Kenny the positions won't be as important as previously, as we'll be very fluid):

 

GK

 

Reina

New Player

 

RB

 

Johnson

Kelly

Flanagan

 

LB

 

Clichy

Aurelio

Robinson

 

CB

 

Carra

Cahill

Skrtel

(Kelly)

 

RM

 

Hazard*

Henderson

(Downing)

(Kuyt)

 

LM

 

Downing

Marveaux

(Hazard)

(Kuyt)

 

CM

 

Gerrard

Lucas

Adam

Henderson

 

CF

 

Suarez

Carroll

Kuyt

Wickham

 

That is promising and a massive improvement on the last 6 transfer windows. I just feel for the outlay it could actually be even better.

 

That's not having a pop at kenny, Comoli or being an ungrateful cunt after the last lot of cancers.

 

We just want the best for our club and whilst Downing is a vast improvement on anything we have on either wing I reckon better players will move this summer for the same or less money.

 

If those players knock us back I have already said I don't think Downing would be as shit as I previously thought and could see the sense in him for a year or two but I'd like our first target to be a rung or two up from that level.

[moof]

Bothroyd will go to Everton.

[Brownie]

 

That is promising and a massive improvement on the last 6 transfer windows. I just feel for the outlay it could actually be even better.

 

That's not having a pop at kenny, Comoli or being an ungrateful cunt after the last lot of cancers.

 

We just want the best for our club and whilst Downing is a vast improvement on anything we have on either wing I reckon better players will move this summer for the same or less money.

 

If those players knock us back I have already said I don't think Downing would be as shit as I previously thought and could see the sense in him for a year or two but I'd like our first target to be a rung or two up from that level.

 

That's why i'm hoping for Hazard or someone like that. That's more in hope than expectation I have to say.

[lifetime fan]

That's why i'm hoping for Hazard or someone like that. That's more in hope than expectation I have to say.

 

That's fair enough mate, I've said I want Kenny to get his first targets and I mean that, even if I did think they were shite.

 

I reckon you'd have to go as far back as Roy (Evans not the fucking nightmare) for the last time our manager was able to say 'I want that one' and get it without a shit load of other bollocks.

[Beantown Red]

Bloomberg: Liverpool’s Player Purchases Show Owners’ Desire to Win, Executive Says

 

Liverpool’s spending on player trades indicates owner Fenway Sports Group’s desire to return the soccer club to trophy-winning ways, according to a senior executive at the company that also owns the Boston Red Sox.

 

Fenway Sports’ principal owner John W. Henry, who made his fortune in hedge funds, pushed through the 300 million-pound ($485 million) acquisition of the 18-time English champion in October after lenders forced the previous owners to sell.

 

After stabilizing Liverpool following its worst league start in more than half a century, FSG has provided manager Kenny Dalglish, who guided the team to its last English league championship in 1990, with funds to rebuild the squad. Liverpool paid 57 million pounds for strikers Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez in January and signed midfielder Jordan Henderson for a reported 20 million pounds from Sunderland last week.

 

“You’re seeing the desire to win and the desire to compete in the transfer market,” Billy Hogan, managing director of Fenway Sports Marketing, the group’s commercial arm, said in an interview. “We would expect to have a couple more additions as the summer progresses.”

 

Dalglish, who returned to the manager’s job after a 20-year absence, and Director of Football Damien Comolli have been linked with bids for players including Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam, Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing and Newcastle pair Jose Enrique and Jonas Gutierrez.

 

“Damian and Kenny have certainly been clear about the desire to add talent where they can,” Hogan added.

Focus on Youth

 

Suarez, Carroll and Henderson are all under 25. Hogan said that’s a sign that the team is favoring younger talent. Last offseason, Liverpool added the likes of Joe Cole, Raul Meireles, Paul Konchesky and Milan Jovanovic, who are all older than the players signed by FSG.

 

Hogan said the method mirrors his company’s strategy at the Red Sox.

 

“When the ownership group acquired the Red Sox 10 years ago, one of the focuses was to develop the youth and in particular our farm system,” he said. “That ultimately is where the Red Sox have been able to compete by bringing in what we call homegrown talent: young and talented baseball players that were grown within our minor league system. That’s certainly something that holds true across the organizations. We’re always looking for young talent.”

 

The Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, ending an 86-year title drought, and took the championship again in 2007.

 

Liverpool was the dominant English team in the 1970s and 80s and has since been usurped by Manchester United. The Red Devils added their record 19th league title last month, the 12th under manager Alex Ferguson. Liverpool finished in sixth place, meaning it will miss out on Europe’s elite Champions League for the second straight year.

 

Although the team’s focus will be on “winning”, setting targets publicly isn’t the way FSG does its business, Hogan said.

 

“We don’t like to over promise and under deliver,” he said. “Our goal is to always win.”