The OFFICIAL Liverpool FC thread - RIP Diogo

[corn02]

If true, does anyone else think this could be a bit of arrogance from Benitez? I would love to see Tevez come to Liverpool but I don't think he is worth £26m. Does anyone else think its possible that Benitez would pay over the odds just to get one over on Fergie?

No.

You don't think its possible that he has seen a chance to get at Fergie while signing a fantastic player and is prepared to part with 3-4 extra million for that chance.

Honestly? No I don't. For a man so obsessed with the transfer market - see table and lamps - i dpn;t think it is possible. He is such a perfectionist that he will have it all planned down to the last detail. If he knew he could get Tevez for a few million more but it meant he would have to downgrade another possible signing, he wouldn't. He would have a limit for Tevez and he won't go over it. I say that limit is about £18 million.

[nifan]

Zarate signed a perm deal at lazio a week or two ago corn.

[supersarsfields]

Have to say I would really like to see them get Johnston. Think we need to see a bit more attaching from the full backs than what we are getting with the currect ones. And I reckon Johnston would fit the bill there. Might be harsh on Arbelo who hasn't been too bad. But I just think Johnston might offer that little bit more. Also he can be an option on the right of Midfield aswell if we're stuck.
And Silva would be a good option if we can get him for £15M.
Babel is the one I'm wondering about. Seems to have so much potential but hasn't really shown that he can be a regular first teamer starter. Plays well in fits and patches but no consistency. I'd prob give him another season to see how he does unless a big offer comes in for him which I can't see TBH.

Team I'd like is

Reina
Johnston Agger Skrtle Insua/ Aurelio
Mach Alonso
Kuyt  gerrard   Silva
Torres

Subs
Carragher, Babel, Yossi, Arbeloa, Ngog,

Again Swapping Carragher for either of the CB's wouldn't weaken the team either. But I just think Agger might offer more on the ball.

[EC Unique]

What age is Carragher now? I think he has played his last season a first choice center back. Can see him getting a wee bit too slow.

[Chrisowc]

So far the players I have seen linked have been -

Barry
Johnston
Silva

I saw speculation that Rafa was in for another Spanish striker.  Can't remember who he plays for (Numancia maybe) or his name

The Tevez links I'd take with a pinch of salt.

Players to leave
Dossena?
Babel?
Pennant
Deggan?
Sami

I really hope a bid for Alonso can be resisted.  £20m + will be hard to refuse unfortunately.

[Minder]

I would have thought Alonso was too old and experienced for Arsenal.

[longball]

What price are we talking for Johnson? i thin i read somewhere that £16m was quoted this is mad.

in an unrelated stroy seen in the paper Daniel Sturridge, 19, ofa Man City has demanded £65K a week. HIs contract is up in the summer, City have offered him £30K a week. Now for me £30K a week is a unreal amount of money per week for an unproven 19 year old, with no full international caps, and then to demand £65K what the hell. Also there is no contract offered to Steven Ireland yet

[EC Unique]

What price are we talking for Johnson? i thin i read somewhere that £16m was quoted this is mad.

in an unrelated stroy seen in the paper Daniel Sturridge, 19, ofa Man City has demanded £65K a week. HIs contract is up in the summer, City have offered him £30K a week. Now for me £30K a week is a unreal amount of money per week for an unproven 19 year old, with no full international caps, and then to demand £65K what the hell. Also there is no contract offered to Steven Ireland yet

The wages is one of the things I really hate about professional football but it is a victim of it's own success in this sense. The lad needs a slap behind the ear and told to wise up but this will not happen.

[gawa316]

Liverpool are set to face Atletico Madrid at Anfield for their final warm-up game before the 2009-10 season. 
Fernando Torres' former club will arrive on Merseyside on Saturday, August 8 - a week before the new Barclays Premier League campaign gets underway.
 
The sides met twice in the 2008-09 Champions League, with both group stage clashes ending in a draw. Injury meant El Nino featured in neither.


Wonder would they miss Aguero if he accidently got left behind

[EC Unique]

Liverpool face the prospect of missing out on tens of millions of pounds in revenue, vital to their pursuit of Manchester United, by missing two vital deadlines for the construction of the new stadium, which is the cornerstone of the club's growth.

Club sources have confirmed that they are interested in discussing with Carlsberg the idea of naming rights for the new Stanley Park stadium which the Danish brewer wants to pursue when its sponsorship deal comes up for detailed discussion in July.

But there is frustration in some quarters at Anfield that financial uncertainty about the proposed stadium, which Tom Hicks and George Gillett promised to build when they bought Liverpool in February 2007, will mean the club missing out on the estimated £10m such a deal could bring.

Two days after manager Rafael Benitez publicly warned Hicks and Gillett that they would struggle to compete for the Premier League title until the new stadium is built, it has also emerged that they have six months to get financing for the stadium in place if they wish it to be submitted as a prospective 2018 World Cup venue, as part of the Football Association's bid.

The FA, which will select host cities from those expected to seek such status, will only consider new stadia for which detailed financial plans and construction proposals for the new stadium are in place by November.

Credibility is everything for the FA, ahead of the FIFA inspection visit which will take place in October 2010 and the prospect of "too many artists' impressions", as one FA source put it yesterday, is seen as a factor which could fatally undermine England's bid.

Liverpool's council leader Warren Bradley, whose organisation will decide which stadia to put forward as part of Liverpool's host city bid, yesterday warned Liverpool they have until December to resolve their stadium issues or risk missing out on hosting the World Cup.

Though Anfield could be put forward, Everton could conceivably be awarded 2018 status at Liverpool's expense if their proposed new 55,000-seat stadium in Kirkby gets the go-ahead.

A planning inspector is currently considering the outcome of a recent public inquiry into Everton's plans and communities secretary Hazel Blears is expected to rule by the autumn on whether that stadium will get the go-ahead.

Despite the new-found displays of harmony between Hicks and Gillett, neither individual has the money to kick-start plans for Anfield's 60,000-seat replacement, which were put on hold when the credit crunch bit.

"On an economic level we cannot fight with the other big teams, at least for now, in particular because of the stadium," Benitez said.

"(Manchester United's) Old Trafford has 76,000 seats, (Arsenal's) Emirates has 60,000, Chelsea can count on Abramovich. Until we have a new stadium, we will not be able to compete economically. In the meantime we'll have to do things very well to be competitive."

Hicks and Gillett say financing the project had been made more difficult due to the global financial crisis and downturn. Liverpool's American owners must also re-finance a loan of around £350m from Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia by July.

Mr Bradley wants to see Liverpool and Everton ground-sharing, an idea which the leading football financier Keith Harris also suggested should be considered last year and sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe is also believed to want the clubs to follow that course.

"Both clubs have aspirations of building a new stadium. If those don't happen, then I think there has to be serious discussion over a joint stadium," Mr Bradley said. "Gerry Sutcliffe buttonholed me and said it would be a good thing for the city. He said we have should have further talks on a joint stadium and get the two football clubs around the table again."

The Americans' struggles come after Manchester United chief executive David Gill suggested his own club's superior business infrastructure had contributed to their ascendancy over Liverpool.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sp...-14307501.html

[longball]

Has Jack Hobbs been sold or is he just on loan? him and John Welsh were tipped to be big stars for Liverpool just shows what a big step up it is. where is Welsh playing now? What about young Hamill or Anderson will they ever make the break thru

[bingobus]

Has Jack Hobbs been sold or is he just on loan? him and John Welsh were tipped to be big stars for Liverpool just shows what a big step up it is. where is Welsh playing now? What about young Hamill or Anderson will they ever make the break thru

Hobbs sold, think Welsh went to Hull and is now at Chester maybe.

Talk that Anderson is been sold (bid accepted, maybe from Forest) and Hamill went on loan but is favoured to return.

[Minder]

Has Jack Hobbs been sold or is he just on loan? him and John Welsh were tipped to be big stars for Liverpool just shows what a big step up it is. where is Welsh playing now? What about young Hamill or Anderson will they ever make the break thru

Hobbs signed a permanent deal with Leicester a few weeks ago i believe. John Welsh is a sub for Bury in League 2 now (on loan from Hull)

[Hound]

Has Jack Hobbs been sold or is he just on loan? him and John Welsh were tipped to be big stars for Liverpool just shows what a big step up it is. where is Welsh playing now? What about young Hamill or Anderson will they ever make the break thru

Hobbs has been sold to Leicester. Supposed to have had an excellent season and got on the division's Team of the Year as picked by fellow pros in the division.

Welsh got a very raw deal from Houllier. A class apart in the reserves, but never got his chance despite many promises. Eventually went stale as you would by playing nothing but meaningless games for season after season. He eventually went on loan to Hull and did enough to persuade them to sign him (in a swap deal with Anderson). But a double break of his leg has pretty much finished him. I think he's still at Hull but doesn't figure in or around the first team.

Hammill is still a Liverpool player, just back from a loan spell with Barnsley. I'd guess he'll be moved on during the summer.

I think I heard Anderson has been sold to Swansea.

[longball]

Very hard for academy players to break into the first team in the top clus nowadays, its a shame to see teams like boro go down when they promote their own youth so much.

Martin Kelly went on loan there as well didnt he?