Last month, Liverpool were briefly linked with Spanish striker José Callejón, and the former Real Madrid star has now revealed why he rejected a move to Anfield.
In June, Spanish newspaper MARCA reported that the Reds were tracking Callejón and when asked in an interview last night why he chose Napoli over Liverpool, the 26-year old attacker confirmed the Reds' interest, and explained his decision to join the Serie A club. He told TMW:
"The main reason was [Rafa] Benitez, and the fact that Napoli are in the Champions League.
"Speaking to Benitez convinced me. Real Madrid is a big club, but this is an important step for me"
Callejón - who cost Napoli €10m - is (IMO) no big loss to Liverpool, but this issue highlights a very real and obvious ongoing problem. As long as the Champions League remains is off the table, Liverpool will (inevitably) continue to lose out on top players.
Indeed, it's highly probable that Henrikh Mkhitaryan chose Borussia Dortmund precisely because the Reds couldn't offer Champions League football.
On a different note, Callejon's rejection also underlines the ongoing personal pull of Rafa Benitez, something that Brendan Rodgers does not yet possess when it comes to the ability to attract top-draw players.
I wonder how things would've turned out if the managerial roles were reversed, i.e. Rodgers at Napoli (with CL football) and Benitez at Liverpool; would Callejón still have chosen Napoli, or would the attraction of working with Benitez supersede the pull of the Champions League?
Clearly, finishing in the top four has to be a non-negotiable priority for Liverpool this season.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
In June, Spanish newspaper MARCA reported that the Reds were tracking Callejón and when asked in an interview last night why he chose Napoli over Liverpool, the 26-year old attacker confirmed the Reds' interest, and explained his decision to join the Serie A club. He told TMW:
"The main reason was [Rafa] Benitez, and the fact that Napoli are in the Champions League.
"Speaking to Benitez convinced me. Real Madrid is a big club, but this is an important step for me"
Callejón - who cost Napoli €10m - is (IMO) no big loss to Liverpool, but this issue highlights a very real and obvious ongoing problem. As long as the Champions League remains is off the table, Liverpool will (inevitably) continue to lose out on top players.
Indeed, it's highly probable that Henrikh Mkhitaryan chose Borussia Dortmund precisely because the Reds couldn't offer Champions League football.
On a different note, Callejon's rejection also underlines the ongoing personal pull of Rafa Benitez, something that Brendan Rodgers does not yet possess when it comes to the ability to attract top-draw players.
I wonder how things would've turned out if the managerial roles were reversed, i.e. Rodgers at Napoli (with CL football) and Benitez at Liverpool; would Callejón still have chosen Napoli, or would the attraction of working with Benitez supersede the pull of the Champions League?
Clearly, finishing in the top four has to be a non-negotiable priority for Liverpool this season.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
We need to get CL football by hook or by crook.
ReplyDeleteTop signings will almost always choose a CL over a non CL club full stop.
JK, you mention that finishing in the top 4 should be a non-negotiable priority this season. I'm not sure where we will finish but I feel it may be around the 5th or 6th mark. What justifies a good enough season to see Rodgers have a third year in charge? If we don't make the Champions League, do you think Rodgers should/will be dismissed?
ReplyDeleteDepends on the manner of the challenge. If the club puts in a strong bid for the top four, and just falls short at the end by a couple of points then that's fine. If it's a repeat of last season, i.e. way off the pace for most of the year, and nowhere near challenging, then serious questions may need to be asked.
ReplyDeleteI Personally don't think attracting players has something do with CL, its the money that attract players. Fc Monaco signing big names are they there? Arsenal struggling to get the big names are they not there?
ReplyDeletewe can't offer anything "special" now to any player we sign, that's why we need to snap up these players quickly ...just look at the erikson case do u think he would give us his time (like he is obviously doing now) if chelsea or man city came calling...if u work in a small I.T firm and huawei called u will be delighted , but if Microsoft intercepted....u will forget huawei. and if huawei keeps believing they are like microsoft den they will keep geeting worse unless they accept who they really are NOW and move from there.
ReplyDeleteI agree, if we are there or there abouts then keep BR, if we are way off the pace then we need to replace BR, as it clearly isn't working. We need to get top 4 next year, as we are declining rapidly in the minds of other countries and this will limit who would come to us.
ReplyDeleteMonaco is an anomaly. Tax free £250,000 per week . hence Falcao. If money was the be all and end all Mhkitaryan would have gone to Anzi.
ReplyDeleteif we were in the CL we might well have signed him. We might have been able to look at Isco rather than pay £20m for Shaquiri..
I'd take Shaq and I don't see it as missing out on Isco. Its not JUST money but it has a part.
ReplyDeletei'd be happy with Shaq too, but some top notch players, like Tiago would also have been possibilities if we were CL status. Moneey always talks, but we are not owned by sheikh/obligarch
ReplyDeleteWe so badly need CL footy, however as it stands we aren`t good enough. Utd, Chelsea and City are miles ahead of us and Arsenal are better by a bit, but are looking to sign some top players. If they get them we wont be good enough to be above them imo. Spurs will be around us in the league imo.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is the quality of transfers. For us to get top four again we need better players brought in. Yong guns are great, but they do lack the steel needed to win the games against tougher teams, or to see out games. They will learn that of course but do we have 4 years to wait? I don`t think we can afford those 4 years while they learn.
I think we will hammer some teams next season as we have a very attacking line up, but due to a lack of steel we will lose or draw to many to make top four.
There is hope as a lot of the other top teams have changed managers.
I will re-access though later in the transfer window as if we sign someone like Eriksen and someone like Papa or Toby then we will look a bit stronger. A lot though will depend on what happens to Suarez. If he goes its a loss, if he goes to Arsenal we aint getting fourth.
It's all very well saying big name players will only sign for clubs that offer CL football, but what happens if for example, they join Arsenal and they failed to progress to the group stage this season? And then the Gunners finish outside the top four? Would they then demand a move?
ReplyDeletewhen you have just signed for a club it makes good sense to praise the (new) manager.......... i agree though CL football must be a draw I wonder too whether the new wages structure at Liverpool might be a factor
ReplyDeletebenitez proved he still has a few aces in his sleeve with chelsea ....... but he had his chance with us .......no point going backwards again maybe rodgers is the man to move forward or not only time will tell ......hopefully its forward :P
ReplyDeleteI dont see any mention of rejecting Liverpool or Liverpool making a bid for him. End of
ReplyDeleteif sturridge and agger can remain injury free we have good chances of making it into top 4 ........ IMO sturridge and not suarez should lead the line because i consider sturridge to be a better finisher somewhat .....let suarez and coutinho be the creative impetus that way suarez doesnt blast wide every time we pass him the ball and we score loads of goals to win ;)
ReplyDeletesay we finish 6th but win fa and carling or one of them ?
ReplyDeleteKD did very similar to that, so it wouldn't really be progress.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you should read the article properly. It states:
ReplyDelete"When asked in an interview last night why he chose Napoli over Liverpool, the 26-year old attacker confirmed the Reds' interest, and explained his decision to join the Serie A club.
In the actual interview, he was asked the question: "Why did you choose Napoli over Fiorentina and Liverpool"?
You are moaning for the hell of it, and you do this quite a lot. It is a form of sniping - you are looking for things to criticise, which means you don't read the articles properly and then moan about something irrelevant.
Exactly. Silly article.
ReplyDeleteyeah and he also has spent more now ......this season is make or break for rodgers ........ man the pressure on him i wonder how he hasnt cracked yet lol ......biggest positive of this window is moyes seem to get all his targets snubbed much like us lol
ReplyDeleteI think we can make the CL. The league was pretty inconsistent last season, and I think it could be that way again.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for things to criticize? Really JK? 9 out of 10 articles you are critical about our club, players, transfer activity, etc. And even if reporters asked him why did he choose Napoli over Liverpool that doesn't we were actually interested or he rejected us. Same reporters said Liverpool bid for Mkhitaryan, you didn't buy it that time....why now?
ReplyDeleteAnd you are the biggest moaner here. Any opinion that doesn't match yours is nonsense.
ReplyDeleteCallejón. The next "Ryan Babel" signing of Rafael Benítez?
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like the nature of the articles, go elsewhere. This site is a critical look at LFC, so you should expect a critical approach.
ReplyDeleteIf a player is asked 'why did you reject LFC', and he proceeds to give a reason, then it is reasonable to assume that the club mentioned was interested. If not, the player would've denied the interest.
The Mkhitaryan situation is totally different, and your comparison makes no sense. He wasn't asked directly 'why did you reject LFC'. Callejon was. All the stuff about offers etc is irrelevant to this discussion.
Any further sniping posts by you like the above will be deleted without explanation.
I guess CL thing just excuse to him. He wan regular 1st team that the FACT. Every1 know Cavani will gone, and LFC had limited space available in CF role...wise choice head to Napoli but cant jump to conclusion that LFC is out of ambitious to achieving thing !
ReplyDeletelol :)
ReplyDeleteTo some extent i agree, although if the style of football and players we have click, it could be an entirely different ball game. Remember, Swansea (In comparison) had a mediocre team at best (No offense to any Swansea fans) but played really good football. Imagine the same type of football with the players we have or have access to. We should be there or there abouts for CL football IMO. If we bring in either Erikson and/or someone of that ability then I think we'll do better than Tottenham (as they really rely on Bale). I can't see United doing as well and City need a little time to adapt to new players/manager etc.
ReplyDeleteI do agree Sturridge is better suited to play the main strikers role, however I don`t think suarez will be here next season for this to be a issue anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt`s not that the team is that bad, just the other teams around us are signing better players.
I see your point with Swansea, but its a big step up being good enough to hit top four. For all swansea`s amazing football they finished mid table. We have better players, but they aren`t as good as any of the top four teams currently.
ReplyDeleteThere is the chance the team will gel really well and we will push for fourth, but I just think going by last season we are still to wishy washy and don`t have the experience or steel needed to win the games which count.
Like I said, I don`t think we are a bad team, just not as good as four others in the league. The levels needed to hit top four now are harder than ever. You just can`t make many slip ups, which we seem to do to often.
I am still excited about the new season, as the completely unknown abilities of the new players or there chances of doing well does add a edge to it all. I just want one or two top top players added. That will give me more faith and hope in the team.
I`m gutted we didn`t get HM as I think he is so much better than Erisken, not due to skill but due to style, he reminds me of Gerrard of old. He has so much engery and drive which is something we lack at times. Dispite pass and move some of our build up play takes so long the other team has all 11 men behind the ball before we start the attack. HM has that drive that might have been the difference. Erisken is no doubt a good player, so if we get him thats good, just not as good as HM would have been.
Two top players, no need to waste more money on squad players, save it all for top players. However I don`t think we have the cash to sign anyone else unless we start selling.
agree in prinicple, although the Italian league is a odd one. It`s so slow its unreal. This may work in his favour.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, def make or break season. I don`t think fourth is the thing which will break it though. I think challenging is. If we are fighting for fourth spot all season but miss out by one point, I think the owners may see he is the man to do it. If like this season we are a little way off fourth and not really challenging for it, then I would agree times up. I`m all for patience and giving managers time, but for a club of our size and spend we have to be at least challenging for fourth.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago I would have said getting fourth, however the money that is now at City changed all that as there are now 5 teams going for the 4 spots or six if you include spurs, but I don`t.
City, Chelsea and Utd I expect to be better than us, by the nature of there status (utd) and money (city, Chelsea). They should be signing world class players which we shouldn`t be able to get.
Arsenal are the team I see us fighting with to get fourth spot. If we sold Suarez to them, that would be unthinkable and someones head would need to roll. I can`t see us selling to them, but can see us selling at a cut down price to Real just so Arsenal don`t get him.
We have to finish this window, stronger than Arsenal to have a chance.
we must get cl football next season. we have no other comps . the 3 we are in some that should make it easier to make it into top 4 if not questions will need to be asked about Rodgers. imo I think we are not a million miles away a lot depends on the suaerz situation and the cash that would generate but we cant afford a torres situation were we are tryin to bring in players on the last day of the window lets get it done and dusted asap. still think rafa will make a bid for lucas
ReplyDeleteA bullet well dodged. Hope we do make it to the top 4 this season and do qualify for CL.
ReplyDeleteyep have to agree about the league manure were pisspoor last season and ended up winning it it gives us all hope
ReplyDeleteIf I'm being honest I knew very little about Henrikh M. (I won't even attempt his surname) but he 'looked good' on Youtube. I think if we unearth players like Coutinho and I strongly believe we're onto winners with Aspas and Alberto. We can make that push with the others we have including Sterling and Ibe (Who I think will be immense if he keeps his work ethic). I personally don't think Arsenal are much better than us (Personnel wise anyway) they just played well and became consistent at the right time. I'm not insisting we'll defo get top 4 BUT I also think we're not as far off as some may think.
ReplyDeletebeen saying that for a long time now ......still say spurs are a one man army though ;) hopefully dear bale will hit bad form this season :P
ReplyDeletecant write off arsenal ......if wenger remains as frugal as ever the race is on .....b ut for the first time in pl a manager is under pressure to spend lol wish we had that money ......if wenger spends and arsenal key players remain injury free the gunners could even mount a title challenge and unlike the prev seasons none of their players are wanted bar kosclieny but he rubbished the rumours
ReplyDeleteQualify for the Champions League should be the highest priority for the club in the coming season. No domestic cup win will replace that, not even a cup double. I think we fans must be very firm about that. Without CL and the money generated from it, we will not be able to attract big names and stay competitive with the top clubs financially. Seriously, even the likes of Jose Callejon thinks that we are not an attractive option because we are not in the Champions League. But sorry to say, I did not even watch him or worse, know him as a player at all, no sour grape here. I'm sure if we are in the CL, we would have gotten HM and more. Please note if this trend continues for a couple more season, we will officially be labeled as a mid-tier club in Europe. I cannot bear to see us in such downwards spiral vicious cycle.
ReplyDeleteRealistically, we are quite far off from Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea in the league. The only possible chance is the 4th spot in the league but we now have Arsenal, Spurs and Everton ahead of us. It's going to be a tough and rough fight. Though I never rate LS very highly but I hope he has the basic loyalty not to move to Arsenal, considering the support the club has given him throughout his substantial bans for the past 2 seasons. Leaving for any club overseas will be greatly welcomed because we do need funds for player purchase. I'm also hoping we are not stopping at 4 this summer transfer window. We need more players for various positions to mount a tougher fight for the fourth spot. Even though BR does not offer much of a personal pull for players, I still hope BR can continue his search for suitable players and FSG can continue offering their financial support for achieving the objective of qualifying for the CL.
In fairness Mkhitaryan has come out to say that he chose Dortmund over Liverpool.
ReplyDeleteIt sucks :( !!!
LOL im laughing at you laughing i must be losing it
ReplyDeleteits a variety of factors which attract a player....culture,money, language.history,potential, family.manager, etc
ReplyDeletesome on this forum would l
ReplyDeleteI can confidently say that we have not lost out on the signing Callejón.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Rafa is Spanish, IMO would have swayed the player as much, as the reputations of BR and RB.
ReplyDeleteYeah but Eriksen wants game time. He wont get that at City or Chelsea, whereas at Liverpool he will.
ReplyDeleteNot disappointed what so ever by missing Callejon funny how bad circumstances can help you to dodge a bullet Callejon is very ordinary.
ReplyDeleteI have grave doubts he will set the world on fire at Napoli either.
Probably true that.
ReplyDeleteThis is BS. No approach was made to the player from Liverpool side, that's why even the name of the club is not mentioned. These comments are extracted from what the player says when he joins a club #Fail
ReplyDeleteIsco reportedly rejected Man City and Thiago rejected Man Utd. So its more like Manager + CL + Money I think.
ReplyDeleteSturridge is not better than Suarez and never will be. However they play well together. If I have one spot on my team upfront, it'll be Suarez all day.
ReplyDeleteMan U points haul was VERY good last season, in spite of the negative perception of their performance.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that such results achieved by a team with so many holes is what should give us hope...