Earlier this week, Paris St. Germain beat Bordeaux 3-1 in the Coupe de la Ligue quarter-final, and according to Bordeaux's official website, scouts from Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United attended the game. Who could be on the Reds' transfer wish-list?
Here are the players that featured for both teams, either as starters of subs:
Bordeaux: Carasso, Henrique, Sane, Orban, N'Guemo, Belay, Poko, Traore, Faubert, Rolan, Hoarau, Obraniak, Sertic, Saivet
PSG: Sirigu, Silva, Marquinhos, Camara, Digne, Menez, Verratti, Rabiot, Pastore, Lucas, Ibrahimovic, Matuidi, Cavani, Lavezzi
As far as I'm aware, none of Bordeaux's players have ever been linked with Liverpool, but the following PSG players have, at various times in the past:
* Pastore, Digne, Menez, and Matuidi.
Digne only signed for PSG a year ago, so he can be ruled out, but Pastore, Menez and Matuidi are definitely viable targets for Liverpool.
PASTORE
LFC have reportedly been tracking 'disillusioned' Pastore for 'a few months', and in December, sources in Italy claimed that:
* The 24-year-old - who cost PSG €42m in 2011 - is 'reconsidering his options as he wants regular first-team football ahead of the World Cup'.
* Liverpool are 'leading the chase' as he is ineligible to play in the Champions League for Manchester United, Man City, Arsenal or Chelsea.
In September, Marcelo Simonian - Pastore's Agent - hinted that a move could be on the cards. He told reporters:
"In football there are always ups and downs. He [Pastore] has been happy there, but now is not the time for nostalgia. We will see what happens in the next few months."
MENEZ
In October, multiple reports claimed that:
* LFC and Monaco are tracking £10m-rated Menez.
* PSG prefer to sell to LFC as they don't want to strengthen a direct rival.
In July, Menez's agent, Jean-Pierre Bernès, warned PSG that the player would leave the club unless he played a bigger part in the first team. He told France Football:
"Jeremy is a competitor, but feels like a failure at PSG. He hates being on the bench all the time, and feels it is an injustice. If he has to leave, there will be many clubs interested in him"
Liverpool have been linked Menez several times in the past:
* 2010: Rafa Benitez tried to sign Menez during the January transfer window, but the player decided to stay at AS Roma.
* 2011: Menez hinted that he'd leave Roma after a bust-up with Roma Coach Vincenzo Montella, and according to The Mirror, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish kept an eye on the winger.
* 2013: Brendan Rodgers reportedly considered putting in a £10m bid for Menez.
MATUIDI
Liverpool were linked with Matuidi back in 2011. The Independent reported:
"The tough-tackling midfielder plays at Saint-Etienne, [Damien] Comolli's former employers, but Liverpool are likely to face stiff competition from some of Europe's top clubs if Saint-Etienne indicate the player can move on".
The €9m-rated France international's current contract expires this summer, which means he's now free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club. If PSG are to let him go, it makes sense to sell now, rather than let him leave for free in the summer.
Three very good players, but who do you think LFC were assessing, and which of the three would be the best buy for the club this month?
Author: Jaimie K
Here are the players that featured for both teams, either as starters of subs:
Bordeaux: Carasso, Henrique, Sane, Orban, N'Guemo, Belay, Poko, Traore, Faubert, Rolan, Hoarau, Obraniak, Sertic, Saivet
PSG: Sirigu, Silva, Marquinhos, Camara, Digne, Menez, Verratti, Rabiot, Pastore, Lucas, Ibrahimovic, Matuidi, Cavani, Lavezzi
As far as I'm aware, none of Bordeaux's players have ever been linked with Liverpool, but the following PSG players have, at various times in the past:
* Pastore, Digne, Menez, and Matuidi.
Digne only signed for PSG a year ago, so he can be ruled out, but Pastore, Menez and Matuidi are definitely viable targets for Liverpool.
PASTORE
LFC have reportedly been tracking 'disillusioned' Pastore for 'a few months', and in December, sources in Italy claimed that:
* The 24-year-old - who cost PSG €42m in 2011 - is 'reconsidering his options as he wants regular first-team football ahead of the World Cup'.
* Liverpool are 'leading the chase' as he is ineligible to play in the Champions League for Manchester United, Man City, Arsenal or Chelsea.
In September, Marcelo Simonian - Pastore's Agent - hinted that a move could be on the cards. He told reporters:
"In football there are always ups and downs. He [Pastore] has been happy there, but now is not the time for nostalgia. We will see what happens in the next few months."
MENEZ
In October, multiple reports claimed that:
* LFC and Monaco are tracking £10m-rated Menez.
* PSG prefer to sell to LFC as they don't want to strengthen a direct rival.
In July, Menez's agent, Jean-Pierre Bernès, warned PSG that the player would leave the club unless he played a bigger part in the first team. He told France Football:
"Jeremy is a competitor, but feels like a failure at PSG. He hates being on the bench all the time, and feels it is an injustice. If he has to leave, there will be many clubs interested in him"
Liverpool have been linked Menez several times in the past:
* 2010: Rafa Benitez tried to sign Menez during the January transfer window, but the player decided to stay at AS Roma.
* 2011: Menez hinted that he'd leave Roma after a bust-up with Roma Coach Vincenzo Montella, and according to The Mirror, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish kept an eye on the winger.
* 2013: Brendan Rodgers reportedly considered putting in a £10m bid for Menez.
MATUIDI
Liverpool were linked with Matuidi back in 2011. The Independent reported:
"The tough-tackling midfielder plays at Saint-Etienne, [Damien] Comolli's former employers, but Liverpool are likely to face stiff competition from some of Europe's top clubs if Saint-Etienne indicate the player can move on".
The €9m-rated France international's current contract expires this summer, which means he's now free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club. If PSG are to let him go, it makes sense to sell now, rather than let him leave for free in the summer.
Three very good players, but who do you think LFC were assessing, and which of the three would be the best buy for the club this month?
Author: Jaimie K
all of them would be awesome, but if i ha to choose i´d take pastore as we clearly lack a keymaster, to have competition for coutinho
ReplyDeleteyou are a retard. menez old and high wage for his value. and matuidi wants big money so narrow it down dipshit
ReplyDeletejaimie is a spastick
ReplyDeletejaimie kanwar sucks duncan jenkins ballsack
ReplyDelete--------------Mignolet------------------
ReplyDeleteJohnson--Skrtel--Sakho--Cissokho
----------------Lucas-------------------
-------Gerrard-----Henderson-------
Sterling----------------Suarez---------
---------------Sturridge----------------
I agree with your thinking JK, but as I don't like Gerrard as a DM (he doesn't track off the ball runs, nor consistently press the ball effectively enough for me), Lucas would have to stay in the team in that role.
It just company holiday trip hahahaa
ReplyDeleteIt's all well and good to talk about Gerrard's control of the play from the deeper role, but at the end of the day I think the defensive responsibilities of the role are more important if our full backs are going to be allowed to push all the way up the pitch.
ReplyDeleteThe DM is supposed to free up his team-mates to play more attacking roles by allowing us to control the midfield more effectively, so I'd continue to with the 433, with Suarez and Sturridge free to do what they want while Sterling provides the width up top, and provide support from midfield.
Coutinho, Moses & Alberto/Aspas would have to look to make an impact from the sub's bench, if necessary
I think Pastore is the real superstar out of these 3 but not sure he'd be the right option in our current position.
ReplyDeleteMatuidi could give the push we could get out of our midfield over the next 6 months (even though he's not the biggest).
If BR can get Menez in the same frame of mind as others at the club he could be a good option, Can play any of the attacking options and is experienced so it might be a good deal.
All in all i'd rather us not sign anyone rather than spend because we can (Benitez - Aquilani style).
So unless BR is in love with one of these players keep looking.
I didnt think there would be the reported exodus thats been doing the media rounds.
ReplyDeleteRodriguez looks like another player very much in the mould of our very own Borini and Aspas.
ReplyDeleteNo stand-out attributes, whether technically, physically or performance wise - just another decent player that could add to the squad, but wouldn't add much to the first team, and is never going to be a world-beater.
I don't want to see the club wasting any more money on such squad players, when we could just let reserves fulfil such roles while we save up for more legitimate game-changers.
jay rodriguez is not good enough for liverpool and suarez is staying, for 3 years weve been hearing hes leaving when does it end?
ReplyDeleteI've watched pastore play, he doesn't work on defense at all... /: although he is quality. I would prefer menez.
ReplyDeleteI think Pastore scored and assisted in that game, and later declared he will not be moving this window.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen enough of the other two to make a judgement.
With the owners coming to Liverpool this week, lets hope they gave BR the green light to sign whom he wants,
personally I hope we still have interest in Salah, him and anyone else would for me be a bonus.
If we don't have the dough to get top quality, go and get Diame from West Ham, he is the DM bully we don't have and need!!!................£3.5m buy-out clause?????
ReplyDeleteseem to remember Traore was mooted at some point.
ReplyDeleteGerrard was in no way a disaster playing as the pivot vs Stoke.
ReplyDeleteIf i can remember correctly, you were banging on about playing 3 at the back but guess what? We have conceded more goals with 4 at the back than we have with 3.
Coutinho needs to practise in order to improve his shooting.
ReplyDeleteRS does not deserve to be dropped to the bench.
ReplyDeleteJust like to point out that carragher sold his autobiography to the news of the world.. Ie the Sunday sun...should we believe all sources from them also? Don't think so.
ReplyDeleteI think Matuidi is too good not to get a new contract at PSG. As much as that would be good for us I am not sure it is all that likely. Menez and Pastore are the stronger links I think.
ReplyDeleteHe's nowhere near good enough on the ball for LFC. Might as well have kept Shelvey.
ReplyDeleteIn a Liverpool team he would be a better player, we are too light-weight in midfield and need his bite. Unless there is a player out there who could do a job on sensible money, who I don't know???
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can gather from what I have read they look at what the papers say what players are being rumoured to go to what clubs and when they actually do or not. I will look up more as it is fair to say that teams are interested but ultimately don't get the player and therefore it is not a success and so that could skew the success rate, success rate being a player actually signing for a club they are reported to be signing for, heavy interest in etc.
ReplyDeleteThe Guardian is credited with being the most accurate newspaper when it
comes to reporting new signings. Of 647 transfer stories reported in
the Guardian since 2006, footballtransferleague.co.uk note that 221 were
ultimately correct – a success rate of 34.2%.
What is interesting to note about where the Sun, the Mirror and the
Star rank isn’t necessarily their position on the list in terms of
accuracy (near the bottom) but the sheer amount of transfer stories they
tend to produce.
In the six-year period logged by footballtransferleague.co.uk, the
Daily Mirror are said to have come up with over 7000 transfer stories – over ten times more than the most accurate paper, the Guardian – while the S@% have published just shy of 4000 and the Star have produced 2330, much less than the Mirror but a vast quantity more than the leading publications.
Essentially these papers insinuate lots of things that may have some ounce of truth but are not necessarily true as they are not backed up with any direct quotes or anything even slightly tangible in the ways of evidence. They are quite literally rumor.
Come on Grobbelar, dish us the dirt on the so called big name you said would come!
ReplyDeleteNobody should be running around like a headless chicken, regardless of their position.
ReplyDeleteGerrard saving his legs in our own half sees opposition midfielders get free run onto our defence. In contrast, the negative of him conserving energy in a more attacking role would have far less consequence.
His passing game is still up there with the best, and would be best utilised in opening up opposition defences, rather than spreading play out to our full backs. There should be no issue with him continuing to play the role where he enjoyed most demonstrable success, supporting the attack.
If he doesn't have the legs anymore, there's no need for him to still be playing a full 90 minutes in every single game we have; he should just be encouraged to give everything he's got while he's on the pitch, and do his resting on the bench.
Yep, I was banging on about the 5 man defence, which would have done nothing to cut out the individual errors or set-piece issues that we've been conceding from in recent weeks.
ReplyDeleteContinuing with the 5 man defence would almost definitely have impacted on the quality of football that we have been playing, as well as reducing the opportunity to score all the goals that we have been getting though...
Lucas hardly leaves his half of the pitch when he is covering for our defence. There is less running around for the pivot and with two mobile midfielders ahead of Gerrard i.e. Henderson and Allen our midfield to do the pressing and back tracking which both do so well then Gerrard will be just fine as the pivot.
ReplyDeleteWe were banging them in to at the other end with 3 at the back. It is a formation which Suarez and Sturridge adore.
ReplyDeleteRe the conceding of goals, Skrtel needs to be dropped ASAP!
Optimistic more like crazey we would get torn apart down that wing
ReplyDeleteBorini 1 - J-Rod 1. Borini's offside non-goal was still well controlled and well taken...show's growing composure. However, I feel Rodriguez played the better match.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he had somebody specific in mind or was just voicing a hope? I wonder if we'll ever know who he was talking about?
ReplyDeletePeople like him don't just adamantly proclaim that someone will arrive, based out of hope.
ReplyDeleteMatuidi all day long... this guy has all the qualities to play a big part in Liverpools' rise to the top.. I've been talking up this guy elsewhere but this is the first time I've heard LFC are taking an interest, if indeed they even are.
ReplyDeleteccouldn't agree more, matts not so hazey.. most sense I've read this January..
ReplyDeletepeople do it all the time, even people like him,, I read it daily in sensationalist rags and sites like this....
ReplyDeleteBased on today's mess vs Villa, I would say Matuidi.
ReplyDeleteI'd just wish BR had read this and listened :-)
ReplyDeleteThat big name expected at Anfield is none other than Jamie Carragher. He will be working with the defensive players specifically in the art of hoofing the ball... lol
ReplyDeleteIf anything the Villa game showed that what we badly need are reinforcements in defensive midfield and fullback, a dominant, energetic midfielder is, in my view, what the team is crying out for. Individually our central defenders might be good, but they seem to lack that essential ingredient that left with Carra, namely communication. To me there needs to be an understanding between any centre back pairing so as to be able to compensate for either players weak areas, or to cover in case. Hopefully that performance such as it was gives the owners a clearer idea as to what is needed, but that said, it was bizarre to have three essentially attacking midfielders in the centre of the park; Stevie isn't the enforcer he was in his youth, and while I would never question his commitment, his engine and stamina and mobility might be slightly lacking . AgInst a swift and precise Villa attack we were back-pedalling far too often, and a steadying presence in the centre both in defence and midfield would do a lot to form the bedrock upon which our attacking riches may be displayed to their fullest value.
ReplyDeleteMatuidi all day a great D.M and exactly what is needed would add much needed bite and strength to the midfield group.
ReplyDeleteThey can keep Menez he is nothin but trouble and from what i have seen over rated and Pastore is over priced id say and is a luxury player.
How is his lineup good? He's only picked a goalkeeper and 9 players,
ReplyDeleteThe rules are a goalkeeper and 10 players.
Look again
ReplyDeletesuarez is leaving littlepool this summer regardless of their league position. that is why he re negotiated his contract, to get the release clause put back in. anyone who thinks other is deluded. this is fact, suarez will not be playing for littlepool next year.
ReplyDeletePeople like him like to be in the news though and we will soon find out how full of it he is.
ReplyDeleteI thought u were replying to the dude above called Tinsae Getachew, the one who has only picked 10. My mistake.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
ReplyDelete