Last night's red card notwithstanding, Raheem Sterling has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence over the last year, and according to Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, he is now the 'best young player in Europe'. When it comes to transfer value, Anfield legend John Aldridge rates 'brilliant' Sterling in the £20m range, but a new study claims that the 19-year Liverpool attacker is worth a lot more than that.
In April, Rodgers raved:
"He [Sterling] is the best young player in European football.
"I don't see anyone better. He is intelligent with the ball and he has been concentrating on scoring goals".
According to the latest player value index from the CIES Football Observatory (which has detailed knowledge of actual prices paid in thousands of transfers to ‘Big Five’ divisions over recent years):
* Sterling's 'objective market value' is currently £31m-£36m.
* He is worth more in the transfer market than Ross Barkley, Wayne Rooney, Thomas Muller, and Andres Iniesta.
* He is also allegedly worth more than LFC team-mate Daniel Sturridge, who is valued at £29m-£34m.
Sterling is a good, developing player, but is he really worth £36m?
On paper, I'm sure a case could be made, but in the real world, I don't see any club paying that amount of money for a player with very limited experience, even if he is worth it.
And I have to call BS on the Sturridge comparison. In what universe is Sterling more valuable than Sturridge, who has a prodigious goals/assists rate?
In my view, any serious 'objective' evaluation of both players will conclude that Sturridge is worth more, mainly for the following reasons:
* 45 Goals/assists in 49 games for LFC.
* Basically averages a goal/assist every single game.
* More international experience.
* Still in his early-20s.
On what specific, objective basis can it be argued that Sterling is worth more in the transfer market than Sturridge?
Author: Jaimie K
In April, Rodgers raved:
"He [Sterling] is the best young player in European football.
"I don't see anyone better. He is intelligent with the ball and he has been concentrating on scoring goals".
According to the latest player value index from the CIES Football Observatory (which has detailed knowledge of actual prices paid in thousands of transfers to ‘Big Five’ divisions over recent years):
* Sterling's 'objective market value' is currently £31m-£36m.
* He is worth more in the transfer market than Ross Barkley, Wayne Rooney, Thomas Muller, and Andres Iniesta.
* He is also allegedly worth more than LFC team-mate Daniel Sturridge, who is valued at £29m-£34m.
Sterling is a good, developing player, but is he really worth £36m?
On paper, I'm sure a case could be made, but in the real world, I don't see any club paying that amount of money for a player with very limited experience, even if he is worth it.
And I have to call BS on the Sturridge comparison. In what universe is Sterling more valuable than Sturridge, who has a prodigious goals/assists rate?
In my view, any serious 'objective' evaluation of both players will conclude that Sturridge is worth more, mainly for the following reasons:
* 45 Goals/assists in 49 games for LFC.
* Basically averages a goal/assist every single game.
* More international experience.
* Still in his early-20s.
On what specific, objective basis can it be argued that Sterling is worth more in the transfer market than Sturridge?
surveys & polls
Author: Jaimie K
It was game over for Lucas when Gerrard started playing the CDM role. The negatives of playing Gerrard and Lucas in the same team was made apparent when Palace went for us at the end of the game and when we played Chelsea. Both are good players in their own right, but they lack mobility imo to play in the same team which does not help our fragile defensive record or our high tempo pressing game. Can is cover for Allen and Henderdon. I hope we can do a deal with Inter for Lucas in return for Kovacic. In short Lucas has to go, so does Johnson as he is not good enough defensively, I he has a good WC which will perhaps inflate in price. I think the signings of Lambert, Can, Moreno should it go through and an attacking player that can cover the central and wide areas will be it, more signings will only follow if we can get rid of the deadwood in the squad and players that just need to move on.
ReplyDeleteAhh Borini. Damn I missed him out. Lambert isn't fighting for a place with those other though mate he unlike Suarez and arguably Sturridge is only a Striker.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it is that apart from young players like Ibe and Suso we have two players per position if we were to buy Lallana and sell Aspas.
For ease In a diamond we have four strikers Borini and Lambert being the other two. Sterling and Lallana (or whoever) at head of Diamond. Gerard and Lucas at the base. Henderson, Allen, Can and Coutinho for the other two mid positions.
Considering games, cups, injuries, form and bans that number of players does not seem unmanageable. Now if we sort the full back situation out and perhaps CB too then no problemo.
We're hopeful, and trust the clarity of your mind!!
ReplyDeleteWow that is some imagery! And absolutely how I feel.
ReplyDeleteI think his value is probably down to age, impact he is capable of having in a game (speed, strength-for a littlen, skill and potential. Plus, the people at CIES are probably aware how virile his seaman and libido is....
ReplyDeleteBut at the moment opposition teams are more likely to spend 30+mil on Sturridge.
Sterling has the potential to be better than Sturidge as things stand, but Sturidge also has the potential to be better. This is something that will be revealed with time.
ReplyDeleteWe need to start touting, Reina, Jones, Coates, Johnson, Enrique, Lucas, Aspas, - others can be added to that list but lets start with the mentioned get in some transfer funds and should an offer come in for the likes of Borini, Agger, Skrtel etc and we have better more stable and in some cases less injury prone players lined up then we can sell sell sell.
Emre Can is certainly not going to be the most exciting signing for LFC this summer. Let's cross our fingers and hope he is not the next Luis Alberto at Anfield. Not too sure if we can get any marquee signing this season (Rakitic looks good). Someone here mentioned the difference between Chelsea and LFC in terms of quality midfielders both clubs are having. The difference can only be bigger if Fabregas is signing for Chelsea. Then I realized how much we have achieved in season 13-14 and how important are the 2 front men of the club in LS and DS. It's too early to say if Luis Suarez is going to play again for us next season. But I know if we cannot get an adequate replacement (Andy Carroll again, no way) in case LS leaves, we can go back to fighting for position 7th in the league.
ReplyDeleteSo, as fans, we need to pray hard and hope for the best, at least for season 14-15.
I think you've nailed it. Given his recent performance level which is on par with some of the best, presume that will continue or improve, multiply by another 24-ish years in his career ... he could be considered extremely valuable.
ReplyDeleteIsn't this what one would call strength in depth? Last season we were mostly able to get by with our first team because of little to no other commitments, but this time, giving the league another go, not to mention Champions League, and two domestic cups, the purchase of one doesn't mean the exit or lack of game time for others. Furthermore how do we know that Rodgers signings last season had 'zero impact? Aspas and Alberto only came from Spain last summer, are they immediately expected to challenge for a first team place? Alberto looks to be one for the future, personally I was surprised he wasn't loaned out to garner some playing time and invaluable experience because with our squad last season, so long as the first team stayed fit, they would, and usually did play week in week out. Can is only 20, but seemingly has the physical and technical capability to slot in which is excellent. Does that mean limited opportunities for the likes of Lucas and Allen? Not necessarily.
ReplyDeleteA move to Barca looks very likely, as far as I can tell.
ReplyDeleteIt is pronounced Jan. It will take time for Can to overtake Lucas, if at all.
ReplyDeleteLucas can be transformed into a none specialist and I think Brendan will invest time in developing Lucas to fit in diamond. Having said all that, if a good bid comes in......
With all their money, the two targets that were grabbed from us, we still finished above them. This I will not forget.
ReplyDeleteLately I've been thinking that for any starter you buy, if the transfer fee rounds out to be about 2 million for each year of service you get then it's a fair price. That would be why Shaw is priced so high and also why Sterling would have such an inflated figure. A teenager who can walk into a starting role is rare so you have to pay a big fee to cover it, but it's fair because you get your money's worth over the course of their career. If the average per year is going to be more than that then you must be sure you are buying a top quality player. Paying 30 million for a 27 year old means you will, if he plays for another 6 years, average out to 5 million a year. That player would therefore need to be pretty damn good. Getting a world class player in his youth but at the top of his game e.g. at 23 years old, would mean the fee would probably need to be massive because that same 5 million per year of service multiplies to be much more. So a 50 million pound fee is no longer reserved for only truly exceptional circumstances, just a top class international with 10 years of good football left in him.
ReplyDeleteAndy Carroll was 23 when he came to Liverpool. If you think he could give 10 years of service, that's 3.5 million pounds per year. That puts him well above my guesstimate average of 2 million, so he would have to be considered a pretty damn good player. It hasn't turned out that way. If we could have extrapolated his good form for Newcastle over those ten years, however, it's a different story. His first 6 months in the PL had him looking like a 20 goal a season striker, and if that could have translated into a long term reality then he would have deserved that 3.5 million per year average. So in a way you can see what Dalglish was thinking, it's just that Carroll's form was temporary and rather than blossoming into a top class PL striker he lost whatever form he had and is now just average. West Ham have paid something between 1.5 and 2 million pounds per season for Carroll. It still seems like too much.
I agree we definitely need top class quality in our mist but I also subscribe to acquiring young hungry players with potential that will run through walls for you (as BR put it) which helped us get this far. I think Can falls into this category. Players such as Couthino, Sturridge, Hendo, Sterling, Flano etc. I think Ibe has just as much or more potential than Salah.
ReplyDeleteLove young Sterling but without Sturridge over the last seasons LFC would not be where they are now.
ReplyDeleteWell if we think Lucas is leaving, then it would most likely be.
ReplyDeleteHendo, Gerrard, Can? or Coutinho in place of one of them.
With Allen as cover?
Gerrard can't have many years left, and this guy is only 20, so I see him more as one for the future a bit. Probably only played in half the games? Unless he does really well.
Yes because scoring goals is a big problem for this Liverpool side. ;)
ReplyDeleteIts not just the transfer fee its the wages as well, you cant look at a player on transfer fee alone. Somebody like Cesc will want 150k a week, making the cost to bring him to a club on a 4 year contact would cost around 70m.
ReplyDeleteCorrect now being reported as done deal.
ReplyDeleteSickening. £16m for such a fantastic player, and LFC are trying to sign Lallana for £25m? Liverpool should go in and offer £20m plus for Rakitic right at the last minute and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteI think you all have to understand one thing, this is our first season back in the CL for a few years now. First and foremost we need to concentrate on maintaining a top 4 spot in the PL, that goes without saying. Fact is, we could potentially buy Pedro, Lallana, Rakitic and whoever else. Focus on the CL and slip down the PL table. This will cause a ridiculous amount of unrest from these new signings. I wholly believe we have to focus 100% on the PL and just roll the dice in regards to the CL. Continuity is a must and we must carry on getting top 4 positions.
ReplyDeleteI think Can will play in the holding midfield as opposed to the wing. He's very tall so can win the balls and can pass well. He'll be prepped for that position I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteIt's about having a squad, the thinking behind this, is that he can come in and do a job when required and develop into a first 11 starter, he's only a young lad
ReplyDeleteI just can't see us winning a bidding war..
ReplyDelete