Liverpool are reportedly considering a summer move for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who Brendan Rodgers allegedly sees as a potential replacement for Luis Suarez.
According to the Daily Mail:
"Liverpool have an interest in Karim Benzema. He would cost £40million and wages of around £200,000 a week...but it is not a simple deal".
Liverpool have pursued 26-year old Benzema a few times in the past.
FEB 2014: Spanish newspaper Marca claimed that Rodgers sees Benzema as a 'realistic target' if the Reds qualify for the Champions League this season.
FEB 2014: One of Benzema's reps allegedly 'informed' Liverpool that the French international is open to leaving Madrid at the end of the season.
2013: Benzema linked with cash-plus-player, swap deal with Suarez.
2011: Real Madrid reportedly rejected an LFC bid for Benzema on transfer deadline day. Liverpool signed Andy Carroll instead, and, well - let's not go there (!)
I'm sure many LFC fans will be excited by the prospect of this deal, but I've never been impressed with Benzema. As Gerard Houllier recently noted, he sometimes appears to be 'unmotivated', but to be fair, he had a great season for Madrid, and notched-up 36 goals/assists in 46 appearances.
The striker - recently hailed as a 'special player' by Hugo Lloris - also had a stellar World Cup for France, weighing in with a creditable 3 goals and 2 assists as the French made it through to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Houllier also insists that Benzema is in a golden period of his career, and in a recent interview with Journal du Dimanche, the former Liverpool boss enthused:
"Benzema has always been a goalscorer, but he has improved [working] with his team-mates. He is not just a poacher. He is good at assisting and mentally he is very strong. He is now falling into the category of world-class players"
Liverpool may be Sh*t outta luck, though, as Spanish newspaper El Confidencial claims that Benzema is close to signing a new five-year, £6.3m-a-year deal with Madrid.
A worthy replacement for Suarez? To be honest, I can't see it. Liverpool are seemingly incapable of attracting truly elite players to Anfield, and without the presence of a world-renowned manager (like Louis Van Gaal, for example), there's very little chance of Benzema leaving Madrid for the Reds.
Brendan Rodgers just doesn't have the aura (yet) to attract the world's biggest players, and that's a reality Reds fans will have to face. Plus, Benzema is in the perfect place to mount a serious challenge for trophies every year, so it's unlikely he'll give that up to toil away at Liverpool, a team with significantly less chance of winning the league/Champions League.
Author: Jaimie K
According to the Daily Mail:
"Liverpool have an interest in Karim Benzema. He would cost £40million and wages of around £200,000 a week...but it is not a simple deal".
Liverpool have pursued 26-year old Benzema a few times in the past.
FEB 2014: Spanish newspaper Marca claimed that Rodgers sees Benzema as a 'realistic target' if the Reds qualify for the Champions League this season.
FEB 2014: One of Benzema's reps allegedly 'informed' Liverpool that the French international is open to leaving Madrid at the end of the season.
2013: Benzema linked with cash-plus-player, swap deal with Suarez.
2011: Real Madrid reportedly rejected an LFC bid for Benzema on transfer deadline day. Liverpool signed Andy Carroll instead, and, well - let's not go there (!)
I'm sure many LFC fans will be excited by the prospect of this deal, but I've never been impressed with Benzema. As Gerard Houllier recently noted, he sometimes appears to be 'unmotivated', but to be fair, he had a great season for Madrid, and notched-up 36 goals/assists in 46 appearances.
The striker - recently hailed as a 'special player' by Hugo Lloris - also had a stellar World Cup for France, weighing in with a creditable 3 goals and 2 assists as the French made it through to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Houllier also insists that Benzema is in a golden period of his career, and in a recent interview with Journal du Dimanche, the former Liverpool boss enthused:
"Benzema has always been a goalscorer, but he has improved [working] with his team-mates. He is not just a poacher. He is good at assisting and mentally he is very strong. He is now falling into the category of world-class players"
Liverpool may be Sh*t outta luck, though, as Spanish newspaper El Confidencial claims that Benzema is close to signing a new five-year, £6.3m-a-year deal with Madrid.
A worthy replacement for Suarez? To be honest, I can't see it. Liverpool are seemingly incapable of attracting truly elite players to Anfield, and without the presence of a world-renowned manager (like Louis Van Gaal, for example), there's very little chance of Benzema leaving Madrid for the Reds.
Brendan Rodgers just doesn't have the aura (yet) to attract the world's biggest players, and that's a reality Reds fans will have to face. Plus, Benzema is in the perfect place to mount a serious challenge for trophies every year, so it's unlikely he'll give that up to toil away at Liverpool, a team with significantly less chance of winning the league/Champions League.
Author: Jaimie K
Just had a great World Cup overall and showed in the Champions League he's an absolute monster on the counter-attack. With Sturridge, Lambert and apparently Remy in the side though I can't see us making that our marquee purchase. That's not to say he wouldn't be an improvement on all of them, I just don't see us spending that much in that position. I really feel if there is a HUGE deal it will be for either a CB or a powerful box-to-box midfielder. I know the name Pogba has been thrown around the last few days and Javi Martinez was a name tossed out early after the season ended and they'd fit that bill perfectly. No chance we're going after them/signing them but I feel that's where a really really big signing would be made.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't want him.
ReplyDeleteSounds like paper talk; we'll be linked with every striker in world football at this rate. I think he'd be a good player for Liverpool. I did like what I saw at the world cup and if he was suitably motivated to come here that would be great. I just can't see it. Why would he leave Madrid to come here?
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Liverpool don't have that aura at the moment and Rodgers is still too fresh. Another 3-4 years of this kind of football and he'll be talked about in the same circles as Jurgen Klopp but for now we're still a bit of an experiment. Any top class player at clubs like Real, Barca, Bayern, PSG, Juve, Milan etc. will hesitate to join Liverpool. For now we have to build from the ground up. That's not such a bad thing, so long as Rodgers starts to get it right.
Not for me either.
ReplyDeleteWe should be hog tying and applying duct tape to Borini, get the private Jet, and bring him to Sunderland, before someone there realises they put a 1 in front of the 4m they offered.
Benzema is good but watching him I get a vibe that I don't think fits LFC for some reason. Looks selfish, I could be wrong. That said, I like the idea of moving up the class ladder.....
ReplyDeletei'd second that, further more i don't believe Rodgers does either, it's a tabloid ffs.
ReplyDeleteCan't see it myself. That would either mean lambert and Remy would both be spending a lot of time on the bench or Benzima would himself . We've already got a strong striker now in the form of Lambert . I'd rather spend it on our midfield
ReplyDeleteOnce Remy and Origi are confirmed then I doubt we will be making any other new additions to our attack.
ReplyDeleteNot in Reus class - he would be a flop
ReplyDeleteOrigi will be loaned back. Liverpool need more than just Remy imo. I can't see Lambert suiting Liverpool much as we're a counter attacking team and he'd just slow us down. That would leave just Sturridge & Remy that are good enough.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Borini wants to stay at Liverpool where he knows he wont play
ReplyDeletebut get bigger pay cheque Liverpool not playing then at Sunderland .
Remy I would love to see personally at Liverpool but cant see even with him Enough Class up front.
For world class partner up front I have no idea but need one.
Really would love Isco on loan but to buy .
More then anything Pogba as long term replacement Gerrard.
If we get Lovren agger is Gone .
Lovren Remy Pogba Isco Dream but we will have to sell to buy defence .
Can Reus Play up front I don't know ???
Have you ever watched Lambert play before, even last season?
ReplyDeleteI don't think he'd leave for any team at the moment.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't listen too much to Houllier to be honest, he was on the panel that awarded Messi player of the tournament.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a fan of Benzema, overrated and hyped player. I would expect him to struggle in the PL for Liverpool. He always looks like he couldn't be arsed. Would much prefer to see someone else come in who can be self motivating and help lift the team rather than need to be lifted.
Benzema oh please, not this player... if it's free then maybe! We had a bad lesson with Carroll, i don't think the club will be bitten twice!
ReplyDeleteLambert fitted in well with the quick Southampton counter attacks last year, look beyond the cliches.
ReplyDeleteThis deal will not happen, pointless speculating on it.
ReplyDeleteMy point exactly. Well the one that was removed.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing is that we are not predominantly a counter attacking team. There is much more work that goes into our play than just hitting other teams on the break.
Tat y we bring in that LAMB is adding another dimension of playing. Not just counter atk. This season we added lot of other technical player so i THINK we playing more deeply tiki taka this season.
ReplyDeleteMy concern is we will be hitting counter atk from opponent and lose lot set piece goal bcoz i see this 2 problem YET been solve
unless Falcao go RM
ReplyDeleteI don't think he'd *want* to leave
ReplyDeleteMy view MONEY is the Aura !
ReplyDeleteLiverpool 14/15:
ReplyDelete------------------------------Mignolet
----------------------Skrtel----Horror show
-------------------------------Gerrard
Markovic---Lallana----Lambert--Benzema---Sturridge---Remy---Sterling
Benzema is very selfish and useless, Liverpool doesn't need him. I prefer Liverpool going in for Marco Reus
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty I'm not even sure what a 'marquee' signing is any more. To hear some, you might say it is any player who a) commands ridiculous wages, b) costs a huge, exaggerated transfer fee, and c) whose ego and sense of self-importance means that they will struggle to get their massive swollen head beneath the 'this is Anfield' sign and on to the pitch. This has never been the Liverpool way. We need players who will sustain the ethos of fast, energetic play full of movement. My thirst for an exciting player would be satisfied with the signing of someone like Griezmann or Isco; young, creative talents with burgeoning reputations who are still hungry to learn and improve and won't come swaggering into the side expecting to be top dog. As the old cliche goes; at Liverpool we don't buy stars, we make 'em!
ReplyDeleteToo defensive for me.
ReplyDeleteCan't see this happening and tbh I'd rather just go with what we have already (I'm including Remy) than spend an obscene amount of money on Benzema. He would undoubtedly improve us but not enough to warrant the massive outlay that would be required to get him IMO
ReplyDeleteOne of the defenders is Sakho, that should take care of that
ReplyDeleteNever really liked Benzema for some reason. Something about his play that is unappealing to me. Of course, he is a good player.
ReplyDeleteIs BR is going to make Sturridge his main man (with Remy, Labert, and Borini? as back up) then we will need another class inside forward....
Do you honestly think Lambert will start many league or champions league games next season? He'll be second choice and my point was, Liverpool need another first choice striker. What if Sturridge or Remy got a bad injury, then our second choice striker will have to start, hence weakening them team. It's just my opinion. Counter attacking is our main weapon, and going by the quick dribbling players Rodgers has signed so far, one would guess that's how we will play again this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of him. Not really sure what it is about him.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we would meet his wage demands.
There's a different pressure at Liverpool and Lambert won't be starting every game, I think he'll find that difficult and harder to do things coming off the bench. My feeling is he won't fit in and Rodgers will mostly want pace up top to get behind stubborn defenses.
ReplyDeleteMost teams counter attack,
ReplyDeleteWe will counter attack when the opportunity strikes but our style of play is not based on counter attacking football. We go out to press the ball not wait for teams to come to us.
We press the ball so we can win it back and counter attack in dangerous positions. Some teams sit back because they know how we play and then Liverpool are forced to try pass it through them. I think Liverpool are at their best counter attacking. Against Arsenal and Everton at Anfield we murdered them playing like that. I think both of them would've liked if it was Lambert trying to run behind them.
ReplyDeleteI think we'll play one up front next season, that gives us 3 senior strikers plus borini effectively competing for one place. I take you're point about us counter attacking but I don't think we'll be using lambert too much if we're setting up to counter attack. We did look devastating on the counter last season but I don't think our mantra is to be a counter attacking team
ReplyDeleteI am not sure we are on the same page when it comes to pressing and allowing the opposition to come at you. We do not sit back and wait for the ball to come to us. That is what a team that focuses mainly on counter attack would do.
ReplyDeleteLFC under Rodgers expects his team to go fetch the ball in the oppositions half. This is not counter attacking football.
Benzema.Sturridge,Remy and Markovic will give us a Lightning fast strike force !Good for away games against strong teams
ReplyDeleteMe neither.
ReplyDeleteWe can only get one top level player even with the Suarez money spent since we needed upgrades and good competition in all areas.
Benzema has had the advantage of playing for a really dominant team, a bit like Andy Cole had . He missed quite a few good chances as well as his WC goals, too lazy to close defenders down and too greedy for my liking even as a CF
IMO we could do with a top class midfielder who scores and creates. Vidal, Reus, Pogba, Isco etc.
Not Benzema for £200k perweek
I think Sturridge and Remy will play together with Remy just behind DS and Lambert as backup and if not sold, Borini. Even I have not been a huge fan of Benzema and have always found him overrated and preferred Higuain to him.
ReplyDelete...so sayeth the Lord. Amen.
ReplyDeleteI think we get Isco and Benzema from Real Madrid, I think we will win the league by a far and probably have a chance of winning Champs league as well. As usual we will go out early in the other cups, as they are not as important,
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody else besides me think we're beginning to overload on the offensive side of things and not spending enough effort on the defensive side?
ReplyDelete