7 Sept 2014

'I could talk to other clubs': £10m star warns he may quit LFC in January. Let him go?

These days, Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson is one of the most maligned players at Anfield, and despite his protestations to the contrary, his defensive frailty continues to be a problem for the team. Things are changing, though. The arrival of Alberto Moreno and Javier Manquillo means that Johnson's status as an automatic first-teamer is under threat, and it seems as if he's slowly realising that his time Liverpool is coming to an end.

According to new reports, Juventus are lining up a January transfer bid for Johnson, and when asked this week about whether he'd consider leaving, Johnson told the Liverpool Echo:

"In January, I could talk to other clubs, but I'll worry about that when January comes. There are no talks going on with the club [Liverpool] at the moment"

£10m-rated Johnson's current contract ends next summer, and if the Reds don't sell in January, he'll be able to leave for free at the end of the season. As such, selling him in January make sense, even if it is for a nominal fee.

I can't see that happening, though. Rodgers seems to rate Johnson, and it's unlikely he'll sell a player of his experience halfway through a Champions League campaign, and leave the club with three young, inexperienced full-backs.

Indeed, only a few months ago, Rodgers hailed Johnson as 'one of the best full-backs in the world', and insisted he wants to keep him at the club. He told reporters:

"We want to keep Glen here, and we feel that he has still got good years ahead of him. His [contract] will be a priority for us, especially if he continues in the form that he's in".

Liverpool are reportedly offering a 12-month extension, whereas Johnson wants a longer deal, and that conflict could (hopefully) lead to the defender departing the club.

Liverpool don't need Johnson any more. Along with Lucas, he is one of the last remaining relics of the Benitez era, and it's time to sweep away the past and move forward.

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89 comments:

  1. Everyone seems to want him gone but with so many young full backs at the club it would be good to have his experience for another season. We won't get any money for a transfer, that's just wishful thinking. The best thing Liverpool can do is get as much use out of him as possible. He needs to find some of that form he had about 2 years ago. If he can raise his game a little bit he can still contribute. We can't rely on just the young guys we have right now so until Rodgers identifies another quality right back we will keep Johnson.

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  2. Juve will be perfect for him

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  3. Manquillo looks very very good, he has made a lot of tackles + interception per game in the league

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  4. He probably needs a new challenge elsewhere. He was a good player, but for the last 18 months his level has dropped off massively, which is a shame because it seems that's how he'll be remembered by a lot of the fans.

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  5. too soon to judge

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  6. He looks like a very decent prospect but he is still very raw and from what I have seen can be a bit rash and does get caught out ahead of the ball quite a lot. Definitely something he can and I'm sure will improve. Hopefully this loan will turn out a good deal for possibly the first time ever!!

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  7. Agreed he does need to test himself somewhere else to maybe rejuvenate his career. In his prime he was a very good attacking option for us but now as you say he will bow out with the majority of LFC fans remembering his poor last 18 months. I always wonder why he never got a chance as winger.

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  8. Don't laugh, it'll probably cost us £10M before he leaves ..

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  9. Some are suggesting that we should keep GJ for his experience.
    Well, this is crap thinking. He has been consistently poor and if the young promising full-backs learn from him, then they will end up ruining their talent... Forget experience, Manquillo and Moreno seem fearless. I have a horrible sinking feeling that BR will select GJ ahead of Manquillo once he has recovered...

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  10. I've wondered the same, especially given how well bale did when he converted from left back (not suggesting he's quite in the Welshman's class though..)

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  11. Spirit of the Shadows3:22 pm, September 07, 2014

    If you look at all the top 4 teams you'll realise GJ simply isn't top 4 material anymore. Time to say goodbye to him. Honestly the team isn't going to miss him.

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  12. How long has GJ been with us? He has been pretty poor for us the past 18 months, but for the majority of his time with us, he has been very good, so yes, the young promising full backs can learn from him, especially his attacking as when GJ was at his best, he was one of the best attacking full backs in the league, if not the world.

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  13. You mean as far as Agger goes? That was a deal that was best for Agger, yes we could have gotten more for Agger, but Agger loved our club and so for him, we sold him for a pittance to his boyhood club.

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  14. This article has just made me feel January is so far away...

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  15. Spirit of the Shadows4:12 pm, September 07, 2014

    Not just agger mate, from a pure economic point of view I feel we could have got more for Kelly,Reina and shelvey.

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  16. He's been in and out of the side through injury, it doesn't help. I'd argue this is a dip in form, not a permanent loss of ability. Has he lost his pace? Not really. He's also versatile enough to play at either right or left back. We'd miss him more than Enrique, for example. We've not seen him surge into the box as much in recent times, so there's added complaints because he's set the bar high. Extend his contract for 2 years and sell him on for £10m next summer when we can find adequate replacement - what's the difference except a sense of security? Being forced to sell someone isn't a great position to be in. Need his experience this year and need everyone happy.

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  17. His wages are a massive problem for any clubs that may be interested. If Juventus make an offer for Johnson then his exit will depend on whether he can agree personal terms. Cannot see us getting £10m for him. It is a similar case to Reina. In order to get him off the wage bill we needed a club willing to take on his high wages which in return effected the price he went at.

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  18. Bye Glen don't let the door hit you on the arse on ur way out. Let Flanno and Manquillo slug it out

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  19. Agreed I often thought he should be played further up the field

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  20. As soon as it's obvious a club want a player off their books and the player wants to go it becomes very difficult to command a transfer fee. For the club I think it's been more about getting massive wage contracts from a previous regime off their books

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  21. A bad period of form is when one plays bad for a few months. Glen Johnson has been poor for more than a season. That is inexcusable and difficult to recover from at this period of time.

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  22. 1.5 mil for a player who has not played any football for the best part of 2 years is amazing and 2 mil for a player we were willing to let go for free is great. Also, how much do you think we should have gotten for Shelvey as he was not a regular even when we were mid table. We should have gotten 14 mil for Fabio and 7 mil for Assaidi but those deals were not BR's fault. Also, he got 65-75 mil for Luis when he was valued by clubs at 40 and and a certain pound a season before.

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  23. Even Anelka was a good deal but those were long time back under different administrations.

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  24. Both good shouts actually I stand corrected!! Memory is blurred by the likes of Cissokho, Moses, Sahin etc.

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  25. I think back in his first couple of years with us he could have really done a job further up the pitch. I think now he just seems disinterested and feel he's fallen out of love with the game. Shame as he should really have a few more years in him.

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  26. A good loan is very rare for any club and is usually a tactic employed by the lower clubs who cannot afford to buy the big players. But, the advantage was that we could get rid of them.

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  27. Nevergonnacrackthecode5:07 pm, September 07, 2014

    who cares about johnson?


    i want to know why sturridge,coutinho and sterling are yet to sign new deals , do they want to leave?

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  28. Nevergonnacrackthecode5:12 pm, September 07, 2014

    Ian Ayres list of tasks:


    1) give sturridge and sterling new contracts , vitally important
    2) given henderson and coutinho new contracts ,important
    3) give gerrard and flanagan new contracts ,
    4) explore possibility of selling borini,lucas,suso and sign valdes
    5)start sounding out marquee talent explore possibility of reus and pogba
    6) look for a cdm , scout schniderlin and also a quality right back

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  29. We do not need another similar CM, unless we ship out one of these out:


    1: E Can(21) 2: J Allen(24) 3: J Henderson(24)


    We need a creative classy elegant ball playing centre midfielder at club though and a tough tackling DM:


    In January:


    B Rodgers should ship out these two players for £18-£22M: No Loan deals allowed/ Permanent Sales only:


    L Leiva(27) DM For £8-£10M
    F Borini(23) FD For £10-£12M


    And bring in these three class quality players :


    1: DM: C Tiote(28) Of Newcastle for £5-£7M


    2: RW / RWF: J Biabiany(26) Of Parma for £4-£6M


    3: FD: C Benteke(23) Of A Villa for £18-£26M

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  30. give Gerrard a new contract but scout schniderlin ?

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  31. Johnson wants a big contract let him go he has has his time

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  32. the problem Liverpool have is a lack of bottle when negotiating contracts which panics them into offering more then they are worth that in turns limits our ability to sell unless they are a bona fife superstar like suarez.Offer whet they are worth and if they want to leave so be it the club will live on WE have average prem players like borini and johnson and co on crazy wages ............hold your nerve the grass isnt alawys greener on the other side

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  33. B Rodgers should sell G Johnson(29) for £3-£5M in January, plus these two players:


    1: DM: L Leiva(27) For £8-£10M
    2: FD: F Borini(23) For £10-£12M


    And then B Rodgers should bring in these three class quality players in January for £40M who may and would help us win two trophies this season.


    1: DM: C Tiote(28) Of Newcastle for £5-£7M


    2: RW / RWF: J Biabiany(26) Of Parma for £5-£7M


    3: FD: C Benteke(23) Of Aston Villa for £20-£26M

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  34. if we get 20m for them 3 players it will be almost miraculous....the reality is Lucas and johnson may go for a nominal fee and brini will be loaned to an italian club

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  35. I also voted keep for a number of reasons. First of all he has been with us for a number of years and has always been a loyal servant throughout. He hasnt moaned, he hasnt flirted with other teams. What do you think will happen if Moreno and Manquillo become good enough to interest the likes of Real or Barca? All you need to do is look at Arbeloa, Mascherano or Suarez for the answer. Second of all he's been playing international football for nearly a decade and even though he's never looked a superstar, he's never looked out of depth either. Gary Neville was never a world beater either but that never hurt Man U. Finally, we need experience to balance those young full backs and I cant think of any experienced alternatives to Johnson that are also affordeable.

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  36. January is the last chance to get any value out of him - I'm sure in the current market he could at least command a trade for an old dairy cow, a set seasons 1-3 of friends on VHS, or at least a bag of crisps - which is better than nothing that will be received come the summer.

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  37. By the time Moreno and Manquillo interest Barca or Real, some of the youngsters in the Academy would be knocking on the door to step in.

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  38. How do you work that out? He must be on at least 80k a week and his contract definitely runs for longer that 10 weeks!

    There must be at least £4m of his contract in wages

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  39. I personally think he has been better than Enrique when he's played as LB...would make more sense (financially) to sell Enrique and keep Johnson & Flanagan as cover for LB & RB...both can play in either position

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  40. Gerrard does not need to be given a new contract unless he'll be taking over from the kit man.

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  41. They might if they see experienced players treated like lepers for merely wanting to stick to their contracts

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  42. Yeah chuck him out what's he ever done for us?

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  43. My comprehension is just fine thank you. I simply disagree. Is that allowed?

    Valdes is recovering from cruciate ligament damage. Athletes in their prime are rarely the same players after such an injury (eg Lucas Leiva), let alone somebody in his early thirties. He will not be playing 30+ games a season, which is what it would take to be considered having surplanted Mignolet.

    A 32 year old with a dodgy knee isn't going to replace a fully fit Mignolet, no matter how good he used to be.

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  44. Spot on again mate. What's been driving me nuts about him recently is his lackadaisical attitude. He gets skinned then gives up. I've seen Manquillo get skinned a couple of times but man does he try and recover after. Flanno the same and that's what we need

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  45. Even though, he isn't bad at LB compared to Enrique, but as Moreno looks brilliant, 110K/week for a reserve LB is probably too much. However, if we think that we 'll get 10mn for Johnson within 6 months of his expire, we are dreaming. Daniel Aggaer was a potential 13-15mn asset, before we could manage to parcel him for 3mn. 5mn is maximum financial benefit & I have included 2.5mn worth of salary (Feb to Jun) in this 5mn amount. English players are not that "great", "talented", "hyped" once they are past 30 - they land on earth with a bit of bang like Ashley or Joe Cole, Reo Fardinand & many.

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  46. Jerry did and it was deleted

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  47. Disagree. Loris and Begovic are but none of the others come close enough to Mings shot stopping. Vorm much much better on the ball but Krul is just ok.

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  48. Yes, you can disagree, but do so in a civil manner. Don't go around calling people 'silly' - that does not promote debate. I merely threw that word back at you.

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  49. GJ was at his best when we bought him. He seemed fearless going forward and though that resulted in conceding a few goals, he contributed much offensively. These days, he seems afraid to go forward, he plays mostly the simple back pass and he does not seem to give his all. I don't feel he fulfilled his potential. And his age cannot be blamed for his lack of form...

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  50. Yeah poor old David

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  51. If GJ goes, we need to buy one more RB/LB or we need to promote an academy player.

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  52. Biabiany? Hahaha...he only has pace and that too only in Fifa 14. You had credibility up until now. lo!

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  53. I made a mistake its 3.24m 90k a week for 9 months approx

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  54. From a journalistic perspective you should keep your personal view out of the equation however you cannot resist the temptation to have a pop at Benitez? Just curious why after a number of years, the tenure of a successful manager (championship of europe!) still rackles you?

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  55. I'd say Gerrard is a relic from the Benitez era he was the player that Rafa built his team around

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  56. No contract extension offered by LFC or sort by GJ he said 12 months ago he would not sign a new deal and is purely playing ( or not ) for a Bosman. Good riddance the last 18 months he has been very poor

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  57. Yeah, keep him on the payroll forever no matter what.

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  58. He rated Stewart Downing as one of the most technical and creative wingers in the Premier League on a Saturday but he was sold next monday

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  59. Would love to keep him if he played like he cared, finished his offensive runs and didn't get bullied off the ball on defense. As good as he used to be, he seems to have lost a step physically, mentally and emotionally. We could pick up a journeyman at January. We would still have manq, flanno, Moreno and Enrique as fullbacks. I still think Manquillo and Flanno are a great combo for the right side..............

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  60. I didn't call you silly. I said your statement would be considered silly in hindsight if Valdes, a top goalkeeper, ends up signing. That's not the same thing at all.

    Then, ironically, you questioned my comprehension skills.

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  61. I actually don't even care where he goes, he is wasting our wage money

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  62. A reasoned argument indeed. What you miss is that the mistakes in our team are being laid at the doors of some of our "experienced" players and defensively GJ seems to be a catalyst in our fragile defense. I have to admit the likes of SG can do alot more, but LL and SG lack the legs to provide quick support in defense when out of position, GJ has the legs but lacks the mentality of a defender to provide us a solid base at RB, although going forward he is sound but that is not his primary duty in the team. Out the 3 players I have mentioned only 2 can be shipped out and they are LL and GJ. GJ is also on a high wage package, and lets be honest for the money he is not a key member of the first team now that we have manquillo and flanagan that can step in. I think Liverpool will try to negotiate a suitable wage structure for his worth to the team else sell him/let him go at the of his contract.

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  63. I think its not just about Johnson's performances now. The club has to decide whether they want to keep a player, who may be relegated to the bench, on a first-team players salary. If I'm not mistaken, he is on about 100K a week which is too much considering that Manquillo has come in and performed much better on less than half the salary (hope he carries on like this and improves as well!). Any contract extension that the club give him now would definitely be on a lower salary.

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  64. True, he really looks lost with the ball at his feet high up the pitch... he looks more comfy with carra like long punts on the byline. But I dont agree with you about the crap thinking part. learning football technique is just one part.. Having an experienced footballer around will teach the younger ones about mentality, culture, dealing with away crowds and loads of other stuff that cannot be underestimated.

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  65. The question is though, who will you get to replace him with? Manquillo is just in the door and Flanagan looked actually on his way out of it and may very well have been had Enrique not been injured and Cissokho actually taken his chance. Flanagan is still very much on borrowed time even if we do all enjoy the thought of another scouser becoming a permanent feature finally. So we do still need someone besides those two. In this case, the way I see it, it's better the devil you know. Sure Johnson makes mistakes but he also has really solid games and at least with Johnson everyone in the team and the coaches know what to look out for. Anyone coming in will always be more of a risk than Johnson is. I'd say give him his two year contract. By that time we'll know what Manquillo and Flanagan are worth and if either of them has made RB theirs by then, we can always thank Johnson for he loyal service and wish him all the best in the States or Australia or wherever it is he'll end up.

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  66. Or perhaps there is a middle ground?

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  67. Your task... Learn how to spell Schneiderlin

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  68. Isn't he already on £90kp/w - if it's considerably more than that, than I agree it's difficult to agree to. It all depends how the others fair on the run from now until January as to whether or not we allow the contract to run out.

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  69. He hasn't been fit for an entire season... Enrique has been worse out of the two, so much so that Johnson is still more effective than he is down Enrique's preferred position. There is definitely an element of defaulting to an anti-Johnson position.

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  70. How on earth can he teach them about the most important part of their role when he is a pretty poor defender himself ? He doesn't have any real natural defensive positional instincts which is what he would be able to teach the youngsters , and although he does do well sometimes going forward, his end product has always been wasteful , so I don't know what real benefit we will get for nearly £4m . Baines, Coleman, Kolarov, all are much more productive going forward, and Ivanovic, Cole, etc, all around Johnson's age, are far better full backs.

    A lot of money for very little and not even a real tryer like Agger or Lucas

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  71. The reactionary underrating of Glen Johnson here and elsewhere is in my opinion bonkers. The notion of replacing him with an unseasoned youth player is just insane. If you actually look at what Manquillo did against Spurs, he had some very shaky moments, and made several errors which could have resulted in goals conceded. This is not because he's a bad player. He's not. It's because he's a full back, and that's what happens: it's a hard position with a lot of responsibility. I want everyone to watch Johnson for the things he actually does, many of which are exceptional, and he does them consistently. His form this season so far has been good, he is a quality experienced player, and some more realistic expectations might be appropriate.

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  72. This is not a reactionary opinion. I was somewhat able to overlook GJ's poorish defending whilst he offered energy and verve going forward. Over the last two seasons, however , I have seen a marked deterioration in both going forward and defending. If you look at my post history you will see that I have always bemoaned his inability to block crosses into our box at source. He loses players often due too poor positioning leading to passes inside the fullback which is one of the most dangerous threats. Now he has added a poor attitude to tracking back and compounded it with poor decisions on the ball, slowing attacks, always trying to come inside , or try pot shots with a 1 in 20 success rate.

    My point is that at £90-100k per week, the experience often cited is of little use to the young players-I wouldn't want him to be teaching defensive positioning - and so his usefulness is pretty much limited to his own performances which are affected by his attitude .

    Not a good use of resources.

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  73. I hope not If QPR got £10M for Sandro(25) and R Benitez wants L Leiva(27) we should accept no less than £8M for him and hopefully we can bring in £8-£10M Selling him.


    B Rodgers should not loan out any of our players to any italian clubs: They are all broke and waste our time.


    B Rodgers should let QPR Or Sunderland buy him for £11-£14M


    G Johnson(29) will be wanted by QPR and West Ham if he becomes available, we could sell him for £3-£5M.

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  74. Nothing reactionary from me. I was against Johnson's signing from the beginning, and posted many articles highlighting his defensive weaknesses:

    Examples:

    http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2010/06/glenn-johnson-how-exactly-have.html

    http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2010/09/glenn-johnson-still-gigantic-waste-of.html

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  75. Im afraaid he is not as good as Dudek

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  76. Good for this season or the next 6 months... but i think then move him along, he doesn't fit anymore. Good experienced backup for now as I say, but Manquillo and Moreno have claimed their first team places IMO...


    So what after Glen Johnson? a couple of months ago i saw some articles talking about a certain someone, and there can be no doubt that Dani Alves would be a great replacement for GJ. Chuck Valdes in the mix and you have some serious Barca experience coming into the fold and further helping BR transform the club and his philosophies about football.


    Sorry Glen, you have been a good player for us, but now just don't have the stuff anymore. Really a player I feel is dragging us down, the last of the "dead weight" as it were...

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  77. 6 months from now would be good to get a bit of a cash back outta him...

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  78. it's a good way to move forward though... sort of dip your toe in the water without getting too wet... sure you may get some splashings on you, but it's better than jumping into a rancid pool...

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  79. Couple of points here:


    GJ is not particularly sound going forward as he loses the ball way too often in silly situations. He digs a hole and then often gets caught out


    I Would like to see Jose Enrique at DM at some point, i feel his style of play could work in that role.


    LL Has a future at LFC for now, he has lost a bit of pace, but he is a slow roller and picks up momentum with fitness, I feel he could go some way to rediscovering his form. The team is a lot more sturdy now and I feel our "Dm's" were caught out last season due to weak full backs and a lack of defensive cohesion, so not altogether LL's fault. Interested to see how he gets on with benching, cup games and away CL games...


    SG is a legend... he is still going strong and without international duties, he can really push on this season and use his age to his advantage. I really feel we should build the team around him to cover and let him just ping the balls around, cover the spaces and intercept, score penalties and make the odd late run into the box and remind us of the SG golden years. However, lets not kid ourselves, SG should be dropped to the bench as well. He would be an excellent super sub IMO...

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  80. You have just contradicted yourself. We should accept no less than 8M for Leiva because Benitez wants him, and yet you say that Italian clubs are all broke. If they are all broke, they won't be able to afford 8M for Leiva, because in case you haven't realised, Benitez is the manager of Napoli, who are an Italian side. As far as selling Borini, until we bring in another striker, we need to keep him, the way we play, where sometimes we play with 2 strikers, we need to have 2 backups in case of injury, therefore 4 strikers. As far as Johnson, yes, he may be wanted by QPR or West Ham, but with the wages that Johnson is on, QPR and West Ham won't be able to afford his wages.

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  81. If you want to put it like that, then Gerrard is a relic of the Houllier era more so than the Benitez era.

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  82. I don't know why people are so hung up on Valdes, yes he has the experience, but frankly, he wasn't that good a goalkeeper in his prime, he is worse now. Reina was and is way better than Valdes. I would rather Romero than Valdes. I think the goalkeeper that is worth taking a punt on is Aussie goalkeeper Mat Ryan, first season in the Belgian League last season for Club Brugges and won the goalkeeper of the season and looked pretty impressive in the world cup too, he is young and cheap, well worth the risk.

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  83. I hear you, he is not the greatest keeper in the world, but I'd have to disagree...


    See Mignolet has all of the raw qualities to be one of the best. He does however need a mentor. Who better than Barca grown Valdes? Perfect for our style and also one hell of a good backup keeper. Valdes does the basics well: good set of hands, commands his box well, but he also has that illusive passing skill that we miss so much from Reina.


    Obviously we would have all preferred Reina to stay, But he had other plans. VV is our best backup option. Then once he is on his way out, we can bring in a young understudy for Mignolet. I'd suggest you see the long term plan here mate...

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  84. other thing is that we can't really get another keeper right now. Get valdes and then get the Belgian youngin' in the next window...

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  85. The italian sides are broke, but B Rodgers could offer Napoli £7M plus L Leiva(27) for Callejon(26).

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