13 Oct 2014

Transfer Stunner: After official offer, 'amazing' €63m attacker wants to sign for LFC

Speculation linking Liverpool with a January move for 'stunning' Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani continues to intensify, and new reports suggest that the €63m-rated goalscorer is warming to the idea of a transfer to Anfield.

According to the Daily Express today:

"Edinson Cavani is ready to listen to Arsenal and Liverpool offers in January.

"Cavani would jump at the chance to be a first choice at a Premier League club".


That Liverpool are interested in Cavani is an undisputed fact. In 2012, his Agent, Claudio Annellucci, told reporters:

"Liverpool and Arsenal are the first clubs that Cavani has agreed to talk to. It is no secret that Edinson want to play in England. It is one of his greatest dreams".

In August this year, Annellucci revealed that Liverpool made a concrete offer for the striker. He told Uruguayan newspaper El Telegrafo:

"Cavani had offers from Liverpool and Arsenal. He would love to play in England, but has not made a final decision. He's not interested in money and fame; he just wants to be happy playing football."

The major issue here is how Rodgers would accommodate Sturridge, Balotelli, and Cavani in the same team. After his experience at PSG (as Ibrahimovic's water-carrier), it's doubtful that the Uruguayan will sign without assurances that he will play as a central striker.

I don't see how that's something that LFC can guarantee as it means that one of the club's two main strikers will have to spend a large amount of time on the bench.

It definitely won't be Daniel Sturridge, who is he main-man at LFC right now, so if Cavani signs, then it will almost certainly be Balotelli who makes way.

That's a dangerous game, though. Motivating Balotelli is hard at the best of times, but if he's dumped on the bench for extended periods of time, that will not be conducive to the transformation Rodgers clearly hopes to achieve.

If Balotelli doesn't settle, and fails to contribute regularly between now and January, it's even possible that Rodgers might do a Rafa Benitez and dump the Italian after just six months at the club, which would then open up a space in the team for Cavani.

Given Rodgers' hubris, it's, admittedly, unlikely, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. He got rid of Sahin pretty quickly, but there wasn't a massive transfer fee involved there.

Plus, if Rodgers scraps the Balotelli experiment in january, he'll have to face the minor humiliation of admitting defeat, and he'd publicly have to accept that he isn't the man-management superman he holds himself out to be.

That aside, can Sturridge and Cavani operate in the same team? Absolutely, IMO. The 442 diamond formation will accommodate both players:

--------------- Mignolet

Manquillo -- Skrtel - Lovren ----- Moreno

--------------- Gerrard

-------- Hendo -------- Lallana

-------------- Sterling

-------- Sturridge - Cavani

The effectiveness of this formation arguably depends on who plays the holding role. If it's Gerrard, then forget it. He can do a job there, but he isn't the most effective option. A slightly different line-up may ben required:

--------------- Mignolet

Manquillo -- Skrtel - Lovren ----- Moreno

--------------- Lucas/Allen

-------- Hendo -------- Gerrard

-------------- Sterling

-------- Sturridge - Cavani

Gerrard showed last week that he still has the ability to influence games in the final third, but if LFC play the diamond, and Gerrard is moved further forward, that means Lallana, Markovic, and Coutinho may miss out on a regular basis.

Even without Cavani, Liverpool face the same dilemma with Balotelli: play a diamond to fit Sturridge and Balo in the same team, or revert to 433, with Sturridge up front alone, which will then create a space for either Lallana, Markovic, or Coutinho to play.

That said, Sterling shouldn't play every single game, so Lallana and Coutinho can rotate with the youngster, with Markovic being used as an impact sub later in games (to take over from Gerrard, perhaps).

Decisions, decisions! Irrespective of the possibility of certain players getting less game-time than expected, I'd love to see Cavani at Liverpool, but I can't see FSG giving Rodgers £50m+ to spend in the January transfer window.

Author:


32 comments:

  1. 50 million more after spending so much..will never happen..the only player liverpool can and should go for is reus and emre can should be the defensive midfielder in future..a better protection is required in front of back 4.

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  2. Totally agree about Can. His injury couldn't of came at a worse time with CL & prem games in a row. Stevie couldn't be expected to play to his normal high level 2 a week. Just glad your near full fitness Emre. Y.N.W.A

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  3. You all forget that FSG sold liverpool at the end of last year! The new owners have invested a lot into the club and Cavani,s price tag would not be out of the question!!!

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  4. If Balotelli doesn't succeed at Liverpool I'm afraid the reason will be him not being good enough and not Rodgers man-management skills. It's not as if he's not getting chances to prove himself.

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  5. FFP rules might kick in at this stage. If Liverpool are being investigated then they are probably close to spending too much and that kind of money would be out of the question. From a purely football point of view it's not a bad idea and if Balotelli indeed hasn't settled more by January then it wouldn't be crazy at all to just let him go. It's totally speculative to assume Rodgers is such an egomaniac that he'd be worried about his reputation.

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  6. Agreed..whatever it is..no Lucas please.

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  7. I seriously hope it happens but I still view it as a HUGE long shot....

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  8. In this case, race has nothing to do with it. Mario has largely stationary and spends more time walking than running. His work rate is crap and makes it hard to hit him with a pass whilst in motion. Thus far, not impressive at all. Maybe the best is coming but I'm not sure.....

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  9. Not sure about the huge price but Cavani is skilled, big and can move. Wasn't great in the World Cup but did run his butt off......

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  10. What about Reus???! Daily Star and Express have us tied with everyone!

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  11. The title is misleading again. Where DOES HE say that he WANT TO SIGN FOR LFC? Picking other newspapers as reference to make your title is just poor journalism. Everyone here has read those articles. No need to try to con people

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  12. Apparently, the ground refurbishment should offset any FFP rules.

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  13. Cavani - Nope
    Reus - Yes
    Benzema - Yes

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  14. Playing Ballotelli as lone striker is NOT playing to his strengths!

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  15. Then let's spend spend spend!!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

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  16. Cavani is overrated..... Not as good as people think.... I wouldn't want him at Anfield....

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  17. Dude relax, this website is a blog website.

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  18. Seriously we need a commanding DM to sit in front of back 4 we leak way too many goals and feel we lack pace in that area something that sadly Super Stevie can no longer offer Lucas again too slow Can too much pressure to put on young lads shoulders. NEW goalie is a must it is clear the entire back line have little to no confidence in Mignolet.

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  19. Yeah Im not sure what Mollie actually meant by that...

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  20. Definitely agree with the DM, I think Song would have been a good 1-2 season signing, he seems to be doing really well for WHU. I love how much people are hyping up Can, it always seems to happen to injured players. Fans did the same with Lucas, which I just couldn't understand, and if anyone's a fan of the Redmen TV, they often talk up the legend of Joe Allen. Don't get me wrong, I think Allen could be a solid player, but I doubt he'll ever be "the solution". I'd personally like to see Schneiderlin, but it would just start getting ridiculous when we could almost field half a side of ex-Saints!

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  21. The only person who can motivate Mario is Mario. He has to find it in himself. Who knows what goes on inside his mind. All the manager can do is provide him the right environment, give him a clear set of responsibilities and then set the expectation that he'll do what is asked of him. I don't think Rodgers will be doing anything particularly special here. We've got a good group of players, the right attitude is already in the squad. Mario will have to adapt to that or see his career stumble. Rodgers just needs to set it up as he would for any other player and then make a few key decisions as to what he thinks the player needs from time to time. Nothing particularly special, just keep an eye on him and pick moments when to talk with him, when to leave him alone, when to try and motivate him. No question Rodgers believes in his methods and he'll fancy that he can turn Mario around, it would be criminal if he didn't, but this isn't going to be a case of making Mario into some kind of special project. The project is the team, the environment, the set-up, the way they play and approach the game. Mario either fits with that or he doesn't. He either adapts or he fails.


    I'd take pretty much everything that an Italian club president or manager says with a grain of salt. Berlusconi is a loony who tends to just say and do whatever he likes. Obviously things didn't work out at Milan but it's not worth worrying about. Mario is who he is and that will either work out for Liverpool or it won't. It's 100% up to him.

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  22. I think he does work hard just not when he should be.

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  23. Can we not just sign Reus and Cavani as assistant architects? - City woud but they'd probably get away with it.

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  24. It was a stray post from next year!

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  25. It's would be just too early to write off Balotelli especially as he has yet to play with Sturridge and Liverpool has been spluttering.


    And yeah BR is a bit up his own dossier but I have not seen him claim to be a man management superman -at least not in so many words. Though if Balotelli starts firing there will be plenty on here claiming he is - and I might even join in:-)

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  26. To be honest, right now as it stands I can't see Balotelli working out, his work rate and game play is to different to Liverpool's. We need strikers that create and make goals, not wait to be fed (Lambert too)

    I wonder if Balotelli would be better in the wing (as he started) or as a AM. He seems to always drift back so maybe BR could re-event him.

    Or maybe he will benefit from playing up front with Sturridge.

    Either way Cavani is much better than Balotelli and I would rather have him in the team.

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  27. Typical. This guy tries to fool people all the time. He once wrote a headline that is an lfc star on his way out. Who was this player? Jack Robinson! And when I critisized it, I got banned :D

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  28. Just play Sterling up front!!!!! why waste 50m on a target man when the partnership of Sturridge and Suarez revolved mainly around dribbling, pace movement and trickery? Kenny Dalgish made the same mistake when signing Andy Carroll to partner Suarez when it was clear from Suarez's time with Uruguay that he was more cohesive playing alongside the more skillfull nippy interchange he had alongside Forlan. Sturridge is clearly the same. I guess we like to learn the hard way.

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  29. I think Cavani is a great striker but he is not the right striker for us. Just like Balotelli is not. We need a striker who is aggressive and pushes the opposition backwards. A striker like Suarez. It doesn't have to a big name in world football, it should be someone who can play that role.

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  30. Like I predicted when we bought him, Milan are laughing their arse off over this. They're probably as surprised someone wanted to buy him as we were when West Ham paid us money for Andy Carrol.

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  31. It takes one to know one?

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