18 Oct 2014

£8m Coup? LFC want to sign 'sensational' star who smashed Bundesliga goals record

With Daniel Sturridge's ongoing injury woes becoming a major problem for Liverpool, the Reds continue to be linked with moves for various strikers during the January transfer window, and the latest name to enter the fray is FC Mainz star Shinji Okazaki.

According to the Daily Express this week:

* Arsenal, Liverpool & Tottenham are 'monitoring' the 28-year old attacker.

* Liverpool have scouted Okazaki several times this season.

* Mainz value Okazaki at €10m.

With 39 goals in 79 appearances for Japan, Okazaki is an experienced international, and his goal ratio of one every two games is excellent. His clubs stats, however, are not as impressive:

* 79 goals/12 assists in 265 games.
* Bundesliga only: 35 goals in 130 apps.
* Goal every 3.3 games.
* Goal/Assist ever 2.9 games.

Okazaki's record in the Bundesliga doesn't look that great, but after recently breaking Yasuhiko Okudera's goalscoring record, he is officially the most prolific Japanese player ever to grace Germany's top league. After breaking his compatriot's record, Okazaki told reporters:

"It’s a record I’m really proud of. It isn’t easy getting a foothold in Europe. I believe that when I do well, players watching in Japan might get the feeling they can also make the grade, which makes me very happy"

Okudera - the first Japanese player to ply his trade in German football - is impressed with Okazaki's achievement, and in a recent interview, he enthused:

"I’m amazed by his [Okazaki's] achievements. It's safe to assume that today’s generation of football fans are just as impressed by Okazaki’s exploits so far this season"

Okazaki is highly thought-of at Mainz, that's for sure. In September, the German club's boss, Kasper Hjulmand outlined why he believes the Japanese striker is such a top player. He told reporters:

"He [Okazaki] is unbelievable. You can't defend against him because he's always on the move and his finishing is outstanding. He knows exactly where to be. I was watching every match last year and thinking 'Is this guy just lucky?', but now I know he's not lucky, he's just incredibly good."

Mainz goalkeeper Loris Karius added:

"I think everybody could see how important he is for us. How he holds the ball up, how he helps the team - he's sensational. It's hard to fathom how he didn't manage to make it at Stuttgart, but that's a stroke of luck for us."

£8m is a bit of a knockdown price, so the risk is comparatively minimal, but Aspas and Alberto came in for similar fees, and failed, so there's always a chance history could repeat itself.

Worth a bid?



Author:


14 comments:

  1. If it means moving on Borini in Jan or next summer then I would say yes to the deal.

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  2. No he does not have a reputation worthy of liverpool
    IMO one of thees three striker is perfect:


    Jackson Martinez


    Edinson Cavani


    Gonzalo Higuain


    cavani is a bit unrealistic but we never know


    it will be expensive but the truth is right now if we discount sturridge even west ham have a better strike force then us
    how liverpool end with balotelli,lambert,borini is a joke

    ReplyDelete
  3. My preference is Martinez and also sign cabaye in january


    ....................................................martinez...........balotelli
    ...................................................................sterling
    ..............................................lallana.............................henderson
    ..................................................................cabaye


    with gerrard and coutinho rotating with other midfielders
    that would be good enough

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  4. No. Proven quality needed!

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  5. I'd just like to point out that "reputation" and "being proven" are two different ideas. Honestly, while Cavani has a reputation worthy of LFC, he's massively overrated and will fall out of his prime in like 1-2 years. He probably wouldn't solve any problem of LFC, just sell shirts. LFC need proven players, not necessarily reputable ones. For example, James Rodriguez has been producing at a very high level for many years now, but his reputation has only matched his output maybe 1.5-2 years ago. Leave the over the top spending for players falling out of their prime to Chelsea or Real. What LFC need are proven players whose reputation hasn't quite caught up to their quality.


    That said, Okazaki certainly isn't the answer.

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  6. Liverpool XI: Mignolet, Johnson, Enrique, Skrtel, Lovren, Gerrard, Can, Henderson, Lallana, Sterling, Balotelli.

    Substitutes: Jones, Toure, Lambert, Coutinho, Manquillo, Allen, Markovic.

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  7. so defensive vs qpr
    rodgers is losing it why two dms why not coutinho
    if moreno is injured ronaldo vs enrique im getting scared

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  8. ronaldo vs enrqiue
    ......................................................................ronaldo vs enrique

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  9. No Moreno, must be injured? Surely Manquillo has done enough to keep his place?

    ---------------Mignolet----------------
    Johnson--Skrtel--Lovren--Enrique
    ----------------Gerrard----------------
    ----------Can-----------Hendo--------
    Sterling-------Balotelli----.Lallana--



    That is the way i would expect us to lineup.

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  10. manquillo was really poor vs west brom and west ham
    he got yanked off in both
    attacking wise he always loses the ball


    good desicion by rodgers there
    its just can playing why cant we be more attacive why is rodgers so scared

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  11. Rodgers just ceases to amaze you at every step. Why the hell is Johnson playing?? To think he is going to play against Real.. I wanted Sterling to be rested and Coutinho to come in. How the hell did Moreno get injured now? He is absolutely vital against Madrid. Bale will rip Enrique to shreds.

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  12. Shit. Mccarthy is playing.. You know what this means..

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  13. bale might not play : )
    manquillo has been the weak link vs west ham and west brom at such a scale ven johnson could not achieve
    manquillo vs ronaldo is like suicide when we have someone experienced like johnson who btw has coped reasonably well with him in the past and bale
    its can playing ahead of coutinho which puzzles me
    i also wanted to rest sterling but lets remember thsi game is far more important then real madrid

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  14. I think I cracked the code.. I fail to see your reasoning for Manquillo to be dropped. He has been fine in all the games. How was he the weak link against West Ham? None of the goals came from his side.

    ReplyDelete