22 Jan 2015

Epic Deal: LFC want €42m star who'll be 'better than Messi' in 2 years

Last month, Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato claimed that Liverpool are favourites to sign Palermo striker Paulo Dybala, and it appears that the Reds remain interested in the coveted Argentine goalscorer.

According to Turin-based newspaper Tutto Sport this week, Liverpool are still tracking Dybala, but PSG and Manchester United have now entered the race. The story so far:

* Nov 2014: reports in Italy claimed that Rodgers had 'singled out' 21-year-old Dybala as the man to resurrect Liverpool's failing front-line.

* Dec 2014: Tutto Mercato claimed that Liverpool are actively pursuing Dybala, and are current favourites to sign him.

* Dec 2014: In response to transfer speculation, Palermo President Mauro Zamperini placed a ridiculous price tag on Dybala's head. He told reporters: "He [Dybala] is our jewel. If you want him, it'll take $50 million (€42 million) to get him"

* Dec 2014. In a separate interview, Zamperini made the following exaggerated claim: “He [Dybala] is the best striker in Serie A. Within two years, he's going to be better than Cristiano Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic"

This week, Zamperini continued his eulogy by claiming that Dybala is 'one of the best talents in the world', and insisted that he is 'destined to go to a great club'. He further added:

“If he [Dybala] continues to play well...then a big club from abroad will sign him. Where will he go? England, France, German, or Spain".

So, is Dybala worth €42m? A striker's primary role is to score and create goals, so let's take a look at his stats this season:

* 10 goals/7 assists in 19 apps.
* Goal every 160 mins (1 every 1.7 games)
* Goal/assist every 94 mins (1 every 1.1 games)
* Passing accuracy: 81%
* Key passes: 1.4 per game.

Stats: OPTA

With 17 goals/assists in 19 games, Dybala is clearly doing the business for Palermo, but Zamperini is out of his tree if he thinks he's worth €42m.

For strikers, consistency is the key, and although he's doing well now, it'd be madness to splurge such a huge transfer fee on a player with only 77 games-worth of top-flight experience.

Dybala is going through a purple-patch at the moment, but football is littered with players who had one great spell/season, and then fell by the wayside.

If Dybala is worth €42m (in the bizarro-world of football), then Raheem Sterling must be worth a similar amount, or more? Whatever the reality, in my view, neither player is worthy of such a ridiculous fee.

Arsenal have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Dybala after refusing to meet Zamperini's ludicrous valuation. That makes sense, though, as Arsene Wenger is no mug when it comes to expensive transfers.

As is always the case, a player like Dybala is an enticing option, but only for the right price.

Author:


18 comments:

  1. Did Liverpool have a failing front line in nov 13????

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh wow another stated facts of a player that their imminent signing is upon us. Lacazette supposed to be signed by the end of this week(?)!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Couple points...
    1) If we were to sign all the players we are "favorites" to sign, that'd be Dybala, Lacazette, and Benzema. While that is enticing (;D)...well I think everyone can see at least 2 of them are false.


    2) To add, there is no way Dybala is worth 42M. I mean, both Benzema and Lacazette are quoted for less. And if I had a choice regardless of price, I'd go for the other two anyway.


    3) His stats are impressive, but this is his first truly productive season (though I could be wrong). It would be different if he did this for a few seasons (again comparing him to Lacazette), but 1/2 season in a relatively less competitive league isn't really grounds to buy, at least imo.

    ReplyDelete
  4. dybala vietto or lacazette. benzema is not leaving Real Madrid unless you pay 60M. RM only sell for prfoit. they dont mind keeping players. ozil was bought for 8m and sold for 42m. but personally i would sign berahino. he is Suarez replacement. the dream frontline is Berahino, Sturridge, Sterling. they will grow into the forwards in fooball history.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have been saying the same thing for months now about to be banned!!! Its getting ridiculous and I think we as fans have the right to voice our opinion when we feel we are been bamboozle!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Berahino is Suarez replacement???? Are you serious?? You must have them on ya Fifa dream team huh??? Really??

    ReplyDelete
  7. Um... I don't think you're about to be banned for voicing your opinion...it's for sniping. And by the way, you just admitted you're trying to get around the moderation setup if you've really been doing this for months.

    ReplyDelete
  8. NO I have been asking questions. There is a difference! The moderator have the right to not answer my questions. But do not misrepresent me by saying I am snipping.

    ReplyDelete
  9. If that's all you were doing, so be it. But you have to understand that Jaimie doesn't do these things simply because people disagree.


    If that was the reason, why would he even have a comment section?


    Jaimie moderates these comments as a service to his readers. He has no obligation to do so, and if he wanted, he could just let trolls run free.


    However, being the nice guy he is, Jaimie tries to keep the integrity of his site. He wants to encourage positive discussion, even if it means butting heads with some readers. I know this personally... JK and I have disagreed many times since I started being a regular, but never once was I banned or warned (to my knowledge). I tried to keep things civil, and he did the same.


    If you are threatened with a ban, chances are it's not because he's bothered by what you're saying, but because we in the audience are/will become genuinely annoyed/trolled by it.


    And on that note, I apologise JK for going on a rant like this..... it's just that it ANNOYS the HECK out of me when people complain like this... feel free to do to me as you must....

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think getting Alexandre Pato make more sense to partner sturridge.

    ReplyDelete
  11. hes got potential. he will take suarez place in the team.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Zampeni is putting his player up for sale to the highest bidder.
    Very likely we will not sign anyone for now. Maybe a few more youngsters for the future. sigh

    ReplyDelete
  13. It's not like that's really a bad thing. I mean, youngsters for the future isn't the priority, but they are something we perpetually need to address as players get older.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Next story: Liverpool to sign [insert random 20 year old] for [insert ridiculously over inflated price] who's better than [insert either legend or current amazing player]

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nobody will come. We are stuck with Borini, Balotelli & Lambert.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I see you is a stronger supporter of JK! When you have sites like these you are telling us you are open to Free Speech. Yes people have to be respectful. However, Free Speech means some people will disagree, agree and sometimes be rude and that's because they are passionate about what they are talking about. Our moderator have a tendency of deleting comments when he feels people are questioning his "FACTS". Which we should do because it is a discussion board.


    People have the damn right to disagree with you even if they sound uneducated. Just because we are all LFC fans does not mean I have to like what you or anybody else says INCLUDING the moderator. Free Speech my friends!!! The moderator has to follow the rules as he has set otherwise the rest will not. LEADERSHIP!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ooooo-ooooooh somebody is tired

    ReplyDelete
  18. For that money, he is Paulo Diabolical.

    ReplyDelete