3 Jan 2015

Confirmed: LFC free to sign 'unbelievable' £25m striker if BR wants him 'bad enough'

Liverpool continue to be linked with a move for West Brom striker Saido Berahino, and with the January transfer window now officially open, Baggies Chief Terry Burton has admitted for the first time that the coveted striker may be sold if the price is right.

£25m-rated Berahinho is reportedly Liverpool's top transfer target, and when asked this week about the possibility of selling the striker, Burton told reporters:

"If he [Tony Pulis] needs to sell somebody to do something else he will sell them"

When asked specifically whether £20m is enough to prise Berahino away, Burton dismissed the amount as a 'small amount of money', and added:

"He [Berahino] is worth what some club would pay for him. If a club want a player bad enough and they have the finances they try and do that."

Berahino - recently hailed as an 'unbelievable finisher' by team-mate Victor Anichebe - recently admitted that his 'aim' is to play in the Champions League, and made it clear that moving to a big-name club is very much on his agenda. He told The Guardian:

"If that [a transfer] is what it comes to it has to be that. I appreciate what West Brom have done for me [but] I have a big vision and hopefully I can reach my goals. I have the chance to progress even more. It's up to me to take it with both hands."

Some info about Berahino:

* Current contract expires in 2017.
* This season: 13 goals/1 assist in 25 apps.
* Total WB: 21 goals/3 assists in 50 apps.
* 21 goals in 45 apps for England youth teams.
* 2010: Helped the England U17 team win the European Championship.

Berahino is an interesting option, but £24m? Daniel Sturridge cost £12m! Are we to believe that Berahino is worth £13m more than Sturridge at the time he signed for Liverpool? You're having a laugh.

Liverpool already overpaid for Lallana, Lovren, and Markovic this year, and with Rodgers' transfer history, it shouldn't even be a question. The Reds need to stop overpaying for players, and £25m - or whatever inflated fee West Brom have in mind - is a massive rip-off. Additionally:

* I don't see how signing Berahino for bicg bucks is anything but a hugerisk. With only 56 games of top-flight experience, he is nowhere near the finished article.

* Any striker that comes in will be under intense pressure to hit the ground running, and putting all that pressure on an inexperienced 21-year old is (arguably) counter-productive.

* Liverpool can't afford to take any risks - the club needs a striker capable of making an immediate impact, and that means signing a proven, experienced goalscorer with a track record of consistently contributing goals.

Rodgers remains under intense pressure at Anfield, and he can't afford to make another costly mistake in the transfer market. He needs to get it right, and the next signing Liverpool make is arguably the most important of the manager's tenure.

As such, Rodgers needs to stop spending big bucks on young players, and start signing proven players with the capability of making an immediate impact. I'd rather see Liverpool spend £8m on Ezequiel Lavezzi than £25m on Berahino. In terms of risk vs. reward, the Argentine is a much better deal.

Only a club run by mugs will pay £25m+ for Berahino.

Author:


57 comments:

  1. look around europe for 25 million we can get a top class player even try and get bony who is more of a safer choice

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  2. The smaller the club the more they try to rip off the big clubs. Berahino is worth in the region of £10m - £12m but he won't go for that - they'll probably fetch in the region of £15m for him. Lavezzi is a mercenary and trying to squeeze as much money that he can get, so I think that is why he is still at PSG. Having said that, if he decides to be reasonable in his wage demands then he would be a good player to have in the squad/team.

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  3. The only thing unbelievable is anyone thinking he is worth 25 million pounds.

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  4. im drunk but not that drunk

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  5. He clearly isn't the finished article and £25m seems ridiculous, but what I would say the is the concept of a players worth is variable....if he came in and scored the goals that send us to the CL then the fee has paid for itself. The comparison with the Sturridge transfer is bad because Chelsea simply misjudged the calibre of the player....he wasnt playing for them at the time whereas Berahino is a key player (for a much smaller club admittedly) and has just broken into the England reckoning...all that has an effect. That said I don't think the fee will be anything like that...he is clearly making moves to make this happen BBC sport published a 'leading'article about him not celebrating despite scoring 4 today clearly suggesting he is off...and he hasn't got a long contract so I reckon £15m should do it in the end....maybe with some performance clauses...still a lot but that's what you pay.

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  6. In case anyone hasn't noticed...we don't currently have a striker. We are beggars and beggars can't be choosers. If Berahino isn't the finished article, he's close enough in my book. He would fit in to the style we should be playing with our speed: PC, RS, Markovic, Lallana, Moreno, Sturridge (if he ever returns). He has a good eye and nose for the goal...very Suarez like.

    SM

    JM MS KT AM

    LL/EC/JH

    PC/AL
    LM RS
    SB

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  7. Good player. He reminds me of a young Defoe. He has a bit of arrogance too which is good for any striker as he knows where he wants to be. I think with himself not celebrating could be a number of factors: 1. The quality of opposition 2. He has not been starting in the first team of late so wanted to prove a point to the new manager 3. He, as mentioned maybe off and doesn't want to be a hypocrite in celebrating then leaving day / weeks later. £20-25m is a ridiculous fee and if LFC pay that for him then we really are big time mugs.

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  8. He is better now than Defoe ever was or is. Defoe, for whatever reason was awesome until the finish and then he was less than average.

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  9. Yes I think he would fit in to our style of play. Seens to fit the LFC profile young, quick and hungry.

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  10. Not sure about being better than Defoe now than Defoe ever was. But i agree good player that will suit us.

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  11. Just because a club or the media for that matter are saying 25m doesn't mean that's what they are going to get. I really think the boy has the ability to become a very top striker but he isn't that yet so the reported 25m is crazy when you compare this to what older more proven strikers have gone for. I'd say 15m max and if he pushes for the move which I think is a cert if we offered west brom that then player power and money talks.

    I do think he suits our system and would become a great addition. I really rate this guy highly, he certainly knows where the goal is, can finish with both feet, great pace and is already a better striker option than what we have just now apart from Sturridge. Give a player like him the amount of chances we create like in last 2 games and he will get us more goals. Him and Sturridge would be an interesting partnership.

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  12. Berahino is a great talent and I like the way he plays Cus, it reminds me a bit of Sturridge, great speed, dribbling, touch, technique and good finisher, but not worth 25 million. 15 million is a good deal

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  13. Please name said top class player who is readily available for £25m.

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  14. Defoe has to be one of the Premier League's all-time most overrated players. He had some purple patches that clouded his overall mediocrity.

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  15. I'd be very disappointed to see us sign Berahino. I don't think he has the mentality required. These things can develop, but from what I've read, what I've seen, I suspect he isn't made of the 'right stuff', for whatever that's worth.

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  16. I think there'd be a right price for Berahino. His mentality might improve with some time at Melwood and the right guidance -- it wouldn't be the first time. I'd not be disappointed with his signing. He's a good finisher with mature movement and a bit of pace, who'd probably bring us 20 goals a season. I'd be intrigued to see how he got on. But I'd be a bit alarmed if he was brought in for the headline figure quoted.

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  17. The ones we've gone in for so far available for that or less, Nainngolan and Shaqiri, don't want to know. Even if we can pay the transfer fees, we can't offer the wages or the profile for the "top class players", whatever that means, to give up their hopes of being signed by Chelsea, PSG, Barcelona, Man Utd, and Real Madrid, where the money and the trophies live.

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  18. I met berahino a few weeks back at work. There is no chance he will stay at West Brom. Will leave this window for certain

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  19. It's difficult to get a top class striker for 25mn, particularly for a Club almost certain not to qualify for CL next year & a Manager hardly any pulling power outside UK. Having said that, 25mn for this guy is probably similar risky of investing 35mn on Carroll.

    I would say, do what the BIG clubs do, spend double & get one player like De Maria, Costa or Aguero. But, I understand, our Manager needs lots of 7/8mn potential players for his squad depth.

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  20. The last sentance of your post sent a pang through my heart strings :(

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  21. what happened with the onazi rumours and why not go for sisoko of Newcastle and we don't need berahino just bring in ibe and why not have n bit of faith in balo can't understand why Brendan bought him but don't have faith in who he signs just like all his other signings but I believe they will come good ynwa

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  22. defnitly agree with u we can get much cheaper quality strikers in south america look how aguero and tevez turned out and we had the chance to bring in Sergio to Europe before any other club but we let that one slip like so many others before him seems LFC are not wiling to pay top wages to quality players that's why they go to clubs that don't even play champions league like the mancs its sad but true

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  23. Agreed. If we dont sign a top ready made player, Rodgers is going to get a lot of stick. Let's not forget we need a top goalie as well.
    We can only wait and see how it unravels by end of the window.

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  24. Hi.this none supporter has been a season ticket holder for 31 years and has witnessed first hand gerrards ability many times.my comments on gerrard are based purely on stats.tackles won.completed passes etc.go over last 30 games and you will see why he is leaving.if he was playing well on a regular basis he wudnt be benched.as he isnt and hasnt for almost 12 months is the reason why he hadnt been offered a two year deal as wanted.he hasnt reinvented himself atall .he couldnt do job so was moved.then moved and moved again.as for being known worldwide so what? When we got beat palace away he played 93 mins and was unable to make one single tackle.everyone has his day.and for the record gerrard will always be second to dalglish.for all that gerrard was only two moments highlight his career.milan and west ham in 17 years

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  25. Jaimie, I am afraid you just answered your question of whether we will sign Berahino or not with your last sentence.

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  26. Can't we just get Benteke for 20m??

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  27. Source: Italia Football

    Norberto Neto has officially told Fiorentina he will not renew his contract, so Juventus, Roma and Liverpool are on high alert.

    The Brazilian goalkeeper’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the season.

    “ACF Fiorentina must announce that goalkeeper Norberto Murara Neto today officially informed the club of his intention not to prolong his contract with the Viola. The decision is definitive.

    “Neto was keen to make it known that his decision is entirely unrelated to financial motivations, with his desire to be free to decide his own future the sole reason behind his move.”

    So far crisis talks have failed to reach an agreement and this afternoon there was a crunch meeting between the club and Neto’s entourage.

    Roma and Liverpool have been regularly linked with Brazilian goalkeeper Neto, but Juventus are also an option.

    The Viola have made it clear they will sell Neto in January to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

    However, at this stage he could accept sitting on the bench for six months in order to ensure he gets the club he wants.

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  28. I'd love to see Barkley to come in. I think he's the closest thing to a young gerrard absolute talent

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  29. Naingolan has already said he wants to stay at Roma. Shaqiri, fine agree a fee but get him on loan first for six months. Why would we spend more money on an attacking midfielder if we spent 45 million on two in the summer and we still have Coutinho and a host of talented youngsters. We dont need Shaqiri right now.

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  30. Oh how I love sarcasm. No what we should be is to continue signing nobodies for far too much money and hope by some miracle a couple of them have a decent season once in a blue moon. I mean, where has all that ambition nonsense brought Bayern or Man United. The problem with this club is, we had a 77 million midfielder for over a decade and never built a decent team around him. That's why players like Pogba wont sign for us. Because we proved for fifteen years we're incompetent.

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  31. Call them midfielders!!? Berahino...no...no..

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  32. Now that was a midfield.

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  33. We now have the worst midfield in 40years, that's why we leak so many goals.

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  34. Liverpol will have trouble signing top talent. FSG wont pay top wages for a start, looks like they're sticking with 'moneyball'. This policy has rewarded us with the worst bunch of players in 40 years. The only reason Rodgers got the job was top managers looked and said no thanks, so FSG took the runt o the litter. Look at Manure and Southampton, their managers have bought in players they want, all quality, proven players. Unless we get oil rich owners, plus a decent manager, we'll be stuck mid table for ever.

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  35. With the midfield trios you have mentioned we have played with 90% of season, we are currently 8th in the league , with 7 defeats to our name, 8 wins to our name and 5 draws.


    And also with the midfield trios above we have been knocked out of champions league, out of 6 games. We lost 3, won 1 and drew 2.


    So with the midfield trios above we have played 26 games in league and Champions league.


    And lost 10 games, Drawn 7 times and won 9 times.


    Schneiderlin(25) is better than Gerrard(34) and L Leiva(27) as DM


    M Sissoko(25) is better than J Allen(24) and J Henderson(24)


    And i think with these two in midfield we would boss, control, dictate and dominate games.


    Whist offering some class quality protection to back four and GK that we have not had all season

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  36. Yokohama Liverpool Fan12:34 pm, January 04, 2015

    What bothers me is I read a recent article where Gerrard basically snubs all the previous managers by stating that he would have won more trophies with Brendan Rodgers at the helm 10 years ago.

    Well it is 10 years ago that a team led by Rafa won us the Champions League. As well as a FA Cup. I doubt we would have attracted top players back then under a no name manager or had the tactical ability to beat a Mourinho led Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter, Barcelona and a Man United team that had Ronaldo setting records.

    While a good working relationship with tha gaffa is commendable to me it is disrespectful to Houllier who made him a captain and won us 5 trophies in a season and also to Rafa who took us to the pinnacle of Europe and kept us amongst the elite.

    It almost has me doubting or questioning his intelligence however much of a legend he is as a footballer.



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  37. Yokohama Liverpool Fan12:51 pm, January 04, 2015

    Probably more likely to go to Man City now if their 45m bid is true.

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  38. I'm 100 mile away from Anfield, have never been employed there and even I know that FSG are NOT going to pay the wages that the calibre of player ex-Liverpool players keep suggesting will ask for.
    The current highest paid player at Anfield is on half the wage that most of the suggested targets are currently on. He's an established, "world class" player.
    There'll be a stadium extension to pay for from this summer, as well.
    With FFP, that rules out any £50M+/£200k-a-week signings for at least the next five years.

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  39. Had enough of your drivel.the us league is a joke.a final payday for names only.not ability.its come out again on local news that gerrard wanted two years and was only offered one.he was deemed by the current manager as not able to play two games a week.didnt want to be benched.if he was performing .firstly he wouldnt be benched.secondly why would owners only offer 1 year deal if he was such a loss .on form and age this season he wasnt worth a 15million pound contract.as for us league.watch when available and standard isnt even championship.( thats our 2nd league) landon donovan got a few games for everton.suppose to usa best player at time.absoloute joke of a player.you can say it as much as you like.but he is 34 great player .move on .as far as im concerned he is gone allready.plan for next season now

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  40. Eric, it's so hard to disagree with you.....I think you are spot on.

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  41. You, like some other fans, are very short-sighted. Yes you are right, we are currently coming 8th in the league, but we are also 7 points out of the top 4, this does not mean that we are a top 8 club. It was always going to be difficult to adjust without Suarez and Sturridge being injured, plus new players need time to adjust. Say we do what you suggest, sell 80% of our summer signings, not sure who you would want to sell and who you would want to keep, but just say we did and bought 4 world class players and they also took time to settle in, which most players do I might add, would you say we need to sell those and buy more players until the players we buy settle in straight away? Players need time to settle in no matter how much they cost and just because they are a world class player in one league, doesn't mean they are guaranteed to perform in another league.

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  42. Which nobodies have we signed? Please inform me. Are they nobodies because YOU haven't heard of them?

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  43. How do you know Alli, who I presume you mean Dele Alli can compete? He plays for MK Dons, has never played in any big league, he may just be a flash in the pan destined to be a big fish in a small pond. Can however, despite being 20 has competed in the Champion's, actually has a Champion's League winner's medal to his name. Plus, Can is already our player, Alli isn't. To me, Lallana in the number 10 role, Can and Henderson in the slightly deeper roles, both have the engine, the passing technique and range and also the defensive capabilities to be able to excel and protect the back 4 as well as being the link to the attack. There is no reason to spend money on midfielders when we don't need midfielders, there are other positions that take priority.

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  44. You are missing the point of Robo, the point being with a striker that isn't injured or that is scoring goals, we wouldn't be in 8th position, we would be in the top 4, in fact, the 15 points better off in the season that Robo says would actually put us on the same points as Chelsea and Man City. If our midfield is so poor and it's the same midfield as we had last year with one or two additions to the squad, why did we finish second in the league last season? The reason being it isn't the midfield, it is the lack of goals up front.

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  45. What do you mean no Europe next season? It's barely halfway through the season and we are 7 points off top 4, it's hardly the end of the season. With a good run like we traditionally have after new year's we will make up that gap easily. I have a feeling we will qualify at the very least for Europa and more than likely CL.

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  46. Actually, you are so very wrong in that statement. The money Boston Red Sox earns from winning gets put back into the Red Sox, the money Liverpool earns gets put back into Liverpool. FSG keep both entities seperate. If that were actually to happen, that FSG used the money that Red Sox earn to spend on us, wouldn't there be a publicised uproar from the Red Sox fans? I know there would be if the money that Liverpool earned got funneled into the Red Sox, but no, there has been no said uproar. FSG are the best owners we could ask for in the current day and age, they have made us financially stable, are upgrading our stadium like they promised they would and are putting money on the table for transfers and still there are people who belittle them.

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  47. Sinclair, Rodwell are two more you forgot to mention. The keeper Richard Wright is another one, that's 3 so far, and if you are going to mention Clichy, you can also mention Samir Nasri and Kolo Toure, both bought from Arsenal during that time who had been in the country for 5+ years.

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  48. Actually, Mane was 10M, not 6M

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  49. Henderson a waste of money? Are you being serious? Same as Lallana cannot be considered a waste of money. You obviously have a very short memory as some of our best ever players were bought from "smaller" teams in the league than us, John Barnes from Watford, John Aldridge from Oxford, Ian Rush from Chester, Steve Nicol from Ayr United, John Toshack from Cardiff, Kevin Keegan from Scunthorpe. There are very talented players from lower leagues or "smaller" teams in the league. Would you not buy someone like Benteke? He is from a smaller team. Would you not buy someone like Mile Jedinak? He is also from a smaller team.

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  50. Times have changed
    You can get better players from abroad now in thoose days it was strictly english league

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  51. So you think us having one striker would have solved all our problems?


    Hell No,


    The biggest problem we have is our GK Situation, we have two poor GKS in the squad who are as bad as each other.


    2nd Problem we have no Mobile DM
    L Leiva(27) and S Gerrard(34) do not have the energy, legs, mobility, pace or speed to cover ground and break up plays effectively.


    And they both do not offer the defence or back four enough protection due to them missing those key attributes.


    J Allen(24), J Henderson(24) and E Can(20) are all average midfielders, all have good energy, all have bit of pace, all can press well, all can pass backwards and side ways well.


    But they all lack class, creativity and quality in the attacking final third and all have a abyzmal goals to games ratio.


    Another Problem has been the manager has not picked the same back four enough.


    The best back 4 should be Manquillo RB Lovren RCB Sakho LCB Moreno LB Week in week out for 12-18 games on trot when they are all fully fit and injury free.


    We have 3 strikers on good wages currently
    available, injury and suspension free who cannot put the ball in the net and guess what, the manager was the one who brought all 3 of them to club for combined total of £30.5M


    So to say all our problems would be solved if we had D Sturridge(25) fully fit and injury free is comical

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  52. One person i would love to see replace Gerrard is Jordan Rossiter. Obviously isn't the finished article but in the long run if he is nurtured correctly we might turn him into a fantastic midfielder. Probably not to SG levels, but who knows.

    Considering we haven't seen a lot of him at a top level this might be very optimisic :P

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  53. We haven't got the pull. Not financially and not in terms of allure, realistically we most likely won't be able to get genuine world class talents, at least not until we're consistently in the CL and show signs of challenging for each competition we're in.
    Looking at the next step down we should be able to bring those in, but even those will be a tough ask.
    If we'd set our sights slightly lower in the summer we could have got Lacazette and Song but we didn't bother.

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  54. Oh don't play that card with me girl. As a non Brit I follow more than just the Premier League when it comes to players and teams. I was celebrating the Hyypia signing when you were still harping on about how we needed that kid at Port Vale whose name no one remembers today. Dean Bowditch? Cherno Samba anyone? Lost out didn't we?LeTallec? Bruno Cheyrou? Worked out well didn't it? Ilori? Luis Alberto? Joe Allen? Emre Can? 25 million for Adam Lallana? 35 million for Andy Carrol? 20 million for Sicknote Downing? Our transfer policy has been a shambles since the Souness days. The only time we got it right was between 2007 and 2009 and then we allowed our manager to and owners to flush it all down the pan. But at least we had a team worthy of LFC and its captain back then. Because we bought players like Mascherano, Torres and Alonso. Not the mediocre rubbish we buy now. Topped off with the outright insult of signing Balotelli.

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  55. Suarez took about 4 minutes to adjust. Mascherano took 30. Torres scored his first goal in his second game. His first hat trick a month later. Sturridge scored his first after 7 minutes. Against Mansfield, granted, but he scored. No, real world class players do not need six months to adjust. I'm all for it, sell Jones, Johnson, Enrique, Lucas, Mignolet, Allen, Borini, Suso, Balotelli, Aspas, Alberto, Assaidi, Coates, Ilori and Texeira.Bring in Cech, Strootman, Martinez and Quintero and see what happens.

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