5 Feb 2015

Confirmed: Top-class midfielder wanted by LFC can leave for '€20m'. Replace Lucas?

Liverpool are reportedly keen to sign Malaga midfielder Ignacio Camacho, and it appears that the 24-year old Spaniard is open to a transfer this summer.

According to reports on Wednesday:

* Arsenal and Liverpool have been keeping tabs on Camacho, and were interested in signing him during the January transfer window.

* Brendan Rodgers is a 'fan of the midfielder's talents'.

When asked this week about transfer interest in Camacho, Malaga's sporting director Mario Husillos told reporters:

"I had just one call [about Camacho], not an offer, from Inter Milan. [Vice-president Javier] Zanetti called me and I told him that they'd have to pay his buyout clause fee, which is €20m."

Camacho is clearly open to a move, though, and in an interview this week about his future, he admitted that he could 'leave' Malaga', and suggested that the may be 'forced to sell for a reasonable price'. He added:

"It's always good when teams are looking at you because it means you are doing things right. I have a contract here but if anyone wants to sign me, then they will have to negotiate."

Some info about Camacho:

* Plays mostly as a defensive midfielder.
* Can also slot in at centre-back.
* 13 goals/5 assists in 132 games for Malaga.
* Goal/assist every 7 games, which is good for a DM.
* One appearances for the Spain national team.
* 2010: Europa League winner with Atletico Madrid.
* Only two minor injuries in the last five years.

Over the last few years, Liverpool fans have regularly called for a new dedicated defensive midfielder, but with Lucas Leiva currently undergoing a Martin Skrtel-like career renaissance, and with Emre Can also in the frame, is this still a priority?

In my view, the answer is yes. Lucas is playing well, but continuous improvement is the name of the game, and Lucas aside, there's no one in the squad with regular experience of *effectively* playing the DM role.

Additionally, despite Lucas's resurgence, he still gives away too many needless free kicks around the box, and in order to maintain his form, he needs proper competition, and Allen aside, he doesn't really have that right now.

Author:


26 comments:

  1. Also, you mention he can also slot in at CB. Given the style of play the 3rd CB has been playing (aka Can), I think Camacho would be a good replacement in that sense too. As a midfielder, he has much more natural ball control and passing range than a traditional CB. Buying him just for that role wouldn't be ideal, but as a backup CB, I think it would be great.


    Can showed us at the end of the Bolton game that his future is undoubtedly in the Midfield. The sooner we can find a solid ball-playing CB the better.


    In my opinion, our biggest priorities are (1) a partner/backup to Studge, (2) an RCB (explained above), (3) a DM to compete/backup Lucas and (4) someone to replace Stevie in the squad (I'm not saying find the "New Gerrard," just someone to make up numbers. Can is step one, getting a capable Allen replacement would be the next)

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  2. Off.topic sorry but wondered what people thought. What's going on with Dormant. Haven't watched as much football this year as previous years. They have lost eleven games. Even with injuries surely that doesn't explain being bottom of the league?

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  3. Oh, yes forgot that :D

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  4. Idk. They've just been terrible. On the bright side, this means Reus is most likely leaving, and perhaps others...

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  5. Best players left, started the season badly, confidence went out the window, signings not coping with the pressure, Klopp not finding the answers, opposition aware of all this and taking advantage, putting them to the sword from the first whistle of matches.

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  6. Kopp not finding the answers and not getting the teams heads right is a worry. Many would still have him over Rodgers and up to this season I would have agreed but eleven losses and bottom of the league is pretty darn bad.

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  7. He has a terrible injury record though.

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  8. Might seem a lame excuse, but injuries to key players *has* affected them badly; Hummels, Gundogan, Reus etc. Defensively they have been shambolic at times. If anything, Dortmund's predicament is an indication of how fragile confidence can set a team on a downward spiral that is increasingly difficult to reverse and how other teams can take advantage of it. The situation does have some relevance to our own pre-Christmas form; BR deserves much more credit IMO for solving Liverpool's problems and reversing our own slide quite spectacularly (best form of any team in the PL since start of 2015), where Klopp is still struggling to find answers.

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  9. Allen? Proper competition? Really???

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  10. Sorry but all defensive midfielders foul; its part of their game - like in ice hockey there is the guy who has to rough up the opposition a s his main role,
    Granted Leiva is a bit on the slow side but his positional sense and the way he's made our rear guard including goalie more confident with him in front of them - he deserves praise.
    As far as the argument about other defensive mids in other teams being better than lucas Leiva - well that may be but having watched some big games recently I have to admit my siege mentality is having a major resurgence - the shit that the top few teams in the premier leages get away with beggars belief especially how Chelsea's players disuise it as 'robust' challenges because they are soooooo very skillful they dont need to do that kind of stuff - yeah right - ok then....


    Anyhow keep Lucas and buy another faster younger one as we should always have competition for places; someone who can take the place of an outgoing midfielder- didn't wanna say this but really cant see the value of joe allen -


    I tapped my foot a little and waited for divine inspiration - but to no avail ......still cant see the value in him....

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  11. Sell Allen and buy this guy

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  12. I Agree . Fail to see why Allen was bought ? He is a 4 million pound player same as Fabian Delph .

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  13. Replace? No. Augment the squad, yes.

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  14. To be honest I think the injuries do explain it. They've really had the most ridiculous luck with injuries. So many first-team players have been out. That, and replacing Lewandowski with Immobile. Been watching them recently and they're actually playing good football, but lack the cutting edge that comes with having a group of in-form players that have played together for a while.

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  15. Totally agree about Lucas.

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  16. Can't see why Rodgers rates him.he can't defend or attack or pass the ball more than 5 yards.all his passes are backwards or sideways..he's too weak and too slow.o ya Ann he can't shoot for sh1t

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  17. Tje defending looks as bad as ours atvthe beginning of the season though (watched a highlight show so only a small amount of indo to go On).

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  18. No you're right; they were shambolic early on with Hummels et al missing and Ginter not really doing the business. They certainly aren't near their fluent best. I've just seen hints recently that they could be on the up. The structure is back, so now a couple of wins will replenish confidence, hopefully!

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  19. I think the problem with Allen has more to do with a change in philosophy by Rodgers. When he signed Joe Allen, he was preaching his "death by football" mantra. Rodgers at that time imagined a barca-esque possession based game with Allen to be the player in that system who would keep everything ticking over with short incisive passing and always provide an outball.
    When we started counter attacking with such quality and moved away from obsessing over possession all the time, Allen's role in the team changed and made him less effective. He can do the pressing and hunting down of the ball but he can't launch attacks from deep, he's no pace and he's not exactly Mascherano when it comes to tackling so he doesn't really have a specific role in the team anymore. Competent squad player but definitely upgradable

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  20. Think you nailed it there Jock. Glad to see a reasoned assessment of Allen for a change.

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  21. That, my friend, is a damn fine point.......

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