11 Apr 2015

Next Coutinho? Liverpool want £20m Brazilian maestro who's 'better than James Rodriguez'

In recent weeks, Liverpool have been linked with a whole host of attacking midfielders, including Andriy Yarmolenko, Yehven Konoplyanka, and Felipe Anderson, and the latest name to enter the fray is Shakhtar Donetsk attacker Douglas Costa.

According to the Daily Express this week:

* Liverpool will attempt to 'hijack' Chelsea's move for Costa.

* The Reds will allegedly guarantee the Brazilian playing time in a bid to seal the deal.

£20m-rated Costa - who according to Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu is 'better than James Rodriguez - definitely wants out of the Ukraine, and he confirmed this in a recent interview, when he told reporters:

"I'm tired of playing in the same league. It's time to change something. I want to try myself in a strong team that plays in a strong championship".

Some info about Costa:

* Can play right/left wing, or as a number 10.
* Winner of 11 major trophies with Shakhtar.
* 5 league titles in a row (2010-2014)
* 36 goals/38 assists in 193 apps for Shakhtar.
* Goal every 5.3 games | Assist every 5.1 games
* Goal/assist every 2.6 games
* No injuries since 2011.
* Contract expires: 2018

Costa's injury record is superb, but his goals/assist ratio is average. He's never scored more than 7 goals in one season, and if he struggles to consistently score in the Ukrainian League, it's highly unlikely that he'll suddenly up his output in the Premier League.

It's probably all moot anyway, as Costa clearly wants a move to Chelsea. He told reporters recently:

"I want to play for Chelsea not just because my friend Willian plays there, but also because it's the team coached by a great coach like Mourinho"

And therein lies the perennial problem for Liverpool: Brendan Rodgers just doesn't have the pull or the profile to attract elite players; the likes of Mourinho, Van Gaal, and Wenger will always have the upper hand, and that is an ongoing problem.

That said, if Costa wants to waste away on the bench at Chelsea, then let him get on with it.

Author:


18 comments:

  1. "And therein lies the perennial problem for
    Liverpool: Brendan Rodgers just doesn't have the pull or the profile to
    attract elite players; the likes of Mourinho, Van Gaal, and Wenger will
    always have the upper hand, and that is an ongoing problem. "


    Jaimie ,Give the oke a brake , don't all manager's have to start somewhere in a big club ??

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  2. Too bad he blew his chance to make a name for himself in Europe when we got humiliated in the CL

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  3. Couldn't we have Stevie G as an ambassador or on the transfer committe?

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  4. Ibe in the squad for Newcastle game- I know he's young but a bit like John Barnes?

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  5. Nevergonnacrackthecode3:04 pm, April 11, 2015

    No WAY!
    this guy is not that good , watched him
    not a scratch upon Firmino or Anderson(Filipe)

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  6. Nevergonnacrackthecode3:05 pm, April 11, 2015

    so he can buy more Joe Cole's that are apparently better then Messi?
    Rodgers said Gerrard recommended RICKY LAMBERT to him as well




    bad idea

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  7. Fowler is Liverpool's ambassador.But your right, we need to use SG when he hangs up his boots.He's respected by everyone football.Maybe he could somehow play a role in helping our negotiation team get big deals over the line.Maybe a touch of star power would make a difference in some future deals.
    Steven Gerrard on the transfer committee? Not sure about that.We only have to look at another club legend... If Jamie Carragher was on the committee, he would be pushing for players like James McCarthy and Theo Walcott.
    Playing at the top level for many years doesn't automatically translate into being able to identify the right players.

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  8. Good news ,Lallana and Balo still out .
    What is wrong with Lallana ,always injured ?

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  9. This looks like a Markovic case where Chelsea were interested in a player but opted not to go for said player. if Chelsea opted out for Douglas, we should absolutely not go for him.

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  10. Why would anyone link heaps of players to the club? BR has already figured out players we need and half of those transfer is out on loan, all are top top players, NO?

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  11. It's the press ,they are bored and got nothing to write about ,so they make up story's !

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  12. I believe the influence of a manager when it comes to signing players is grossly overstated. Sure some players may move because they want to play for manager X but that happens maybe 5-10% of the time. The attractiveness of the club and wages is what counts. We've been in the champions league once since 2008, (that is not all on BR, I mean this is only his third season). Financially as a club we have fallen so far behind it is not even funny, we not only allowed man utd to knock off our perch on the field , they did so off the field as well, developing and exploiting new revenue streams while we stood idly by. Chelsea and Arsenal ended up bypassing us as well. My point is, It's all about money, and at the moment we're not top dogs when it comes to that. People seem to forget when Liverpool dominated in the 70's and 80's, we were also the richest club in the land. I mean Kenny Dalglish was bought for a British record transfer fee at the time and we did so without batting an eyelid.

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  13. the players didn't exactly play great and were just tactically beat. Players need to be held accountable for the poor CL display.

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  14. Yes, I think an ambassadorial role would be suited. If lfc don't make use of his prestige then we're fools.

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  15. I think, he has 4 (or 2?) Caps for new Brazil; after the change of Management. I think, Dunga rates him highly, which indicates that he is a better attacking threat from mid-field. Better than JR, I don't know - someone at 24 making his International debut doesn't suggest that, normally Latin players make debut at younger ages.


    For 20mn (I think, he 'll cost more, close to 30mn, not less than 25mn at least, since he is a Brazilian regular now; 6 months back, may be...), any Brazilian regular International AM at 24 is a steal; he has best 5 years of his career coming. 5'8", stocky, low centre of gravity ball player is exactly the type of AM we need for our style of playing on grass mostly, but I am not sure where are we going to fit him, if Lallana stays.


    BR (or the next Manager) has a monumental task of reshuffling the entire squad. I think, buying marque players is out of question now (under BR & without CL), but the following 18 men squad is possible (Back-up in parenthesis)


    GK - Cech (Mignolet)
    Back 4 - Moreno, Sakho, Skartel, a new RB (De Scigllio may be, Danilo is gone) (Lovren, Flanaghan)
    DM/CM - Henderson (Can)
    CM/AM - Coutinho, Costa, Depey (Ibe, M'vic)
    Forwards - Lecazzete, Sturrdidge (Origi)


    But, that 'll need extreme initiatives, negotiations & quick action.


    Obviously, I don't think Sterling 'll stay & I don't think 3 men back line is a long term solution.

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  16. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva1:36 am, April 12, 2015

    Why would we even consider this guy, any player that wants Chelsea, Man City as far as i am concerned is just chasing glory without willing to work for it. Seriously though why haven't we made the Vietto rumour a reality.

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  17. They always did, to keep their job and save their ass lol.

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  18. spot on well said,its all about who pays the biggest wages not CL or who the manager is,lets just hope sooner rather than later we are back on our perch where we belong and winning trophies again.

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