10 Apr 2015

Snubbed: 66% of fans reject Liverpool plan to sign 'exceptional' £21m attacker

Liverpool are currently linked with an ludicrous summer move for perpetual sicknote Theo Walcott, and according to Reds legend Jamie Carragher, the 'exceptional' Arsenal star is the ideal signing for LFC. Is he right, though?

Reacting last month to the Walcott rumour, Carra told Sky Sports:

“Liverpool have looked at signing Walcott in the past.

"If he was available then I’m sure any Liverpool fan, player or manager would love to see him at the club"


I recently conducted a poll on the site asking if Liverpool should sign Walcott, and the results were emphatic:

 photo Screen Shot 2015-04-09 at 21.17.34_zpsteys4phq.png

As the polls shows, there are lots of Liverpool fans who have serious reservations about Walcott, mainly due to his absolutely horrific injury history, which is worth highlighting once again:

* 15 separate injuries since 2008
* 646 days on the sidelines as a result.
* 128 games missed as a result of injury. 128 games!
* An average of 21 missed-games a season for the last 6 years.

On a separate note, Liverpool's alleged interest doesn't make sense for another reason: Walcott - whose current deal is worth £21m over 3.5 years - is pulling a Sterling at Arsenal and trying to fleece the club for money he doesn't deserve. The Independent reports:

"Walcott [is] looking for a significant increase on his £90,000-a-week wages. [He] wants a wage packet worth considerably more than £100,000-a-week to put him in the region of the club’s highest earners".

Gah! This kind of presumptuous, arrogant entitlement is a defining characteristic of modern footballers. What gives Walcott the right to demand 'considerably more than £100K a week' when he misses close to 50% of every season through injury?

Arsenal should be paying him *less*, not more; or, at the very least, there should be clauses in his contract stipulating he gets paid only 50% of his contract value when he (inevitably) gets injured again.

Footballers are totally out of touch with the real world. If you or I missed 21 months of work over a 5-year period, we'd be laughed out of office for demanding a massive pay-rise (if we hadn't already been fired for endless absences).

It's ridiculous, and what's even more ludicrous is the idea that Liverpool will swap one mercenary for another. Talk about 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'.

Author:


46 comments:

  1. Off the subject, If Liverpool are looking for a cheap striker I don't think that they could go far wrong with Rudy G at Blackburn, The couple of times that I have seen him play (Liverpool) He was there most dangerous player with good skills, and still young.

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  2. Firstly, no. Just no. He's a top talent, a fantastic player on his day and the kind of person I would want at the club but the injury situation just doesnt sit. He's been injured far too often for far too long to suggest that he would help us in any meaningful way.
    Second, JK you made a rare mention in your article about Raheem's contract situation (!!!) and I just wondered if you could shed some light. Now I've been away on my honeymoon for a while, so I missed the interview that he gave, only saw it yesterday, and I want to know why you and many other posters are so convinced that he is just holding out for more money when he is explicitly saying that there is no amount that he would sign to at this time? From were I'm standing, he seems to make it very clear that he has massive ambition and wants to play at the highest level, and if he can't do that at Liverpool, he wants to have the option to do it elsewhere, and there is no shame in that. The kid has only been playing first team football for us for 3 seasons, he grew up in the QPR academy, he has nor owes any loyalty towards the club. I, for one, support the kid in what he is doing, because he is doing what he thinks will be best for his career. If he ran around talking about how he's loved the club as a kid and thinks LFC is the best and how he wants to see out his career here THEN did this, I'd be more hesitant, but he is just a young, extremely talented kid at the beginning of his career. Imagine being 20 and being told that you could be playing with the likes of Ronaldo or Messi, possibly having your pick out of any of the continental giants. We've helped him grow, he's helped us almost win the title, and this season he has always worked hard, despite being shoved into different positions.
    All the best to Raheem, whatever happens and wherever the kid goes.
    Peace, YNWA

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  3. He was at Cardiff for awhile and didn't play very well. Only recently has he picked up form. Could be a late bloomer, but if we were to go for a cheap in league striker, Ings or Austin would be much better...

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  4. For the right price, he'd be welcome here.


    Unfortunately, his price is not the right one.

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  5. Saw Pastore rumored to have hold in contact talks and we are interested...worth a bid? Personally I think he's not quite what we need, it would be a relatively cheap transfer (compared to what other similar reputation players are going for).

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  6. Konoplyanka. Depay. Patrick Hermann. Why pay for this overpriced english _______ when any of the players mentioned above are A.) Better B.) Not injury prone and C.) Not looking for stupidly high wages. And as a +, they aren't from bloody fucking Arsenal.

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  7. Yes Ings could be a good buy and worth the gamble, but I would keep an eye on Rudy all the same.

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  8. why would walcott want to down grade to an also ran club that only for one player last season would have been were there going to end up this season seventh. even your legend wants to leave to win thropys and medals

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  9. I think he sees no concern over his contract regardless of his commitment to LFC. I honestly believe that his commitment isnt to the club, but himself. Unlike many fans, however, I dont begrudge him this self-interest, because in the same position I would do the same. He knows that over the length of his career he will earn more money than he will know what do do with, regardless of whether he is on £80k or £180k p/w. His main concern is to win trophies at the highest level and it wouldnt suurprise me if Gerrard's announcement of his departure made a huge difference to the way he views his own progress and possible achievements.
    Gerrard showed commitment to his club, stayed all his life, got paid well, but didn't necessarily win what he wanted to win and didnt constantly compete with the best. I think Raheem sees this and the disappointment that Gerrad must be leaving the club with, especially after last season, and he doesnt want to do the same.
    If he leaves, it is to avoid being stuck in a team that realistically will struggle to break top 4 without major changes, not because they wont pay him what he wants.

    Thats my opinion anyway, I dont know, as no-one else knows, what goes through the mind of a 20 year old who is on more money than most (if any) of us could dream to earn.

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  10. His English is pathetic. Not so very clever spelling either.

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  11. I would be willing to accept paying him appearance based salary. Unfortunately he is looking for something more, and we should move on.

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  12. The problem is that it puts the LFC management in a bad position. He is refusing to sign a contract, which puts his long term future up in the air and opens the door to a possible sale next year which we don't want. Especially for a young player, ambitions and contentedness can change a lot in just a few months, so if a big team come sniffing around, nothing tying him down could mean he starts thinking about other possibilities.


    Also, there's the wage issue. He know's he going to get paid a handsome sum in the future, but LFC are trying to sign a contract right now. He's pretty much guaranteed to have a pay raise for his next 3-4 contracts, but suddenly LFC are willing to pay him 100K. As a 20 year old, that would get my mind thinking about how much LFC are willing to go so that my pay ceiling is as high as possible.


    The biggest mistake LFC made was start talks mid-semester, if that makes sense. If we started in Jan before the end of the season frenzy, or waited until the end of May, we wouldn't have this problem.

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  13. Theo needs to be sold to Man City ! Join all the other ex-gunners. Man City needs to get more English players and Sterling & Theo can go there.

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  14. Liverpool have enough perpetual , perennial ,sicknotes in Sturridge and Lallana .
    Remy would have been an up grade on these 2.

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  15. I didn't even read the article - tired of these transfer speculations. Wrote in other post - before FSG fixes weather to carry on with BR or not, no new players are coming; it didn't happen in January, won't happen in July either.
    Can we have an article on the potential Managers to replace BR? At this moment, I think that's more appropriate.


    PS: Of all the forwards & midfielders Liverpool-Kop has introduced us as potential buy since Feb 01, I think this one (Walcott) is the most realistic - as his marque signing, BR can only bring English players, if he is ready to pay 150%-200% of the realistic value & the player is a bench warmer for a pathetic workman like English team.

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  16. I dont know that it puts us under pressure, his contract goes till 2017. We wait till end of season, see where we finish, whether we get the FA cup, check our finances, manager/board speaks to Raheem about what they want to do, what his role will be, who is coming and going, Raheem decides whether to stick with the club and sign a contract or leave for greener pastures, and the club make a giant profit and use that to sign the players we need to go on.
    The club definitely didnt address this correctly, should have either signed him up pre-season or just waited till the end of this one. Mid term isnt good for anyone, puts pressure on both the manager and the player when they need to be focused on football, nothing else.
    And if the club want to keep him that bad, they'll pay what they deem necessary, they wont be held to ransom by a player, no matter who.

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  17. I agree with most if what you saying other than the Gerrard point. Didn't constantly compete with the best? He won everything with us bar the Premier league, 2 Champions league finals, we qualified year after year for a while until the ownership sagas with the club that being said in my opinion the Premiership is the best league in the world so Gerrard gets to play against some of the best players around week in week out. That's more than a lot of players get to do so to say he hasn't achieved all he would have liked I can only think of the 1 trophy and he came damn close to that twice with us as well.

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  18. Also ran club lol. Like the one he's currently at???

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  19. Dont get me wrong Jimbob, I think Gerrard has been our greatest player during my lifetime at least, but what I refer to is more that he could play for Barca/Real/Bayern and be guaranteed CL every single year, playing against the best teams in the world consistently, not to mention playing in the competitions mostly all the way through to the final stages.
    My admiration of Gerrard is as massive as any other Liverpool fan, and he has played constantly in the best league in the world, but these days, the CL is the brightest prospect to many, especially the younger ones.

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  20. Are we now some sort of convalescent home

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  21. The biggest mistake LFC made was start talks mid-semester, if that makes sense.

    You the first person i've seen that has picked up on this ,

    I really hope Liverpool have learned their lesson NOT to do contract negotiations in the second half of the season .


    Gerrard ,Herderson and Sterling ( for less money ) have STATED that they would have signed new contract's at the start of the season .


    In future Liverpool must do ALL their contract's in the off season .

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  22. Theo Walcott?


    Over-hyped, over paid, technically inefficient, level 10 injury proneness.


    Just the sort of player I'm sure the club would love to have.

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  23. No way. Just no way.

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  24. Outstanding Qs for LFC 
    1. Why did Rodgers contribute to publicising negotiations? "Sterling has rejected a fantastic offer". Telling the media Sterling will sign way before he's put ink to paper.
    2. If so why? If only to pile on the pressure on Sterling.
    3. Sterling has 2 years left on his contract. Why the fuss? Hendo only has one year left!
    4. Has Sterling shown a desire to leave?
    5. If the club didn't want him to do the interview why didn't they do more to protect his character during all the media bashing?
    6. Why negotiate mid season? As most have highlighted already.
    IMO LFC have thrown Sterling under the bus. I've re-posted this again as I've not had anyone address these issues. Until now I still can't understand the demonising of Sterling.

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  25. Yup, steer clear.

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  26. Have you ever heard of being a LFC fan? well Walcott is one so its not beyond the realm of possibility.

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  27. Nevergonnacrackthecode11:24 am, April 10, 2015

    Only if we keep Raheem Sterling


    ...........................................Sturridge
    Sterling/Ibe............................................................Walcott/Origi
    .........................................Coutinho/Lallana
    ..............................Henderson..........Can/Lucas




    The fastest attack in the league

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  28. This is a really good series of comments and I agree with you all.

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  29. The fuss is because his value starts diminishing massively after the end of this season. The club should never let anyone's contract run down below two years. If Sterling won't sign at the start of the coming transfer window, he should be put on the transfer list and sold. If past performance is anything to go by, they will mess about for months and then panic on the last day of the window and sell him too cheap, or worse, let him start next seasomn without a new contract. The risk of the player just letting their contract expire and walking out the door with the club getting nothing is huge. Henderson's value in the market is now massively reduced and consequently he will already be talking to others who will pay him massive wages as he can walk away on a free at the end of next season - thus no fee to pay for the club he signs with. Have L.F.C. learned nothing from the Michael Owen fiasco? It's beyond belief that a major businee is run so badly. The Players are the clubs assets and any company should protect it's assets and not let them diminish in value through inactivity.

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  30. Arsenal are a big club with very moderate world wide support, who constantly underperform. I'm looking forward to Liverpool beating them in the Cup Final, where Arsenal will be the better team, but as usual on the big occasion will bottle it and Liverpool will win it. Just like 2001. They won't be playing Hull this year - so no freebies this time.

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  31. Mercenary and footballer are basically synonyms.

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  32. This shows how little you know about football. Sterling is crap but we should consider that donkey? Truly laughable.

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  33. Outstanding Questions? Are you the Rodgers of questions? Are those questions great technicians?

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  34. Not sure what you mean mate?

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  35. Outstanding has too meanings. You meant yet not answered yes? But outstanding is also a good thing and something Rodgers says. Just a joke really but suppose that falls apart when it's not understood.

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  36. Ah yes, you went to the bottom of the ocean on that post. Way to deep!

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  37. Except for Antionio Di Natale, wow what a player;)

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  38. You've done what most people do, which is to totally ignore how the club have treated Sterling. The media manipulation, the assassination of character etc etc. LFC could have done things in a more professional fashion.

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  39. He could have won leagues too. Leagues titles. Plural.

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  40. Obviously not seen Rodgers post-match interviews, he's the GOD of outstanding!

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  41. By the way developing a kid is not burning him out by surrounding him with dross then asking him to carry the club so much so that he's scrutinised the most when he should be protected. I guarantee that if we had quality in the squad his agent would have next to nothing to bargain with. We can all see that our beloved club has very little chance of being an established CL team & that's not Sterling's fault. Correct it by signing top talent or ready made quality.

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  42. Yes, I realise now. Bit slow today. Hey is Jamaica in Africa? Sorry Code couldn't help it :)

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  43. How many time I should tell you Jamaica is in fact in Liverpool? wanna know why? Just look at Sterling and Barnes:)

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  44. Great answer. Guilt got the better of me, I deleted the question. Poor Code won't hear the end of it! Please stop me if I'm tempted to go there again.

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