23 Jun 2015

Better than Neymar: Liverpool chase £20m goal-machine who'd be 'happy' to sign for a 'Premier League' club

In January, Liverpool were linked with a move for Sevilla star Carlos Bacca, and with the Colombian seemingly open to a Premier League transfer, the Reds have reportedly made the striker a top transfer priority this summer.

According to an exclusive in the Liverpool Echo:

* LFC are targeting Bacca as an alternative to Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke.

* 'Anfield staff' are currently scouting Bacca at the Copa America.

* Bacca is allegedly available for a £20 million transfer fee.

In April, Bacca admitted that he'd leave Sevilla if the club decided to 'cash-in', and when specifically asked last month about transfer interest from Liverpool and Tottenham, he told Sky Sports:

“It fills me with joy that they [Spurs/Liverpool] comment about me, or I read that I am going to one team or to another. I want to finish the season as best as possible, and I leave everything in the hands of God.”

Football expert Guillem Balague also claims that Bacca wants a move to the Premier League. On Sunday evening, he told Sky Sports:

"He [Bacca] likes the idea of coming to the Premier League...and would be happy to continue that progression abroad. Sevilla expect an offer, it hasn't arrived yet."

Some info about 28-year old Bacca:

* Contract expires: 2018

* Buyout Clause: €30m

* Right-footed striker.

* 7 goals in 17 apps for Colombia.

* 2013: Belgian League's 'Player of the Year'

* 2014: Named 'Best Signing of the year' by Marca.

* 2014: Beat Neymar to LFP Award for 'Best Player of the Americas'.

* 2014: Europa League winner with Sevilla.

* 2015: Sent off last week during a Copa America match against Brazil.

Stats:

* Sevilla Total: 46 goals/21 assists in 105 apps (Goal assist every 1.5 games).

* This Season: 25 goals/9 assists in 53 appearances (Goal/Assist every 1.5 games)

Bacca is in his prime right now, and he's grabbed 20+ goals in 5 of the last 7 season (including the last three years) so he basically guarantees a consistent supply of goals.

Additionally, like Luis Suarez, Bacca is a tough, robust player, and in the last ten years, he's suffered only one minor injury (muscle strain), which is very impressive.



Like so many other players, though, the Colombian has his heart set on a move to Barcelona, and he confirmed: this earlier in the season:

"It would be a dream to be at a club as big as Barca, but one always has to live in reality. I'm with Sevilla, where I'm very happy and have a contract. What happens next is whatever God wills."

Bacca is 29 this year, so he's only got another couple of years at the highest level. As such, FSG may consider it too much of a risk to spend big bucks on a player with minimal future sell-on value..

Worth pursuing?


Author: Jaimie K


139 comments:

  1. Lfc will spend all money on mediocre players, padding out the squad with no real world class running through the team. We are in souness country. Spent tons on average rubbish!! Liverpools first signing should of been ancellotti, klopp or Benitez. Keeping Rodgers is as pointless as keeping joe Allen and borini!

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  2. Surely owning a football team is firstly about winning .?
    If you want to make money ,Surely there are better ways than owning a football club ?
    LFC have shown over the last 8 years spending 500m on players is not very profitable !

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  3. This fellow should have been our first priority followed by a decent defensive mid

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  4. I am almost certain this is a bluff by BR to try and get Villa to sell Benteke - the Columbian is too old for FSG despite being the better player - we are going to spend the entire summer faffing about with buying a striker AGAIN because B R always gets it WRONG. I like R Firmino BUT we best sign him TODAY since one big game in Copa America and he will be CHELSEA bound yet again and B R stunned

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  5. Why are you so hung up on Rodgers, he is not going anywhere anytime soon, why don't you accept it and rather involve yourself in a discussion related to the topic. :/

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  6. The comments by Phil are what I hear by 90 per cent of Red fans - no exaggeration - I hope B R turns it around but boy has he got some convincing to do

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  7. He has to say something, otherwise no one will!
    Oh wait, maybe that's all most people comment about on here...
    "uhhh Rodgers is just the worst, he's definitely going to buy rubbish players and cant manage a team. Welsh Xavi this, overpraise that, players out of position wah wah"
    You must know the tune by now

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  8. One reason i suppose you empty your coffers on players would be to avoid paying tax.

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  9. I don' think this is a bluff, Benteke is a good striker but injury prone, maybe worth a shot if the price were 15-20mil, 30 plus is too much. And this guy or firmino or even rondon would be a much better option.

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  10. 100% agree. If we signed Benteke for £15m, I'd be over the moon, he'd be a really good addition to the squad, but for £30m+, he would be our marquee and possibly one of our only decent sized signings, which would be very poor.

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  11. True Story. XD
    In other news Firmino seems like a done deal. He would be a good signing IMO.

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  12. Whats the source for the done deal? If we could wrap this up, it would be awesome from what I've heard. Not seen a helluvalot of him, but everyone is raving. What kind of moolah are we talking?

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  13. Dont talk too soon we have seen this before Liverpools Liverpools no Chelseas lets just hope he comes.

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  14. http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/23/roberto-firmino-signing-five-year-liverpool-contract-transfer-is-close-5258667/

    Not sure if this is legit. Something better than nothing I guess.

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  15. By buying better players even if to old for FSG surly even they should understand that by getting into C/L that would make them more money and attract better and younger players to the team.

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  16. Very relevant to this article on Carlos Bacca, take a sweet out of the jar.

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  17. Surely he wouldnt sign for Chelski... According to all sources he is a good player, but he'll have to beat Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Cuadrado, Fabregas and Ramires for the attacking mid spots yeah?

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  18. The Metro... Ugh...
    No credibility at all to speak of, but exciting nonetheless

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  19. Well then pay 20m for Bacca at least you will win more games than wasting 27 odd m on Balo ,Borini ,Lambert and loss games and money !

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  20. Sorry dont mean Chelsea but we get built up by the media that we have someone all but signed and either someone swoops in or they go to their original suitors.
    It could be a ploy to push up Uniteds wage offer anyway time will tell.

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  21. And what happens if Bacca doesnt translate his form to the premier league? Balo was a bargain at 16m based on his history, Borini was a promising young player, Lambert a cheap and loyal addition, but none of them could replicate their previous form. Hindsight is 20/20 my friend

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  22. We are currently linked with so many strikers, Benteke, Lorente, Bacca, Firmino, etc we can't just go and buy everyone of them, we have Origi Ings and possibly Sturridge for next season, so we need one more and possibly the best of those being linked. As JK said I'm not sure FSG would sanction such a deal for Bacca.

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  23. Which would be the BEST one for LFC right now ?

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  24. It was first reported by Globoesporte a Brazilian media outlet there may well be some truth.

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  25. Firmino IMO.

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  26. If baseball had relegation, the Red Sox would have been relegated 3 of the past 4 seasonsseasons (though in that other season they won a championship). As someone who also follows baseball the idea that the owners are somehow sacrificing LFC for the Red Sox is ridiculous. Many of their top players have been "traded" away recently as well. Whether applying baseball principles to football is a good idea is another matter entirely...

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  27. How much did he pay for Walcott and Chamberlain?
    If memory serves me correctly they were both double figured teenage purchases from our favourite feeder club.

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  28. I'm sure your Mrs wouldn't come home with a dildo when she has such a massive prick at home.
    I used to agree with you quite a bit but now you just seem bitter and unable to see any view point whuch differs from your own.

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  29. all moaning and no sense makes phil a dull boy

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  30. Only Hazard and Fabregas are better than Firmino and the latter plays a bit deeper in the midfield. If Chelsea sign Firmino, I fully expect him to cement first team place as a no. 10 ahead of Oscar or any other players you mentioned. He will go to Chelsea if they are interested.

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  31. I'd take Oscar in that case! He gets a heap of stick, but I seriously rate him. Those two behind a striker would be sweeeeeet.

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  32. Great comment Benji, I wish fans would stop moaning about Rodgers, FSG, Ian Ayre, moneyball, defense coach, Allen is a love child, Lovren is a Conference player, scouts don't look outside of England, no players wanna come here and why would they with Rodgers, FSG, Ian Ayre, moneyball .......

    On topic though, I'd feel a bit disappointed with the signing of Bacca. Lacazatte or Firmino would be a better signing for that forward role, and are also at a better age to improve even further and give us their best years

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  33. hmm, I am happy with Coutinho who I feel is better than Oscar.

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  34. Somebody needs to tell "FSG" sometimes experience cost less than potential, Llalana, Markovic, Lovren, i could go on but whats the point. We need a couple of marquee players like Bacca, Firmino or the likes to give everybody who is either involved in the club ( Players, Coatches, Staff and we the Supporters ) something to look forward too, and it will give us all reason to be happy again and will no doubt bring us all together once again like we where in our most successful years.

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  35. Yeah certainly on his day, Coutinho is better but he can be very inconsistent. Here's hoping he keeps improving like he has been, kid's got some serious tekkers.

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  36. Im lost on how BR and his committee dont see the logic of selling Sterling for lesser than that 40 mill if it means getting Kolarov or Nasri (oops im too optimistic on that one)

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  37. Just Benj buddy, Benji is a dogs name :)
    I just don't see the point in moaning hey, Rodg is our manager and will most likely be manager till at least Christmas, so let's show him support, yeah?
    Most of the whinging is based on fans 'knowing' certain things that they can't possibly know, and that gets my goat in a big way. There is a reason BR is getting paid the big bucks, because he knows how to manage alot better than the rest of us. I have full faith that this transfer window will be a solid, if unspectacular one for us, likewise with this season.
    Having said that, if we find ourselves struggling by the halfway point, I wouldnt be surprised if FSG make some changes, but I'm not wishing for it by any means. Klopp doesnt inspire me any more than BR and Ancelotti is just a face, not a manager IMO.
    I'd be much happier with Lacazette aswell, but our squad does need some experienced players in it. Milner was a good buy imo, if only for his experience and being a mentor for Hendo and our other midfielders. I agree with RedmenTV that he is going to be a player that, while he may not be amazing, will be a fan favourite, a la Kuyt/Bellamy/Garcia.

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  38. Lallana and Lovren weren't really bought based on potential, both had just completed a very successful Premier league season and both had international caps. Markovic I get though, it was alot of money but he needs time.

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  39. A club as big as Barca is not the same as Barca. We're a club as big as Barca. We just don't have the manager and squad to show it :-) You forgot 2015 won the Europa League again by the way..

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  40. Yes he is very inconsistent and so is Oscar.

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  41. Bar his first few games he was our best and most consistent player

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  42. Yeah but with our squad's level of consistency last term, that's not high praise...
    But yeah dont get me wrong, he's the best we've got at the moment, the only player that comes close is an in-form Sturridge, and I pray that we will see that Sturridge play this season!

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  43. Ah for the days when a handshake was enough.....;-)

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  44. Hey Benji! ;-)

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  45. Petr Cech to Arsenal. Arsenal going to be a force to be reckoned with this coming season.

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  46. Reports coming out from Brasil (Globoesporte) claiming we have agreed a 25M Euro for Firmino on a 5 year deal.


    Guys, let me just say this...it was also reported we have agreed a fee for Depay and how he was "desperate" to move to us and reject United. And the United came in casually and sealed the deal.


    Having a bid accepted means very little, if United make a bid the Firmino will probably join them.


    Don't get your hopes up lads!

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  47. Based on whatever reason Lallana and Lovren were bought, they are not and will never be worth a combined £45m.

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  48. Worth £25m? Really?

    Apparently Firmino can be signed for less than that.

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  49. Copa America still on. I doubt anything is going to happen until it is over.


    But yes, do not hold your breath re Firmino joining LFC.

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  50. Would be great though!

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  51. No, £45 m. Maybe not on the market, but worth for us.

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  52. Hahahaha.. Hope Benj gets it..

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  53. Nothing wrong with being that positive, just like last season...

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  54. I like the attitude this Ings kid have.. Good interview in The Independent..

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  55. Nice piece on him in the Guardian too -- clearly has a smart agent ;)

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  56. United bought 29 year old Van Persie for 27mn and he won them the league. Mancini said that Van Persie chose United which cost us the title. Sometimes the risk is worth it if reward is much greater. However, Bacca is a solid player but whether he suits our style of play or not is debatable.

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  57. I really think Lallana is one of the best players that came(and will come) to us in years(to come). Shame we were as bad as we were, but there are reasons, or the way you call them- excuses for that...

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  58. I refuse to believe it, multiple reports today claiming we have managed to sign Roberto Firmino with 5 year contract from infront of scum. This is too good to be true.

    not gonna believe it till he is photographed in kit on official site.


    if that is by some miracle a fact, and we manage to pull in lets say Bacca, and sell "Mercenary" for 50 mil. the Milner + Ings deals will suddenly seem like very astute piece of business.

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  59. i just posted something in lines, but waiting for moderator.

    i so wish it to be true. a quality player. and bonus of stealing him infront of mancs. would be a nice change, not buying it untill he is in kit on lfc site.

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  60. I like Bacca, a lot. but id still go for Luiz Adriano.

    Coutinho-Firmino-Adriano. a little bit of brazilian flair =)

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  61. Nice analysis. We should not have paid that much for the hyped up Carroll. Just like Manure could end up doing on Kane. One season aint enough to raise a rookie's fee to those levels.

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  62. BR wont play them,. Illori, Coates and GOmex all seem much better than Kolo syndrome and Lovreniasis in defence. but in his warped wisdom, BR plays his senior failures day in day out at the expense of the better young guys.

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  63. I have to disagree in totality. Coutinho is the best signing under Rodgers. Sturridge if he can prove his fitness another is logical signing. Both came at rock bottom prices and hit the ground running.


    Cannot see Lallana reaching the heights at Anfield like Coutinho and Sturridge have. AL is the one player which will have the most to prove this coming season and I believe that mountain is going to be far too much for him to climb.

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  64. He'll climb higher than expected..

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  65. He'll be absolutely terrific in central defence [just thought i'd say it before someone else does] ;-)

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  66. No arguing for me, they certainly werent and arent. Based on form, I would have been happy to have signed both for £15m each. Based on their seasons with us, Lovren could be raffled off, Lallana would be around 10-12. Pretty sad what one poor season can do!

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  67. Bacca over Benteke every day of the week for me

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  68. For me, Origi over Benteke...

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  69. Yea, I'll be very dissatisfied if we end up shelling out crazy money for Benteke. I'm not at all convinced by him

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  70. Sturridge and Baloteli/Ings when all fit, Origi for Daniel when not. Think we might not be in for a striker this summer..

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  71. BREAKING NEWS: Liverpool are on the cusp of a major improvement in transfer fortunes as they prepare to narrowly miss out on signing Brazil playmaker Roberto Firmino.

    This represents a quantum leap forward from previous transfer sagas, in which the Reds were from the outset doomed to 'not a snowball's chance in a polar bear's stomach'.

    Firmino, a prolific attacking midfielder who has enjoyed two good seasons with Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, is said to be flattered by the Reds' interest, with unconfirmed reports claiming he was most impressed by the fact that they submitted an "actual bid". The sleek-haired youngster will apparently sign for Liverpool's arch-rivals Manchester United, with Reds officials satisfied that this is an attempt by Firmino to seek comfort with semi-regular picnics by the river Mersey.

    Next on Liverpool CEO Ian Ayre's high-profile list of targets is midfielder Asier Illaramendi, whom Ayre is confident will only reject Liverpool's incentivised offer after giving it two rounds of serious thought. It's unclear how long each of these rounds is meant to last, although precedent suggests ten minutes each is acceptable.

    Liverpool have already beaten Bolton Wanderers' bench to Adam Bogdan's signature, and a close call with Illaramendi would be another feather in the famous Liverbird's wing. The farcical Mateo Kovacic circus has also provided pleasing football fantasies for many Kopites.

    Meanwhile, manager Brendan Rodgers was overheard mumbling a muffled montage of terms like "technician", "intensity" and "going forward as a club", although some of his go-to adjectives were missing from the monologue. Puzzled onlookers were unsure whether this had anything to do with the club's media blackout since the Stoke debacle.

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  72. My whole mood would change if we signed Firmino + Bacca + a goalkeeper... I hate to go on stereotypes but these South Americans seem to have way more fight and determination. Apparently this Bacca fella had nothing a few years ago, he was a poor fisherman, now he just won the Europa league single handed.

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  73. So the solution is either no one is allowed to comment on Rodgers anymore or we lie about him and say he is a great manager who knows exactly what he's doing and he's only signed great players. Yes, let's do that for a while...

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  74. They called Ings, Milner and Bogdan too..I think what you'll find with outlets like Metro is that they publish anything they hear without checking things too often. So they're wrong more often than they're right but when they are right, they were often also first. Whereas once news makes it to the BBC or Liverpool Echo websites, it's always old news but you can be pretty much 100% sure that it will happen.

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  75. Name one manager that fills that criteria in the modern game. Theres one thing pointing out his flaws but to repeat the same thing 50 times in every comments section

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  76. You want the people at FSG to understand that. just by managing to get us to the top 4 (easier said than done), we would recoup the money we spent on him. The remaining years of his contract are just bonus.

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  77. The Croatian Kovacic or the Brazilian Firmino Jamie ???????????// Please choose - Former for me but suspect most will choose the latter

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  78. Bacca or Rondon would be a smart signing, then if we throw Firmino in the mix then I might be able to manage to be a little more optimistic about the new season. But the likelyhood is we will probably end up with Jonathan Cheesecake DM, Freddie Butterfingers GK, Willie Stroker ST & Chris P. Bacon WG (who you ask? Exactly) for a combined fee of £50m......When Bacca and Firmino have signed and are wearing our clubs shirt then my optimisim and expectations will remain somewhere between knee high and barely off the floor.

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  79. Sorry Benj, I actually remember those Benji dog films too, that's going back a few too many years though.
    You've just about nailed it with all your points as well. I wouldn't mind Klopp but he struggled just as much as Rodgers last year. I'm not saying Klopp is a bad manager but neither is Rodgers. Fans seem to remember Klopp's good moments but forget Rodgers was 1 or 2 games from the title........ oh sorry that was all Suarez's doing, nothing to do with any other players or management team!!

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  80. East or west brendan the best1:41 pm, June 23, 2015

    It's been reported on sky that we are after firmino bacca and rondon..finally feels like br is gonna do some shit:)

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  81. Normally he mentions Gerrard at every opportunity . So Mr Rodgers what do you think of Ibe ? Rodgers reply, well Gerrard is a great player and will help bring him on. Will you be starting Ibe next season Me Rodgers? Rodgers reply . We will certainly miss Gerrard . But what about Ibe Mr Rodgers ? Rodger Reply. Gerrard will return to liverpool someday , he's been a legend for this club. Ibe Mr Rodgers what about flippin Ibe ? Sorry folks that's all I've got time for

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  82. Of course he will. He is the best

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  83. Both are different player.

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  84. I have no doubt the Ings interview would have made a fair few fans warm to the thought of him playing in an LFC shirt. If he does the business on the pitch and keeps humble then the fans will really take a shine to him.

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  85. The biggest thing about Ings for me is that he seems firmly rooted to the ground. He's not gonna go on a diva spiral like Raheem, he's not going to act out like Suarez, and he know his ability, unlike Borini. He'll work hard for the chance, and hopefully he'll take it. For me, the only question is his ability and possible ceiling, though I'm sure he's good enough for 3rd choice (2nd if Studge is out).

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  86. Got to be some truth in these Firmino rumours, as it's been reported in the echo. Come on Coutinho, get in the lads ear.

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  87. And Lucas.... He tends to be convincing with that goofy face of his, dunno why :D

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  88. Benji Marshall is a dog?

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  89. Sky and Echo... Bacca, Firmino, Rondon. Not that bad...

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  90. Dont think Lucas is over there mate. Should send him out on a mission- get us Firmino

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  91. Benteke does not fit our style of play.


    We were the team with the least amount of crosses last season out of any other team in the league which is what Benteke thrives on so it would make absolute no sense to sign him.

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  92. Signing a prolific goal scorer should have been priority no 1 last season. Did not happen.


    Defensive midfielder is an absolute must. Has not happened and will not happen at this point.


    We get linked with endless amounts of Defenders, attacking midfielders and strikers. How many defensive mids do we get linked with? The media have even figured out that Brendan is not keen on defensive midfielders. They can even see it on the pitch.

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  93. Carroll over Benteke.

    Maybe that's going a little far, but...

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  94. Remember when we had already signed Sanchez last summer?

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  95. Not sold on Rondon, but Bacca and Firmino would both be super signings in my book. Maybe not quite 'marquee', but probably as close to it at we're ever likely to get. 'Pagoda' signings, if you like.


    Also, I like the sound of Willie Stroker up top. Let's hope he beats off all the competition to become our next major signing!

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  96. Danny Ward agrees new deal with LFC...


    At this point I am not really getting into who we may sign.


    I am more interested in who may leave. Space for new players will have to be made otherwise we will have 10 strikers and 20 midfielders on the books.


    Thinking about the Ilori situation and what his father said that he will get a chance, maybe that is the end of Skrtel who is still to agree a new contract? I really would like to see Ilori given a chance as he is a CB with pure pace which will be very welcome and has some very good passing ability too.


    So I reckon LFC will be very keen to see Lucas, Coates, Skrtel, Balo, Borini, Enrique, and Alberto leave. Manquillo's loan to be cancelled too.


    Lucas for me hopefully stays as he is the only player which is adept when covering for our defence but it is most likely he will rot on the bench if he stays.


    Cannot see us recouping that much from the above list. Lucas and Skrtel we can sell on for decent fees. the others we may have to give away as they have hardly seen the pitch at Anfield and when they did never impressed.



    The Wage bill will be freed up though, that would be the only positive. Who we sign to replace the outgoing players is anyone's guess especially if we have been shopping at relegated/Championship teams.

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  97. Fred Vargas Asiedu3:42 pm, June 23, 2015

    All Lfc need is 3 good effective signings to spark some life into us and we all know the key to this being a reality, will be off loading Sterling to the mancs..Hopefully, after we swindle them for £50mill, we will invest the money with a strker, a defensive midfielder and a natural right full back..If we are able to get Bacca, Illaramendi and Clyne, that will be an excellent summer since these players will massively improve our squad but wouldn't mind us rather opting for Luis Adriano, Imbulla and montoya...Hope FSG and BR gets it right this time because Adam Bodgan and Joe Gomez signings are still freaking me out.

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  98. Too late AGAIN - His club have just said no deal can now be made until Brazil complete Copa America - If R Firmino plays well he will be going to Chelsea or someone like that - Its LFC fault - hopeless at everything to do with transfers except free agents AND we have nobody to blame except ourselves. I am not too depressed because I think the Croatian is a better bet - BUT how does Ayre Survive HOW ??

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  99. Yeah I'm just amazed we've not signed contracted players before the window opens, should have signed him in march

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  100. Agreed on Lucas. He's almost a part of the furniture at Anfield now and I dig his attitude, always have. I'd like us to keep him, if possible, for his experience, professionalism and his level-headedness on the field. But I would empathise if it is was his wish to move on, he doubtless wants to be starting every game at his stage in his career.

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  101. 1. Sterling was arrested for assault. How is that not embarrassing to the club? Regardless of the fact that the charges were ultimately dropped, it's embarrassing. Also, do you know who escorted him to the courthouse? Brendan Rodgers.


    2. Sterling said he isn't a money grabber. I say I'm the greatest basketball player in the world. Doesn't mean he's not a money grabber and doesn't mean I'm the greatest basketball player in the world.


    3. In that interview, he said it's "quite flattering" to be linked with Arsenal. He didn't say anything positive about Liverpool.


    I have no hatred for Sterling. Selling him for upwards of 50m will only help the club.


    In fact, I have more of an issue with Borini and his agent than I do with Sterling. Borini could have left last summer and the club would have gotten 14m. The club told Borini that he was not going to feature much this year. He decided to stay (mainly because he didn't want to take a pay cut to go to Sunderland), and now his agent is complaining that he wants to leave and should have played more this past season.

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  102. Torres was worse than Carroll. Chelsea own that distinction.

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  103. ..I think there's alot of truth to both comments immediately below...


    ...yes, we cannot sign players before certain dates and requirements Hawthorn....agreed.....


    ....but.....


    ...Ray...I have to agree, we do our business sooooo slow and with so much 'sledgehammer' activity and 'noise' that nothing ever gets done without other parties finding out and just sauntering in like more powerful predators and nickin' targets from under our noses....


    ...we seem to hang it out and bang the drums for ages as if we want others to see what we doing and come in for them...there is a comment from Y.O. below which is very dry and sarcastic but also rings so true about the possibility LFC hierarchy 'want' to look like they are donig stuff and going after targets and we as fans should just be happy we almost 'caught the bus' but didn't...but ...'well we had a right real go at it, didn't we boys...eh'...'its all in the playing..eh lads...not the winning..'


    ...yeah, right....


    ...if, and its a big IF, we get him (bacca) or as is reported Firminho, then I will take a day off from my work and get proper drunk....in the knowledge that LFC were always just playing to strategy rather than being absolutely f*cked and hand-tied from owners through to negotiating staff to players.....


    ...that we always had it in control....and I'm an optimist so I'm looking forward to getting right royal pissed.....

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  104. I'm pretty sure it'll get better once he's gone :-) Seriously, what riles me about the guy is that he flat out refuses to take responsibility. Now his assistants have to go yet he stays on? That's just not right. Not to mention the fact that he hasn't replaced the assistants yet so it seems to me that this was not a very well planned decision.

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  105. I've no doubt that Ings will be a big hit with the support and with his teammates. He's a good character and will give everything on the pitch. I hope he has the confidence to show his quality; we're getting a better player than many are anticipating, I feel.

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  106. Exactly mate! Firmino and Bacca are far more up 'The Ladder of Ambition' than the usual players Rodgers tends to go for.

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  107. Perfectly said.

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  108. I hope so mate because at the end of the day he is a Liverpool player..Time will only tell if he is a success but refusing not to wear the No 7 shirt as he feels it needs to be earned is a great start in winning the fans over.

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  109. Sir Jaimie,
    I read most of what u write and often u are.

    But I struggle to see the point u make. We have constrained resources and at this point can't attract the best. This is not a debate. Sanchez proved that. As did Willian, take your pick of names linked with us.

    Would love to understand your transfer policy. And who u would buy. Have followed you long enough to know that the only guy u grudgingly admitted was good enough at the time was Suarez. In my books like Torres that was a one off. Few and far between our transfer policy. But what are our options? U Dinged lallana - I think he has potential, as does Marko. Sturridge u n I agree on but even with his injury record he was a steal. Not for our numero uno striker but a good option. That leaves PC who was unknown and..... Cheap.

    To paraphrase and I am sure this isn't done quite right- sterling dint add much till he asked for more. Ibe offers lesser but asks for less. But the two should not be equated. Who would u rather have?

    I get most of what u say but how is a retired heroes press comments enough for a plug n play article?

    Know this is blog and not some pulitzer winning piece- but think you may have more to offer

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  110. Don't worry the up vote was given as I assumed you'd been lucky enough to have seen them live - surprisingly for me, I hadn't considered it from a euphemism point of view.
    San Fran seems like a great place to visit and who cares which team people bat for, I'm sure they don't ask you your preference on the way in, and imagine there's plenty of fine women their too :)

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  111. Bacca and Firmino, as talented as they are, are from mid-table teams. The same as Southampton. It is the same as last season, but foreign players. The only successful players we've had in the recent past have been from teams competing for at least the CL.
    Successful signings like Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho, Can and to an extent Sakho were all from teams who at that time were in the CL.
    Apart from Milner, none of the new signings will have CL experience among our targets. (apart from maybe Illaramendi)

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  112. The other non-financial issues are, as I see it, quite simple:
    He wants to play for another, in his opinion better, Club, where he feels he has more chance of winning stuff. Which although perhaps a little disrespectful towards the Club (us) who put him in the limelight alongside one of the greatest players in the world and allowed him to showcase his skills, is maybe fair enough, it's certainly his choice.
    However, why he and his agent couldn't keep that thought to themselves until the end of the season is beyond me, I think the two of them caused an unnecessary disruption to the end of our season, which maybe cost us fourth spot and for that reason, as well as the fact he wants to leave, I feel the time has come to accept a decent offer and draw a line under the whole sorry mess.

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  113. You have the most clickbait tabloidy headlines, but it's your blog! :) No, Bacca is not "better than Neymar". He'd be a great signing for the team though, I don't think his age should count against him given that Sturridge (25), Origi (20) and Ings (21) are pretty young themselves.

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  114. Lacazette is from a mid table club? Depay? It is about qulity,not the club he is coming from..

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  115. How do you know all of this stuff and why aren't you telling us all the Lotto numbers, I can see Lallana going on to be worth £45million by himself.

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  116. I will have to disagree with your points related to Sterling. Charges were dropped so there is nothing to be embarrassed about and that's just one little thing in last 5 years. Also, i think if Sterling would have admitted being money grabber ...you would then believe him because it suits your arguement. We are on different page here. Let's fold it.

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  117. It just isn't about quality. Big fish, small pond. It's the mentality that matters. Last year Lallana, Lovren were thought as quality and Markovic and Moreno were expected to be top class talents. They've done zilch compared to what they did prior to transfer from their respective clubs. Lacazette and Depay are not our targets, but one was top scorer in the league and the other won the title.

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  118. Would you at least agree that Sterling shouldn't have done the interview in the first place? I think that would have been best for all parties (including himself)

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  119. Babel want Liverpool return...what your take

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  120. I think he did it because he was being heavily criticised and he may have felt the need to come out and clarify that its not about the money. In the hindsight...it might have been prevented but 19 year old under such pressure can make mistakes.

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  121. And Firminho is in the starting line up of Brazil?

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  122. I'll put it to you this way... it was not a spur of the moment decision. I understand he's 19, but he didn't get caught with laughing gas (oh wait, he did... twice).

    This was a calculated decision to do an interview about a touch subject.

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  123. Sky sports have made statement regards Firmino and they are normally quite accurate , no deal will be done until South American tournament is over , seen a lot of video footage of him looks very very good !!

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  124. I think you have to realise yes we would all love massive big signings coming to Us , but bottom line is yes we can afford transfer fees it's the wages these top players expect ! when we get ground extension and back in Champions league then we will have more realistic chance of getting top sought after players , would love Lacazette to sign realistically he won't .

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  125. Phil agree with you about Borini and Allen , however disagree about Rogers , you say no world class players in the team
    Young Brazilian by name of Cautinho , little bit useful I think and deffo world class buddy

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  126. Agree. Look at the outpouring of support for Tony Adams( drink driving, alcoholism) Gazza (wife beating, alcoholism) Paul Merson (gambling addiction)
    That assault charge was a vindictive act of revenge apparently, and he was neot guilty, so why so much is made of a bit of helium I'll never know.
    He's definitely to blame for not kicking that tw @t of an agent into touch though ..

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  127. Yes if they aint Rabbitohs its most likely so!!!

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  128. Hey DinMan. Thanks for the vote of confidence. Yeah that's exactly what I was trying to say.

    As it turns out, we actually signed Firmino :) Imagine! So I have to retract that comment haha. Credit to the club!

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  129. Keep Lucas and play the man regularly. Or so I wish.

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  130. Slumdog Mignolet12:35 pm, June 24, 2015

    You are so negative... give it a rest!

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  131. There are...but they aren't worth a t0ss when compared with English women!

    Trust me when I say this, English women are by far the best!

    Russian women a close second ; )

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  132. Maybe FSG just want the cash then...

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