5 Jul 2015

Done Deal #8? Transfer for 'talented' £7m attacker to be confirmed in 'the next few days'

In 2013, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers inexplicably splurged £15m on Spanish duo Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto, both of whom were swiftly farmed out on loan after failing to make any kind of impact. Aspas has already left the club this summer (with Liverpool making a financial loss in the proces), and it appears that Alberto is also on his way out of Anfield.

On Friday, The Guardian claimed:

"Deportivo La Coruña [are] interested in signing [Alberto]. The Liverpool manager [Rodgers] does not consider Alberto part of his plans for next season".

Further reports claim that a deal will be confirmed 'in the next few days'.

Alberto made just 20 appearances Malaga during the past season, and he has now suffered the ignominy of having a 2-year loan deal cancelled after only one year (a fate which is also set to befall fellow Spaniard Javi Manquillo).

So, what went wrong at Malaga?

According to the club's boss, Javi Gracia, Alberto simply failed to 'demonstrate what a good player he is', and couldn't displace 'other' [i.e. better] 'options' in the team.

Garcia still seems to rate Alberto, though, and in a recent interview, he enthused:

"He [Alberto] is talented, finishes well and scores goals. He has a promising future. It is hard for a player to go on loan because he wants to play. I can only be fair and pick the players I think can help us most.”

The Alberto deal is a prime example of Liverpool's failed attempt to emulate the likes of Chelsea by signing young players and then sending them on loan in the hope of making a profit.

Alberto's value has probably *decreased* over the last two years, and at this stage, it's highly unlikely that the club will recoup the £7m outlay.


The same applies to the likes of Tiago Ilori, Sebastian Coates, and a whole host of other young, non-British players signed over the last 10 years.

Liverpool rarely make a profit from selling young players, and in my view, the system is failing so badly that FSG should launch an internal enquiry into why these failures keep happening.

Alberto is still only 22 years old, and as Garcia suggests, he is still capable of having a 'promising future'. One thing is certain, though: it won't be at Anfield.

Author: Jaimie K


46 comments:

  1. Lets hope that the recent additions are a million times better than these two Spaniards were but dont bank on it. History is repeating itself again as in previous years with B R stalling in his pursuit os a Striker because he is obsessed with Benteke. Villa want a rediculous fee so MOVE ON O or B R will be signing this years version of Ballatelli on final day yet again LEARN

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  2. Benteke is "this years version Balotelli".

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  3. I don't see any real similarities

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  4. Let's hope you are wrong... :-o

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  5. So with preseason training officially starting tomorrow, will we finally get to hear who the new coaching staff are?

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  6. I say again have they not been in touch yet?

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  7. Reports saying we have refused to meet Villa's £32.5m price for Benteke and that the deal is at a stalemate. Hopefully LFC are exploring other options.

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  8. I can see us settling at £35M

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  9. Brazilian press confirming we have signed Allan Rodriguez de Souza........................looks decent on the ball, good passer, DM player!!!

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  10. He is 20 million at max.
    Plus I don't see why there is so much hype around this guy.
    Immobile , Injury prone and doesn't suit Bodgers style of play.
    By showing keenness to buy Big ben Bodgers is contradicting his own philosophy.

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  11. What other options that will score 20plus goals ?

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  12. It would be very stupid to leave it this late to still find replacements but I still do not see any reason why it should have not been announced yet, especially with all the new signings that have been made.

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  13. Benteke scored 19 EPL goals in his 1st season at Villa, 10 the season after that and 13 last season. At Villa the play was based around Benteke.


    For that reason, I do not see Benteke scoring 20 EPL goals for us either and at £32.5m, Villa will be smiling all the way to the bank.

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  14. Llorente or Gomez????...........................more likely?.

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  15. tbh I do not get the sacking of Pascoe and Marsh and I cannot understand how Ayre can get away with a PR interview about the way forward without commenting on it

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  16. I agree ,Benteke is not the right type of player for LFC but we need a striker and I just do not see it happening ,ala Benteke on the last day for 32.5

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  17. Llorente 20 goals in a season , I doubt it ?
    Gomez maybe ?

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  18. They will struggle struggle against the the likes of the mighty Adelaide United and Brisbane sides without assistants.

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  19. Origi can play the Benteke role, so a bit of class might help him, either are good strikers but not really pressers of the ball.

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  20. Is that not a brand of spaghetti?

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  21. Of course the big news of the day is that competitive eating Champ Joey Chestnut was dethroned by Matt "Megatoad" Stonie at Nathan's annual 4th July hot dog eating contest by 62 to 60.


    Incredible stuff, watching these two great athletes go toe-to-toe.

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  22. Haha 😆 a bit of humour to lighten the angst of being a LFC supporter.

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  23. I now have a lovely image of two of the giants of the game trying to get "toe to toe" whilst stuffing their faces with hotdogs without falling over ;-)

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  24. Thought you'd like that, as a bit of a hot dog yourself.

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  25. That made me smile too ;-)

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  26. Various reports saying that Newcastle's Moussa Sissoko is emerging as a 'top target' for Liverpool. What are people's thoughts on him?


    My own opinion (based on watching the occasional Newcastle game) is that when he's good, he's very very good; powerful, athletic and can control games form a deep-lying position - but when he's bad, he's bloody awful. That up-and-down sort of form is a bit of a concern. Having said that, the whole Toon side often seems infected by a heavy malaise, so maybe it's unfair to single out the poor form of one player.

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  27. Just read that too.like you I havent watched that much of him but he looked very impressive at times.couldn't believe how bad his stats were in the article I just read tho.something like four goals and 3 assists.was expecting them to be much better..

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  28. Have to admit I thought he was a more prolific goalscorer too, but I guess the stats don't lie; he has something like 30 goals over his entire senior career. He might not add goals particularly, but he has a ton of Prem experience and would certainly add some much-needed steel to our midfield I think. In the games I've watched, he's often Newcastle's best player and usually is the one that makes them tick.


    I guess it all comes down to cost, and I have absolutely no idea what a reasonable fee for him would be.

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  29. i worry about his disicipline. especailly when the team is playing bad. but that could just be frustration at newcastle that team has to be hard to play for.

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  30. From what I've seen of him he seems to be an excellent runner with the ball,something we haven't had since Stevie G.Saying that Emre Can seems to be able to run through that midfield area with ease.so I guess he would be OK at 'reasonable' money but don't really know where everyone would fit in..

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  31. Yeah I though a bit about discipline too, but Newcastle's collective discipline is pretty bad. I do feel that good discipline will be easier for Sissoko to achieve in a more disciplined team.

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  32. Can only see them buying a defensive mid and then its likely they would have to sell Allen or Lucas to buy one.
    Wouldnt bother with Sissoko we definitely dont need him and Newcastle would rob us blind.

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  33. From what I've seen of him he seems to be an excellent runner with the ball,something we haven't had since Stevie G.Saying that Emre Can seems to be able to run through that midfield area with ease . so I guess he would be OK at 'reasonable' money but don't really know where everyone would fit in.

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  34. this is a serious question.
    would you rather be bitten by a player during a game or have a player quite literally shove some fingers up your yahoo?
    personally i'll take the bite, sexually violating somebody is beyond disgusting. Chile was in my opinion pretty disgraceful this Copa America. But I will give credit to Canvani if someone where to do that to me i would turn and drop him no if's and or but's about it. Can't believe he was sent off. South Americans in general showed a lack of class throughtout the tournament.

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  35. Again! We should still be in credit with Newcastle for Andy Carroll. Even if they gave us sissoko for free we've STILL been done

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  36. Could I have both?

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  37. Maybe instead of Moussa Sissoko have a look at Bolasie on the wing to replace Sterling ?

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  38. That guy will cost more than Suarez, according to deluded Pardew.

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  39. someones frisky lol

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  40. New coaching setup = new ideas = new training schedules = new methods = players having to adapt etc. Unless more yes men are being employed of course.


    Preseason will be best to get these things underway so that when the season officially starts, there will be no 'we have no idea what to do on the pitch' like last season.

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  41. Maybe they don't press as those are not the tactics of the coaches they play for.

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  42. Doesn't fit Liverpool's style. Good for corners and not much else. Ings will score more goals

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  43. Glad the deadwood is getting cleared with COATES, Aspas, Johnson and now Alberto although I would rather he be sold. Addressing the point of the article, we seem to not pick the young ones as well as perhaps others but by definition, "investing in kids for the future" by definition is risky. I think the scouting system should be inspected and corrected but ultimately the coaching staff owns some responsibility in bringing young ones along and giving them their shot is certain situations. I think we could do MUCH better on this front.

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