Javier Mascherano wanted to leave Anfield his summer and did his very best to make this happen. Despite Liverpool resurrecting his career, he wanted out. Now we discover that the club may reward him with a pay-rise?! Does this irritate anyone else or is it just me?
As a matter of fact, Mascherano wanted to leave Liverpool. Despite being close to winning the title and playing Champions League football every year, Anfield was apparently not good enough for Argentina’s captain.
At the beginning of July, Mascherano’s brother, Sebastian told Spain's COM Radio:
“If Barcelona really come with a very good cash offer, I believe Javier may leave Liverpool as it would be the best for him and his family. But I think that if there is no good offer, they will not let him go."
He added: “I am sure Messi and Javier have spoken. Leo is one of the people who have been pushing the most for Javier to play at Barca".
Would such a statement have been made without Mascherano’s knowledge? I think not.
Rafa Benitez blocked a proposed move to Barcelona and later revealed that Mascherano was ‘disappointed’ at having to stay at Liverpool:
“I had to talk to Javier a little bit. Barcelona is a top side, so if a club like Barcelona, who won three trophies in the last year, are interested it’s not easy for any player.
“We told Javier he was so important for us and we wanted to keep him. He was a bit disappointed as it was a fantastic opportunity with a big club. But he is happy here, and as a player and a person you can trust him 100%.”
Barcelona is a ‘top side’ and a 'big club? So is Liverpool last time I checked.
How can someone be ‘disappointed’ to play for Liverpool?! What in insult to the club that resurrected Mascherano’s flagging career. If Anfield is not good enough for Mascherano then I would prefer it if he just left. Indeed, I wrote an article at the time exhorting Liverpool to just sell him, as he was eminently more replaceable than Xabi Alonso.
As usual though, the management and the fans pandered to the player because of his perceived importance. Basically, despite Mascherano wanting to leave and trying to engineer a move to a team he clearly thinks is better, Benitez bowed down, kissesd his feet and condoned his disloyalty.
And that’s not the worst part; Mascherano may reportedly receive a pay-rise! Maybe I’m just out of touch or something but since when did it become acceptable to reward players for wanting to leave?!
What happens next time Mascherano wants to leave? Give him an even bigger pay-rise and beg him to stay? Where does it end? Since when did Liverpool FC become a club that is willing to publicly humiliate itself just to retain the services of someone who doesn't even want to be there in the first place?!
If we transpose this situation to everyday life, would any of us be given a huge pay-rise if we showed our employers huge disrespect by actively trying to engineer a a move away to (supposedly) greener, more lucrative pastures? In most cases, I very much doubt it.
What kind of message does this send to young fans about the importance of loyalty? “Hey kids, you don’t have to stay loyal to your club or honour your contract! Whenever the opportunity arises to go to a better team, just take it! Don’t worry though; you win both ways because if your club refuses to allow you to leave, you’ll get a payrise anyway! Kerching!”.
This is just another example of how modern, top-flight football is in the gutter.
What Liverpool should have done here is sell Mascherano to the highest bidder and buy someone who WANTS to play for Liverpool and is PROUD to wear the shirt.
And don’t give me the tired excuse of ‘but he’s a good player so we need him’. This should not be an excuse for condoning disloyalty. Either someone wants to play for Liverpool or they don’t, and if they don’t, let them go.
Liverpool fans seem to have gone the same way as Benitez and made excuses for Mascherano, usually along the lines of ‘but he’s a good player so it’s okay’. It is this kind of attitude that is having such a negative impact on the club.
Once upon a time, fans would just say ‘if you don’t want to play for Liverpool, we don’t want you’. Now that has changed, and fans are willing to forgive anything as long as it means there is more chance of winning trophies.
It seems that winning trophies at any cost is more important than maintaining the integrity of the club’s good name.
Playing for Liverpool is and should be a privilege, not a ‘disappointment’, and as far as I am concerned, Mascherano is now an imposter in a Liverpool shirt.
And mark my words, he will try and leave again next summer.
As a matter of fact, Mascherano wanted to leave Liverpool. Despite being close to winning the title and playing Champions League football every year, Anfield was apparently not good enough for Argentina’s captain.
At the beginning of July, Mascherano’s brother, Sebastian told Spain's COM Radio:
“If Barcelona really come with a very good cash offer, I believe Javier may leave Liverpool as it would be the best for him and his family. But I think that if there is no good offer, they will not let him go."
He added: “I am sure Messi and Javier have spoken. Leo is one of the people who have been pushing the most for Javier to play at Barca".
Would such a statement have been made without Mascherano’s knowledge? I think not.
Rafa Benitez blocked a proposed move to Barcelona and later revealed that Mascherano was ‘disappointed’ at having to stay at Liverpool:
“I had to talk to Javier a little bit. Barcelona is a top side, so if a club like Barcelona, who won three trophies in the last year, are interested it’s not easy for any player.
“We told Javier he was so important for us and we wanted to keep him. He was a bit disappointed as it was a fantastic opportunity with a big club. But he is happy here, and as a player and a person you can trust him 100%.”
Barcelona is a ‘top side’ and a 'big club? So is Liverpool last time I checked.
How can someone be ‘disappointed’ to play for Liverpool?! What in insult to the club that resurrected Mascherano’s flagging career. If Anfield is not good enough for Mascherano then I would prefer it if he just left. Indeed, I wrote an article at the time exhorting Liverpool to just sell him, as he was eminently more replaceable than Xabi Alonso.
As usual though, the management and the fans pandered to the player because of his perceived importance. Basically, despite Mascherano wanting to leave and trying to engineer a move to a team he clearly thinks is better, Benitez bowed down, kissesd his feet and condoned his disloyalty.
And that’s not the worst part; Mascherano may reportedly receive a pay-rise! Maybe I’m just out of touch or something but since when did it become acceptable to reward players for wanting to leave?!
What happens next time Mascherano wants to leave? Give him an even bigger pay-rise and beg him to stay? Where does it end? Since when did Liverpool FC become a club that is willing to publicly humiliate itself just to retain the services of someone who doesn't even want to be there in the first place?!
If we transpose this situation to everyday life, would any of us be given a huge pay-rise if we showed our employers huge disrespect by actively trying to engineer a a move away to (supposedly) greener, more lucrative pastures? In most cases, I very much doubt it.
What kind of message does this send to young fans about the importance of loyalty? “Hey kids, you don’t have to stay loyal to your club or honour your contract! Whenever the opportunity arises to go to a better team, just take it! Don’t worry though; you win both ways because if your club refuses to allow you to leave, you’ll get a payrise anyway! Kerching!”.
This is just another example of how modern, top-flight football is in the gutter.
What Liverpool should have done here is sell Mascherano to the highest bidder and buy someone who WANTS to play for Liverpool and is PROUD to wear the shirt.
And don’t give me the tired excuse of ‘but he’s a good player so we need him’. This should not be an excuse for condoning disloyalty. Either someone wants to play for Liverpool or they don’t, and if they don’t, let them go.
Liverpool fans seem to have gone the same way as Benitez and made excuses for Mascherano, usually along the lines of ‘but he’s a good player so it’s okay’. It is this kind of attitude that is having such a negative impact on the club.
Once upon a time, fans would just say ‘if you don’t want to play for Liverpool, we don’t want you’. Now that has changed, and fans are willing to forgive anything as long as it means there is more chance of winning trophies.
It seems that winning trophies at any cost is more important than maintaining the integrity of the club’s good name.
Playing for Liverpool is and should be a privilege, not a ‘disappointment’, and as far as I am concerned, Mascherano is now an imposter in a Liverpool shirt.
And mark my words, he will try and leave again next summer.
I'm sure your a UTD fan Jaimie
ReplyDeleteChange the record. The fact that you criticise me for raising this issue instead of being outraged that a Liverpool player desperately tried to eingineer a move away from Liverpool (AND is not being reward for it) speaks volumes.
ReplyDeleteYou're typical of the type of fan I talk about in the article - you don't care what players do or how much they disrespect the club as long as they are good and increase our chances of winning something.
He is being rewarded as compared to the rest of his team mates he is grossly underpaid. As a normal person I can appreciate that £30,000 per week is a lot of money, but i do not live in that world, Mascherano does... So being as he is one of the top two defensive midfielders in the world, I would say he is in line for a pay rise to give him a modicum of parity with the rest of the world standouts in our squad!
ReplyDeleteIf Mesi wants to play with Masch so badly maybe he should come to Liverpool ;)
ReplyDeleteI am a LFC fan. I read the clubs news every day, and this is the best articles I read recently.
ReplyDeleteJK - I think you are being a touch naive (understatement). Looks to me that this was just a good negotiation ploy. Assuming that the rumours of M earning 25k, then he was being paid a lot less than his contemporaries. I would imagine that he was a bit peeved (understandably) and negotiated in public. No different than claiming than going to your boss and claiming you can get another job for more money elsewhere, which happens all the time. The era for playing for the club for the love of the shirt is, sadly, over -- but that is not to be unexpected with the £££ that are at stake now.
ReplyDeleteI considered the possibility that it was a negotiation ploy - I personally don't believe it was. Anyway, does this then make it acceptable? holding the club to ransom in public to earn more money is just as bad, is it not?
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading :-)
ReplyDeleteWide of the mark here on several fronts in my opinion. Not a single attributable quote has been given by Javier himself, he has not put a transfer request in and has never publicly stated he wanted to leave. I assume you hold an equally low opinion of Gerrard for admitting his head was turned by Chelsea?
ReplyDeleteAs another poster has commented he has been on comparatively low wages since joining Liverpool and achieving parity with our other key players is an understandable desire and the CORRECT response from LFC.
I'd also dispute that he's far easier to replace than Xabi, both are class players but there are very few world-class defensive midfielders and Javier has to be at, or near, the top of any list - Xabi would be in the top 10 playmaking midfielders, unlikely he'd make the top 5.
I agree that no one player is bigger than the club and that if people don't want to play for us then they can move on but Javier hasn't made a single comment to this effect yet you excoriate him mercilessly.
Finally - you posit the idea that in no other industry would 'disloyalty' be rewarded. Obviously I've no idea which industry you work in but it's extremely common in a wide range of industries and is termed "buy back" or sometimes "golden handcuffs" - whereby you tender you resignation and are given a raise / promotion to keep hold of you. When I last moved the Recruitment Agent told me to expect this and she was right, handed my notice in and they offered me a promotion and a pay rise if I'd stay till the company was floated. Far from unusual.
Are you seriously disregarding Benitez's comments on the issue? What exactly do you think 'disappointed' means? That mascherano wanted to stay?!
ReplyDeleteBenitez stated that Mascherano was 'disappointed' not to get his move to Barcelona; that means he wanted to leave. There is no need for the player to have made a public statement.
You also ignore the comments of his brother. I suppose you think Masch had no knowledge of these comments, right?
Jamie you deleted a post from Nobllox which carried very valid points, one being that agents try to push through transfers so that they themselves can reap the rewards of the move. Please put the comment back as many readers would agree to the points raised and some may not have even looked at the situation from that perspective.
ReplyDeleteJamie you deleted a post from Nobllox which carried very valid points, one being that agents try to push through transfers so that they themselves can reap the rewards of the move. Please put the comment back as many readers would agree to the points raised and some may not have even looked at the situation from that perspective.
ReplyDeleteYou have a point here, Jaimie. I too am baffled by this whole Mascherano thing. This guy should appreciate that we paid a lot of money and took a certain risk to get him out of his misery at Wet Spam as he was going nowwhere and there weren't any other clubs at the time willing to pay the hefty fee his owner asked for.
ReplyDeleteStill this has to be put in some kind of perspective. His wages are realtively low at Anfield so he surely is due a pay rise which may make it more difficult for him to leave in a years time.
Anyway, you transpose this situation to everyday life, I can do so too, but from a different point of view and I think most of us have either been into one of the following situation or have heard about something like it amongst their friends. In a relationship between a man and a woman it often occurs that one part thinks that the other part should do this or that or more for him/her. Usually it doesn't happen, at least not if the couple didn't speak about it, so one part may consider to look for someone else or simpy split up for "not getting enough of this or that". The one who is about to be left will in most cases offer to change those exact points. According to you logic they should split up straight away and the want-away partner should not be tried to be convinced that the grass is greenest right where he/she is right now. That's sad, isn't it. No hope in mankinds ability to change whatsoever on your side, I'd like to think.
Agree that it was mostly a negotiation ploy and I don't believe anyone from Liverpool can say they wouldn't use any means at their disposal to secure a pay rise. They're hardly slave wages but we judge ourselves by our peers and if Johnson is worth £70k+ a week then Masch is fair enough to feel hard done by. On a different note, no-one has mentioned the misses, sure I read that a lot of this was stirred up by Mrs Masch not being happy in Liverpool. Either way, I'll be supporting Masch, as well as the rest of the team (with the possible exception of Leiva!) as loud as possible for the rest of the season.
ReplyDeletePeter - I delete the comment because 50% of it was denigrating me and my writing ability. Read the comment policy below - If people post things which contain valid points but slag me off at the same time then the comment will be deleted.
ReplyDeleteThis site is about debating the issues, not wasting time with slanging matches. If people can't debate properly then that's not my problem. Bobllox is perfectly welcome to repost his comments without the pointless sniping.
Good points. I just don't think it was a negotiation ploy; I think Mascherano genuinely wanted to leave.
ReplyDeleteRe the relationship analogy; if my girlfriend flirted with some other guy and actively wanted to leave me for him, i wouldn't beg her to stay, I'd dump her straight away. It's a matter of self-respect. The same should apply for Liverpool FC.
Good day good people
ReplyDeleteMust admit one of the better articles written on here without attacking Benitez.The monster should be paid in line with what the rest of the worlds best footballer get weekly.Looks like his wife was not settled in Liverpool and Messi was on his case.I would rather tie him up on a new contract now than let him leave next season and get peanuts for him.I do think he owes Rafa after saving his career.
Jamie - "Benitez said" and "his brother" said.. which sompletely validates the fact that Mascherano has never directly said a single thing in public.. or can you not discern the difference? If I wanted to leave I wouldn't be cryptic and rely on others being my mouthpiece - especially my boss..
ReplyDeleteI love the way you're deliberately ignoring the proof that Mascherano wanted to leave.
ReplyDeleteBenitez stated: <span><span style="font-style: italic;">We told Javier he was so important for us and we wanted to keep him. <span style="font-weight: bold;">He was a bit disappointed</span> as it was a fantastic opportunity with a big club.</span></span>
This means:
i) Mascherano wanted to leave
ii) He was disappointed that he had to stay
Why does it matter whether Mascherano said anything in public? it doesn't. at all.
Before Gerrard tried to leave for Chelsea (twice) he never made a public statement about wanting to leave either. An official LFC statement however, revealed that he'd asked for a transfer. Using your logic, just because Gerrard didn't say it in public, it can't have been true.
Gerrard wanted to leave. Mascherano wanted to leave. All the evidence points this way, and if you dispute the irrefutable, then it's purely through pigheadedness rather than fairness or logic.
Yes, he probably wanted to leave.
ReplyDeleteRe the relationship thing, there are surely diffent angles to look at things, and trust me, these views change over time. I wouldn't want my girlfriend to leave me because some other chick tried to get me away from her. I'd rather have her showing me how much she wanted me to stay.
Self-respect? Or is it rather pride, which, as we know, comes before a fall.
I guess it's all in the way you look at things. You state that 'I wouldn't want my girlfriend to leave me because some other chick tried to get me away from her'. You make it sound like, in this scenario, you would be completely blameless and it was the other girl doing all the running.
ReplyDeleteIn reality, in takes two to tango.
If my GF had her head turned by someone else and actively sought to end our relationship and be this other person, there would be no going back. You either want to be with someone, oir you don't. There's no middle ground. yes, there are those that will work it out and move forward, but what happens the next time the GF fancies someone else? She got away with it last time, so why not try it on again?
This baffled me too... Mascherano had two decent seasons with us which made him who he was and he is asking (in an underhanded fashion, unlike Xabi) to be allowed to join Barca... I thoroughly regret that this fell through, because,
ReplyDelete1) We would've made us a lot of money.
2) He'd certainly not fit in with the Barca style of play (They have a better DM in Yaya Toure, I'd be more than happy to make a swap)
3) Spanish Referees won't be as tolerant as the English ones regarding his thuggish style...
Pep Guardiola is making rather silly tranfer moves, Ibramovich over E'too or Villa?(If Rafa did something like this, You'd have a thing or two to say about it, Jaimie :-P ), He also tried to replace E'too with Adebayor last season, Ugghh! So, following the trend, he'd have paid a lot for Mascherano too... Moreover Messi fawning all over Mascherano was a rather disgusting display of tapping up (it doesn't matter if he is the best footballer in the world!)...
Pity we didn't take this good piece of business and got us a more creative replacement...
This baffled me too... Mascherano had two decent seasons with us which made him who he was and he is asking (in an underhanded fashion, unlike Xabi) to be allowed to join Barca... I thoroughly regret that this fell through, because,
ReplyDelete1) We would've made us a lot of money.
2) He'd certainly not fit in with the Barca style of play (They have a better DM in Yaya Toure, I'd be more than happy to make a swap)
3) Spanish Referees won't be as tolerant as the English ones regarding his thuggish style...
Pep Guardiola is making rather silly tranfer moves, Ibramovich over E'too or Villa?(If Rafa did something like this, You'd have a thing or two to say about it, Jaimie :-P ), He also tried to replace E'too with Adebayor last season, Ugghh! So, following the trend, he'd have paid a lot for Mascherano too... Moreover Messi fawning all over Mascherano was a rather disgusting display of tapping up (it doesn't matter if he is the best footballer in the world!)...
Pity we didn't take this good piece of business and got us a more creative replacement...
Completely agree with all your points. Selling Mascherano would've been a fantastic bit of business. People go on like he is the key to Liverpool's success but he is not. it would be comparatively easy to find a DM who would do a comparable job. Replacing Xabi, on the other hand, will prove very difficult.
ReplyDeleteAgree also about Et'oo - seems strange Barca want to get rid of him when he scores so many goals anyway.
And the Messi tapping up was a out of order - Steven Gerrard did the same thing last season when he publicly fawned over Gareth Barry. it's not on really, but it goes unpunished.
When I was younger I surely had a quite similar view on these things, but as time goes by one hopefully learns more and more about life, people, peoples motives etc. After all it's not all black or white, there is a lot in between, but it is also impossible to consider every aspect all of the time.
ReplyDeleteAs a Liverpool supporter I surely can not understand why anyone would like to play for the Barcelonas or Real Madrids of this world, but I don't make my living out of football and Mascherano never claimed to be a life-time Liverpool supporter and neither did Alonso for that. Why wouldn't his head be turned if he knew that he earns only say a third of what the top dogs at our club earn even though he captains his national team? Hence his proposed pay-rise now. To go back to the relationship parallel it is as if my girlfriend would only like to hold hands for a rather long period, but I wanted more and there was that chick who told me what she would do with me straight away. That surely would turn my head, but my girlfriend may well think that she had me waiting long enough and could let more happen from now on.
Now it is too late to let Mascherano go anyway, neither could Barca afford him. If they come up with 50m on 1. July next year we should let him go and find someone who can tackle AND contribute something more going forward.
Spot on Jaimie,i'm a big fan of you,you always wrote those unbiased article unlike some tinted glass fans.keep going.YNWA
ReplyDeleteAnteater - I appreciate your comments but you seem to be assuming - in a mildly patronising way - that I am 'young' and that's why I have these views. I am in my 30s - I do not think that counts as young anymore, do you? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI agree that not everything is black and white but when it comes to relationships, for me, things are black and white. Cheating is cheating. If my gf desires some other guy and actively seeks to get with this guy, then I would leave her without hesitation. I'm sure many people feel the same.
Benitez said" and "his brother" said' is more than enough proof that masch wanted a move, those are people close to him and Benitez won't gain anything from trying to sell one of his best player.When the brothers,sisters,wife etc started to come out and say something,it's actually worst than the word coming out from your own mouth.if you have no desire to leave why not come out and tell them to shut the f**k up.i'm sure you know which is a better way:1) to publicily declare your love for Barca or 2)Let those beside you to spread the rumours there's no fire without the smoke
ReplyDeleteGet to the point a**hole how on earth do you know that he's a scum,i read most of his article if he is really a manc he won't have time for some of the more constructive article he wrote.Don't call people names if you can't argue or agree with.
ReplyDeleteWell
ReplyDeleteas a Gooner i can only say u all have an adebayor on ure hands..my advice..kick him out ..the sooner the better..
good luck....
tom
Agent can't push through deals without the player's consent.Just like your house agent can't sell your house without your permission.Grow up......
ReplyDeleteI don't think that being in the 30s is particular old and I know a few people, in their early 20s, who consider anything up to 40 as young. You may well be younger than me anyway and to be honest, from what you generally write I, wrongly, assumed that you were a lot younger than in your 30s.
ReplyDeleteYeah, cheating is cheating, I certainly agree on that, but looking in the general direction of another chick is not cheating. Surely many people would feel the same about this, too. I am sure you got the point I wanted to bring across with that example of the girl that only wants to hold hands. Mascherano looked after another club because he could earn like four times as much there. This, in itself, is sad, but that is the state of the game nowadays. Greed rules.
There were rumours that Mascherano wanted to leave because his wife/girlfriend didn't like Liverpool/England or the weather. My first thought was that he should find himself a new wife.
Playing for Barcelona is every footballer's dream, (I am talking about players not from England).Alot of people in England can't understand that.Any footballer who loves open, attacking and pure football would want to play for Barcelona...that is all it is, simple...Talking about being loyal to a club, is a litterature to motivate supporters to keep supporting clubs and bying tickets...Footballers are workers, they can work for any company(club), like anybody.If you leave a company and go work for another, nobody would say to you you are not loyal...Wake up.
ReplyDeleteha jamie, i was also very disappointed to hear that mash wanted to leave and that he tried so hard to get it to happen but at the minute i do not feel we can lose any more midfuelders so i admit i am quiet relieved that he is not leaving. i agree with you that it was not a ploy for heigher wages but also question if messi's calling didn't have some effect on the matter as i get the impression that they are good mates so messi asking may have had a large effect on him. agree that it may be a matter of time before we have to deal with this problem again and only hope i am wrong.
ReplyDeletegotta say i love you articles and always feel your points of view are valid and have the feeling of a true liverpool fan.
This article states nothing but fact and an informed opinion that you don't need to be a brain surgeon to see Javier would have walked if Rafa had not pandered to him. Rafa himself said Javier was disapointed at not being allowed to move the Barcelona. What more evidence do you need that his heart is not here. I hope he proves me wrong as I'm sure the writer of this article would.
ReplyDeleteJaimie, I agree with you on principle, but its easier said than done. When you have a person who is possibly the best in his position as defensive midfielder, and someone who has done a remarkable job over the last 2 years, you do your best to try and keep him. Masch has been immense in midfield, and was the best player in our 2-1 win over Man U in September. Also, even if we do replace him, how quickly would the player fit into our system. With the loss of Alonso, the last thing we can afford is to lose our other central midfielder. I'd rather we blood Lucas and Spearing until Lucas is good enough to start game in game out, and Spearing a decent sub, and then maybe go for one of the mids you were talking about earlier, or someone younger, and then get rid of Masch for a high price within the next 2 years.
ReplyDeleteI agree, though, it is a sad thing, but that's the state of the game, and we have to iive with it. Fergie did it with Ronaldo last year for his shows of disloyalty, and Chelsea did it with Terry this season, so we're not the only team doing it. It is very very hard to get the best out of the players these days without compromising a bit on principles like loyalty etc. All the top clubs poach the best young African and Latin American players, including ours, another thing that is not morally the best thing to do.
Lastly, wasn't he underpaid compared to the rest? So I'm guessing that would justify some of it as well.
I agree that Barcelona & Real Madri$ are the mecca for most South American footballer but saying that it is every footballer's dream is an exaggeration.Now a day we have player from all around the world Global exposure had make alot of clubs well know throughout the world.Player from different continental might fancy AC Milan,Arsenal,Man Utd,Inter Milan,Bayern,Lyon etc and i belive majority of the team love to play attacking football.You don't need to go to Barca to play pure,open & attacking foootball,that is all simple.As for loyalty remember who save the career of a certain west ham outcast?Is only normal that supporter demand some kind of loyalty from that worker.My verdictis if he does a Alonso(5 solid years ane request to leave in advance thus allowing Rafa times to find a replacement) Or Hyypia(10 solid years & contract end)no supporter in the world will blame him...GROW UP.....
ReplyDeletei completely agree with jaimie!!!!! and not like mascherano cant be replaced.even if he was loyal i dint like him for his atitude and giving away too many fouls and having too little brain to do something creative. mascherano would be a defender but the coaches asked him not to play in tthe d box cause he would give out a lot of penalties :p
ReplyDeleteWhy are LFC giving him a pay rise?
ReplyDeleteSimple answer;
1. They are negotiating a contract extension, which invoves renegotiating his salary.
2. In doing so, if Barcelona or anyone else want to sign him it will cost them even more to do it. Good business.
3. Does he deserve it, probably not but if it works out well for all concerned, thats life. Maybe I missed it but I don't remember him actually coming out and saying he wasn't happy here and wanted to leave. His brother/agent who lets face it is only interested in the money yes. If he wanted to leave so badly where was the written transfer request?
Can we name 5 players that would be a reasonable Mascherano replacement? Please keep in mind his selling price.
ReplyDeleteAlso do we go defensive and try to replace him with a clone (if there is one out there) or do we take a slight hit in defensive abilities and add in the play making andd/or offensive department?
Finally, any thoughts on Thiago Neves of Fluminense. Ever since his hat trick in the Libertadores final I have been interested in him.
so truee ahahahah
ReplyDeleteif he wants to play with mash, then leave barca and play for the best club in the world! lfc!
you will never walk alone )
cmon you two you cant campare barca wit liverpool... barca cant beat liverpool at all!!! remember last time they player they totaly killed barca.
ReplyDeleteeveryones dream is to play for liverpool!!!
Javier had proven himself to be one of the best DM in the world.
ReplyDeleteI think we have to hold on to him if we want to win the PRM <span style="text-decoration: underline;">This season</span>.
I also think that Javier is ever harder to be replaced compare to Xabi.
He has proven in the game with Stoke City and Tottenham.
He contribute more to the team when Xabi is out of the picture and I'm happy with this contribution in terms of more passing creativity and more attacking influence.
I truely believe that he would become our most important player in our midfield this season.
I agree, all those posts are based on emotions , lots of them doesn't make alot of sense in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteComing out of a "true liverpool" fans ,the same fans who created the Heysel Stadium disaster, but getting back to the topic, you dont need to hang a person because he found a place that can treat him better (economicly).
Don't get me wrong i think LFC on of the greatest clubs ever and im a big fan of it, but i think that it got a serious fans issues who do not think logically.
sorry for the broken english , its not my native language.
If I was so essential to the team shouldn't I get more than 30K a week. Even Degen (gets more on his medical aid) - and other useless beings get more than that a week. want me to stay then give me some money on par with the rest of the first team.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, football is now a business. Plain and simple. You're "transposition" to everyday life is totally wide of the mark. I work for one of the top IT consultancy firms in the world on the outskirts of London. If a comparable firm from, say, New York came to me and offered me a job with them for double my wages... I'd say to my current firm, look I've had this offer, and I'm very tempted. If they didn't match it, I'd go.
ReplyDeleteIn the business world, I look out for me. That's what Masch is doing; that's what Alonso did; and, ultimately, that's what Benitez is doing.
It may not be the Liverpool way of old, but sadly those days are long gone. We have to move with the times.
Please don't be silly and start dredging up comments related to Heysel. Totally unwarranted and ill thought out.
ReplyDeleteWhy are my posts not staying on the board ?
ReplyDeleteHow do you know tha Masch only earns 30k a week? Please provide evidence for this. I persoally doubt very much he earns such a comparatively small amount.
ReplyDeleteLlorik Cana of Marseille. Ideal replacement; combative and creative. Would cost less than 15m I imagine.
ReplyDeleteHi Kopfan - I agree re the Mess thing; that would have been very enticing for Mascherano. If Mess wants to play alongside him so much then he can move to Liverpool!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I do think this situation will arise again next summer, especially if Liverpool do not progress this season.
What posts? If you posted under a different name and contravened the comment policy (below) it's likely they were deleted.
ReplyDeleteThanks Singh. And thank you for visiting the site :-)
ReplyDeleteToo late, Jaimie. Llorik's already signed for Sunderland.
ReplyDeleteDarn! Cana will be great for Sunderland, I'm sure. Anyway, I'm sure he's only moved there as a stepping stone to a top 4 club; prove he can cut it in the premiership and then next summer one of the big boys will take notice. if masch goes next summer, Cana could be an ideal replacement. We'll see I guess.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool.You'll Never Win Again
ReplyDeleteIf you want to keep the best then you have to pay the going rate. I can see your point about loyalty but at the end of the day this how business is done, I don't agree with it but that's just the way it is. No point complaining. M is one of the finest defensive mid-fielders in Europe. I'm happy that we have him!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/5610199/Liverpool-face-triple-wage-demands-from-Javier-Mascherano.html
ReplyDeleteactually this site says 25k a week
You say that this situation can't be transcended into everyday life; You obviously don't seem to live within everyday life. If ye are good enough, and a company offers ye a job with higher pay, ye can either accept that straight off, or go to your current employer and say, "Listen, I have just been offered 'x' amount of money. What can you offer to keep me?". Again, if you're good enough, and hard to replace at the company, then the current employer will offer ye an improved contract. That is what Masch has done. Whether it's right or wrong is not up to me to decide. Personally, if I could, I would play for Liverpool for basic salary (what I'm on in my current job). But maybe if I was as good as Masch, I would decide that I deserved more? I can't honestly guess at that. But the fact remains, if ye want the best, ye gotta pay. He isn't being rewared for being disloyal. He is just getting an improved contract to compete with Barca.
ReplyDeleteSomeone said earlier that they think ye are a Man U fan. I'm not sure I totally agree with that. But you do seem to be very "anti-Liverpool" at times. We all know that the team (players and management/back room staff) do things that we don't agree with. But for God's sake, if yer gonna support them, then support them!!Just get behind them and cheer them on. Bytching about them isn't going to help (especially considering this seems an extremely popular site)
Rainey!!
Rafa has no choice as alonso and masch both want to leave. Since alonso already submitted his transfer request, mascherano has to stay. It would be unimaginable if both left. Imagine chelsea without essien and lampard. Masch is also underpaid for a player of his calibre. He is not rewarded for his "disloyalty", but for his performance. Therefore i see not reason not to give him a pay rise.
ReplyDeleteYour exactly right, i think hes gonna want to leave next summer. Remember when Alonso wanted to leave to Juventus but ended up staying, and then he left a year later and went to Real. The same thing is gonna happen with Masch.
ReplyDeleteMasch one arguably our best player, didn't need to sell him!!!
ReplyDeleteTrampolines