Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is lining up a possible January move for Saint-Etienne winger Max Gradel.
According to reports today, former Leeds United player Gradel - a full Ivory Coast international - has been 'scouted extensively' by Liverpool over the last couple of years, and the Reds are now considering the possibility of a January move for the 24-year old.
Gradel won the the Fans' and Players' Player of the Year awards for 2011 during his time at Leeds United, and if Liverpool are genuinely interested, the club will face competition from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Gradel did really well during his time at Leeds, and his boss at the time Simon Grayson delivered the following assessment of the player, who he valued at £10m:
"He (Gradel) just epitomises what this team is about. He's got quality but also a great work ethic. The way he chases down defenders and works rubs off on his team-mates and he is a breath of fresh air, a joy to work with. He's reaping the rewards for his endeavour and enthusiasm and he's a great lad to work with."
St Etienne's coach Christophe Galtier is also very pleased to have Gradel, as he explained recently:
"Gradel is very versatile, able to play on all fronts of the attack and brings the qualities of impact and finishing"
He sounds very much like a Brendan Rodgers-type player. Another plus point is versatility - Gradel can play as a winger or a striker, and his creative stats are decent, but not great:
* Leeds United: 20 goals/7 assists in 49 apps.
* St. Etienne: 9 goals/5 assists in 32 apps.
Gradel is in fine form this season, and he has helped St Etienne rise up the league to within three points of the top of the table.
The Ivorian seems to be open to a return to England. In September, he tweeted the following:
"If Leeds fans really want me back they need to let the club know that"
Jaimie Kanwar
According to reports today, former Leeds United player Gradel - a full Ivory Coast international - has been 'scouted extensively' by Liverpool over the last couple of years, and the Reds are now considering the possibility of a January move for the 24-year old.
Gradel won the the Fans' and Players' Player of the Year awards for 2011 during his time at Leeds United, and if Liverpool are genuinely interested, the club will face competition from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Gradel did really well during his time at Leeds, and his boss at the time Simon Grayson delivered the following assessment of the player, who he valued at £10m:
"He (Gradel) just epitomises what this team is about. He's got quality but also a great work ethic. The way he chases down defenders and works rubs off on his team-mates and he is a breath of fresh air, a joy to work with. He's reaping the rewards for his endeavour and enthusiasm and he's a great lad to work with."
St Etienne's coach Christophe Galtier is also very pleased to have Gradel, as he explained recently:
"Gradel is very versatile, able to play on all fronts of the attack and brings the qualities of impact and finishing"
He sounds very much like a Brendan Rodgers-type player. Another plus point is versatility - Gradel can play as a winger or a striker, and his creative stats are decent, but not great:
* Leeds United: 20 goals/7 assists in 49 apps.
* St. Etienne: 9 goals/5 assists in 32 apps.
Gradel is in fine form this season, and he has helped St Etienne rise up the league to within three points of the top of the table.
The Ivorian seems to be open to a return to England. In September, he tweeted the following:
"If Leeds fans really want me back they need to let the club know that"
Jaimie Kanwar
The only problem I see is that the African cup on nations will take him out of a good chunk of the second half of the season and we'd be back to square one. In any case, I would go with Bony (15goals/14apps) who SKY today reported we've been in contact with, but with him being from the ivory coast as well, the same problem arises.
ReplyDeleteAs usual we just give all or best players away then other clubs make millions!!
ReplyDeletewe are ready for championship league...hell yeah...FTW..!!
ReplyDeleteDon't go to liverpoo come back to leeds gradel. Leeds are a far bigger club than liverpoo! And atleast our fans aren't glory hunters who weren't born in liverpoo let alone ever set foot there!
ReplyDeleteI thought there was an embargo on African players for LFC. You here the same old ACN excuse. Personally, I think LFC have ignored African/French/Euro African talent at the club's detriment. Arsenal/Chelski/other top European clubs have scouted top players from these parts. Take yesterday for example-Dembele embodies everything LFC lacks-pace & power. I think about players like Sessegnon, Benteke (bulldozer vs Man Utd) have taken to the prem like a duck to water . I think since Houllier there's been a reluctance to even consider such pla
ReplyDeleteAs an African myself I agree with you, however, as it pertains to January, any move for an African to bring in some firepower might not be a practical move since we need the goals ASAP (not after the ACN). In the summer, I would be estatic if we could get Bony in as a third quality striker option (assuming we purchase a quality ST in Jan) and Wanyama from celtic as a DM. We need a powerful, energetic ball playing DM in case Lucas has any kind of setback in the future and he fits the bill
ReplyDeleteWon't we have to buy Snodgrass and Becchio as well to supply him with chances!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, I agree. Not for this Jan. I'm just talking generally! As for this coming transfer, I would love to see Bent on loan, a proven goal scorer.
ReplyDeleteI find it sligthly ironic that for the past few years we get linked with guys like Bent & Bony (keep a straight face now lads/lasses;) ) in times past we've said they're not LFC standard. As LFC have gradually fallen from grace we still get linked with so-called "mediocre" players.
AFCON? well, I do say he looks a decent player, however, a couple of those goals in the video were gk defensive errors... will he get the space in the EPL? Seems like he'd fit in well for the Reds!?!?!
ReplyDelete5 Mill would be a good buy...
"weren't born in Liverpool" - you've got a point; most LFC supporters (including myself) are not from Liverpool.
ReplyDelete"glory hunters" - mate, any glory hunters who ever once supported LFC have long since jumped off the bandwagon and joined the Chelsea/City revolution, and some even the United bandwagon. The only supporters left are those who bleed red and support the club through thick and thin
Dembele is from Belgium! The problem with african players is all in the article above, since hicks/gillett ruined my club we have been playing catch up again and with the fifa fairplay guidlines coming in soon we have to cut our cloth!
ReplyDeleteBent would not be a bad move at all. at 28, he's in his prime and is the sort of poacher we're looking for. And sadly I would have to agree with you. I wake up remembering being linked with the likes of aguero, silva, mata, hazard, danny alves, etc….admittadly I'm still holding onto our past glories for comfort but its times like this when we find ourselves looking to a benched Villa striker as a potential savior that even the most hardened and deluded LFC fans have to accept the reality of just how far our club has fallen. I'm headed to the pub now....
ReplyDeleteGareth please read carefully. "LFC have ignored African/French/Euro African talent". Dembele's father is from Mali & mother is Belgian, nevertheless he falls under the category of beingAfrican/Euro African I'm sure you'll agree??!!!
ReplyDeleteI make mention to these players because they are more affordable, if due dilligence is done can be excellent value for money & offer things LFC lack power/hunger/pace. Which is why it makes perfect sence considering LFC's current economical position.
Not sure I follow. I've posted a reply below
ReplyDeleteTo be frank most of our rot started under Moore, Hicks and Gillett where guilty of not putting the club back on track but more so pushing us even further back! To the point where the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle and Everton must genuinely feel they will finish ahead of us.
ReplyDeleteWe are being rebuilt from the inside out and this will take years to accomplish if given the time, At this moment we are nothing more than a legendary name, Or our reallity will be that we constantly finish 8th in a 4 horse race!
Y.N.W.A.
good one mate..they will never understand our tradition..its more than football..
ReplyDeleteOne goal in three (ish) is more than a decent return for a winger imo. I don't know anything about this guy but on paper he looks like a good player to have around imo. Won't he be at the Africa cup in January though? Maybe more of a summer transfer then? It might also help with signing Bony. The main reason why he wants to leave Vitesse is because his familiy is not allowed to visit him. Obviously Gradel is not his family but it might help to have another Ivorian at the club he goes to aswell and Chelski just ran out of theirs over the summer :-)
ReplyDeleteIsn't every fan & club glory hunters? What's the point of supporting a team if you don't want them to achieve success and glory?
ReplyDelete-_-
Plus most Liverpool fans are abroad, not actually in the city of Liverpool.
ReplyDeleteJust so you know.
Do you know what? I've been been thinking exactly that for a long time. The amount of good African/French/Euro African talent seems to be passed by Liverpool on the regular basis. And most of these players are in an "affordable" price range as well.
ReplyDeleteInstead who do we buy? Andy Carroll. Liverpool could have bought instead Bony or Traore when they were at their previous clubs doing pretty well.
Absolutly..Im a liverpool Fan from INDIA.... we don't even play much football here..but the love for the game and for the warriors who put their heart and soul to keep us happy...and play for us...thats what a Liverpool Fan loves....keep up the good work...guys...whats ever happens We love you...and wait for you to do well and win the leauge
ReplyDeleteLiverpool haven't ignored African or French players they have just been priced out or snubbed out of any move Drogba, Evra, Malouda, Chamaka, Gervihno, N'Zogbia and Moses. One of Kenny's first signing would have been Marveaux (failed medical) and Diame from Wigan this summer.
ReplyDeleteThe number of French and African failures under Houllier?
Do you need them naming??
No Premier League team has yet found another Makelele, Henry, Veria, Petit, Makele or Desailly or another Drogba! How many French and African players has Wenger been through looking?????
I'm a liverpool fan from liverpool so there. And there is plenty of reds round here
ReplyDeleteIdiot
ReplyDeleteLFC already have good player,OUSSAMA ASSAIDI.I think we didn't need to sign new winger this january yet.LFC only need to focus about signing new strikers......David Villa and Wilfred Bony will be great addtion to LFC.
ReplyDeleteSo then by your logic we should never evr look at buying a British player again based on Downing, Henderson, Carrol, Adam, Wilson etc
ReplyDeleteNote that I mentioned that due dilligence needs to be done-the Geordies scouted Chieke Tiote for TWO YEARS before they bought him-that's what I'm talking about! So whilst I agree Houllier bought some African flops doesn't mean we write off an entire continent.
The players you say we were priced out of I agree with everyone barring Nzogbia (who would hve cost us half of Downing's fee) & Moses we didn't even bid for cost Chelski 6 mill, could have been even cheaper had we scouted him from Palace the way Martinez did!
Also your last point is extreme in that you've listed some Afro/French ledgends who are really one offs. Does that mean that we shld stop scouting Portuguese players because we'll never find another Ronaldo the same also applies to Saurez & Uruguay. All I'm saying is that our scouting dept have been short-sighted in the past 10 years & really it's refreshing that since BR has come in he seems to have broadened the horizon.
You wrote Liverpool have ignored French and African players when we have tried to buy quality African and French players. Tiote loves his yellow cards 28 of them in just over 2 seasons Newcastle.
ReplyDeleteIt took us till 2004 to buy a Spanish player Alonso!
Liverpool haven't really ever brought Dutch,German,Portuguese or South American players took till 2006 for our first Brazilian Aurelio and Pellegrino 2006 first Argentinan!
2 players from Portugal Xavier first in 2002. We talk about pass and move football but how many Dutch players have played for Liverpool? 6 since Eric Meijer in 1999 and none of the quality midfield players and German players? 5 since Riedler in 97! Hamann and Babbel 2 great signings.
All these countries produce high quality players but except for Spain Liverpool haven't really exploited these markets in the last 10 years.
No, we still have Downing and Henderson to do that.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that many fellow Reds don't have the patience for rebuilding. You can see how every week more folks ask for the head of Rodgers and new owners. At this rate we are going to start all over again every two years.
ReplyDeleteThe last Africans we have bought were pretty useless (Diouf and his mate).
ReplyDeleteSo because Diouf and Diao flopped that means all other African players should not be looked at? That's what your saying right?
ReplyDeleteNo, that is not what I am saying. Where in my comment did you read that? I simply mentioned two Africans we have signed. They were bought from France, though. Don't know whether we have a good enough scouting network to scour Africa.
ReplyDeleteChris Mavinga,David Ngog,Emmanuel Mendy,Charles Itandje,Damien Plessis,Nabil El Zhar,Mohamed Sissoko,Godwin Antwi ,Sama and Toni Silva French or African nationality or descent with Rafa.Seyi Ojo, Yalany Cuino Baio and Mukendi in the youth set up at the moment.
ReplyDelete