5 Dec 2012

'It's flattering' - 'Fantastic' £14m star responds to LFC transfer rumours...

Speculation about a Liverpool move for Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross has resurfaced over the last few months, and although it seems likely that the combative defender will sign a new £14m six-year deal with Stoke soon, he's admitted that it is pleasing to be linked with the Reds.

In an interview yesterday with Sky Sports, Shawcross admitted he is aware of transfer interest from Liverpool and Manchester United:

"It is flattering [to be linked], but most of it is paper talk.

"When you have 18-months left you're going to get linked but ultimately I am happy at Stoke and it is just up to my agent and Stoke to sort out."


During his ill-fated 6 month reign at Anfield, Roy Hodgson tried to bring in Shawcross, but a deal could not be agreed.

Hodgson's successor, Kenny Dalglish, also tried to sign Shawcross, but the Reds' £10m bid fell short of Stoke's massively inflated £18m valuation.

Potters boss Tony Pulis seems convinced that Shawcross will sign a new deal, and predicts that a deal will be signed 'before Christmas'. He added:

"I don't think it [Shawcross' contract] is going to be too much of a problem. The issue is keeping his feet on the ground and keeping him level-headed. But he doesn't seem to be the sort of character to get carried away. If he does, he will be told".

Shawcross - recently described as 'absolutely fantastic' by England coach Gary Neville - would arguably be a perfect replacement for Jamie Carragher, and although Pulis is confident that he'll sign, a six year deal is a major commitment, and it would basically cover the best years of the defender's career.

The Stoke Captain's loyalty is admirable but he must be aware that the chances of him playing at the highest level will be massively reduced if he stays at the Brittania Stadium. Granted, Liverpool are not pulling up any tree right now, but the club has a much bigger chance in the future of challenging for trophies than Stoke City.

Shawcross has made it clear that 'the main reason I want to stay is the gaffer', but will Pulis still be at Stoke in six years, or even three years? With the volatile nature of football management these days, it seems unlikely.

Jaimie Kanwar


32 comments:

  1. before hodson, it was benitez who tried to bring him to anfield...for 8m, but due to lack of funds, he went to sotoris 1.5m.

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  2. Great player, but... We have a better one- Skrtel, and a far better one- Agger. And enough promising youngsters who can already step in if needed. Please fsg, do not waste money on a cb.

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  3. Out of the current English centre backs in their 20s, he is one of the better ones out of a very few. Not better than Agger but me thinks on a par with Skrtel at least. But unless one of the CBs leave, especially a first choice one (as he would be too expensive to just be a squad player), I don't see him coming here.

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  4. English defenders always seem to be overpriced for some reason. He is a good player but not £18M good.

    If he was that good he would be and England regular I guess.

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  5. Not better than Skrtel, especially because he knows Agger very well and is better with the ball in his feet. And the difference between their style of play and ours- just don't see the benefit from him coming...

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  6. What is it with FSG and their mentality to bring in overhyped overpriced overrated british players. Shawcross is nowhere near worth a £14m or £18m fees being banded about.

    I'm pretty sure there are better CBs out there in world football than Ryan Shawcross.

    Also, looking at Sturridge and Walcott, whilst they are decent enough players and England regulars, they are not worth £15m and £10m. Walcott with 6 months left of his contract is probably around the £5-6m mark and Sturridge probably just above £10m.

    Why arent we looking to Spain, Italy and France for proper bargains. Perhaps Rodgers needs to persuade Newcastles scouting team to come on board!

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  7. Who knows how good he is on the ball, as after all he plays for Stoke, where the centre backs are encouraged to keep it simple, not because the CBs aren't good on the ball.. Skrtel didn't look all that good on the ball when he first came here. With time and adaptation, he got better as well as the way the team plays from the back. Who knows how well or bad Shawcross would adapt to the playing style. You got someone like Cahill, who at Bolton was keeping his play very simple but at Chelsea, in a more ball-playing team, he has shown he isn't that bad on the ball. But I do see the concerns in bringing someone from a team that plays in a distinctly differently style, as well as why bother improving a CB area when there is a reasonably good partnership there already as well as other areas of the team are a bigger priority for in-coming players. Individually, I don't rate Skrtel above Shawcross but beyond that, there are factors that make bringing in a first XI CB, at this moment in time, questionable.

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  8. Downing has 30+ caps, so to has SWP. So I wouldn't use England selection as a standard to reliably judge a player!

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  9. nobody is bringing Shawcross. This is just a wild wild guess by the author and 'fans' like you are waiting to blame FSG! Also those prices you quote for walcott and sturridge are baseless and your claims that we arent looking in the european market are ridiculous because we just bought borini and assaidi in the previous window.

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  10. My first reaction when I read this was "no ambition". On the other hand, Shawcross has already been at a big club and didn't get a look in. Maybe he just wants to play football and be happy where he is rather than chance sitting on the bench half the time at a bigger club. It's a rarity this type of player but not a bad thing in the end.

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  11. He is clearly not the kind of players that we should be looking at. And if Rodgers thinks otherwise then perhaps we need another manager who treats us as a big club that we are and bring in better players.

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  12. My point exactly, why bring him when he might and might not be good on the ball, and you have someone you've already improved- he cost us points vs City and now he doesn't make those mistakes, and now bring Ryan to cost us more points just so he can get to Skrtel's level...
    Find a df, two cb, keeper and hold on to them as long as you can, other positions you can change, rotate, try something new, but those 4 are best with experience.

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  13. Skrtel will always have a few mistakes in him, especially when without Agger alongside him. So I don't agree that he won't make 'those mistakes', as that reckless/gung-ho-ness is part of his game. Who knows how quick or slow, how costly, etc, it will be for Shawcross or any defender to adapt (Enrique adapted straightaway and Newcastle weren't playing similar football). I think its jumping the gun to say Shawcross would cost us more points, especially when we aren't that great defensively and that Stoke have conceded much less goals than us this season. Too many variables to jump the gun and say he would cost us more points.

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  14. The contract being offered - 14m over 6 years to Shawcross is the biggest in Stoke's history hence the 'inflated' fee quoted. He's not leaving the Potteries any time soon I guess although in two years he'll be 27 at his peak ...then perhaps.
    The comment re: Pulis stay at the Britannia - as long as Peter Coates and his company Bet 365 is Chairman Pulis will be there.

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  15. All those variables tell me that he more likely would than wouldn't. No point discussing it really since the only sure thin I think is that he is not coming..

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  16. Now your talking probabilities/likelihoods instead of jumping the gun, which is fair enough (and I have agreed to one or two variable factors that go against bringing in Shawcross, as said in earlier posts). I don't agree that there is no point discussing it, as its a rumour and football fans discuss rumours don't they, whether they think its credible or rubbish. Rumours help to sell papers, mouse clicks, etc, regardless of how rubbish they are, as people will always discuss. Who knows what goes on behind closed doors at the club for 'sure', I don't, so I don't know whether we are truly interested in Shawcross currently.

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  17. must be a very quite day rumour wise lol

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  18. To many parts of this particular rumour are a no for me- don't want him here, we don't need him here, we can't afford him... Would rather discuss line up for tomorrow, and Sunday even more.

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  19. Love this time of year....The standard one arm bandit reel of names, prices and desitination....

    Alonso - £25m - Chelsea
    Lorrente - £18m - Spurs
    Ronaldo - £400m - QPR etc etc etc

    They literally have names in a hat and each evening before pressing print of the daily papers they do what I've done above. Fills space, sells papers and gives the guillible fans something to cling on to.

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  20. £18M for Shawcross is not 'massively inflated' by todays standards. Compare it to Jones & Lescott before him. If you compare it to Carroll & Torres then you'll get that old bank book out now!

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  21. If there far better how come you've conceded more goals

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  22. Because Gerrard keeps giving the ball away in midfield.

    :(

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  23. Yes. how good are 2 cb is the most important thing in conceding goals...

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  24. ...the only important...

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  25. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

    I HATE YOU SO MUCH KAWAAAR

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  26. Coates will turn out a better player then Shawcross

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  27. No more British players pleeezeee. for now

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  28. AnthonySmithSCFC18637:23 am, December 06, 2012

    Liverpool are only as big as stoke now so y would Shawcross join u get a life u dirty bin dippers UTMP

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  29. Jones and Lescott were also inflated fees. Strikers are always more expensive.

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  30. To be honest, I can't see LFC signing any Stoke players unless they want some wood chopped for the fireplace..

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  31. Story by story during nearly transfer window will be open this january. Ryann Showcrosss now is make it hottest again.....LFC plaease focus to get Alex Pearce from Reading only.He is cool and steady to control the pressure.Also can able assist or score the goal.Alternative i like if LFC can get sign Mats Hummell from B.Dortmund.....This player very special scale. Tough at defender and also can score the many goal.Very good to sign him for first priorty.

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  32. But liverpool got ripped off with Downing!

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