Former Liverpool Managing Director Christian Purslow has today confirmed that the Reds almost signed Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez during the summer 2010 transfer window.
Discussing the current transfer window on Sky Sports this afternoon, Purslow - who is still engaged in ongoing legal action with former Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett - revealed that Roy Hodgson was 'only hours away' from signing Gomez on loan.
Just imagine if that deal had gone through:
* Liverpool almost certainly wouldn't have signed Andy Carroll a few months later.
* £35m saved, and possibly spent on different players (still probably wasted by Dalglish and Comolli, but you never know)
* More goals being scored in the 2010-11 season, and possibly a better league finish.
At the time, Gomez's Agent, Uli Ferber, told Reporters:
"When a club like Liverpool enquires, their interest cannot be pushed off the table"
There were rumours at the time that Gomez's £125k-a week salary demands had scuppered the possibility of a deal, but Bayern sporting director Christian Nerlinger seemed to simply rule out any loan deals. He barked:
"Bayern Munich are not a superstore for other clubs to come and help themselves to players. No player will be leaving and they will certainly not be leaving on loan"
According to the BBC, Liverpool tried to sign Gomez once again during the January 2011 transfer window. Their report stated:
"Bayern Munich turned down offers from Chelsea and Liverpool for striker Mario Gomez during the January transfer window, the BBC has learned. The Germany international is understood to have been the subject of a bid from the Reds early in January"
Gomez - who cost Bayern €30m - grabbed 39 goals for Bayern Munich in the 2010-11 season, and if things had gone differently, just imagine the difference his goals could've made to Liverpool.
Jaimie Kanwar
Discussing the current transfer window on Sky Sports this afternoon, Purslow - who is still engaged in ongoing legal action with former Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett - revealed that Roy Hodgson was 'only hours away' from signing Gomez on loan.
Just imagine if that deal had gone through:
* Liverpool almost certainly wouldn't have signed Andy Carroll a few months later.
* £35m saved, and possibly spent on different players (still probably wasted by Dalglish and Comolli, but you never know)
* More goals being scored in the 2010-11 season, and possibly a better league finish.
At the time, Gomez's Agent, Uli Ferber, told Reporters:
"When a club like Liverpool enquires, their interest cannot be pushed off the table"
There were rumours at the time that Gomez's £125k-a week salary demands had scuppered the possibility of a deal, but Bayern sporting director Christian Nerlinger seemed to simply rule out any loan deals. He barked:
"Bayern Munich are not a superstore for other clubs to come and help themselves to players. No player will be leaving and they will certainly not be leaving on loan"
According to the BBC, Liverpool tried to sign Gomez once again during the January 2011 transfer window. Their report stated:
"Bayern Munich turned down offers from Chelsea and Liverpool for striker Mario Gomez during the January transfer window, the BBC has learned. The Germany international is understood to have been the subject of a bid from the Reds early in January"
Gomez - who cost Bayern €30m - grabbed 39 goals for Bayern Munich in the 2010-11 season, and if things had gone differently, just imagine the difference his goals could've made to Liverpool.
Jaimie Kanwar
classy player, great composure when on his game.
ReplyDeletepoor mans andy carroll lol !!!
Spilt milk...
ReplyDeleteifs and buts and maybes wish we had but we did not
ReplyDeletei think the key word is imagine....but to be honest 125 g a week ill pass ....just imagine if he flopped ...we have been linked over the years to numerous players some better some worse than gomez thats the nature of the sport
ReplyDeleteCarroll's 35m transfer fee would've paid Gomez's salary for 5.3 years.
ReplyDelete3 years ago - let it go. Hasn't Suarez done something for you to slag off today, like fart in bed or kick the cat?
ReplyDeleteOK, but does that include the transfer fee that would be paid for him? I think not
ReplyDeleteNo, because there was no transfer fee. It would've been a loan deal.
ReplyDeleteOh well, we can't keep looking back we have to move forward. Which is a good thing with players like Sturridge, Suso, Wisdom, Sterling, Kelly, Robinson, Assaidi etc the list could go on.
ReplyDeletei stand corrected, my apologies.
ReplyDeleteGomez surely is a better player than Carroll, but he's not as good as his many goals may suggest. He plays for a top team in his league and has very good team-mates to create all those chances for him to put away (Robben, Ribery, Müller, Schweinsteiger to name a few). His awareness is pretty questionable at times and he is nowhere near a player like, for example, Drogba who is strong enough to force his way through if need be. He isn't nearly as skilful as Suarez either.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, he is a decent player, but for €30m many fellow Reds probably would expect a better player. We've got Suarez for about the same price and I wouldn't swap those two. After all, we didn't sign Gomez in 2011, but signed Suarez in the subsequent transfer window. We wouldn't have missed out on Carroll but on Suarez had we signed Gomez.
We've just signed Sturridge and some people claim that he must be poor because no other big club tried to sign him. Well, Gomez is at a big club (Sturridge was, too, at a rather big club last December), but wealthier clubs like Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid or Barcelona never went for him. What does that tell us then?
Which may include a loan fee, plus the wages. We didn't get Gomez, but signed Suarez instead a few months later. I am more than happy with that.
ReplyDeleteWe could've had Gomez AND Suarez. Wonder how that would've worked out...?
ReplyDeleteDay's not over yet.
ReplyDeleteWe could have had Suarez and Torres either, as it was the transfer of Torres that lead to the signing of Carroll. Now, give me Suarez and Torres over Suarez and Gomez any day of the week, please.
ReplyDeleteHad we signed Gomez, we'd have (had) Gomez and Torres. Both players have something about them, but both have quite some downsides to their game, too. In a way, they are similar kind of players. With Torres in the team I wouldn't understand the signing of Gomez.
We are better of having Suarez, and lets hope that Sturridge works well with him. He can be as prolific as Gomez.
It hasn't been widely reported, but Suarez actually did this yesterday: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/gallery/2013/jan/06/fa-cup-liverpool#/?picture=401952170&index=5
ReplyDeleteI am a compassionate person and would rather slate Suarez for that snub than handling the ball. Just look at the lads face. Hope the big man on the right had some nice words for Luis. Guess the guy in the reflecting vest thought something along the lines of "arrogant r sole". I actually hope people at the club see that picture too, feel the same as me and send the kid a personalised signed photograph of Suarez. Without fans even Suarez is nothing. You simply don't treat the ones who adore you like that.
Totally agree, Anteater. Pretty disgraceful really. Imagine if I posted something about this (!) - I thought about it but decided against it. If I really 'hated Suarez' as people seem to think, then surely I would've seized this opportunity?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't surprise me at all though, but his adoring fans will find some way to justify it.
I adore Suarez for his football, but he shouldn't snub a kid for an autograph. None of our players should. I really would like to know whether he does things like that more often or if he was just in a bad mood. Rodgers claims that Suarez is a family man. He should know better then, shouldn't he. I sickens me, more than his on-field antics, which have decreased recently.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are probably right. If you had published an article about that, the knives would have been out, though I don't think you really hate Suarez. I don't want our club to have a public image of players snubbing children, just as you don't want the club to have a public image of cheating. Therefore, up to a certain point, I understand why you highlight Suarez's shortcomings.
Could be a blessing in disguise. Who is to say we would have gotten Suarez? If we'd had Gomez, Roy probably would have made it through the season and I can't see Hodgson having bought a player like Suarez (though he did try to take credit for the Suarez deal slightly, so maybe he would have). Suarez certainly wouldn't have fit in with Roy's system.
ReplyDeleteI think if you gave Hodgson the choice between Carroll and Suarez (in 2011) he'd have taken Carroll.
ive had certain liverpool playerz refuse me an autograph at the age of 8 ...2 names molby and rush and u dont call them a disgrace every day so get fxxkin real
ReplyDeleteand my aunty would be my uncle if she had di*k
ReplyDeletereally this is old hat and conjecture.......Gomes may have flopped and carroll may have gone to a club and scored a hatful ...pure fantasy
the reply i sent to ur bitch anteater was for u 2
ReplyDeleteI actually think that Suarez was a player Comolli had identified, most probably while Hodgson still was in charge. Reports at the time indicated that the deal was negotiated before Kenny took over and Comolli himself replied in a recent interview, when asked if Suarez would be at Anfield had he not been there, with no.
ReplyDeleteIs the photo fake?is it a set up?is the photo took out of context? .......we are slowly going into the realms of area 51 with this article
ReplyDeleteMaybe I put my point across a bit too complicated in my comment above, but I really don't understand your reply in relation to it.
ReplyDeleteHad they treated you with more class back then, you may be able to show more class towards strangers on the internet today. Ever thought about it?
ReplyDeletebut after a year we would have had to pay a similar amount in fee so add another 20 or 30 mill to this figure.....we all know we had our pants pulled down over the carroll transfer and we could all come up with hundreds of permutations to spend the money better ..but its done
ReplyDeleteits a lot of ifs ...not just you anteater but the whole trend of the thraed is based on ifs ...if we had we ..we could of..
ReplyDeleteYes, obviously, because it involves Suarez, it must be fake; it must be a conspiracy. The Guardian regularly publishes fake photos.
ReplyDeleteAnd my conclusion was: We are better of with Suarez.
ReplyDeletethe photo just doesn't look right ...i dont have a background in editing or photography but why has the kid got both hands out like the mummy.....if he has ignored the kid its a disgrace but im not sure he has
ReplyDeleteThe photo is legit. Just accept it! Suarez ignored a kid's request for an autograph. What about the photo doesn't look right? The fact that Suarez is in it?!
ReplyDeleteHe's holding a pen in one hand and a card for Suarez to sign in the other. If this is an editing job it is a very, very good one as you can also see the shadow of the pen on Suarez's jacket. Furthermore I'd like to think that the Guardian is a respected newspaper, one that doesn't publish fake photos.
ReplyDeleteI didn't say it was i was suggesting it may be... ...The Guardian is like any other paper ..and.its staff are no more or less moral...that is unless they take some holy vows when entering employment
ReplyDeleteDon't be silly, gilstrap. You posted some good comments recently and I would very much appreciate it if you kept them coming instead of suspecting a plot behind everything that doesn't make our club look great.
ReplyDeletegilstrap - The Guardian photographer who actually took the photo described the incident as follows:
ReplyDelete"Suarez was the only Liverpool player the boy asked for an autograph. Suarez didn't say a word to him, just walked by"
https://twitter.com/TomJenkinspix/status/288410727495110656
In fact where are this childs parents ...or wheres security the kid could have a bomb strapped to him
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely shocking. And you I couldn't have put it any better anteater, without the fans there's no Liverpool. If Suarez ignored me I'd be absolutely gutted let alone a little boy who probably thinks the world of the man. A little personalized note to the lad is all that's needed and I'm sure he'll be over the moon and forget the whole incident. Sometimes I just wish Luis would do less to attract the negative media
ReplyDeleteDid you read what I had to say about the "fourth estate" on that other thread? Believe it or not, but there are journalist and even papers out there who take that serious. There are real newspapers like the Guardian or the Times (to name two) and rags like the Daily Mail or the unnameable (among others). They have different approaches to their job and have a different task, therefore employ different breeds of journalists.
ReplyDeleteAs you well know jaimie... suarez has had well documented history on misinterpritation perhaps he found the childs gesturing offensive.......listen im not trying to gloss over it and if he intentionally ignored the kid its disgracful but id like to hear it from a club source
ReplyDeleteIf its legit its wrong ....and the club should act
ReplyDeleteThanks! And you are right indeed. Why employ public relations people when they can't handle a relatively small incident like this. Great to see more compassionate football fans. We are not all thick animals as some section of the public want to believe.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the kid was obviously gesturing 'you're a C**t"
ReplyDeleteI'm not really the bleeding hearts type and think Liverpool and its fans are treated the same as all the other clubs no better or worse..but i do like a balanced argument ...i very often argue against my own standpoint on forums to even things out......what i do know is these types of photos are often very misleading
ReplyDeletegilstrap, I really don't know whether it is worth still replying to you, at least on this matter. I've made my point, I am a compassionate person and it especially hurts me when I see children hurt, physically or emotionally. You may or may not be able to grasp that. You may be too cool to be compassionate, maybe you are to young to be bothered, I really don't know, but please stop ridiculing me for the way I am. If we had more compassionate people and less thugs on this planet, it would be a much better place. (I am in no way implying that you are a thug!)
ReplyDeleteIve personally seen luis signing loads of autographs, feel sorry for the kid if he genuinely did snub him but theres a number of reasons why it may have happened, as for gomez, like its been said, water under the bridge & even after a loan period we may not have got his signature, iam happy with luis & hope danny starts banging them in :)
ReplyDeleteIn fact im going to wish you good night as ive kinda lost the point of the point i was making, if in fact i had a point at all to make...hope that clears thing up ....dont let the bed bugs bite
ReplyDeleteAnteater i was joking
ReplyDeleteI'd like to think that there's a big difference between "bleeding-hearts" and "compassion".
ReplyDeleteAt times I do the same as you, arguing against my own standpoint for the sake of balance, but sometimes this kind of approach may just be inappropriate. Anyway, in the end it was a small incident and I don't want to make a big affair out of it. I've made my point of view clear, and right now I can't see anything changing it. It would have taken Suarez a few seconds to sign that card, but that kid might have kept it close to his heart for the next ten or more years.
You've actually wasted my time.
ReplyDeleteim genuinly not trying to ridicule or offend you as thats not my style .....i have my own way of putting points across but the aim is never to insult or offend anyone and if i thought i was doing so it would bother me and i would stop...for the most part my comments are just a vehicle for poor attempts at humour and analyst and if ive offended you i apologise
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of our highly knowledgeable crowd slating Roy for even considering Gomez at the time. Hindsight eh...
ReplyDeleteAccepted. I simply don't get your humour.
ReplyDeleteOr cheat.
ReplyDeleteKenny could still be in the job jk ??;)
ReplyDeleteWe could have had Messi too if he was available on loan. How could we be close to signing Gomez on loan if he wasn't available on loan?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm aware of that, I was just trying to throw Roy a bone to be honest.
ReplyDeleteIm pretty sure the photo is photoshopped. i mean its obvious isnt it? ITS HOWARD WEBB!! the cheeky bugger is already trying to put us off
ReplyDelete....nice
ReplyDeleteYes....2010 i like to see that LFC can get sign Mario Gomez and Mario Gotze to be new strikers after departure Torres to chelsea.But it is not happen until now.
ReplyDeleteFair enough.
ReplyDeleteLook at Fernando Morientes, came to us after being prolific for Real Madrid and helping Monaco to the Champion's League final, and he was pretty poor for us.
ReplyDeleteNot a loan deal for 5.3 years, to get a player for that long, a transfer is involved.
ReplyDeleteWhat a difference Gomez would have made! Gomez and Suarez! One is a goal poacher another a little magician!
ReplyDeleteMy understading is that we offered £30m for Gomez in January, it got accepted but then Munich had injury problems up front so they had to play Gomez, he scored a few goals and then they decided against selling him to us. We were then left in a hole because we had agreed to sell Torres to Chelsea and rather than be left short, we went for Carroll. I still think Carroll can do the job at LFC alongside Suarez and Sturridge.
ReplyDeleteor hodgson might still be in the job !!!
ReplyDeleteOh so many "could have" "should have" but all comes down to "didn't". We don't have the nouse to find when we need!
ReplyDeleteIt not too late if LFC try to request Mario Gomez for joining LFC this january or next season.He is realy natural goal scorer .
ReplyDelete