Parma Chief Tommaso Ghirardi has revealed that he has rejected an offer for Liverpool target Ishak Belfodil, a player scouted by the Reds three times last season.
Reports in Italy last week claimed that Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is an admirer of Belfodil, and when quizzed about the the 20-year old goalscorer's future last night, Ghirardi told GR Parlamento:
“It is normal that when big clubs arrive with massive wages it is right to let these players leave.
"We turned down an offer from a foreign side last week because we considered it as too low.
“We rejected €11m at the start of the year so he won’t be leaving for anything less than that.”
Give Liverpool's apparent interest - and penchant for low-balling clubs with pitiful offers (!) - it's conceivable that the rejected bid came from Anfield.
Ghirardi also conceded that he'd made a mistake in not allowing Belfodil to leave in January:
"We kept him in January despite getting a great offer for him. That was a mistake because his form in the second half of the season suffered as a result".
Belfodil - a devout Muslim - found himself increasingly on the sidelines in the second half of the season after falling foul of Parma boss Roberto Donadoni. The Italian recently explained his decision to marginalise the player, claiming that although his 'huge religious faith affects his lifestyle and performances on the pitch', it did not 'affect his choices. He told reporters:
“From January onwards he [Belfodil] was a little too distracted. When everyone is talking about you then the pitch is no longer a priority. Now he has understood his mistake and I am sure he’ll begin giving his best again. He needs to win back his credibility.”
Parma winger Jonathan Biabiany is not surprised that clubs are in for Belfodil. In a recent interview, he enthused:
“I am delighted that we have so many strong players here and added to the squad well too and it is also deserved that people are being linked with our players. Belfodil is a great asset of the club and a fantastic player.”
Prior to his current comments, Ghirardi admitted that he's 'proud' of the fact other teams are showing an interest in the player:
“He’s one of the surprises of the season. He’s already scored seven goals in Serie A this season. He’s young and needs to mature, but Juve are alert to him. That makes us proud.”
Belfodil's contribution this season is creditable:
* 8 goals/4 assists in 34 apps (22 starts)
* Goal every 2.7 games
* Goal/Assist every 1.8 games
Liverpool need another striker, and a younger player may be a good option as the competition upfront is sure to be strong next season. However, players from Serie A never seem to do well at Anfield, and for €11m+, I'd hope the club would sign a more prolific goalscorer.
Worth a bid...?
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
Reports in Italy last week claimed that Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is an admirer of Belfodil, and when quizzed about the the 20-year old goalscorer's future last night, Ghirardi told GR Parlamento:
“It is normal that when big clubs arrive with massive wages it is right to let these players leave.
"We turned down an offer from a foreign side last week because we considered it as too low.
“We rejected €11m at the start of the year so he won’t be leaving for anything less than that.”
Give Liverpool's apparent interest - and penchant for low-balling clubs with pitiful offers (!) - it's conceivable that the rejected bid came from Anfield.
Ghirardi also conceded that he'd made a mistake in not allowing Belfodil to leave in January:
"We kept him in January despite getting a great offer for him. That was a mistake because his form in the second half of the season suffered as a result".
Belfodil - a devout Muslim - found himself increasingly on the sidelines in the second half of the season after falling foul of Parma boss Roberto Donadoni. The Italian recently explained his decision to marginalise the player, claiming that although his 'huge religious faith affects his lifestyle and performances on the pitch', it did not 'affect his choices. He told reporters:
“From January onwards he [Belfodil] was a little too distracted. When everyone is talking about you then the pitch is no longer a priority. Now he has understood his mistake and I am sure he’ll begin giving his best again. He needs to win back his credibility.”
Parma winger Jonathan Biabiany is not surprised that clubs are in for Belfodil. In a recent interview, he enthused:
“I am delighted that we have so many strong players here and added to the squad well too and it is also deserved that people are being linked with our players. Belfodil is a great asset of the club and a fantastic player.”
Prior to his current comments, Ghirardi admitted that he's 'proud' of the fact other teams are showing an interest in the player:
“He’s one of the surprises of the season. He’s already scored seven goals in Serie A this season. He’s young and needs to mature, but Juve are alert to him. That makes us proud.”
Belfodil's contribution this season is creditable:
* 8 goals/4 assists in 34 apps (22 starts)
* Goal every 2.7 games
* Goal/Assist every 1.8 games
Liverpool need another striker, and a younger player may be a good option as the competition upfront is sure to be strong next season. However, players from Serie A never seem to do well at Anfield, and for €11m+, I'd hope the club would sign a more prolific goalscorer.
Worth a bid...?
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
No thanks. Bid on Rhodes from Blackburn is a better choice
ReplyDeleteis he really that good ? im asking ......i havent followed the championship .......is he really an upgrade over ince ?
ReplyDeletenot worth a bid at all ,john barnes made a good point yesterday about the english under21,s they think that they have made it and seem to think theres nothing more to learn ,belfodil sounds the same imo and they are better players out there for 11 million also as a devout muslim would he not be able to play on a certain day of the week or time of day,i do not do religon so would not know but if it is the case it would not be much use to lfc
ReplyDeletetotally agree i think you would get him for 12
ReplyDeletefor 12 we could try gaston ramirez :P
ReplyDeleteThis!
ReplyDeleteSo he's scored 8 goals, one of which was a penalty he missed at first too? Amazing. 11 million obviously isn't nearly enough. Can we not offer Borini and some cash for Muriel? Give Watford two players on loan as well to sweeten the deal.
ReplyDeletewatford ?
ReplyDeletehe bangs the goals in at every level hes played at so why could he not take the next step up,hes playing at a better level than players we are looking at in other leagues who are playing reserve team football,lambert for southampton had a decent return in his first year in the prem why not rhodes
ReplyDeleteRather go after napoli Insigne looks a real player for the future
ReplyDeletei was not questioning his ability ....i was asking for more information :P ..... and if what u say is indeed true then we should be making extra effort to sign him
ReplyDeleteDon't think we need anymore strikers? Aspas is having a medical atm so we would have 4 strikers in Suarez,Sturridge,aspas,borini. Then if Suarez goes then we will bring In a big replacement. :-)
ReplyDeleteahem mr borini spends a lot of time with the men in white coats so id say mr rhodes to be cover for then :P
ReplyDeletenot saying he would make it ,it would be a gamble ,but most of our signings seem to have an eliment of risk about them anyway
ReplyDeletedoubt we would get him for that amount;-)
ReplyDeleteWould you rather we offer them 35mil for this guy rather than test the waters with a lower and supposedly pitiful offer for a guy half of Liverpool fans have probably never heard of? I'm not trying to be facetious Jaimie but sometimes the wording of your stories can be a little aggressive towards our clubs and its players.
ReplyDeleteevery ones becoming a grammer critic thought better of you tut tut;-)
ReplyDeletewas thinkin the same Jimbob, its hardly a pitiful offer - 11m most people havent heard of him. And if we offered a lot more then they would be critised for over paying like in the past. Its a no win situation at times
ReplyDeleteNah, I think borini will do quiet well next year,he has good movement and he can score, he been unlucky with Injurys, also this Luis Alberto is signing the 20 year old CAM who also can play as a striker
ReplyDeletewont hurt to try ......also if saints coach leaves we could try bulling them into selling him
ReplyDeleteme to i thought 11 million was over the top i would have offered 2 balls a new kit and a box of lucozade
ReplyDeleteits the owners we would have to bully they are the money men
ReplyDeleteYeah, the guy who owns Udinese and Cartagena owns Watford too. That's why everyone is getting their knickers in a twist over Watford loaning some 8 or 9 players from its sister clubs.
ReplyDeletewhew ........ one would think owning club is tiresome enough
ReplyDeleteJimbob - perhaps you should read the story properly. The article does not state that LFC made an 11m bid for Belfodil.
ReplyDeleteGhirardi says he rejected an offer last week that was 'too low', and I suggested that it's possible it came from LFC.
And aggressive? Just because I used the word 'pitiful'? Perhaps you should grow a thicker skin, eh? Like so many others, you have a problem because I write stuff that doesn't conform to your cosy expectation of what an LFC fan should be.
How can you compare Rhodes to Ince? Thats like comparing Fowler to McManaman!! Totally different positions
ReplyDeleteI think he is worth it, if you are being scouted by Dortmund, Juventus and AC Milan (the 11 mil euro bidders), than you are doing something right.
ReplyDeleteAlso Jovetic is being paraded to EPL teams for 20+ million pounds, and hes has scored 13 serie a goals this season. Balotelli scored 21 goals in three seasons at Inter and was sold to Man city for 22 mil euro's, so tell me how is he not worth it when such somes are being paid for players who have done whorse in their first yrs in the serie a
Signing soon;)
ReplyDeleteIm starting to worry as this is twice Ive agreed with you this week!!
ReplyDeleteget to the doctors quick ;-)
ReplyDeleteagreed about the muslim comment and also African players that miss jan cos of the cup of nations need. players 24/7. I always thought reina was jewish cos he never seems to play on a Saturday !
ReplyDeletehe looks older than 25 hope he takes his glasses off when he plays
ReplyDeleteon another subject seems skrtals agent is keen for him to move to napale telling them he will be in liverpool next week and basically for them to send someone there
ReplyDeletere pepe thats why he was better when we were in europe less saturday games ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure he'll have a very good and complicated explanation for it other than admitting it has something to do with taks evasion :-)
ReplyDeletehes a good shout, doubt we would get him ..
ReplyDeletelol
ReplyDeletejust think he would like to know where his future lies. I personally think he would like to stay at anfield but not as a benchwarmer, totally understandable IMO
ReplyDeletecannot understand quite why he never got another look in seems rodgers has made up his mind and imo made him the scapegoat for the lack of a defence in a lot of games, must have had his card marked and put in an envelope for safe keeping.i would love to know who rodgers had in them i bet he got it completely wrong
ReplyDeleteskrtel is a good defender at all. but he needs a deep defensive line. he isnt made for this high pressure (i know there´s not really much pressure in our game) 4-3-3 formation. he suits more to a system with 3 CB´s or a typical 4-4-2 where the back line is standing directly infront of the goal. his ball control and skills with the ball are limitated, thats what rodgers doesnt like about him i think..
ReplyDeletei dont think any of the defenders looked comfortable with the system last season
ReplyDeletedreadin this season then!!!!
ReplyDeleteno they didnt, except enrique maybe... but agger has a good ball control and pretty decent opening from the defense. skrtel hasnt..
ReplyDeleteI think he was being polite. I think what he meant to say is that is stupid to suggest that there is anything wrong with offering lower amounts for players. Surely that is the point of negotiation, to pay as little as possible not more than is required. I think the problem is a lot of the stuff you write is garbage.
ReplyDeletecoates knockin bet !!!!
ReplyDeleteim excited :)
ReplyDeleteCan we exchange Borini for him?
ReplyDeletecan we give borini an injury free season before we judge him ?
ReplyDeleteErm... He is rubbish.. but go ahead... he cant even get into Italy's Under 21 side...why should he even be considered a first teamer for Liverpool. £10m thrown in the bin..
ReplyDeleteerm give him time, he was in Italys EM squad last year.
ReplyDeletehe had many throwbacks this season, i personally think he will become a good player for us. its unfair to judge players after one injury season, same for Allen btw...
Almost as good as Steven Fletcher..
ReplyDeleteExactly mate. You would think that most Liverpool fans would have learned their lesson about judging players too early but apparently not. Lets give the guy a chance.
ReplyDeleteyo yo yo cool down he isnt your son that you must go all gung ho on me since both play in the championship i asked
ReplyDeletedunno .... agger had a lot of fun also this system is suited to aggers style for his trademark runs you know ........ only problem is spacing out at times and that pish poor set piece defence that lets us down
ReplyDeleteBalotelli was 19 at the time (21 goals betwwen ages 17,18 and 19) and had massive potential. Jovetic is 23 and has been ladden with injuries in the past. 13 goals/31 games (Balo 12 from 13) in a season when Fiorentina were fighting for CL qualification (A little more would have helped them). Meanwhile Adem Ljajic (11/28) had an outstanding season.
ReplyDeleteJason ur back early ,i guess JK gave u a rap on the hand eh :)
ReplyDeleteYour right, you clearly no nothing about Muslims or their religion so my advice is lay off the lazy, uninformed assumptions and comments.
ReplyDeleteAnd for your info LFC has had Muslim players in the past.
we have also had a great player who would not play on a sunday ,he would be no good now so you keep your uniformed comments to yourself
ReplyDeletebut enrique is attacking minded so its easy to fit in
ReplyDeleteyes agger loved it bombing forward shame when it came to doing what hes paid for
ReplyDeleteHe's made it into Algeria's senior squad.
ReplyDeleteWorth a bid?
ReplyDeleteHELL NO!!
nice to know, learn something new every day
ReplyDeleteSure soldado ;) why don't we just ad cavani higuain and fabregas to your shopping list ;) ?
ReplyDeleteHe has looked good at the U21's, i got the chance to see a little of him for napoli this past season, The boy can play, i think he'll be looking to really take a full time starting spot at Napoli this season.
ReplyDeleteWith Aspas and Alberto both coming in who from what i have read (Having only seen aspas play like 2 times and wasnt really paying attention and never seeing Alberto play) they can both play the number 10 and out wide with aspas also able to play through the middle.
So i dont think we'd have room for Insigne and i think last season was our best chance at getting him though.
But if we are still looking at forwards like Belfodil i agree with you, Maybe we can send skrtel and get Insigne and cash.
Benitez should look after us :P
With respect Jaimie, I have absolutely no problem with you writing stories that don't conform to my cosy expectation of what a Liverpool fan should be. I do however disagree with your statement "that with Liverpool's apparent intereset - and penchant for low balling clubs with pitiful offers" The onlt transfer rumour I can remember where we have refused to pay asking price and gone in low recently is with Tom Ince, and in fairness I wouldn't want to pay more than 6 million for him. If I use your logic can you name me 5 recent transfers (not just rumour) where Liverpool have offered a pitiful price for a player? By the way I really do like your stories but I also love disagreeing with you about them thats the whole point no two fans ever agree on everything.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they'd except the kit if it's our new away one. All I can say is it's going to get some getting used too.
ReplyDeletelol i will not be buying it the training tops are as bad;-)
ReplyDeletedempsy for one
ReplyDeletewhy you should say he is a devout muslim? nobody is interested to know his religion. it doesnt matter at all
ReplyDeletewho is that player who wasnt playing on sunday? you taliking shit mate. muslims do not have any prob playing on any day of the week. great muslim players have even shown that they even can play when they are fasting.. and they play well also. keep ur racist comments dor urself idiot. we got dzeko ben arfa dembaba nasri riberry altintop anelka, the toure brothers, sagna,ram ozil benzema abidal sahin emre who are/ have been playing at big football clubs around the world and been great profesionals
ReplyDelete