3 Jul 2013

€7m Done Deal: LFC to sell 'outstanding' star for stunning 260% transfer profit.

Liverpool have reportedly accepted a £6m bid from Swansea City for Jonjo Shelvey, and the deal could be completed by the weekend.

According to The Telegraph:

"Swansea City have agreed a £6m (€7m) fee with Liverpool for midfielder Jonjo Shelvey

"It was made clear to Shelvey the club would not stand in his way if the right bid came in"


Earlier this week, chairman Huw Jenkins confirmed Swansea's interest:

"There is an interest there and we are talking to Liverpool"

With a £6m fee, Liverpool will pocket an outstanding 260% profit on Shelvey, who cost the club a mere £1.7m in 2010.

* Profit calculation: Profit - Cost x 100 = Gross profit before tax.

- Profit = £4.3m
- Cost = £1.7m
- Profit minus Cost = £2.6m
- Profit percentage = 260%

Great business all round, though it's a bit of a shame that there's no room for Shelvey at Anfield.

In the latter part of last season, Brendan Rodgers hailed Shelvey as 'outstanding', a 'great prospect', and a 'great kid'; so where did it all go wrong for the youngster?

The writing was seemingly on the wall when Rodgers exiled Shelvey from the first team after a poor performance in the 3-1 defeat to Stoke City. The Londoner didn't help things by suggesting publicly that he was being targeted: He told The Independent:

"I played against Stoke and obviously I didn't have too great a game. I had a few personal issues that were going on in my life. I didn't think I was the only one that had a bad game that day but I was the one that suffered if you know what I mean."

Then, after being yanked off in the 60th minute of the Reds' 2-0 defeat to West Brom, Shelvey blasted fans on Twitter for giving him a hard time:

"Love people giving me stick .. When half of people on here haven't got a clue what they're on about. #welldone #keyboardwarriors"

I like Shelvey as a player. I love the fact that he's self-confident, and is not afraid to take responsibility on the pitch. He doesn't hide, and seemingly has no fear, as evidenced by his willingness to give Alex Ferguson a mouthful after he got sent off against Man United:



The tough reality for Shelvey is this: His departure will make absolutely no difference to Liverpool's results on the field. Harsh but true. We saw this last season, and when that happens, a player becomes eminently expendable.

Many claim that Shelvey is the 'next Gerrard', and he clearly has many of the same attributes. However, unlike Gerrard in the late 1990s, Shelvey just won't get the pitch time to really develop into that role.

Additionally, he doesn't seem to fit the current LFC template for players. Rodgers clearly favours quick, skilful, technically gifted players, with excellent game intelligence, and lighting speed of mind. With the greatest respect to Shelvey, he is more of a classic rough-and-tumble English central midfielder, and such players are a dying breed in the modern game.

To be honest, if Gerrard was just starting out now, I doubt he would fit into Rodgers' team either. He'd probably be sold too. Lucky for him, classic all-action central-mids were more valued in the 1990s.

When sitting on the sidelines last season, Shelvey requested to be deployed in a holding role for Liverpool's U21s to gain experience in the position, which clearly shows that he just wants to play football. As such, a move at this stage of his career is definitely the right thing to do, though it's not a foregone conclusion that he'll start regularly for Swansea, a team that is filled with talented players.

It's always a shame to see a promising young player leave Anfield, and I'm sure most LFC fans will wish Shelvey all the best.

I'll close with my favourite Shelvey moment: Showing his confidence at the age of 19 by berating Andy Carroll for not doing his job properly:





NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)


111 comments:

  1. good riddance.....next Gerrard....lol sure right...... been wanting him to go fr few years n at last YNWA

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  2. If it has been agreed then I wish him good luck I only hope we don't go back in 2 years and buy him for 14 mil like Ince. but good luck to him great work liverpool

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  3. Said it all really JK. It would be very hard to see him with game time unless players got injured. And as harsh as it is - I thought he had a very poor season. Whenever he was playing in the league I just felt that he was taking the spot from someone else. And to be frank, he was completely out of his depth in the U21s too.

    Great profit though. and with the sell of him, Carroll and the extra sell on fees from Ince - isnt that enough for Mkhitaryan? Dont know about you guys - but thats some shrewd business (Y)

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  4. Mr. Point Of View11:09 am, July 03, 2013

    honestly shelvey under KD or BR i dunno what role he should be play...
    if judge by tactical i think he more suitable for aston villa

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  5. I think he's a far better player than joe Allan, younger and with more potential & he can score unlike joe Allan.. Nice bit I business from the swans again. :)

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  6. I really thought Jonjo was gonna come good for liverpool. The thing that has surprised me when watching him play of late is that his game awareness is too slow for a liverpool team wanting to challenge for the top places in the league. But I still feel that he is going to be a very good player in the future and I wish him all the best.

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  7. Good luck to him!
    Just didn't quite get going for Liverpool.

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  8. i always saw him more as a forward devensive duties is just isnt his thing .... we should have rather loaned him to west ham first .....sam was keen on him and would have given him ample game time .......... hopefully we dot waste suso's talent like shelvey and loan him somewhere like northamton .....that manager(forgot his name) is good at handling youngsters

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  9. rhys from masterchef proffesionals1 winner ?? :D

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  10. I understand where you're coming from, but I'm not sure you're right here.

    He is very young. I would have loaned him out for the season, like Chelsea did with Lukaku, and set a higher sell on fee.

    Another thing is your "profit calculation". You have decided against calculating his salary for the years he has been here for some reason which is beyond me. Also, I don't know if he have a loyalty clause, but if he does that should be reduced off the profit as well.

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  11. lets keep sterile defensive midfielders - laudrop has a real football brain. who will score more goals next season - lucas - allen or shelvey - why shelvey of course he will score more than twice as many as the other two put together.

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  12. agree m8 the profit will be wiped out on the loss of allen ,(double our money on him rodgers quote,hes having a laugh)

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  13. truth is I am not sure he is going to play as a DM for swansea and he played as a striker for us when suarez was out at the beginning of last season and does seem to be more of an AM but I cant see him displacing any of our starting 11. If there is a player who is growing into the midfield role at Liverpool it has to be Henderson and I think he might even kick on again next year so good luck to Jonjo but I think we are covered cheers

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  14. I would have liked to see Jonjo go out on loan to a premier league side for the season. But I can completely understand the club letting him go for that price, it will help with the rebuilding and clear up some space in our already crowded midfield. I think Shelvey has a great future ahead of him and has been a player I liked since we signed him, but perhaps a team like Liverpool is not the place for him to do it. Good luck Jonjo! YNWA.

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  15. Don't know what to make of Shelvey. He was good in the 1st half of the season and then started to think that he was a scapegoat of bad things on the pitch and then started to decline. Always wanted the ball, and then shoots over the bar - that's what frustrates me in his game. Never short on confidence but final 3rd decisions were always awful. I think his development is already at his peak and we have too many talented and skilful midfielders to deal with. He won't get a chance on the field much. He would be a good sub with great tenacity and aggression. Not the best passer of the game and doesn't read the game very well - a cardinal sin in the Liverpool team now. So 6m for him? I'd say grab it.

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  16. His "outstanding" statement was in reference to his performance against young boys. He still is a "great prospect" and is probably a "great kid" so I don't see why or where its gone wrong as you put it He could still develop in to a good/great player but maybe not at Liverpool. Since young boys, he arguably hasn't developed in the way people(and BR) possibly expected and Liverpool are getting a good price. Combined with the fact that they've bought additional midfielders, its a good deal - pointless article and whats all the maths about!!!

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  17. Great article which sums up exactly how I feel about his departure. Doesn't really fit the system so best of luck at very good club. Cheers Jonjo!

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  18. Don't sell him..he has more desire and potential than henderson..Send him on loan instead..

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  19. Nobody uses a players wages in the profit calculation. Wages are a profit and loss item, not a balance sheet item.

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  20. he will probably score more goals than Reina and Mignolet combined. We should probably get rid of both of them too.

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  21. Liverpool Kopites11:55 am, July 03, 2013

    Like him for the self confidence and willingness to take responsibility unlike most of the other players in the squad. Unfortunately, those aren't enough to let him stay on as technically and tactically, leaves something to be desired. If only he'd styled himself as the English Xavi, he might've had a chance... ;P

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  22. I hope this sends a message to Joe Allen. Regardless of age and potential, Shelvey didn't cut it and now he's gone.

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  23. Letting him leave will be another transfer disaster to add to the growing list of transfer disasters this summer. What a dumb decision. I'm not looking forward to the bile Rodgers will come up with next year to try and explain away our disaster of a season. Selling one of the brightest prospects in English football and bringing in Barca reserves and relegation fodder players. It all started so brightly with the signing of Touré.

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  24. This is something Liverpool haven't done well over the years. Develop a player a sell for good mid level money. Man Utd have often sold 21 and 22 years olds for £4m to £8m and it helps to go and pay the big fees for the best players.

    I'm sure there is also likely to be a sell on clause involved for a 21 year old.

    Ultimately Shelvy didn;t have the tactical sense and discipline to play in the way BR wants to.

    Good business

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  25. Moments like make me love the premium put on British players!

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  26. liverpool4life56512:50 pm, July 03, 2013

    Good deal, he wasn't going to get games next year he was a frustrating player.... And people comparing Allen to shelvey.... Different type of players.... :)

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  27. Theycallmemrburt12:52 pm, July 03, 2013

    Good points, Hits a good long pass, fearless in the tackle, has a good build and contrary to his woeful shooting last season he does have a good shot.

    Bad points, physically he moved like an old man last season. I can't recall how many times Shelveys boots appeared to be caught flat footed, If and when a ball wasn't played inch perfect into his feet.... but it was many. If the ball went either side of him he wasn't on his toes or on the half turn, he just put his hands on his knees and moaned. Positionally he is wayward too. He doesn't create space well for himself in the free role nor does he know how to position himself in a deeper role to dominiate the midfield. Like Jamie says his input in games last season was minimal wherever he played LW RW AM CM CF...................

    He had a good start to last season coming on as sub, but completely lost the plot after his England cap. I got the impression he thought he made it. I'd sell.

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  28. Theycallmemrburt12:56 pm, July 03, 2013

    true i'd play coutinho in the hole over Shelvey any day

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  29. Ranting & raving at team mates, mouthing off at refs and throwing yourself into tackles is one potential way of showing desire I suppose but there are other ways too to show desire, shown by Hendo improving his performances on the pitch. Don't know about potential but I'd rather have Hendo's use of desire than Shelvey's, at the moment anyway.

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  30. liverpool4life5651:02 pm, July 03, 2013

    You're joking right? Hendo is well better than Jonjo....

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  31. A bit similar to Andy Carroll deal. Loads of potential but wouldn't fit into Liverpool. Sadly. He will be a star someday, I think Swansea found another Michu type player.

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  32. Also worth noting, Henderson rejected a move to Fulham. I don't think Shelvey has that same belief that he can establish himself at Anfield and reject the Swansea offer. I understand his frustration though, as everyone wants to play.

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  33. Very true in terms of book but in true economic sense we didn't profit from Shelvey if wages paid were higher then profit. If Shelvey helped Liverpool to win trophies then we can ignore the wages part as we recovered it through prize money. But he was a youngster so IMO it should be included while calculation economic profit.

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  34. I fancied that girl to win :P

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  35. I guess players can be considered as assets. Wages are an expense that comes from sustaining/maintaining these assets. Players don't play for peanuts. So using your approach, no transfer is profitable. It's best to stick to transfer fees alone.

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  36. Yes, players/assets that are useful in day to day activities. Youngsters are not. Suarez transfer profit can be calculated without wages, Not Shelvey.

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  37. JK hit the nail on the head. We need game intelligence. That is what Shelvey lacks.
    I know he works hard, but he often runs back into the wrong position, and ends up tackling from the wrong side and giving away fouls. Plus he doesn't keep his head when presented with a chance.
    Good luck to Jonjo, always will remember him pointing at Ferguson....
    But we have better options now.

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  38. Theycallmemrburt1:29 pm, July 03, 2013

    Sterling will most likely prove he isn't up to it this season as well. Hope the lad proves me wrong...but that doesn't happen often :)

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  39. Okay, that's just like current and non-current assets. However Suarez hasn't helped us win anything major. You don't earn much at all from winning the League Cup. Why should his wages be excluded?

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  40. Sterling showed enough last season to show he can and probably will be a very good player for Christs sake leave the kid alone.
    How much did u expect really!!!!

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  41. Because he was "used" every week. Shelvey was hardly ever used. We don't earn anything from keeping Shelvey. Suarez is a commercial success as well

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  42. Transfer win

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  43. bonny or sarah ? :P

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  44. i dont mind losing out llori but i hope we get mhiktaryan

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  45. Haha how do you even remember the names...Yeah it was Sarah, but Bonny can cook for me any time ;) haha way off topic

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  46. It's fine as long we don't do a 'Thomas Ince' again. Though It'll be great to see he command LFC's midfield like what SG does for years. Can't see him getting a regular start in reality. No regular first team football, kids won't improve. Moving on might be the best option for him now. All the best! YNWA

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  47. wikipedia :P.......besides its not really that far off jamie would like to get involved in this (he can also cook after all ) :P

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  48. Please do not forget to mention SD, AC, Charlie Adam (full spelling in case you don't remember) and Coates. They all came before Joe Allen.

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  49. Nitesh Sharawat2:10 pm, July 03, 2013

    yes, he had a very poor season, but still he wanted to play and went to u21 squad and scored a superb strike against manu at old trafford..
    he can improve and best way is to give him some game time that wont happen here so he should be loaned rather than sold..

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  50. Nitesh Sharawat2:13 pm, July 03, 2013

    Swansea is the most shrewd in transfer market, if they are willing to pay for him 6mill than he should be more than what we saw in the last season.

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  51. Shelvey suffered from the Gerrard comparisons, with it resulting in him playing in positions that he simply was not suited to.

    Gerrard was an anomaly in that he could perform at an extremely high level in multiple positions. Shelvey is/was much more like Lampard, than Gerrard, in that he is suited to that one role of central midfielder with the freedom to break forwards - he isn't technically gifted enough to operate as a quality playmaker, not dynamic enough to be a wide-man and not disciplined enough to be a holding midfielder.

    But in that one position, he has the potential to be a very good/effective player, just like Lampard has been.

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  52. I don't know whether it was pressure to impress that lead to him increasingly focused on delivering long balls as the season progressed, but Shelvey is (potentially)a good CM and easily worth the £6m in today's market with all things considered.

    I think he is a much better player than we've seen in recent months, and once he gets his head back together, I wouldn't be surprised to see him emerge as a pretty good CM in the Premier League.


    In fact, I wouldn't be particularly surprised to see him turn out to be a better player than Henderson, if only for the fact that he has the balls to go out and try to influence a game every time he steps onto the pitch; whether things are going well for Shelvey or not, he doesn't go hiding. I like Henderson as a player, but he definitely would benefit from having a bit of Shelvey's confidence.

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  53. Understanding that he wasn't going to get games this year, why not loan him out to gain experience instead of outright selling him?

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  54. Shelvey is a Lampard type player - the difference is we've shifted Shelvey all over the pitch, whereas everybody knows Lampard can only function effectively in a specific area on the pitch.


    The problem for Shelvey is that Gerrard has been ever-present in that role this season, and we also have two other players with larger reputations (Allen & Henderson) wanting that same role.

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  55. Shelvey is technically good enough to operate in central midfield. He's not technically good enough to play behind a striker/in attacking midfield/out wide though...

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  56. Rodgers bought Allen, at great expense, to much personal fanfare.
    He inherited Shelvey.
    There's not much comparison there tbh.

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  57. We will be crying when Chelsea buys him for 15 mill and he becomes one of the best midfielders in the Prem. But he is too tall for BR...

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  58. He could've fit in a deeper role I think. Hopefully he is making way for a specialist ball-winner in central midfield though. Although I very much doubt it...

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  59. I'm not sure how an 18 y/o is going to prove that he's not up to it. Even if he doesn't get anywhere near as much game time this season as last, he's still well ahead of the curve.

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  60. The Swans tabled a surprise offer for the 21-year-old in the last 24 hours after he was told he could leave Anfield by former Liberty boss and current Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.

    Reports had suggested Swansea had tabled a £6m bid, which would surpass the club record £5.55m set when Pablo Hernandez signed from Valencia last summer, but it is thought that such a figure would only be reached with potential add-ons included.

    Swans are probably paying about 3/4 mil for him.

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  61. liverpool4life5653:58 pm, July 03, 2013

    So? There only buying him because he British.... Not big loss.

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  62. Shelvey is no where near as good as allen anfield as not seen what allen can do ,I've watched joe start is career and develop into a class player joe as not had a good season i agree but he will be a class act for the scousers there no doubt about that, as for jonjo if he does sign for swansea ill be shocked and devastated that swansea would pay that money for a player that is not as good as any of the other 8 midfielders we have 6 million to warm the bench because only a bit part player he will be he doesn't play the swans way and i personally don't think he could ,Huw Jenkins please spend my season ticket money some where else .

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  63. liverpool4life5654:40 pm, July 03, 2013

    It's 5 mil upfront with add ons... So prob 1 mil add on :-)

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  64. Its nice to get that price for him and I think he really has a great future ahead but not LFC ofcourse. I only hope that he doesn't come back to haunt us.

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  65. liverpool4life5654:42 pm, July 03, 2013

    We will, Dortmand have pulled out... Plus the players wants the liverpool move. But it's just very slow process because of the 3rd owner... :)

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  66. Err why are you telling me that?

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  67. I heard this great interview with Neville Southall describing that the Everton home crowd would boo Peter Beardsley for playing too many loose balls during his spell at the club. Southall recognised that Beardsley was thinking so far ahead of his team mates that they could read his passes. This incite show why the 80s Liverpool sides were one of the best teams in history and this slow decline over the last 25 years has resulted in Liverpool buying inferior players. Another interesting thing from this interview was that Southall expected a lot more from Everton this season an that They should be challenging for 1st place and not 4th because Everton have a history of success. Liverpool really need to start thinking big again if they are to keep and attract big players. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBf3CLkmsFM

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  68. Gaz (one of the posters on this site) disagreed with me when I mentioned Shelvey being deployed as a 'striker' by Rodgers.


    Shelvey like Carroll does not have a quick thinking football brain, which is one of the most essential requirements in a pass and move system.

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  69. He was never going to cut the mustard at Liverpool. Now we have made space in our squad for another signing. What is wrong with that?

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  70. Good luck to him...I did have time for Jonjo,Sad to see him go but he's better off getting more game time somewhere else then rotting on our bench

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  71. Torres never came back to bite us so i highly doubt letting go of Shelvey is going to do us any harm either.

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  72. sorry and lets not forget borrini

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  73. outstanding star,your having a laugh,his runs are all wrong,couldnt trap a bag of wet cement,a time bomb waiting to explode.6 mil,great buisness.

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  74. liverpool4life5657:07 pm, July 03, 2013

    Stewart downing...

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  75. completely forgot about him lol

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  76. i sympathize with u .....but why are u telling me this ?

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  77. we should sell him but insert a buy back clause hell if barca can so can we !

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  78. there is always totensteal hotcheats trying to snare our targets

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  79. liverpool4life5657:50 pm, July 03, 2013

    Haha there trying but the players doesn't want to go there which is positive. Selling Jonjo and spearing will help us get Mkhitaryan:)

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  80. I think this is a good move for all parties. Shelvey isn`t a bad player at all, and I think he will turn into a really good player, however for that to happen he needs good run of games, something I don`t think he will get with us, as currently we have better players available in his position and we aren`t really at the stage where we can spend a few years letting players bed in who aren`t ready yet, or shouldn`t be anyway. Good luck to the lad, I hope he does well. I think its just unlucky on his part he didnt make it here as we are just to crowded in that position.

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  81. What a stupid calculation! Was he sold for 6m and not 5m surely other aspects need to be factored in such as. Agent fees and wages

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  82. If henderson develops better defensive technique he could very well become the box to box midfielder liverpool needs. He's athletic, well sized, and technically able. I sometimes wish BR would rest gerrard and place henderson alongside lucas in games against bad opposition

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  83. It's a disgrace they let him go and replaced him with crap from Spain. I've lost all faith in Rodgers now. What a clueless bunch the lot of them at Anfield. Get out of our club!

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  84. How about you going to find another club to support. If you are so heartbroken then follow Shelvey to Swansea where they have a whole host of Spanish players too :-o

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  85. I might get some stick for this but I never thought Jonjo was ever going to be a good LFC player. He has bags of skill and potential but I really think that his poor decision making is his main hinderance.
    When we first signed him I was ok with it because he was a project and we had to be patient. But it looks like, 3 years later, he's still making the same wrong decisions where you see him lose the ball too easily, picking the audacious pass instead of the simpler effective one, and either not bothering to get back after losing posession or steamboating into the opponent and giving away free kicks for no reason (not to mention his shocking finishing outside the Europa League).
    I wish him all the best and am convinced that he can still be a great england player if he matures a little mentaly. I know he's only 21 but I don't think we could afford to wait for that maturity switch to click especially considering this is probably the best time to sell him as new signings would limit his playing time for a while

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  86. Don't want to be pedantic but the % profit is incorrect. It should be profit(or loss) divided by cost then multiplied by 100.

    2.6 / 1.7 x 100 = 152%


    On the playing side of things, at the top end players need to take the chances they are given. Too often Jonjo didn't make the most of the opportunities he had to play in the first team. Liverpool need players that take their chances and finish games off. Its a fine line between success and failure or 1st and 2nd and 4th and 5th.


    I wish him well.

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  87. Replying to my on post.


    4.3 / 1.7 x100 = 252%

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  88. Sorry, but that's incorrect. The calculation in the article is 100% right. Plus, your second calculation is also wrong.

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  89. Torres was clearly passed-it well before he left us.
    He just had (and still has) an awful lot of people willing to make excuses for him - if it's not disappointment in off the field events affecting him mentally, it's a lack of confidence; if not that then it's a lack of playing time/injury affecting his "rhythm"; if not that then it's too much pressure being place on him; if not that then it's too much pressure on him etc etc etc

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  90. That's half the problem with Rodgers...

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  91. Actually, Swansea would be more YOUR thing. Loads of mediocre players to get really excited about.

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  92. I am not unhappy with Liverpool FC so there is no reason for me to find another team whereas someone like you will be moaning from start to finish.


    Poor you.

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  93. How can you possible say that all the summer transfers have been a disaster when we haven't even kicked a ball?

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  94. Because we were supposed to build on top of our second half of the season last year and we ended up signing: A Barcelona reserve, A 25 year old who never even got close to a cap for Spain and whose biggest feat was to not get relegated a goalkeeper who is no improvement on Pep other than that he's younger and Touré who has been our only decent transfer so far. On top of that we're chasing a defender with all of 12 first team games for Sporting who has a youtube vid worse than that of Sunderland's Diakite.

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  95. With such lack of ambition you should be on BR's staff really. I'd send my CV if I were you.

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  96. So in other words you would only be happy with the club spending 10's of millions of pounds on players that only you have heard off.. a lot like KD did?

    Of course you are right, no good player could ever play for a lower league team in any division in any league.

    I mean players like benteke, michu, hyypia,

    Hernández, a lot of arsenal players over the years etc all came from massive clubs for mega money didn't they... hang on

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  97. Taking a gamble on players is fair enough if that's the only option you have. However, we don't have to take that gamble. Of course good players can come from lower leagues but that transfer policy is a gamble we no longer need to take. Arsenal is indeed a perfect example.It's been 8 years since they've won anything and there is a good reason for that. City however went from sfa to winning the league. Obviously we don't have the deep pockets to waste a fortune on players nor would I want us to. However, we have a first team that is capable of winning the league if only it could find some consistency. That's what makes the difference between top class players and so so players. That's what makes the difference between top class teams and so so teams. Consistency. Look at Bayern, look at Barcelona, look at Man United. They don't go around paying a million here and a million there for unproven players. No. They make one big signing like Van Persie. Or Götze. Or Neymar. Or Jordi Alba. Or Javi Martinez. Or Rooney. To strengthen their first team. What we do is replace one inconsistent player, like Downing, with another gamble, like Aspas. KD's problem was not that he spent a lot of money. It was that spent a lot of money on average players.

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  98. Theycallmemrburt2:29 pm, July 04, 2013

    he did play behind the striker for Blackpool and lashed loads of goals in. SHelveys problem with us was a combination of tryng too hard along with his technical and tactical defiencies.

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  99. Theycallmemrburt2:29 pm, July 04, 2013

    agreed

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  100. Theycallmemrburt2:30 pm, July 04, 2013

    Ive seen great 18 year olds, decent 18 year olds, rubbish 18 year olds and average ones.

    Sterling is decent to average at best and will probably never reach the level of Nathan Dyer, Jermain Pennant or Aaron Lennon let alone be International to world class.

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  101. Sorry but we do not have a first team capable of the winning the league, maybe pushing for a top 4 spot, but no where near winning the league.

    As for the teams you mentioned, they spent heavily, the difference is that they have spent very wisely where as we have not.

    Lets use Man Utd and look at the some of their first team players.

    Phil Jones - 16mil
    Valenica - 16mil
    Rio F - 30mil
    Rooney - 20mil
    Anderson - 20mil
    Nani - 25mil
    Chris Smalling - 8mil
    Michael Carrick - 15mil
    Ashley young - 15mil
    RVP - 22.5mil


    you see.. lots of big money signing but they were very good signings.


    Man Utd have invested heavily in their squad and do so most seasons but they for the most part spend wisely.


    Also Barc and to some extent Man Utd have a great system where they find and buy players young and bring them though the ranks where as we do not.


    I understand BR signings and can appreciated that he is looking for young talented players that do not cost a small fortune, not just for a couple of seasons but for many years to come.

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  102. Man United didn't just "get Lucky" with their signings though did they? Their policy has been plain for all to see since the late nineties and it is: we have a good core here, let's complement that by spending our entire transfer budget on one or two top quality additions and strengthen our first team. The good players they have in their first team already drop to the bench as a result which, in effect, makes their squad stronger too. Our core right now is: Pepe, Agger, Gerrard, Suarez. Complimented with Coutinho, Sturridge, Johnson and Henderson. All of those players, bar possibly Henderson, would walk into any PL first team. That is a strong first team of 8 players. Leaving us to find a CB, a LB and a DM. Considering we sold Carrol and Shelvey for 20 million combined, spent another 20 million on the three we brought in and signed Touré on a free, that leaves us with 40 million to spend on a left back and a DM. I'm pretty sure we could sign two top top players with that cash. But what do we do? We take it to the casino. If you follow my logic our first team next year could have lined up: Reina; Johnson Digne Touré Agger; DeRossi Gerrard Henderson; Suarez Sturridge Coutinho. With a bench of Jones,Skrtel,Enrique,Allen, Suso, Sterling. Now you tell me that isn't a top four lineup and bench. All these guys with their five year plans, oversized squads and their revolving door of players. If you buy two top class players every year, you will have transformed your entire lineup in five years and stand a much better chance than spreading it across five or six additions every single year.

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  103. Well statistically at around January he had drawn i think the 6th most freees in the comp which is above average.
    Also i would like to note how many other kids his age make an impression yes thats right not many so Burt i suggest u wait n see coz u aint that good a judge,

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  104. Well he has already been chosen for England so that puts that to the sword.
    Also the level of development over the next few years may decide what level he reaches.
    How many kids his age outperformed him in the EPL this season case closed.
    You know Burt a lot of good players develop later really i would say this is nothing not even a good guess.

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  105. Sorry at what point did I say Man Utd were lucky?

    I said they spent wisely. If you can not tell the difference between lucky and wise then were in trouble :)

    The reason why Man Utd only add 2 - 3 players per year is because they have had a great core squad for nearly 20 years now.

    Any Prem Team is not good enough is it :) So what if Henderson could walk in the Fulham team lol.

    The question is how many of our players could walk into Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Spur team.

    You can say we can challange all you like but our league positions over the last few years tells a different story. We finished were we finished not because of bad luck, or lack of consistency but simply because the squad, the entire squad is not good enough.

    Our core squad with the additions made so far will hopefully allow us to push for a top 4 space.. no more.

    It will take years to make Liverpool not only a title contender but so we can challenge consistently year in year out. Hence the process of buying good young players at a good price who can grow and improve each year.

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  106. I didn't watch Blackpool play in the championship, but judging from the way Holloway had Blackpool playing in the Premiership, I'd assume it was the same 433 formation and Shelvey was breaking forward from deep, rather than playing in behind the striker

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  107. Of those eight, at least Pep, Agger, Johnson, Suarez, Gerrard and Coutinho could walk into any PL side, including Chelsea, Manu and City. It will indeed take years for us to progress in any way if we continue this way. "Building a squad" didn't work for Houllier, didn't work for Benitez and will not work for anyone else either. What we need first and foremost is a first team. It's a disgrace that in 12 years we have not been able to build a team that can challenge for the title around Gerrard. And there is only one reason for it. We have during more than a decade wasted the largest part of hundreds of millions on average rubbish and employed negative tactics to boot. Had we spent 30 million a year on one or two players the year Gerrard made his debut, we would have been a lot further than we are now.

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  108. There's nothing wrong with selling him, especially when taking into account the money we got for him.


    All I'm saying is, he's 21 years old, and Rodgers certainly saw something in him last summer that he felt like Jonjo could be a major factor for the club for years to come. To give up on that idea after only a year and sell him (as opposed to loaning him out) is a bit weird.


    I'm not disagreeing with the idea of selling him. I'm just curious as to why the club would consider him a part of the future one year, and then sell him the next without at least sending him on loan for a year first.

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