9 Jul 2013

Transfer Fail: €10m maestro insists there's 'no chance' of LFC move. Bad news...?

In news that is sure to disappoint Reds fans, former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso appears to have ruled out a possible return to Anfield this summer.

When quizzed on Monday about a possibility of a summer transfer to Chelsea or Liverpool, Alonso gave reporters the following emphatic response:

"The Premier League? No. There's no way, no chance"

Alonso has been regularly linked with a return to Liverpool, and in April the Spaniard who admitted last year that he 'misses' Anfield - hinted that a Liverpool move'could be a possibility'. He said:

"I have not decided where to play in the future. At the moment the only certainty is my contract with Real Madrid until 2014. My return to Anfield? I had an amazing time during my long experience in Liverpool with the jersey of the Reds."

Real Madrid have yet to offer Alonso a new contract, and in a recent, Miguel Alonso - Xabi's father - told Radio MARCA:

"What he [Alonso] wants to do is to wait a bit to see what happens and how things go, and then, when the time is right, he'll make the appropriate decision. It's as simple as that - there's nothing else to it"

If ever there was a player who would fit into Rodgers' football philosophy, it's €10m Alonso, but the the question is, would FSG sanction a move for a player in his 30s? Reds legend Dietmar Hamann certainly hopes so, but he's not sure it will happen. He tweeted recently:

"I'd love to see Xabi Alonso back at Anfield. He's a pleasure to watch, but I'm not sure whether there is any truth in it. I can't really see it happening"

I have to agree with the Kaiser here - Alonso will probably not return to LFC, and John Henry already (indirectly) explained why in his open letter to fans last summer. He wrote:

"Spending is not merely about buying talent. Our ambitions do not lie in cementing a mid-table place with expensive, short-term quick fixes that will only contribute for a couple of years. We will build and grow from within, buy prudently and cleverly and never again waste resources on inflated transfer fees and unrealistic wages."

These comments were made to explain the club's failure to sign Clint Dempsey, who is two years younger than Alonso (!) As such, from FSG's point of view, they will surely see Alonso as a 'short-term fix' who will 'only contribute for a couple of years' on 'unrealistic wages'.

Overall, that's an incredibly short-sighted view to take (IMO), but rightly or wrongly, that's the group's transfer ethos, which almost certainly means Alonso will never again be seen in a Liverpool shirt.

Reds fans have a tendency to romanticise Alonso's possible return without considering the reality. The Spaniard is a bona-fide world class midfielder, but I'd hate to see him return to Anfield and spend most of his time on the bench (due to squad rotation/preference for younger players etc).

Additionally, it has to be said: a midfield three of Gerrard, Alonso and Lucas lacks pace and mobility.

Be that as it may, it's ridiculous to even contemplate that FSG would reject a bona-fide world class midfielder like Alonso. Signing the Spaniard is akin to signing players of the calibre of Andrea Pirlo and Xavi, and chances like that don't come around too often, especially for clubs consistently hovering close to mid-table.

Alonso would bring immense class and quality to the Liverpool team, and it would be a absolute travesty if Reds fans were denied the opportunity to see him once again strut his stuff at Anfield.

At this stage, though, it all seems moot: Alonso is clearly not interested in a move this summer, and next year it may be too late.



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13 comments:

  1. Clear as day to me. He could move to the PL but being the legend that he is, he only wants to move to us. Obviously, him being a class player with more than 10 senior appearances under his belt, we don't want to sign him. We'll just have BR talk about that Spanish guy in the paper instead.

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  2. No way in the world Alonso will leave Spain if he does not get extra contract at Madrid he has said he wants to do back to his childhood club . He has served us well but like Many great players in the passed that's what he will be remembered as a great player for LFC.

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  3. I reckon he wants to finish at Real Sociedad, whether that be this summer or later on. Real seem to be after Illarimendi at Real Sociedad, who also plays deep in central midfield. Reckon there could be a swap of clubs between the two but maybe not at the same time.

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  4. aonso probably knows there is no chance of returning to anfield under fsg unless hes a free agent,so maybe hes playing the prem down ,hope he dose not go to chelsea that would really stick in the throat

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  5. As much as I love Alonso, he isn't the answer. He would be good for another season, maybe 2. but its not really worth it.
    Get him on as a coach when he retires though!

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  6. As much as I liked Alonso as a Liverpool player in the past, and he actually is the only Real Madrid player I like, he is not getting any younger. Would he fit into the way we play now, which is entirely different to how we played under Rafa? Would he still have the same impact? I don't think so. We can't turn back the years and have to build for the future, which starts now.

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  7. great player but not the future .only on a free like gary mac

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  8. Illarimendi...now there's a player.

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  9. I've said it before and I'll say it again... Age is not the main concern. Value is. Whether that means the value of contributing to the squad now or in the future, and then having the chance to be sold for a profit. There's nothing wrong with that philosophy... it just requires good scouting, patience, and a bit of luck & good fortune.


    The owners don't want to shell out cash for a quick fix. They want to shell out cash in the most valuable way they can to ensure that the team is not only successful now, but able to maintain a high level of success for years to come.


    If they refused to sign players over 30, then why would they sign Kolo Toure?


    They did it because he was on a free, and most likely came in at relatively low wages.


    Xabi, still a world class player, would not be on a free, and would most likely not come in for relatively low wages.


    It's about value, which is in turn affected by age.


    Considering what bad shape that this club was in less than 3 years ago, I would think that the fans would have a bit more faith in what FSG is trying to do to make the club self-sustaining.


    But who cares about saving the club from administration? It's all about what have you done for me lately... and in this case, people seem to forget that the club was almost gone, and instead focus on 7th place.

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  10. Looked quality in the u21 game last month. Provided a brilliant base for Thiago and Isco. Does the same for Sociedad's counter attacking last season too, as Griezmann and Vela are deadly on the break. The Spaniards keep on producing!

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  11. Alonso would cost more than the 10 M ,he will definitely be on higher wages as well which may add up to almost 20-25 million for a 2-3 year contract. We could have gone for broke and bought Mkhitaryan for that kind of money ,plus he would not have any resale value at all.

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  12. To old for our club....

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  13. Spaniards is one thing but the Basques! There's about two million yet they manage to keep on bringing them through. I can't see that happening in, say, the north of Ireland.

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