14 Jul 2013

'He has failed' - Molby warns LFC against signing Ajax star Christian Eriksen

Liverpool are once again being linked with a move for Ajax star Christian Eriksen, but Reds legends Jan Molby and Robbie Fowler are less than enthused by the prospect, and they've urged Brendan Rodgers to forget about signing the Danish midfield maestro.

Reports today suggest that Liverpool are trying to clinch a €22m double-deal for Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld, but during a discussion this week about Eriksen's future, Molby cast doubt on whether Liverpool actually want to sign the young midfielder. He told the 5-Times Podcast :

"I don’t believe Liverpool were ever interested in him [Eriksen].

"I liked him two years ago. He’s very talented. Perfect balance, and as two-footed as you’d ever want to be, but he has failed to take the next step".


Fowler also seemed indifferent to the possibility of signing Eriksen:

"I’ve seen him [Eriksen] a few times. He’s consistent and he’s steady, but he’s never frightening brilliant"

Molby's views on Eriksen are somewhat inconsistent. When asked about Eriksen in 2012, he told reporters:

"There is a lot of hype about Christian. All the top clubs have been looking at him, but he is nowhere near being the finished article yet though, and I don’t think he is anywhere near ready to move to one of the elite European clubs".

Then, in April this year - a mere three months before his current view that LFC shouldn't sign him - he told the Liverpool Echo:

"Eriksen’s development has been sharp. I’d love to see him at Liverpool, and he is exactly the type of player Liverpool should be looking at. He’s a classy player. An old-fashioned number 10 in many ways, with all of the tools [needed] to be a top class player".

Earlier this week, Ajax boss Frank De Boer suggested that a move to Anfield would be a retrograde step for £15m-rated Eriksen. He told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad:

"If ­Liverpool go back to really good possession play, it can be a success for Christian. But it does mean that their entire way of playing has to change. It is up to Christian what he wants. If he feels good going to ­Liverpool anyway, then it is up to him.”

Possession football is Liverpool's preferred style of player these days, so De Boer clearly hasn't watched the Reds play since Brendan Rodgers took over. Yes, the on-field implementation is not always effective, but in no way does the club's 'entire style of play' need to change to accommodate Eriksen.

According to Molby, Eriksen has regressed in the last three months to the extent that he's 'failed to take the next step'. I'm not sure many would agree with that, and I suspect that a high proportion of Liverpool fans would be extremely happy to see Eriksen sign for the club.





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


108 comments:

  1. Looks good to me!!!

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  2. There are better players out there, for that money. And again another 5 footer, too many small players, unless we bring some height into the defence.

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  3. Erikson's a winner, we need winners!

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  4. Eriksen is obviously over-hyped and probably portrayed as being better than he actually is. And Ajax seem to be happy to sell him. Says it all, really.

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  5. 22mil for them both is a very good deal, and i personally think these 2 signings would take us to the brink of CL football once again!

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  6. When we were chasing Mkhitaryan the echo reported we were not interested in Eriksen. Given the echo has a long and very close relationship with the club there remains the real chance someone inside the club has tipped Molby off that Eriksen won't be coming. This may well be why Molby has changed his mind inside 3 months

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  7. liverpool4life5658:11 pm, July 14, 2013

    Sky sports reported today we are NOT interested in him.

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  8. sooner have bernard.

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  9. I'm glad neither Molby nor Fowler is LFC manager.
    BR has a system. That system requires a certain type of player.
    If BR, scouting network/player-analysis-group and Ayre feel that
    a certain player has the attributes to succeed in that system, then
    Molby, Fowler (and Lawrenson,though he hasnt weighed in on
    one) should shove their opinions.
    Obviously, these are just rumors, the erikssen links. But if it
    turns out LFC are actually interested in erikssen, all the more
    reason why these former footballers should realize they had
    their shot at it, now it's someone else's turn. They are obviously
    entitled to their opinions but they should also be aware of the
    kind of influence and reputation they carry. Dishing out bites
    on LFC affairs trying to get Gary Lineker's job is not a good
    look for them, or for LFC.

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  10. i did not vote as i could not make my mind up,both promising players, but i think we need proven players we have signed our prospects its now time for experience

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  11. I would like to hear who Molby and Fowler would like us to sign. I am surprised by this especially with Molby being Danish aswell. Maybe he is afraid of his countryman failing. I'm not sure if we will get a more high profile , Quality am than Eriksen now. Im actually thinking Liverpool are looking for players in the wrong positions. We need to be more solid in the middle of the park and in the defence . Papadopoulos I thought would have been a steal as I know bigger clubs were after him before this pre-season but now I hear he is a bit of a ..let's just say he is over confident ! Wanyama would have been a good addition in midfield but not to be .. I really am getting worried as it seems the teams above us are being strengthened while the likes of Norwich,Southampton and Swansea are making signings that I would have been happy with. What is going on ?

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  12. agger rates erickson which is good enough for me ....my concern is we have a lot of players of a similar ilk .....if hendo doesn't play in the midfield 3 and if im honest i don't think rogers will play him ...we could get over run in that area by lesser teams just on the basis of athleticism and power ...who knows how gerrad will be this year ....it could be a tough year if we don't start well

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  13. Agreed, he's overhyped without any doubt, but he's still a class footballer with a lot of potential. I think what BR is trying to do is to find the right signing for now to push forward, and as molby said he's nowhere near being the finished article. Eriksen would improve our squad overall but there wouldn't be an instant impact, he isn't the right player to push us up the league table for a top four place... Players like eriksen are a huge gamble for such an enormous amount of money, for 15-20m a not worthy gamble IMO.
    Unfortunately I can't name a handfull other players that would fit our system, age policy and would really come to us...

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  14. you hope it would you mean !

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  15. Ericson is a very good footballer and can improve further he's still only 21 with many years infront of him who knows how good he can become

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  16. Yes who knows... That's a bit less for a 20m player isn't it ?

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  17. we really are in a sink or swim situation .....it could work spectacularly or fail disastrously.....

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  18. Even Henderson doesn't have much power to his game! We definitely need somebody that adds an extra dimension in there if we truly want to make a big step forwards this season

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  19. liverpool4life5658:38 pm, July 14, 2013

    Rather have Benard.

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  20. Wow, fans on these boards really are fickle eh! Before the Mkhitaryan rumours, everybody was all over Eriksen!

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  21. who said he was 20m

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  22. My opinion remains the same as before - Eriksen is a quality player, but very much a duplicate of Coutinho. I'd rather see somebody come in that can step straight into the first team and replace Downing as a consistent goal threat from the wide-forward position, rather than another specialist playmaker.

    If we could shift the likes of Allen & Borini to make soom room in the squad though, I'd be very happy to have Eriksen come in also

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  23. any way jase good to be back m8 now the season is starting glad see your still putting the cat amongst the pigeons lol

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  24. they could be describing you lol

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  25. LFC should have signed Eriksen & Alderweld on 1st July. What are they waiting for? Tottenham!?!.....

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  26. we like fickle its what makes the forum go round

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  27. agree with you 100% ...

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  28. thats my worry if in certain games we are being overpowered in the middle we have no alternatives except hendo and thats not really hes game ...its just that our midfield is that small hendo looks like the rock amongst them

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  29. im glad we never got Mik ...third party owners and all that b*LLSH*T...plus a lot of money for potential

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  30. It is a worry because after a few years of complacency, it looks like the Premiership is going to go back to being stocked with big guys again - especially with Mourinho back at Chelsea and Fergie gone from Man U...

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  31. Where is the freedom of speech on this site, you will get banned for making a joke, go fuck your self's losers

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  32. I don't want anyone to move coutinho out of his central position. Although he's still decent on the wing, it's limiting the impact on a game.

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  33. He is highly rated generally and has 14 goals / 24 assists in all games in 12/13.

    Worth noting Ajax ARE a selling club...Overmars, de Boer, Litmanin, Kluivert....list goes on

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  34. He's a good player and what l'pool needs....I can see the skepticism though...endervisie is hardly a tough league to be good in. Based on links alone (false or true) I would Sell suarez for around 50 mil, use the money on a solid striker, eriksen, and use remaining suarez money (6-10 mil) and say 4-6 mil from kitty for good CB (alderwiereld) and rest of kitty for Shaqiri/Chadli + Cissokho. Plus sell downing for at least 7 mil, assaidi for 3 mil, pacheco for 2 mil, and spearing for 2 mil. Just a reminder that there are sooooo many options for each position...I mean Eriksen, Bernard, etc. plus Papa and Alderweireld, and cissokho and now bertrand.

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  35. I completly agree with everything, especially that first statement. Overhyped does not mean overrated...I mean look at neymar. Overhyped...yes. He is still one of the biggest talents out there though.

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  36. I'm Danish and I have seen him in all of Denmarks games. Not once has he been any good. He is ok when the team is winning but if the team is struggling Eriksen goes AWOL

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  37. You simply can't restrain from insulting and sniping, can you. Says all people need to know about you, gilstrap.

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  38. Yep, not worth the money that's been mentioned. Maybe not even half of it, given how much Coutinho cost and the impact he has made.


    It's not our job to find those players. Our scouts should find them. I had never heard of Coutinho until he was linked with a move to us.

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  39. Considering Neymar I think he might be just that good to merit all the hype.

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  40. No, I said before that he might be over-hyped and over-rated. Nothing changed from my point of view.

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  41. But in your other posts you still encourage us to sign him. Please, make up your mind. Why would we want a player who only plays well if we are winning. We need players who are winners, who play well when we are losing and turn those matches into wins.

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  42. I do not agree with Molby and Fowler. They should trust the judgement of BR, they were not doing this when Kenny Dalglish was signing players like Andy Carroll to name a few. Very disappointed with their comments. I was also an international footballer.

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  43. Now, lets have a look. You are a former Danish international footballer, who is so bored that he mixes with us mere commons on an internet forum. No, I don't buy into this. You should have loads of money, an arm-candy wife and many friends who just remembered you when you turned rich.

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  44. We need a defensive midfielder!

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  45. is anyone trying to sign Gaitan? absolute quality.

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  46. Not for me. He isn't what we need.

    We should get a goal scoring attacking-mid (Mkhitaryan was basically perfect, that is why I knew it would never happen...) or a wide player who can chip in with goals and let us move Coutinho into the middle (I don't know much about Bernard, but we seem to be getting linked to him). Chadli and Mertens have decent goalscoring records, but I don't know if either are sufficiently good compared to who are rivals will be going for.

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  47. Hope they are right, not doubting his ability but, is'nt this the player who says his ultimate goal is to play for Barca, do need another one like that.

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  48. His name is "BERNARD" and he is 20x more promising

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  49. I didn't have an opinion on the player before, I don't think I have one now. Without having seen the guy play I continue my trust in the scouting network and the manager. I think Liverpool have done well, kept their cards very close to their chest but from the small amount of information from the Echo it actually doesn't sound like we've been too interested in him so perhaps it's a no go.

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  50. Mkhitaryan deal was quite public.

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  51. Merterns signed for Napoli, Rafa.

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  52. This is as obvious as it gets !!! Another Juan Mata situation ! Sign him up immediately ! Really annoyed by all these ex liverpool players and their negatively , this kid has been golden for years .. 12-15mil is a bargain ! It is no accident that our last world class player came from the Ajax ..

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  53. Liverpool Kopites7:05 am, July 15, 2013

    We're really molding ourselves after Arsenal like FSG promised. All these small technical players and then later Utd comes in and bullies us off the pitch.

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  54. you could be describing me apart from the footballer,money and arm candy wife

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  55. How you doing Phi ...or should i say Pele...

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  56. Going to try be very polite but pls name a 21 year with 3 titles in a row with a very impressive goals/assists ratio aswell has a very high chance creation and dribbles completed playing in one of the best clubs in the world at developing young players , at the cost of 12-15mil.. that we could attract ! This lad is a winner, very experienced for a 21, fits the "playing style" .

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  57. Didn't realise he had 17 assists for Ajax last season. That's significant. We've got the guys capable of getting on the end of those chances, to have another creator alongside Coutinho is really what we need. De Boer has said plenty about Liverpool in the press, I have to wonder how genuine our interest is.

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  58. I disagree with both of them and I feel Toby & Christen can make the playing XI better and will only help us reach the top 4 more faster than the signings that we've been linked to. These are the only two after Henrikh who have excited me. I feel 22millions for both of them is a decent price.

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  59. Usually Jason you're not one to sit on the fence :) , but i understand where you're coming from.

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  60. Seriously ? How many times have you watched him ? Coutinho was a wonderkid for many years he just left brazil to early and couldn't settle at a club . Believe me when I say erikson is a higher level than cout , more experienced and more of a goal threat but could evan play deeper than attk mid. I think the problem with cout is he will be burnt out by feb , where erikson would still push on and slot in cout role .. we need quality players that are versatile guys !

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  61. Totally agree , well said

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  62. They are proven , you looking to snap up messi ? Get real

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  63. Lol , finally someone on the same page !!!

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  64. Mr. Point Of View9:07 am, July 15, 2013

    I think b4 we judge need CE or not, it depend on what formation we play. im not sure 4-3-3 can satisfy most of our player (we know we over ATK player).

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  65. I also have faith in our scouting network. I was thinking this weekend, that maybe a Marquee signing isn't someone how costs 20m+ but more a player that is ready to make a direct impact in out first 11. Like Coutinho, in hindsight he is very much a marquee signing. As for Eriksen, i'm not too convinced about him either. I am sure he has qualities, but the fact Ajax are willing to sell for such a low fee and no one is really interested in him speaks volumes to me

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  66. Erikson? Erikssen? What's in a name?

    Fowler said it all. Eriksen is consistent,steady but never mind blowing.

    Biggest problem is his body, no power.

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  67. I would like for BR to put a sneaky bid in for Swanseas Michu now if we could get this guy i think 20 plus goals this season, could be the player we all wish and dream of having at our club. Come on Brendan you know hes better than Erickson at finding the back of the net go get him man. YNWA.

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  68. I love how people think that players, former players and managers just give random opinions to the press. In my world, when someone asks me something I normally give an answer. Do you not think that these people were asked their opinion and just gave their honest evaluation at that point in time. Let's be honest we all change our minds, so why can't they? How many of you thought we had a right turkey after Countinho's first game? Be honest now

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  69. My worry is that he seemed to be distancing himself from Liverpool a little while back when he thought there would be loads of offers coming in for him and has never said he wants to play for us. I know it is an old fashioned idea to want players who want to play for the club but it would be nice. They dont have to be Robbie Keane about it but at least respectful . Also if his dream is to play for Barca then maybe he is best avoided or we could end up in the same situation as the last fella we got from Ajax and speaking of Ajax maybe The Bore should stick to talking about his own club as he clearly knows nothing about ours.

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  70. yes the lad is overhyped but he is class,What he needs to raise his level is to move on from Ajax and play at a level of football like the PL,I'm really excited by the reports of us getting that double deal :D

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  71. What did he say? the mods are doing their job too well :)

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  72. Yes and no...Because next season is really going to be wide open for the title and top 4,as in Arsenal,Spurs,Chelsea,city and United are gonna spend big in the summer which in reality gives them all a decent chance at the title,we have a decent chance of top four but its gonna be bloody difficult.

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  73. He is centre mid isn't he?
    We have a lot of players in this area already, so unless some are on there way I out, I don't really see much point.

    He is probably better than Allen and Henderson.

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  74. Im from dk. An true Liverpool supporter an i hate to see Eriksen in Lfc we neeed a player Like Xherdan Shaqiri http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gzwEnQdld4E before Chelsea get's him

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  75. So you've got friends who remembered you after you turned rich? ;)

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  76. He is light years better then both of them,While I have time for both players it really shows you how much we over paid for both of them when 12-15m would buy Eriksen

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  77. He is a talented lad. Period. Much more than the current crop of players in the quad. We need a balance of talent and work rate, right now there is heavy work rate and less talent, that's why we don't get the results. Its players like these that make a difference. He might not get you too many goals but he is going to play tricks and outwit the opposition, in my opinion a footballing brain, and there are other to take advantage to provide the work rate or score

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  78. Indeed we did massively over pay.
    The problem is, is that Allen seems to be a Rodgers favourite, and Henderson is just starting to show signs of improving. So where would Eriksen fit in? Plus with Gerrard Lucas, and any others. There isn't much space.
    I think someone would need to leave (IMO Allen), to allow Eriksen decent game time.

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  79. Buy Bernard he is young, exciting, attacking midfielder and has great potential if he joins liverpool

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  80. Well as I said Hes far ahead of them so he'll simply take their place,probably hendos seeing as he was played as the most advanced mid in the 3 man midfield,The thing about Eriksen is he can play in a number of positions so being honest he'd walk into our team and rightly so too.

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  81. agree m8 but we should be giving it a real go this season,with 4out of the 6 teams above us changing manager

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  82. good to see you m8 ,but with jaimies new comment policy a do not think it will be long before one of us is having a short break lol

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  83. the price is not to high he could prove to be a steal ,but ,its all about how much fsg are going to bank roll us ,if they are going to give us 40million yes ,but if its only 20 it needs to be spent elsewhere

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  84. how are they proven lol 20 odd games for barca b team is not proven

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  85. allen is here and will start against stoke we will just have to get used to it

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  86. daveWestAusregularguest12:33 pm, July 15, 2013

    LFC should concentrate more on bring in Aulderweirald more than Erikson.How many midfielders are required.Defenders are more a priority,and Aulderweireld looks very good!

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  87. I assumed you were talking about eriksen , dont see why you mentioning luis alberto here who played close to 40 games and did really well.. makes lil sense to criticise a 20year old who has not evan played yet , well I do agree that we do need proven players , I think winning three titles in a row (key performer) is proven.. still not convinced? ? Ajax are in a weak league , fair enough . 4 assits plus a goal , 14 chances created 84% pass accuracy against city, madrid and dortmund in the Champions league ( need players like him if we ever going to get back there) Picture Pool without coutinho and suarez all of a sudden we lack creativity. Eriksen is an obvious buy at 12-15mil .. Juan mata all over again

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  88. i never said not to sign him

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  89. Certainly seemed that way mate , you don't seem as enthusiastic as I am about this possible signing . Feel more comfortable being linked with players like this instead of allen and borini like last year. No offence but not convinced about these two, injuries or not stil cost 25mil.. NEED massive improvement to impress .. while they wear the Pool ill continue ti support them and hope .

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  90. lol i would like eriksen but other positions need covering first and i doubt fsg will be to quick to splash the cash this summer

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  91. I'd prefer spending the money on a quality LB and CB than another midfielder.


    At this point, I think we will have the goals. We just need to make sure we don't let them in.

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  92. Something not very nice. Doesn't matter really what it was. Sad that some people can't live without having a go at others, time and again.

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  93. Ajax arnt happy to sell, they turned down bids last summer, but sadly the Dutch league isn't the best so once players are ready, they move on to bigger and better things. Personally I would prefere shaquiri as Ericsson seems to be very similar to coutino and Alberto, we need a winger not another floating attacking midfielder. I havnt been overly impressed with Ericsson but at 12/15 million, for a 21 year old, with potential, there's a lot of upside and little down. I think we need a centre back and a winger more tbh, ynwa

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  94. But lets be clear Barca B doesn't mean the same as LFC reserves. Barca B is a championship side, give or take

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  95. and lets be clear the amount of money we spend on our reserves they should be at least championship quality

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  96. Which positions are more important than creating and scoring more goals ? Maybe a DM for competition for lucas certainly and a genuine goal scoring winger with pace .. a cb like toby should only be brought in if we loan/sell coates (prefer loan to italy or germany ) Skrtel must definitely stay ! Best cb in league tackles , duels and passing .. ( those 5 errors he made and games against villa cost him big time) but still think his " world class "

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  97. trust me niall it was nothing ...our mr anteater has a flair for the dramatic

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  98. If you say so lol

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  99. http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/07/15/exclusive-liverpool-ready-to-accept-25m-plus-bayern-munich-player-swap-offer-for-striker-luis-suarez/

    I wouldn't mind seeing a bit of this at Anfield

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  100. As a Danish lfc fan. I Can't understand Mølby comments, he will become a fantastic player. But need a season of premier League before reaching his full potential. Fits BR style perfectly.

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  101. True, but I don't think it's LFC that is leaking those details. We're not making public statements, just keeping things quiet. We supposedly didn't even make an offer. I think it's the right way to do business.

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  102. Yet some people still believe, that a "marquee" signing, or any decent player, has to cost 20m plus.

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  103. Eriksen didn't impress me when I watched him, sorry. There is a lot of hype about him, but, interestingly, so far no club is really going after him. I'm not saying that he is a bad player, but Litmanen he ain't.

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  104. Failed to make the next step ?? He is 21. What more could he have done in Ajax at that time? If he was better other clubs would be all over him anyway. We got Suarez who was older and we didn't regret.
    Well, most of us didn't :3

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  105. Ajax have always sold their best players, that is the business model Ajax have.

    He is not overhyped. Look at his stats and compare to other big Ajax players, playing in the same position. He has produced better stats that Van der Vart and Wesley Sneider.



    He is still no where near the finished article, but he is consistent, high performing and will develop even more. To that price, buy him

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  106. Yep, I know that it's their business model, but I can't remember a case where they actively tried to get a player sold. This seems to be the case now.


    So, he is not over-hyped according to you. Fair enough. Another Danish guy on her (I assume you are a Dane given you name) claimed that Eriksen goes hiding on the pitch, if things don't go well. That sounds like a player with the wrong mentality to me. Stats can lie.



    I am not saying you are wrong. I might be wrong. We will see where he ends up and how he does there.

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  107. I've also heard that Victor Fischer is actually the Dane to look out for at Ajax.

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  108. eriksen at 12 at 12 - 15 mil is good but if we are buying him we arenot giving competition to cortinho but i think we are providing competition to henderson and allen. personally i think eriksen is better than both but better is not enough he need to be top class. and may be molby is right he hasnot improved as expected i think he is more consistent but we expect him to be world class may be he need be playing more tough league. andwe could provide it. but i also heard he cost at least 18 that a lot for him. too much

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