Liverpool are reportedly very close to signing Derby County midfielder Will Hughes, who is also wanted by Manchester City and Arsenal.
According to The Independent today:
"Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal for the £10m-rated [€12m] Will Hughes, whom they would leave at the Championship club for the rest of the current season.
"Hughes has been watched extensively over the last six months by Liverpool's chief scout, Barry Hunter".
Speaking to the BBC in January, Rams boss (and ex-Red) Nigel Clough confirmed that Liverpool scouts regularly visited Pride Park to run the rule over Hughes, who made his debut for England U21 team in November. He noted:
"Liverpool scouts come to watch him. If an offer comes in we’ll look at it and see if it’s in the best interests of the club. It's inevitable that he'll attract attention"
Over the weekend, Clough confirmed once again that Hughes is being tracked. He told reporters:
"There is interest but at the moment nothing is happening with Will. But at the end of the transfer window anything can happen"
When asked last week about speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League, Hughes - recently described as 'a real talent' and 'exciting to watch' by Stuart Pearce - told reporters:
“I have not heard anything or been told anything about any speculation since my injury and I prefer to keep it that way. In a way, that is a relief. I just want to get on with my football and keep my mind on my football, which I feel I have always done.”
Derby County youth team coach Darren Wassall is convinced Hughes is destined for greatness, and during an interview in May, he raved:
“Will is a great example and a great inspiration. He hit the ground running in July from the very first training session and he just got better and better as the weeks and months went on"
James - a Derby fan - posted this comment on the site last week.
"I'm a Derby fan and have seen him [Hughes] play quite a bit over the last year. I can honestly say that if you get him for 10 million, in a few years time you'll laugh at the fact you even questioned whether he was overpriced. If you saw him against Blackburn at the start of the year he picked some beautiful passes, dribbled well and tackled fantastically. I can not speak highly enough of him. He will play for England one day"
Hopefully Gerrard will remain a Liverpool player for a few years yet, but at some point, the club must address his inevitable retirement, and the sooner the search begins for a potential long-term replacement, the better. I don't see anyone in the youth set-up who stands out as a potential replacement for Gerrard, which means the club will have to broaden its search for candidates.
€12m for an 18-year old, though? Seems a little steep. If that kind of money is available to spend on transfers, I'm sure many fans would prefer it go on a player who can make an immediate impact on the squad, and help the club qualify for the Champions League.
After all, getting back into the Champions League is the club's most pressing priority this season, and it's arguably more important than buying a young player who may come good in about 3-4 years.
Super Rams - another Derby fan who posted on the site - disagrees that Hughes is overpriced:
"As a Derby season ticket holder I can tell you that he is definitely worth a minimum of £10mil. In fact I would be disappointed if we didn't get more for him. He will be an England regular and his vision and distribution is second to none. He can track back too and isn't afraid to shoot. He is definitely not over priced. If you miss out on this lad you will end up regretting it"
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
According to The Independent today:
"Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal for the £10m-rated [€12m] Will Hughes, whom they would leave at the Championship club for the rest of the current season.
"Hughes has been watched extensively over the last six months by Liverpool's chief scout, Barry Hunter".
Speaking to the BBC in January, Rams boss (and ex-Red) Nigel Clough confirmed that Liverpool scouts regularly visited Pride Park to run the rule over Hughes, who made his debut for England U21 team in November. He noted:
"Liverpool scouts come to watch him. If an offer comes in we’ll look at it and see if it’s in the best interests of the club. It's inevitable that he'll attract attention"
Over the weekend, Clough confirmed once again that Hughes is being tracked. He told reporters:
"There is interest but at the moment nothing is happening with Will. But at the end of the transfer window anything can happen"
When asked last week about speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League, Hughes - recently described as 'a real talent' and 'exciting to watch' by Stuart Pearce - told reporters:
“I have not heard anything or been told anything about any speculation since my injury and I prefer to keep it that way. In a way, that is a relief. I just want to get on with my football and keep my mind on my football, which I feel I have always done.”
Derby County youth team coach Darren Wassall is convinced Hughes is destined for greatness, and during an interview in May, he raved:
“Will is a great example and a great inspiration. He hit the ground running in July from the very first training session and he just got better and better as the weeks and months went on"
James - a Derby fan - posted this comment on the site last week.
"I'm a Derby fan and have seen him [Hughes] play quite a bit over the last year. I can honestly say that if you get him for 10 million, in a few years time you'll laugh at the fact you even questioned whether he was overpriced. If you saw him against Blackburn at the start of the year he picked some beautiful passes, dribbled well and tackled fantastically. I can not speak highly enough of him. He will play for England one day"
Hopefully Gerrard will remain a Liverpool player for a few years yet, but at some point, the club must address his inevitable retirement, and the sooner the search begins for a potential long-term replacement, the better. I don't see anyone in the youth set-up who stands out as a potential replacement for Gerrard, which means the club will have to broaden its search for candidates.
€12m for an 18-year old, though? Seems a little steep. If that kind of money is available to spend on transfers, I'm sure many fans would prefer it go on a player who can make an immediate impact on the squad, and help the club qualify for the Champions League.
After all, getting back into the Champions League is the club's most pressing priority this season, and it's arguably more important than buying a young player who may come good in about 3-4 years.
Super Rams - another Derby fan who posted on the site - disagrees that Hughes is overpriced:
"As a Derby season ticket holder I can tell you that he is definitely worth a minimum of £10mil. In fact I would be disappointed if we didn't get more for him. He will be an England regular and his vision and distribution is second to none. He can track back too and isn't afraid to shoot. He is definitely not over priced. If you miss out on this lad you will end up regretting it"
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
what is a contradictory headline
ReplyDeleteOverpriced? IMO definitely, especially in a year we are supposed to be investing in the first team.
ReplyDeleteBut if he turns into the next Gerrard then 10m well spent :P. Fire up the flux capacitor!!
Looks a good prospect, but I hope this isn't part of the plan to get into the top 4!
ReplyDeleteLook, we missed out on Ronaldo because Man U would pay 12 million for an 18 year old and we wouldn't. We missed out on Walcott because Arsenal would pay 12 million for a 17 year old and we wouldn't. We missed out on Bale because Spurs would pay 7 million for an 18 year old and we wouldn't. Sometimes, you just have to take that risk. Can't help but wonder what this would mean for Rossiter if Hughes does well though.
ReplyDeletemaybe an initial payment of £5mill plus performance/appearance add ons up to £10mil.
ReplyDeleteForgetting Jordan Rossiter Jamie. Although a future midfield of Rossiter and Hughes sounds pretty good!
ReplyDeleteFFS why the hell would we buy him for 10m then loan him back to DERBY.That's a luxury move clubs do when they know their strong enough to compete.
ReplyDeleteWe need reinforcements now not players who will turn out for us in a years time.He looks good from the clips I've seen but he's overpriced.We need proven talent not more youngsters.
10 mil does sounds a lot. But oh wait, actually he is English isn't he, so that's an extra 5 mil, plus he is under 20, so probably another 2 mil? So, 10 mil sounds spot on.
ReplyDeleteAm just hoping BR and Ayre have a plan cause if we loose to Villa the Heat wave that will come to them will be worse than Wenger!!!
ReplyDeleteVilla are looking good. It's going to be a tough game, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI hope am wrong but we really have issues deeper than we think at Liverpool ...unless .BR is ok with the set of players he has and most importantly ...enough game changers on the bench...Lucas got injured and it chNGED an entire half of a season.... i like this kid but what happens if our vastly injury prone players get hurt...sturridge ..coutinho...where does that leave us..i like this kid though.
ReplyDeleteYou are very right!! Those two have been flying under the radar because everybody been focusing on Wenger. I am hopeful that we will do good but we do not have a big enough team.
ReplyDeletethere´s more than one place in midfield
ReplyDeleteThey have, but you also have to remember they beat Arsenal with 2 penalties, and they were down to 10 men for about 30 minutes wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteHowever, they did look pretty good last night, once they got going, and were unlucky not to get anything from game.
It will be a tough game for sure, but I think we can get a result.
sounds fair to me
ReplyDeleteAgree mate i just can't fathom this and u agree we would never had gotten back into the game if stoke had scored that penalty. 12 days more and all we have to do is pray our star players don't get injured.SMH.
ReplyDeleteif we defuse the ticking goal-bomb named benteke, then yes its possible
ReplyDeleteMaybe FSG has lots of money to spend as long as its beneficial to them in the long term. Also they might be more concerned with wages than transfer fees which explains why they are actively cutting their wage bill.
ReplyDeleteLooks a good prospect but we need players for the here and now, I can not see the harm in making plans for the future and buying potential future stars as long as we bring in high quality players for now who will give us instant impact and help us push for a Champions League spot and as it stands the top four looks increasingly likely it will be Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd, Spurs. We need to stop dithering about and get the quality in before the clock runs down.
ReplyDeleteAnother Jonjo Shelvey...
ReplyDeletePlease buy Damiao !!! We have enough midfielders already !
As a Derby season ticket holder I can tell you that he is definitely worth a minimum of £10mil. In fact I would be disappointed if we didn't get more for him. He will be an England regular and his vision and distribution is second to none. He can track back too and isn't afraid to shoot. He is definitely not over priced. If you miss out on this lad you will end up regretting it.
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt he is an excellent prospect Patrick and I have heard nothing but good things about the lad from not just Derby fans but many. But we need more than one excellent prospect we need a few top quality stars to give us that Champions League push.
ReplyDeleteGone from Willian to William things are goin downhill got my doubts we will see a marquee signing this window but heres to the future.
ReplyDeleteHe does need to be stopped. The annoying thing, is he is in my fantasy team, so kind of want him to score for point in that. But obviously don't want him to, as I want Liverpool to win the game, lol.
ReplyDeleteThat's very true, but then along side that you also get your Connor Wickhams, and Fabian Delphs. Who aren't bad players, but cost a fair bob. Actually I don't know how much Delph was, but you get my point.
ReplyDeleteIts a risk, and sometimes it pays off.
It would be good to get some more English players in though.
but how much power does it need
ReplyDeleteNo more kids with "potential" and little to offer now. Unless they are cheap as chips. And £10m is a relatively signigicant signing, even in today's market.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of talented players around the world, ready for and eager for an opportunity to step up at a club like LFC. It is the scout's jobs to find them now, before they have their breakout season and see their valuation rocket.
Have a punt ! Firstly he wont cost that much at first at least half of it will be add ons and performance based. Secondly he is English so at that price there will always be the chance to sell him on and recoup most of what we spend if it doesnt work out. Thirdly this is the right time to buy him and then loan him back so he develops by playing regularly, we have seen it work for so many other teams. Numberly we have a truly frightening amount of quality coming through the ranks and if we get these kids playing as a team from a young age we could be looking at a Win The Title With Kids moment.
ReplyDeleteFinally Look at him he looks awesome. Kind of like Gary Busy in Lethal Weapon. !! sign him up
I recently went to see the BTTF trilogy on the big screen in London. All three one after the other. Absolute magic :-)
ReplyDeleteWe're in this whole predicament because we decided to do the honorable thing and go down the British route, starting with the second worst LFC managerial appointment of my lifetime, followed up by the overspending on British talent.
ReplyDeleteWorrying about stocking up on English talent has just put us in a position to be laughed at, rather than lauded.
We've tried to do our bit already. It's somebody else's turn now.
One thing this summer has proven three times now already and should be clear as day to all Liverpool fans is that we are no longer a draw to top shelf players. Willian, and Mik have both gone to clubs that even last year I would've been confident we would've blown out of the water purely on the basis of our status as a huge club, with a rich history, Costa even used us to get himself a better contract ffs, now I can't remember that ever happening to us before in my lifetime at least. So we need to face cold hard facts, it doesn't matter who our manager is right now, who our chief exec is, or who our owners are, we are now second tier, in terms of transfers. The only way we'll get a top player is if by some freak no one else wants him (as it looked in the first stages of the Willian transfer). And this is on top of the whole Suarez Saga.
ReplyDeleteSo all the fans still calling for us to make marquee signings instead of lads like this hughes kid, need to wake up and realise it's just not possible at the moment. We're gonna have to do things a different way, and trusting youth and patience are the only way. If you look at how Man U 'knocked us of our perch', way back, they did it after years in mid table, and the reason they were able to surge back was through a freak generation of world class kids all coming through at the same time. Now that'll probably never happen again with a group of home grown kids, but it is possible to buy these kids nowadays and manufacture a golden generation. It's riskier as no one knows how these kids will develop, but as someone else has already mentioned on this thread, we have been quietly amassing a load of extremely talented youngsters over the last few years, and I've watched this Hughes kid many times and he definitely falls into that category. We've got as good a chance as any club of creating a dominant team from them in years to come.
Fans may moan at how long this will take to bear fruit, but now we've spent more than 2 years outside the CL, unless we suddenly sell to a Russian Or Arab sugar daddy, what choice have we got?? So why don't we stop moaning, adjust our sights for the moment and start enjoying the ride
Need to buy Benteke before he terrorises the defence again.
ReplyDeleteExcellent ! I havent seen them in ages but am i right in thinking that we are now further into "the Future" than they go in the second one ? Which is weird ! I once watched Jaws on a big screen down on Brighton beach it was brilliant !
ReplyDeleteAlso just reading that the reason Madrid might sell Benzema to Arsenal ( apart from him being booed off by his won fans after scoring !) is to raise the money for a Suarez bid. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water !!
Like him I must say, he has loads of time on the ball, he is way above the players at that level.
ReplyDeletemaybe we its time we spent that 25 million on Benteke now that willian is out of our reach
ReplyDeleteGood shout mate and I would say we might be closer to a Golden Generation than other teams think. Rafa started it off with Rodolfo and we can see the start of that plan now with Sterling and Ibe but we have also bought well as well with Yesil and to an extent Alberto. It looks to me like we have been planning for the future and have some really exciting players coming through. Also the U21 destroyed Man U and that just makes me happy yeahhhhh !
ReplyDeleteOh I'm not saying it's not a risk. It always is
ReplyDeleteYes but not for the same type of player. You have a holding midfielder/enforcer, a distributor and an attacking midfielder. By the looks of it these two fit the latter.
ReplyDeleteFor that money (10m), I always think, it's a very good investment & worth spending, surely a good portion of that amount is deferred conditional payment. Also, he 'll be most likely be loaned to Rams again, so no salary expenses. For a purchase like 10m, for a potential English talent, it's always beneficiary. At worst case scenario, we 'll sell him for at best 10-15% loss. But, most likely, he 'll be worth more than the amount we 'll pay & could be even few times higher. This 'll never be a Carroll or Downing case.
ReplyDeleteLast 2 years, we have lost 6 English players & in 3/4 years time SG 'll also retire. I am sure in future, there 'll be a minimum quota imposed for English born players. Unless we build a stock of good English players, either we 'll have to pay obnoxious amount (Rooney like salary, Carroll like fee) for any quality English player, or 'll have to start with 4/5 Spearings & Shelveys.
Haven't seen him play, but at 18, 6'1" & a regular starter for a decent Championship side is quite a good prospect. I understand that we should spend limited budget for First team, but opportunities like this has to be taken. He sounds to be a perfect prospect for No. 8, when SG retires.
Look at how he reads the play, so much time to pick a pass...........very good kid for me!!!
ReplyDeletemy money on spurs hijacking this deal as well
ReplyDeleteHe is more expensive than Coutinho who came in and settled quickly ,not too sure of this kid potential yes ,at that price no.
ReplyDeleteliverpool win is more important than a point for your fantasy team i guess ;)
ReplyDeleteNo, I think that they go to 2015, but we are getting close
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, he knows that he would not have a hope in hell of getting first team football with Spurs considering the fantastic midfield they've bought in our stead. If we buy him and we pay 10 million for him, he shouldn't spend the season in the reserves. He should be considered for the first team bench. But judging on our bench against Stoke I doubt that would be much of a problem.
ReplyDeletenever understimate the hijacking power of spurs !
ReplyDeleteSeriously, this one will change your mind. He's one of the best midfield prospects I've seen in recent years. Not a similar player at all, but close to Wilshere's level. He's a really exciting acquisition, if we can get him.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need stars! We just need good footballers.
ReplyDeleteDo you really think Rossiter is going to make it as a top, top player? I don't quite see it myself.
ReplyDeleteDelph's just coming good for Villa isn't he? Young players need time.
ReplyDeleteReckon Arsenal might be more of a danger here.
ReplyDeleteActually, we have young Gerrard in our ranks..He is Rossiter..
ReplyDeleteThat kid is 16 yr. old and playing for u-21 side and also playing really well.
at Spurs AVB has removed the British core of the team. I doubt they would sign him. I've tuned into a number of Derby games just to see Hughes play, the reported price is high but I'd like us to sign him. If he adds goals to his game I'm sure in a few years he will become a top class player.
ReplyDeleteWell..... :-P
ReplyDeleteYes of course it is.
Yea I get that, but that isn't to say there is no good English talent around.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would also like to see our national team performing a bit better in years to come.
Look at Germany, I don't see why this couldn't be something we can do in the future.
I don't know, he was just a name I remember being mentioned a few years back as 'the next big thing' and then all went quiet.
ReplyDeleteWas absolute pants last season but seems to have started well this season. But season has only just started. Will see how long that lasts for.
ReplyDeleteI've seen him play, I like him... He doesn't play like a 18 yearold. Impressive when I've seen him, sign him and keep him at derby for a year or two :)!
ReplyDeleteClough has denied there are any bids on the table.
ReplyDeleteLet the big boys do their bit and follow their lead.
ReplyDeleteOnly after Arsenal, City, Chelsea, & Spurs have had a go at buying in young British talent and building around them, should we give it another go.
Until then, with all but cases like Sturridge, I'd much rather see LFC stick with the superior, and cheaper foreign imports.
I'm willing to bet that he won't change my mind - LFC have young talent already and there's always new 'starlets' popping up every year (with few of them actually developing into legit 'stars').
ReplyDeleteLFC can't afford the luxury of waiting 3-5 years for a £10m signing to come good. You can buy ready made, first team talent for that kind of money!
Its a common practice when buying young players to loan them back to the selling club for the remained of the season.
ReplyDeleteHence Utd with Zaha
we lost Mkhitaryan coz we didn't bid 4-5mn more to match the asking price, same with Willian and we are willing to pay 10mn to Hughes - a prospect. Question is whether to spend 10mn in prospect is really necessary when the same amount can be paid for first team starters or priority transfer target? Your view is based on club making profit in future but thats the sentiment of a selling club.
ReplyDeletePS:- Although, I wasn't in favor of Willian or Mkhitaryan for such transfer fee but if those were our primary targets and BR thought they were necessary we should have given few millions more to match the asking price and compromise on buying a 10mn prospect.
well said
ReplyDeleteWow.. where to begin.
ReplyDeleteOkay are you seriously saying that we are a better prospect then Borussia Dortmund?
So Henrikh Mkhitaryan chose to go the currently CL Champions over us who have not played in the CL for 4 years and are currently not even in Europe and your surprised?
As for Willian, he didn't chose to go to spurs over us because we did not even put a bid in.
We were in the process of agreeing a fee, Spurs came in and offered more money then what we were prepared to pay so we backed out.
As for the rest of your post.. I am in total agreement with. Liverpool Fans need to get used to the fact it will be very hard for us to sign so called marque players.
We need to look for the likes of Sturridge, Aspas, coutinho etc. Good players who have great potential at a reasonable cost.
We also need to be much better at developing our young players which will now most likely happen due to us not being able to attract the best and not having the funds to waste on 100's of players like Rafa did.
Your full of it.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't lose Mkhitaryan because we wouldn't pay more. We didn't sign him because he was owned by a 3rd party who make their money via his commercial deals, therefore they wanted him to play for the current CL Champions, hence why they wouldn't even let us talk to him. Mkhitaryan had no say which club he went to. It is the same situation with Tevez and Mascherano, neither player had a say in which club they signed for.
As for Willian, it is being reported that Spurs are paying 30mil for him, a value which most people agree is too much and you want us to pay it or perhaps even more?
You even go on to say that you don't believe they are worth the money yet you want the Club to over pay, so what if they fail you can then complain that we overpaid again.
If you'd actually read the first half of my post you'd see that I said that last year I would've been confident we would've been a bigger draw than both Dortmund and Spurs, however, that this season's transfer dealings have proved that that is no longer the case. It's down to that premise that I said we therefore need to be more realistic as fans, be patient and wait for the club's policy of snapping up young talent to hopefully bear fruit and in a best case scenario, provide us with a sort of golden generation of talent that would hopeful give us a platform to get back up the league in a similar fashion to the Man U's did for them in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteSo no I was not surprised to see Mik go to Dortmund, that was exactly my point, we shouldn't as fans today be surprised. And as for the Willian transfer, no matter what you say, you don't have any idea of what went on with the deal, same way as I didn't but if you go on the reports, we were first in talks for him and were strong favourites to sign him, before Spurs came in. And besides, no matter the reason why he picked Spurs, he did still pick Spurs.
I do agree with your point on Sturridge, Aspas, and Coutinho being potentially great players, and that adding in Suarez (in the short term at least), we do still have players that can keep us in and around the top 6 until the younger players come through.
The future is still bright, despite the transfer failings, it's just might take a bit longer than we'd all have liked for us to get back to where we should be!!
maybe he will look to hughes as replacing the core ??
ReplyDeletenah they want their deals to be done witm "respect" hijacking isnt wengers style
ReplyDeleteNo, he is clearly saying that the club should go all out for players that they regard as priority targets, rather than squabbling over a final few million and then proceeding to splurge that same money on low priority 'prospects'
ReplyDeleteUnited bought Zaha for £15m + addons but I don't mind us buying hHughes maybe we could loan him back to Derby for another season
ReplyDeleteSome have it as £10m + add ons, such as the Guardian.
ReplyDeleteI think in the future they may well put some onus on some British representation but I don't think they give a monkeys about it now. I was surprised they let go of Caulker, instead of Dawson, as he is a decent young talent that could have been a long term Spurs player and signed a contract last year.
ReplyDeleteNigel Clough was on Sky yesterday, he said he had received no contact or no interest from any club regarding hughes.
ReplyDeleteSome good news is, the Red Sox have signed 3 of the highest earners in the Baseball League, wonder were FSG got the money from.
ReplyDeleteI like this boy a lot. He's like a Rolls Royce on the pitch. He's going to be some player for someone.
ReplyDeleteI think the issue with HM was a bit different than paying higher (Probably BVB paid lower than we were ready to pay). For Willian, I never thought he 'll come to us, ahead of a London based club with a globally reputed Portuguese Manager. Otherwise, we were ready to pay him 110K/week (which itself is over 30m in 5 years time).
ReplyDeleteWe lost a golden chance in 2011, when we had over 100m to spend but wasted on garbage players; which had made the owners strict on over pay. I am ready to pay 10m for Willis, over a 4/5 years period, subject to appearance, performance & resale value. Also, I am sure we 'll not pay any salary for him as he 'll be loaned for at least a year or two.
& I am not ready to pay 35m at the deadline day, in panic just for the sake of buying. There are lots of talented wingers in Spain, France, Portugal or Latin America, who 'll be interested to join LFC at a decent salary. Porto hardly buys from European clubs, but still manages a great squad.
He played 35 games in a row for Derby last season. Aged 17. That's impressive enough in itself but his style of play seems suited to us. He's 6'1 too, could maybe bulk up a bit but should physically be suited to the Premier League (the Championship is arguably more physical).
ReplyDeleteHe has been quoted as saying he bases his game on Xavi and Iniesta, which definitely seems to be the type of player we would go for, and he has a decent defensive game. If we could spend this much without it affecting our ability to get those (probably two) signings we still want for this season, it sounds like a great deal to me.
We obviously really don't know how much money there is to spend at this point, but we have made maybe a few million net profit on transfers this summer, and massive savings on wages, which could add up to even more than that over the course of the season. So there is certainly at least a chance we are willing to spend on Hughes and a couple for the present, even including a "marquee" attacking signing.
To conclude, I don't think the price is steep in the current market (United paid I think £12m for Zaha and loaned him back) given the player could have almost limitless potential. If we can afford it, I would get this done.
Absolutely agree. At first I wasn't too sure about the kid as the early highlights showed good ability on the ball but no real pennetration. But the last 2 or so minutes are some very good highlights of the overall game he posseses. I wanted to liken him to a player but I don't think you can. Almost like a hybrid of Alonso (short passes, keeps ball well) and Gerrard (tracks back, ability to strike from long range) but missing the passing range, vision, and overall class that they had at the same age but he clearly has potential to get there. $10mil...I'm not entirely sure from where I sit but if our chief scout, who's been scouting him for 6months, thinks its worth it then I wouldn't be upset if we made the move. Besides, I'm resigned to believing we won't buy anyone else this window anyway so what's the harm in using the funds we know we have to purchase the "next big thing"?
ReplyDeleteWe need damiao and papadoplous and possibally iloris.
ReplyDeleteif skrtel is not being considered for 1st choice we should sell
I think we need to maximise the takent in midfield rossiter,will hughes,suso ,canos
atleast one of them will be a start
Porto are allowed to deal with third party companies, hence do not own 100% playing rights over many of their players. Porto aren't subjected to the same strict work permit rules that British clubs are. Two things that allow them advantage in the South American market over some of their European rivals such as us. Porto buy a truckload of South Americans, not all of them turn out to be good or financially beneficial that is for sure.
ReplyDeleteSeeing some of that it is unbelievable to think that he was only 17. You'd think it was a veteran you were watching from the disguised passes and the awareness of what's going on around him. To be an important first team regular at that age is amazing even in the Championship. To put it into perspective, Alonso and Gerrard hadn't made their first team debuts at that age, albeit they were at top division sides.
ReplyDeleteTrying not to get too excited about this, as it's all rumours, but think I might make time to watch a couple of Derby games this season if we get him! However, I would still prioritise the signing of a couple of players for this season. We need to make a huge push for the Champions League this season, as not having it is a major reason for missing out on players, who then go to rivals and you can get stuck in a cycle of finishing 5th and 6th or worse.
I wouldn't lose hope of more signings, by Rodgers' interview today a centre back looks highly likely. I wouldn't say it has to be an automatic first choice even because I'm really impressed by Toure and think he can do a job at least this season.
The part of the interview that maybe worried me was about "moving on" from missing out on certain players. It could kind of be interpreted as we aren't going to get that big attacking signing as he didn't make it clear we are going for alternatives but I reckon he meant "moving on" to other targets.
He did go on to say there were 11 days left and we had to do "anything possible", and he did say "get some players" (plural) in though. Clutching at straws a bit there but I'm an optimist haha
No way, this kid is quality and going to give Wilshere a run for his money, along with Barkley! Got to snap him up now! Will end up regretting it one day otherwise!!
ReplyDeleteHave you seen Delph for Villa this season? Immense! Surely an England call up is on the cards?!
ReplyDeleteGHOST RIDER it's a common practice amongst other people on this forum to read the comment that they're replying to fully.Then you won't respond with something that has already been answered in my second, third and forth sentence.
ReplyDeleteLike two other people have already brought up on this topic you either don't read properly, just pick out a sentence and start typing or can't comprehend what posters say!
???
ReplyDeleteYou said why would Liverpool spend 10mil on a player just to loan him back.
I replied saying it was common practice.
Just because you went on to say its only clubs that is when they know their strong enough to compete which was a silly comment because lots of clubs do this with young players.
I just didn't want to state that as I was trying to be civil
What clubs buy a 10m kid then loan him back apart from top clubs that are strong enough to compete and are confident of achieving their targets?
ReplyDeleteHe signed for Borussia Dortmund not Bayern Munich
ReplyDeletemust be the Suarez money ;)
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with signing this kid.. But if he is our marquee signing, then we can wave top 4 goodbye. We've got depth but not enough quality of depth. We will find ourselves begging and hopelessly exposed in the race for 4th. Still a season of progress on Brendan's eyes. A winger is seriously needed and another attacking mid..eriksen 15 mill konoplyanka 10 mill Hughes 6 mill plus add ons
ReplyDeleteI used to be an optimist Craig, but it just seems of late that we've lost that ability to sign players that excite from day 1. Don't get me wrong, I like Toure and am really excited for what Aspas can achieve for us this season, but I do miss the feeling I used to get when I read Xabi, Macherano, Torres, etc has signed for us. But such is what we have to live with until we rebuild and regain our rightful place at the top of the prem. YNWA!!!
ReplyDeleteIf we can't afford to buy players like William and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, what are the chances that FSG will pay 12m for Hughes?
ReplyDeleteJust because we got Coutinho and Sturridge at gd price doesn't mean we can repeat the same trick during all transfer windows.
I totally agree with the first couple of sentences..we missed out on soo much because we didn't bother taking the risk on young up and coming players. The ronaldos and bales going for record fees. We could've been in tottenhams shoes right now, stealing every player from under their noses.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you have to take a gamble. Spurs could have used the money they spent on bale a few years ago to get first teamer in. I'm sure there were spurs fans then thinking the same thing.
ReplyDeleteBut he's come God's, got them up the table and is now funding their entire window.
I'm not for one minute saying Hughes can emulate that but sometimes you have to go with an instinct and this lad seems a prospect. If Rogers is given the time to develop him then who knows how good he could become.
Sign him up !
ReplyDeleteI really hope Chelsea hijack Willian from Spurs. That would be the ultimate karma.
ReplyDeleteChelsea might hijack their willian bid. I will literally LOL if they do.
ReplyDeleteThe boy is a wonderful talent and ready now - love us to sign him.P S If Chelsea sign Willian - should we go for Juan Mata ? But Hughes for me.
ReplyDeleteMessage to LFC - Sign him this morning - or else he will be gone = AND PLAY HIM NOW
ReplyDeleteGreetings all & JK its been a while, the boys is defo-a-gerro replacement even Hendo ca'nt touch that boy, Lets get him in as soon as possible. Thankx Jamie for keeping the site interesting and I am ashamed to admit that your past observations have come to pass. Y.N.W.A. Daniered
ReplyDeleteI SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM LOGIN ON JK PLSE ASSIST
E-mail: daniesibbs@yahoo.co.uk
Dawson & Defoe 'll also go, just wait. AVB likes to play the game on grass & if he remains for 2/3 years more, I can see only 8 home grown players at Spurs. Also, probably it was the English players (Terry, Lampard, Cole) were mainly behind his sacking at Chelsea. He 'll wipe out the over paid English players where ever he goes.
ReplyDelete