20 Aug 2013

'Incredible' Martin Skrtel admits Anfield exit is 'possible'. Let him go...?

Will Martin Skrtel still be a Liverpool when the summer transfer window closes? The Slovakian's future continues to the subject of intense speculation, and according to the man himself, a transfer away is a definite possibility.

A return to Zenit St. Petersburg is an oft-reported option, but Rafa Benitez's Napoli appears to be the defender's most likely destination, and in a recent interview, Skrtel admitted (once again) that other clubs are interested. He told Sky Sports:

"Anything is possible. There are alternatives.

When asked specifically about Napoli's interest, Skrtel added:

"So far the manager of Napoli, Rafael Benitez, has not called me."

On-loan goalkeeper Pepe Reina would certainly be happy if €14m-rated Skrtel signed for Napoli. He told reporters recently:

"I don't know what Napoli are looking for but I can say Martin Skrtel is a good player. His qualities would be great for any team and he is a great player. I respect Liverpool, Martin Skrtel and all of the Napoli players, so I can't say anything more about this"

Reds defender Jose Enrique insists that Skrtel is still a stop class defender, and believes the Agger-Skrtel partnership deserves another chance. In a recent interview, he told the official Liverpool FC site:

"I train with Martin every day, and for me Danny (Agger) and Martin are the best centre-back partnership in the Premier League. Martin is an incredible lad and a top player"

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler disagrees with Enrique's assessment of the Agger/Skrtel partnership, and believes that the duo do not deserve another chance to get it right. In July, he told the 5-Times Podcast:

"Last year, they [Agger and Skrtel] struggled as a pair. Why give them another chance when they’ve had years playing together? They’re not bad players, they just struggle together".

Fowler is not the only ex-Red who feels this way. In a recent column for Sky Sports, Jamie Redknapp outlined how he'd lost faith in both players, and called for changes. He explained:

"There is still a massive void defensively. Agger showed his defensive frailties [last season]. Martin Skrtel and Agger don't look like a strong partnership to me, and I don't think Liverpool can rely on them."

If Liverpool can get £12m+ for Skrtel then surely the club must take it? That would represent a massive profit on a player who is now, ostensibly, a squad player.

Having said that, I'd have no problem with Skrtel staying. He is good cover for Agger and Toure, and overall squad strength is improved with him at the club. Would he be happy as a squad player, though?



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71 comments:

  1. What do you make of willian (apparently) going to spurs Jamie? Reckon turan is just as good?

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  2. Jaimie* sorry mate lol

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  3. if he goes does it mean we will get a CB in ?

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  4. we need intelligent players ...players who can read and change games ..the van persie type , thats what we lost in henrik and costa.... skrtel is not my problem now.

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  5. The boss aint gonna play him. get shot...

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  6. Let's just sign Williams and Ben Arfa with the money whe wanted to pay for Willian , Both of them are proven quality and knows the Premier League well. If we sell Skrtel we can buy Erickson

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  7. Sha Ker Huss Ain3:46 pm, August 20, 2013

    well , tony pulis said when stoke were playing lfc they targeted skrtel and let him have the ball , we need is a ball playing centre backs

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  8. He also said Skrtel is the better defender.

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  9. After watching what RVP did to Williams... NO THANKS!

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  10. Let him go, cant see him getting back in, with us chasing, Sakho, LLori, Papa, etc, and he can bring Coates with him.
    Willian going to Spurs, I'm not too bothered, a 25/26 year old with 2 caps, says a lot really. Damiao is far better, if we can get him.

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  11. Would not let skyrtel go unless we have a replacement Papadopolous from Schalke would be a great replacement this guys a pure winner plus hes only 21 the only worry is he spent a lot of time injured last season.

    see more0

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  12. Finally someone that makes sense. I think Willian will be a waste. Buy Damiao and another CB for that kinda money and wages. Also Willian is an AM. I'd rather we bought an out and out winger.

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  13. Willian would've been great, but any similar player with similar skills will be great. Doesn't have to be him. Turan is a good option, he lacks pace, and if LFC are going to spend €24m on an attacking player (which is Turan's buyout clause), I'd personally prefer it if the player had pace.

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  14. Skrtyl doesn't do well when he is plugged in and out of the team, only when he is the undisputed no 1 CB. He isn't comfortable on the ball but is very strong arially and tackling wise.
    Swap him for Papa

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  15. if someone wants to pay, we might as well let him go regardless of replacements. Rodgers doesnt fancy him, so take the money and a risk on kelly or wisdom if we dont get papa/sako...

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  16. I agree.
    Spurs are looking ominous though.
    Still. Anzhi showed that lots of expensive signings does not guarantee success....

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  17. i agree. is shaqiri an option still? also, How refreshing to hear Agger's comments.

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  18. i went to the palace spurs game. they are solid, but without Bale they will be nowhere near the points total from last season. 2 good signings and we hop both them and arsenal - the problem is will we get anyone else

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  19. leave it to IAN AYRE - transfer market genius

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  20. I want those yanks outta town by sundown

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  21. When all is said and done we will sign TOM INCE

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  22. I think he would of linked up great with coutinho but I have faith BR will bring us a marquee signing to show some ambition

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  23. Ac milan have financial problems the owners have lots of problems , maybe we could sign
    el sharraway
    should fit right in can score goals and play on the left
    what about draxler he can play like willian
    what about gaitan.

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  24. One match does not sum up the whole of the season , anyway it's still early in the season not all players have reached their peak yet. RVP does that to many defenders but it does not mean they are poor players ,

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  25. Lol he is a lot better than Joe kineear. :P but agreed he is awful. :P

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  26. what about kaka jamie , he is being ignored with ozil,illeremendi , modric,isco and maybe bale , i think he will move soon
    coutinho said kaka was his inspiration , kaka can pay on the left or through the middle
    a great short term fix
    will he be available on loan

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  27. moreover , kaka needs to be playing regular football for the world cup
    and has always said he would like to move to the pl ,
    could be a mcallister type signing
    im also sur real madrid would sell di maria id they sign bale , not to sure i want d maria but he is a better player then willian
    Maybe tello is available with neymar in his position.

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  28. finally , If liverpool are really ambitious why not bid for giovinco from juventus
    juvenus need to balance their books giovinco would fit perfectly , lots of pace and creativity
    doubt juve would reject 30m
    the hard part would be convincing giovico , but you never know until you try

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  29. liverpool4life5654:37 pm, August 20, 2013

    Sell, get in papadopoulous :) still need a LW/CAM/ST,

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  30. They will more likely sell Matri and Quagliarella, instead of Giovinco, imo. I just don't see them or him being that open to sale, as he is one of their own, unless a silly offer like £30m comes in.

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  31. Excuse me Liverpool support we only get linked with half decent players the big boys buy these players dream or dare to dream

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  32. 30 million is a lot of money on one player with that kind of money could we have done a Wenger and bid for a certain Mata .

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  33. quagliarella would be a good addition, matri wouldn´t in my opinion

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  34. Fowler and Redknapp are utterly wrong here.


    We conceded the same number of goals as Man Utd last season. Pepe Reina was joint second in terms of clean sheets.


    Skrtel and Agger are not the problem. Wasting millions on the likes of Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson are.

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  35. Its shame, would of liked him but on the other hand I am happy that Liverpool stuck to their evaluation and didn't get into a bidding war.


    He is good but he is not worth 30mil.

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  36. The rumour going around was that Liverpool wanted papa for a year loan to a view of signing him because of his injury.


    Now it appears schalke are willing to drop their value and enter talks.


    Here is hoping

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  37. Skrtel strong in the air.. really?


    I have seen him bullied in the air a number of times.. the game against Oldham being the prime example.

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  38. Why what did Ayre do wrong?

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  39. The same jordan henderson that scored and assisted more goals then cleverly and wilshere together?
    Jordan henderson covers so much ground , his running allows gerrrard to dictate , hendersons energy allows us to win the midfield and extra hep for lucas , but also helps the strikers by making runs into the box.
    our win percentage with henerson is much higher then without since january .

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  40. Agree with stuarezinho
    mourinho has said how essential workhorse like hendo are
    rafa used dirk kuyt
    klopp uses grobkreutz
    feguson used flectcher and park
    its about the balance
    we have special players in suarez,sturridge,coutinho and gerrard
    but you also need your team players eg lucas and henderson.

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  41. who would be your choice jaimie?
    I think damiao would be a class signing, he really knows how to score but we lack wingers atm, muriel probably? lamela?
    agreed turan is not really fast...

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  42. Agree man why dont people realize this , you cant put all the best players together you put the best team
    Barca in 07/08 had eto , messi,henry,ronaldinho,deco and xavi
    but did not win anything then pep looked for the best team
    and they have not looked back

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  43. absolutely - my gut feeling for what it's worth, is that he will be a more important signing than Willian

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  44. apparently spurs became interested only since sunday - in a sellers market, could we have paid up and closed the deal before they got a sniff?

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  45. I would be doing cartwheels if we signed el sharraway, but I just can't see it happening mate. Even if he does become available there will be too many big champions league teams sniffing around

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  46. I'm all for workhorses, just not for £10m+ especially considering the state of the club.

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  47. i'd go for luiz murial / lamela r eriksen but i wont get excited as the owners r scrooges and will probably sign a player for 4 r 5 mill just u wait n c

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  48. It all depends on the price

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  49. How many of these similar players are available? And in your opinion do you think the MD and the money men are capable of pulling off a "Big deal"?

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  50. I wouldn't be suprised if he goes. It would get his wages of the books.;)

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  51. They are going to spend well over 100 million on top players. imo they have a better chance for top 4. and an outside shot at the title.The players being linked and purchased are mostly attacking players. The spine is still the same. Bale goes but they replace him with 3 or 4 internationals. Also Arsenal will strengthen over the next few weeks. Its definetly looking scary for Liverpool. They can't live with these teams anymore. They need more than team spirit.

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  52. Only if we get Papadopolous in, which I hope we do, would it ok for him to go, but with Coates injured (& not that great) we'd be better having him in the squad for cover, esp as Agger is injury prone.

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  53. Get the right money for him and a better player in his place and ONLY THEN let him go.

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  54. He's 28. Cash in NOW! I'd sell Agger too and put in place a CB pairing for the future. Agger will be no huge loss I promise you. Watch out for him against Benteke......... lets hope Toure picks him up because Agger got dealt with last season.

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  55. I think if we were going to get that kind of money for him he'd already be gone. I don't see it happening, even that loan move seems a no-go. Maybe we want too much for him or maybe it's just bad timing. I'm surprised, he's been a highly rated and respected defender by many, so why no interest?


    For me he's still a good defender and I can think of only a small handful of incidents where he's maybe gone in too hard, given away free kicks that led to goals or simply been caught out or beaten. He's tough, good in the air, tackles well and rarely gets overwhelmed. The main issue is what Rodgers talks about which is a lack of leadership. I think Skrtel just keeps his focus on what he's supposed to do and he kind of forgets about the rest of the team, he doesn't have enough attention span to help them keep the right formation. That's something he can improve on and hopefully he does. We need to defend as a team, not a collection of individuals. Communication is essential for that and it's what JC brought to the team so well.


    The main issue with Skrtel staying is that it means we won't get anyone else of significant quality. I think Ilori might be a potential signing but he'll be a low transfer fee and reasonable wages. You can't have Skrtel on the bench behind Agger and Toure and then bring in another potential starter, the wages alone would be too much. Ilori is a future prospect so no issues there, you need two backups in your squad, but definitely no Papa or Sakho. In that case we need Skrtel playing and he will get the chance to start because I think injury or simple need to rotate will demand that. Agger and Toure simply can't maintain 90 minutes a game for the whole season across the league and 2 cup competitions and Coates' season is over.


    Wisdom is the dark horse and it seems he'll get game time which is great. He's too inexperienced to deserve a consistent role and I think that's right. He'll get his chances but won't be relied on. If he comes on and shows enough promise then we won't need to buy anyone, but for now it's all just potential. Kelly is still a great talent but you have to make sure he stays injury free for more than 2 weeks before considering him a potential starter in any games. Plus I think he'll relieve Johnson at right back and it would be too demanding to try to get him to fill multiple roles.

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  56. But for a couple of inches Hendo would have had two goals against Stoke. That's also not just a "workhorse" performance. Considering our club record of not finishing off chances I think he is as good as anyone in terms of ending up in goal scoring positions. If those goals start going in then he will be our main midfield scoring threat which will turn people's opinion around pretty quickly. Sure, it's still hypothetical for now, but I think the potential is very clear and Hendo is not far off being a very productive player for us. I'm not sure why people still have an issue with him, he's doing really well at the moment. Maybe it's that expectation that he was supposed to be a brilliant player from day 1, but that was never going to be the case.

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  57. We can't hold that one game against him forever, at some point you have to let it go. It was an awful team performance and Skrtel was just one of many who put in a shocker. He's a far far better defender than what happened in that game. The whole team was obviously on a holiday that day.

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  58. For over 30 million, yes. I think LFC were only interested at a price point around 25 million, hence why we made contact in the first place. Once the price went past that we probably just walked away. Fair enough too. Put a value on a player and don't pay over the odds, why would it be any other way?

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  59. This is why Agger and Skrtel work as a combination. Let's be honest - JC was pretty rubbish on the ball too and even playing under Rodgers he had a habit of lumping it forward. You don't need two ball playing CBs, even in this system.

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  60. Both clubs put a valuation on a player, the selling club AND the buying club. Why is the selling club correct? LFC do the right thing, they obviously go through a process to put a clear valuation on a player. Why would they suddenly pay over the odds, what would be the point of it? Spurs can afford to because they have this absurd amount of money coming from Madrid but most teams are on a real budget.


    Consider it for yourself, do you often pay more for something than you think it's worth? Would you pay over the odds for a house? For a car? For your weekly shopping? Of course you don't, because you're not a mug and you don't have an endless supply of cash. It's no different for the club. There is little logic in paying more than a player is actually worth, it's just bad business.

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  61. What is with the "lol"? Is misspelling a person's name, funny?

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  62. With that attitude. Why even bother entering negotiation,if you have no intention to pay near the asking price?Just settle for 6th place.

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  63. You bother entering negotiation because you think you might be able to get a good player at a price you can afford. What's wrong with that? With your attitude we either waste 5-7 milion pounds over what we can afford or we wouldn't even try. If Spurs hadn't been so interested we might well have gotten him and that would have been a great deal. It's not the end of the world just because we enquire about a player and it doesn't work out, we simply move on to the next target.

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  64. Sadly all the good signings go to Spurs so whoever we'll get will be scraps. I was thinking the other day that if we lost out on Willian, we should go for Erik Lamela of Roma. And as by magic, Spurs are about to sign him.

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  65. Not such a massive profit. He was signed for 8 million ish. Nevertheless Rodgers seems to disagree as well about the Skrtel/Agger partnership considering that Touré started on Saturday.

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  66. Exactly. In a make or break summer, our owners and manager have failed to take us to the next level. They've actually allowed the gap with the teams above us to become bigger.

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  67. he does look exciting - apparently that deal with Spurs is stalling. i reckon we should pay what Roma want and get him off the market asap

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  68. Thank God a Liverpool fan with Common Sense :)

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  69. Before ship out martin skrtel to another clubs very important to do is sell out Fabio Borini asaply.The true is he will never succesfully with LFC team.He will score the goal but below than 10 goal.He is same type like downing and carroll,just passenger who just come to complete the team but not for compete into the team.

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