25 Oct 2013

Don't do it! - LFC want 'outstanding' €8m Bundesliga star. Career suicide...?

With Simon Mignolet settling-in well at Anfield, and Pepe Reina almost certainly leaving in the summer, Liverpool are reportedly in the market for yet another goalkeeper, with Hannover 96 stopper Ron-Robert Zieler - formerly of Manchester United - high on the club's wanted list.

'If an offer comes in...' - LFC want 'outstanding' €8m Bundesliga star. Career suicide...?

According German newspaper Bild this week:

* Liverpool are tracking the 24-year old 'keeper.

* Zieler has a £7m release clause in his contract.

Schalke and Borussia Moenchengladbach are also interested in him, and when asked this week about the chances of Zieler leaving, Hannover sporting director Dirk Dufner said:

"Other clubs are interested in him, and if an offer comes in, Ron should definitely think about it. That's part of being an intelligent player. If he decides to stay with us, so much the better."

Zieler's agent added:

"We have had good discussions, but not in intensive negotiations. Of course, Ron can imagine extending his time at 96. He became a Bundesliga goalkeeper at Hannover and he feels comfortable there, but it is still too early to decide."

In July, Zieler revealed that he has his heart set on a move to England. He told Bild:

"I have a past as a player in England; I fluently speak the language, and my desire is to play for a real top club during my career. The people over there are totally keen on football and I am definitely able to imagine playing for a club in their league in the future"

Germany manager Joachim Loew is a big fan of Zieler, and in a recent interview, he enthused:

"The Hannover goalkeeper [Ron-Robert Zieler] is great, he's really good and has a lot of class,"

German national team coach Andreas Keopke also rates the 'keeper. He told Bild:

"They [Zieler and ter Stegen] have great serenity, and they've played outstanding this season with some great performances"

This transfer story makes absolutely no sense to me. Why on earth would Zieler come to Liverpool and warm the bench when he's just played 85 consecutive games for Hannover?! He is first choice there, but at Anfield, he'd be back-up to Mignolet, who is younger than him.

Rodgers would probably tell Zieler that he has a chance to claim top spot, but is that really true? And if that transpired, where would it leave Mignolet? With the World Cup on the horizon, I doubt he fancies the prospect of potentially losing his place in the team.

If Zieler wants to commit career-suicide then, by all means, he should come to Liverpool, but if he actually wants to play *regularly*, he should stay at Hannover, or go to Schalke, where he'd get the added bonus of Champions League football.

Having two top level goalkeepers at one club never works, and Liverpool learned this in 2011 with the ill-advised double-signing of Chris Kirkland and Jerzy Dudek, and if the Reds sign Zieler, it will (IMO) be a gigantic waste of money, and will just create needless problems.

The preferable option is to buy/develop a young goalkeeper as the club's number two; someone hungry and keen to learn, with no real expectation of playing regularly. On the other hand, that also has its problems as young goalkeepers rarely thrive at Anfield. In fact, I can't think of one young stopper in the last 40 years who has:

* Started off in the youth set-up and/been brought in young (i.e. 18-21)
* Progressed into the first team and become established as the club's number one.

Examples:

* Peter Gulacsi: Signed in 2008. Hasn't made a single appearance in FIVE YEARS.
* Martin Hansen: Didn't make a single appearance for the Reds in SIX YEARS (!).
* Michael Stensgaard: Signed in 1994. Left 3 years later having made zero appa

Etc.

Practically all of LFC's successful goalkeepers of the last 40 years share the same characteristics:

* Already established at other clubs before signing for LFC.
* All in the their mid-to-late 20s.

Seriously, coming to Liverpool is career suicide for young goalkeepers, and a move for Zieler would also fit that description.

What's so wrong with Brad Jones?! Why do LFC need another back-up? He's pretty dependable as a back-up, and he'll rarely ever play anyway, so where's the fire?

If it aint broke, don't fix it.

Author:


14 comments:

  1. come on we need a better manger then rodgers jamie
    drawing with newcastle is not good enough and should never ever happen not to mention losing to southampton
    if we lose to west brom tommorow it has to be over for rodgers
    no progress has been made in his 2 years
    in which he has wasted millions upon millions on average players like aspas,borini,assaidi,coutinho,allen,iloris,sakho
    #bringbacksammi

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  2. You sound like Jason Carr! Is that you man??? If not then you sir is an idiot!!! You think other teams are going to sit and have LFC beat them. Find another team to support then,

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  3. You're joking right..... no? You're serious. Sack Rodgers? Even though we're right up there at the top with a team that probably hasn't even played half as well as they can. Teams beat other teams, it's called football. It happens. If you expect us to win all 38 games and if not it's a credible reason to sack the manager you're into the wrong sport mate.

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  4. Just to evaluate further. No progress you say? He's made clear progress to me, and the simple fact we're suddenly being talked about as potential dark horses for the league says something (although we're a bit off that yet). Average players like Coutinho and Sakho. Please tell me how they're average players, I'm very interested to know. Have you seen Iloris play? Allen has the potential to be a very useful player for us. We've already seen what he's able to do and as I remember it people were raving about him for the first three months. Give him time, just like Hendo got and look at how he's doing now.

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  5. Say we qualify for Champs League for start of next season and Mignolet gets a serious injury that puts him out for 6 months......you happy to have Brad Jones between the sticks for that long?

    Not me. I believe that we need two quality players for each position, especially if we're playing in Champs League and Prem. I too, find this story unbelievable, for the reasons you state. But I believe that we need better than BJ as our No 2 keeper.

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  6. You're Jason Carr mark II but worse!

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  7. Thats where we should sign someone like Given or a player of the similar mould. An older, experienced goalkeeper who we can rely on to do the job if called upon but one that is also happy to sit on the bench as they have already enjoyed successful careers. That or a young hungry goalkeeper who is up and coming. Like jaimie said however, young goalkeepers come and die at our club so I think the first option is a better on.

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  8. Jones is a flapper, if Mig gets injured god help us. We need better back up. As joshua says a good older keeper, Shay Given would have been ideal if he was'nt looking for such high wages, but someone like him would do. I also think its imperative we get one.
    Mig has saved us about 9 points already this season, if he is out injured or red carded (which is a distinct possibility with all keepers), we are in trouble.
    Brad Jones has been very average in the games he has played for us, we need better, ASAP.

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  9. I like Jones as a backup keeper. He has not let us down too many times considering some of the circumstances both on and off the field he has played in for us! I also think that the best option is to have an experienced backup with the right kind of ambition and know what his role as a backup will be.


    I do ultimately think its best to not keep a backup keeper too long as he will invariably get rusty and could become too out of touch. If he was to play some reserve games though it would keep him sharp enough though i suppose.

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  10. I've read a lot of your comments lately on a few sites and I think you manc in disguise ...a sad little manc with no friends!!

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  11. We have other priorities like offensive mids, not backup keeper. Move on, this is a waste of brain cells......

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  12. You are wasting your time replying to Sha Ker Huss Ain.


    My advise would be to ignore...

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  13. I usually do. I didn't have enough restraint this time though :P.

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  14. Ridiclous rumour, typical jkk story

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