In May, Spanish newspaper Marca claimed that Liverpool were preparing a 'formal offer' for Porto goal-machine Jackson Martinez, a bid contingent - at that time - on the transfer of Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan ended up staying at Anfield, but new reports suggest that the Reds, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are still interesting in signing Martinez, and the Colombian goal-machine has indicated once again that he is open to a move away from Portugal.
According to reports this week:
* LFC are still monitoring Martinez.
* Rodgers sees him as a replacement for 'struggling' Iago Aspas.
When asked on Wednesday about his future at Porto, Martinez - who has a €40m buyout clause in his contract - told reporters:
“The years are passing and one day I hope to make a good transfer. It clearly depends on Porto, a club that sells its players so well. Leaving or staying depends on Porto but I will go if there is something concrete.”
In April, Portuguese newspaper Jornal Record claimed that Martinez is on the Reds wanted list, and then Marca reported:
"Liverpool were about to sign him [Martinez] last season, but Porto moved faster and gave no option to the Reds. Liverpool could make a formal offer in the coming days if the the transfer of Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid goes through"
In mid-March, Martinez's agent, Giovanni Fiore, confirmed that Porto would consider offers for the striker, and claimed that top la Liga clubs are in the hunt. He told reporters:
"There's a strong interest from Barcelona [and] an important team from Madrid. A few other clubs have inquired about his availability, too. Porto will study offers, but we're talking about big bids here given the player's importance to the club."
Soon after that, Fiore added:
"There is contact with other clubs at a more advanced level, though Martinez is not going to Italy. For now I can not indicate which clubs are interested, but contact has already been made with clubs overseas"
The Reds have been linked with Martinez many times over last year, and prior to joining Porto in the summer, the Colombian striker confirmed the Liverpool's interest. He told Nuevo Estadio:
"I am not in any advanced negotiations with Liverpool but I know they are personally interested"
Since arriving at the Estádio do Dragão, Martinez - nicknamed 'Cha Cha Cha' - has scored goals for fun, and overall, his record for Porto is pretty formidable:
* 43 goals in 53 appearances.
* Scored in 10 successive games last season.
* At one point, scored 18 goals in 17 games.
* Broke Falcao's record by scoring 11 goals in 12 matches for Porto.
* 8 goals in 10 games for Porto so far this season.
Liverpool could've signed Martinez last summer for a hell of a lot less than €40m. The Reds were constantly linked with the Colombian striker prior to his move, but as usual, the club just didn't act, and he ended up at Porto for a ridiculously low fee of €11m (!).
This kind of negligence is arguably on a par with *overspending* on players like Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll, and Joe Allen. Ultimately, the end result is the same: the club loses money unnecessarily. If, for example, Liverpool sign Martinez for €25m, in real terms, that's an avoidable loss of €14m.
Martinez is clearly a top-class striker, and he'd provide fantastic competition for Suarez and Sturridge, but does the club really need him right now? SAS is a great partnership, and there's no point paying big money for the guy if he's going to spend most of his time on the bench and/or - as is likely under Rodgers - playing out of position.
On the other hand, if Suarez is to leave this summer, then signing Martinez in January would make sense, as it would allow him 6 months to be into the squad, and LFC would have a ready-made replacement in the summer.
Many fans seem convinced that Suarez will stay at at Anfield if LFC qualify for the Champions League, but I don't think that's a realistic possibility. The Uruguayan doesn't just want to be in the competition, he wants to win it (plus other major trophies), and he'll know that LFC's chances of winning the trophy are slim at best. I doubt he wants to hand around for another 2-3 years whilst the Reds struggle to get into the latter stages of the competition.
The most likely scenario is (arguably) this: Suarez will help LFC qualify for the Champions League and then he'll be off. In his mind, he will have helped the team progress, and he'll probably feel like he has the right to leave, which is fair enough (IMO). As Steven Gerrard recently said, the club has to 'enjoy Suarez whilst he's here', and that may not be for much longer.
As such, Jackson Martinez would be a superb replacement. He is the epitome of the 'marquee signing' that so many fans want, and he'd undoubtedly soften the blow of Suarez's departure. The only issue is whether or not he's too similar to Daniel Sturridge, and whether those two could play together effectively...
Author: Jaimie K
According to reports this week:
* LFC are still monitoring Martinez.
* Rodgers sees him as a replacement for 'struggling' Iago Aspas.
When asked on Wednesday about his future at Porto, Martinez - who has a €40m buyout clause in his contract - told reporters:
“The years are passing and one day I hope to make a good transfer. It clearly depends on Porto, a club that sells its players so well. Leaving or staying depends on Porto but I will go if there is something concrete.”
In April, Portuguese newspaper Jornal Record claimed that Martinez is on the Reds wanted list, and then Marca reported:
"Liverpool were about to sign him [Martinez] last season, but Porto moved faster and gave no option to the Reds. Liverpool could make a formal offer in the coming days if the the transfer of Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid goes through"
In mid-March, Martinez's agent, Giovanni Fiore, confirmed that Porto would consider offers for the striker, and claimed that top la Liga clubs are in the hunt. He told reporters:
"There's a strong interest from Barcelona [and] an important team from Madrid. A few other clubs have inquired about his availability, too. Porto will study offers, but we're talking about big bids here given the player's importance to the club."
Soon after that, Fiore added:
"There is contact with other clubs at a more advanced level, though Martinez is not going to Italy. For now I can not indicate which clubs are interested, but contact has already been made with clubs overseas"
The Reds have been linked with Martinez many times over last year, and prior to joining Porto in the summer, the Colombian striker confirmed the Liverpool's interest. He told Nuevo Estadio:
"I am not in any advanced negotiations with Liverpool but I know they are personally interested"
Since arriving at the Estádio do Dragão, Martinez - nicknamed 'Cha Cha Cha' - has scored goals for fun, and overall, his record for Porto is pretty formidable:
* 43 goals in 53 appearances.
* Scored in 10 successive games last season.
* At one point, scored 18 goals in 17 games.
* Broke Falcao's record by scoring 11 goals in 12 matches for Porto.
* 8 goals in 10 games for Porto so far this season.
Liverpool could've signed Martinez last summer for a hell of a lot less than €40m. The Reds were constantly linked with the Colombian striker prior to his move, but as usual, the club just didn't act, and he ended up at Porto for a ridiculously low fee of €11m (!).
This kind of negligence is arguably on a par with *overspending* on players like Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll, and Joe Allen. Ultimately, the end result is the same: the club loses money unnecessarily. If, for example, Liverpool sign Martinez for €25m, in real terms, that's an avoidable loss of €14m.
Martinez is clearly a top-class striker, and he'd provide fantastic competition for Suarez and Sturridge, but does the club really need him right now? SAS is a great partnership, and there's no point paying big money for the guy if he's going to spend most of his time on the bench and/or - as is likely under Rodgers - playing out of position.
On the other hand, if Suarez is to leave this summer, then signing Martinez in January would make sense, as it would allow him 6 months to be into the squad, and LFC would have a ready-made replacement in the summer.
Many fans seem convinced that Suarez will stay at at Anfield if LFC qualify for the Champions League, but I don't think that's a realistic possibility. The Uruguayan doesn't just want to be in the competition, he wants to win it (plus other major trophies), and he'll know that LFC's chances of winning the trophy are slim at best. I doubt he wants to hand around for another 2-3 years whilst the Reds struggle to get into the latter stages of the competition.
The most likely scenario is (arguably) this: Suarez will help LFC qualify for the Champions League and then he'll be off. In his mind, he will have helped the team progress, and he'll probably feel like he has the right to leave, which is fair enough (IMO). As Steven Gerrard recently said, the club has to 'enjoy Suarez whilst he's here', and that may not be for much longer.
As such, Jackson Martinez would be a superb replacement. He is the epitome of the 'marquee signing' that so many fans want, and he'd undoubtedly soften the blow of Suarez's departure. The only issue is whether or not he's too similar to Daniel Sturridge, and whether those two could play together effectively...
Author: Jaimie K
