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
Forget Martinez, Diego Costa is the player we be going back for. He is younger and will probably will cost less too.
ReplyDeleteLet Rodgers make the final decision - his own buys Allan and Borini proved as bad as Dalglish, THE SCOUTS GOT THE GOOD BUYS.
ReplyDeletePorto are such a model club for a big fish in a small pond in terms of how they operate. They basically unearth gems, polish them and sell them a extremely high price. In those gems of course there is always some that don't go as planned (Diego & Fabiano) but who later have great careers.
ReplyDeleteMartinez is a complete players IMO. Can you imagine a front 3 of Sturridge, Martinez and Suarez? Wow.
Either way I do think Suarez will off in the Summer. I expect us to get top 4. If he scored 20+ goals and has a good world cup then we can fetch £50M easy!
Our problem at the moment is midfield.
I don't see how you can consider this as 14m lost... If we had signed Martinez before he moved to porto, we'd probably have never signed Sturridge who would now be firing on all cylinders for Chelsea, and his value would be closer to £40m, rather than the ~£12m we actually paid. Sometimes things like this happen. You could say this about every transfer in History. "Torres was a wasted £23m because we should have signed him when he was 19, and before they made him captain". If we sign Martinez it is not money lost, it is money spent in real terms. I see your point, but its just a case of "what if". What if we'd signed Ronaldo when we were scouting him at Sporting Lisbon? Is that £80m wasted? No, its just a missed gamble that would've paid off. But how were we to know that at the time?
ReplyDeleteNo doubt Suarez wants to win the CL. I'm sure everyone does. Yet, he was still willing to go to Arsenal in the summer, and lets be honest, nobody thought at that time they'd be doing as well as they have been in the league, because they hadn't signed Ozil yet. He certainly wouldn't have thought they'd be CL contenders, so would he really go there and sign a minimum 4 year contract giving his the remainder of his best years to them if he only wanted to join a team capable of winning it? I think Suarez will be good to stay with us another season if we get in the CL. Why leave after working so hard to get your team into the competition. I do agree that if we don't get out of the group stages, or continue to progress quickly domestically, Suarez will get restless again, but I feel if he sees us making the right investments in the team and progressing as we have done this season, he'll be willing to stay. I think is family is pretty happy in Liverpool too. Maybe naive, but that's my opinion.
ReplyDeleteYou don't need scouts to spot Sturridge. Rodger's worked with him at Chelsea...
ReplyDeleteYou obviously did not see my reply to your repetitive post from the previous article?
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Barry Hunter (our chief scout) and Brendan Rodgers know each other from their days at Reading together?
Rodgers was not at Chelsea when they signed Sturridge from Man City. He was managing Watford or Reading... I forget which one, but he had definitely never worked with Sturridge before.
ReplyDeleteCosta for £20m is the best option as it leaves money for a top class midfielder. There will be strong competition, so we NEED that top 4 place then everything else will fall into place.
ReplyDeleteSuarez might even stay.
Suarez------Sturridge-----Costa..
Backed by a top class midfielder such as Bender
Would transform our team
Ah, OK. Fair enough....thought they overlapped.
ReplyDeleteCosta won't come to us for £20M mate.
ReplyDeleteKeep up mate, he has a £20m release clause next summer
ReplyDeleteGoals galore with that front 3 and then play our little magician Coutinho just behind them and then we will be unstoppable.
ReplyDeleteNot sure anything has changed at Atletico that would make Costa want to leave. He wanted to stay with them when we met his buyout clause over the summer. Now he is playing every game, and they are pretty much winning every game. Can't see us getting Costa for any reasonable amount of money, considering he is doing so well in his present situation. The other thing is, playing at Atletico is probably better for him with regards to his getting called up for the national team (Spain). Personally, I'd love to see us move this January for a top defensive midfielder (Gonalons, Matuidi, Yann M'Vila or even Morgan Schneiderlin. I think if we have a top uality defensive midfielder, it will alow us to play a midfield triangle with a single holding player, while we can push Gerrard and Coutinho further upfield. The other area to strengthen would be left back. If we could find an awesome attacking leftback, teams would be stretched as Johnson would give us quality width on the right, and we'd have the same down the other side. We have a bit of quality down the central areas already ;)
ReplyDeleteDiego Costa is Brazilian not Spanish.
ReplyDeleteAnd we didn't have CL football to tempt him , plus it won't be a World Cup year
ReplyDeleteHe is Brazillian born. He just elected to play for the Spanish National team. It's all over the news. Just google it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update.
ReplyDeletewe missed our chance to buy Diego Costa. but we cant doubt the clubs ambition. we triggered his release clause but Atletico did not want to sell. we should go for El-Shaarawy now while we have the chance. he should be our replacement for Willian and Mkhtiryan. Diego Costa has already been replaced by the form of Daniel Sturridge. he is now a top forward and we now have two top class Centre Forwards in Suarez and Sturridge. El Shaarawy would make another top class addition. and if we can get a young central midfielder like Shaqiri and a right winger like Andriy Yarmolenko. maybe Diame as well for cover for lucas. our squad will then be fully read for when we qualify for the Champions League this year.
ReplyDeleteDidn't he sign a new contract? Why would they put a clause for just £20M? That's weird.
ReplyDeletePaper cuts?
Agreed on both counts Mike. I still don't know what we could offer next year that Atletico couldn't. CL football in England is difficult, and the way its looking at the moment, we could have different top 4's every year. At Atletico, he is the first choice striker, and the top 3 in the Spanish league are miles ahead of the rest, and almost guaranteed CL every year. Unless he wants a new challenge in terms of a move to a different league, I just find it hard to see. Sorry to be the pessimist. On the other hand, I am optimistic about Suarez staying if we make Top 4 this year!
ReplyDeleteRodgers bought who he knew and "would have paid more" for Allan, he sold A more effective player for 6 million. He is doing well though even though he thinks that by far our best young player is not good enough, perhaps he can get the scouts to watch Texiera in the u21s.
ReplyDeleteWe did not miss our chance. Costa stayed with A. Madrid because they had more to offer i.e CL and were better placed in La Liga.
ReplyDeleteIf we make CL for next season then I do not see why Costa would not want to sign for us. How can Sturridge already be Costa's replacement when we tried to sign him in the last transfer window? Costa is a versatile player, that is why Rodgers wanted him.
Sturridge was signed in JAnuary and Martinez as a Summer Target
ReplyDeleteIf you're talking about Shelvey, then you fail to see Rodgers genius move in that - he went for 6 mil, but he's a dual agent, secret weapon if you will who twice a year will give Liverpool an advantage of having 12 men on the field. Did you not see his 2 amazing assists earlier this year???
ReplyDeleteLike the players you picked, still need a striker for cover (if aspas and borini don't make the grade) and would love to see Lars bender instead of diame.
ReplyDeleteBut el shaarawy could be enough to get us into the champions league. Others I can only see moving in the summer.
No article has said this yet, but in the second half of the season we have almost a of the 'big' clubs at home and the others away. Is it better to play weaker teams away? They won't sit in their own halves.
He's worth more than that. He's still getting better. LFC would only sell for 60m+ maybe even 65. Because he adds that value to our team.
ReplyDeleteShelvey was the best player on the pitch that day. Allan cant get game Swansea get a better player and 9 million - and yes I did see his 2 assists for Swansea - a seasons worth for Allan, don't get ne wrong I prefer Allan to Lucas.
ReplyDeleteI think the key in him staying is not just making the CL, but the ambition of actually wanting to win it. There's no reason why a big club like Liverpool can't make a reasonable challenge.
ReplyDeleteSuarez is a player who really really wants to win things, look at Europa League last year, even the season, he never really gave up until only the slimmest chances remained.
This season is the same thing, officially there is a lot of cautious optimism in talking about top 4, and CL. Suarez is talking about winning the title - something he truely wants, and something every player should want. Same goes for the CL, you don't want to just be in it, you want to make a challenge - I can't see why this can't be made an objective. If the mentality is there, and this season continues as it's going, He'll stay.
Suarez transfer also was a dragged affair with Comolli looking him to sign him for around 16m and Ajax sticking to it's gun and it prolonged for nearly a month.Luckily and strangely he didn't have many suitors at that time. Liverpool will continue to loose targets in future by this strategy of dilly dallying over 2-3m . Prime targets once identified should be quickly brought in if they fall in reasonable price range
ReplyDeleteI have to agree - though he's a little sporatic - if he tidies up, and focuses he definitely has potential. Rodgers in this effect is a little stubborn - wanting to put his stamp on the team, and giving his players a leg up on the ones he inherited.
ReplyDeleteMartinez is probably a good buy, adds a different dimention in that he seems to be really good in the air too. Not only as back-up, but for rotation, Sturridge and Suarez (less), may have injuries or fatigue, or a run of bad form, where it would be good have back-up like this. Next season with cups etc. will definitely need quality like this.
ReplyDeleteBrendon wanted to do a straight swap Henderson for Dempsey - unbelievable but true. again Im not being vindictive he does a lot right.
ReplyDeleteWho was Shelvey going to keep on the bench if Rodgers decided to keep him at Anfield?
ReplyDeleteLiverpool can win in europe with any side. Djimi traore
ReplyDeleteAlthough I would have loved to see us go for martinez when we were first linked with him, it was clearly seen as too much of a risk for a player who had only played in Colombia and Mexico. The same Mexican league (at a similar time) in which Christian Benitez scored tons of goals - and he didn't travel well (in goals terms, although I know some brummies who still love him). Instead we risked the money on Borini who was much younger and had scored goals in a big European league. It didn't work out for us, but the transfer market is about those gambles! And that is one of the things which makes football so great.
ReplyDeleteI certainly wouldn't see it as money wasted if we bought him now, but we already have 2 top strikers, would adding a third be the best use of resources? Would we be stuck in a Sakho situation? If we know Suarez is off then get him in before, otherwise, I'd say Costa (if he is interested) would be a better bet due to his versatility. El Shaarawy would be my first choice though, if it was possible - he is young, skillfull, strong, has goals in him, and is a little unhappy at his current club - ticks all the FSG boxes..
I'm curious to see how the ownership group reacts with spending if we can hold onto the Champions League spot.
ReplyDeleteWith the influx of revenue from the competition, are they going to be outlay the cash even moreso than they already have by going after a legitimate superstar?
Yes he is but he's pledged his international future to Spain
ReplyDeleteHes too good of a player to replace aspas hes more likely going to replace suarez
ReplyDeleteI think LS will Stay if we secure CL and finish high. Plus if we draw major interest again. All of a sudden Liverpool is one of the strong ones again.
ReplyDeleteThat is why he says if Martinez would've been signed and he would be firing on all cylinders then do you really think BR would've thought about signing Sturridge?
ReplyDeleteYes, he is Brazilian! However, he wants to get into the Spanish national team as he has the citizenship of Spain now as well.
ReplyDeleteAt the rate LS is going he is worth at least 80 IMO. With 80 you can rebuild an entire Liverpool team.
ReplyDeleteI1 thing I have noticed about BR's management style , if a player makes a mistake in the first team , BR would kick him out to the reserves.
ReplyDeleteWith the current squad that Liverpool has I am not too sure. Liverpool need to strengthen the midfield considerably.
ReplyDeleteKostas Mitroglou scord two more for Greece vs Romania...just sayin.
ReplyDeleteGlass always half empty with you isn't it Kanwaar. I rue the day the internet gave twats like you a voice.
ReplyDeleteHa ha. Shaving actually...
ReplyDeleteNot replace Aspas. Complement. Suarez, Sturridge, Aspas and Martinez would be a nice foursome, all different players with plenty of tactical variation to contribute.
ReplyDeleteTeixeira would be crushed in the Premier League. He'd not get a kick. He needs to add power to his movement -- not bulk, but explosiveness -- and to increase his appetite for physical confrontation.
ReplyDeleteHe has to learn to roll his man when necessary, and not just to fold when challenged. If he can do that, we'll have a player. If not, he'll have to settle for a mid-level team in Spain where he won't be expected to be an all-round player, capable of meeting any challenge and maintaining energy levels for 90 minutes, as midfielders at top English clubs need to be.