After months of intensive speculation, Liverpool have reportedly beaten Arsenal and Manchester United in the race to sign Derby County midfielder Will Hughes.
According to reports in England today:
* Liverpool have beaten off competition from Manchester United and Arsenal to sign Hughes.
* Brendan Rodgers is 'confident' that the deal will be wrapped-up in January.
* Liverpool have agreed to meet Derby's £12m (€14m) asking price.
This development follows recent reports claiming that Hughes - who is allegedly a 'Liverpool nut' has his 'heart set on a move to Anfield'.
When asked last Monday about Hughes' future, new Derby County manager Steve McClaren conceded that the rams face a tough task keeping the youngster. He told reporters:
"Our job is to make sure he [Hughes] makes it, but eventually he will be too good. What we need behind that is players coming through to replace him."
Liverpool have been scouting Hughes for months now, and in August, The Independent claimed:
"Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal for Will Hughes. Hughes has been watched extensively over the last six months by Liverpool scout Barry Hunter".
Chief LFC scout Dave Fallows has also watched Hughes numerous times, and the youngster is seen as a potential long-term replacement for Steven Gerrard.
In a recent column for the Daily Mail, Jamie Carragher highlighted Hughes as one of the top young players in the country. He enthused:
"His [Hughes'] reputation is growing by the week and he was excellent when England’s Under 21s demolished Scotland 6-0 earlier this month. The way he carries himself and the way he passes the ball suggest he has got a big future".
Hughes - recently described by Derby youth coach Darren Wassall as 'inspirational - is a player with massive potential, and if Liverpool have genuinely won the race to sign him then it's definitely an exciting buy.
However, will Hughes (no pun intended!) go straight into the first team and/or play on a regular basis, or will he suffer the same fate as Tiago Ilori and Luis Alberto? Also, Hughes is only 18, so is it really in his best interest to move to a big Premier League club so early in his career?
Where's the fire? Why not stay at Derby and play every week (which he does at the moment). In my view, the best case scenario is that Liverpool sign Hughes and then loan him out to Derby. I see no developmental benefit to Hughes warming the bench at Anfield for the rest of the season.
On a related note, where does this signing leave Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen? Gerrard is certainly not going to be dumped to give Hughes game-time, so one of those two will surely make way at some stage.
Jaimie Kanwar
Author: Jaimie K
According to reports in England today:
* Liverpool have beaten off competition from Manchester United and Arsenal to sign Hughes.
* Brendan Rodgers is 'confident' that the deal will be wrapped-up in January.
* Liverpool have agreed to meet Derby's £12m (€14m) asking price.
This development follows recent reports claiming that Hughes - who is allegedly a 'Liverpool nut' has his 'heart set on a move to Anfield'.
When asked last Monday about Hughes' future, new Derby County manager Steve McClaren conceded that the rams face a tough task keeping the youngster. He told reporters:
"Our job is to make sure he [Hughes] makes it, but eventually he will be too good. What we need behind that is players coming through to replace him."
Liverpool have been scouting Hughes for months now, and in August, The Independent claimed:
"Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal for Will Hughes. Hughes has been watched extensively over the last six months by Liverpool scout Barry Hunter".
Chief LFC scout Dave Fallows has also watched Hughes numerous times, and the youngster is seen as a potential long-term replacement for Steven Gerrard.
In a recent column for the Daily Mail, Jamie Carragher highlighted Hughes as one of the top young players in the country. He enthused:
"His [Hughes'] reputation is growing by the week and he was excellent when England’s Under 21s demolished Scotland 6-0 earlier this month. The way he carries himself and the way he passes the ball suggest he has got a big future".
Hughes - recently described by Derby youth coach Darren Wassall as 'inspirational - is a player with massive potential, and if Liverpool have genuinely won the race to sign him then it's definitely an exciting buy.
However, will Hughes (no pun intended!) go straight into the first team and/or play on a regular basis, or will he suffer the same fate as Tiago Ilori and Luis Alberto? Also, Hughes is only 18, so is it really in his best interest to move to a big Premier League club so early in his career?
Where's the fire? Why not stay at Derby and play every week (which he does at the moment). In my view, the best case scenario is that Liverpool sign Hughes and then loan him out to Derby. I see no developmental benefit to Hughes warming the bench at Anfield for the rest of the season.
On a related note, where does this signing leave Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen? Gerrard is certainly not going to be dumped to give Hughes game-time, so one of those two will surely make way at some stage.
Jaimie Kanwar
Author: Jaimie K
I just hope Fenway still have money left to buy players to help challenge for fourth this season.
ReplyDeleteWhats the point of signing him when Suso will be back next summer? 12m for someone possibly not on the bench would be a waste of talent and money. Remember that 12m could buy us Erickson.
ReplyDeletethe more the merrier will hughes will eventually replace gerrard so why not get him before someone else does although I have to agree with jaimie maybe loan him back to derby and let him develop until hes ready for first team
ReplyDeleteHe's coming to Chelsea
ReplyDeleteI hope we are not paying 12m for another young and probably overrated British midfielder. There are dozens of young midfield players in Germany, France, Spain, etc. who are farther along in their development and are much cheaper than Hughes.
ReplyDelete12m can buy players like Khedira or Cabaye. Henderson, Carrol, Downing, Allen.... when will we ever learn???
He is the best technical central midfielder since Wilshire.. he is only 18 and has progressed consistentaly playing regular football for past 2 seasons in the Championship. He should definately be loaed back to Derby. Hopefully we loan them Sterling also, they in turn get promoted and then we can keep them to grow together until they are ready to wear a more "heavy shirt".
ReplyDeleteYou definitely can't buy either Cabaye or Kherdira for £12mil now, if that is what you mean.
ReplyDeleteGive the lad a chance. Seems a lot to me too, but at least between Suso, Hughes and Alberto, we should be able to muster a decent long-term replacement for Gerrard.
dont get whats wrong with him.. i mean yeah the fee is quite high but there´s always an extra on english players (the reason we got so much for shelvey f.e.)
ReplyDeletepeople on this page are crying for new midfielders 24/7 and you might not have noticed yet but he is a midfielder! competition is only good for the team and this guy can absolutely cause that. were lacking midfielders at the moment, some legs are getting more and more tired (gerrard) and hes a class player. i honestly think you guys should be happy if rumors are true cause if they are we just bet ManU and Arsenal (probably a few more - something that hasn´t happened for some time now)!
BR rodgers clearly sees Allen as the cover for Lucas, Hughes will probably be used as a Gerrard coverage (and replacement for the future).
just look at arsenal you cant have enough midfielders! f.e Hendo Hughes Coutinho Alberto Suso they all can operate on the wings so theres enough space
a midfield 3 with Lucas/Allen Gerrard/Hughes Hendo/Suso and Coutinho/Alberto on the left wing (suarez/Moses on the right and Sturridge/Aspas as a central striker). whats wrong about that? thats healthy competition IMO!
At one point I agree with you Jaimie, if we really get this guy we should loan him back directly and wait until next summer - this would get him gametime. and otherwise it could send the wrong message to wisdom (à la hes not good for enough for LFC yet but others at Derby are)
if he wants to rot on the bench for the rest of his career he should do so!
ReplyDeleteSorry, are Spurs second in the league? Eriksen has been weak for them after a good start and in now crocked. Will Hughes is at least as good a prospect, and he's younger; he's a Liverpool fan; and he's English.
ReplyDeleteOne for the future... While it would be nice if we were signing more players to step right in, FSG, Ayre and BR have gone on the record before about not only becoming successful, but being able to maintain that for a prolonged period of time.
ReplyDeleteI just wish we weren't paying such a hefty fee to bring in an 18 year old to not play him.
I'd much prefer us spending 20m on a player to step right in now than 12m on a player that may not play until 2-3 years from now.
12 million for Will Hughes is an absolute steal. Definate to be in the England midfield within 2 years. Wouldnt look out of place in your starting 11 along side gerrard now. If he signs for you, you've got a fantastic young English player, well worth the fee, wouldnt mind sterling on loan!!
ReplyDeleteAny young aspiring player who had a brain can say f**k off to both chelsea and Man city.
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling Will Hughes can be a better player than Wilshire in future if every thing goes well for him. We need good young English players in our team simply because Liverpool FC is a club from England not from Spain. In future I would like to see Hughes, Suso and Rossiter in our Liverpool midfield.
ReplyDeleteSign and loan back is the best idea for now until he can mature a bit and clear out some of the roster clutter in January and take the cash and buy Mata!
ReplyDeleteKhedira isn't worth 12 thousand now. He blew two knee ligaments for Germany the other day. Sad, but I htink his days are numbered as a player in professional football
ReplyDeleteI'd pay 12 grand just so I can have him in my Sunday League team, and then I'll bollock him all the time to make me look great.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a close call. Maybe staying at Derby and playing against tough experiences players would continue his development. On the other hand if he's already got that exposure maybe what he needs now is an education in tactics and team formation. In that case the best place for him is a Liverpool training ground. It all comes down to the kind of environment Derby is and if it's a good place for him to continue his education. We all know that Rodgers requires players to show a high degree of football intelligence and if Hughes is not getting the right opportunity at Derby it might be better to take him straight away, even if it means reducing his game time.
ReplyDeleteAs for our midfield combinations, I think this would just be further illustration that Rodgers just doesn't believe in the need for a physically intimidating and powerful defensive midfielder, instead preferring skillfull players who can work around the demands of english football rather than just blast through the middle. That means Allen will be capable in that defensive midfield role, as would Henderson. As fans we can scream and shout all we like about needing someone like Moussa Sissoko but I just don't think it's how Rodgers intends us to play. So Hughes is ultimately a replacement for Gerrard and we're unlikely to see any further central midfield signings.
It's exciting news, this kid could hit the ground running and really make an impact. We'll have FA Cup football in the new year that would be perfect for him.
I think Hughes could make a similar impact to that of Sturridge or Coutinho as a winter signing, if we don't leave him a Derby. He's that good. He has everything. Quick feet, intelligent off the ball, can pass and shoot. What really caught my attention about him though was his tackling, funny as it sounds. He's not just got power, he's got timing and technique.
ReplyDeleteMata would be nice but realistically we might need to wait for the summer for a signing like that -- still have to qualify for the CL...
and he is a prospect which we have lots of.
ReplyDeleteJoachim Loew said that he could back before the World Cup and I hope he'd be back.
ReplyDeleteIt's a real shame when such things happen.
They play different positions you muppet
ReplyDeleteHope it bs to be honest. I haven't seen him but its not something we need, with have plenty of young talented players in our youth we need something for the now we lacking real quality in the middle of the park and it'll be exposed against any quality side gerrard hasn't got the legs like he used to not dynamic enough henderson will NEVER fill gerrard a boots he isn't good enough and Lucas does a job and that fine but we need more than that If the other two struggle against the best
ReplyDeleteOf course it's something we need, number one, Gerrard won't be around for too many seasons longer and better to buy a replacement for 12 mil than buy one in future for 25 mil, secondly, to be competitive, especially when we are pushing for top 4 or the title, we need squad depth. Two or three quality players for every position is essential for a competitive squad, especially if we make the Champion's League next season. And although he is only 18 or 19, he is seen as quality in the middle of the park, he has been playing senior football for a couple of seasons and been consistently playing well, so maybe he is potentially for the now and the future as well.
ReplyDeletePeople want squad depth, depth in squad is important to compete for honours and people say we don't have the depth in the squad to be competitive for the long term and yet people like you are saying we need to get rid of the roster clutter, that roster clutter who are good players but don't get a game week in week out, they are still doing a job for us by keeping the players that do play on their toes.
ReplyDeleteAspas was good in La Liga as well. Stop thinking Suso is a definite solution...
ReplyDeleteI no gerrard won't be around forever and we do need some one to replace him and he maybe be a quality attacking mid but I don't think he's the man to replace gerrard that's all I was trying to put across its also a big step up from the championship to Liverpool
ReplyDeleteI think Jaimie is right and we should loan him straight back if that is possible. Next year (fingers crossed) we will have more games. I would worry less about Allen and more about the team. Does this mean that another CM preferably a DM will not be signed in Jan? If so does that mean that Joe Allen is back up for that position? I like Joe but worry that it is not his best position.
ReplyDeleteHughes is a quality player but at 12 million I do worry. Maybe for different reasons than most though. Firstly, it puts so much pressure on the kid. Secondly, I see it as a massive kick in the teeth for loads of the academy lads. Rossiter and Branagan have been great this season for the u21s at 16 and 17 respectively and have a lot of potential. There is a huge amount of potential in the age levels further down at centre mid as well (chirivella, phillips, kane - who we paid a substantial amount for this summer). I'd rather see us put the money towards a 23-26 year old first teamer and let our academy lads sit on the bench. If Hughes doesn't play first team football, he won't improve and reach the potential he is capable of. If we do sign him, the writing is more on the wall for Alberto rather than Allen/Hendo I would assume..
ReplyDeleteWhich is not a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteLucks a very similar player to Alberto don't see the need for him of I would rather see a bid for Ross Barkley as gerrard replacement
ReplyDeleteWe need two class quality centre midfielders for the first team NOW: If we are to keep up our top 4 pursuit all through the season, spending 12m on player who is won't help maintain our pursuit for the top 4 this year is pointless. The club needs to spend 30m- 32M on Cabaye(27) and M'Vila(23) in January. Those two centre midfielders could compete against any centre midfield in world football and compete.
ReplyDeleteCabaye and M'Vila would be a match for any team in the centre of park, those two centre midfielders should be priority with two class, pacey, quick wide men in January. Not Wil Hughes