Liverpool continue to be linked with a January move for Paris St. Germain attacker Javier Pastore, who last week claimed that 'everything' about the transfer speculation linking him is 'wrong'. This week, however, it appears that the Argentinian star is close to accepting that a move is a necessity to keep his World Cup dream alive.
LFC have reportedly been tracking 'disillusioned' Pastore for 'a few months', and sources in Italy today claim that:
* The 24-year-old is 'reconsidering his options as he wants regular first-team football ahead of the World Cup'.
* Liverpool are 'leading the chase' as he is ineligible to play in the Champions League for Manchester United, Man City, Arsenal or Chelsea.
In August, Pastore - nicknamed 'El Flaco' - admitted that the pressure of being at PSG affected his performance last season, but after a summer of big signings, he's now more relaxed. He told ESPN:
"With the players that have come in, the pressure is no longer only on me. It's better for me to have less pressure. Other players have the burden. When the responsibility is shared on the shoulders of your team-mates, it's better."
In September, Marcelo Simonian - Pastore's Agent - hinted that a move could be on the cards. He told reporters:
"In football there are always ups and downs. He [Pastore] has been happy there, but now is not the time for nostalgia. We will see what happens in the next few months."
Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi have both praised Pastore in the past. Last season, Zidane enthused:
"He [pastore] is a vital player for Paris. He has demonstrated that he was interesting in the game by scoring goals and playing decisive passes. He is good in Paris, it is necessary to let him play"
Messi plays alongside Pastore for Argentina, and he also believes the attacker is top class. He told FIFA.com:
"You can see he is tough, he's physically fit and he's going to go far, I am convinced of it. We played alongside each other [for Argentina] and we struck up a good understanding"
Pastore cost PSG €42m (!) in 2011, and it seems unlikely that PSG will sell the Argentinean for anything less than £30m. He is 24, entering the prime of his career, and Liverpool would probably not be able to afford him...unless, of course, the club sells Luis Suarez in January, which 'aint gonna happen.
With the walking wounded stacking up for LFC at the moment - and the possibility of more injuries over the next three weeks - the Reds need quality reinforcements, but Pastore is probably a pipe dream at this stage. Stats since 2011:
* 25 goals/15 assists in 98 apps.
* Goal every 4 games.
* Goal/assist every 2.4 apps.
Author: Jaimie K
LFC have reportedly been tracking 'disillusioned' Pastore for 'a few months', and sources in Italy today claim that:
* The 24-year-old is 'reconsidering his options as he wants regular first-team football ahead of the World Cup'.
* Liverpool are 'leading the chase' as he is ineligible to play in the Champions League for Manchester United, Man City, Arsenal or Chelsea.
In August, Pastore - nicknamed 'El Flaco' - admitted that the pressure of being at PSG affected his performance last season, but after a summer of big signings, he's now more relaxed. He told ESPN:
"With the players that have come in, the pressure is no longer only on me. It's better for me to have less pressure. Other players have the burden. When the responsibility is shared on the shoulders of your team-mates, it's better."
In September, Marcelo Simonian - Pastore's Agent - hinted that a move could be on the cards. He told reporters:
"In football there are always ups and downs. He [Pastore] has been happy there, but now is not the time for nostalgia. We will see what happens in the next few months."
Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi have both praised Pastore in the past. Last season, Zidane enthused:
"He [pastore] is a vital player for Paris. He has demonstrated that he was interesting in the game by scoring goals and playing decisive passes. He is good in Paris, it is necessary to let him play"
Messi plays alongside Pastore for Argentina, and he also believes the attacker is top class. He told FIFA.com:
"You can see he is tough, he's physically fit and he's going to go far, I am convinced of it. We played alongside each other [for Argentina] and we struck up a good understanding"
Pastore cost PSG €42m (!) in 2011, and it seems unlikely that PSG will sell the Argentinean for anything less than £30m. He is 24, entering the prime of his career, and Liverpool would probably not be able to afford him...unless, of course, the club sells Luis Suarez in January, which 'aint gonna happen.
With the walking wounded stacking up for LFC at the moment - and the possibility of more injuries over the next three weeks - the Reds need quality reinforcements, but Pastore is probably a pipe dream at this stage. Stats since 2011:
* 25 goals/15 assists in 98 apps.
* Goal every 4 games.
* Goal/assist every 2.4 apps.
Author: Jaimie K
Sell Sakho as you suggested recently, Our future Captain,
ReplyDeleteLoan might be an interesting option, good for all three parties.
ReplyDeleteOn loan with a potential option to buy clause would be fantastic, reduces the risk of signing him and him then flopping.. As well as giving our Top 4 challenge greater impetus!
ReplyDeleteIf we spend 30m on him, that would be 30m much better spent than if we brought in three 10m players.
ReplyDeleteDont want Pastore especially as a bought player a loan maybe he is not versatile and the club needs to address other areas far more urgently.
ReplyDeleteI certainly dont believe the money is there for Pastore and a couple of other quality signings also.
The targets I've said before who i really wanna see, are players at a good price that we could definitely get. Tello, Montoya, Koke are three examples. According to transfer market website, Tello would cost 10 million, Koke for 16 million, and Montoya for 8 million. That's 34 million which after we sell Reina...will probably make it 30 million. Just have a feeling it would be a big mistake spending that much on one player who hasn't convinced most people since he joined PSG. Once again we are linked with players who are getting pushed aside from their current club. Loan deal however, would be perfect. So BR can spend the money around on different positions and not just blow it all on him. With our luck at the moment.. we would sign him and he would probably get injured in the first couple weeks. Then our year is done. BR needs to get this January transfer right.... and I think he will. YNWA
ReplyDeleteNo
ReplyDeleteOla Toivonen is a better bet, 26 goals for PSV last season, on loan until a free transfer in the summer when his contract expires. He is only 27 years-old and scores goals from midfield or up front!!!
ReplyDeleteI think that the price is ridiculous for a player who can't stay in the starting eleven for his current club, I to reckon that we could do better else where.
ReplyDeleteI feel for BR this is going to be a tough month and January is not going to be easier, trying to find the right players to make an impact, but I'm sure he will have our support.
And you think there is "less pressure" to perform at LFC . Loan and option to buy should be the way to go..
ReplyDeleteIf we do go in for a striker I think for the price we should really consider Kostas Mitroglou , I mean we could offer 5 mill and at that price I think we would be getting a goal scorer. He has the ability to find the net, has strength to match and is a fighter, so what if SAS is back together later he would be an asset to the team and I'm sure the lure of playing for LFC would be too much to resist, we are still a great club and the exposure will only help his career, just a thought.
ReplyDeleteIf you believe BR when he said we had to sell Downing for financial reasons then we don't seem to have the funds to buy at the moment. We might therefore go for a loan with an option to buy if we are expecting to have funds in future to enable us to sign a player of this sort of value. Perhaps if we sign a couple of very good players on loan in January and Suarez is then sold we would have the funds to buy them without the price being inflated by the Suarez fee.
ReplyDeleteSpot on.
ReplyDeleteThe financial reasons BR was referring to was Downing's wages i.e. getting a player off the wage bill who is not worth the wages he is earning. The same applies to Reina who is on +- 100k a week.
ReplyDeleteIt does not make financial sense to have players who are earning massive wages to be part of the squad only for them to sit on the bench. That is why they are no longer at the club i.e. financial reasons.
I think Agger knows his time is up.
ReplyDeletePastore would be a great boost for us. Don't know if we would make an actual transfer bid but maybe a loan deal would be good for all parties, especially since I know he wants to be part of the world cup squad.
ReplyDeleteWe need reinforcements in January to make an assault on top 4 as we have been unfortunate with injuries. I think a class midfielder is need.
Our priorities should be a top left back and a proper box to box/defensive midfielder.
ReplyDeleteif he wants less pressure let him go elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI don't like this player. I think he's overhyped and overpriced, and I don't think he'd adapt well to English football. There are better options out there. Hope to dodge this one.
ReplyDeletePressure at LFC is higher than at PSG so not sure about this one tbh....
ReplyDeleteYes I agree wages was part of the issue though BR said he had to be sold to invest in other players which implies wages and transfer fees, Both are outgoings spread across the annual udgets and therefore subject to the same controls . I think this might also explain why we bought the defenders we did in the summer in prep for a clear out. The point I was making in particular though was that try and (maybe) buy would seem to offer some flexibility and allow costs to be controlled depending on performance and/or transfer income/expenditure
ReplyDeleteYou forget that if we had signed Willian then we would have had to fork out 30 million on top of what FSG had already spent Or Diego Costa 26 million.
ReplyDeleteWages are the biggest issue for FSG as that is what makes up most LFC's expenditure.
If the right player comes along FSG will write the cheque only if it makes financial sense. Why do you think they pulled out of the Clint Dempsey deal?
u need to look at their options in attacking midfield for 1 spot: Moura, rabiot menez and Beckham(only plays so PSG can gain popularity. I would rather get moura though.
ReplyDeleteWe arguably cannot afford a 30m player on astronomical wages as cover for Coutinho. So if we signed Pastore, either of him or Coutinho would again be played out of position. Does also nothing to fix our long term winger problem.
ReplyDeleteIf we were to spend 30m on a player, I'd rather have San Sebastian's Antoine Griezmann. Proper left winger, 22 years old. 119 appearances in La Liga, 33(!) goals, 13 assists. Now that San Sebastian is out of the CL, he might be tempted to sign for a bigger club like Liverpool, play regularly and make the French world cup squad. Same agent as Sakho (and M'Vila), too ... so we've got his number ;)
£30m for a player who moans about pressure in a 2 horse French League with one of the world's most expensive teams?
ReplyDeleteNo thanks. For £30m they should welcome the challenge.
Ever hear Ronaldo or Suarez moaning about expectations?
Thought not.
and I don't think we especially need Tello or Montoya. I wouldn't say Tello and Montoya are improvement on Sterling, Ibe Kelly and Flanno... Koke would be a good addition but Pastore is the sort of player that is a must for us. We're in dire need of a midfielder playmaker. Each to their own. I'd rather spend 30m on one player and signal some intent to our competition than spend 30m on 3 players who don't offer us any more than what we already have right now.
ReplyDeleteThe odds of PSG agreeing to that are surely miniscule.
ReplyDeleteNot pacy enough for the Prem, I think. Don't see why PSV would loan him to us either. Not in their interest. They'd either sell him or keep him until his contract expires.
ReplyDeleteDecent player though.
I concur, I was merely stating the best case scenario for us.. It also depends on how much PSG actually want to keep him.
ReplyDeleteMontoya will be our best full back. I hope so much Pastore will come.
ReplyDeleteSatisfied with most of the targets. I think when we strike about three of these we will get to the next level.
ReplyDeleteI think we agree that FSG are keen on restricting expenditure and there may well be an unhealthy focus on wages. However I don't see that funds are available for big signings either. BR has indicated that funds are tight and of course there was talk about Willian and Costa but the chequebook stayed closed. You can say that you will spend big on transfers but if you are not prepared to pay the sort of wages a big fee player requires then you're niot going to sign him. And I think that FSG know that better than us.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens if he's a flop? Then what? People will be saying oh we shouldn't of wasted so much money on a player who can't make the first team at his own club. Montoya and Tello are quality and are on a different level to Sterling's developement. Hense why Barcelona haven't let them go yet. Also with Koke..well his performances this year speak for themself. How many assists/goals has Pastore got this year.. and how many has Koke got? Koke can play CAM. So Koke is half the price, in great form at the minute, and 3 years younger than Pastore. It's a no brainer.
ReplyDeleteI said Koke would be a good addition... Yeah a 30m player may well be a flop. Willian at Chelsea has hardly impressed has he. Maybe missing out on him was a good thing after all. But 30m also says a lot of words. It says. "They mean business" and "Their owners are prepared to spend money" among other things and that can get into the heads of contending players and managers who now see our team as much greater threat. Buying More Aspas' and Albertos for 7m a pop doesn't put fear into the hearts of our competitors. I watch Barca a lot and I don't think Montoya and Tello are enough of an improvement on Kelly and Sterling to warrant buying them. Reason I say Kelly is because Johnson is our 1st choice RB and will be whether we sign Montoya or not. But Sterling has 3+ years on Tello and can easily be better in a couple of seasons time. What we need is a proven 1st class midfielder in the Modric/Isco/Fabregas mould. I'm not saying they're available but that's the style of player we need. Pastore does fit that bill and if he's available then we should look into it.
ReplyDeleteSo why not just buy Koke instead of Pastore..and spend the rest on positions we need cover for. Midfield isn't the only area that we need first team signings. We got 3 first team players injured. If Pastore was in good form getting assists in France then yeah why not. But he's not even getting games. We need someone who is playing good right now to come in and make a difference. Can't see that happening with Pastore at all to be honest.Spending 30 million on him is crazy talk. Loan deal at the maximum. Tello is far better than Sterling. In future he might be better than Tello. But why are there clubs like Liverpool/Tottenham wanting Tello.. but no one wants Sterling? There's a reason for that. Also why haven't Barcelona let him go yet.. but they let players like Alberto leave.
ReplyDelete