12 Dec 2013

2nd time lucky? - LFC want 'powerful' €5m 'brute' who met with Dalglish in 2012....

In May, Liverpool legend John Aldridge urged the Reds to think seriously about signing West Ham central midfielder Mohamed Diame, a player pursued by Kenny Dalglish during his second spell in charge at the club. Nothing happened over the summer, but recent developments at Anfield may reportedly lead to a renewed push to sign Diame.

According to the Essex Guardian today:

"Liverpool may make a move for West Ham United midfielder Mohamed Diame with Reds captain Steven Gerrard ruled out for six to eight weeks.

"The 26-year-old is believed to have a £3.5 million escape clause in his contract but has hinted he would like to agree a new deal".


Diame definitely has a £3.5m (€5m) buyout clause in his contract, as confirmed by his Agent, Willie McKay, in December 2012, when he told the Daily Mail:

"Diame was a free transfer and believed he could command a better salary than he was offered so to compensate for that the clause was put in so he could leave in six months time for £3.5m"

In his column for the Liverpool Echo in May, Aldo heaped praise on Diame:, enthusing:

"I would urge Liverpool to keep tabs on Mohamed Diame. He is a brute of a midfielder. A tremendous player and so strong and powerful in that central role, and he is exactly what the Reds need in there. Diame is certainly one for future reference".

Prior to having his contract terminated, Kenny Dalgish pinpointed Diame as a possible free transfer signing in the summer. Liverpool's interest ended when Dalglish left, and the 24-year admits he was 'sad' to miss out on the move. He told the Liverpool Echo:

“I met with Kenny Dalglish and we talked about next season [2012-2013], but God decided to finish this situation. It is true I was very sad in my head as I was thinking to go there”

Allardyce recently revealed that he sought Dalglish's advice prior to signing Diame. He recalled:

"I spoke to Kenny about signing Mo. For me, it just made me feel so much better to have Kenny saying ‘Yeah, we were going to take him. It gives you that bit more ­confidence. To have somebody of Kenny’s ­experience backing up your ­judgment is a big help".

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp is a fan of Diame, and after watching him dominate Chelsea's midfield during West Ham's 3-1 victory in December 2013, he wrote:

"I like the look of Mohamed Diame at West Ham; he’s a cross between Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure. He overpowered Chelsea’s midfield on Saturday. Can West Ham keep him? He came on a free and has an agreed get-out clause. There will be lots of interest now".

West Ham legend Trevor Brooking also rates the Senegalese international, and he praised the midfielder to the hilt in a recent interview. He raved:

“The lad has been a revelation for us. Diame has been fantastic. He’s been the player of the season really.”

It seems like Liverpool fans have been calling for Diame (or a player in a similar mould) for years now, but he's definitely not a replacement for Gerrard, even in the short term. They're two very different players, and Diame would be a better challenger for Lucas. If the Reds are to bringing someone in to cover Gerrard, then it should be a more creative attacking midfielder (IMO).



Author:


42 comments:

  1. The thing with this guy is that he's 26 and it seems that no big club has ever even had a look at him, nevermind trying to sign him. I don't rate him that much personally...

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  2. Wasn't impressed with his performance against us recently ... given that we constantly moan about the lack of dominance from our midfield, we probably shouldn't go for a player who was part of a midfield we completely overran ...

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  3. I love these descriptions. If he really is a cross between Patrick Vieira and Yaya Touré, we should be first in the queue to talk to his agent. £3.5M is nothing for a player of his age even if he's only half as good as the above description.

    The problem will most likely be his own estimate of his value in terms of salary. Personally, if he wants to join us and at the right salary, we should do it anyway. We need cover for Lucas, who's form has not really been quite up to his best ever. Don't get me wrong. I really like Lucas, but to have no decent cover is criminal and I think Diame would push him. Also, there are some games that might suit them both playing. That won't be a popular view, but there you go.

    Yes, for £3.5M and sensible wage, buy him.

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  4. His actual performance stats are not that impressive.
    He wins 50% of duels, has only 2 defensive actions on average per game, and has only created 9 chances so far this season from 15 starts.
    74% pass accuracy is nothing to write home about either.
    Diame could be one of those 1 in 6 great game type players. World class one week, anonymous for the next 5.
    can we afford that? You have to wonder why nobody else has taken the chance at 3.5m.
    Not sure he's the answer. Would rather try M'Villa for instance.

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  5. Let's be careful here ... it's Kenny that is advocating a move for the player, not Rodgers. There is no question that the two managers have very different ideas on what kind of players Liverpool should have. Kenny is a big more old school and therefore the idea of a bruiser in midfield goes nicely alongside a left winger who puts in crosses and a big bloke in the middle who can head in a few goals. Rodgers simply doesn't work that way and I think this should be obvious to Liverpool fans by now. When has Rodgers shown even vague interest in this kind of strong and powerful midfield player? Gerrard has had to adapt his football to the Rodgers way, Allen was one of the first players he signed and Coutinho after that. I think it's painfully obvious that Rodgers doesn't just want a "brute" in midfield, that's not going to work for the kind of football we play. Fans can argue all they like but Rodgers is the manager and his kind of football requires skillful passers with good positional sense and a willingness to work off the ball. I think people will save themselves a lot of frustration if they just come to terms with this.

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  6. We will not be signing him. Physical presence aside, what will he do to improve our midfield?

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  7. Mike,


    Cabaye has played in the premiership and so has Remy for two seasons now, so they will not need to take any time to adjust to league.


    M'Vila(23) is a mobile physical strong player with bit of pace and power with him, so i am sure he will adapt to league nicely like Sakho. And as we have a french players, I am sure he will be fine.


    Capel(25) and Salah(21) are two very quick pacey wide men with class, creativity, goals and skills . They may take time to adjust to league, but doubt it.


    And Mike,


    Sturridge is injured until late January early Febuary, If Rodgers brought Remy to club in January. He would score 3-5 goals for us during time sturridge is out, then they could both compete with one another to line up alongside Suarez. Remy is an international goalscorer, without him Newcastle would be in the bottom three.


    This is not Championship Manager or Fifa, its facts.


    When Rodgers brought in Aspas, Alberto, Toure, Mignolet, Only two of them have been successful.


    Alberto(21) may be one for the future but spending 7M on player for who is going to come good in two years is waste, as we need class, quality players now not in 2016.


    When Rodgers brought in Cissokho, llori, Moses and Sakho, Only Sakho has been a success.


    Llori(20) may be one for the future also but we need players for the first team now, not for the first team in 2016.


    And Diame(26) was the only midfield in the centre of park troubling us last week, against three man midfield.


    Does Diame(26) offer more class, creativity going forward than Allen and Henderson? YES


    Who do you think opposition centre midfielders would have better chance against in middle 1 vs 1? Diame, Allen or Henderson?


    And Mike, What did Huddlestone, Livermore and Meyler do to our midfield the week before? At Anfield we are awesome, on the road we get shown up as their is no domination, no power, no physical presence in the centre of the park. M'Vila(23), Cabaye(27) and Diame(26) would change that.

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  8. Its because Enrique is out injured, Flannagan is abyzmal and diabolical to be honest, Kelly is injury prone and you cant risk that. Cissokho is the best of what we have in all honesty at moment until Enrique gets fit and better, then in summer we send Cissokho back to Valencia and bring better left back to club to compete and Cover Enrique. S Umtiti(19) Of Lyon

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  9. Hisham, our biggest problems is the centre midfield and winger situation, lack of creativity, goals from both positions.


    In Allen, Henderson, Lucas, Gerrard, Coutinho, Moses, IBE and Sterling so far this season , how many goals is there? less than 10?


    And yet the club are still conceding goals every game?


    So our biggest problems is centre midfield and the wingers, the full back situation should be adressed in the summer.

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  10. Draxler and Salah would be class additions to an already exciting front line.

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  11. I would take Draxler in a heart beat over Pastore he has more qualities althleticism and versatility being two and would handle pressure better than the Argentine.

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  12. Schalke's manager Heldt said in an interview that they were offered 40m last summer by Man City and Real Madrid, so 40m is not ridiculous, but a reflection of how big a talent he is. Out of our reach for sure ...

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  13. Agree. His stats for this season do not look anything like his Wigan stats from 2 or 3 years ago. Not inspiring, seems to have dropped off the pace..

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  14. I read we were giving him serious thought a couple of weeks ago on another site. I would certainly welcome him.

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  15. There is only one DM Liverpool should go for, Maxime Gonalons Lyon, he's wel established and by far their best player. Lyon are not willing to let the product of their youth academy go, but they are cash strapped. An enticing offer could move them to sell. With 88% pass accuracy, 65% duels won in 12/13 his stats are better than those of Lucas and he's only 24 and yet to reach his peak.
    (Scored his first professional goal in the 2009 1-2 CL win against Liverpool at Anfield)

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  16. I am surprised Huddlestones name hasn't popped up as an option for midfield. As far as I can see, he is performing very well this season and as well as helping to control the midfield, he also joins in with the attack when the opportunity arises. Hull only paid 5 million for him so he shouldn't cost a fortune. I think I would prefer him to Diame but if we can get our hands on Matic, that would be ideal.

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  17. Allen had Diame in his pocket on saturday, outplayed him every single time.

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  18. If Tom Hudds was more mobile he'd probably be the best English CM.. Unfortunately, the fact that my mum could probably outrun him holds him back from being a truly viable option.. I don't think he could keep up with an intense style of play..

    Real shame, because his technique and control are second to none!

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  19. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva1:10 pm, December 13, 2013

    I think that spending silly money would be stupid unless it was on a already proven world class player, we need to strengthen the middle there's no doubt but I would like to see players who are tough , mentally and physically this is what I believe S

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  20. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva1:14 pm, December 13, 2013

    Sorry I pushed the wrong button, I meant Stevie G.
    He is mentally tough and physically strong, I believe we can get players without breaking the bank.

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  21. Rodgers HAS had serious backing from the owners. He just opted to waste it all on Allen, Sakho, Borini, Alberto, Ilori, Assaidi and Aspas. The last thing they need to do is to give Rodgers more money. They could give him 50 million in January and he still wouldn't have the brain to buy the players you mention. The man went to the Commoli school of player buying.

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  22. Pretty average player imo. Strong as an ox sure but I'd rather see the finesse and aggression of Cabaye at Anfield.

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  23. Rodgers has messed up with dud buys but hopefully he learned his lesson or he needs to be shown the door. If he brings more crap to club and we do not make top 4, he needs to moved on real quick

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  24. Mike,


    Diame(26) is better than Allen and Henderson


    so in one game, your comparing things. Diame creates more chances and scores more goals than Allen and Henderson over season.


    Mike,
    Diame(26) is better than Allen and Henderson end of story.


    In the games we have struggled : Arsenal, Everton, Hull, Newcastle, Southampton and Swansea did Henderson shine?


    Now Our captain is injured, we will really see what Allen and Henderson offer team.


    As it seems Allen, Henderson and Lucas are all doing the same job.

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  25. I doubt he's learned anything. Our summer transfers would have been different if he had.

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  26. Flannagan is abyzmal and pony, Kelly is injury prone. Agger and Sakho are centre backs, so Cissokho is left footed mobile and a full back. So while Enrique is injured, he is the best of what we have. Do you seriously think flannagan will keep lennon and walker quiet or Townsend and walker quiet? And if he does any stupid rash challenges like he did to Downing last week, as it was highlighted on match of day and by Allardyce, Flannagan will be under close watch during the game on sunday mark my words.

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  27. Diame(26) is not a defensive midfielder, he is a centre midfielder box to box midfielder. B Rodgers should bring in M'Vila(23), Cabaye(27) and Diame(26) to club in January for combined total of 33M


    3m More than what Man CITY Spent on Fernandinho, a midfield trio of M'Vila, Cabaye and Diame would trouble any side in the world

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  28. At last, sincerely hope there's mileage in this story!
    I hear some say, average how will he improve our mid? My answer is out of all our midfield who can do what he can do? No one! He combines pace, power& skill for a big guy!
    For 3.5mill you can't go wrong !

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  29. I think he has been playing further forward than Lucas though. Fat Sam played him as a "false nine" in the Chelsea game. Playing further up field he is bound to be less defensive. The creative aspect is a worry in that regard because you wouldn't say Hendo has done that well on that score.

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  30. With players like Fernando of Porto and Matuidi's contracts running out in the summer I think we should be keeping our eyes open there.



    What kind of sum do you think it would take to get Gonalons?

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  31. kelly rb johnson lb - problem solved..

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  32. I'm not sure your right mate. I doubt we could get M'vila and Cabaye for £15m each. Newcastle will be trying to hold out for as much as pos. No less than £20m I think, certainly not in Jan.

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  33. Any of those would be fine if we can get them cheap. Gonalons would cost between 12-16m £, but that's just a gues.

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  34. I do like the look of Diame, and Lucas definitely needs competition to keep him sharp. I know we've also been linked with the Sevilla Captain, Rakitić, who looks like a better player that Diame to me; but it's hard to judge whether Diame would be a better buy due to his experience in the league.



    We're also linked with other, more attacking midfielders like Turan and Pastore, and that is really exciting. Also don't forget that we've got Suso coming back at the end of the season.


    I don't think we should be panic buying just because Stevie's injured right now though; Rogers has done well in the market, but he's also bought a couple of flops, so a bit of patience and consideration is needed I think.

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  35. Lol Cissohko? Luckily BR is Liverpool manager.

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  36. Greg,
    M'Vila(23) Plays for Rubin Kazan , basically a nobody, he was brought for 9M. If Rodgers offers anywhere between 10-14M we will get him. And his best friend is Sakho(23) who loves it at Liverpool. So getting him to Anfield would be simple, he went to Goodison to watch the Merseyside derby.


    Cabaye(27) Of Newcastle nearly went to Arsenal just before the end of transfer window, but it was because A Wenger was taking liberties they did not get him. They offered 10M for him, when he is worth 14-18M, if Rodgers offers 15m, Newcastle will take notice. And we could bring Cabaye(27) to club for 15-17M i honestly think.


    Rodgers needs to bring in M'Vila(23), Cabaye(27) and Diame(26) to the club in January. for combined total of 33M


    That midfield trio would cause any team in the world football problems. And then we could rest S Gerrard(33) more frequently.

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  37. Eric, Diame(26) is not average, Allen(24), Henderson(23) and Lucas(26) are average. Diame(26) is a box to box centre midfielder, he is better attacking than defending and as he is a mix between Yaya Toure and Viera. He is powerful quick and bursts pass people in the centre of the park.


    He offers more class, creativity, goals, physical presence and fear to opposition midfielders than Allen(24) and Henderson(23) would ever do.


    Rodgers should bring in M'Vila(23), Cabaye(27) and Diame(26) for a combined total of 33M, 6M more than what Man United wasted on Fellaini(26).


    Those three central midfielders would put Lucas(26), Allen(24) and Henderson(23) on the bench permanently.

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  38. Diame(26) is not a defensive midfielder, he is a box to box centre midfielder or attacking midfielder. He is better attacking than defending

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  39. Diame(26) is a centre midfielder, box to box centre midfielder. He is not a defensive midfielder, he is better attacking than defending. And is played at centre midfielder or as attacking midfielder. He is mobile, bursts past people with power and pace through the middle, he is a beast of a player.

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  40. I used to look at Huddlestone as somebody that could be an English Alonso - Alonso was never much of an athlete himself, but you're right, Huddlestone would make him look like Ronaldo!


    Huddlestone's lack of agility is ridiculous - he needs to get into a few yoga classes asap if he wants to make the most of his footballing talent!

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  41. I used to like Diame, but I've gone off him for the same reason I went off of Moussa Sissoko beforehand - everytime I watch him play, he's looking more like an average, attacking midfielder than a dominant holding midfielder/ballwinner, and has become a 'jack of all trades/master of none type' player.


    Maybe he still has it in him to become a top defensive midfielder, but with the change in his role & mentality, a move now would be more of a risk now than it was just a year or two ago...

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  42. 100%.. He's never gonna be an Iniesta.. But surely dedicating some time to improving his athleticism isn't too much to expect of the lad?

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