9 Dec 2013

'He's a genius!' - Ex-Red hails 'game-changing' €6m LFC striker target. Sign in Jan...?

Speculation over the future of Fulham star Dimitar Berbatov continues to intensify, and Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly among the teams considering a January move for the Bulgarian striker. Berbatov's Agent has confirmed that a move is on the cards, and ex-LFC forward Stan Collymore believes that the 32-year old still has a lot to offer.

In his Saturday column for The Mirror, Collymore - who will forever be remembered by Reds fans for his last-gasp winner against Newcastle in mid-90s 4-3 victory at Anfield - heaped praise on Berbatov. He enthused:

"Berbatov is a supreme talent [and] I have no problem with him as a ’lazy’ footballer. His style of play frustrates many, but I accept it because his laid-back manner is also part of what makes him a genius. He is a game-changer".

When asked last week about Berbatov's future at Fulham, the striker's Agent, Emil Dantchev, told reporters:

"I can tell you is he [Berbatov] is not happy at Fulham. He would like to find another option...in England."

Over the weekend, new Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen - who worked with Berbatov at Man Utd - hailed the striker's talents, but conceded that he may have no choice but to let him go. He told Sky Sports:

"I will never stand in the way of people's ambitions. He [Berbatov] is an immense player that any manager would want in his team . I'm one of his biggest fans because I know what he can do"

Berbatov was linked with a move to Anfield during the last weeks of Kenny Dalglish's second spell in charge, and at the time, Anfield legend Mark Lawrenson argued that Berbatov 'would be the perfect foil for Luis Suarez"

Berbatov - who cost Fulham €6mm in 2012 - has the skill, technique and game intelligence to really make a difference at Liverpool. He may be 32 years old, but he still has what it takes to make an impact in the Premier League.

With Daniel Sturridge out for two months, there's no point (IMO) in spending big money on striker as competition would be too fierce once the England striker returned. Berbatov grabbed 15 goals/3 assists in 34 games for Fulham last season, which shows that he's still got it. The ideal scenario is a six-month loan deal at LFC:

* Berbatov puts himself in the shop-window to win a summer contract with another Prem club.
* He'll have no choice but to try and play well, which can only benefit LFC.

Whether Berbatov would go for a loan deal is another story, but surely six months at Anfield is a more enticing prospect than a (probable) relegation struggle at Fulham...?

Author:


23 comments:

  1. I doubt that Fulham would be happy with a loan, despite the potential of having an unhappy, already generally lazy Berb on their hands. If they were to sell what would they ask for?

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  2. Could this be the 'big name' Grobelaar was talking about?

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  3. Second article in a few days on this guy, have you got shares in this guy Jamie, lol :)

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  4. Well, his full name does have six syllables...

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  5. At this point in his career, I'd probably only take him on loan. The real question for Fulham is who can they replace him with to help stave off relegation.

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  6. No thanks........bad mentality, which we don't want passed on to our other players and not consistent enough......not in the least bit interested......would rather use the options already in the squad.

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  7. If we are picking figures out of nowhere why not a ten spot?

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  8. I think this would be a decent pickup if we went for him. We have not had a quality player who was on the bench/replacing a injured player in a while. If we make the CL these are the kind of players who can really help when you have a packed schedule. He is not the "ideal" player, but to me its sort of like having a Jermaine Defoe on the bench. You can bring them on and you just never know if they can be the difference maker in a game. I want us to give Borini and other young prospects a chance, but you need experienced players as well that can change a game for you. I say buy him if its between 2-4 million pounds...

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  9. Sorry for going off topic but Stevie G out for six weeks is our new priority.once again we return to the stupidity of letting Shelvey go without any tough-man replacement.Unforgivable,don't be surprised if we're top ten by January's end.Mismanagement of the highest order and no amount of motivational press conferences can hide that.

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  10. berbatov behind suarez would be perfect.
    --------------------Mignolet
    ---Johnson----Sakho----Skrtel-----Enrique
    --------------Lucas----------Hendo
    ---Sturridge------Berbatov---------Coutinho
    ----------------------Suarez

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  11. I think that could work, but I personally think a slight adjustment would be better for the team:

    --------------------Mignolet
    ---Johnson----Sakho----Skrtel-----Enrique
    --------------Lucas----------Hendo
    ---Suarez---------Berbatov---------Coutinho
    ----------------------Sturridge

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  12. Loved Shelvey's enthusiasm but he was a bit of a liability at DM and a jigsaw as an AM, Better suited to Swansea than us.

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  13. Not keen to see LFC buy Berbatov at all. He's had a poor year so far. At the minute he looks average at best. I'm a huge fan of Collymore, but I don't agree with him on this one. I don't think he is a game changer anymore..but he sure is lazy..that i do agree with. Loan deal at the very most i think. If BR has the choice of say Tello and Berbatov. Surely he will go for a young player like Tello.

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  14. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva3:14 am, December 10, 2013

    We need to start playing some players we spent money on Tiago, Aspas, Alberto, these guys need game time, we need to look at other possibilities.
    Maybe trying them out of position even, give Sakho a run in midfield, push Johnson up out R/M, play Kelly, Ibe or Toure at R/B.
    Use Aspas up front with Suarez, I personally would like to see Tiago play he would be an improvement the kid has talent and speed to burn, we are wasting them.
    Our mid field will be the problem now is the time to try new things, maybe
    Mig
    Kelly/Toure Toure/Skrtel Skrtel/Agger Agger/Flanna
    Albert/Johnson Alberto/Tiago Lucas/Sakho Allen/Sakho
    Cortinho
    Suarez
    Or MIG
    Kelly Toure Skrtel Agger/Flanna
    Johnson Lucas Sakho
    Cortinho
    Aspas Suarez
    We need to be able to change to suit it's what all great teams do, now just because someone has not played in the EPL that does not mean they will fail, likewise if they play out of position, but we have spent a lot of money on these players just to watch them sit on the bench.
    We have had the likes of Hendo, Shelvy, Spearing play regular football for us and fail, I believe Hendo is not up to it and for the price and the time he has had he should be providing more, so why not give these boys a run, remember this is just one mans opinion.

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  15. Dimitar would not join LFC trust me on this..
    Even if they want him!!

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  16. Rodgers needs to be backed heavily in January: In order for him to bring in five class,international, quality players to the club in January:


    A DM to compete and Cover Lucas Leiva
    Y M'Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 10-14M


    A CM to compete and Cover Henderson
    Y Cabaye(27) Of Newcastle for 15-18M


    A RW / RWF to compete and Cover Sterling
    M Salah(21) Of Basel for 12-16M


    A LW / LWF to compete and Cover Ibe, so we can send V Moses(22) back to Chelsea

    D Capel(26) Of Sporting Clube De Portugal / Lisbon for 4-6M


    FD: A Striker to cover and compete with Sturridge
    L Remy(26) Of QPR for 6-8M NOT D Berbatov

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  17. Berbartov would be a monumental, colossal disaster in terms of style of play, energy level and a cancerous influence for the locker room. Please, this guy collymore has Ben hitting the bong if he is serious.......

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  18. Unlike many other
    football players who retire in their early thirties, Berba can play at the
    highest level for years to come due to his tremendous talents and ingenious style! He has proven his class not only at
    Manchester United and Tottenham and is clearly among the most capable players
    in Europe. His balance, technique, and vision are superb and
    obvious. Berba also has plenty of
    experience in European competitions, including the Champions League, where we’re
    heading again, and will still be a great fit for Liverpool. He was practically forced to leave the
    Bulgarian national team (despite or because of being the all-time top scorer,
    even ahead of Stoichkov), kept on the
    bench at Manchester United for long, and sent to Fulham for reasons that had
    nothing to do with football…

    ReplyDelete
  19. Unlike many other
    football players who retire in their early thirties, Berba can play at the
    highest level for years to come due to his tremendous talents and ingenious style! He has proven his class not only at
    Manchester United and Tottenham and is clearly among the most capable players
    in Europe. His balance, technique, and vision are superb and
    obvious. Berba also has plenty of
    experience in European competitions, including the Champions League, where we’re
    heading again, and will still be a great fit for Liverpool. He was practically forced to leave the
    Bulgarian national team (despite or because of being the all-time top scorer,
    even ahead of Stoichkov), kept on the
    bench at Manchester United for long, and sent to Fulham for reasons that had
    nothing to do with football…

    ReplyDelete