In November, Brendan Rodgers reacted with irritation to speculation linking the Reds with Derby County youngster Will Hughes, rejecting the widely reported contention that Liverpool had put in an offer for 'talented' youngster. Well, speculation continues to intensify, and reports this week suggest that LFC are close to signing the coveted 18-year old.
When asked during his pre-Everton press conference about stories linking Liverpool with a move for Hughes, Rodgers barked:
"I really feel for him [Hughes]. Some people are not doing him any good by constantly linking him to Liverpool.
"I read that we’d put in an offer, but there’s nothing further from the truth. He’s a wonderful talent. We’re always looking for talent, and he along with many others is one that we’ve looked at".
So - Liverpool have not put in a bid for Hughes, but Rodgers admits that the club has 'looked' at him, so recent stories claiming that the Reds have scouted the €14m-rated youngster are, in fact, true.
According to The Mirror this week, Liverpool have come to an arrangement with Derby to sign Hughes:
"Brendan Rodgers has agreed a ‘first option’ deal for Will Hughes...as part of a pact with the Derby County. As part of the transfer Liverpool have an agreement with Derby that they get the option to buy Hughes when the Rams decide to sell"
This fits with reports in November , which claimed:
* 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.
Hughes - who is allegedly a 'Liverpool nut' has his 'heart set on a move to Anfield', and when asked in November about Hughes' future, 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 (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.
Perhaps a buy-and-loan-back deal would be the best option...?
Author: Jaimie K
When asked during his pre-Everton press conference about stories linking Liverpool with a move for Hughes, Rodgers barked:
"I really feel for him [Hughes]. Some people are not doing him any good by constantly linking him to Liverpool.
"I read that we’d put in an offer, but there’s nothing further from the truth. He’s a wonderful talent. We’re always looking for talent, and he along with many others is one that we’ve looked at".
So - Liverpool have not put in a bid for Hughes, but Rodgers admits that the club has 'looked' at him, so recent stories claiming that the Reds have scouted the €14m-rated youngster are, in fact, true.
According to The Mirror this week, Liverpool have come to an arrangement with Derby to sign Hughes:
"Brendan Rodgers has agreed a ‘first option’ deal for Will Hughes...as part of a pact with the Derby County. As part of the transfer Liverpool have an agreement with Derby that they get the option to buy Hughes when the Rams decide to sell"
This fits with reports in November , which claimed:
* 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.
Hughes - who is allegedly a 'Liverpool nut' has his 'heart set on a move to Anfield', and when asked in November about Hughes' future, 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 (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.
Perhaps a buy-and-loan-back deal would be the best option...?
Author: Jaimie K
This can wait until the summer but we need players right now to play in the team, 2 or 3 players would be very nice for BR. Will Hughes is for the future not right now....................FSG know what they need to do!!!
ReplyDeleteIf we buy him now, he will be considered as home grown player by 21. I see Liverpool making a deal sooner rather than later even though there is no shortage of home grown players at our club but most of them lack real quality.
ReplyDeleteHave a day off kkanwaar !! ya shit stirrer
ReplyDeleteDid i miss something in the article? Jamie, LIVERPOOL AGREE TO SIGN??? Where's the agreeing part? Having first refusal is nowhere near the same as having signed the player. Jamie, please could you kindly explain.....
ReplyDeleteSaid it before Im against these transfers known as "one for the future" we are living in the present and that should worry us, winning things now, not after 10-20 years, stop signings kids, weve tried that a lot in the past, never worked out, they just been playing in the academy for some years and then left, never broke through into the first team, at least the majority of them not, football nowadays is different, you cant produce a gerrard now, let the others do spend time on him and you buy it and get his benefits, all the big clubs are doing this now, cant see why we should be doing differently!
ReplyDeleteWe are not the only club that is after Will Hughes so if we do not sign him then another club will. He is only 18 so if LFC or another club do happen to sign him then doubt he will be made a regular first team player straight away. Who does he have as competition at Derby County? One for the future will be written all over this signing unless he takes the EPL by storm which is unlikely to happen straight away.
ReplyDeleteRead the article properly. That would be a good start.
ReplyDeleteEven if we have first option, that means very little. If we are outbid for him and we choose not to match the fee, he will still move elsewhere. To be honest, this let's try and be like Arsenal transfer policy is making me nervous. I'm all in favour of buying young talent and to pay what the price is if we really want a player. We barked at the fee for Ronaldo 2 in the past, same as with Bale and Walcott and I'm sure we all wish we would have spent the 12 million each cost right about now. That said, we also have to acknowledge that Arsenal has not won a league title in yonks and one of the reasons they are closer now is because they splashed the cash on experienced players like Giroud, Ozil, Arteta, Mertesacker and Podolski. If you look at Arsenal now it's not the same team as a couple of years ago. It's no longer a team of young talented football players who can play beautiful football but cannot keep a consistent push for the title going. Even before, when they were successful, they were so with a very experienced backline and goalkeeper as well as the likes of Bergkamp and Pires. We look like we'll be repeating their mistake by only focussing on young players rather than a healthy mix.
ReplyDeletesalah and badu now
ReplyDeletewill hughes in the summer
suarez sturridge sterling coutinho lucas henderson
ReplyDeleteis our strongest attack , allen and gerrrard are also good players so we have 8 good players
to win the title we need 10 and two squad players
salah is one badu for the squad , and one more attacker
a striker
aspas out
moses cancel his loan like sahin
Will Hughes is quality so it makes sense to tie a deal for him up before another big club swoops. But we badly need an experienced midfielder (or two) to play NOW. We were badly exposed v Chelski as has been thoroughly debated. To maintain our CL challenge we've got to strengthen the midfield.
ReplyDeleteIf it is a first refusal then we could buy him in the summer or the summer after that. I agree it makes no sense doing it right now unless it's a case of Derby wanting the money to strengthen in this window. If that is the case we should loan them him back and perhaps Ilori as well if they need. He definitely needs playing time.
ReplyDeleteCome on Jamie, "where is the fire". He's 18 and a club like Liverpool comes in for him, why wouldn't he join us. Maybe he has unbelievable self belief that he will succeed. Also, he might think that this opportunity will not come about again.
ReplyDeleteWill Hughes is an exciting player. IMO we should buy him now and loan him back to Derby. If Derby gain promotion then we should loan him back again so he can gain that PL experience.
ReplyDeleteRight now we need impact players. I really wants us to get Rakitic from Sevilla, excellent player. Salah or Tello would do.
I love this buy, one of the best talents around the world . people are saying he's for the future but I think this lad could have an impact on the first team so underrated and so good I watch championship just to see the lad .The English xavi
ReplyDeleteI guess I have to accept the valuation of those of you who see him in action, but his stats don't substantiate all the hype. He's 5th on his team in goals and 3rd in assists. So what makes him so great that his hype is so far out in front of his actual impact?
ReplyDeleteWe all know there is more to football than just goals and assists. The guy who makes the second last pass before a goal is scored never gets a stat but is obviously crucial to the outcome. I too would like to have some more information on why Hughes is so highly rated and if there is some kind of analysis that can help us understand.
ReplyDeleteWell, if you're telling me he is a great attack stuffer as a DM then you are right. Derby are winning by a lot and losing by a little so their defense is pretty tight. They're currently 4th with 6 losses...3 to the teams above them and 3 to the rest of the field. Their GD is right up there with the 3 above them. His Wiki page doesn't mention DM or AM, but since he patterns himself after Xavi and Iniesta, I assume he is more of an AM...so rating his impact would be more closely akin to goals and assists. If he is good at close control and retains possession then he is already better than some of our MFs, but I still don't see he helps us now. If he is a long term replacement for Gerrard, then that event horizon is only a year away imo. SG is playing for a place in Brazil. And I think after that he starts to think about a second career...so is Hughes ready to step iin next season?
ReplyDeleteIMO we prob sent Wisdom to Derby so we can watch both players under the veil of keeping an eye of Wisdoms development. So, of course yes WHughes is being watched.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best talents in the world? Come on mate, he is a decent player with promise but that's about it at this stage.
ReplyDeleteGood point!
ReplyDeleteThe need for players to fill holes now and make an impact immediately must mean this has to be a summer signing doubt he Will be bought in January.
ReplyDeleteSo far they (FSG and Rodgers) have done a good job at hiding that
ReplyDeleteWouldn't he be a homegrown player anyway because he's English? I thought the 3 year thing was only for, say, Spanish players who come to the club at a young age. Like Suso?
ReplyDeleteA thrilling signing if it comes off. The last midfielder I was this excited about from the first moment I saw him was probably Iniesta in what must have been 2005/6. Yeah, that's right, I went there.
ReplyDeleteChris Martin is indeed a good player who will thrive in the Premier League when they come up next season; doesn't mean that Hughes isn't.
ReplyDeleteTheir differing value says more about the kind of player they are. Hughes could define the way a whole side plays; Martin is more reactive, a winger / striker whose game comes into play in the final third.
Players of Hughes's type, a classic all-round midfielder who can be effective in both defence and attack are gold-dust and particularly prized at the elite level of pro football. Players of Martin's type are more commonplace. If you watch their performances, many of the chances Martin creates come from positions that Hughes play makes possible. He gives the side a platform, and players like Ward, Sammon, Dawkins and Martin profit from that. Sides can't close him down because he can beat a press with a dribble or a forward pass. They can't man mark him because he's too elusive in the tackle. They can't outmuscle him because he's resilient and combative on the ball, and tackles back ferociously. They can't commit players behind him to block his supply because of his pace and intelligence in mounting transitions.
Now imagine, if Hughes can be similarly influential against tougher opposition than Derby usually face, what players like Suarez, Sturridge and Coutinho could do given such a platform, and you can start to understand why he's so valuable.
There's more to creativity in attack than assists, isn't there.
Don't buy him..he's light weight, too young and lack experience..Just wait when he's 20+ and prove he's a quality player that everyone expect..That time Liverpool can buy him
ReplyDeleteThanks, that insight is very helpful in understanding why there is such hype. It was all I'm looking for. So then yes, you think he is ready to step in for Gerrard next year.
ReplyDeleteHe's listed as 6'1" and 160 pounds...doesn't sound like lightweight to me. Bedises with that frame and being 18, he will fill out a bit.
ReplyDelete"if you go to Spain, Holland or Brazil you will find loads of players his age playing regularly with more promise"
ReplyDeleteSeriously, you won't. And second tier football is nowhere near as competitive in any of those places as it is in England. Only special players stand out in that league.
I watched the press conference in which Rodgers was questioned about Will Hughes. He did not in any way 'bark' at the journalist who asked the question.Please exercise responsible journalism.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the comments below I am loudly wondering if we like Hughes becasue he is really good or because he is really good for an Englishman and we need another home-grown player to meet some FA quota.
ReplyDeleteKey words for me is that he ia Liverpool nut. We do need players that are dedicated to the club. Gerrard and Carra were immense for LFC in their dedication and talent. Here's hoping that Flanno and Will Hughes if he comes will continue that. Buying someone with talent that is a fan makes sense. Look at Carra his love for LFC enthused him to some, say play far above his actual ability.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't bought him. Read the article. We have first option if Derby decide to sell which they won't this season. If they are not promoted we will get him in the summer if BR wants him. I think it's a brilliant piece of business. No money up front and we have the 1st refusal option to buy him later. BR is true to his word keeping his money this Jan for a couple of players he can throw straight in the 1st team. Let's throw 30m at Chelsea and get Mata. Mourinho has already told him he can go.
ReplyDeleteLol yes took the words from my mouth...
ReplyDeleteMinimum 8 players who played at least 3 years before they turn 21 in same country and also minimum of 4 players who played at least 3 years before they turn 21 in the same club.
ReplyDeletewhy are we not going all stops mata
ReplyDeleteI know what first option is and as i stated if you read what i wrote which you didnt, i said he will likely be a summer signing meaning he will be bought at seasons end.
ReplyDeleteSummer in the northern hemisphere ios winter in New Zealand comprende.
Also Mourinho has stated stated he wants to keep Mata but its up to him, no way they are selling him to Liverpool.
In the squad right? It really is a rule for window dressing only. With this rule a club like PSG or Real can still flood 17 squad places with highly paid superstars which basically means they are in no way obligated to play their youngsters too often. It cannot be regulated this way. It's all down to the policies of the club.
ReplyDeleteIn the squad right. Out of total 25 registered players. Doesn't matter if they play or not.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Mata is going to Bayern. I think the first option deal is Derby don't want to sell Will Hughes. If they get promoted they will surely want to keep him. Anyway I believe it works out good for LFC in the fact that all Jan funds can go to players that will drop straight in to the first team. Yep I'm from NZ but I live in the Northern Hemisphere now for many years. I believe Chelsea will do business with LFC. the "Emotional One" may even sell us a Left Back.
ReplyDeleteThey have been stung in a lot of deals recently with Liverpool Bertrand wont bother them but Mata coming could lead to a big embarrassment if he were to be instrumental in Liverpool finishing above Chelsea.
ReplyDeleteYep your right it seems Bayern and Napoli are way ahead in the race to sign Mata.
ReplyDelete