Liverpool are reportedly considering cutting their losses on striker Fabio Borini at the end of the season, with Brendan Rodgers allegedly seeing Black Cats winger Adam Johnson as a better option for LFC's squad.
According to The Daily Express:
"Liverpool [are considering] making a move for Adam Johnson in a Fabio Borini swap deal with Sunderland"
With seven goals and two assists in the last seven games, £10m-rated Johnson is in great form for Sunderland right now, and he just picked up the Premier League player of the month award for his efforts.
This is not the first time Liverpool have been linked with Johnson. In August 2012, The Independent claimed:
"Liverpool have emerged as favourites to sign the Manchester City winger Adam Johnson before the transfer window closes at the end of this month"
Johnson's brilliant form at the moment, and Sunderland boss Guys Poyet is 'sure' that the 'exceptional' winger is good enough to make the England World Cup squad. He told reporters this week:
"I’m sure if the World Cup was next week, Adam would be there. He was the best player in the Premier League last month and thoroughly deserves his award”
Johnson's stats over the last few years:
* 2009-10: 13 goals/10 assists in 43 apps (M'Boro)
* 2010-11: 9 goals/7 assists in 42 apps (Man City)
* 2011-12: 7 goals/4 assists in 41 apps (Man City)
* 2012-13: 5 goals/8 assists in 41 apps (MC + S'land)
* 2013-14: 9 goals/3 assists in 30 apps (Sunderland)
* Totals: 43 goals/32 assists in 197 apps.
* Goal/Assist every 2.6 games
Surprisingly impressive stats, but if Liverpool qualify for the Champions League, is Johnson the type of player who will take the club to the next level? I would suggest not. To be honest, I see him as a squad player, not a regular first-teamer, and I don't see him shifting Raheem Sterling from the starting line-up. Additionally, this may be unfair on the player, but I can't help but think 'Stewart Downing' when I watch Johnson.
The 26-year old would, however, provided good competition for Sterling et al, and if there's no fee involved, then it's arguably a no-lose situation. If Suarez stays Liverpool, there's no way Borini - who cost LFC £11m - is going to get a look-in up front, but the Reds definitely need more good quality wingers, and Johnson playing out wide is an infinitely preferable option to Borini playing out of position on the flanks.
Potentially good deal?
Author: Jaimie K
According to The Daily Express:
"Liverpool [are considering] making a move for Adam Johnson in a Fabio Borini swap deal with Sunderland"
With seven goals and two assists in the last seven games, £10m-rated Johnson is in great form for Sunderland right now, and he just picked up the Premier League player of the month award for his efforts.
This is not the first time Liverpool have been linked with Johnson. In August 2012, The Independent claimed:
"Liverpool have emerged as favourites to sign the Manchester City winger Adam Johnson before the transfer window closes at the end of this month"
Johnson's brilliant form at the moment, and Sunderland boss Guys Poyet is 'sure' that the 'exceptional' winger is good enough to make the England World Cup squad. He told reporters this week:
"I’m sure if the World Cup was next week, Adam would be there. He was the best player in the Premier League last month and thoroughly deserves his award”
Johnson's stats over the last few years:
* 2009-10: 13 goals/10 assists in 43 apps (M'Boro)
* 2010-11: 9 goals/7 assists in 42 apps (Man City)
* 2011-12: 7 goals/4 assists in 41 apps (Man City)
* 2012-13: 5 goals/8 assists in 41 apps (MC + S'land)
* 2013-14: 9 goals/3 assists in 30 apps (Sunderland)
* Totals: 43 goals/32 assists in 197 apps.
* Goal/Assist every 2.6 games
Surprisingly impressive stats, but if Liverpool qualify for the Champions League, is Johnson the type of player who will take the club to the next level? I would suggest not. To be honest, I see him as a squad player, not a regular first-teamer, and I don't see him shifting Raheem Sterling from the starting line-up. Additionally, this may be unfair on the player, but I can't help but think 'Stewart Downing' when I watch Johnson.
The 26-year old would, however, provided good competition for Sterling et al, and if there's no fee involved, then it's arguably a no-lose situation. If Suarez stays Liverpool, there's no way Borini - who cost LFC £11m - is going to get a look-in up front, but the Reds definitely need more good quality wingers, and Johnson playing out wide is an infinitely preferable option to Borini playing out of position on the flanks.
Potentially good deal?
Author: Jaimie K
No thanks, Bring back FAB!
ReplyDeletejohnson the poor man's stewart downing
ReplyDeleteHmmm would Johnson leave to play second fiddle as an impact sub. Hasnt he already done that in his career?
ReplyDeleteWould rather Borini... Younger and has more desire.
ReplyDeletetrue and i doubt LFC would pay as much as he got at City either
ReplyDeleteYour profile picture says everything Matt :) but I agree bring back little fab and sell aspas! Fabio is more than a quality 3rd choice striker!
ReplyDeletenot excited by borini returning or johnson potentially coming.
ReplyDeleteWe need Borini to give Suarez a rest once in a while and to play when Sturridge gets injured.
ReplyDeleteFor the attacking midfielder role we should aim higher than Johnson.
Transfers again, Dohhhhhhhhhhhhhh
ReplyDeleteJohnson's a good player but overhyped as most English players are! Repeat the form for a season or two then we talk! I think he's lazy & not particularly quick!
ReplyDeleteHe's way better than Downing. Downing never scores. JOhnson has scored 7 in the last 8 games.
ReplyDeleteWhen downing was at villa he also scored quite a bit. Johnson isn't the type of player we need. Salah or willian would have been way better but Chelsea stole both of them
ReplyDeletestill not impressed
ReplyDeleteNo thanks. I'll take Kono or someone like Grezziman over him all day, if we do qualify for CL.
ReplyDeleteGriezmann Oh yeah definitely I like him! he's easily one of the best young players around
ReplyDeleteNo point if we swap him and getting SUSO back at same season...Depends if we give up on Suso then he ideal replacement. But i think Borini deserve another season at LFC to prove
ReplyDeleteNot a chance, Borini is highly rated in Italy. If we sold him we would still get plenty of money.
ReplyDeleteKono is still the better option and I would love to see Suso given a starting place in the team.
Why would we give up our only consistent current goalscorer? Borini is OK but worth a max of 5million pounds. Another Express fantasy
ReplyDeletedon't forget that AJ is an assist man. He's a good eye for the pass in the final third as He's not only the traditional crosser. That's the reason why BR is chasing him. For a good fee, AJ is a must. Next season We'll need more strenght in depth.
ReplyDeleteI just went through Ben Jefferson's stories -- he's the journalist who does transfers at the Express -- linking players to Liverpool over the last year and not a single one of them has come to anything.
ReplyDeleteThe Express, for people who aren't from Britain, is with the Sport the most exploitative and lying mass-circulation newspaper. It simply makes up shock-stories to sell copies; it usually focuses on immigration on the front pages and sex scandals involving sportsmen on the back. It's owned by a porn publisher.
You'd think the publisher would have a culture of keepin' it real though!?
ReplyDeleteCut loses sell Allen borini Aspas alberto assadi .
ReplyDeletePastore Mvilla Shaw Pogda tello
Ben arfa instead anyone
ReplyDeleteI never rated the express but your review makes me want to give it a go. You are right though in the past they have linked us with Willian, Erikson, Mkhitaryan, Sigurdsson, Salah & Kono to name but a few and nothing came of any of them........:-)
ReplyDeleteJohnson is a player I've always rated even when he was playing for Middlesborough a couple of years ago. With the way Sterling is playing though can't see Johnson being anymore than back up but I would prefer to have him than take Borini back. Sell Assaidi, Aspas and Pepe and sign Ryan Bertrand. Add maybe another striker and defensive midfielder and I don't think we'll be too far away.
ReplyDeleteThe Sunderland fansI know rate Borini and he is still young so would prefer to see if he develops
ReplyDeleteYeah forgot about Suso, watched him last night and he's improving all the time. Rodgers has got to get it right with his transfers this summer, we can't have anymore expensive mistakes. If he gets a couple of players that improve the team again I think we can have a good run at the league, I think this season will be too early for us.
ReplyDeleteI watched Ilori play for Granada, his debut, they were beaten 1 - 0 away to Espanyol, he is a player, very very impressed, now I see why we bought him, massive potential.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately newspapers can't just hold Ian Ayre's hand while he negotiates with those respective clubs, so they can make their stories come true :/
ReplyDeleteWell I would take the swap, but if you analyse deeper johnson should not be the player of lfcs targets. I mean looking at teams like sunderland to provide us with strength in depth its not the ideal one for me. Imo hes an average player maybe just a bit better than that, and thats it. I dont get it why lfc are looking for attacking players when were a free scoring team now? If sterling continues like this or even improves more, we never need johnson, but if we fail to get anyone better which is very likely with ayre and fsg in charge then bring him on, this is a club with full of average players anyway, one more wouldnt bring the end of the world I guess!
ReplyDeleteGot a sneaky feeling Arsenal will bounce back against Utd. Do we want a draw out of that game, or an Arsenal win?
ReplyDeleteNo thanks. First of all, I don't think he'd move to Liverpool just to sit on the bench, and I don't think he could shift Sterling out of the starting 11.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, while he's in a good vein of form at the moment he can be completely anonymous in games, verging on lazy; and we hear nothing about him for 7 or 8 games at a time.
I would keep Borini as 4th choice striker, buy a new guy (Diego Costa would be an absolute dream) and get rid of Aspas. It's a shame for Aspas I know, but before he came over he looked in those youtube vids like a real goal threat, an animal. But now you see him in real life and he's just a tiny little boy who will never have any impact on a Premier League game, and probably not even in the league cup.
If we're going to buy a wide player we need to be a bit more ambitious than Johnson. We've been linked with Arda Turan which would be fantastic, and Yarmolenko too who looks good.
Stevie's getting better and better in the defensive midfield role, but I would prefer to buy a natural monster defensive-mid to challenge Lucas, one who could really boss games, someone like Rakitic from Sevilla.
Bring Pepe back to challenge and educate Mignolet - Mignolet is still the future but he needs to learn better distribution and organisation, and he needs to get some confidence to start catching balls rather than punch/flap them away all the time (which he was guilty of again yesterday, not good for the ol' ticker).
Finally, full backs, one on each side please Brendan. Johnson can go, but we'll need to buy someone because Flanagan and Kelly are both still very young. Cissokho; while having a good game yesterday, I think he can go back to Valencia. If we can get Enrique fit and get someone else to challenge him, then Flanno can be Plan C in that role too.
So all we need is about 100mil then. No probs.
Haha! Those weren't his reports, though. He linked us in the last window with Turan, Romulo, Fernando, Canhoglu, Mitroglou, a whole stack of others, and I don't see any evidence we were in for those players. Basically he just regurgitates whatever agents feed him.
ReplyDeleteGive him credit though, he usually gives the name of the agent that told him Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd and Tottenham were in for his player, as he tried to increase his price and attract a couple of headlines. At least Ben doesn't pretend that he's got a "source" with inside knowledge. He really does just say whatever these agents have told or paid him to say.
Johnson isn't going to a top table club. Maybe Swansea, Everton, Newcastle. But he had his chance at City and he couldn't make it stick among the best of the best.
Ugh! No thanks!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, on planet earth...
ReplyDeleteDo you think he could handle the physicality of the PL? I personally have never seen him play but I've been told he struggles when he comes up against big strong centre forwards.
ReplyDeleteNot for me mate, good player but a bit hit and miss. Injury prone too.
ReplyDeleteThis story is just nonsense.
ReplyDeleteI totally disagree with that definition. The Express is nothing like the Sport, so either you're making it up, or you're thinking of a different newspaper.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, just because a transfer doesn't happen doesn't mean the club weren't linked/interested. Why do people repeatedly fail to see this point?!
For example: the Express etc linked LFC with Konoplyanka. The deal didn't happen. Does that mean the story was BS? No, of course not. Same applies to stories about Willian, Costa, Mkhitaryan, Salah etc.
The Express is the lowest of the low for me. I don't want to get into politics but it's got a very questionable record on race. It's scaremongering at best. At least the Sport doesn't pretend to be a newspaper!
ReplyDeleteThe stories you mention were all common knowledge and concerned the club's activities directly. The stories that come through the Express itself, rather than being common knowledge,come from agents, often named in Ben Jefferson's articles. Liverpool's name is used to drum up attention for the paper and the agents and players involved. Sure Adam's going to move, but there's no possibility of him moving to Liverpool whatsoever.
But in recent trend BPL more concern on pace tat y lot team focus on 433..
ReplyDeletegood exp look at flano, he can made it so im sure ilori can too
is a bargain if he wan back to eng squad
ReplyDeleteJohnson to Newcastle or Swansea, what a load of nonsense. You clearly know nothing about football.
ReplyDeleteJohnson just won player of the month. best player in the pl in jan. Henderson is one of your best players.brain dead.
ReplyDeleteRepeat the form for a season or two,he'd be worth £80 mil and you would never be able to afford him.
ReplyDeleteJust thinking about mid-table sides. Do better. Where will he go?
ReplyDeleteYeah injury and consistency would be my worries too, but I'm sure that BR may be able to get the best out of him!
ReplyDeleteid take him before borini alll day long im a straight swap...hes British which helps and hes more versatile.Its not ideal but hes better than aspas and alberto coming off the bench
ReplyDeleteHe looks like he's grown a bit already actually, strapping lad, broad as well as tall. Or it might just have been the widescreen? Not sure.
ReplyDeletesaid before he went to city and sunderland he was player liverpool should go for. he did well enough at city when ever he got the chance.
ReplyDeletethe only thing he lacks maybe is pace, but hes a clever player with good vision. good prem experience ready to play.
dont compare him to downing or milner, hes better than that
for the money or borini well worth a punt.
im more concerned about spurs who are quietly sneaking up.
ReplyDeletehes played well at every club hes been at, and played well for country. short memory or just clueless ?
ReplyDelete