Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal are reportedly monitoring Lazio starlet Keita Balde Diao, a former youth player with Barcelona.
In September, the Daily Mail reported that Liverpool's scouts watched the 18-year old in his debut in Lazio's 1-0 win over Legia Warsaw in the Europa League, and according to Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato today, Liverpool have continued to monitor the striker over the last few months.
Some facts about Keita:
* Kicked out of Barca at 15 for playing a prank on a tour of Qatar.
* 2010-11: Scored 47 goals in one season for UE Cornellà's youth team.
* Rejected the chance to return to Barcelona.
* Currently contracted to Lazio until June 2017.
* 3 goals/4 assists in 11 games or Lazio so far.
* 4 assists in 6 Europa League games.
* Cost Lazio £250k
The Academy is bursting at the seams with promising talent at the moment, and the Reds need players for *now*, who can come in and make an immediate impact. In any event, with Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez in the team, it's practically impossible for a teenage striker to get any game time.
As a comparison, consider Samed Yesil - after a couple of appearances last season, he's now seemingly disappeared into obscurity, and like dozens of other promising young players over the years, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up on the scrapheap sooner rather than later.
There's also Krisztian Adorjan, another very promising young striker, but he hasn't had a sniff at the first team, and is currently farmed out on loan. And let's not forget Adam Morgan (now gone), Michael Ngoo, and even Fabio Borini, who couldn't get a game in the central striker's role despite his £11m price-tag. If these guys can't make the breakthrough, why would Balde - an 18-year old unknown with zero experience - be any different?
Lazio midfielder Gianmarco Falasca is a fan of Keita, however, and believes he's destined for great things. In December, he told LazioNews:
"Keita is an extraordinary talent. When he works, you can see he is quiet and he is really strong"
Lazio coach Edy Reja is also quietly confident that Keita can develop into a top class player. In a recent interview with Rai Sport, he enthused:
"I knew about Keita’s talent two years ago, he is a player who has continued to grow. If he can maintain the right level of humility and work hard, even defensively, he can do very well.”
Author: Jaimie K
In September, the Daily Mail reported that Liverpool's scouts watched the 18-year old in his debut in Lazio's 1-0 win over Legia Warsaw in the Europa League, and according to Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato today, Liverpool have continued to monitor the striker over the last few months.
Some facts about Keita:
* Kicked out of Barca at 15 for playing a prank on a tour of Qatar.
* 2010-11: Scored 47 goals in one season for UE Cornellà's youth team.
* Rejected the chance to return to Barcelona.
* Currently contracted to Lazio until June 2017.
* 3 goals/4 assists in 11 games or Lazio so far.
* 4 assists in 6 Europa League games.
* Cost Lazio £250k
The Academy is bursting at the seams with promising talent at the moment, and the Reds need players for *now*, who can come in and make an immediate impact. In any event, with Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez in the team, it's practically impossible for a teenage striker to get any game time.
As a comparison, consider Samed Yesil - after a couple of appearances last season, he's now seemingly disappeared into obscurity, and like dozens of other promising young players over the years, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up on the scrapheap sooner rather than later.
There's also Krisztian Adorjan, another very promising young striker, but he hasn't had a sniff at the first team, and is currently farmed out on loan. And let's not forget Adam Morgan (now gone), Michael Ngoo, and even Fabio Borini, who couldn't get a game in the central striker's role despite his £11m price-tag. If these guys can't make the breakthrough, why would Balde - an 18-year old unknown with zero experience - be any different?
Lazio midfielder Gianmarco Falasca is a fan of Keita, however, and believes he's destined for great things. In December, he told LazioNews:
"Keita is an extraordinary talent. When he works, you can see he is quiet and he is really strong"
Lazio coach Edy Reja is also quietly confident that Keita can develop into a top class player. In a recent interview with Rai Sport, he enthused:
"I knew about Keita’s talent two years ago, he is a player who has continued to grow. If he can maintain the right level of humility and work hard, even defensively, he can do very well.”
Author: Jaimie K
seems pretty good but could be a liability, seems like liverpool sign all past trouble makers. suarez, sturridge etc but then again, they were superb for us
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Yesil, he was probably bought based on potential, the same as Ilori, and just because he hasn't featured for the first team is by no means an indication that the money spent on him is wasted. It's all to easy to want to see acquisitions featuring prominently in the first team, but the reality is they are either not ready or aren't impressing in training. With the pressure Rodgers is under one can understand his desire to play his best players when he can, but my concern is rotation and fatigue. With a small squad the balance between prioritising performers over depriving potential back up starters some game time has a lot to do with results and season aims. I feel some degree of faith needs to be increasingly shown in order to avoid potential injury to a main player which could scupper everything with a replacement struggling for form and game time.
ReplyDeleteAgree. No way we need this guy. I don't know anything about him, I haven't watched Italian football in years. But i do know if we are signing a striker it has to be someone close to Suarez/ Sturridge ability who can actually challenge. Arguably we will need another top striker for CL next year' but definitely not another 18 year old.
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side it's a great time to be alive for football fans, I don't think there has ever been such an abundance of "extraordinary talent" in the games history... well according to every 18 year olds team mates anyway.
Just because the likes of Morgan, Ngoo, Adorjan, Borini (Yesil was unlucky with injuries) didn't make it doesn't mean this kid won't. It's not like the club is saying this is the only player we'll buy and welcoming with fanfare with media presentation and everything. If they want to spend on the future so be it. Sterling, Ibe, Suso, Flanagan (albeit he is local) were better signings than Downing, Carroll, Adam, Cissokho and Aspas. Wouldn't you agree?
ReplyDeleteIf this kid breaks through and scores ten goals over the next 2 seasons we'll all be happy with it, if not we move on. All this talk of 'Liverpool are different, we do things our way' and yet when we don't spend money like Chelsea, City, Utd, Spurs and even Arsenal (Oh dear!) we the fans become unsettled. If the scouts think he's good then buy him. Let him prove himself. Not all youngsters are comfortable with just a fat paycheck they have their own dreams and they will come good if they want to.
A squad with lots of comings and goings is a healthy squad. Keep switching the pieces around. Even a squad's top players have to be viewed as replaceable. It's just... better that way.
ReplyDeleteMostly agree with you but to be fair to Yesil, He was out for a long time with a bad injury, then got injured again before he was fully fit.
ReplyDeleteSamed Yesil has had 2 cruciate knee ligament injuries since joining LFC, each keeping him out for nearly a year at a time.
ReplyDeletePlus, in what top epl team would Sterling start?
ReplyDeleteIdeally yes. I definitely wouldn't drop arguably the man of the match from a 5-1 beating of Arsenal.
ReplyDeleteIdeally, yes. And no subs too..
ReplyDeleteWe will finish above manu, by the way..
ReplyDeleteAnd it was Coutinho..
ReplyDeleteI think width could be the answer providing we get in behind them and providing the balls are whipped in early and with pace. Sterling could do that
ReplyDeleteThe second half can't be any worse than that......
ReplyDeletei said arguably, as in, in my opinion he was man of the match.
ReplyDeletewhy no subs?
ReplyDeleteAt this rate so will everyone else........
ReplyDeleteI understood. This is mine, just did not use the word arguably..
ReplyDeletei would have him over Navas, Carzola, Willian, Januzaj on current form.
ReplyDeleteOld way. Since we are talkin about ideally..
ReplyDeleteRight you need to look up the word ideally i think? :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha... Feels so good..
ReplyDeleteWe're obviously not goin to agree here pal so talk to ya later ok. Peace.
ReplyDeleteOk, we will blame it on my English, though I thought I understood you..
ReplyDeletesorry that wasn't meant to be a dig at your english.
ReplyDeleteI guess you could consider Liverpool FC to be a reform school were bad kids are made into good model citizens. Our team currently have a few individuals who have had some trouble both on and off the field. Sterling and Saurez come to mind. Rogers seems to like the troubled genius personality type. We see that in his attempted pursuit of Athletico's Diego Costa.
ReplyDeleteKeita Balde is a Brendan Rodgers type of player. The young man is talented but appears rough around the edges. Who gets kicked out of Barca? Rodgers loves the challenge homing the positive skills of a certain type of player while completely working to eliminate other negative type traits. He has done a fine job with Suarez who is now playing his best football every. Same thing can be said about Sturridge and Sterling.
I know, I am saying it could be my english..
ReplyDeleteIt's called investment in youth players. Bring them in, loan them out. showcase and sell for a profit. It's all about the money.
ReplyDeleteI just love what is going on at old trafford. Wasn't it their fans who were saying that Liverpool has been resigned to being a mid-table team and that our glory days are over? Now look who is mid-table. I will only laugh at them this season, since I know how painful it is to watch your team drop easy points game after game (us the last 4 seasons).
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go out on a limb and predict Kolo will get a goal. He's had some good chances, set up some great goals, he deserves one of his own.
ReplyDeleteHaha nice one. If you see Darren Bent shake his hand for me. That groan of "Oh Noooo" from gary neville on sunday was priceless...
ReplyDeleteThe theatre of nightmares!
ReplyDeleteSo Salah has had a whole 15 minutes of game time in 4 matches on Chelsea's bench. Did he ever think he was going to start matches for Chelsea? Ha, ha! Enjoy your time rotting on that bench matey...
ReplyDeleteyeah he's made liverpool into a learning curve for young players that have discipline issues (suarez being the only exception)
ReplyDeleteAt least!
ReplyDeleteWe won't be firing in 81 crosses only for their big centre half to clear most of them. The pace of our attack will blow them away!
ReplyDeletethe fcuk is Januzaj a much better player. mate you smoking again?
ReplyDeleteUnfortenatelly I only have 4 beers..
ReplyDeleteYou were spot on. He did get a goal!
ReplyDeleteSamed Yesil only came back from 8 months out with an ACL injury in October.
ReplyDeleteRe-injured ACL last month, so that's another 8 months if he ever comes back
LFC Academy & BR seems to a grooming ground of players with dubious attitude, therefore I think if any trouble maker wants to resurrect career, Anfield is the best place. Could be a very good purchase considering that at just about 18, he is a starter for Seria A. However, though he is born in Spain of Senegalese decent, I am a bit suspicious regarding his real age. African had lot of issues with age & instead of 18, if he is 21 or even 20, then it doesn't look that good.
ReplyDeleteA narrow win indeed.
ReplyDeleteI agree we need players now but there is nothing wrong with scouting and getting talent in. You need a long term as well as a short term plan. It's just nothing to get excited about until he starts banging in 30 a season for the first team.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't think Wellbeck is better than anyone. And that includes me :-)
ReplyDeleteJK, how can you claim to be an LFC fan, let alone a writer? You show no respect for Liverpool and cant even get your facts right! I cant even be bothered to correct you as you will no doubt come up with yet another poor excuse for your reasoning. I wont be coming back to this site as its always poor journalism.
ReplyDeleteSamed Yesil is injured again.
ReplyDeleteHave to admit he does have blazing speed that perhaps Rodgers wanted!
ReplyDeleteAgree with the point about Yesil.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking exactly that, when I first read the article.
Lol Yesil disappeared!!!!!!! Jaimie do some research lad
ReplyDelete