7 Mar 2014

Hamann: £15m LFC target is the 'most skilful English player' in a 'long time'. Sign...?

In November, multiple reports claimed that Liverpool were monitoring Southampton captain Adam Lallana, and planned to make a move for the coveted midfielder if the Reds qualified for the Champions League. Lallana continues to play extremely well for Southampton, and after his impressive performance for England last night, Anfield legend Dietmar Hamann heaped praise on the Saints star, suggesting that he'd be happy with a summer move to LFC.

"[Adam] Lallana is a target for Liverpool. The Reds are contemplating a move if they secure Champions League football, which would [give] them a financial windfall to tempt [Southampton]."

Earlier this week, Lallana memorably created Daniel Sturridge's winning goal against Denmark, and after the game, Hamann enthused:

"Lallana is the most skilful English player I've seen in a long time. Skill and balance. Beautiful to watch".

Ex-Red Jamie Redknapp was also impressed. He told the Daily Mail:

"Adam Lallana booked his place on the plane to Brazil. He’s a certainty after that little bit of quality to check back with his right foot then stand up a beautiful cross with his left for the winner"

Having spent his whole career at the club, Lallana is Southampton through-and-through, and he's highly thought-of by his boss, Mauricio Pocchetino, who recently praised the attacking midfielder for his form this season:

'The one person who deserves all the praise for his improvement is the player himself [Lallana]. His performance has been amazing over the last few games.'

Is £15m-rated Lallana a viable target for LFC this summer? Stats for the last five seasons:

* 2009-10: 20 goals/5 assists in 56 apps.
* 2010-11: 11 goals/13 assists in 41 apps.
* 2011-12: 13 goals/11 assists in 43 apps
* 2012-13: 3 goals/5 assists in 30 apps
* 2013-14: 9 goals/5 assists in 32 apps (so far)
* TOTAL: 56 goals/39 assists 202 apps.
* Goal every 3.6 games | Assist every 5 games
* Goal/Assist every 2 games.

Note: 2009-2012 = Championship stats.

Excellent stats overall, but it's clear that Lallana finds it harder to consistently score/create in the Premier League, as evidenced by the significant drop in output during his maiden season in the Prem (2012-13)

If LFC were to sign Lallana, where would he play? With Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, and Philippe Coutinho seemingly automatic starters, would he get the get same level of game time he's granted at Southampton? He would admittedly be great competition for both Henderson and Coutinho, but only if Liverpool continue with 433 (or variations thereof).

LFC may be a step-up (in terms of moving to a bigger club), but why move just to sit on the bench and/or risk falling foul of a rotation system. If Liverpool make the Champions League this season then that will be a massive attraction, but Lallana has got it made at Southampton, and it's not as if he needs to move to further his England ambitions.



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52 comments:

  1. Lallana is a big fish in a medium sized pond at Southampton. You are right that he has it made in Southampton. But if he aspires to be better, he needs to play for a top club that has competition for places in the starting XI. If he is afraid to fight for his place at a bigger club, he will plateau sooner, rather than later and his football will be stagnant. Liverpool is the perfect set up. Lots of youthful England internationals such as Hendo, Sterling and Sturridge. I can't imagine a better set up for Lallana's future as an England Int'l playing in a Liverpool shirt. I also believe BR would be able to continue his footballing education. Lallana would not struggle settling into the Liverpool side. Southampton and Liverpool play similar styles. Lallana is an Everton fan, so he still may end up in Merseyside, albeit wearing blue and not red.

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  2. disqus_Am08Kd718d10:39 pm, March 07, 2014

    Ha ha don't hold your breath, Liverpool will finish above Southampton but they haven't won the league yet and there is no way Lallana would move to Liverpool. Fact is whilst Liverpool were by far the better side second half last week they were outplayed in the first and had the penalty been given for the foul on Lallana the result could have been very different

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  3. Sign him up!!

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  4. Lallana aspiring to do better by joining Liverpool? Fantasy island. Lallana Stagnating by not playing regular football you mean. Lallana also was a guaranteed starter last year and the beginning of this season and actually the best we get out of Lallana is when he is confident he's nailed down his place and is a regular starter. Lallana stayed with us from League 2 right back up to where we belong the premier league, he's bought into our youth plan where we intend to be a challenging top four club. Our academy is bursting with world class talent like Shaw and Chambers. Wake up you don't stand a chance but it's fun watching you guys dream and then bursting your bubbles.. POP

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  5. It's fun watching someone breaking out into cold sweats as he tries to convince himself about the prospect of him staying though; especially when most we're not convinced we need him.

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  6. Tempest in a teapot if you ask me. Not important in the least. We need to move on.

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  7. I think he would be a great signing. He plays well in the PL. He's fast, smart and good with the ball. He was unlucky not to score last weekend. He would do better surrounded by better players...which we have. He has leadership ability so he would be a great starter and would pressure Coutinho and Sterling to not get complacent. He would be great starting some PL matches and many LC and FA matches. The only hard part is he plays every match for So'ton and it would be hard to give that up. Plus it's warmer down there.

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  8. De Boer's brother is a liar! Anybody could have spouted what he said. FSG said BR would be given time to work on a project and that is the reason why players brought in had to fit a certain profile. We're now reaping the rewards while De Boer's brother who I am certain is his agent tries to promote his employer for a summer move away from Ajax.

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  9. he is a good player...but we would have to shell above 20 million for him and i thinks it a bit high. would be better if we did 2-3 quality signing instead. At lb his teamate luke shaw or that swiss guy ricardo rodriguez. also gary medel from cardiff for dm.

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  10. Semantics once again. Oddly the post below wasn't up when I posted the post above. So not disappeared just invisable for a while (??) I suppose.

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  11. It could be argued that Lallana is getting used to the prem. It seems from the stats above that he has gotten better from last year after the step up in quality that the prem is. Could he step up again? I don't know from not seeing enough of him myself but the Last England call up he looked better to me.He may be more comfortable in that standard. Him being 25 would suggest to me that he may not ever better this form and this is perhaps hios best season. Maybe not but this is a risk.

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  12. Are their uk based scouts just better than everyone else at the moment? Southampton's been really good to watch this season, producing brilliant young players(Bale, Walcott, Lallana, Shaw) and dishing out some slick football this season except the fact that they do not have strikers who can score or good central defenders. I really do hope we get Lallana, if he chooses to leave, but I do not see us putting in a winning bid come auction time. He'll really thrive under Rodgers or at Arsenal. They'll break their bank for him.

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  13. While I agree you were the better side in the first half (by far the better in some stages) the "penalty"? Really? the situation were the two players would come together shoulder to shoulder if Lallana wouldn't have turned his body? I know players play these situations and they are given but to talk of it as if it is a certain decision that you have lost? It is a bit silly. It would have been very soft if it had been given, but they have been given. If your issue is lack of consistency, I hear you brother. If it is a blatent foul not given? Sorry mate your way way way off. Honestly watch it again and try to look objectively, if it was your player tackling, would you really say " you know what, seeesh we got away with one there".(???) Be honest now.

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  14. I like Jay Rodriguez more.

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  15. For some reasons, I still rate Coates very highly and I always feel he was treated unfairly.

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  16. Please do not attempt to use the word "if". Cos if Liverpool won against Everton away, Newcastle n Swansea ( drawn games) then they will be top of the league now

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  17. Did you mean Cerci? Italian players have failed time and time again in the EPL. We need to stay clear.

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  18. Unfortunately, such players usually do leave clubs like Southampton so it probably is just a matter of time and if it is not Liverpool it will likely be another club with the lure of CL football.

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  19. Good player with great balance and natural ability. The pros for him staying at Southampton is that he gets regular playing time in a team and system that he is confortable with and of course he is their captain. But in saying that if he comes to us he would be playing with better players that would take his game to another level and has the potential to actually win things which is surely what most players want to achieve in their careers. We say things like where would he play? But I feel we still need depth of quality that players like him can provide, especially when we get CL. YNWA

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  20. Agree abou the first half but the second? You cannot be content with a home performance like that and unfortnately for you football isstill a game of two halves. Or at least it is for every other team .......

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  21. He looked OK (actually better than OK) playing for England alongside players from the other "big" clubs....

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  22. In the scheme of things £20M seems cheap to me and I expect he'd cost moe and still be worth it

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  23. Well said. I agree with that fact that if he has not the confidence to compete for his place then he is not an LFC player for me. I also especially agree with the Konoplyanka point.

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  24. i am referring to the expectation he will be saddled with at a 'big' club. Nothing suggests that he will hit the ground running if he does get a big money move and if he doesn't produce straight away then Lalana will be labeled as a flop.


    It is the nature of the beast.

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  25. No disrespect to KK but after some of the poorest football I've seen LFC produce in a long time, he had to go. I don't doubt Fsg where looking for a new manager while we were in our transition stages as anyone would be nervous after the KK situation. But in saying that it would not have been fair to get rid of BR so early in his tenure especially as he had a plan and passion for the club.

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  26. yeah may be... but he is injury prone now and he may leave this summer

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  27. Stop deleting my comment #canthandlecritisism # redtoptrash

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  28. More skilful than sterling? He looks fine to me, but nothing special. Havent watched southampton much this season but yet lallana looks still a bit far from being a top player and playing in a top side. For 15m maybe hes worth it, if allen is, he certainly is as well. Id have konoplyanka instead all day though.

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  29. I see your point and failure is always a risk if you push yourserlf too far. But if you don't you'll never know how far you could go. Whilst some would criticise him if he had a bad run of form the evidence to date suggests he probably does (rather than dioes not) have the talent to hit the ground running

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  30. u lot can keep dreag as he already said he wont leave saints and dont see his slef playingng for anyone else so go and move on u wont get him

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  31. If you are right he would have my full admiration but we will see

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  32. Yep dreaming of a top 4 finish, possibly better and CL football next year .........

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  33. and as fair as liverpool go u only been good again this year and are no better then man u

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  34. Would rather Lallana than parejo

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  35. Chris Rossington3:21 pm, March 08, 2014

    Hi Jaimie, I'm confused are you suggesting we only need 11 players or are you just thinking about Lallana's career? The big teams have strength in depth, which we don't, we need a better squad overall and Lallana for the right price would be a good addition + adding to the British contingent! Coutinho has off days as does Henderson and I for one think having someone like Lallana to compete for a place can only be a good thing for us! Lallana if he believes he is good enough then competition for a place won't bother him in search of bettering himself at a big club

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  36. id respect him more if he stayed at saints and tried to help them become the "big" club(matt le tiss style). with some of their recent academy graduates they can be battling for europe each season. now doesnt seem the right time to move for any of southamptons players. if pochetino stays i think so will lalana and shaw.

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  37. The point is that you always stir sh it ..always a negative vibe..we bet arsenal 5-1 best football in years and you moan about alberto ..this is not an alternative view it is a negative view

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  38. Excellent point! That shud end it.

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  39. What an unbelievably narrow minded muppet

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  40. You need to wake if you think lallana and shaw will stay at your we mid table team m8. Do you really think they dont want to challage themselves at bigger clubs and win things cause as I say it wont be at your we club they can do that. You say yous are back were yous belong, well yous arent cause yous had to fight to stay up every year when yous were last in the top flight. Keep dreaming you whally

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  41. Who won the game and got the three points ha'ha and by the way we took yous apart in the first 15 mins of the first half. Yous played good for 30 mins in a 90 min match. We dont need lallana big fish in we team, slide on.

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  42. Lallana!! See u at lfc next season! Ynwa!

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  43. Just as an explanation ... it comes across as potentially passive-aggressive. It's quite a typical ploy to make a comment that disparages someone but to not name them directly. You say that you're talking about "fans" or "people" but you're doing it in the direct context of replying to something that I said. Most people would take your comment as being therefore related to what I just said. You can claim that you're talking about someone else, your mythical straw man, and direct your negative assessment and assumptions in that way but if you're doing it in response to something I've said then it makes sense for me to wonder if you're in fact referring to me and just being underhanded about it. If you think the comment applies to me then direct it at me, otherwise it's really kind of irrelevant to complain to me about what other fans may or may not be thinking.

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  44. Sorry, but you're blowing this completely out of proportion, and ascribing a meaning to my comments that just doesn't exist.

    My initial response to you is clearly split into two parts: the first part is a direct response to you; the second part is a comment about fans in general. This is obvious, and the separate paragraphs shows the separation of focus.

    Next time, I will add bold headings to each paragraph just to make it 110% crystal clear.

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  45. I don't truly understand how the author of this can claim that this story is 100% fact? The only potential fact is that RDB said what he said. There is no quantifiable evidence to suggest any validity in what he said. It was reported that FDB was approached in the selection process previous to the appointment of BR, but outside of that information, which again is not fact but mere media speculation, there is no other suggestion that what is reported here is accurate. However, I must be a deluded fan who can not accept the authors "factual" account of things. Although I would rather suggest I am simply a person who can read, and has the ability to see titles including "Backstabbed" and "proof" and see that there is an agenda, this is not am unbiased piece of writing and is not backed up by any worthy evidence.

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  46. How is it credible evidence? An interview given by a FdB's brother, doesn't necessarily mean he has all the facts right, it would be more credible if Frank said it and gave us dates for when it did occur.

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  47. Aravind Gopalakrishnan3:32 pm, March 10, 2014

    FDB rejected Liverpool in May 2012. Guardian report link http://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/may/21/liverpool-frank-de-boer-ajax

    Also, his comments at that time were ""I am honoured by the request but I am only just getting started with Ajax," De Boer told De Telegraaf."



    Based on the fact that during his "recent" PUBLIC interview he did NOT mention he was offered the job TWICE(something too big not to mention imho)...we can safely deduce that FDB's last year comment meant the 2012/2013 season and not the calendar year


    So no betrayal angle in this story. FSG made a commitment to BR and have supported him throughout his tenure. No solid evidence(yet?) to counter this.

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  48. Well said!!

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  49. B.r is not a good manager. His buys have been poor. it is better to buy proven players than players who may perform.
    If b.r is not replaced soon Liverpool will not progress and the confidence is draining out of players.

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  50. Top teams need top proven managers.
    what has b.r achieved all his signings are rubbish.
    I agree with trevor francis. he's wasted all that suarez money on sub standard money.
    Please get rid of B.r

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  51. I guess nobody is indispensable and businessman always have a backup plan. I imagine FSG backup plan may come to fruition if LFC loses this week's CL game. After squandering almost 100m on players this season, everyone deserves a sack.

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