Despite Brendan Rodgers' recent hint that Fabio Borini will stay at Anfield, it seems that the Italian is actually surplus to requirements, along with Moroccan winger Oussama Assaidi, and reports today suggest that both players will be sold by Liverpool this summer.
Earlier this month, Rodgers described Borini as 'excellent', and told reporters:
"He [Borini] needed to to prove his worth and get experience. He’s done that...and you can see his pace, power and ability.
"He is going to add to the quality that we already have"
According to the Daily Mail today:
"Liverpool have put a £7million price tag on winger Oussama Assaidi. Liverpool are also looking for £12m for striker Fabio Borini"
If true, it's absolutely no surprise that both Borini and Assaidi are seemingly on the transfer list. As I've argued repeatedly over the last 18 months, neither player will move LFC forward, and the fact that both were farmed out on loan so quickly shows that Rodgers knows he erred in signing them.
The key question is this: will selling Borini and Assaidi make any difference to LFC's forward progress?
The answer is arguably no, and last season has already proved that. As such, selling both is probably the decision, and will bring in extra cash to go towards players capable of making a impact.
£19m for the duo is wildly optimistic, though (!) £7m for Assaidi? No chance; and it's doubtful that any club will pay 12m for Borini. As a comparison: Sturridge cost £12m, and look at the difference in quality between the two players.
I suspect Liverpool will struggle to get £10m-£12m for both players combined. £2m-£4m for Assaidi - described by Mark Hughes as 'excellent' - and £8m-£9m for Borini.
Whatever happens, the Reds will almost certainly make yet another loss in the transfer market, which will once again underline the club's continually ineffective performance in the transfer market.
A final note on Borini: It's not really his fault that he failed to do the business at Anfield. The fault lies with Rodgers, who persistently played him in the wrong position. Borini is most effective as a central striker, and playing him out wide just set him up to fail.
Author: Jaimie K
Earlier this month, Rodgers described Borini as 'excellent', and told reporters:
"He [Borini] needed to to prove his worth and get experience. He’s done that...and you can see his pace, power and ability.
"He is going to add to the quality that we already have"
According to the Daily Mail today:
"Liverpool have put a £7million price tag on winger Oussama Assaidi. Liverpool are also looking for £12m for striker Fabio Borini"
If true, it's absolutely no surprise that both Borini and Assaidi are seemingly on the transfer list. As I've argued repeatedly over the last 18 months, neither player will move LFC forward, and the fact that both were farmed out on loan so quickly shows that Rodgers knows he erred in signing them.
The key question is this: will selling Borini and Assaidi make any difference to LFC's forward progress?
The answer is arguably no, and last season has already proved that. As such, selling both is probably the decision, and will bring in extra cash to go towards players capable of making a impact.
£19m for the duo is wildly optimistic, though (!) £7m for Assaidi? No chance; and it's doubtful that any club will pay 12m for Borini. As a comparison: Sturridge cost £12m, and look at the difference in quality between the two players.
I suspect Liverpool will struggle to get £10m-£12m for both players combined. £2m-£4m for Assaidi - described by Mark Hughes as 'excellent' - and £8m-£9m for Borini.
Whatever happens, the Reds will almost certainly make yet another loss in the transfer market, which will once again underline the club's continually ineffective performance in the transfer market.
A final note on Borini: It's not really his fault that he failed to do the business at Anfield. The fault lies with Rodgers, who persistently played him in the wrong position. Borini is most effective as a central striker, and playing him out wide just set him up to fail.
Author: Jaimie K
Why would you believe the Daily Mail stating Borini is going to leave?
ReplyDeleteYou mean 10-13 million Jaimie? I'm just being a pedantic div there really. I can see us making our money back in them combined. I can't see Borini being moved on before a replacement is signed.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what will happen over signings now. Rumors were that Rodgers wanted more control and a seemingly straight forward contract talks went on a couple of weeks so presumably there was some negotiations. Over what though? We may well see.
sell- Borini Coates Reina Aspas Alberto Robsinson Assaidi Toure kelly Wisdom
ReplyDeleteall need to go, above are all not good enough, injury prone or have been out on loan and or not needed and need to be upgraded.
Rodriguez left back - wing back -Wolfsburg in
Javi Martinez - center back - holding mid - Bayern Munich
Vorm - back up keeper - Swansea
Lovren - center half - Southampton
Lallana - creative mid, attacking player - Southampton
The club won't sell Borini unless a full price offer comes in, it would make no sense. He's had a good season at Sunderland and looks our most likely option as a squad striker to push for game time. I don't think Rodgers is just paying him lip service, I think he fully intends to have Borini in the team next season. I guess you could get someone like Remy for the sale money so that's an option.
ReplyDeleteAgree could have played Borini up front but who you gonna drop Sturridge or Suarez?
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, but if Rodgers had no intention of playing Borini up front, why not just buy a dedicated attacking midfielder with experience of playing out wide?
ReplyDeleteAlso, Borini was signed 6 months before Sturridge, so the opportunity was there for him to play centrally.
I like Borini. I think he would make a good $3 or 4 striker. I think we ought to keep him. I don't buy the out-of-posiiton BS. If a guy can make this kind of money playing football, he should be able to at least play anywhere in his half of the field...with the exception of GK.
ReplyDeleteAgree odd decision to buy him if not ready/good enough for first team. Let's hope future buys are more considered.
ReplyDeleteYes, good point, but even if a player is willing to play anywhere, it doesn't mean they'll actually be good at it.
ReplyDeleteWe did have less options at the time for wide positions. No Coutinho, Sterling was still young and obviously Rodgers had just come in so no one was sure what would happen there.He never seemed to like Assaidi. Borini may lack some aspects to his game but he will run all day long. Puyet also played him out wide
ReplyDeleteI think Rodgers does rate him but perhaps felt he was overwhelmed by the weight of playing for a struggling giant and needed game time to help him get up to speed. It's all speculation like.
Poor article once again mate :(
ReplyDelete"Key question is this: will selling Assaidi and Borini make any difference to LFC... the answer is arguably no!" LOL
Anyway theres no point comparing the price of other strikers... we bought Carroll for £35m then West Ham bought him for £15m yet in each instance he wasn't anywhere near as good as Suarez or Sturridge when they were purchased at the corresponding times.
The price of a player is what a team is willing to pay for him... not his true value. We're after Lallana for between £20-25m. Last season Southampton would have happily taken £5m for the lad. Cost and price are subjective.
Regardless, we should always look to make a profit and the prices we've put on Borini and Assaidi are far from unrealistic.
I don't see the benefit of having a player who will 'run all day long' but provides no end product. I'm not sure how that actually helps the team.
ReplyDeleteDefending is a team thing. You need players who work hard. Especially how Rodgers wants to play. I'm not saying it worked out, I'm sure Rodgers hoped for more end product. I am just saying I understand the rationale and it isn't as strange as you say. Paucity of options, a work rate needed for high pressing, and a belief that he would get goals probably led to the decision. Borini to his credit would get himself in good areas and make good runs but never had a connection with any players who would spot it and give him the ball. Perhaps due to a lack of confidence in him.
ReplyDeleteFabio Borini fractured a bone in his right foot in October 2012 and was out for 3 months. In February 2013 he suffered a dislocated shoulder and was out for the rest of the season.
ReplyDeleteRecovering from two big injuries one after the other can set a young player back big time. Rodgers did the right thing by sending him on to Sunderland as he would not have got the same amount of minutes on the pitch with LFC this past season. Now he has a full season under his belt.
No intention of playing Borini upfront? He was part of the front three early on in the 2012/2013 season.
out of position? he played wide in a 4-3-3 for sunderland too, so I don't think that's a problem. I think the decisive factor is that he needs a regular run of games, we've seen that at sunderland too where he started off a bit slow until poyet came in and played him regularly. I think his goal for us v Newcastle came after he got a regular run of games too. That's the reason I don't think he'll do much as a backup striker tbh
ReplyDeleteAgree and that might be why BR would be inclined to sell since he seems to place a premium on adaptable players.
ReplyDeleteOn what are you basing he is a striker?
ReplyDeleteYeah don't get it either. Is he what you think of when you think champions league player?
ReplyDeleteNot saying Schneiderlin is definitely either, but I can at least see it the possibility of him improving with a better team, I think Diame is what he is, and won't really suit us.
Are you serious? Borini describes himself as a striker. I think that's a fair indication that he is, in fact, a striker:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/news/detail/item840925/
"I am a striker but I played right and left at Roma"
He is a striker, but he can play left/right. Doesn't mean he's any good at it.
He is a striker, whether you choose to accept it or not. Just because he's played out wide, doesn't mean he's a wide player; it just means he's not a good enough striker to make the central role his own.
ReplyDeleteBorini himself states 'I am a striker'.
You don't see the point because, as usual, you have your head buried firmly in the sand, and you're more interested in being insincere to further your pro_rodgers stance. That's why you defend every Rodgers' signing, even when it's clear they're not good enough/don't fit in. Nothing you say about transfers can be taken seriously - you don't defend these players because you truly believe it; you do it to defend Rodgers.
Of course that is what you want to say.
ReplyDeleteI have said before that both Alberto and Aspas seem to be to lightweight. I even wrote an article about this which you posted on your site. I also am not a great fan of Assaidi and pretty sure I have mentioned that before too.
What have you to say about that?
I see yet another comment coming from twistedadee or whatever his name is.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. As for Schneiderlin perhaps not a champions league player but definitely a very good prem player and that is bread and butter. And as you say at his age he could still improve more. The way I see it is if Henderson is out and we had Schneiderlin would we miss Henderson as much? Personally I don't think so. And I am a Hendo fan.
ReplyDeleteEither Borini or Aspas goes, but not both - would appear Borini is worth keeping, he's young, has had a decent season, and is experienced in the PL. Another striker is also needed, a decent impact/2nd striker, that does the business, either as a replacement or coming off the bench like Chicharito.
ReplyDeleteAs for Assaidi he's got 5 star dribbling skills in FIFA, you don't just offload your players with 5 star skills on the cheap. 7M is about right.
My word.
ReplyDeleteDid you also tell guardiola that Lahm is a fullback not a DM? Did you also tell rafa that Kuyt is a striker not a winger? Did you also tell Wenger that Henry is a winger not a striker?
Borini has had his most productive spell, by far, in a short spell with Swansea which was playing wide in a 4-3-3. That was under Rodgers. Next most productive- Roma where he, as you so kindly quoted, played left and right. Then sunderland- again, out wide. BR also coached him at Chelsea reserves.
When has he been good playing as a striker?
Look at us atm, and look at other teams who play/played similar football to us. the front 3 are expected to score. suarez, sturridge, sterling--- messi, etoo, Ronaldinho, ibra, henry, sanchez, pedro--- even at Swansea when Rodgers was there, graham, Sinclair, dyer, routledge, lita, moore.
its not 4-4-2, its 4-3-3. wide men are not wingers in the traditional sense. BR has coached borini as a youth and his best spell to date as a pro. If anyone, he knows where he plays. That's why at sunderland, despite being the biggest threat apart from wickham for 4/5 games, he was at the front in a 4-3-3, not as a central striker though, even if it meant altidore-no-score had to play through the middle.
So yes, I am serious... idiot
So he played wide in a 4-3-3 at Swansea, which was by far his most productive spell. played left and right at roma, his second most productive spell where he got 9 goals in 20-odd appearances, and wide in a 4-3-3 at sunderland, his 3rd most/2nd least productive spell. yet because he says, you say hes a striker.
ReplyDeleteFYI to rafa/guardiola/wenger... you were playing kuyt, lahm and henry out of position, I wish you understood!!
He was effective at Roma
ReplyDeleteBorini scored about as many total goals this year as Danny Welbeck or Peter Crouch, or Christian Benteke
ReplyDeleteor Sterling, Adam Johnson, Kevin Mirallas and a bunch of others. I think he has done more than run all day long.
Despite wanting to agree with you, how many of those goals were from open play? How many pens did he win?
ReplyDeletePerhaps now after reg games he will do better from open play in a better team and I know myself he has more to his game than a good engine but he is yet to prove in the prem he has enough in the final third.
Quite effective for Sunderland is totally different to being effective for LFC.
ReplyDeleteFrom out wide, he managed only 3 assists in 40 games. How is that 'effective'?
seemingly nothing
ReplyDeleteThis season he's scored 10 goals. No matter how you slice it, for a wide player it's effective. Especially for a relegation battling team.
ReplyDeletePrior to arriving at Liverpool, Borini had played almost a whole season out wide at Roma with Osvaldo being the main striker. He has gone on loan to Sunderland and his coaches have played him there too... Borini is a versatile forward and by no means only a center forward
ReplyDeleteHaving got off to a flier with two goals – his first senior strikes – on his Championship debut against Nottingham Forest, he scored a breathtaking free-kick against promotion rivals Norwich and a clinical finish at Burnley before scoring twice again in Monday’s 4-1 romp over Ipswich.
ReplyDeleteImpressively, those two against the Tractor Boys came whilst ***occupying a role wide*** of the Swansea front three showing his adaptability and footballing intellect beyond his tender years.
And Rodgers, who has already waxed lyrical about his former Chelsea youth charge, has insisted there is more to come from the boy from Bologna as Swansea look to secure a dream finish to the season.
When asked about his impressive goal-to-game ratio, Rodgers said: “That’s what he is. But he can play anywhere across the front three positions too.
“Yes, he is probably better central, but you can see that his intelligence is improving all the time and because he is a goalscorer with instinct he will always get himself in a position to score.
“On Monday for his first his movement to get across was very good and, after a brilliant ball from Stephen Dobbie, he had a wonderful one-touch finish to put it in the corner.
“And the second one showed he can get himself in the right place at the right time.”
This was from a walesonline article back in April 2008 proving that Borini did play out wide for Swansea.
I have just proven that Borini played out wide for Swansea too.
ReplyDeleteHands up who thinks that a team looking to win PL or CL for that matter would be happy to have Borini as a third or fourth striker. Not me, we need a better class of player than that to be able to replace Sturridge or Suarez if injured or off form.
ReplyDeleteI think he would do well as the #3 or 4. He would have to be happy taking charge of LC and early FA Cup matches and be able to spell S or S in some PL matches. I wouldn't imagine he would get much CL match time.
ReplyDeleteLOL. so now you're admitting he never gets the chance to play as a striker, but coz he says so, he is a striker. Ashley cole would have said he was a winger at 21. henry would said the same at 21. I give up. oh look, loganlfc has done my work for me. get it in your head, HE HAS PLAYED WIDE IN A 4-3-3 HIS ENTIRE CAREER. The 4-3-3 system is designed for the front three to score. borini has overall done ok there. 6 in 9 at Swansea, 9 in 25 at roma. at LFC he has been terrible, which goes back to my original point, he needs a regular run of games which he wont get here, so having him as a backup wont do much good.
ReplyDeleteAgree totally, quality in depth, plus rotation to mitigate injuries. 3 cups and the league are a lot of games.
ReplyDeleteQuestion is - who is the like for like (sorta) replacement for Gerrard???
As a 3rd or 4th to handle the cup games, yeah, why not. He's young and will develop further.
ReplyDeleteI'd be surprised if he did get any CL time but if anything happened to Sturridge or Suarez I'd wouldn't want to be relying on Borini.
ReplyDeleteYou've proven nothing. All you've proved is that in one game, Borini played out wide for Swansea.
ReplyDeleteYeah that's all well and good if nothing happens to our main strikers.
ReplyDeleteCan you name another world class striker who we could rely on to play third fiddle that isn't an agung injury waiting to happen a la Eto'o or that wouldn't cost 25 mil or that won't pout on the bench because of playing time? And don't say Bawlotelli because he is a non-starter.
ReplyDeleteSorry mate, but that's a pathetic argument. I have said numerous times that I am the most attractive man in the world, but you won't believe the number of girls that disagree with me. Like, REEAALLYY disagree with me. He says he's a striker, but everyone who has managed him (and have coaching badges) says he's a forward in a 4-3-3. I know who is more qualified... in both cases...
ReplyDeleteHello Roy Hodgson, nice of you to pop onto these forums and take part in discussions once in a while...
ReplyDelete4-3-3 is NOT 4-4-2. wide players in a 4-3-3 do not have the same role traditional wingers do
How about the fact that he has played out wide in a 4-3-3 all his professional career to date? Does that prove nothing too?
ReplyDeleteThat is not true in the slightest; it's just an easy generalisation used by you and others to support your argument. Have you watched Borini for his 'entire career'?! I doubt you've seen him play in more than 5 non-LFC games. He is a striker. Why would he say 'I am a striker' if he's not a striker? I'll take his word for it over yours, thanks.
ReplyDeleteand I'll take BR's word over yours, thanks
ReplyDeleteand yes, I have watched him in over 5 non-LFC games. but unlike you, I don't think that qualifies me to make judgement. what does is the fact that I understand football tactics, unlike someone who measures the contribution of a wide player in a 4-3-3 by the number of assists...
1. Suso isn't a winger...he's an AM. 2. I really like that plan, though we would still need one more mid. Whether that means keeping Lucas or getting another guy, we just need one more. 3. If we move Suso to AM, then we have too many imo, so Barkley would be an unneeded and expensive addition.
ReplyDeleteno one will sign for pool over the london clubs, who in their right mind would want to live in the Favellas of merseyside? awful place, huge unemployment and crime... pool wont sign anyone of note this summer, they simply cannot compete with big clubs like chelsea, arsenal and tottenham... and then there's manchester next door, a much nicer city, more sophisticated and the two manchester clubs obviously are much more attractive than littlepool.... so heres the facts, suarez is gone, rogers has already proven to be a failure in the transfer market and next season everyone knows how to play against his single tactic. a clueless manager, admired only by clueless fans... jog on poolies, back to the favellas with ya
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, on the subject of getting into the Italy squad, Borini said recently:
ReplyDelete"There is Balotelli and Rossi, who is injured, ahead of me. Then there is Gilardino, Osvaldo, and Toni"
These players are all strikers, and Borini is once again associating himself with the striker's role, not a wide-player/winger's role.
wow. just wow. so here I am, little old me, presenting the facts backed up by stats, and all you can do is constantly repeat "but borini said so!" and i'm not discussing in a civil manner? I have had one post deleted, which I edited and found it was deleted because I used a word beginning with I and ended in diot.
ReplyDeleteWhy would Ronaldo sit next to fergie and say "I am not leaving" and then leave? Why would suarez insist on leaving then not leave? Why would numerous players, including benayoun before he joined us, sign new contracts then leave weeks later?
is lampard a striker? he's definitely a goalscorer
ReplyDeleteA couple of your previous posts had a snide tone. If you can't debate in a civil manner, that's not my problem. Plus, outlining Borini's comments about his own position is not being uncivil in the slightest, which is what you seem to be implying.
ReplyDeleteClearly, you want me to agree with you, and it irritates you that I won't. As I said - you have your view, I have mine.
Yes, because that's a valid comparison. It's clear from the contact of Rodgers' comments that he's referring to Borini as a striker.
ReplyDelete"He is a goalscorer, BUT...he can play in a number of positions'.
It is crystal clear, but if you want to bury your head in the sand and ignore the obvious, that's your prerogative.
??? Of course I want you to agree with me, its a debate. And you said I need to comment in a civilised manner. I explained my post. Nowhere did I say you were uncivilised. If you can't see what I am actually saying, how can you tell what I am implying?
ReplyDeleteHow does being a goalscorer equate to being a central striker? maybe this is why you measure the role of a wide player in a 4-3-3 by his number of assists
ReplyDeleteI'm not debating the issue any further with you. If you refuse to be objective and see the obvious meaning of Rodgers' comment, there's no point wasting further time. Agree to disagree.
ReplyDeleteThe strikers/fwds on our 2005 CL winning team: Baros`, Cisse, Morientes, Pongolie, Mellor
ReplyDeleteThe strikers/fwds on our 2008 team: Keane, Torres, Kuyt, Babel, N'Gog
I only see about 4-5 'household names' there total...maybe 4 I would consider world-class (Baro's, Keane, Kuyt and Torres). My point is we can win with less than a full complement of superstars. We do have MF who can score too.
You don't need to debate with me. The reason I was debating with you was...
ReplyDelete1) I'm a lfc fan, so I look on websites to do with LFC.
2) so you don't make such ill informed comments in future (yes, they are ill informed as it has been shown to you that borini played wide in a 4-3-3 at Swansea, roma, sunderland and Liverpool) whilst calling yourself a Liverpool fan thereby giving opposing fans an excuse, nothing more, to have a go at the opinions of Liverpool fans
If Borini is a winger or striker does it really matter ? If he stays he will be 3rd or 4th choice striker and the same on the wing. The depth in our team which we need will not be as good as the starting 11 obviously which he wont be good enough for now. I think if someone offers 10-12 mill we will sell, same if someone offers assaidi his value.My opinion is we should sell and try to get a player that may be as good as the starting 11 ie Someone like Sanchez
ReplyDeleteBarca has already said Sanchez isn't going anywhere.
ReplyDeleteIrreplaceable. You need someone who can defend but has an attacking pedigree. You need someone with boundless leadership ability that is always ahead of the game. You need someone with unparalleled passing vision and the accuracy to exploit that vision. You need someone that is preternaturally calm at the spot and can make a free kick do exactly what he wants...whose corner kicks are rifle shots where all you need to do is put your head in the right place and the ball is going in. Tell me what other MF on God's green earth has those abilities in one package and there is your man...you just won't be able to afford him.
ReplyDeleteSo we'll just have to have to get by with some lesser beings. I'd like an English guy who could grow into the role of captain someday. Barkley might be worth a look. I like Rakitic for his leadership ability. I really don't know.
Loic Remy
ReplyDeleteI'd be ok with him and Borini as #4. I know I'll get slated but I still think Jordan Rhodes is worth a look.
ReplyDeleteWe'll said....... YNWA
ReplyDeleteNot sure about all the players you mention should join the club, as I haven't seen all of them but of the outgoing players mentioned.... you couldn't be more right good sir.
ReplyDeleteGood point. With Henderson out we have nobody to replace what he brings to the team, Schneiderlin would bring that.
ReplyDeleteI do think he is a CL standard player (justnot proven) but like you said PL is the priority as always and he has proven himself on that stage, so I hope we go for him.
I see there is a lot of talk, and a lot of money, for Lallana following Poccetino to Spurs, that may be dead in the water.
Part of that could be Soto trying to scare us in to meeting their valuation. Could be true. He wanted Coutinho at Soto after working with him at Espanyol so he tends to like players he knows. Any one of Lalana, Lovren and Schneiderlin would improve us at least in that position in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a squaddie?
ReplyDeletewow such ambition from you Liverpool lads.. you f better lock your wives up because these boys are dynamite with the ladies, well it will make a change from the current Liverpool squad the missus says she never did see an uglier looking bunch ever....
ReplyDeleteI do take your point mate. Think I have to calm down a bit. It's just I remember the 70's and 80's when WE were the Team every player wanted to play for.
ReplyDeleteYNWA (As long as your opinions the same as the masses)
31 mate. Saw a lot less of those times. But even then were we buying Barca players? Where did we sign players from in fact? Wasn't the mass of our players British?
ReplyDelete