In April, ex-LFC striker Stan Collymore predicted that Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa will once again reject a move to Anfield this season and 'choose Chelsea' as his next club. Whether that comes to pass remains to be seen, but if LFC were interested once, they may be interested again, and Anfield legend Graeme Souness believes that Brazilian will be a superstar performer in the Premier League.
Speaking to the Evening Standard this week, Souness - who managed the Reds from 1991-1994 - made it clear that he's in favour of Liverpool signing Costa this summer. He enthused:
“He [Costa] will be a star [in the Prem]. His never-say-die attitude and bravery make you want him at your club. People like that inspire others with their tenacity. He’s so enthusiastic that he would play in any system.”
Liverpool made a €25m bid for Costa in August, and after turning down a move to Anfield, he told Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo:
"I had options to leave, and I was very close to doing so. Liverpool is a great team, but after so much fighting and overcoming so many difficulties to win my place at Atletico, how could I go?"
Jamie Redknapp, is also a fan of the Brazilian - who has a €32m buyout clause in his contract - and on Saturday Night Football last week, he argued that a move to the Premier League would 'make sense' for the striker:
“He [Costa] is, make no mistake, a brilliant striker. He’s got that pace and is almost Drogba-like with his ability to run beyond people. He has a left foot, he can drive and he can score his own goals".
Signing a player like Costa will give Liverpool the best striking options in Europe, and triple-threat of Suarez-Sturridge-Costa is a formidable prospect. Given their talent, all three will want to play in most games (which is fair enough), and with that in mind, However, will Rodgers be able to keep them happy for an entire season?
A new striker is arguably a priority for LFC, and Costa fits the bill. Even if Suarez stays, there's no guarantee that he and Sturridge will replicate their stunning form next season. It's definitely possible, but can the Reds afford to rely on that prospect? What if one or both has a major barren spell and/or a lengthy spell on the sidelines?
There's also something else to consider: why would Costa leave Atletico? He's got it made there:
* Undisputed no. 1 striker, and is practically guaranteed to play every game.
* Atletico are on course to win the title.
* He'll be playing in the Champions League next season.
* Worshipped by the Atletico fanbase.
The above could also apply to Liverpool's Luis Suarez, but he is still likely to leave this summer too.
Author: Jaimie K
Speaking to the Evening Standard this week, Souness - who managed the Reds from 1991-1994 - made it clear that he's in favour of Liverpool signing Costa this summer. He enthused:
“He [Costa] will be a star [in the Prem]. His never-say-die attitude and bravery make you want him at your club. People like that inspire others with their tenacity. He’s so enthusiastic that he would play in any system.”
Liverpool made a €25m bid for Costa in August, and after turning down a move to Anfield, he told Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo:
"I had options to leave, and I was very close to doing so. Liverpool is a great team, but after so much fighting and overcoming so many difficulties to win my place at Atletico, how could I go?"
Jamie Redknapp, is also a fan of the Brazilian - who has a €32m buyout clause in his contract - and on Saturday Night Football last week, he argued that a move to the Premier League would 'make sense' for the striker:
“He [Costa] is, make no mistake, a brilliant striker. He’s got that pace and is almost Drogba-like with his ability to run beyond people. He has a left foot, he can drive and he can score his own goals".
Signing a player like Costa will give Liverpool the best striking options in Europe, and triple-threat of Suarez-Sturridge-Costa is a formidable prospect. Given their talent, all three will want to play in most games (which is fair enough), and with that in mind, However, will Rodgers be able to keep them happy for an entire season?
A new striker is arguably a priority for LFC, and Costa fits the bill. Even if Suarez stays, there's no guarantee that he and Sturridge will replicate their stunning form next season. It's definitely possible, but can the Reds afford to rely on that prospect? What if one or both has a major barren spell and/or a lengthy spell on the sidelines?
There's also something else to consider: why would Costa leave Atletico? He's got it made there:
* Undisputed no. 1 striker, and is practically guaranteed to play every game.
* Atletico are on course to win the title.
* He'll be playing in the Champions League next season.
* Worshipped by the Atletico fanbase.
The above could also apply to Liverpool's Luis Suarez, but he is still likely to leave this summer too.
Author: Jaimie K
What makes you say Suarez is "likely" to leave this summer?
ReplyDeletedon't agree with the ending there
ReplyDeleteI doubt with FFP in full force that any club can afford Suarez.
ReplyDeleteReal can just sell Benzema or someone like for £40mil. They make shitloads of money anyhoo.
ReplyDeleteMadrid will need clubs like PSG or City to buy Benzema for £40m but both these clubs are in breach of the rules. Are we going to see a player bought for 80-100m in the summer?
ReplyDeleteIf we held onto him despite his machinations in the media last year, I don't see why we won't again this year. My faith is not in Suarez wanting to stay (he made much the same comments before last summer), but the firm leadership the management showed in standing up to so-called player power when he was angling for a move. I don't see why the same attitude wouldn't be taken again this summer, especially with a new contract in place. Of course should that new contract include an actual release clause this time round we could be forced to sell.
ReplyDeleteAs for Costa. We do need another top striker, two if Suarez leaves, in my opinion. Competition is vital, extra CL games, Sturridge will get injured and Suarez is a man of steel but he is due an injury at some stage (sorry), but I can't see it being Costa, like you said why would he leave Athletico to fight for his place at LFC? They can offer everything we can in a country he's settled in. If he wants a new challenge, he would be top of the pile at Chelsea making them the more attractive destination.
I would like to see us sign a new striker but don't think it's going to be Costa.
There are never any guarantee's in soccer of players having performed well last season doing it again the next. Regretfully I always feel we have little chance of signing a top forward when other top clubs are interested. Ideally I would like to see Borini and Aspas being sold and Costa coming in to form and awesome threesome, a fourth up and coming forward should support these three. . Doubt it will happen though
ReplyDeleteNot totally sure how FFP works to be honest. Is it Bottom-Line profitability at years end? Or is it something like balancing your transfer business as a percentage of turnover etc?
ReplyDeleteBecause I imagine the revenue in shirt sales at a club like RM would offset a lot of cost. They spent 100m on Bale with very little outlay (that I can remember) why were they not pulled up?
Shirt sales go back to Adidas. The have to recoup the sponsorship money.
ReplyDeleteAdidas aren't a sponsor though?
ReplyDeleteYet another bullshit feature by Jamie K. " Suarez to Leave" are you bran dead Jamie K . Which of the following facts do you not comprehend. 1. LFC won't sell. 2. Suarez has just signed a new 4 year deal committing his future to LFC. 3. Suarez is very happy at LFC. 4. Suarez family love living in liverpool and have settled. Move on to something you know about Jamie K as Suarez is not your most knowledgeable subject.
ReplyDeleteThey are Madrid's kit sponsor.
ReplyDeleteRight sorry :) fuckin David Beckham moment there or somethin.
ReplyDeleteStill don't get how they weren't pulled up after spending that money on Bale last year.
Anyway you're right, won't be seeing another 80-100m signing for a few seasons.
If Benzema became available I'd be surprised if Arsenal wouldn't consider paying Ozil money for him.
ReplyDeleteThey sold Ozil for £45m and Higuain, Callejon and Albiol to Napoli for about £50m, so they made plenty from sales.
ReplyDeleteI think they made something like £30mil profit last year and all you have to do to comply with FFP (I think) is not lose more than £37m a year over a 3-year period.
Just looked it up- Real's turnover last year was £425m. Ours was £206m. They're financial behemoths.
ReplyDeleteThey'll never be close to breaching that then. 37m mil a year over three years? Basically you can splurge and then just pull it back two years later. Yeah they can afford pretty much anybody.
ReplyDeleteTotally forgot about Ozil and Higuain. This Eurovision has me all distracted ;)
Saying Suarez is likely to leave this summer is based on nothing but your desire to be able to say you were right all along. I'm not saying he definitely won't go, if Madrid come calling I think he'll find it very difficult to say no. However to say he is likely to leave? On what do you base that on? The fact he recently signed a new contract, has repeatedly stressed he won't be leaving and how he has just cleaned up at the yearly awards? Change the record
ReplyDeleteYou're the one who needs to change the record. It's one line an article that's nothing to do with Suarez, yet you jump all over it. Why? Because you're just another person with his head firmly in the sand, who refuses to countenance the possibility that Suarez might leave.
ReplyDeleteIt really makes me laugh. There is shedloads of evidence in the past to support the contention that Suarez might leave this summer, yet you and others act as if it doesn't exist.
Get over it. Stop taking comments about Suarez so personally. He's not your mate. He's not a member of your family. He is an LFC player who tried his damnedest to leave the club last summer, which proves that his loyalty to the club is not as solid as you would like it to be.
One good season in the Premier league doesn't change that, and if you were capable of being objective about the situation, you'd see that. There are lots of reasons Suarez might leave; you and others just refuse to see them.
You were the one who wrote "Suarez is likely to leave" and now you are saying it's a possibility and he 'might' go.
ReplyDeleteNot the same thing. Sounds like you have it in for Suarez.
Also, Suarez hasn't only had 'one good season' in the league.
ReplyDeleteYou really don't sound like a Liverpool fan Jamie, but each to their own. Sometimes I think you would be happy if the greatest player in the league left Liverpool. 31 goals with 5 games less and without taking a single penalty, genius!! And still a game left to beat Ronaldo's best.
ReplyDelete"One good season in the Premier league doesn't change that" Suarez was absolutely brilliant last year, so you obviously have it out for him writing false things like that. Bale only won player of the year because of popularity and lack of it.
ReplyDelete"He's not a member of your family" Liverpool is a family and that's how we reds think of our players.
ReplyDeleteOnly if it was simple fella, but I do agree wiv ya thou YNWA #JFT96
ReplyDeleteLFC is not a 'family'. That is a myth. There is serious division amongst the fanbase, and much of it stems from Liverpudlian superfans being intolerant of 'out of Towners' or any fan who wasn't born 30 metres away from Anfield.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really interested in whether you think I 'sound like a fan'. Like everything else in life, as soon as someone doesn't adhere to the group norm, they're attacked/denigrated etc. You and others are just intolerance of people who don't support the club in the same way you do. Not everyone has to follow the crowd and have their views defined by the group.
ReplyDeleteBravo for misinterpreting my post. 'One good season in the Prem' refers to LFC, not Suarez.
ReplyDelete'One good season' refers to LFC, not Suarez.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is exactly my whole point. People consider Xavi and Iniesta among the greatest players on the planet yet their goal return, from midfield, is exactly the same as Henderson's for us. Am I saying he is just as good? No. I am saying goal return is not the be all and end all indicator for a top class midfielder.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone is arguing against that...
ReplyDeleteIt's not just about goals; it's also about assists, and I state that in the article. You and others seem to have steered things towards goals only, which is only half the story.
ReplyDeleteHenderson does not create enough goals, either. Iniesta's assist record is streets ahead of Hendo.
And Xavi? How can he be compared to Henderson? Totally different players, who perform completely different functions for their respective teams.
Henderson's creative return is just not good enough, and if he does not improve in that area, he will go the same way as Lucas/Allen etc and become a squad player at some point.
A team consistently challenging for the biggest trophies cannot sustain an attacking midfielder who averages one assist every 8 games. At some point, Rodgers will realise that he needs someone in that role who contributes on a more regular basis.
You were fucking David Beckham?
ReplyDeleteCongrats, guy. He's a sexy fella.
This sounds like something an out-of-towner would say.
ReplyDelete'still likely to leave'...based on WHAT!?
ReplyDeleteJaimie's goal and assists argument is frustrating. I believe chances created should be included, at which Henderson excels.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Henderson has almost created 5 times as many chances as Allen has. Generally, Allen lacks forward penetration and we look far less threatening when Allen is in the team instead of Henderson.
Though, it's worth noting that Allen has improved on these things lately. The diamond midfield doesn't help where he is just stuck out on the left, likewise, Lucas on the right.
I still believe Allen needs to up his impact if he wants to survive long term. He wasn't preferred at the start of this season, and what if we sign another midfielder?
Sturridge, Suarez, Sterling and Coutinho all share the goals. Furthermore, Gerrard picks up a few (or ten) from the spot and Skrtel bags a few headers.
ReplyDeleteIn the squad, Henderson is in the top 5 or so with chances created. A few people overtook him during his suspension. He has 5 times more chances created than Allen - his impact is clear. What more do you want?
You want to replace the first name on the team sheet for player X or Y, where there is no guarantee of creative return - strictly goals and assists in your eyes.
I also highly doubt Rodgers can find such a player. He tried to replace Henderson with Shelvey, Sahin, and Joe Allen. All failed. It's clear Henderson is our midfield linchpin, we have looked mid table without him. The time for Henderson to be replaced will be when he slows down.
Hendo's absence has been massive. He adds way more than scoring by stopping or annoying the opposition and sending a teammate away. He stil misses the mark a lot on offense but sooner or later his teammates will help him sharpen that finishing skill a bit. I just hope we finish on a good note and not tarnish a truly amazing season. Whatever else occurs, so be it.........
ReplyDeletePete,
ReplyDeleteAllen has some skills as a poesy midfielder but he. Can only plan half the game before his tank runs dry. He just gets overpowered a lot whereas Henderson's size enables him to stick like glue on opposition attackers.
Pete, do you honestly think the reason why Rodgers signed Allen was to bring him goals and assists?
ReplyDeleteAllen actually has a higher duel % win than Henderson.
ReplyDeleteNo, and you know that's not the point. I credit Allen for all his attributes, mostly off the ball, but I still think he doesn't impact enough on the team. He's not influential enough. His role within the team is already defined, but I can't see him ever being first choice again. It spoke volumes at the start of this season when it was Henderson or Allen, and Rodgers chose Hendo. We will see what happens next season though.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the impact you are referring to?
ReplyDeleteBoth Henderson and Iniesta have 7 league assists this season. Henderson has 4 goals and Iniesta has 3. To be fair, Iniesta's came in 25 league games and Henderson's came in 34. So Iniesta has an assist rate of 1:3.5 whereas Henderson has one of 1:4.8. But I won't try to argue that Henderson is as good as Iniesta. Just that he may not be a world class midfielder (yet?) but he's certainly not below average either.
ReplyDeleteI think all of us now looking at next season have fingers and toes crossed that the transfer window will give us that depth.
ReplyDelete