Reports this week suggest that Brendan Rodgers plans to axe at least eleven players this summer, and Reds defender Kolo Toure is reportedly one of those on the 'surplus to requirements' list. The Ivorian had a mixed first season at Anfield, which - unfortunately for him - will probably be defined by a couple of high profile defensive mistakes. Toure struggled for regular first-team football in the second half of the season, and it seems that he may decide to jump before he's pushed.
When asked about his Anfield future this week, Toure hailed LFC as an 'unbelievable club', but suggested that he may have to leave if his playing opportunities continue to be restricted. He told the official LFC website:
"I will speak to the manager and we will see what will happen. I am a leader and I like to play a lot. I like to help the team from on the pitch rather than the bench. We will see"
This seems very clear to me: Toure will speak with Rodgers about his playing possibilities next season, and based on the answer received, he'll decide whether to stay or go.
With Liverpool almost certain to sign another centre-back this summer, Toure's chances of playing regularly next season seem slim, so it will come as no surprise if he exits the club this summer.
Like so many other LFC players, Toure - described by Rodgers in February as 'brilliant' - made some costly errors during the season, and I can't see Rodgers placing his trust in the 33-year old to the extent that he makes him a staple in the first-team.
I like Toure; his enthusiasm, vocality, and leadership are exactly what Liverpool need in defence, and I'd rather see Sakho leave ahead of him.
Granted, he made a couple of mistakes, but when Toure gets the ball, I'm not immediately afflicted by the 'Sakho Effect', which I define as an 'immovable sense of creeping fear and dread'.
Author: Jaimie K
When asked about his Anfield future this week, Toure hailed LFC as an 'unbelievable club', but suggested that he may have to leave if his playing opportunities continue to be restricted. He told the official LFC website:
"I will speak to the manager and we will see what will happen. I am a leader and I like to play a lot. I like to help the team from on the pitch rather than the bench. We will see"
This seems very clear to me: Toure will speak with Rodgers about his playing possibilities next season, and based on the answer received, he'll decide whether to stay or go.
With Liverpool almost certain to sign another centre-back this summer, Toure's chances of playing regularly next season seem slim, so it will come as no surprise if he exits the club this summer.
Like so many other LFC players, Toure - described by Rodgers in February as 'brilliant' - made some costly errors during the season, and I can't see Rodgers placing his trust in the 33-year old to the extent that he makes him a staple in the first-team.
I like Toure; his enthusiasm, vocality, and leadership are exactly what Liverpool need in defence, and I'd rather see Sakho leave ahead of him.
Granted, he made a couple of mistakes, but when Toure gets the ball, I'm not immediately afflicted by the 'Sakho Effect', which I define as an 'immovable sense of creeping fear and dread'.
Author: Jaimie K
Jamie, have you forgotten this image already?
ReplyDeleteunless 2 of agger/skrtel/coates/toure/illori/wisdom/sakho are sold I really don't see us buying a centre-back. that is a lot of options. young talented options illori,sakho and wisdom. i think the speed change for sakho is his biggest learning curve and i feel good about him. illori is a stud and i think his loan was to gurantee development through playing time. the injuries that left the centre-back pairing in shambles most of the season couldn't be accounted for and if it could have illori would have never left.
ReplyDeletethe funny thing is sakho's passing accuracy is extremely good but just because he doesn't give confidence with his passing style people tend to overlook that fact (92% passing accuracy this season)
ReplyDeleteKolo tend to lose it when he's put in any kind of pressure and make some really bad passing that turn out in assist for the opposit team, sure his experience is useful, but i don't feel like his vocality and leadership have help Liverpool that much this season.
I'd rather see kolo leave and see a younger player given the opportunity to prove himself.
Sakho is young and still learning the game. Everyone knows most foreign footballers need a season to settle before you really see the best of them. He has talent but just needs the mistakes coached out of him. I remember when Carragher used to score loads of own goals...
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that if Liverpool's "future" (even immediate future) revolves around Kolo Toure, we are NOT heading in the right direction...
ReplyDeleteOn a serious note, I think we should try to keep him as I think he is a great squad player to have, I think Rodgers should be looking at giving ilori a chance this season too, left back is my greatest concern as although Flanagan has been fantastic I would rather have him on the right as he seems more comfortable, and Johnson I think could be moved on to raise a few more quid and also release some wages as he is seriously overpaid..
ReplyDeleteanyway I have a list of out's and in's (I thought I might as well plenty of others do) that would be nice to see happen imo, whether possible is another thing.
Out's. Lucas, Johnson, Aspas, Borini, Alberto, Mignolet, Enrique, Reina
In's. Lallana, Begovic or Lloris, Ashley Cole, Lovren, Konoplyanka, Barkley, Richards
Just signed Sakho for £16 million so can't possibly sell him again for half price just yet. Toure is a nightmare....I have no trust in this walking time bomb. Please leave as soon as possible before you make another mistake during the closed season!!
ReplyDeleteSakho is 24; he is not 'young' anymore when it comes to football, and saying he is still learning the game is just an excuse.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you on this one. I'd prefer Kolo over Sakho too. Sakho has no long term future here. (Unless he "does a Hendo") - improve drastically and I mean DRASTICALLY!!
ReplyDeleteit is actually a fact as he has only been here under 12 months so he is still learning.
ReplyDeletei have thought about this myself !
ReplyDeleteI seriously don't think Sakho will have that kind of positive impact on the team based on his games this season. A 24-year old player is not exactly 'young' though yes, he's non-English so he does need time to adapt to a new country and league. Looking at his games, he was not steady and seemed lacking in confidence. I think these 2 points are primary attributes of any central defender. He is not from nowhere and he used to captain PSG. He may not have 'it' in him after all.
ReplyDeleteDespite the "error" I like Toure. We didn't play him enough as a late game sub. Perhaps against Crystal Palace the meltdown might have come completely to pass. Heck eash of our defenders made huge errors this year at one point or another so why just pick on him? At least he is a leader.
ReplyDeleteI would rather keep borini and Mignolet. Sadly, we will never see Barkley from Everton in Red..................
ReplyDeleteSakho is our best defender - period. Anyone who thinks toure is better is deluded. Your articles confirm your unparalleled delusion anyway Jaime, this just illustrates the fact even further. You know nothing about football. Your negativity is infuriating. I assume your job application for the job must have got lost in the post? Thanks for deleting this as soon as it is posted by the way , standard for this site
ReplyDeleteI disagree that Sakho is still learning...Unfortunately this is the end of Sakho,Toure...Not that Sakho and Toure are bad CB's but we need a Quick,Fast and Gud with the Ball CB,Leader,Better communication with defenders who can spread the ball from the back quickly,who has gud Positioning,gud with stand tackle,sliding tackle,interceptions,agile,does not fear when the opposition is counter attacking...Sakho,Toure does not suit to the fast paced premiere league(reaction time) where they have hardly 2 to 3 sec for decision making...they are well suited to Italian,spanish leagues where they have ample time to decide wht to do with the ball everytime when the ball is at their feet...They does not suit for Premiere league and Rodgers style of play
ReplyDeleteThis scapegoating of Sakho is ridiculous, as ridiculous as the hard time given to Henderson and Allen in recent times.
ReplyDeleteYeah! That's why manure did so well by having a messiah football player in their squad!! Lol!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to remind me that BR had a bad attempt in reinforcing the defense of the team despite spending 25 mil pounds on Sakho, Tiago Ilori and Kolo Toure. Despite having a big price tag and name, Sakho has shown the world clearly that he is certainly no upgrade over what the club was previously having. Tiago Ilori is a no-show because he was sent on loan right after he came. Strangely, even Kolo Toure, a seasoned pro and winner in EPL, is far from being the 'defensive rock' he is known to be.
ReplyDeleteIt's highly probable that BR will become a legendary figure in LFC but before he achieves anything like that, he will have to show everyone his astuteness in the transfer market. Only DS and Coutinho, who is slowly losing his magic, are the only impact signings for BR so far. The long list of the other 'lost souls', both bought and loaned, clearly highlighted that BR has a lot of improvement to be made in terms of player sourcing. Is he being restricted by that whatsoever, seemingly stealthy but equally guilty, transfer committee is anybody's guess. As someone that knows zero internal affair of the club, I prefer to see things at face value.
LFC is in the Champion's League after 4 long years. Certainly many more impact signings are needed for the club to challenge the best in Europe while making another push at the EPL crown, again. Looking at the present squad, apart from the first team players, we are severely lacking in both quality and quantity. I felt pretty sorry to see Aspas being made the desperate attempt to find an equaliser in the home match against Chelsea. As ordinary fan like myself can only quietly pray and hope for the best but, I have to say I'm extremely proud to be a fan of LFC, always.
YNWA!!!
sakho , toure ,lacks confidence with the ball both too dangerous behind but if you want to learn then team B will be good for them cos this time all i need is the EPL trophy no story
ReplyDeleteDon't worry JK, I know :)
ReplyDeleteSahko 93% pass accuracy, Agger 89%, Toure 87%. Respectfully Jamie's dread is unfounded.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to CB's, he is actually young as the majority of CB's don't enter their prime until they are late 20s. Also, it's unfortunate that people look at players like Torres and how quickly he adapted and look to that as the rule instead of the exception, so if foreign players don't adapt in their first season and most don't, they are considered a flop. Give the players a chance. And as far as culling up to 11 players, frankly, that is ridiculous. We have qualified for CL, so we need squad depth, we already have a pretty poor depth, our first 11 is excellent, as good as anyone in Europe in my opinion, but our depth isn't, so by culling up to 11 players, we are creating even less depth. Sure, a couple of players like Aspas can go, but it just doesn't make sense to sell the majority of our players.
ReplyDeleteHow is Sakho dangerous with the ball when he has a 92% passing completion?
ReplyDeleteHe started immensely and was looking like an unbelievable signing! Unfortunately we all know the costly mistakes, notably v West Brom for that 1:1 away draw!
ReplyDeleteI personally would rather Llori given the chance for all FA Cup games, League Cup games and even some EPL games!
He has pace, skill, height and of course youth!
On a serious note, this is ridiculous. First with the outs, Johnson maybe, but we wouldn't get much for him as he is only in the last year of his contract. Aspas, although a good squad player, at his age needs regular playing time and that won't happen with us unfortunately, so he can move on, we should keep Enrique as when he is fit, he is a good option to have and Reina, we all know about Reina, although I still like him as a gk, he won't want to play second fiddle. The rest have a big part to play for us next season. Now to the ins, Begovic or Lloris, although both are superb gks, the goalkeeping for us this past season wasn't the issue and there aren't many better shotstoppers than Mignolet, and his distribution is getting better too, only thing he really needs to work on is the high balls. Ashley Cole? No thanks, would much rather go for someone like Ricardo Rodriguez from Wolfsburg, by Richards, I presume you mean Micah Richards, and if so, again no thanks. He is more injury prone than all our squad put together. Barkley, although he would be a nice addition, we wouldn't have a chance in hell of getting him and even if we could somehow get him, for the price that we would be paying, he is not worth it.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the hard time still given to Lucas.
ReplyDeleteyour scared when sakho gets the ball? hes awkward but does not ever lose possesion, i coud understand if u said he should leave because he is dangerous off the ball. and even if we kept kolo but not sakho we would end up having to get a high profile cb anyway, its not as if kolo is 23
ReplyDeleteThis will live on for eternity.
ReplyDeleteHe's a good guy and he is something of what we need, but not the guy to give it to us.
We need a leader at centre-half. Just because Kolo is more vocal and has proven himself to be a winner before doesn't mean he should stay. I think he offers those things, but they are but a fig leaf to his obsolescence.
I'd hardly be devastated if he stayed, but I don't think any of our top 4 rivals would have him as a part of their squad.
im sure they will some of that 97 mill they made from pre league revenue, however after takin into account the whole cost of transfers these days it doesn't go very far
ReplyDeleteYes agree . Allen not worth £5m , too small , limited ability and not comfortable in possession when marked , crab like non effective liability.BR worrying me talking about spending all the money on rubbish last season and loan signings a waste of money too. Borini found his level at Sunderland too and these were BR marquee signings!! Quality rather than quantity for me , and bring back some of the loan players in Ibe , Mc Loughlin, Suso, Coady, Texeira given more game time and full back from Derby who did so well at right back Wisdom. Sell Coates also !!
ReplyDelete