Liverpool are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho, who is also wanted by Premier League has-beens Manchester United.
According to reports this week:
* Liverpool are favourites to sign defensive-midfielder.
* Carvalho has a £37m release clause in his contract, but Lisbon will accept £30m.
* Rodgers is allegedly an 'admirer' of the Portuguese international.
Manchester United reps have already met with Lisbon over a possible summer deal, and when asked about his future in April, Carvalho seemed open to a move to North-West's biggest sinking ship. He told reporters:
"It could be Manchester United or Real Madrid. It's just nice to have a great European club after me. At the end of the campaign, we will see what happens."
22-year old Carvalho - who is one of the poorest-paid players in Europe (£5k a month) - will feature in the upcoming World Cup, and he's certainly highly regarded by Portugal boss Paolo Bento:
If Liverpool sign Carvalho then it's surely curtains for Lucas? And £30m? Ridiculous fee, and way too high for a 22-year old with little experience outside Portugal.
Additionally, you don't pay £30m for a player and then leave him on the bench, so how will Carvalho and Gerrard fit into the same team? Does Rodgers see the youngster as a future replacement for Gerrard, or is the plan to do a Benitez and play two DMs from next season?
Liverpool's defensive problems are well documented (!), and playing two defensive midfielders is one option to try and tighten things. Perhaps Rodgers is thinking of employing a 4231 formation:
--------------- Mignolet
Johnson --- Skrtel -- Agger ---- Flanagan
--------- Gerrard ---- Carvalho
Sterling ------- Lallana ------ Suarez
--------------- Sturridge
That leaves no room for Henderson, though, who is one of Rodgers' favourites. Personally, I'd rather LFC spent £7m on Diame than £30m on Carvalho. DM is not (IMO) a priority position, and Gerrard - who will inevitably start most league/European games - just needs someone to back him up.
Spending £30m on a dedicated DM will cause unnecessary problems, and put pressure on Rodgers to play Carvalho. After all, how do you justify spending £30m on a player and then keeping him on the bench?
Also, if LFC are going to pay that amount of money for a midfielder, it should be a player who is the finished article, not someone with such a major lack of top-flight experience.
Author: Jaimie K
According to reports this week:
* Liverpool are favourites to sign defensive-midfielder.
* Carvalho has a £37m release clause in his contract, but Lisbon will accept £30m.
* Rodgers is allegedly an 'admirer' of the Portuguese international.
Manchester United reps have already met with Lisbon over a possible summer deal, and when asked about his future in April, Carvalho seemed open to a move to North-West's biggest sinking ship. He told reporters:
"It could be Manchester United or Real Madrid. It's just nice to have a great European club after me. At the end of the campaign, we will see what happens."
22-year old Carvalho - who is one of the poorest-paid players in Europe (£5k a month) - will feature in the upcoming World Cup, and he's certainly highly regarded by Portugal boss Paolo Bento:
Portugal chief Paulo Bento on William Carvalho: "He's extraordinary and having a great season. He's proved that he's above average mature."
— Jan Hagen (@PortuBall) April 12, 2014If Liverpool sign Carvalho then it's surely curtains for Lucas? And £30m? Ridiculous fee, and way too high for a 22-year old with little experience outside Portugal.
Additionally, you don't pay £30m for a player and then leave him on the bench, so how will Carvalho and Gerrard fit into the same team? Does Rodgers see the youngster as a future replacement for Gerrard, or is the plan to do a Benitez and play two DMs from next season?
Liverpool's defensive problems are well documented (!), and playing two defensive midfielders is one option to try and tighten things. Perhaps Rodgers is thinking of employing a 4231 formation:
--------------- Mignolet
Johnson --- Skrtel -- Agger ---- Flanagan
--------- Gerrard ---- Carvalho
Sterling ------- Lallana ------ Suarez
--------------- Sturridge
That leaves no room for Henderson, though, who is one of Rodgers' favourites. Personally, I'd rather LFC spent £7m on Diame than £30m on Carvalho. DM is not (IMO) a priority position, and Gerrard - who will inevitably start most league/European games - just needs someone to back him up.
Spending £30m on a dedicated DM will cause unnecessary problems, and put pressure on Rodgers to play Carvalho. After all, how do you justify spending £30m on a player and then keeping him on the bench?
Also, if LFC are going to pay that amount of money for a midfielder, it should be a player who is the finished article, not someone with such a major lack of top-flight experience.
Author: Jaimie K
Even 27 million no way i dont know how a league such as Portugals can slap such huge fees on players.
ReplyDeletePeople complain about prices of EPL players but this is ridiculous.
£37m rather than £30m. And Premier League has beens?? lol
ReplyDeleteIts a release clause, if you want him thats what you pay
ReplyDeleteWell it is true 37M is way too much I'd rather have Barkley for that money but 20M I think it would be a reasonable price for a 22 years old who is a great DM and if it menans to steal from the 'has-beens' I would buy him at any price ahaaha
ReplyDelete'Above average mature' - high praise indeed. If we spend 20-25 million squids on Lallana, as now seems likely, I don't see us spending 30 odd more on any one player, and certainly not one who plays defensive midfield; I doubt the budget will stretch that far given the other positions that need strengthening. I don't know, maybe Rodgers just wants to troll United for a bit - I can understand the temptation.
ReplyDeleteNo one ever pays the release clause in Spain or Portugal. They exist basically for legal reasons. Carvalho would surely not go for more than £10m.
ReplyDeleteCould do a lot worse than bringing Mascherano back if it's true that he's available for about 9 million.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather they spent 30M on Pogba tbh
ReplyDeleteVorm/Mangala/Cole(FT)/Rojo/Mascherano/Fernando/Lallana would be fantastic additions to our squad
ReplyDeleteIf true,then this is going to be our future holding player,after all Gerrard is 33 and can't go on forever,so no doubt this lad will get plenty of game time before too long. He is a very similar player to Matic and in my opinion just what we need. If we don't pay the money,then some of the big boys will. If we want to push on then this is the type of outlay we have to make. We could go in for Masherano,but he is 29. If we are building for the present and the future,then this lad is the way to go. I can't see Brendan letting Lucas go either,he has loads of experience and great temperament,the perfect squad player, the same can be said of Allen, these two players offer great competition and cover for injuries or cup games.
ReplyDeleteSurely u can do better than this Rodgers! Wont be another of yr flops signings.
ReplyDeleteI would agree there he offers plenty and will improve the side but politics may put a stop to that one.
ReplyDelete£10m? for a 22 yo international, that starts for his club and was one of the best players in the league this season?
ReplyDeleteWell you surely dont believe a player with 1 good season not super under his belt in Portugals league is worth much more.,
ReplyDeletefrom loan player to starting for portugal and going to a world cup in 1 season? Thats not better than good nah? He clearly is worth more than that.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can make Lucas part of the deal...
ReplyDeleteso who gonna replace gerrard one day????we need new gerrard...
ReplyDeleteHe is a holding midfielder he clearly isnt worth a huge amount and in a lower league.
ReplyDeleteReal madrid, barca, inter, united and you lot clearly think otherwise
ReplyDeleteWe need a player ready made and there is one name if you are going to spend that much. Juventus player Aturo Vidal. Can attack and defend and can slot next to gerrard or go further. I know people bang on a out pogba but this is the marquee signing we need to go the next level.
ReplyDeleteAlexis Sanchez is another player we should be sniffing around if he is available. As far as defensive mid i'd have mascherano back, ready made for pl/champs league. Nice bit of mix of youth/experience in our squad needed for next season.
ReplyDeleteHow much have they offered? oh thats right you dont know at all so do not talk rubbish.
ReplyDeleteVidal is an absolutely brilliant player but I don't think he'd leave Juve for us.
ReplyDeleteHe'd be a truly game-changing signing if we could get him though.
good player bad price.
ReplyDeleteI wish we could get a Sporting fan in here. A lot of people are clearly just guessing about him in this comments section.
ReplyDeleteI would be too. I've only really seen decent amounts of Benfica from Portugal this season.
People talk about this guy like he is the cat's pyjamas though and his rise has been meteoric.
Sorry too he will not start for Portugal in the world cup nah nah.
ReplyDeletebetter go for Fernando Reges or Alex Song rather than spending huge money on an unproven talent
ReplyDelete