Southampton star Dejan Lovren is reportedly dead-set on signing for Liverpool this summer, and it seems that he's willing to push hard in a bid to make the move a reality.
In May, The Guardian reported:
"Liverpool [will] capitalise on the uncertainty at St Mary's by making an offer for defender Dejan Lovren"
The Mirror, further claimed that LFC's offer will be around the £20m mark, but given the fact Lovren cost only £8.5 last summer, that's probably an exaggerated figure.
Today, the Liverpool Echo claims:
* Dejan Lovren has submitted a transfer request at the end of last month detailing why he wants to leave St Mary’s.
* The Croatian wants to join Liverpool to play in the Champions League.
Liverpool reportedly made a €16m bid for the defender in May 2012, and responding to LFC's interest at the time, Lovren said,
"Every player wants to join a big club, but anything can happen"
Southampton is a great club that's clearly going places, but it's not really a 'big' club in the traditional sense of the word, and with Liverpool now in the Champions League, it's obvious why a move to Anfield is massively appealing for Lovren.
I argued for Liverpool to sign Lovren last summer, and he would've been a better signing (IMO) than Sakho**. When it comes to stats, there's not much separating them, but Lovren has proven to be a more confident, assured central defender, and - importantly - he is a real leader on the pitch, something that's desperately needed at Liverpool (Plus, he would've been 50% cheaper!).
Lovren vs. Sakho this season: (PG = per game)
* Passing Accuracy: MS 92.4% | DL 82.1%
* Duels won: MS 58.8% | DL 62.9%
* Aerial Duels Won: MS 56.5% | DL 60.8%
* Recoveries: MS 6PG | DL 6PG
* Tackles Won: MS 92.6% | DL 78.7%
* Clearances: MS 7.5 PG | DL 7.7PG
* Interceptions: MS 0.8PG | DL 2.7PG
Additionally, Southampton:
* Conceded fewer league goals.
* Achieved 5 more clean sheets overall.
Man United legend Gary Neville is a fan of Lovren - nicknamed the 'Animal' by his Southampton team-mates - and in a recent column for Sky Sports, he raved:
"For me, he [Lovren] is the one I've been most impressed with. He's been absolutely brilliant the way he's marshalled that back four".
Can the same be said of Sakho? Defensively and offensively, Martin Skrtel had a fantastic season, but he also lacks the organisation/leadership skills needed by the Reds. Ditto Agger.
Liverpool fans can run the rule Lovren tonight when Croatia face Brazil in the World Cup. Given the attacking riches in Brazil's side, it will be a massive test for the defender, and it will be interesting to see how he performs on football's biggest and most pressurised stage.
** Yes, I supported Sakho's signing last summer, but that doesn't change the fact that I wanted Lovren *before* Sakho. When it became clear that LFC were leaning towards Sakho, I game my opinion on his effectiveness as a player (based on his performances in Ligue 1).
Author: Jaimie K
In May, The Guardian reported:
"Liverpool [will] capitalise on the uncertainty at St Mary's by making an offer for defender Dejan Lovren"
The Mirror, further claimed that LFC's offer will be around the £20m mark, but given the fact Lovren cost only £8.5 last summer, that's probably an exaggerated figure.
Today, the Liverpool Echo claims:
* Dejan Lovren has submitted a transfer request at the end of last month detailing why he wants to leave St Mary’s.
* The Croatian wants to join Liverpool to play in the Champions League.
Liverpool reportedly made a €16m bid for the defender in May 2012, and responding to LFC's interest at the time, Lovren said,
"Every player wants to join a big club, but anything can happen"
Southampton is a great club that's clearly going places, but it's not really a 'big' club in the traditional sense of the word, and with Liverpool now in the Champions League, it's obvious why a move to Anfield is massively appealing for Lovren.
I argued for Liverpool to sign Lovren last summer, and he would've been a better signing (IMO) than Sakho**. When it comes to stats, there's not much separating them, but Lovren has proven to be a more confident, assured central defender, and - importantly - he is a real leader on the pitch, something that's desperately needed at Liverpool (Plus, he would've been 50% cheaper!).
Lovren vs. Sakho this season: (PG = per game)
* Passing Accuracy: MS 92.4% | DL 82.1%
* Duels won: MS 58.8% | DL 62.9%
* Aerial Duels Won: MS 56.5% | DL 60.8%
* Recoveries: MS 6PG | DL 6PG
* Tackles Won: MS 92.6% | DL 78.7%
* Clearances: MS 7.5 PG | DL 7.7PG
* Interceptions: MS 0.8PG | DL 2.7PG
Additionally, Southampton:
* Conceded fewer league goals.
* Achieved 5 more clean sheets overall.
Man United legend Gary Neville is a fan of Lovren - nicknamed the 'Animal' by his Southampton team-mates - and in a recent column for Sky Sports, he raved:
"For me, he [Lovren] is the one I've been most impressed with. He's been absolutely brilliant the way he's marshalled that back four".
Can the same be said of Sakho? Defensively and offensively, Martin Skrtel had a fantastic season, but he also lacks the organisation/leadership skills needed by the Reds. Ditto Agger.
Liverpool fans can run the rule Lovren tonight when Croatia face Brazil in the World Cup. Given the attacking riches in Brazil's side, it will be a massive test for the defender, and it will be interesting to see how he performs on football's biggest and most pressurised stage.
** Yes, I supported Sakho's signing last summer, but that doesn't change the fact that I wanted Lovren *before* Sakho. When it became clear that LFC were leaning towards Sakho, I game my opinion on his effectiveness as a player (based on his performances in Ligue 1).
Author: Jaimie K
as if this deal is going to happen
ReplyDeletesouthampton with lallana have shown they are no mugs
30m for shaw, 30m for lallana so lovern would cost at least 24m
southampton dont want to sell and the only way we can make them is making an offer they cannot refuse
rather sign steven caulker 6m , aggers departure can finance that
ReplyDeleteand all money can be spent on attacking players , we are still two palyers short in attack
So we are playing CL say against Real Madrid and Skertel is injured and you want Sakho and Caulker as our central defenders?
ReplyDelete'As I argued last summer' ??? I'm pretty sure last summer you were crying for Liverpool to sign Sakho, the guy you knew from watching many of his games, being a follower of Ligue 1.
ReplyDeletethe fact that liverpool did not even put an offer make me think Rodgers is not interested
ReplyDeleteAll I said was that last summer you were calling for Liverpool to sign Sakho as you were claiming to have seen him play many times ans thought hé was good.
ReplyDeleteWhy delete my comment and attempt to block me??
Some fans still have midtable mentality given we struggled as a team for 2 decades. I cant understand this Caulker talk. We should be looking for a top class commanding defender and for all the CBs in the world, Caulker is the one they mention. We can do better
ReplyDeleteI love the way people think that Premier league experience guarantees an "immediate impact". Henderson only came good in his third season and most fans would have waved goodbye last summer for a fraction of his transfer fee... Whereas I was at Thierry Henrys first visit to Anfield when everybody was chanting what a waste of money only to begin the process half way through that season to becoming one of the greatest strikers the premier league has ever seen.
ReplyDeleteAdd to that the unproven misconception that Jonny foriegner needs time to solve the complex puzzle that is the English Premier League. Coutinho, Suarez, Aguero, Lovren... just a few off the top of my head...
Add to that again the proposterous suggestion that Lukaku and Sturridge are proof that every on loan Chelsea player is worth snapping up
The worst mistake anyone can make is to think that one players success somehow creates a formula to solve the truly complex issue of quality player identification. The obsession with stats and Manager / Pundit comments is a worrying trend.
Gone it would seems are the days when we actually watched a player and judged him on that or in this case simply admitted that we have not seen enough of the player to make a truly accurate judgement.
Moreno could be world class he could be a dud but Bertrand has not exactly proved himself to be the former.
Lovren, Lallana, Max Meyer, Steven Davies and Pedro Rodriguez - £80M. enough said
ReplyDeleteShipping off Toure would only mean One of the youngsters getting more time, no need for first team cb.
ReplyDeleteYes, that kind of wingers- my first choice is Lallana, he can play in a diamond, and in 4 3 3 in at least three positins..
Sakho (LCB) and Lovren (RCB) seems like a pretty good combination to me.
ReplyDeleteWe are going to pay a very hefty fee if we want Lovren though.
Hey Jamie I have been following your article from long time ago what I feel weird about some of your article is you only want liverpool to buy most hyped player in premier league. We the folloers wants to see you about young and special player such as Eric Dier he is monster in his job...
ReplyDeleteI don't actually know how it works so I will leave it to the people running the club. But I don9t think we will be worse than others...
ReplyDeleteThe be fair Sakho has been out alot with injury and i am 100% confident we havent seen anywhere near the best of Sakho, he will given more game time become a mainstay in the side im sure.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why you have made this article a Lovren Vs Sakho debate either. I would like both at the club, think they might actually make a excellent pairing. Personally i would like to see us release Toure and have the four of Sakho/Agger for left CB and Skrtle/Lovren for right CB.
Not sure if Llori will be at the club or out on loan next season?
Manu is preparing a bid of 23 mill for Schwainstaiger. If he is available for a fee close to that we should forget about Lallana and Shaquiri.
ReplyDeleteNow that we have signed Emre Can I doubt we will be after a player like Schweinsteiger.
ReplyDeleteCaulker is excellent and would be great value.
ReplyDeleteSakho and Caulker would be an impressive centre back pairing.
I think you people make problems where none exist.
I know, but still... He is one the players I admire the most among the midfielders today..
ReplyDelete"Yes. Pepe has two years left on his contract at Liverpool. He has to go back and he’ll stay there. We can’t afford Pepe’s wages. The Premier League is a very big league and, in Serie A, we don’t pay big wages like in England. He will have to fight for his position at Liverpool."
ReplyDeleteSo Benitez to me is sending the message to Reina that he will need to accept MUCH lower wages if he is willing to make his move to Napoli permanent?
Very good player indeed.
ReplyDeleteJust read it myself.. Damn, I think he is coming back...
ReplyDeleteI think his agent will work very hard to find him another club before the window has shut.
ReplyDeleteHope so...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, where are you from, if that isn't too much to ask?
Bright and sunny South Africa. My sister was married to a scouser at one stage of time :-) Been a Pool supporter for many years now.
ReplyDeleteAnd you?
This is pure nonsense, Bayern would never let him go for anything unter 40-50m ... He's bayerns Steven Gerrard, this won't happen
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa? Damn... Bright and sunny town Kotor in Montenegro. Arround 10 years for me- since I have the opportunity to watch EPL.
ReplyDeleteUnbelieveble how this team attracts so many people from arround the globe with same extreme passion. I've met many tourists during my life and football is one of my first topics- nobody is crazy about their team as us..
Hope so, I don't want to respect manu player..
ReplyDeleteHow the hell does Napoli get Higuain if they cant pay big wages more like hes not worth what he is asking.
ReplyDeletecl is not priority dont care if we get knocked out
ReplyDeletewe need anoher season in top 4
and a carling cup
is JK not the moderator?
ReplyDeleteif so why is he referring to himself in third person?
We shouldn't buy Lovren, he doesn't score enough goals, instead we need a top quality CB like I Rakitic (26). And replace Skrtel with D Capel (26).
ReplyDeleteyou are saying that for a reaction
ReplyDeleteRead your coments on this article.. You should be in the mood more often..
ReplyDeletehow many brendans....
ReplyDeleteHaha! Sarcasm at its best....wait....your being sarcastic ain't you?
ReplyDelete23 Million at 29 years of age, aint going to happen.
ReplyDelete"Apparently" Chelsea have signed Fabregas........If we are offering £25M for Lallana then surely we could have offered £30M for Fabregas!
ReplyDeletePS if Pepe is back for the season then that should apply a great deal of pressure on Mignolet.
ReplyDeleteOr Reina may claim back his place!
I for one am tired of these BARGAIN purchases and VALUE FOR MONEY purchases. Its nonsense! Can we break bank and please and get some REAL quality in. Chelsea just signed FAB we have Can and looking at Lallana. Pfff.
ReplyDeleteThere is a massive LFC supporters club where I live. People from all walks of life live and breathe Liverpool Football Club.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Higuain also took a cut when he moved over there. who knows. Would not surprise me if we were paying a portion towards Reina's wages last season.
ReplyDeleteSimple, LOAN him
ReplyDeleteto be fair, he preceded the injury information (which followed the proclamation of the kid's level of dudhood) with 'to be fair'.
ReplyDeletevery talented but injury prone
ReplyDeletemaybe this is a blessing , Mig needs competition and needs to improve his distribution. Pepe's CL experience and superb distribution could be a valuable asset when we play against quality teams that press aggressively and play with a high line. (Dortmund, Bayern etc..) I suppose we would find other players to ship out to reduce the wage bill.
ReplyDeleteThe bridges have been well and truly burnt. IMO Reina will not play for LFC again.
ReplyDeleteWould be happy with Lovern for 12M max , solid player. What impressed me most was his interceptions (2,7 pg) , shows that he reads the game well. Interesting to note that Alberto Moreno has (2,5 pg) which tells me BR is targeting quick , intelligent defenders who intercept and look to counter sharply. What do you think about making a sneaky bid for Varane ? Quick. strong , composed and a real leader at a young age . I have a feeling he might want to leave having fallen behind Pepe.
ReplyDeleteWell if we can't get a buyer and he ends up staying we might as well use him .
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing, about Varane. Might Gibbs be worth a cheeky punt, too? I never get the impression he's very happy with things down at Arsenal.
ReplyDeleteI'm vaguely crossing my fingers and hoping we can hijack young Ginter's move to Dortmund, too, while we're thinking wishfully.
Those great defenders who graced da champions league did they just bump onto da scene and became great defenders, before u wanna get to your destination u for start from some stage.Sakho and caulker imagine they are our defencive pair they also deliver bro .
ReplyDeleteBy the way, why did they left out Donovan of the squad?
ReplyDeleteA few reasons:
ReplyDelete1. Political. I think Klinsmann promised some of the younger multi-national players (like Julian Green) that he'd take them to Brazil if they committed to the USA.
2. Klinsmann and Donovan didn't get along
3. Even though Donovan took a sabbatical, I think he still expected to walk into the team.
4. I don't think Klinsmann expects to go deep into the tournament, so he'd rather take a guy who will be there in four years to get some experience now. This was Donovan's last World Cup.
I don't mean to over excite people.. But if we did sign Lovren, we would then have The Animal and The Beast as a CB pairing. Based on nicknames alone, this has to be good news, right?
ReplyDeletehe's a good player who lost his way through serious injury, hardly worthy of the 'Dud' title... But I wouldn't expect anything less from this place....
ReplyDeleteCharli is a DUD... and not a bright one at that... shame, could have been interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt is a loan from what he understands, It's being perfect grammar.. But hey ho..
ReplyDeleteI think Jack Dunn is an amazing prospect, everytime I watch the youths play he always impresses me, often easily the best player on the pitch, I hope he makes the step up soon....same goes for Cameron Brannagan.
ReplyDeletewhen he payed for the U21's he was very dangerous, and showed what a talented player he is, a real shame he suffered the injuries,he would have been in the same position(in my opinion) as Sterling but for the horrific injury, i think "dud" is an inaccurate description, unlucky yes but he is not a "dud" and i hope he has recovered enough to prove himself and comes back and scores loads of goals for us
ReplyDeletewe need to sign both of these players we don't have a left side Moses and Cissoko have gone back to their clubs its a no brainer play Moreno ahead of Bertrand and you have a solid looking left side IMO its not a case of one or other but both and if you can use one deal to close another then its perfect
ReplyDeleteSo am I! Perhaps we've walked past each other in the Mother City once. By the way, a Lovren/Sakho partnership sounds good to me, although I would be sorry to see Skrtel lose his place after his exceptional form last season.
ReplyDeleteA but ten goals less conceded next year would very well be worth 24 million to us. Right now all I can say is that he doesn't seem the least bothered against arguably the best attacking side on the planet.
ReplyDeletePoint taken however we are not a mid level team or arsenal who have been developing players since invisibles where are they now? FA Cup? If you want to succeed you have to get the right talents not Internet Scout Names!!
ReplyDeleteSeems legit :)
ReplyDeleteWith the amount of debates I've been having with Twistadee lately, yes indeed I am being sarcastic :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit weird that Benitez of all people 'complains' about Pepe's high wages :)
ReplyDeleteLike someone said, I think Benitez is implying that Pepe is not worth his current wages
ReplyDeleteJozy Altidore couldn't score in a woman's prison with a pocket full of pardons
ReplyDeleteSounds a lot like that mid table mentality samnexus mentioned in that comment above. We may not win the CL this season, but progress in that tournament does mean a lot.
ReplyDeletebelieve me, sakho will be the monster next season...all we need is someone very solid, (remember when we had hyyppia), to play with him...and if Lovren is valued at 24m and he can help concede less goals say 10 less), I take him anytime 4 that price bro...
ReplyDeleteAgreed. And, good riddance. His last season for us he exuded negativity, blamed everyone else's play and made some bone-headed plays. We are better off looking elsewhere for a second keeper.....
ReplyDeleteAnd you don't need someone else to write comments for you too, you already score another likes....
ReplyDeleteYeah shoo gabbzz!!!.....!!!!
ReplyDeleteCome on it became perfectly clear in his last sentence ;)
ReplyDeleteI trust BR on this one.
ReplyDeleteSturridge was a sub.
ReplyDeleteIf we can get 4m for a one-kneed player I say go for it.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about Gibbs , His progressing really slow and still hasn't made "that next level" and I doubt Arse would sell .Ginter would be a top signing but probably unrealistic .
ReplyDeleteI thought he played well last night! He looked comfortable on the big stage. Never a penalty against him either.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason we want to finish in the top four is to get into the champions league and the potential revenue it offers as well as the players it attracts. Now we're there we need to work to get as far as we can. So it definitely is a priority
ReplyDeleteWe may not win it? We won it with Djimi Traore at left back! We can win the CL.
ReplyDeleteWe made 50 odd million last year by finishing high in the PL table. More than any other team in the league. You only make money if you spend money.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what will happen to Marquinhos now PSG have bought David Silva. Or maybe Silva will play in midfield in front of Thiago and Marquinhos
ReplyDeleteYou'll see a new Bayern player linked to Man U every week until 1 September. It's lazy journalism. And they needed a new name now Müller has signed a new deal.
ReplyDeleteWe are zero rated to rumors.. Chelsea Fc does not waste all this
ReplyDeletebullshit time in bla bla bla with names after names.. Its getting out of
fashion
Very harsh to call him a dud! Only cost one mil and has been very unlucky with injuries. He looks to have great potential, this is a great move for all involved as he will get great experience there. Also you forget Baros came through the youth system.
ReplyDeleteIs Cameron Brannagan leaving? The Independent ran an article about him maybe going to Barca?
ReplyDeleteWhat are we waiting for? Last summer we were in the post position, following closely, monitoring or locked up connected with lots or marquee signings that either we had no realistic shot at or we dithered around with things. Lambert was a nice signing but apart from that the most desirable names seemed to still be headed or landing elsewhere. Rakitic is gone and I wonder if we ever really were interested, especially given the amount he supposedly signed for. Sanchez and carvalho seem to be going elsewhere. Thus far, not it's been disappointing to me.........I am still hopeful but I am having serious Déjà Vu from last summer.........
ReplyDeleteWe have made bids for Moreno, Lallana and Lovren plus signed 2 players already.
ReplyDeleteThe club has been very active if you had to ask me.
If so, why did Rafa give him those wages? :)
ReplyDeleteIs Jaime K a scumchester utd fan. He is always negative about Brendan Rodgers and his players. It should be borne in mind that many of the players he complains about were not chosen by Rodgers but the FSG panel.
ReplyDelete