14 Jun 2014

Get Out of Anfield: BR desperate to sell 'exceptional' £5m LFC star. Grudge..?

On Thursday, Rafa Benitez reluctantly conceded that Napoli cannot afford to keep on-loan LFC goalkeeper Pepe Reina at the club, which means that he will almost certainly return to Anfield this summer. For how long, though? The idea of keeping Reina is (seemingly) not appealing to Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, who is reportedly trying to offload the Spaniard to Arsenal

When asked about Reina's future this week, Benitez insisted that Reina 'has to go back [to LFC], adding:

"We cannot afford his [Reina's] wages. We can't pay big salaries like they do in England, so Pepe will go back and he will fight for his position."

Well, according to reports on Friday, Rodgers doesn't want Reina back, and he's offered the 'keeper to Arsenal for a cut-price fee of £5m.

Reina has already left italy, and is allegedly 'waiting for talks' with Rodgers (at some point this summer) to discuss his future. Do Reds fans want Reina back? In a recent poll, I asked whether it's a good idea to keep him at Anfield next season:

* 13300 visitors (approx) voted in the poll.
* 51% of participants voted for Reina to stay.

Though the result is not that emphatic, it seems that Reina - recently described by Benitez as ''exceptional'' - still has some significant support amongst Reds fans.

There doesn't appear to be the same support for Reina coming back to replace Mignolet, however. In another poll (during Mignolet's period of dodgy form over the Christmas period), I asked the question: 'Would you like to see Reina return to replace Mignolet?

* 11400 visitors (approx) voted in the poll.
* Only 20% wanted Reina to replace Mignolet.

Based on the results, a large section of fans still have faith in Reina, but Rodgers doesn't seem open to the possibility of bringing him back into the fold. Irrespective of his last couple of years at Anfield, Reina still has great ability, and with the club actively seeking another goalkeeper to challenge Mignolet, the timing seems right.

Reina may be on big wages, but if he leaves, and LFC spend £5m-£8m on a replacement, where exactly is the price saving? Add-on the new 'keeper's wages, bonuses, signing-on fee, Agents fees etc, and the deal will probably end up being more expensive for the club.

As such, keeping Reina is (ironically) the cheaper way forward, and with his options narrowing all the time - plus the attraction of Champions League football - he may be open to fighting for his place.

It does seem, however, that Rodgers may be holding a slight grudge. When asked in April about the possibility of a Reina return, he told the Liverpool Echo:

"He [Reina] wrote a goodbye letter, didn't he? I was surprised at the letter - when you are a loan player I would expect that he should come back, but obviously Pepe made it very clear when he went to Napoli that he was looking to move".

There is clearly a smidgen of hostility to Rodgers' response, but if the two of them can bury the hatchet, I'd be happy to see Reina return to the squad next season. He'll be formidable competition for Mignolet, and that is exactly what the Belgian needs.

Who knows - it's possible that Reina could even reclaim the number one spot, and relegate Mignolet to bench duty...

Author:


107 comments:

  1. which other team has two top (or decent) keepers?
    apart from real madrid i cant think of any
    normally the back up keeper is a 38 year old or something

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  2. looks like rodgers is going to have to re adjust his plans:


    1) lallana move looks dead, lallana is overpriced no way would lfc pay 30m for him


    2) similar situation with moreno , sevilla want more money then he is worth


    3) dejan lovern looks like he is joining barcaloena


    4) real madrids interest in suarez is probably larger then what would have been expected


    looks like it will be midtable for us again

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  3. ................................sturridge
    sterling..........................................shaqiri
    .............................coutinho
    ................henderson........gerrard
    davies.........sakho.............skrtel......johnson
    ........................mignolet


    bench: lambert, ibe,allen,can ,flanagan,caulker, jones

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  4. How can he be in liverpool waiting for talks when he was in brazil last night on the spain bench?

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  5. Obviously, the sentence means he's left Napoli since the end of the season, and is waiting for talks at some point this summer. But I suspect you already knew that, and just decided to troll the site with a pointless comment.

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  6. Cannot see how Reina will be willing to sit on the bench and still believe he will be sold before the window has shut.


    And I do not see how getting another keeper will work out more expensive considering the wages Reina is on? If we get a backup goalkeeper on half of Reina's wages, half being around £50k a week then there is already a saving.

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  7. Logan, why don't you read the article *properly* for a change? If LFC spend, say £7m on a new 'keeper', that plus the player's wages will be more expensive than Keeping Reina.

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  8. Call the Samaritans, please dont do it Brendan, NNOOOOOOO.

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  9. But you stated that we will be selling Reina at £5-8m which will pay for most of the new keepers fee.


    If we sell Reina for £5m and sign a new keeper for £7m on £50k a week then the savings on Reina's wages over the next two years should cover the £2m difference in the transfer fees.

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  10. I'd wait for now. Reina may very well replace Casillas in goal for Spain's next match and hey may go on to have a stormer of a tournament. We should still sell him but we may get a better price if we wait and see what happens next.

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  11. No, I didn't say LFC would sell Reina for '5m-8m' - that's the price I suggested a new 'keeper might cost.

    Second, you don't know Reina's actual wages; £100k a week is pure guesswork, not fact.

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  12. Why so doom and gloom? It's not because Barcelona may be interested in Lovren that he would actually want to go there..


    I won't even get into the whole Suarez thing this summer unless I see quotes from Luis himself.

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  13. Lysias Chadya Sibanda7:49 am, June 14, 2014

    BR should bury the hatchet . Let's get Pepe back into the team after frank clear the air talks between the two . He is the boss . No need for permanent grudges .Whatever Pepe has done , he should just apologize and come back . He can easily claim the number one spot .

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  14. I can remember you writing an article months back which had a reported fee of £15m for Reina.

    My point is that whatever money we get for Reina which will surely not be less than £5m will then go towards a new keeper. Whether we break the bank for a backup keeper is another thing and he will not be earning anywhere near what Reina earns and if Rafa says his wages are to expensive then that gives you an idea that Reina's wages are relatively on the high side and many reports posted by you on your site suggest that those wages are in the region of £100k a week.

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  15. If we sell Reina for £5m, we also save £10m on wages over the 2 years left on his contract.

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  16. What happened to my reply? One minute it was there, the next it is gone.

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  17. Jamie, probably Brendan didn't like Reina hawking himself to Barcelona putting him in position whereby he had to go and purchase a keeper. Thus probably avoiding paying inflated fees.
    You just want the right individual with the right attitude and hunger taking us forward.

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  18. just get rid of him anyhow... he has just been loaned out, but said goodbye, thanked for his nice time at the club - he clearly doesn't want to be in liverpool any longer

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  19. I agree, you're probably right. I've highlighted that myself a few times. However, if Reina apologises, and he and BR can patch things up, he'd arguably be a good addition to the squad.

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  20. I'd rather take the total £15m from selling him and invest it into a younger keeper, who has a hunger inside him.

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  21. Don't forget Reina admitted to being half a stone over-weight, hardly a model pro!!!

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  22. Why did you remove my reply Jaimie?

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  23. When did Reina admit this? Do you have a link by any chance?

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  24. yes absolutely! there are a lot of really talented keepers, it shouldn't be so hard to find a #2

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  25. Reina form was such that he did'nt warrant such a big wage,so was shipped out. Napoli can see this too, so he has to come back. Reina will have to take a hit on his wages to force a move, as too LFC will have to sell at a reduced fee, or it will become very uncomfortable for both sides.

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  26. 1) Lallana deal is dead and i am ecstatic. That means now we will be pursuing class talents like Sanchez, Shaqiri, Firimino or Max Meyer
    2)another bullet dodged there, a failed winger costing 20 mi pounds?? WTF
    3)Lovren is not the only CD in the world and we would never pay 20 m for him anyway
    4) If liverpool rejected 40 m bid despite having release clause, what makes you think we will be allowing it this time( considering this season is the most important one in years. every ucl qualifying team will earn around 60m...)

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  27. chelsea have 3 top keepers now ..

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  28. the folly of paying massive wages once again comes back to haunt us

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  29. i think we'll have the same problem with johnson soon

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  30. he has only one season left so no

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  31. you cant force a player beyond one season (see ronaldo,fabregas,modric ,barry)
    otherwise suarez could accuse liverpool of slavery

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  32. story is just a little bit different, same problem tho...
    some players need to understand they will have to accept a pay cut, especially after they turned 30

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  33. Keep him unless he gets to play for Spain from now on and plays out if his skin, then we may get 10 for him. If not, then he's much better competition than Jones, and he may just think he's got a chance of displacing Mignolet.

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  34. Am I the only one who thinks we should bench Mignolet and start with Reina?

    With the style of play BR expect, playing out from the from the back, there is only one candidate to consider. JK, have you got any stats to demonstrate the woeful distribution of Mignolet?

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  35. You have to pay the going rate for players eventually otherwise you just resign yourself to having the odd good season and otherwise becoming a feeder club. The reported wage for Reina is only 1/3 of that reported for Rooney and half that for Suarez. It's big money I grant you but in the context of other players' wages perhaps not so massive.


    The art is to manage the length of contracts their costs and the players ambitions whilst maintaining team spirit - not easy

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  36. seems like we're relegation fodder

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  37. Agree but It won't happen imo. He anfd BR just don't seem to see eye to eye. I think he will end up at Napoli and all these stories are just part of the negotiations.

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  38. Yes and it was all going so well......

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  39. Look I am not keen on playing players (any player including the likes of Suarez) mega wages, as it simply makes the cost of watching football ridiculously and needlessly expensive. But maybe that's the socialist in me.

    The practical me thinks we are in a competitive market, and you pay a player based on his value and performance. Reina did provide excellent service to LFC and has was able to command a lucrative contract. Despite having one relatively poor season compared to his normal high standards, does NOT make Reina a bad keeper.

    I do believe, if he were to stay at LFC, he would exceed Clemence claim to be our best ever keeper. However, for the majority of fans and most importantly BR, I do not foresee such an outcome ever happening.

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  40. I don't see Spain making many changes for the next game, and especially in goal.

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  41. You're probably right. But after that performance Casillas should be dropped. But yes, more than likely will still be between the sticks in the next one. Anyway, I would rather see Reina come back and compete, and we spend the money otherwise spent on another keeper somewhere else, like LB/CB.

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  42. Why should we have this joker back? He didn't believe in the club, players or manager enough to stay and help us return to the champions league, despite being one of the poorer players as we fell out of top 4 contention.
    So to reward the current keeper and players now on performance based contracts for their achievements last season, some of you are advocating that the manager brings back someone on inflated wages who didn't want to stick around when the going got tough?
    Yeah, that wouldn't potentially damage a great team spirit and undermine the manager would it?
    It's very telling that you never hear Gerrard calling for his return...

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  43. Bench the keeper that helped to get us back in the top 4 in favour of one who was crap when we fell out it?
    Excellent man management, and I'm sure if Reina were to get injured that Mings would give his all for the manager that displayed no faith in him.

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  44. Luckily with Johnson his contract ends next season. Once it runs out we owe him nothing.


    If we sell him then he gets his loyalty bonus so one can only assume LFC would rather will let his contract run out.

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  45. there was a time in the 2012/13 season, in which you could clearly see how pissed of BR was with Reina... Especially after Agueros Goal agains Mancity the mime of BR was obvious that Reina wont feature for us next season

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  46. Woeful distribution?

    According to Squawka Mignolet's distribution success rate is 69%. vs Reina's 68% last season.

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  47. Proof positive 69% passing it to the nearest defender v 68% attacking distribution up the pitch at speed .....possibly!

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  48. Yes but that is assuming things without the relevant info which neither of us have.


    SM 69% vs PR 68%


    That is all we have right now so claiming that SM is woeful without proof is is just hearsay.

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  49. So enlighten us on your observations then.

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  50. I think (based on my own totally unbiased and scientifically proven observations) that Reina was much better at moving and distributing the ball than Mignolet, Otherwise they are much the same - not great at commanding the penalty area or dealing with crosses.

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  51. Ronaldo doesn't want Suarez in Madrid. Who wants Lallana anyway. I do hope for Lovern, he is great. If Firmino happens i that would be the best signing from Rodgers so far.
    I do think we should bid 20 for Coentrao.

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  52. Mignolet shot stopping ability blasts Reina out of the water.


    Here is another thing we know.


    Mignolet - 26
    Reina - 31


    Who is still developing and also much further from their prime?

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  53. are you crazy? Suarez stays mate. I can't even look at an XI without him and more then that yours frightens me it is not good enough

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  54. Reina has 2 years left on his contract. If we sold him for 5 million and bought someone like Michelle vorm for 5 million on a 2 year contract like reina still has but on half his wages it would save the club a significant amount of money

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  55. more like

    --------suarez--sturridge
    ------------firmino-------
    -----henderson--parejo
    -------------can------
    moreno--lovern-skrtel-johnson

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  56. My own stats suggest that Reina is 12.254% better at distributing the ball although the gap narrows a little on Tuesdays which I think is due to some as yet unidentified variations in the lunar cycle.


    I think you last comment could well be ageist and as an old codger myself i am going to feign injury and retreat.

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  57. so Reina likes money it seems. Napoli paid is wages for a season now but they can't agree his wages for the future, allegedly.

    Having both Reina and mingolet would be amazing.

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  58. What I can also tell you is that In 2012/2013, Reina's last season at Anfield according to squaka, his distribution success rate was only 75%.

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  59. i think we still had to play some of his wages during his loan spell at napoli ...

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  60. If we sign Caulker however.....

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  61. Half a stone??? That's like....3 kilos....what a fatty........

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  62. You don't like money?

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  63. That was my point too :-)

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  64. Muhammad Ibrahim12:45 pm, June 14, 2014

    But we cant spend like Chelsea, thus must cash in on one to fund money for other positions in which we are weak

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  65. Muhammad Ibrahim12:48 pm, June 14, 2014

    Reina has his heart set on Barcelona, and I think he last was perhaps given an indication that should Valdez leave he was their man. They have Ter Stegan now, and can only see Atletico Madrid, coming in for Reina. Perhaps some PL teams but doubt we will sell to to unless the money is right.

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  66. yeah true, just wanted to mention that

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  67. Muhammad Ibrahim1:17 pm, June 14, 2014

    Missing out on some transfers can be a blessing in disguise. It was not long ago we wanted Clint Dempsey, if we did get Dempsey doubt we would have gone in for both Sturidge and Coutinho.


    Lallana deal going deal is not all bad, they want 30m, but for perhaps about 35m or so we can get Firminio and Shaqiri, both younger highly talented players.


    Moreno is decent, but 20m NO, NO, Bye. Players like Coentrao, are still available I think, and other young LB's Ricardo Rodriguez, Digne, maybe even Shaw if he kicks up a fuss in wanting to move away.


    Lovren is a good CB and would love to see him play for us, but I think Caulker is a sound investment if we can get him for the right money. Other players that look decent are Hintregar, Fabien Schar.


    Suarez in my opinion will go to Madrid if they come in for him. This time he is playing is cool after last years tantrums, it looks as though they will have to bid big to make the deal happen which is the only positive for us. Just hope that money is better spent than on previous occasions.


    Without Suarez I think we wont be title challengers, but we will make top 4 which has to be the priority coming season.


    I think we have to get rid of Lucas as he has no legs, and a team of our defensive prowess wanting to play a high temp pressing game can't carry him and Gerrard when we loose the ball dangerous areas, we need a quicker midfield that can recover in dangerous situations.

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  68. Seems pretty straight forward to me

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  69. I'd have him probably. The fee thing is a good point as we would probably save money keeping him. But the point is if we buy a better keeper than Reina than would offset any extra money put in. A few years ago their were few keepers better than Reina in the world. Now I am not so sure. So it is a difficult one. We should certainly consider it if options are few.

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  70. Do it please Brendan. FFS

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  71. Depends if we sign someone and what wages they are on.

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  72. Going rate? But should we pay wages for players who are not performing? FSG want a different system these days. More bonuses and performance based ad ons. Nit just loads of money for a player to get used to get complacent get half a stone over weight and form to drop off a cliff. It's also a moral thing for the team. If someone is earning big buck and not really performing then everyone will want that money and think they deserve it. Thats not good for the club or tha harmony of the team.

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  73. By the way England will beat Italy...

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  74. No chance :-) Pirlo will destroy England. Again.

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  75. I said by the way- that means it is a fact!

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  76. hahaha good one mate :D

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  77. Reina is past it, it's that simple.

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  78. i know it's hard for you to back england jaimie, but with so many lfc players you can hardly resist hmm ;-) ?

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  79. It was hard for me to back my own country when only Gerrard and Johnson were there...

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  80. every qualification my country is facing germany, this is an easy choice, really

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  81. Against them I would support every team. Except from Italy....

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  82. Forlan said Luis is happy at Liverpool...

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  83. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg4e_vGeBw0&authuser=0

    A friend emailed this to me, it is worth watcing..

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  84. you may not like me any more now, but as my grandparents home is 30 minutes away from the border to italy, i used to spend a lot of time there on holidays, and i have some sympathies for their football team.

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  85. For their pizza, cheese, beaches yes, but football team?!?

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  86. 20 m for Coentrao are you serious? a 10 m bid will seal the deal for him. apparently people are lining up to sign him same way as people are lining up to sign Pepe Reina

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  87. i dunno why

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  88. I would've stopped liking you if you wrote that it is obvious why..

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  89. whatever i still prefer england and mexico :)

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  90. In fairness you don't need stats to see who is better at distributing the ball. We watched Reina for years and we watched Mings last year.

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  91. Yes you have a point. It's a difficult balance to manage contracts and still attract the right type of player in a competitive market.

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  92. Yes that is the difficulty we have. But because we don't want to compete like Chelsea and City doesn't mean we won't be able to get good players and the Suarez contract shows we are willing to pay good money. But look at Atletico Madrid who have a smaller wage bill than QPR, money isn't everything. It is important but not everything.

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  93. If not wanting a cancer to team chemistry is a grudge, then guilty as charged.........there are others who aren't chronic whiners and self pimps.......

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  94. being a ex goalie it would be ideal if we can keep pepe,but i don't think he will be up for the fight,ive always said pepes problem was there was no challenge to his spot so he got comfy same with ming to a degree,but if you had the ming and pepe fighting for the number 1 it will only benefit the club,but can we keep both i doubt it....id rather c us get a younger keep who will push the ming and also look at the future...

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  95. If Reina could get back his old form he is a better keeper than Mignolet

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  96. Here's a young keeper we should look at, Aussie keeper Matt Ryan, just won the keeper of the year in Belgium, is excellent in his distribution, would be a good #2.

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  97. While we're at it, do you think we could convince Charlie Adam to come back?

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  98. As far as a young keeper goes, I believe we should look no further than Aussie keeper Matt Ryan, just come off a top season in Belgium where he picked up goalkeeper of the year in his first season in Europe, he is an excellent shotstopper, excellent with his distribution, he is a very good all round keeper, he is only young, 22, he's getting World Cup experience and could probably pick him up in the region of 5m.

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  99. Coentrao just signed a new deal at Madrid. He's going nowhere

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  100. @brendan
    Mid-table for you and who?

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  101. Easily claim the number one spot?

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  102. One can only hope...

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  103. biggestfandownunder10:07 am, June 15, 2014

    I'm not sure BR has a grudge. He's calling a space a space. Reina was an idiot in his parting comments and needs to be called out on them.

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