7 Jul 2014

Done deal 4: LFC to sign 'unstoppable' £25m star on 4-year deal. Announcement to be made this week

Liverpool are reportedly on the verge of signing 20-year old' unstoppable' Benfica winger Lazar Markovic, and hope to conclude the deal some time this week.

According to the BBC:

"Liverpool are in advanced talks to sign Serbia winger Lazar Markovic, who it is understood will cost about £25m".

The Independent (via Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias) further reports that the deal is actually done:

"An announcement will be made on the Serbian, who will join [Liverpool] on a four-year deal in the next few days"

Sorry to put a downer on things, but for me, this feels like a particularly twisted episode of the Twilight Zone. In what universe is Markovic worth £25m, and what has he done in the game to justify that kind of exorbitant fee?

£25m for Adam Lallana is bad enough, but another £25m for a 20-year old with very few assists in 49 games last season? Markovic is an attacking midfielder, so his lack of assists is a major worry; if he can't consistently create goals in Portugal (or in the Europa League), he'll find it even more difficult in the Premier League.

It's really hard to understand, and Rodgers also appears to be ignoring his own alleged transfer strategy. In an interview with Liverpool Echo last month, he claimed that proven quality players are at the top of Liverpool's agenda:

"We need good players, [and] those coming in have to be at the level that we require to perform. That is absolutely key for us this summer."

Rodgers also revealed the four qualities he's looking for in new signings:

* Willing to improve and hungry to improve.
* Ambition to want to come in and succeed.
* There must be 'no doubts about their quality'.
* Must be 'capable starters'.

Lallana and Lambert fit the criteria, but Can, Markovic, and Origi (another player allegedly on his way to Anfield) are unproven players with 'potential', and whether they're 'capable starters' remains to be seen.

If the Markovic/Origi deals go through, Liverpool's spending this summer on 'potential' players will reach £45m, a huge amount of cash that could (and should) be spent on experienced players who can come straight into the first team and make an immediate impact.

Some fans will say 'trust the manager', but with Rodgers' patchy transfer record (which, IMO = 20% hit rate), that's extremely difficult to do. I just don't see how it's possible to build a credible case to support splurging £25m on Markovic.

Of course, it's possible that Markovic and Origi will come in and be absolute superstars for Liverpool, and I sincerely hope that happens, but what are the odds of that transpiring?

In my view, if Rodgers goes ahead with this deal, it will be one of his biggest transfer gambles yet, and if it fails, he will deserve the tsunami of criticism that will inevitably come his way.



Author:


264 comments:

  1. Farout dude, the '20% hit rate' becomes redundant when you graduate from no-UCL status to UCL status

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  2. Why does it become redundant? If LFC get dumped out in the group stage, and fail to qualify for the CL next season, then transfer failures of the past (and present) will be to blame.

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  3. I don't want Markovic if it means no Griezman or Firmino.
    Since it looks like we won't get Sanchez I would honestly pull out all the stops and bring in Firmino and Remy. Firmino is a damn creative talent and can score goals too and Remy is a proven PL striker who should be able to deputise fairly well for Studge.
    Also much as I'd love to blame the manager with all this talk of a transfer committee I'd be willing to bet he doesn't get his way as often as he'd like. That said I can't see why we would go for Markovic over other talents.

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  4. The sooner we sack Rogers and put you in charge the better Jamie - he hasn't got a clue whereas you seem to possess all the answers

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  5. In my opinion, Rodgers is doing exactly the right thing...now that the FFP is active, we need save money in form of high-potential-players...like chelsea...
    nobody knows the transferbudget of LFC this summer, so how can we say that we waste our money?
    I also think that around 7-8 players will leave Anfield permanently before the season starts...that will bring extra funds...

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  6. Apparently its 25 million euros but none the less a rip off for a player who scored 7 times in 49 appearances last season 5 which were in the Portuguese league.

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  7. You already wrote a few times in the past that he had zero assists this season and I wonder if you ever bothered to watch the attached clip in which he has a few. It sometimes feels you would twist things just to prove a point...

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  8. Well the Belgium forward is not a standard walk up starter yet So if Suarez is going We have to do a great world class signing up front.
    We should sign the Jamie Rodrigue Lovren Hummel
    Also replacement Johnson, And world class replacement for Gerrard

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  9. Watched him last year a few times,this guy will come good,dunno if it'll be straight away but he is quality

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  10. liverpool only needs stable LB in case enrique is fit i think he is effortlessly delivers. agger i would keep the best so far in liverpool. i am full with it the guy should get more chance.. and to purchase some DM like de jong or quality thats it.. liverpool are full with mids Sterling coutinho gerrard emre henderson lallana how many more.?? i just wonder just don't splash like tottenham did.

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  11. What's pointless is your argument about Vidal. You could say the same about any player, i.e.

    "How do you know that LFC have or have not inquired about Messi, Ronaldo and Bale'.

    Nick's view about ambition is his *opinion* - you understand what an opinion is, right?

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  12. No, you are completely misunderstanding what I'm getting at. BR's past transfer record ATM should be irrelevant. We shouldn't be judging him based on what he was able to without the lure of UCL. I don't think it's fair that we continue to doubt him, based on last year. It's like calling somebody a s*** chef when he was forced to use s*** ingredients.


    Will transfers failures be to blame if we fail to make the UCL? Well yeah, duhhhh. Getting dumped out in the group stage might be because we had a very tough group, so that's not always a good measuring stick to use.

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  13. You are going off topic. As usual. Why don't you just stick to the actual thread of the argument instead of constantly muddying the waters and going off on pointless tangents?


    The issue is clearly United's ambition in (allegedly) targeting the likes of Vidal. Whether they'll actually sign them is irrelevant.

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  14. Just have a look at the clip. If those aren't assists then what are?

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  15. He is still crap get over it.

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  16. Well, we don't necessarily need a 31-goal player. I think BR's mission should be to make this team a lot more balanced., where the goals will be a lot more equally distributed across the team's attacking players.

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  17. He's quick and good with the ball at his feet but from what I've seen he seriously needs to improve his end product and decision making. And that price tag - oof.

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  18. So what it's a Portuguese league? How well did players from the EPL fair in the World Cup?

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  19. Are you listening to yourself? You're basically saying that all transfers made by managers who are not in the Champions league should not be scrutinised, and that the manager cannot be held to account.

    This is yet another massively lame excuse.

    The 'lure' of the CL is irrelevant when it comes to judging Rodgers transfer success rate of the past.

    Why should his ineffectiveness in the transfer market - and waste of tens of millions - be forgotten just because LFC didn't have the 'lure' of the Champions League?

    If Rodgers had bought better players than Aspas, Alberto, Assaidi, Borini etc over the last two years, Liverpool probably would've been league champions right now.

    Plus, even without the CL, there are still hundreds of top quality players available, and Rodgers ignored them all and bought utter dross.

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  20. I think as realistic, honest fans of LFC we have to accept that one good season and a return to CL football is not enough to attract the world's best footballers to our club. We've been out of the game for a while and it will take a few years of consistency T the very top before we can again compete in the transfer market for top, established players.

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  21. If it's obvious, then why are you stating it!?!? For the sake of muddying the waters like you always have to do?


    Logan, know this about transfer rumours: where there's smoke, there's fire. I'm not saying it's true for every rumour, but when it becomes a bit persistent, it's most often the case.


    It's sometimes hard to find concrete facts in football argument, hence why 'opinion' exists.

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  22. You can't buy better players if you are not in CL and Teams like LFC will be over priced on any players. The man used limited funds and players and achieved something that others spent 3x as much to get the same or less result. Let's get over it and get better players for the future.

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  23. Firmino is Brazilian, he has never played for Brazil, has no European Passport and would not get a UK passport

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  24. I'm not saying they can't be scrutinised. I, like you, can say that Rodgers so far hasn't done well. But, at the same time, I'm not going to use his past performance in a relative scraps market to judge how he will go in the premium market.


    I know he could have bought better players in the past, but IMO, things tend to be a lot more of a gamble when you cant compete for the premium market players.

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  25. You can buy better players! Every transfer window, there are literally thousands of players available. In LFC's case, Rodgers could've signed:

    * Lovren
    * Bony
    * Lukaku
    * Michu
    * Deulefeu
    * Wanyama
    * Eriksen
    * Sissokho

    Etc. All of whom were heavily linked with moves to LFC, with several even publicly admitting that they'd like to join LFC. Instead, Rodgers bought in Alberto, Aspas, Moses etc.

    No one twisted his arm to sign these players; he simply made the wrong choices.

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  26. Jamie, OPTA do not capture all the data in Portugal and ESPN is the same data (they just buy it from them).. Of course he has assists, check out his great slip ball against Porto at home as evidence... There are plenty more as well. Cheers

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  27. Original is not even goingvto neat Liverpool this season. He is going back to lille on loan.

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  28. I agree and that is why I am unconvinced so far. If we need 31 goals from other positions and players we need far better quality all across the midfield 5. On average, we need 10 goals scored or assisted from each central and attacking midfielder next season and that means pressure on Allen, Lucas and Henderson. One assumes Gerrard could manage 8-10 from set pieces and the odd long-ranger.

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  29. Do you understand those players that you mentioned priced will almost double if LFC had tried to purchase them? Some of them did not had a break out season. They did well but nothing to die for. Lukaku?

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  30. Sorry I meant UK work permit

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  31. Also, Griezmann is at Sociedad - they are one if the stable clubs financially in Spain.. Look how much they got for illama to Real last summer, Griezman would be £30m and he is very slight... Markovic at £20m is a lot but a lot less than most talented players out of Benfica / Porto etc... Remy is always injured and probably will just go where the money is.. Already on £90k a week reportedly, probably wants a kings ransom because of his lowish fee

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  32. How do you know those players would've cost 'double' if LFC tried to sign them? Do you have evidence for that statement?

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  33. Other reports state £19,8M which I admit is still a little high for an attacking player with those kind of stats...

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  34. I could be blind but I see absolutely nothing good in this guy, we are being like spurs last season, wtf is rodgers doing, he must al least spend the suarez money in the right way, how many midfielders do we have now, new arsenal? Get a striker for suarez absence and some defenders. Feels like we are going back to sixth seventh places after just one amazing season, just watch us becoming the spurs team!

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  35. You do know its Ian Ayers who does the buying don't you? The targets are picked by a committee but Ayers obviously has the power cos he does the dealing and signs the cheques! When Brendan came out and said we need to buy starters who do you think he was sending the message to? Ian Ayers seems to be the one compromising Brendan's aims and going for 'value' targets, in line with the moneyball policy. ( buy young players with an increasing value and lower salaries. ) If you must criticise then blame the right guy!

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  36. Could the assists in the video be for Belgrade?

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  37. Well hasn't all the players LFC have signed or tried to sign been inflated? £26 for Lalana? £20M for Lovren. Do we have word from some of these guys saying they wanted to come to LFC or was it the media saying that? I just read somewhere that LFC is after Falcao.

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  38. Rodgers has final say on transfers, not Ayre, or the committee. That myth has already been debunked:

    http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2014/06/debunking-lfc-myths-16-rodgers-final-say-transfers.html

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  39. So you are saying Portugals league is stronger and inferring that his stats are impressive for a player coming into the EPL.
    Also what the hell does the world cup have to do with it Markovic didnt even make it there.

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  40. It really depends on who else we sign. There is a big wad of cash coming from Suarez and these current signings have been talked about for some time. Maybe Liverpool have known about Suarez's intention to leave but I tend to think it was only a certainty after "the bite". Up until that point players like Can, Markovic and Origi were already in our plans. To me that means the money we get from Suarez will be re-invested on top of what was already laid out. I think what Rodgers has done here is pull the trigger on a number of 50/50 deals because there simply more cash to spend. It still remains to be seen who else we get. I think there will be 75 million pounds allocated for additional players, beyond any names we've heard to date. I suspect that will buy us 2 absolute top quality players, the question is just who they turn out to be. Sanchez is still a possibility but if he decides on Arsenal then we'll soon find out who the next name on the list is. It's not Markovic, he's not the player we're banking on to come in and contribute in his first year.


    This kind of money on players with potential is clearly a risk. The club are sticking their neck out and it's not clearly a good move. It really could go very wrong and the owners will be aware of this. However consider that Raheem Sterling is currently rated at 30 million pounds. A year ago he was a player with potential but still lots of gaps in his resume, even today he's far from the finished article. I think most Liverpool fans would be livid if we sold Sterling for a penny less than 30 million, insisting he's worth it. But is our young star so clearly better than someone like Markovic? These talented players, so early in their career, are huge assets to have and if you can get them you've got something incredible for at least 10 years or more. That's where the risk pays off.


    Neither Markovic nor Origi will make a significant impact on our first team next season. Origi will likely stay at Lille despite our need for a new striker and Markovic will be a wildcard from the bench, maybe getting a handful of starts during the season. It seems a lot of money to spend but if last season has taught us anything it is that we can't judge players on their price. We may think it's nuts, but expectations should be kept in check. Markovic will get a role in the team based on his skills and his ability, not how much he cost.

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  41. These players (Origi and Markovic) fail or not, you anyway don't relent in criticizing BR. That too is fine if you have the audacity to praise him lavishly for what he and his team did last season. Of course, you are entitled to your opinions but you, this being your site, blow off people who doesn't accord to you like they know nothing about Liverpool and football. And just so you know, we made an offer for Costa and Willian last season. Mkhtaryan too was targetted and had an underwhelming season, despite grabbing a decent amount of goals. And they all didn't join Liverpool coz we were not in CL. Remember!!!

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  42. Please enlighten us with the name of a manager who has a '100%' hit rate or anything near it in terms of transfers. Rodgers has just brought LFC back to the CL for the first time in almost 5 years and you aare already giving him abuse.

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  43. You seriously need to get a grip, and get your facts right before posting. I *have* praised Rodgers many times for his achievements. Just because you haven't seen the *many* articles where I do this doesn't mean they don't exist.


    Plus, if I disagree with people, why is that 'blowing them off'? I'm a fan with an opinion, just like everyone else; and like most other fans, I defend my view. Should I just relent and change my view because others disagree with me? When people disagree with me, are they blowing me off? No, they're just disagreeing.

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  44. If you read my comment clearly you will know I did not say that. The question is why are you underestimating the Portuguese league. My reference to the World Cup is based on your comment on how low leave the Portuguese league is.

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  45. Well its not as strong as the EPL do you need a mark out of 10 to rate it?

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  46. Perhaps you should try and stay on point. I haven't argued that Rodgers - or anyone - should have a 100% hit rate.


    Plus, legitimately criticising the manager's transfer business is not 'abuse', and if you say something like that again (which, in my view, is a form of sniping), your comment will be deleted.

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  47. That's what we are told but it seems that their players and teams tend to do better than EPL players and teams in euro and World Cup.

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  48. Jamie why have you deleted both my posts - because they don't agree with your argument? I thought this was a fair post and I supplied evidence to prove so

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  49. I have not seen much of him but here is hoping Markovic should he sign becomes a massive success at LFC!

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  50. Portugal are biggest under achievers in world football they are dire.

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  51. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nkHj9EbBRIg
    Please watch

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  52. Well I would tend to believe my own eyes rather than your 'credible sources' there are videos of him on you for 2013/2014 Benfica matches showing at least five. They must be last year as he has only played one season there no?

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  53. That was meant to be 'youtube' obviously.

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  54. Now do money spent and achievement and you will see England ain't that far from the Portuguese

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  55. Ouch, that hurt.
    All I am saying is did you think or predict that we will be going in the last month in Premier League fighting to win it!! Of course you did not. You are totally entitled to your opinions but man, here is the truth- you are not the Liverpool Manager!!!
    And for your information, I hate your articles and I rarely comment, its just my 2nd time, but I read them all. You praise with caution and destroy in criticism.

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  56. I've got this feeling BR just sees something in Markovic that a lot of others don't. 25 million on him IMO suggests that.

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  57. Rodgers like any other good managers has made transfer mistakes. E.g. Fergie bought Bebe, Anderson and Kleberson. They didn't exactly work out did they? Mourinho bought Shevchenko, Kezman and Del Horno. Who would you like to take charge of LFC's transfer business?

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  58. Portugal's stats aren't fully captured... Take a look at James Rodriguez from 12/13 at Porto.. In the League no assists or shots!!! http://www.espnfc.com/player/82816/james-rodriguez?season=2012

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  59. Have to agree somewhat on this one. £20m on markovic and £6-10 mill on origi is a big gamble for Rodgers. I backed him for Can - he can be eased into the team in a position in which we have healthy competition. Markovic will be signed with not only a big price tag, but the obvious "Suarez's replacement" tag. Granted I've only seen a few europa league games but he hasn't impressed in any of those, hopefully our scouting team has been more thorough! He does have blistering pace and picks his head up, but is he really 20 million quid better than Ibe, who has similar qualities.. Good luck to him and let's hope it is a gamble that pays off.

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  60. The difference is Ferguson and Mourinho won the league/CL, so their mistakes don't matter as much.

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  61. I'm not the LFC manager? Holy cow; thanks for letting me know! I guess you better inform every other LFC fan with the temerity to have an opinion of the same thing.

    Also, if you 'hate' this site, why on earth do you read the articles? Why don't you just ignore them and visit some other website?

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  62. £25M on a 20yo with limited experience, average stats but bags of potential is indeed risky. Why not focus on Shaqiri instead?


    We shall see...weary at the moment.

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  63. Mourinho has won the Champions League with Chelsea? New to me. You expect Rodgers to turn a mid-table side into a CL winning side in 2 seasons. It took Ferguson over a decade to accomplish this feat.

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  64. aqueel siddique1:15 pm, July 07, 2014

    Liverpool have qualified for the Champions League right? The past couple of season Liverpool have actually tried to sign top quality players (even though Liverpool weren't in the Champions League) , such as Costa, Willian, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and even Robben! Now that Liverpool are in CL why not go for the quality players. And I totally agree with JK, Liverpool/BR and well quite poor in the transfer market. Only good BR signings I can think of is Sturridge and Coutinho. I just hope these young players BR is signing turn out good.

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  65. Like I said, BR sees something we don't

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  66. What the hell does money spent have to do with world cups.

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  67. Don't use that word lightly.

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  68. I was clearly referring to Ferguson. If you're going to twist my words, there's no point in discussing anything with you. Plus, I didn't say anything about Rodgers winning the CL; clearly, my point is that managers who win big trophies get more leeway for making mistakes in the transfer market.

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  69. Actually Rodgers' came out and talked about the committee, and is quoted as saying that in the past, "the players we wanted we couldn't get", implying what I've been saying all along...before we made it back to the UCL Rodgers has had to move onto secondary or even tertiary targets, whether it's because the player didn't want to come or the club wouldn't approve the expenditure. The article also says that "Rodgers must secure the agreement of the committee that a player meets the club's requirements and is worth pursuing". Obviously Rodgers' has said and probably does have the final say on transfers, but he only has the final say on transfers approved by the committee and within an approved budget. All 'final say' means is that a player will never be bought without his approval, it doesn't mean every player we bought was his first choice.

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  70. Yeah you don't know much about football. So tell me what are the big achievement of England?

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  71. You may be right about the assists, but £25m is still way too much. Plus, OPTA *do* cover Portugal comprehensively. It states on their website that they cover Portugal 'comprehensively;' they state exactly the same thing about the Premier League. I pay for an OPTA stats package, so I know this to be true, and I'm entitled to rely on OPTA's stats. If they've got it wrong, they that's down to them.

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  72. Well Nick looks like Arsenal are getting Sanchez for 32 mill are bidding 22 mill for Cuadrado and we get Markovic and Origi who will equate to squat next season.

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  73. Nicolas Chamberlain1:23 pm, July 07, 2014

    Well, I'm with Jaimie on this one. We are going to sell Suarez and replace him with unproven, over expensive youngsters... We need a proven, world class striker to replace Suarez, not another gamble.
    Since the Carroll disaster we don't pay more than 25M for a player, which I can understand if our rivals would do the same.

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  74. If they are bidding 22 m for Cuadrado, that means they are missing out on Sanchez, both play at same position

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  75. There is no one out there, who is world-class, in our financial budget and wants to come to Liverpool

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  76. I would agree this one is a big gamble but I feel after last season the manager has earned our trust and I don't think he would make the decision to spend 25 million on markovic lightly. He obviously really believes in this kid so I'll refrain from criticising until he's at least played a handful of games

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  77. In the Spurs vs Benfica, he is so so ordinary. Yes he is fast but he's probably a 'Salah' which costs 25mil. Hope I'm wrong.

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  78. See, its you who gets all touchy and personal man, same thing you have told your visitors not to be. I read all the articles and visit all websites. That's how you will get to know that there will always be fans like me, always positive and excited, never giving hope. That's how I will get to know, there will always be some fans like you, well, no comments further coz you just can't take criticism, can you?
    Adios. Have fun. Have a happy season criticizing LFC.

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  79. Pablo Von Mooneyo1:24 pm, July 07, 2014

    This summers transfer dealings have been a real reality check of where we are. It would seem we can't attract the real top level stars. People saying we shud be signing James Rodrigez etc are living in cuckoo land frankly. If Barca, Real, PSG, Man City, Chelski or even Arsenal want a player we're interested in we can forget about it because we're not at that level. We've lost our only truely world class player and havnt replaced him. We're paying way over the odds to get players in, but what choice do we have??? It's gonna take 2 or three years of solid performances in the champs league before we're a really attractive propsistion to the worlds elite players. The priority now is to plug our leaky defence and fine someone who's gonna score 20+ per season! whatever it costs! The money doubles for next yrs champs league and it's absolutely imperative to the future of the club we're in there again or we WILL become a footnote in European football history....

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  80. Lars Andreas Moltu1:25 pm, July 07, 2014

    I am excited by this signing. Hope it goes through. Ronaldinho had 3 goals in 24 games before leaving Sporting for United and 9 in 39 in his first season with the devils. Hardly prolific, but an immense talent. Markovic will be a new Ronaldo at best, more likely a new Reus or McManaman, and a new Nani at worst.

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  81. Sanchez can play either side i gather Cuadrado probably can too.

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  82. I'm with you that I'd rather have Griezmann than Markovic, though I think Markovic will work out well for us, but the Firmino question is a different one. It would've been a choice between Firmino and Lallana, not Firmino and Markovic. We're probably going to see Lallana play at the tip of the diamond or behind the striker and Markovic out wide left or right...Firmino would occupy the same position as Lallana. Firmino is a good player, but I think after the issues with Aspas and Alberto Rodgers' wanted to buy a player who is proven in the premier league over one whose had 1 great season in the Bundesliga.


    And it may be that we've never been interested in Griezmann and that's just the media linking us with everyone, or that Griezmann has his heart set on PSG or something and doesn't want to come to England or 'Pool, the market is tough not everything is a given.

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  83. Nicolas Chamberlain1:26 pm, July 07, 2014

    Nonsense. Sissoko moved for 2M, Eriksen for 16+M, Bony 12M, Deulofeu was available for loan but Rodgers opted for Moses... All the players mentioned by Jaimie were affordable. Rodgers previous transfer period was a small disaster.
    The rest of the players delivered not our signings.

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  84. ...which Ronaldinho are you talking about?

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  85. Oh, you mean Cristiano...

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  86. they already got Ozil on left side. No way wenger buy a right sided player for 32m then buy 22m substitute for him. Its a good sign for us. Maybe Sanchez can come to us. If he doesnt want to us, why didnt his agent said so? There is still time. Sanchez and Markovic...woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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  87. Nicolas Chamberlain1:29 pm, July 07, 2014

    Not on the level of Arsenal...? Please explain that to me.
    We pay more, won more and have a bigger world wide fan base.

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  88. Explain that to Sanchez

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  89. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfK-WX2pa8c

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  90. Well Markovic wont get a game Sterling is better and i will bet Ibe is too.

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  91. Stevie take a lie down and then start again.

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  92. Nicolas Chamberlain1:32 pm, July 07, 2014

    Your budget argument doesn't make any sense. If we spend 70M on 5 players we could pay 70M for 3 players. We pay more salary than Arsenal and we are just awoken giant with a world wide fan base. Some top players need to be convinced. I smell a calimero complex.

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  93. I'm confused...how am I twisting facts? Firstly, I put in the link to the article I'm quoting, not twisting, but the comment doesn't appear to have gone up. Secondly, what you're saying doesn't clash with what I'm saying. I'm in perfect agreement with you that no player is signed or pursued without his say so, what I'm saying is that not every player he wants pursued or signed is pursued or signed. So he's signing off on pursuing and signing every player we've pursued and/or signed, but that doesn't mean those players are all his first choices. He wanted Salah, expenditure wasn't approved. I don't believe FSG or the committee would ever sign a player without Rodgers' approval, but I do believe that they don't approve every player Rodgers' wants to pursue or sign. Last summer Rodgers' primary targets were Mkhitaryan, Willian, and Costa. We didn't get any of those players, so he signed who he signed. Just to be clear, do you believe that FSG pursues and signs anyone and everyone that Rodgers' wants? And if not, where exactly do we disagree?

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  94. Greg, this is exactly why I went on a big angry rant the other night. Give it a few more minutes and I'll do another one. Anger is rising.

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  95. yes we are a giant and stronger than Arsenal pre-suarez departure. After Suarez goes, he are very weak and un-attractive to any player. We cant even bid for players like Roderiguez, Falcao , DiMaria etc. We got UCL thats why we are in fight with Arsenal for Sanchez. Without UCL we will be like Spuds. They are no where to be seen. If some how Liverpool finish in top 4 and over Arsenal, then and only then we can expect Liverpool to a long way

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  96. Nicolas Chamberlain1:36 pm, July 07, 2014

    Suarez is gullible and wanted CL. He will never think the same after the 5-1 on Anfield.

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  97. Hahaha....mate i have seen him play. Some players got stats but he is the real deal. If properly coached he will be a Ballon'd Or winner( David Luiz said so)

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  98. I just don't see what your point is. Every manager works within financial constraints; no manager can just whatever player they want without the money-men saying yes or no.

    You keep suggesting that the transfer committee has the power to approve/reject players, and that is just not true. You use the line from the article to back up your point, i.e. 'Rodgers must secure agreement of the committee that a player's meets requirements and is worth pursuing', but the manager's own words on the subject totally and categorically contradict that.

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  99. Firstly the reported fee is 25M Euros = 19,8M Pounds for a player in my opinion on par with all our other attacking options with greater potential. This kid would rock the Kop with his pace and eagerness to take people on. Granted his stats are not superb but I believe that works to our advantage as it gives room to negotiate. 19,8M seems excessive like most transfers these days but that figure could be doubled next year if he contributes 15 Goals/assists next season. Which he is capable of. On a side note what do you guys think about Negredo ? Direct replacement for LS.

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  100. Maybe this is why Sanchez is not keen on joining LFC. Look at the badge...

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  101. Seriously starting to have second thoughts about selling Suarez.

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  102. mate we have come a long way last year. We need to do the same this year to cement our reputation as Arsenal has been for many seasons.

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  103. He is very inconsistent, why would ManC sell just after a year of signing him. Something is wrong with him

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  104. Nicolas Chamberlain1:42 pm, July 07, 2014

    Well, there's always google... I'm only saying this because its the truth ;)

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  105. Nicolas Chamberlain1:43 pm, July 07, 2014

    You are probably right.

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  106. overated and overpriced really disappointed 25 million for a unproven 20 year old is it the owners fault or the tranfer commitee why are Liverpool wasting money again if he was any good Chelsea had first option they would have signed him it take him half a season to settle in the premiership and around 4 seasons to realise his potiental Suarez was 24 years old a full international when he signed why are Liverpool signing a raw 20 year is it desperation i really think the guy Xherdan Shaqiri was the right fit wats going on here be lucky to get top 4 next season.

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  107. I dont understand why everyone is jumping to sign Shaqiri. What has he done. what are his qualities anyway? Just because he was good at Basel 3 years ago you want to sign him? I dont see him being a top player ever.

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  108. Reported by whom? I think we can all agree that the BBC is a credible source, and if it states £25m, then I'm entitled to use that. The Telegraph, The Independent, and the Liverpool Echo - credible sources too - all report £25m.

    As far as I can see, Metro and Sky Sports are reporting £19.8m, and for me, the BBC is a more credible source than both.

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  109. My point isn't purely about the financial constraints, I'm also saying that if Rodgers' says a player is worth looking at the club can disagree and the player won't get bought. Rodgers' words from the interview this article is based around actually seem to support this notion - he says he gets the first call and the last call, last call being okay let's sign him, first call being "the call on whether he's good enough to continue to look at and try to organize a deal." He then says "There is a big part that goes on in between. In modern football you need to trust other people to do the work. That's something we do here...the finer details of that are left to Ian..." and there's some more that supports the point I'm trying to make. Rodgers' is clearly saying that after he picks the players he thinks are good enough to continue to look at the committee takes it from there until it's time to choose who to go for from a final list. So other people are doing the work in terms of narrowing down that initial list, and bringing a final list back to Rodgers', from which he picks the players he wants the club to try and buy. In your debunking article you quote Ayre as saying it's analysis by committee and they won't force a player on the manager. That's true and supports what I'm trying to say here...the committee analyzes Rodgers' initial list, rejects some and supports others.

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  110. Let's hope you're right, and Markovic can have a Sturridge-like impact.

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  111. Just saw this...I quoted the journalist because his 'speculation' appears to conform with the quotes he uses from BR...presumably that's why he said it in the first place. Those quotes are below.

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  112. At least Shaqiri has shown quality at 3 levels of football what the hell has Markovic done.

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  113. I've also got a feeling that if Suarez had a certain future at Liverpool, and Liverpool were chasing still Sanchez, then Sanchez would choose Liverpool.

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  114. I think it might be because his work rate and winning the ball in opposition half. Same as one of the reasons we signed Lallana.

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  115. Please enlighten us about Markovic because many of us don't much about him.

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  116. One thing some have over looked with Markovic is that if he is so good why did Chelsea not put a wide player or 2 on the market and exercise their option to buy him.

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  117. I think he's got the talent...and the attitude, unlike Sturridge did (okay, kidding).

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  118. He just needs a manager that believes in him. When Pellegrini backed him in the beginning of the season he was terrific he lost form and confidence after a few niggles and being rotated. He started to complain and missed out on the world cup so im pretty sure he is not in a great state of mind with the club especially since KUN and Dzeko are probably first choice and Jovetic will expect to start more. City may need to sell a few to reinvest as well . Tempt them with a 20M. Negredo is a poor mans Suarez.

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  119. When was the World Cup won?

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  120. Yeah, but you need more than that to be valued at 25 million by a manager. BR sees something that we can't see, because when you take a team from 7th to 2nd, you unlock an x-ray trophy.

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  121. Because Chelsea aren't the God-almighty judges of talent who get it right 100% of the time ;-)

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  122. Already have would you like to enlighten us.

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  123. Been watching him through his entire career. Stats might not show it but he is an amazing player. Regarding the price- same thing as with Lallana- if we need a player the price doesn't matter. BR thinks he is what we need, and I will trust him. He had many obstacles and and couple of errors in leading this club but he is leading us in the right direction.
    It will take more than few Aspases to start not believing the man who got us fighting for the title after so many years..

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  124. You do realize that each source feed of each other and there is not one stand out source at this stage.You trying to skew the credibility of various sources in your favor to try and validate your point. The fact is Portugeuse sources have reported this deal first and at a precise figure of 25M euros. I have seen on numerous occasions how local papers often get the reported fee incorrect due to the Currency. ( Your precise BBC included )

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  125. They rarely get it right when it comes to Liverpool dealings but it still makes you wonder.

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  126. What you've just stated is personal supposition, not fact. Plus, Portuguese sources are not absolute. I the absence of unambiguous fact, we have to use media sources, and the BBC/Independent etc are credible sources, which is why I've used them.

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  127. totally agree. massive gamble but hope rodgers is right.

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  128. Here's the thing. No one is saying that Markovic is an absolute star player that clubs like Chelsea would move heaven and earth for, because selling 2 wide men in your team for Markovic basically is moving heaven and earth.


    They already have Schurlee and Hazard, so there's no need for them to get desperate.

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  129. He has lots of qualities other than that. If he becomes more accurate with final balls (no reason why not) then he could be very good. He reminds me of Sterling in some ways.

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  130. That could be the team that could say- anything less than semifinal of CL is a failure.. But we can still win it..

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  131. So it's easier to let them off even though they have more prestige, money and champions league? Whereas a manager without those things signs players who are not even first or second choice, some just stop gaps should not be let off? Seems odd to me.

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  132. Well I don't know much about him and from your comments you seems to know more than lot of us that's why I am asking.

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  133. Stop playing silly games.

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  134. Well I just looked at the chelsea squad and I am F***ING SCARED

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  135. Same source. Opta.

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  136. And improving final delivery is relatively speaking apiece of p***. We've all seen how Sterling has improved in that regard..

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  137. But they still have Torres..
    i know, it does sound frightening, and they will be our biggest rivals in next couple of years, but I am confidant we can make it happen... Appart from who we signed and who will apparently will sign(Lovren, Origi and Markovic) we just need Sanches or Di Maria to not be affraid of anyone.

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  138. Oh and don't tell anyone but I have a feeling Costa will be a flop...

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  139. OT-like this comment if you've ever facebook stalked Jaimie...

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  140. You're Balkan, you should know!

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  141. Jamie you stink:::y do u hate dis club? Chelsea bought 20yr old oscar for 25m 21yr old hazard for 19m neymar cost 55m 23yr old bale cost 85m 18yr old shaw cost 30m and lucas moura cost 40m::so wat do u say about dat jamie?

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  142. Is a 20% hit rate any good?


    I've brought it up before... Without any relativity, I have no idea whether 1 in 5 is good or not.


    Obviously everyone wants to get every transfer right but that's unrealistic.


    I would love a point of discussion comparing the success/failures of other top 5 teams' transfer records since Rodgers has been here. Then we can get a much better idea of whether 20% is good or not.

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  143. This post calmed me down a bit.

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  144. "You stink"?


    What are we, 12? Why don't you call him a butthead or fartbreath while we're at it?

    :)

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  145. You have a mind of your own, do you not? As such, you should be able to judge Rodgers' hit rate without reference to external sources.

    What Man Utd/Chelsea do is totally and utterly irrelevant to the question: Has Brendan Rodgers been a success in the transfer market.

    Using other teams as a reference point is just an excuse to avoid the issue.

    What matters is how Rodgers' signings have impacted on LFC's success. Chelsea's signings last summer have no bearing on how Aspas/Alberto performed for LFC.

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  146. Sound super strange to me, teams like Southampton can find good players like Lovren for less than 10 mil pounds. Whereas LFC must look at players 20 mil pounds upwards. An unproven 20 year-old with nothing to show for in the stats department cost 25 mil pounds. Tell me this is uniquely LFC and no one else, please.

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  147. He's Balkan, while the rest are balkin' at the price.

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  148. I just want to say it doesn't mean you spend 20 mil pounds upwards for every single target means you are now in premium market. Even Chelsea and Man City are more prudent than LFC when it comes to splashing huge money on unproven players. Diego Costa only cost 32 mil pounds, scorer of 27 goals in 35 games for AM. What has this boy done for Benfica to warrant such a price tag?

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  149. If player prices doubled just because LFC wants to buy them, that means LFC is in big time trouble. I seriously don't know LFC is in the same league as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea, in terms of results on-pitch, finances and attractiveness as a club. To me LFC has only silly big buys to show for over the years and that's the only reason why all clubs will want to inflate prices for players. If Southampton got Dejan Louven for 8.5 mil pounds and Spurs got Eriksen for 11.5 mil pounds, I don't see how LFC is some much richer to keep looking at players 20 mil pounds upwards. LFC managers (KD and BR), that whatsoever transfer committee and the scouting network are simply clueless and incompetent. Nothing more than that.

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  150. Mr. Point Of View3:50 pm, July 07, 2014

    Wat d rate tat LFC will bcome like THFC?? Bale sold and mgr wasted $? What ur view?

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  151. Arsene Wenger has a much better record than the combined effort of all LFC managers starting from GH. It is very painful to say this but today LFC is just a wannabe big club in England. It does not have a big stadium, marketing value and rich owner compared to the mega clubs in the country and Europe like Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The only thing they have now is a wasteful owner and clueless transfer committee/manager/scouts that even Chelsea and Man City don't dare to dream of. It's a great achievement for LFC to be back in the Champions League again after 4 long years but the amount of money FSG threw into the transfer market to make this happened is out of the world.

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  152. The EPL is of a higher standard than the Portuguese league and that has little to do with English players or the performance of the England team .

    The EPL is of a high standard because of the mix of players and especially the foreign players attracted to the money (sorry prestige) of clubs like Man C and Chelsea.

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  153. Well not yet anyway

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  154. Had to toss a coin to decide whether it was an up or down viote

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  155. The qualities he has would be much harder to learn that is for sure.

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  156. How do you rate success without comparison for relative purposes?


    I'm not even stating one way or another that Rodgers' transfer rate is good or not. I'm merely stating that it needs to be looked into further by comparing to other teams.


    And the question I have is not related to how Rodgers' transfer history has impacted LFC's success. In fact, I tend to agree with you that the 20% you reference is probably pretty close to being accurate (especially considering that the definition here of "success" is subjective).


    My question is relative to what constitutes a successful transfer history. Also subjective, yet fairly important.

    If a baseball player has a batting average of .300, that's considered a very good season. Yet, that means he's FAILING to get a hit 7 out of 10 times. Why is that considered a good season? Because when comparing to other batters, most players don't hit above .300!


    The same could be applied to the example of penalties. The reason why you know if the guy misses 8 out of 10 is bad is because that's well below average compared to other players. You compare that player's statistics to other players! It's a relative and pertinent comparison that helps yield a judgment of success or failure.


    The same concept applies to the transfer market. How do you or I or anyone know if 20% success is good, bad, or average? All that means is that we agree that he is successful 1 out of 5 transfers and a failure 4 out of 5 transfers.


    As an example, if Mourinho/Wenger/Pellegrini/Martinez/Pochettino only get say 10% of their transfers right, well then it could be argued that Rodgers is actually doing a pretty good/above average job in the transfer market. But if say those managers got 30% of their transfers right, well then Rodgers is actually doing a pretty bad/below average job.

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  157. If the average conversion rate for all players was 2 in 10 then it wouldn't be rubbish at all, it would be just average. Of course comparison is relevant. How else do you establish a benchmark? How else do you know what makes a "good" performance or a "bad" performance? No one is suggesting Rodger's hasn't made mistakes but any judgement we make is usually made in comparison to many performances. If the task is particularly difficult and most other managers have a low rate of success then it follows that Rodgers hasn't done a "bad" job. I suppose you'd then argue that all managers are doing an equally bad job, but what's the point of that? If all the top managers in the Premier League are supposedly failing in the transfer market and no one is actually doing any better then the only logical conclusion is that it's simply too difficult to have a high success rate.


    By your logic we could argue that if a player scores from 1 in 15 direct free kicks then it's "rubbish". The reason that's not true is because scoring from a free kick is simply a difficult task. In reality, someone who thus scored from 2 in 10 would be considered an extreme high quality player. The judgement simply can't be made independently of other people's performances. Or rather it can, but it's totally meaningless.

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  158. I've made a similar point before. Sometimes the price of a player is not indicative of how good they are, it's just how much money we had to spend to get them. If Markovic is the kind of player we need, and he's the best of his kind, and his team are demanding a certain amount of money to sell him then that's simply what has to be spent to get him. Then assuming that this player must perform similarly to other players who cost the same isn't entirely sensible.

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  159. Out of this world? Far less than the team that came third! Far less than the team that came third? Far less than the team that narrowly beat us to first. Less than fourth or fifth placed teams this season. Hmmm

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  160. I am not sure we can get the top performers. I think that might be due to our supposed pay structure. I know that Suarez apparently was on £200K but it seems that might have been "special" circumstances.


    It's one thing to say you want to sign quality players and we might now be able to satisfy their ambition with CL football. But if we are not prepare to pay what they think they are worth and what others will pay them then they will not sign.

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  161. I know but it's not really related to what I'm talking about...

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  162. Well if you don't want to tell anyone don't post it on this site. That's another dozen or so people you've just told:-)

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  163. I had to toss a coin whether to post it or not. It's not my best.

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  164. Allegedly, we had a £60,000,000 transfer budget before selling Suarez so add the rumoured £75,000,000 we may get for selling him that gives us £135,000,000 to spend (without other fee's we may get for selling players.) We've spent £25m on Lallana, £4m on Lambert and Can for £10m so that adds up too £39m add the £35m we are going to spend on Origi and Markovic this adds up to £74m. This leaves us £61m to spend (if we spend it) we could surely buy a world class player with that?

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  165. Then we should look at players within realistic price range and spend money prudently. Why must we overpay for players like Lallana, a non first-team player for a mediocre England national team with 2 good seasons of EPL football? Then got rejected at 20 mil pounds for Dejan Lovren (are we having another go at 25 mil pounds?) and now Lazar Markovic, again at 20 mil pounds. Rich and reputed clubs trades star players that is deserving of their price tags. Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez both cost 32 mil pounds and that is more or less a true indication of their value. The way FSG/transfer committee/KD/Comolli/BR conduct their business in the transfer market is a joke, a truly big one.

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  166. Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.

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  167. No worries.


    I accused Suarez of biting Ivanesevic instead of Ivanovic so at least you got the right sport Though it might only be a matter of time before I am proved right :-)

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  168. 20 mil pounds for an attacking player with no solid attacking

    stats to show for. Plus judgement from a manager with far from impressive record in the transfer market till date. All I can say is 'Good luck, mate'.

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  169. Firstly think whether you believe the 20%anyway and then decide if it is any good or not. All this is just opinion so make your own.

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  170. Sorry Sanchez for me...

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  171. If not Pedro would do

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  172. Cash, stadium, manager, the depth of team, results on pitch over the years and even attractiveness of cities, we are basically quite some distance away from Arsenal. World wide fan base and rich history counts for nothing, in fact it causes many people that are associated to LFC to be delusional.

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  173. Jaimie,


    I'll put this into a more simple comparison:


    You claim at the top of this website that this is the "No 1 Independent LFC Site"


    How did you derive that conclusion? In order to be number 1, you'd have to compare yourself to other LFC websites. I'm not contending the validity of the claim. My point is simply that in order for the claim to be made in the first place, it means that you're comparing to your competition (mainly other Independent LFC sites).

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  174. totally agree...it's not easy stuff player development though the couch managers perceive it so..these things need to be judged relatively..love the free kick analogy but was lost on some

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  175. There is zero comparison between website rankings (which are based on objective figures), and a football manager's effectiveness in the transfer market.


    I can make that claim factually because it's based on objective figures. Transfers are a completely different story.

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  176. changing your name on the comment was clever for someone who is 5 are you 5 or 6!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  177. I never do!!!!!!!!!!

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  178. I'll start from the bottom of your response and move upward:


    1. The NASA example is simple. In order for there to be a comparison, there needs to be historical data. They were able to compare and contrast as they did more missions. Sports are the same only they had much more data for reference and comparison. Trying to compare the first NASA Apollo missions to sports that have existed now for a long time is simply not a good comparison. Comparing apples and oranges due to the amount of data available.


    2. The examples you make are all what I'm getting at. Striker A vs. Goalkeeper B vs. Attacking Midfielder C. It's not a dispute if they are all good signings. By the examples you used there, I agree with you that they are all ineffective. We can objectively say that they were not successful. I agree with you.


    Again, I'm not claiming that Rodgers' is better or worse off than other managers. My point is that to make a claim that his transfer history is a failure cannot be accurately depicted without a relative comparison to other managers.


    3. The baseball reference:


    Position Player A hit .300
    Position Player B hit .200


    Would you make the claim that this simple statistic does not accurately differentiate each player's effectiveness as a batter?



    The same example could conceivably be applied to the penalty taker example you referenced. My baseball example proved that the .300 hitter is essentially failing at bat 7 out of 10 times. Yet, the .300 hitter is seen as good because of comparison to other players.


    Your penalty taker failed 8 out of 10 times, yet that is considered bad? Why? Because you compared him to other players.


    4. I have explained "Why" it is necessary (several times now including previous posts). How do you know if Rodgers' 20% success rate is actually good or not? The only way to tell it is good is to compare to the competition.

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  179. Seriously seriously worried if we are actually paying 25 million for him. I've seen a bit of him for Benfica and wasn't overly impressed. Also you know you are in trouble when you watch youtube clips and even then you aren't impressed. We are just going to have to hope BR can work his magic on this one but personally this is setting alarm bells ringing for me.

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  180. Agreed!!!!


    I'm not claiming that judging success in the transfer market is objective.


    My point is that you used objective data to claim that you are running the number 1 independent LFC site.


    You can still go about using objective data to claim success or failure of a transfer window. Prices/Results/etc. It's just more of a subjective issue.

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  181. We definitely shouldn't spend every last penny this summer. We should save some of the Suarez money for January and next summer. Buying players for the sake of it is a recipe for disaster. With Lambert, Lallana and Can already in and it looks like Markovic, Lovren and Origi to follow. I would only expect perhaps Shaqiri or another wide man plus a LB and possibly a GK if we can finally get rid of Pepe.

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  182. Again, I'm not claiming that Rodgers' is better or worse off than other managers. My point is that to make a claim that his transfer history is a failure cannot be accurately depicted without a relative comparison to other managers.

    This is the crux of the issue, and again, I totally disagree. It is clearly and obviously possible to state that a manager's transfer history is a failure *without* comparison with the competition. I've explained why i believe this to be the case, so no need to repeat myself.

    What you are advocating is an excuse for pro-Rodgers apologists, and what you've proposed is not how it works in the real world.

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  183. Ok, in regards to all the moaning about BR's allegedly abysmal tranfer record: I saw a comment somewhere a few months ago that pointed to the effect of BR's "failed" signings on training and the locker room. Now, let's say the signings that did not contribute heavily on the field DID assist in producing a higher level of training, which, in turn, made the starting XI that much more effective on game day. Would the £20m or so we "wasted" on the likes of Aspas, Alberto, Moses, and Cissokho then become worth it?

    It think that improved training sessions make a team better for game days, and BR consistently pointed to great training sessions in his pre-game interviews last season.

    I'm not trying to defend an allegedly awful transfer record, but I will say that none of us on this forum have access to training or what goes on in the locker room, so to just assume that the players we have all labelled flops made NO contributions to our rise from 7th to 2nd in 2013/14 is just harsh and unwarranted. A squad is made up of 23 players, and if we were training against Charles and Sid from the block day in, day out, then I'd venture to say that we'd have finished last season well outside the CL places.

    Let's be fair, our manager is a stud, and even though evey player he brings in May not be a home run hitter, I'm pretty confident that every signing BR makes will play a part in making our stars shine that much brighter.

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  184. For Rodgers' perspective, I agree that he has hit on 20% of his transfers. I agree with your point there. I've said it before here several times already.



    I made this point before and I'll say it again. What if I told you that the other top 5 managers in the PL got about 10% of their transfers right? Then all of a sudden, his 20% looks a lot better. On the other hand, if they were getting 30% of their transfers right, then his 20% looks bad (and more along the lines of what you're insinuating).


    The problem is that you are making a claim that he needs to get better without knowing what a realistic expectation is for improvement. And you can't develop a realistic expectation without having something to compare it to/benchmark against.


    If Rodgers got 50% of his transfers right, would that be "successful"? Obviously it would be better than his currently agreed upon 20%, but we can say that because we are making the comparison between 50% and 20%.


    But is the 50% good or not? If other top 5 managers are coming it at 40%, then the 50% looks really good. If the other top 5 managers are coming in at 60%, well then the 50% is not so good.


    This is really not that complicated of an idea. The method to deriving the final solution is complicated because there are subjective elements that come into play.

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  185. Not how it works in the real world? Seriously?

    What world do you live in where businesses don't compare their success or failure to their competitors?

    You do it, yourself! You compare your own website to other independent LFC sites. It's through objective data.

    I AM NOT STATING THAT BRENDAN RODGERS HAS BEEN A SUCCESS OR A FAILURE IN THE TRANSFER MARKET BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HIS COMPETITION HAS ALSO DONE IN THE TRANSFER MARKET!

    Let's play out a little scenario:

    1. LFC Owners calls Rodgers into their office to talk Transfers and make the claim that LFC has been poor with transfers since BR took over. In We've gotten 1 out of every 5 right.

    Scenario 1:

    Rodgers then turns around and says, "Well it's not an exact science, but you'd be surprised to know that in reality, that's about on average with what other top teams do in the PL. Here's the data that shows what our competition does as well. Taking into account a variety of factors. Obviously we are always looking to get better players."

    Scenario 2:
    Rodgers then turns around and says, "Well it's not an exact science, and unfortunately, we've been below par on this stuff. Our competition gets closer to 25/30/40/50% (JK, make up a number, I don't care)."



    Obviously in scenario 1, Rodgers looks a lot better than he does in scenario 2.

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  186. Excatly. The only question is weather Markovic(Shaqiri, Lovren or any player we bring) will prove himself worthy of our club or not.

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  187. I already told everyone I know,so I'll be torturing you guys for a while...

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  188. BR is a stud??? Bizarre use of language there!!! But other than that I do see where your coming from, however, you would still expect 20 million of signings to have some kind of impact on the field of play. I think to assume they were worth the money due to their actions in training and in the locker room is clutching at straws just a bit.

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  189. I really don't understand what Jaimie doesn't understand. As you, I don't know what is a good rate, but I am assuming 30-35. And I will write those 10-15% due to his leap from small to large budget and lack of CL football.

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  190. It is completely subjective though. Take Ozil for example... Many people would call him a flop but in reality he's still a class player and can win matches single handedly. I just think you would have to make your own judgements on this.

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  191. Pablo Von Mooneyo5:57 pm, July 07, 2014

    Yep all of the above im afraid! i was praying last season Everton wud get that 4th spot becuz an Arsenal on the rise with money to spend is bad news for us :/

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  192. I can't say I do agree with the 20% but I do agree with you about comparison. The only way to know is to compare signings of other managers and work out a similar way of achieving a %. But this would be personal belief only and so seem arbitrary to others. So that makes the whole thing difficult. That's why I think this whole thing is far too moot. I personally think the transfers could have been better but I can see how circumstance was as bug a factor as those making the decisions.

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  193. " the amount of money FSG threw into the transfer market to make this happened is out of the world."
    Are you sure that we have spend more than ManC, Chelsea and ManU. Yes Arsenal have been better than us in transfer market. Because their main guy is Arsene Wenger who is nearing end. We have some how reached top 4. And we need to do it again this time.HOW? We just need to be a step ahead of ManU and Spurs. Are Spurs better than us? No. Are ManU btter than us? Maybe its too close. But BR's experience should get us through.
    If we finish in top 4 on consistent basis only then we can look forward to other problems like a big stadium and more marketing. Things are not so gloomy as it looks. But finishing in top 4 is paramount. Lets get behind the team

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