Earlier this week, Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva admitted that a move away from Anfield 'might happen' this summer, and reports in Italy today suggest that Napoli have agreed a deal to sign the popular Brazilian.
According to Italian newswire Sportmediaset:
* Liverpool have agreed a loan-to-buy (LTB) transfer with Napoli, which consists of an initial €2m loan
* The deal includes a €10m purchase clause, which can be taken up next summer.
* Worries over Lucas's susceptibility to injury are the reason for the initial loan deal.
When asked on Thursday about Napoli's interest, Lucas told Vavel Brazil:
"Never say never. If something good comes up for me and the club, it might happen, but now I'm focused on doing a good job for Liverpool".
The proposed Napoli deal may explain why Lucas - recently hailed by Rodgers for his 'incredible' attitude - made the starting line-up for the Reds' first Premier League game; Rodgers probably wanted him in the shop window to ensure the deal goes through.
Hopefully, Lucas will take the deal. It's unfortunate, but he is now literally redundant at Anfield. His role no longer exists, and he is (arguably) not suited to Rodgers' preferred style of play. Plus, with Gerrard, Can, Henderson, and (possibly) even Joe Allen ahead of him in the pecking order, Lucas's chances of regular first team action will be limited this season.
Rafa Benitez signed Lucas for Liverpool, and his current pursuit seems to suggest that he still rates the midfielder very highly. As such, I doubt he'd sign him with the intention of keeping him on the bench all season. Additionally, the slower pace of Serie A may suit Lucas more at this stage of his career.
In the same interview with Vavel, Lucas made it clear once again that he's desperate to break into the Brazil team, and he'll only be able to do that if he's playing regularly, so the move to Napoli makes perfect sense.
Lucas only cost £5m back in 2007, so if Liverpool can get €12m back for him, then that will represent excellent business.
Author: Jaimie K
According to Italian newswire Sportmediaset:
* Liverpool have agreed a loan-to-buy (LTB) transfer with Napoli, which consists of an initial €2m loan
* The deal includes a €10m purchase clause, which can be taken up next summer.
* Worries over Lucas's susceptibility to injury are the reason for the initial loan deal.
When asked on Thursday about Napoli's interest, Lucas told Vavel Brazil:
"Never say never. If something good comes up for me and the club, it might happen, but now I'm focused on doing a good job for Liverpool".
The proposed Napoli deal may explain why Lucas - recently hailed by Rodgers for his 'incredible' attitude - made the starting line-up for the Reds' first Premier League game; Rodgers probably wanted him in the shop window to ensure the deal goes through.
Hopefully, Lucas will take the deal. It's unfortunate, but he is now literally redundant at Anfield. His role no longer exists, and he is (arguably) not suited to Rodgers' preferred style of play. Plus, with Gerrard, Can, Henderson, and (possibly) even Joe Allen ahead of him in the pecking order, Lucas's chances of regular first team action will be limited this season.
Rafa Benitez signed Lucas for Liverpool, and his current pursuit seems to suggest that he still rates the midfielder very highly. As such, I doubt he'd sign him with the intention of keeping him on the bench all season. Additionally, the slower pace of Serie A may suit Lucas more at this stage of his career.
In the same interview with Vavel, Lucas made it clear once again that he's desperate to break into the Brazil team, and he'll only be able to do that if he's playing regularly, so the move to Napoli makes perfect sense.
Lucas only cost £5m back in 2007, so if Liverpool can get €12m back for him, then that will represent excellent business.
Author: Jaimie K
Good business if they buy him but Napoli have form for not taking up the option. We'd will certainly need a new CM next Summer if he goes given Gerrards age. If two of the four left our out injured we will have problems.
ReplyDeleteIm inclined to agree but what do we do, if nobody else is willing to take him then thats all we can do, wages off the books and potentially if he has a good season they will sign him.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't say he was underrated, he was voted our player of the year one season. Was great then but the injuries have taken their toll and he's just not good enough to our system anymore. Let's hope Napoli sign him for loan and we get Song or someone like that to replace him.
ReplyDeleteBut...How many times do we get fooled by these Italian teams. Napoli certainly won't sign him after the season. Just like with Aquilani couple of times and Reina. Italian team don't have the money.
Gerrard only starts playing after January.
ReplyDeleteI hope Spurs absolutely smack them again at the OT
ReplyDeletebut it gets his wages off the books and gets us 2m ...theres an old adage your first offer is usually your best offer,..if he goes over there and performs another club will sign him if they dont
ReplyDeleteI wish borini would take a leaf from Lucas book and just leave when not wanted
ReplyDeletethe problem with borini is that rogers signed him and he probably feels hes owed a shot
ReplyDeleteBayern offers Shaqiri to Juventus for 23m€. What do you think? Should we still try to get him? That's like £18m.
ReplyDeleteI hope they hav a top DMF replacement in mind...
ReplyDeleteno way ,too many players as it is
ReplyDeleteapart from maybe a cdm if lucas leaves , another striker if borini leaves and gk
we dont need any more players
Yep, Spurs are underrated as opposition, but at least they (and Everton) have Europa League to contend with.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you unreservedly positive about some LFC transfer business at last Jaimie!
ReplyDeleteEto'o was not resigned because he spoke back when Mourinho called him an old man. Jose Mourinho does not like anybody who stands up to him
ReplyDeletenot in his position anyway
ReplyDeleteAgreed if we can sell off the deadwood ASAP!
ReplyDeletehuh , how was last time we played at the Etihad a sign of immaturity by rogers are you serious , we were the only team as quoted by man city that took it to them at the Etihad and walked away with nothing , got ripped of by a dodgy linesman , like seriously some people make some crazy comments when they have no experience at managing a football team
ReplyDeleteI see where your coming from. I have the same feeling. But having said that, I think its well documented that Balotelli has these tendencies. Liverpool's managing team will know that. And I think its something that has been discussed already with Mario. Liverpool is the right club to discipline Balotelli. Every player is expected to give 110 percent for this club. Even when it looks like Mario is putting in only 60 percent for a wonderstrike!!!
ReplyDeleteI think it is a good move as he is a rafa type of player who will work in a slower paced league. He'll do well and napoli aren't cheapos like Milan, theyll pay for him. It is a win win situation.
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of the fans a big thanks to Lucas leiva
We should get Alex Song or Romulo (Spartak Moscow) on loan with option to buy.
ReplyDeleteYeah having a week to prepare for games will be helpful. We perhaps benefited a bit from that. Especially with their squad extra games won't help. But they are still (imo) the fifth best team. Either Di Maria comes in for one of Van Persie or Rooney, they stick him at LWB or they change formation. So Di Maria will need time to settle and get used to both the system and the role and if a change of tact is called for then the whole team will need to adjust.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong I am not saying they will be bad forever (despite what I wish) just that this season they will find it very tough.Next season...........
Napoli will not buy him its just another cheap trick promising to buy him no matter how well he goes its not happening.
ReplyDeleteI wish Lucas well he has been a good player and a loyal servant to the club.
Wish we could sel him outiright for his sake and ours......we need another DM to fill his shoes and Stevie's ever slowing boots........
ReplyDeleteWe dont have a f**king DM in the team and you are telling me our last recognised DM will be loaned out to save 2m????? we will really struggle this season
ReplyDeleteLFC looked slightly toothless at the top end but now we look to have a bit of a cutting edge. On another note we still have a better strike force than Chelski. Actually just as good attacking prospects period. I'd rather Couthino than Willian, Sturridge over Costa, Sterling over Salah / Schuler (good player though) Balo over Torres Drogba... Fabs better than Lallana but over all we're not bad at all.
ReplyDeleteAs delighted as I am to hear that Rodgers has finally seen Lucas doesn't add anything to this team, I am worried that we, like last year, will rely on only five midfielders for a full season in a 4-3-3 system. Of Gerrard, Can, Allen, Coutinho and Henderson, the first is no spring chicken; the second untested, the third doesn't even have a position you could say he's good at playing and the last two remain to be seen if they take another step up this season. AND we'll have more games to play. We need another CM and a frigging good one if we're to compete with midfields containing Matic or Yaya Touré.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree .And I have absolute faith on Fenway.They know how to run things without getting carried away too much.The work they did with Boston redsox is incredible!For instance when they were signing BR instead of a big name people were questioning them.Now we can see what BR has got.I always believe owners like them will be good for the club in the long run.Had they been there Torres money would have been spent a lot more productively and the club wouldn't have been set back for 3 years.
ReplyDeleteJust sub him off if hes in his flowers, weve got loads of options. Great signing, lifes about taking risks.
ReplyDeleteI think you are overreacting. Pirlo his father has approved of the deal! ;P.But I do agree Bony would have been a safer if not better choice. Eto= never!
ReplyDeleteSome people here, already judge and condemn the guy that even didn't play one game for Liverpool. Shame!
ReplyDeleteTorres was a baby, looked like a great prospect, but no moreso than someone like Markovic, plus Suarez scored49 the year before at Ajax in the Dutch league. Scoring 49 in the dutch league is what strikers do, let alone when they had arguably the best midfield in the dutch league and an attacking setup. 6 of those goals came in a single dutch cup game against Dutch Saturday League C team WHC Wezep, a boatload came against Europa minnows like Bratislava. 35 league goals is great, but to put it in perspective, Bryan Ruiz scored 24! Balo has a fear factor, defenders arent used to a player like him, he's big, fast and damn intimidating. Stay positive or stay away from our bandwagon
ReplyDeleteIt is impossible to give 110%, because 100% is the whole.
ReplyDeletePeople are going to judge someone with a background like Mario...but let's hope he realises this is his last chance at a top club and knuckles down! If he has a good season scores 20+ goals he'll be worth £30m...! Lol it's a risk worth taking...
ReplyDeleteI think I see what gilstrap is saying. If you look at Agger, Skrtel, Lovren and Toure, if a pass isn't on they can move with the ball and make an opening. From what I've seen of Sakho, he simply can't do that and he always has to release quickly. The ball gets caught beneath his feet and he's stuck in the mud. In my view, this is where the uncertainty in his game is. If Sakho can't hold the ball it puts other players under the pump, especially if they are going to chase an unexpected pass. If Sakho had the moves like Dagger he'd be in my team.
ReplyDeleteAnd still we lost dun give excuses..chelsea won there and created chances..we were dominated in 2nd half just dun count first fifteen minutes..go watch those games n talk..i am saying we have pace and good pressing power we can surely hurt them..if br goes with same philosophy then again tomorrow u will come out with excuses that dude we compeletely outplayed them alas we lost.
ReplyDeleteAny deal can go horribly wrong, just ask Chelsea [torres, scheva, and many others].
ReplyDeleteBalotelli could be a disaster or it could be sturridge part 2, last chance at a big club syndrome , hopefully he takes the chance and flourishes. All in all rogers has spent the summer money well, and hopefully we will get in the top 4 and some worldy players will see we are back in the cl for good
Utd paid 63 million for di Maria which is daylight robbery, he won't score 30 goals a season, I would hate for Liverpool to be held at ransom like this it makes the Andy Carroll fee look normal
ReplyDeleteWhilst I am not a fan of these type of deals as it seem to be a rare that clubs actually sign the player, they will become more and more popular due to FFP.
ReplyDeleteI just hope we will lead by 2 in the 65th minute today so he can come in and give his fare well on the big stage..
ReplyDeleteThanks Lukas, good luck.
Lallana will be helpful..
ReplyDeleteCan apparently...
ReplyDeleteI don't see it but we will see.
ReplyDeleteYou missed Hazard
ReplyDeleteWell said Carra, exactly my thoughts on the situation. His off field exploits are more amusing than anything. When I think of the things I did at 22 they are pretty tame, and if i had his money at that age I would probably be serving time :)
ReplyDeleteHis discipline on the pitch is the biggest concern, but even at that I'm not too worried. Trust Rodgers to put a leash on that pretty quickly ( to reign it out every now and then aswell) and there are plenty of players in the league who are even more unpredictable on the pitch who won't get half the coverage he does. Anyway enough said. Hope to see this team tonight.
-----------------------------Mignolet-------------------------
Manquillo----------Skrtel---------Lovren---------Moreno
-----------------------------Gerrard--------------------------
-----------------Henderson---------Can--------------------
Sterling--------------------------------------------Markovic
----------------------------Sturridge-------------------------
SUBS: Jones,Sahko,Johnson,Allen,Coutihno,Ibe,Lambert
I`m fed up listening to all these people prejudging Mario before he even as the chance to prove himself, some of his own country men have said he`s matured so lets give him a chance, we`re all guilty of doing silly things when we where young so why`s he so different? I think he will toe the line and be the player and man we all hope for on and off the pitch, I hope all his doubters are ready to eat a huge portion of humble pie, when proven wrong. Mario welcome to our LFC family, this is the most exciting transfer news of all for me this window, looking forward to seeing the new star of Anfield don the famous red. bring it on number 19 is up and coming this season.
ReplyDelete352 will only work if a team has pace in abundance, Mata Rooney and RVP are good players but they need to be close to opposition goal to do any type of damage
ReplyDeleteWell, whenever Sakho plays next, try and spot what I've noticed. I did my best to describe it. I'm not for or against Sakho, just something I discovered in his play. There has to be a reason why Rodgers tends to overlook him.
ReplyDeleteIt's time to stop the LTB farce. If a player will not move on when he is no longer required by his parent club the manager must make it clear that he is no longer in his plans. He must be clear in his mind that that reserve team football beckons! Every player has the right to stay and be paid his contractual remuneration but big clubs must learn to pay a much bigger proportion of the wage on performance related appearance. It seems LFC have not done this.
ReplyDeleteLallana, Markovic and Lovren are close enough..
ReplyDeleteI have watched him plenty mate. After he started getting stick I payed more attention to his passing and movement. He doesn't travel enough with the ball granted. He likes to get the ball doing the work more. To say he can't do it is unfair though as he has at times done it fine enough. I actually posted stats on the matter a while ago on this site and apparently he moves more with the ball than his counterparts. Having said that I am sure it is more over small distances rather than larger runs. He does tend to receive the ball quite a bit too (other stats I have posted in the past) this may account for why Sakho will be traveling with the ball more than others as it is cumulative. I agree Agger can move with the ball better but on every other matter concerned Sakho wins out. That is the Agger of today rather than the best of Agger. Stats back this up.
ReplyDeleteManure need more than Di Maria
ReplyDeleteEven Kuyt's scoring record in Holland was pretty good
ReplyDeleteIf they sign Shaw, Rojo AND Blind then they really don't know what they're doing
ReplyDeleteDecent in the air too
ReplyDeleteRodgers is'nt big on protecting our back four, Lucas is not a natural DM, neither is Gerrard, but the back four will be slated for letting in goals never the less. IMO a proven DM should have been top priortiy. The new guys in defence will suffer the same without protection, i saw enough in the match against Southampton.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is thinking it for about 3 years and getting depressed all the time, i kind of got used to the idea that this is Gerrard last year and then hopefully a DM will be the top target. They just don't have the balls to bench Gerrard.
ReplyDeleteSo long as we get a top 4 i will be happy with this season which has no defensive mid at all. . .
The Tottenham game is the big one for me.
Realistically today it's 50% that we lose. 50% that we win or lose, and about 30% that we win.
I predict a really entertaining game tonight.
win or draw*
ReplyDeleteI hope others in our team have the attitude and professionalism that Lucas Leiva as shown throughout his Liverpool career, if he is to leave he should be given a fantastic farewell by all, the mans been a total credit to the team the club and also himself.
ReplyDeleteDifficult to disagree with The voice of reason. Well said.
ReplyDeletea bid for morgan schniderlin
ReplyDelete20m
we need a proper dm
plus this will mess spuds transfer plans and from what i ahve seen so far tey are more of a threat to our top 4 status then man utd ,everton and arsenal
Emre Can is a remarkable adaptable player who will suit being in a defensive roll, that`s part of Brendans plans to slowly introduce him into that defensive and forward thinking player so have a cuppa with 4 sugars and relax, panic over.
ReplyDeletethis will be another failure, failure in money, failure in every sense. if he is sold it would be great business he was never a Liverpool star player, always with late challenges which gave a thankyou fouls for opponents, I still expect him to perform well with another team, but not with LIVERPOOL. the club is too much for him, he better accepted a much inferior team. sometime players see big and that is what happens they make a mess of money and performances. Bye Lucas make your vision well. Coach.
ReplyDeleteYou can edit your comment by clicking on it and the edit option comes up
ReplyDeletei was just wondering
ReplyDeleteif we loan one player i think there is a rule you cant loan a second
what if we sell with a buy back clause
Represents the end of an era, good servant, wish him well. Now for an athletic enforcer!
ReplyDeleteThat`s Brendans way we got robbed last time by a officials very poor decision, and if that goal would have stood like it should have we might have even finished them off, with all 3points coming our way and number 19 in the bag, because we did go all out for the win no good sitting back against City mate otherwise we may as well through the towel in before we start.
ReplyDeletethrow the towel in silly me.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about fear factor...yet. But he definitely has the 'unpredictability' factor of Suarez...that ability to turn nothing into something, and the swagger to lift it on the big stage, especially now we're in Europe.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jamie, his off field antics are usually eccentric, endearing, hilarious and often laudable. He'll get good boundaries from BR, great mentoring from Stevie, and from his team mates - the culture of the dressing room is stronger than any potential disruption or laziness Mario may show on a bad day.
Besides, Mario has gotten older, married, and may just realise finally that he has a chance to be a great.
And here's the biggest factor...what Mario really wants is to be loved and appreciated. That's what all the antics are about. Where better than Liverpool to get some love? Liverpool fans can be guilty of blind hero worship, and ridiculous loyalty. Now that's something that may get Balotelli to finally shine and come good!
He is not a defensive midfielder. we cant just put anyone in DM position. It requires lot of tactical awareness more so in case of Liverpool as Gerrard not only has to defend but spread the play over the whole turf plus provide long balls. We need to sign a talented and experienced midfielder for DM position. Song would do for now
ReplyDeleteBony is more expensive, and in my opinion balotelli on the field offers us a lot more. We were quoted over £20 mill for bony, to get the first choice Italian forward for 16 mil is a steal and could be the best bargain we have ever made. Balo and his agent both no he has to knuckle down, and of he does we have a 25 goal a year player, if not more. Perfect summer of signings for me, strengthened everywhere, have options everywhere, and players that can hurt teams off the bench, we have a large, talented and young squad, we could t of said that last year. If we can stay in touch until they all bed in, be say 3rd around November, we have every chance of winning the league
ReplyDeleteLucas is the only specialist holder we have in squad. We had the Masch, with Lucas as back up. Then we had Lucas with Gerrard as back up. But both the Masch and Lucas are DMFs. Gerrard had been put there as his legs have gone but his spirit remains. And he cannot suppress his natural instinct to look forward. Who holds when Gerrard is rested? Don't forget that Villa game - Gerrard's lack of pace was exposed. Lucas also knows how to foul properly. Big mistake to let him go. He was central to our last title push under Rafa and we let in more goals once he got injured and Gerrard replaced him last season.
ReplyDeleteamen to that
ReplyDeleteJamie, sorry, you do talk cack sometimes. No way any manager worth his salt would start a player to put him in the shop window at the start of a season, get a grip man!
ReplyDeleteI couldnt agree with u anymore.. U sir deserve my respect..
ReplyDeleteNot in squad today. Will this mean he's leaving?
ReplyDeletewe played very well alas we lost
ReplyDeleteIn midfield? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteOh yes.... Hazard very true.
ReplyDelete