19 Aug 2014

Legend raves: 'Unplayable' £19m star would be a 'great player for LFC.

Wilfried Bony to Liverpool? Some Reds fans don't seem to be particularly enamoured with the prospect of the Ivorian international signing for LFC, but Anfield legend Steven Nicol is a big fan of the striker, and has urged his old club to seal the deal.

When asked this week about potential Liverpool transfers, Nicol insisted that Bony 'would be a great player for Liverpool', adding:

"I'm sorry they [LFC] haven’t got Wilfried Bony.

"He's a proven striker in the Premier League, he scores goals, and he has played with a side that is similar in style to Liverpool.

"He would settle into Liverpool very quickly. I'm hoping that would be the [next] signing"
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I totally agree with Nicol here, and I've yet to hear any credible, persuasive arguments *against* signing £19m-rated Bony. Everyone is entitled to their own view, but in this case, all I see is baseless antipathy towards signing the striker, usually backed up by spurious comparisons to Rickie Lambert.

The most ridiculous reason advanced so far is that Bony allegedly didn't play well against Man United at the weekend. This is a one-eyed, agenda-driven excuse, which arguably has zero credibility:

* Bony played a major part in both of Swansea's goals. He created the space for the first goal (by holding off the defender), and used his initiative to take the quick free kick, which ultimately led to Swansea's winning goal.

* Some fans are ridiculously trying use this ONE game as a catch-all to dismiss Bony's ability (!) Since when does ONE game define a player's entire career? It's nonsense. Philippe Coutinho didn't have the best of games against Southampton, but does that now mean he's a rubbish player?! Gerrard's slip against Chelsea cost Liverpool a goal (and possibly the league title) - does that now mean we should ignore the rest of his career?! Of course not.

* Bony grabbed 33 goals/assists last season, yet the fans peddling the above myth totally ignore this, and try to convince everyone that the striker's performance against Manchester United is the only one that matters. Again, it's nonsense.

So, Bony didn't have a storming game against Man Utd; big deal! As noted above, he still contributed to both goals, and last time I checked, Swansea won the game. At Old Trafford.

Overall, there are number of positives to consider:

* First and foremost, 'unplayable' Bony's stats for Swansea in his first season:

- Overall: 27 goals/6 assists in 50 apps.
- Goal/Assist every 1.5 games.
- League only: 16 goals/4 assists in 27 starts.
- Goal/assist every 1.3 starts.

* Since when is a striker who averages a goal/assist every 1.3 starts not goo enough for LFC?

* The Ivorian has basically carried on where he left off in 2012-13, when he proved himself to be a goal-machine for Vitesse Arnhem:

- 31 goals/8 assists in 30 league games.
- Goal every 85 minutes.
- Goal/Assist every 67 minutes.

* No settling-in time required. Should be able to hit the ground running.
* Should score more at LFC as he'll be playing with better players.

* According to Swansea boss Gary Monk, Bony clearly has the right attitude and approach to be a success at Liverpool: "He [Bony] is a proper professional. He's not the sort of player to take it easy. Every single day he pushes himself and everyone around him. The more players like that you have in your squad, the better you're going to be."

One key thing to consider is that, right now, Sturridge, has no competition for his place. He's an amazing striker, but he (arguably) needs to have some form of credible competition, and having Bony at the club will push him to work hard to maintain his form.

As such, the idea that Bony will just be a back-up to Daniel Sturridge is (IMO) nonsense. Rodgers played two up-front many times last season, so there's no reason why he won't do that again this season.

Granted, £19m seems like a lot of money, but the opposition to that fee makes no sense. Liverpool paid £20m for Lazar Markovic (only 20, with no Premier League experience), so how can £19m for Bony - who is proven on the international stage AND the Premier League - be excessive?!

Of all the strikers currently linked with Liverpool, Bony is the most realistic option. Yes, I'd rather have Cavani, but the likelihood of that happening seems slim, and as good as he is, there's also no guarantee that the Uruguayan will take the Premier League by storm.

If LFC sign Bony, I personally will be very happy with the deal.

Author:


79 comments:

  1. To be fair, Bony looked a wee bit desinterested against Man Utd and that has probably caught the eye of many observers. Maybe he was so because he is waiting on us to come in and get him?

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  2. All you ever do is quote steve nicol. This site should be called the I love steve nicol site not Liverpool Kop.

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  3. Maybe his head was elsewhere on the weekend.. wanting a move away.. Only concern is African cup of nations.. If Sturridge has his annual injury in this period, we're down to one striker

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  4. I agree completely with you. Bony is awesome and should be bought asap. But I've a defence for some fans against him. I watched him last year quite a bit because I've a soft spot for Swansea but for the majority of fans - this was the first time for fans seeing him as a target. And he didnt overly trouble the United defenders did he?

    But regardless, he's boss. Period.

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  5. He'd do better at Liverpool if he performs at the same level as the past two seasons. We create more chances than Swansea. Only downside would be his participation in the African Cup of Nations. City spiralled down when Yaya went for the tournament couple of years ago. Bony might not be at that level; but an impact player could be missing for an entire month.

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  6. He scores goals ... goals win games

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  7. I agree with you that he is the most realistic option. Of the strikers we have been linked with would he be my first choice? No. It's a big step up from Swansea to Liverpool and I still have niggling doubts on whether he can make it. So on that basis I would have preferred Cavani/Falcao/Lavezzi (more of a winger I know but can play centrally) all played in big teams with big expectations and in CL.
    Realistically we won't be signing any of these trio and Bony is definately the next best option. I liked the way he played last year and his stats cannot be argued with, yet I still keep trying to think of a better option. So far I can't come up with one.
    We need to sign someone soon, the longer we leave it the harder it will get, so I hope we go for it. The shopping will be done and we can concentrate on getting the team playing the kind of football we did last year.

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  8. Honestly, I can't really criticise Bony as a player, just don't see him as a Liverpool player...

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  9. I think he'd be a nice signing for us.


    Are other teams linked with him? Haven't read anything other than Liverpool's interest.

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  10. He is utter rubbish. All his goals and assists were lucky .. best leave him with us. STID

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  11. bony would have been realistic option I agree but don't you think we would have already bought him? makes me really angry if we keep trying to get cavani/falcao and then miss this whole bony thing because swansea doesn't want to sell anymore.because they don't have time to buy a new guy.

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  12. Guys he is a Swansea player and they are going to sell him ,and not for 19 mill. dream on.

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  13. He would be playing many games in succession in the ACN, so 4 weeks off is the very minimum., most players return fatigued.

    He did look very pedestrian against Utd, TBH I have not seen enough of him over 90mins to draw a definite conclusion, but if its him or Borini/Lambert to cover/play with Studge, then yes 100%.
    I'm still hoping for a better player though.

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  14. I can remember similar comments from Southampton fans before we signed Lallana and Lovren - just saying

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  15. I said in your earlier discussion on Cavani, that if Cavani's price is too high, Bony would be an acceptable option at £20M. Let's not underestimate BR's coaching ability either. Bony would join us at an age similar to what Suarez was and he improved his accuracy and hit rate under BR. I would be delighted with Cavani at the right price, but the deals suggested for Falcao are not worth it and Bony would be a very decent purchase right now. Would also be nice if Reus fancied a move to LFC! :-)

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  16. We can't afford to drop Sturridge when he is fit. So we need a goal scoring striker who is versatile and can play as a striker as well as a winger if needed. Best examples of such players are sanchez and reus. I would prefer lavezzi over bony as he is a good finisher, has pace and dribbles well. He will score goals, and will be available for around 15-20m pounds. He is worth that much irrespective of his age.

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  17. Texeira scored against Leeds at Elland Road, on his first start for Brighton.

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  18. Lavezzi has a 10% stat at scoring when shooting on target, thats one goal in every 10 shots. He has no goal scoring ability, look at his stats again.

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  19. 100% agree. Worry about getting a striker that will upset the applecart by having to play and maybe usurping Studge. Those you have mentioned who can be versatile enough to play wide work well... as does a decent striker who doesn't mind not always playing as hopefully Bony might well be. Any of those mentioned I'd be happy with in one way or another - as long as we get somebody!!

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  20. LFC need a PL proven striker. Bony is.
    LFC need a striker who can score in multiple ways. Bony scores with both feet and his head comfortably.
    LFC need a striker who can play up front alone. Bony did that last year.
    LFC need a striker who can pair with another striker. Bony played with Michu and that pairing worked ok when Michu wasn't hurt.
    He's less than 20M. We paid 45M for two attackers, Lallana and Markovic, who barely scored half as many goals last year as Bony.
    I wish I knew what is holding LFC back on this deal. It makes more sense than any other, but there's no movement.

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  21. At 07.45 yesterday morning on this site Steve Nicol wanted LFC to sign Cavani for 63 million euros, today it's Bony, Stevie Nicols opinion is strange to me !

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  22. Heard that Southampton's Tea-Lady is available for a very reasonable fee. :-) But seriously, I'd rather we kept Borini and showed some faith in him, rather than just get somebody!!

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  23. Nicol is paid by the word...that's your answer.

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  24. Get Bony in now and stop all this nonsense over Falcoa, Cavani, and Lavezzi that`s not going to happen in my opinion, if Bony comes in and only scores 15 goals but gives Sturridge the freedom to go on and score 30 then i`m all for it.

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  25. Ha ha ha - should've been a little clearer - by "somebody" I meant of the calibre discussed... though I do share an optimism concerning Borini's potential. Wherever he ends up think he may surprise a few...

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  26. Brilliant news good lad deserves a chance in the next few years hopefully.

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  27. I know it's a big comp but serious pain in the a** for European teams...

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  28. In terms of short term solutions ... we don't we go for Miroslav Klose? I can't imagine that he is really happy at a club like Lazio ... 2m and he is there.

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  29. Couldn't agree more Jaimie, I think Bony would be a brilliant signing. Can't see what everyone's problem with him is.

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  30. From what I have seen of him I cannot see how he would fit in. He likes to play through the middle, what does that mean for Sturridge. He is proven and he does score goals but personally I cannot see him fitting into our system (and pace isn't his greatest asset either). BR does like players who are flexible, I do not think he can play across the front, but what other choices are left. Do you buy because you have no other choice or do you wait for the next window?

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  31. That kid is going to be good. I wonder if the hesitance to sign Bony is somehow based on the idea that we have Origi and Teixeira waiting in the wings? That's gambling a lot on succeeding this season with only one premier striker. If we want those guys next year and Bony scores 15 goals this year we could sell him for a profit.

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  32. It is a mystery why we are wasting time elsewhere. sign him.

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  33. 10 goals and 7 assists for psg in 38 matches(many of which were substitute apps.) is good enough for a player who predominantly played as a winger.

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  34. What do goals win? - games :-)

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  35. We already have a I Love Steve Nicol site. Us members call ourselves the Nicolettes. We meet on Mondays and Thursdays in the Our Lady and Saint Nocholas parish hall. New members are always welcome.
    There will be a selection of cold meats, digestive biscuits and tea. Still water only, if you want sparkling you have to bring your own.
    No pets allowed, we hate pets.
    See you there.

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  36. Why don't we loan a player from Ukraine or Russia, like Luiz Adriano or Salomon Rondon (similar to Bony with pace) . If the work we buy.


    I think Bony is just having a purple patch like Benteke the year before (Benteke has his best games against Agger). Plus Sturridge has earned the right to play up top (not wide), his goals to games ratio says he deserves a proper chance to be the focal point. Bony isn't very adaptable so the rotation of the front 3 during a game isn't as fluid.


    If come January Sturridge is struggling, Bony will still be available and won't be cup-tied for Champs lge. I think we need a adaptable forward to be bought (Remy would have been great), Sturridge has earned the right to play in his favourite position.


    Lets not do a Man C or Chelsea to him and push him wide.


    I would prefer Luiz Adriano.... or if we push the boat out Marco Reus

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  37. We are not signing Bony. Logan has already ruled it out so I don't know why we're even discussing it :-)

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  38. Damn you Nicolettes! I belong to the I Love Ronnie Whelan site. "We are the Wheelies". We meet in the same hall on Tuesdays and Fridays. Pets welcome, (no fish). So there! And we have tizer...

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  39. From liverpooloffside this evening.


    Rodgers has spoken about his need to find another striker before the transfer window closes in two weeks. And Ezequiel Lavezzi most certainly isn't that. Lavezzi scored a goal every four games at Napoli. At PSG his return dropped to one in every six games. Over the past five years, he has a strike rate of 10%, meaning it takes him ten shots to get a goal.

    Raheem Sterling last season had a 20% strike rate, Luis Suarez had a 17% return, and Sturridge had 21%. Teammate Edinson Cavani had a 17% strike rate. None of which makes Lavezzi a poor player, but rather serves to confirm what those who have much watched him over the years already know: he isn't a striker. If he is a Liverpool target, then he's not the striker Rodgers knows he needs to get in before the window closes.

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  40. Does this mean (STID) Swansea til I die or are you letting people know of a sexual infection?

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  41. Bony wont be available in January, he will be at the African Cup of Nations, usually a 6 week absence.
    Please stop Standinaround, get busy and go to youtube, and search for Luiz Adriano Misses and Fails, I could not believe it the first time I saw it.

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  42. Be prepared for a barrage of upper-deckers coming your way Tuesday night.

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  43. you will never see jk and steve nicol in the same room ...make your own mind up

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  44. Is this a cult?


    Will I have to give a old man a lap dance to be a member? If so will I have wear high heels for my initiation.

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  45. i belong to the stefan kuntz fan club they call us a load of k%$£s

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  46. Ours is a lot easier to join. Just change your name to Ronnie... Ronnie 35 is free. No dancing required...

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  47. bony is more or less our best option for a striker but my only reservation is his pace...our midfield was snail pace v the saints and with bony added to the mix it doesn't fill me with confidence....

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  48. Well... I wouldn't call myself ooold.... but yeah that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

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  49. When I watched him in the Champs lge he looked good, but these misses make Aspas look like a corner specialist...




    Back to the drawing board

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  50. Watching Demba Ba tonight, can't help but think he could've plugged a gap for us

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  51. Damn you Wheelie, stop hijacking my new dancers... i mean members.

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  52. ba for me is trouble hes had more clubs that tiger woods of late

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  53. ha ha ha load of stefans???

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  54. But does that mean I still have to wear high heels and a liquorice thong?

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  55. Not necessarily. Ronnie09 does... but thats just Ronnie09 really. What type of liquorice???

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  56. Wouldn't that potentially be a major detriment to bringing him in here... if he could potentially miss several games in the middle of the year.

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  57. And thats another thing. Wouldnt hurt you to brush up afterwards would it? Bloody biscuit crumbs everywhere. Ronnie31 said he slipped and hurt his ankle.... then again he'd has two cans of tizer, the crazy fool

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  58. I reckon its one of the reasons he is not here. (yet).

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  59. Yes I could not believe it when I seen it, how could someone miss so many goals like that, ok a few in a career, but not that many.

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  60. There's absolutely nothing to suggest he's trouble. West Ham to Newcastle to Chelsea seems like a fairly ordinary career progression. Couldn't get game time at Chelsea so has moved on. I've never heard him bring described as a trouble maker of any sort

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  61. Perhaps this a stupid question, but why does that tournament happen in the middle of season while most major european leagues are happening?

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  62. Would be a great signing imo

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  63. I imagine its probably the heat, maybe its cooler in January.

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  64. So there's an embargo on African players?

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  65. ACoN predates European competitions, established 1957 & 1960 respectively! The heat issue is paramount for player 's health. I can't help thinking that it's a snobbish attitude to consider ACoN as an inconvenience when it predates European competition. You can begrudge a man who wants to represent his country!

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  66. Maybe Steve Nicol touched JK as a child....in a playing sense (not the molested by Rolf Harris way)

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  67. I'm in Ruddock's Razors :-/

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  68. Bony fitting so well in Swansea bodes well for a seamless transition to LFC. He's strong, and will score 20+ per season. He reminds me of Titi Camara - underrated skill, quick but not blistering, rocket of a shot. & great in the ear. Realistically he's the best we can get otherwise we can continue playing fantasy football & end up with no striker until Jan.

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  69. Is Bony fast enough to play for us? Looked as slow as a week in the jail on Saturday. If his role is just for us to hit him with crosses when all else fails we have Lambert for that. I don't see how he could hope to keep up in a front 3 with a sterling and Markovic

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  70. How come no one is linked with Leandro Damiao anymore?


    Has his stock decreased so much that even Spurs don't get linked with him??

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  71. I was wondering about him too the other day. Not heard anything about him for awhile

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  72. I just now saw that Ibe has been loaned to Bolton..WTF?

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  73. It wasn't meant as a criticism of the player or the tournament in general.


    Simply meant as a question considering the current times of the leagues where many of the top players are currently playing professionally.


    And as I have never been to Africa, I'm surprised it is significantly hotter in June/July than in January. That's not a dispute. Just my personal misconceived notion.

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  74. I'd be fine with Bony, albeit as a less than ideal player for what we need. He'd play regularly and score goals. The only question is if he's flexible enough to play together with Sturridge. Liverpool won't often play a traditional two-up-front system under Rodgers. We saw it against Southampton when Lambert came on and that certainly changed things, but it wasn't the preferred system. If Bony and Sturridge are to play together then Bony has to be capable of sitting deeper and creating for others, not just running into space and finishing off chances. Neither striker would spend an entire game as a dedicated centre forward or a dedicated false 9 but they both have to show that capability and be able to switch quickly from one role to another. Sturridge can do it when required and we saw him spend plenty of time on the right side of the box, dribbling at players and making good passes. But Suarez was made for that kind of role and Sanchez would have been ideal. I'm not sure that Bony is that kind of player so there is a chance we'd end up with two players up front who are both at their best as goal scorers, not creators. Asking one of them to play a deeper or wider role goes quite directly against your usual preference for "aces in their places", while playing with two true centre forwards just isn't something that Rodgers seems keen on. Using Bony off the bench or when Sturridge is injured seems like a waste of money and would potentially frustrate both players.


    So it might not be an ideal solution, but if there is simply no one else and Bony otherwise checks the boxes for being hard-working, willing to learn and really wanting to play for Liverpool then he's a good plan B.

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  75. Carsten Janker fan group - bunch of jankers

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  76. Then they shouldn't buy African players

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  77. He needs to be playing games at this stage of his development and not coming on for 20 mins here and there. It will be the making of him and he will return to us an even better player.

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