30 Nov 2014

Yes Please: BR wants to sign 'world class' €8m Madrid star dissed by Fergie. Offer to be made in January

With Simon Mignolet's form an ongoing concern, Liverpool continue to be linked with replacement goalkeepers, and 'world class' Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas is the latest 'stopper to linked with a move to Anfield.

According to The Mirror today:

"The Reds could make a move for Real Madrid stopper Iker Casillas in January.

"[Arsenal and Liverpool] are preparing bids when the transfer window reopens".


Liverpool were also linked with Casillas over the summer, and when asked about the possibility of moving to the Premier League, he admitted that he'd 'love to have a experience abroad', but also seemed to ultimately rule out a transfer:

"I thought about leaving. Those two years [without regular first team football] have made me fight and become stronger. There was no concrete offers. My idea was, and is, to finish my career here.”

Casillas' untouchable status at Madrid diminished during Jose Mourinho's tenure at the Bernabeu, and at that time, Italy and AC Milan legend Arrigo Sacchi backed the Portuguese's stance, and suggested that Casillas lacked professionalism. Sacchi - Madrid Director of Football from 2004-5 - told Marca:

"Iker Casillas doesn’t train properly, he never has done. Mourinho is right to leave him out. It's normal Diego López should play because he gives the impression of being an assured player".

Ex-Man United boss Alex Ferguson doesn't appear to be a very big fan of Casillas either, and after United's 2013 Champions League defeat to Madrid, he appeared to indirectly diss the Spaniard's goalkeeping ability:

"I think Lopez saved them. I would have preferred Casillas. Iker wouldn't have saved the shots that the boy Lopez did. Going out to Danny Welbeck in the first half, going down at Robin van Persie's feet, coming out and whacking Nemanja Vidic in the head. Casillas isn't that type of goalkeeper."

Former United stopper Edwin Van Der Sar has a different view to Ferguson, however, and in March, he told reporters:

"He [Casillas] has been wonderful for all this time for both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. I've never heard anything bad about him. He's a great captain for Real Madrid and for Spain."

Under Ancelotti, €8m-rated Casillas is back as Madrid's number one, and his stats this season show that he is still a top class goalkeeper:

* 13 goals conceded in 17 games.
* Concedes 0.7 goals per game (1 every 1.3 games).
* 9 clean sheets in 17 games (53%)

By comparison, Mignolet is currently shipping 1.5 goals per game, which is a worse than last year, when the he conceded 53 goals in all competitions.

Casillas won't have good memories of Liverpool, that's for sure. In 2009, the Reds smashed five goals past him over two legs in the Champions League:



If Casillas is available, is he a better option than Petr Cech, who is also linked with a January move to Anfield? One thing is clear: both Casillas and Cech are significant upgrades on Mignolet.

Author:


30 comments:

  1. Cech..... has premier league so prefer him....in my view.... Casillas did not look that great when LFC played Real recently......

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  2. Would be yet another over paid and over rated purchase. Begovic should have been bought 2 years ago. Or how about a cheeky bid for Joe Hart?

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  3. I prefer Cech and Begovic over Casillas

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  4. Nevergonnacrackthecode11:19 am, November 30, 2014

    Bony,clyne,scniederlin,begovic
    prefer premier league based players

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  5. We needed to buy Firminio, Martinez, Wanyama and Cech or Cassilias in the summer. How badly we got it wrong!
    Chelsea finished 3rd and brought three players of that caliber
    City finished 1st and barely changed their squad
    We could have done it with 3-4 players, instead we went for depth!

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  6. It was probably nerves we had them really worried!

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  7. F O Bony in goal? Shirley Knot

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  8. Nevergonnacrackthecode11:38 am, November 30, 2014

    hows chechs confidence though
    looik at mata and cudicini after mourinho dropped them never same level

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  9. Real madrid's team in front of him though, compared to ours!??? Of course he won't let in as much lol

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  10. Nevergonnacrackthecode12:48 pm, November 30, 2014

    Southampton just put out a team
    ........................................pelle
    tadic.................................davis......................mane
    ..............................wanyama.....schniederlin
    betrand.....................alderweild.....fonte,........clyne
    ............................................forster


    if we were to copy their model this would be our team
    .........................................lambert
    lallana.................................allen.....................sterling
    ...................................can.............lucas

    moreno........................lovren...........toure...........manquillo
    ..........................................mignolet

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  11. Nevergonnacrackthecode12:49 pm, November 30, 2014

    i hope spurs and everton draw

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  12. ------------Lukas/Can
    Hendo---------Allen/Lallan
    -----------Gerrrard
    Balotelli Sturridge

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  13. Cassillas is overrated. He was once a very promising young goalkeeper but has not evolved. He has never been among the best in my opinion. In addition, he is probably to physically weak for BPL.
    I would prefer Cech, but do not think it happens.

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  14. Markovic ain't in the top 120.........

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  15. Damned lucky to beat Stoke. Allen still can't put the ball in the ocean. Sitting SG was the right move but the first half was unwatchable. Toure was a little twitchy on the ball but much better than Lovren has been. We need a striker who can MOVE with real conviction and work rate. Don't know what's up with Can but apart from his lone goal, he hasn't asserted himself very much. I thought he would do so much more than he has. Is he still young in mind? I guess the coaches know. BR gets some points for starting the Stevie = Giggs era. Long overdue.....

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  16. Petr Cech or Iker Casillas? I rate PC higher!

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  17. Good point.But Chelsea left Cudicini to rot over a long period.
    Petr Cech has only been on the sidelines for a few months.I'm sure he'd dust himself down and come back the same player.

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  18. Wilshere would be powerless against any decent team. His performance for England haven't been anything to write home about. Besides, you were thr guy banging on about Scniderlin for ages and now all of a sudden Allen is the answer. We need a top DM with Allen as his stand in. Can is a box to box central midfielder, not a dedicated DM like a Wanyama, Matic.

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  19. And still persisting with either a small child or an ageing attacking mid as protection for the defence. Brilliant, just brilliant.

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  20. It's unrealistic to want to spend more money yet still have the spine of the team consisting Mignolet, Gerrard/Allen and Balotelli. Absolutely ridiculous. No team with those 3 in key roles will do well and that is what we need to address.

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  21. Casillas is not the answer and I would rather we found a long term number 1 rather than begging a despised rival for a keeper who is not good enough to be their number 1. We are LIVERPOOL for gods sake.can we start acting like it!!!!

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  22. Absolutely spot on. The guy is a poor keeper. Politics keep him as Real number one. Mourinho was singleminded and wanted his best keeper playing, not a shirt selling figurehead who has seen better days. Sound familiar?

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  23. I never quite understood why Casillas stayed ahead of Reina for the national team. I can only imagine it was because he played in Spain. He isnt bad of course but also not the solid rock we need. No thanks.

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  24. Praise Jesus, how long has it taken him to realize Gerrard just isn't the same anymore.

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  25. With all due respect, you are having a laugh.

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  26. Based on what though. Casillas was never a keeper that wins games for you like Schmeichel, Van der Sar or Courtois. Great athlete but no ice water in his vains and nothing special. He's a shot stopper.

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  27. We desperately need another keeper if only to give Mignolet competition ...... BUT all this speculation about new signings in January will be just wishful thinking if we are out of CL

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  28. What are you on about, Casillas has been an excellent goalkeeper for about ten years right up until Mourinho arrived at Real.
    When Spain won the World Cup he was flawless and he's been Real Madrid's player of the season in the past which takes some doing.
    He's having a bit of a bad patch just now but to say he's never been one of the best is nonsense

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  29. The only GK who B Rodgers should bring to club who is commanding, dominate, solid and consistant performer is A Begovic(27) Of Stoke.


    A Begovic(27) should be brought to the club for £10-£14M ahead of I Casillas(33) and P Cech(32).


    A Begovic(27) can only get better whilst I Casillas(33) and P Cech's(32) best days are clearly behind them.

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  30. The issue is: are those daft guys managing our club, BR and IA going to even put a bid for Cech. I dont think so.

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