14 Jan 2015

Legend raves: €20m star who's 'better than Bale' will be a 'superb signing' for LFC. Agree?

A few months ago, reports in France claimed that Liverpool scouts had monitored France international Alexandre Lacazette 'for most of the season', and were 'impressed' with his performances for Lyon. A summer transfer was mooted, but nothing came of it, but with recent reports linking the Reds with Lacazette once again, Anfield legend Steve Nicol has thrown his support behind signing the striker.

Speaking to ESPN last night, Nicol insisted that Lacazette 'fits the mould that Liverpool are looking for', and strongly urged his old club to pursue the striker:

“Liverpool have an opportunity to sign this guy [Lacazette] and I think they should. He loves to go forward [and] score goals and he reminds me of [Luis] Suarez. I think this would be a superb signing".

Ex-Red Aly Cissokho also believes that Lacazette is a good option for Liverpool, and in a recent interview, he enthused:

"Clubs like Liverpool have a lot of competition [but] it's up to him to see if he's ready to take it on. We'll see what happens in the summer, but he easily has the quality to play in teams of that stature."

In June, Lacazette's Agent, David Venditelli hinted that a transfer away is a possibility. He told reporters:

"If Alexandre were to leave, he will leave for a team which plays in the Champions League, or at least one which is very close to it.”

Some info about Lacazette:

* 23 years old.
* Can play on the wings, or up-front.
* Spent his entire career with Lyon.
* Three trophies with his club so far.

* 58 apps for various France youth teams.
* 2 apps for the senior national team.
* 2010: Winning for for France in the Under-19 European Championship final.

* STATS: 60 goals/34 assists in 172 apps for Lyon.
* Goal/assist every 1.8 games.
* 2009-2014: Goal/assist every 119 minutes (League only)

Liverpool clearly need another striker, but according to head coach Hubert Fournier, €20m-rated Lacazette wants to stay at Lyon. In December, he told RMC:

"I would like him to stay. The president has reassured me, and above all, I don't get the impression Alexandre wants to leave during the January transfer window."

This week, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas went one further, and made the following bold claim:

"You can't put a figure on it. I think Alexandre is much better [than Gareth Bale], but Alexandre doesn't have a price, so it's pointless thinking of one"

ex-Lyon boss Remi Garde is also not immune to lofty comparison, and prior to leaving the club, he praised Lacazette's progress:

"He [Lacazette] has made great strides, and shown that he is the best French striker. His scoring record is not far from Zlatan Ibrahimović, which shows the progress he has made"

From having watched him play in Ligue 1, Lacazette is faster and more mobile than, say, Wilfried Bony (a regular LFC target); he's more of a link-man that a typical lone striker, and he's arguably more suited to Liverpool's style of play. As such, it wouldn't surprise me if Rodgers plans to deploy him on either the right or left of a front-three.

One thing is certain: if - via some transfer witchcraft - Liverpool actually manage seal this deal, Sturridge will be under intense pressure to maintain his fitness. Lacazette has the potential to scale similar heights, and if he does the business, Sturridge's regular absences suddenly become less important, which means he becomes less important.

Author:


66 comments:

  1. He would be great signing with a very good goal scoring record and built for the premiership.

    Either way he will be signed by another big club soon enough if he continues scoring and Lyon wins Ligue 1

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  2. No Chance, we'd need to pay at least 50m for him...

    By the way jaimie bony just moved to City, so he's not an option any longer

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  3. Bony was the better option but the Transfer Committee were so swift two windows ago to go and get Bony or dare I say last summer where we could have got Bony instead of Balotelli.
    I said weeks ago that if FSG don't give Rogers any money the likelihood is he'll be gone in the summer if we don't finish in the CL places.


    I'm gonna go early and say if FSG are inclined to really do something.
    Get rid of the transfer committee in the summer and hire Frank De Boer.

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  4. Rogers is being starved of money because I think FSG want him gone in the summer.
    Would you give money to a man that wasted that much cash?

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  5. Twenty million euros is a pipe dream now. It would be more like thirty million pounds and we would have stiff competition but worse still they Probably won't sell now as their season is going well and they could get champions league possibly and sell him in the summer for no less. Not worth thinking about.

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  6. To some extent I admire that the owners are holding Rodgers accountable for misspending.


    He brought in so many players this summer and not one can be considered a bonafide success so far.

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  7. 30 million is a fair price. Suarez cost 23 million and Carrol cost 35. We even offered 30 for Willian and spent 25 on Lalalalalala. So why not 30 on him?

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  8. Sturridge, Lacazette and Sterling with Coutinho pulling the strings - what an awesome attacking 4. We could go back to outscoring the opposition.

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  9. Because he's not worth the money and FSg are not going to give any Money to LFC in this window when they have reservations about a Manager who managed to squander that much money in one window. I hope I'm wrong and next season we'll see the 'investment' of these young players and that they will 'gel'.

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  10. No I wouldn't. We shouldn't spend any money this transfer window.

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  11. And then his wages on top too. I'd love to see him here but, like you, I don't think there's anyway we could afford him.

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  12. How do you know FSG have reservations about the manager? I haven't read any kind of quotes anywhere about that from FSG

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  13. I agree why not have a go it's just o am sure it won't come off.

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  14. For once I agree with with Nicol, we need to get this guy at all cost. Frustratingly we've thrown money at trash but when a pearl comes along we let it go. This guy has the lot, eye for a goal, pace, strength & arrogance. With Sturridge we have the makings of a proper top 4 team. Coutinho, Lallana, Sterling to add would be just tantalising.
    Get him irrespective of whether Rodgers stays or goes.

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  15. Yes but Suarez played in a less competitive league, Carrol and Lallana are English, and Willian was being bid on by other clubs. To be honest, I think that a price of 40m minimum seems realistic. I mean OL considers him better than Bale, which means he might be expensive like Bale.

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  16. I couldn't possibly say but you're not stupid, I'm sure you can work it out.

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  17. The vote's kind of redundant seeing as Bony has signed for city. Haven't seen enough of Lacazette to have an opinion but I've heard good things about him

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  18. 'You can't put a figure on it', and; 'I think he's much better than Gareth Bale'. These sound like the thinly veiled words of a businessman positively itching to sell his stock to the highest bidder.

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  19. If BR can sign Bony it would prove to his doubters that he does have pulling power as a manager. If not he should be sacked immediately ;-)

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  20. How do you know he's not stupid? ;-)

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  21. hahaha thats the funniest thing I've heard all day cheers Stuart

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  22. Just another load of baloni, no chance it will happen. Rodgers had his chace to buy in the summer and by and large he blew £120 million. FSG will make him sell first, trouble is who would buy the crap Dodgers has already bought? won't even break even on them. Can't see them spend again under Dodgery Dodgers tenure.

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  23. Better than Bale huh? Bale won the Copa Del Rey and scored the eventual game winner in the UCL for RM.

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  24. If only he'd said 'better than Charlie Adam' I think we might actually have stood a chance of signing him

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  25. You sir are a moron.

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  26. Agree it seems unlikely for a number of reasons including the cost

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  27. I'll look forward to your " I got that wrong " in the near future. Brendan Rodgers is going nowhere, FSG aren't stupid !

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  28. Wasted what ? On who ?

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  29. Hmm, let me try and work it out...
    1 defeat in the last 13 despite the team not performing at their best.
    Performances throughout most of the team noticeably improving.
    Best player last season sold (obviously that was all BR's decision o_0 ).
    Best goal threat left at the club injured for most of the season so far (bet FSG are wondering what BR did to him!!).
    It seems well established that BR doesn't have full control of players selected for purchase, just a final yes or no on the options (if he said yes to Alberto I wonder what the other options were, probably ones not as good as Alberto, so a yes to the best of the bunch).
    You can't blame BR for spending the amount that was spent last summer - he doesn't negotiate transfer prices and contracts, the financial side of the club is run by business men not football coaches.
    Did we all think that all the players bought last summer were going to waltz into the team and have an immediate impact? I myself, was expecting, frustratingly I'll admit, that they would need time to "settle". You've got to remember that the existing players don't just have to gel with the 1, 2 or 3 new signings that start on any given week, the whole squad trains together and have to gel together.

    The one thing I would level at him is his defensive tactical deficiencies, but even then I'd say a great part of that is due to a well documented lack of leadership at the back. No one would have thought when the signing was announced that Lovren would leave "the man he was" back at Southampton.

    I'd also bet my house that BR didn't want Balotelli, although that's only a guess, much like your guess about FSG's reservations

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  30. His style would suits Liverpool's, bring him over. If true ?

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  31. I wonder if we'd had a poll in August asking fans to choose between Balotelli and this guy, who would have gotten more votes?

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  32. 14th Jan gone & we have so far sold none, trying to off load another one (Lambert) - lot's of speculations, but haven't see any serious movement. Yes, I think BR's days are counted - he has to make the CL with this squad or next Man 'll get the money.


    Knowing a little bit of North American Sports Franchisee management, I 'll not be surprised, if there is a performance clause attached with BR's revised (& better) contract - these American's are not going to sack someone for under-performance & then pay out his contract.


    Our chance to win EPL is probably almost gone for foreseeable future. With City, CFC, if MU qualifies for CL this time, for next many years, it 'll be impossible to catch them - LVG 'll rebuild their aging side in this & next window with top quality players from mainland Europe & Latin America - we 'll keep paying double, triple for English "Talents", because out side UK nobody knows Brendan Rogers & the brand LFC is loosing it appeal.

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  33. Lovren. Borini. Aspas. Luis Alberto. Ilori. Allen. Assaidi.


    It's not an exhaustive list but you get the emerging definition of "wasted"


    FSG probably won't sack him is we win a cup, any cup, and get 4th.

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  34. I just dont see this move happening at least in the winter...I dont see us spending that much...if u take a step back and breathe for a second look at it we have been pitiful for much of the season yet we are only 5 pts off the top 4 and add in we havent had studge all season...I dont think fsg will shell out the dough due to rodgers poor performance in the market...I think it would be a great signing but I dont see much in the winter market for us plus I think if we were shelling out 20-30 million id rather spend it on a top goalie remember we still have studge coming back and not leaking goals is more important than scoring...draws will get us necessary points to close the gaps we cant outscore teams like last season....now in the summer if we signed this guy id be veryyyyyyyyy happy lets see how she goes

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  35. Not mentioned in the above stats are The Cassette Tape's incredible current scoring record in Ligue 1. He has 19 goals in 20 games, only 3 are penalties. It's a sign of a player come of age and although it's no guarantee of success in England I think he's clearly a big talent. He's 23, the perfect age for joining a new club and establishing a long career and I think Liverpool could do a hell of a lot worse. If we were waiting for him to show his quality then I think it's there for all to see. Torres and Suarez were at similar stages of their career when we spent big money on them. Time to pull the trigger and see what kind of money is needed to pry him loose.

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  36. Our transfer committee is shit....Arsenal or Tottenham will snatch him under our noses as usual

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  37. We sold Assaidi to Al Ahli !!!

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  38. Lacazette is exactly what we need quick clinical has a few tricks can create opportunities and is young and banging em in for fun in France.
    This fits FSGs plan perfectly and we should take the punt and throw the cash at him there really isnt many better realistic options out there.
    For me though its going to be a fight to get him and Lyon are tough negotiators and there is no chance until the summer window if any.

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  39. that comment's for pricing purposes and he's in form too so ...

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  40. I know, it was typo - "we sold one..."

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  41. If Rodgers makes the CL with this squad it will be a testament to his management skill. We can be heavily critical of his transfers but if that's the case and he's brought in a bunch of duds while Gerrard gets older, Suarez leaves and Sturridge is injured then I think it would be quite an achievement to get a fourth place spot. Criticism of the transfers is valid enough but we can't have it both ways. If he's screwed up the transfers then his coaching is clearly above average. In that case I'd say what the owners should do is keep the manager and simply re-structure the way Liverpool buy players.

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  42. Valid point, agreed completely. But, what about we don't spend & LFC finishes 8th - FSG has no other option but to sack. I am afraid 2nd one is closer.

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  43. Rodgers didn't negotiate the fees and I'd also question exactly how much input, other than yes or no, he has on targets. He has said on numerous occasions that we need ready made, experienced players.

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  44. Love the idea of your Suarez/Evra book, hope it's balanced ;)

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  45. If Rodgers got Bony, it would have given him a Boner that he could definitely use his new found pulling power on... as well as more bought time in the manager job.

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  46. Evra will probably win because Jaimie's a manc bastard

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  47. lIVERPOOL KOP IS POO9:29 am, January 15, 2015

    This site is sh*t ,Jaimie is a hyprochrite
    go on TIA

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  48. Idiot you go there

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  49. Poor you go there...

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  50. Evra will probably win because Jaimie's a typical manc

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  51. He's right you're far from stupid ;-)

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  52. If, as Nicol says, Liverpool has an opportunity to sign Lacazette, then I hope Ian Ayre camps out in Lyon until the deal is signed and the cash is delivered!

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  53. I'd suggest FSG will definitely not sack Rodgers this season, regardless of the outcome. Peoples definition of wasted is very different ie. Assaidi sold for a profit, Borini will possibly be the same, Lovren will prove his ability (most people welcomed his signing by the way) Allen is a decent squad player .... then we have, Markovic, Moreno, Sakho, Lallana, Can. Not a waste IMO

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  54. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva11:26 am, January 15, 2015

    We are going to continue the way we are because FSG, BR really think everything is ok, I hope im wrong.
    If they have identified current problems with the team and have really done nothing by now then they won't do anything towards the end, they will come up with the excuse that they tried to but just ran out of time.
    I too don't know much about this guy but I have heard good things and have watched a few clips of him seems impressive enough but they will only show good things from the clips. Can't see this one and any other coming in the current window, I am starting to loose faith in our management.

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  55. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva11:33 am, January 15, 2015

    What's Aguero and Suarez seriously if the kid can play football who cares.

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  56. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva11:36 am, January 15, 2015

    Oh buy the way I wasn't having a go at you, Vietto looks very good he has serious pace and can take players on, I really like the way he can turn on players, and really wouldn't cost too much 10-15 mill I reckon.

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  57. Oh I don't know, how far away is he ;)

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  58. I'm not sure it's a case of more money. I think FSG budget for the season and it's up to the manager when he spends the money. BR, like KD in 11/12, probably blew it all in summer, so there's none to spend in January. Chances are, if he wants to sign players now, he has to generate the dough himself... ie. sell players.
    I don't see Origi arriving before the original schedule for this reason and I don't see any new signings this January.

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  59. It could be that FSG need the money to pay off that long contract they gave him a few months back? DOH! (_8(I)

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  60. Hmm Lacazette. I'm not totally convinced yet. Did nothing up until last season, was decent then, and this season he's become a goal machine -- but what's going on? Ligue 1 is diabolical at the moment, but even so, Lacazette's innate qualities don't seem so outstanding. He's got a decent shot and orthodox movement and is in good form. Is that all it takes these days? Am I missing something with him?

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  61. Coutinho can't even pullup his socks.

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  62. and with man u even in more need of a striker.the competition will be so intense in the summer that CL will surely be real determinant.Added to the fact that city have also been keen and may decide to offload Jovetic,Dzeko and have Aguero,Bony and lacazzette..i see our chances so slim though i would love to see him in Melwood

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  63. i had never even heard of him before honestly i would have taken Baloteli sadly

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