20 Mar 2015

Transfer Shocker: LFC pushing to sign £90k-a-week 'Liverpool fan' to replace £26m Sterling

In the months leading up to the January 2012 transfer window, Liverpool were heavily linked with a £15m move for Arsenal star Theo Walcott, a self-confessed LFC fan since childhood. At the time, Anfield legend John Aldridge urged his old club to sign Walcott, and new reports suggest that Reds are planning another move for Walcott this summer.

According to The Independent today:

"Liverpool have made enquiries about his [Walcott's] availability.

"With [£26m-rated] Sterling currently stalling on a new deal...Rodgers has already begun to form a Plan B should Sterling move on".


Several ex-Reds have strong views about Liverpool's alleged interest in Walcott:

* Steve Nicol: (Nov 2012): "Liverpool need players who are proven and Theo Walcott’s not proven. He’s too inconsistent. What they don’t need now is another player. They need someone who every match you know exactly what you’re going to get."

* John Aldridge (Nov 2012): "I would be happy to see Theo Walcott move to Anfield. He is still only 23 and is getting better. He has the ability to play anywhere in that three-pronged attack Rodgers favours. Walcott comes from a Liverpool-supporting family and would be welcomed by the fans".

* John Barnes (Aug 2013): "I don’t think Theo Walcott would’ve been the answer for Liverpool. If you’re going to spend that amount of money, I think LFC can do better than Theo".

As Aldo noted, £15m-rated Walcott - recently described by Arsene Wenger as 'fantastic' - is a huge Liverpool fan, and he revealed this in an interview a couple of years ago. He enthused:

"I was a Liverpool fan, but unfortunately I wasn't born when the team had their golden era, but I enjoyed watching the likes of Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman. When Liverpool won the Champions League I went mad. I was shouting so loud I think I woke up the entire village where I live!"

None of this matters, though, as a move for Walcott - reportedly on £90k-a-week - is an utterly ridiculous idea. Check out his injury history:

Walcott

* 15 separate injuries since 2008
* 646 days on the sidelines as a result.
* 128 games missed as a result of injury. 128 games!
* An average of 21 missed-games a season for the last 6 years.

What is it with Liverpool and injury-prone players? In recent weeks, the Reds have been linked with perpetual sicknotes like Yoann Gourcuff, Jack Wilshere, Sami Khedira, and now Theo Walcott.

In a recent article, I argued that Gourcuff has the worst injury history I've ever seen, but I take it back; even he can't touch Walcott, and the same applies to Khedira, and Wilshere:

Gourcuff

* 14 separate injuries in the last four seasons.
* 484 days (16 months) out injured. 93 games missed.

Wilshere

* NINE injuries in the last three years.
* 639 days (i.e. 21 months) out injured since 2011.
* In that time: 103 Arsenal games missed.

Khedira

* Two cruciate ligament injuries in four years.
* Missed 87 games as a result of 11 separate injuries in the last 4 years.
* A grand total of 20 injuries since 2008 (105 games missed)
* Averaged only 23 league games a year since 2006.

If Liverpool sign Walcott, or indeed any of the other players mentioned in this article, it will be transfer negligence of the highest order. Walcott, Khedira et al may be talented, but what's the point if they're always injured and totally unreliable?

In my view, FSG should institute an immediate moratorium on buying players with a significant injury history, and Rodgers should be barred from even considering any player who has suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the last year.

Additionally, FSG should summarily dismiss anyone at Anfield who suggests and/or pushes for Liverpool to spend big money on endlessly injured players like Wilshere, Walcott etc.

It may only be paper talk, but seriously - if someone can explain to me how it makes any logical sense to sign a player who's spent 21 months out injured in the last five seasons, then I'm listening.

Author:


21 comments:

  1. I share your opinion Jaimie. I just wonder if the training methods at Arsenal lead to such terrific injury record for some of their players. Not that we did not have our share of injured players (Agger, Sturridge)

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  2. Richard III had fewer injuries

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  3. Praying this doesn't happen! Cruciate is especially difficult to recover from the older players get. At 22 or 23, you probably don't lose too much sharpness, but once a player hits their mid 20s and the body is a bit less adaptable, the recovery is a lot more demanding, you start to see players never quite getting back to previous levels. A pace player too.
    So not only would he be injured half the time but when fit I doubt he'd be as effective as pretty much any of our other attackers. Pls Brendan noooo

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  4. Liverpool U21 (5) - (0) West Ham U21......................Sergi Canos has now scored 18 goals + 15 assists this season, he is ex-Barcelona, Liverpool 1pt off top spot with a game in hand.......................quality U21 team.

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  5. I agree about this and I assume the club does too. I can't see them signing these players with the money they would want and likely being injured for long.

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  6. Sturridge side lines had not helped when on National duty!
    Woy pushing him like an idiot!

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  7. We already have a replacement for Stirling, his name is Jordan Ibe.

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  8. And then after Ibe we have Harry Wilson, Ojo and Canos. We don't need to be spending stupid money on players who are constantly injured.

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  9. Much rather Depay/Konoplyanka and Casemiro/Carvalho than Walcott/Gourcuff and Khedira. Better value for money, more reliable fitness wise, and much higher upside.


    The only injury prone player I'd take right now is Papadopoulos. He'd be cheap (isn't like 5-7M being thrown around), low risk, potentially very high reward, and come in as a backup. Injuries have kinda derailed his development, but he could still be a top top player for very low cost. If it doesn't work, we don't lose much.

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  10. Of course we do. We're LFC.


    I heard Big Andy's available again. Throw in a good 50M, and he's ours.

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  11. Rossiter, Brannagan, Canos, Wilson, Sinclair, Dunn, Chirivella, Williams, Smith... all top quality youth. Lets hope some make the jump.

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  12. Any one see Yarmolenko last night? Much better alternative.

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  13. He was awesome. Though the other Ukraine man (Konoplyanka) would be more cost effective since he's free.

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  14. Agree that Walcott to Liverpool is a ridiculous notion.Hopefully it's total bs.

    I do take issue with the term "sicknote" in certain scenarios.

    A cruciate ligament rupture is a catastrophic injury, far worse than a broken bone, it can happen to anyone, my brother and 2 close friends have suffered ACL tears in past couple of years. Pure bad luck.

    Recurring muscular issues, such as Sturridge, should surely be manageable alright.

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  15. We had him in May 2012 for £9M, allegedly and he pulled out of the deal when Dalglish got sacked. The following season, he scored more than any Liverpool player.
    His injury record would put me off, though.

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  16. Throw cash at sterling to get him to sign a new contract with a 100 million pound release clause. Its business after all. Lets face it, with our transfer record we are very unlikely to be able to replace him with someone better- he is highly effective in many different roles my friends. I imagine that next year, if the team is playing well, he will really shine and then we can sell him for a packet.

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  17. ah but don't you think the others will be jealous? Imagine how sturridge will feel if sterling gets more!

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  18. who cares, he has signed his contract. He will get paid according to his performances. If he scores 30 goals next season and demands higher wages then perhaps he has earned them. If he has scored only 15, then he is also easily replaced on the market

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  19. Richard the third does hold the hide and seek record though.

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  20. Your right mate, let's not give these lads a chance and let em leave for nothing. We'll then spend £20m on a wide player who'll contribute nothing and then all say I knew he wouldn't be a good player, we should of given those young lads a go.

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  21. With how some fans have been whinging over new wages for Hendo and Sterling, how is acquiring a 90k/week player who always is out with a niggling injury a smart investment? Yes we need more depth in certain roles but if they're the type of players who can't stay fit for more than a month, then we need to look elsewhere.

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