Liverpool youngster Sheyi Ojo is currently earning rave reviews for his performances on-loan at Wigan, and after two man-of-the-match awards in 8 games, the 17-year old is showing that he has what it takes to step-up and do the business. Can he follow in the footsteps of Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe, though, and make the breakthrough at Anfield?
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Ojo spoke enthusiastically about his 'good experience' at Wigan, and made it clear that he's gunning for a place in Liverpool's first team. He told The Mirror:
"Them [Sterling and Ibe] being in the first team gives me hope that it could be me if I do well. Hopefully, I can make the most of being on loan and when I am back at Liverpool I’m an improved player ready to be involved with the first team.”
I really hope that Ojo is fast-tracked into the first team as it means that Liverpool will have yet another option to replace Sterling, a raging mercenary who is clearly motivated by money. The Reds already have Ibe who can pick up the slack, but losing Sterling will become even less of an issue if Ojo makes the breakthrough.
The official LFC website describes Ojo as follows:
"[Ojo] is a pacey winger who can play on the left or right flank, he can be a nightmare for opposing defenders to play against". Comparatively speaking, Rodgers is doing a great job of bringing young attacking players through the academy and into the first team.
* Prior to the emergence of Sterling, Owen, Fowler, Gerrard, and McManaman were the only young attack-minded players to make it through the Liverpool youth system to become first-team regulars.
* That's only FOUR players in 25 years (!)
* Now, in the last two years: Sterling is a fixture in the team; Ibe looks like he'll become a regular, and Ojo, Teixeira, and Sinclair are knocking on the door.
* If the latter three make it, that'll be FIVE young attacker players breaking into the first team in the space of 2-3 years, which is more successes than the preceding 25-years.
Realistically, the odds are against Ojo, Sinclair, and Teixiera becoming first-team regulars, and the probability is that at least one of them will go the same way as Suso, Alberto, and countless others over the years.
However, if only one of the three becomes a first team regular, that's still a marked improvement over the historical black hole of attacking player development at Anfield, so here's hoping Ojo is good enough to make the grade.
Author: Jaimie K
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Ojo spoke enthusiastically about his 'good experience' at Wigan, and made it clear that he's gunning for a place in Liverpool's first team. He told The Mirror:
"Them [Sterling and Ibe] being in the first team gives me hope that it could be me if I do well. Hopefully, I can make the most of being on loan and when I am back at Liverpool I’m an improved player ready to be involved with the first team.”
I really hope that Ojo is fast-tracked into the first team as it means that Liverpool will have yet another option to replace Sterling, a raging mercenary who is clearly motivated by money. The Reds already have Ibe who can pick up the slack, but losing Sterling will become even less of an issue if Ojo makes the breakthrough.
The official LFC website describes Ojo as follows:
"[Ojo] is a pacey winger who can play on the left or right flank, he can be a nightmare for opposing defenders to play against". Comparatively speaking, Rodgers is doing a great job of bringing young attacking players through the academy and into the first team.
* Prior to the emergence of Sterling, Owen, Fowler, Gerrard, and McManaman were the only young attack-minded players to make it through the Liverpool youth system to become first-team regulars.
* That's only FOUR players in 25 years (!)
* Now, in the last two years: Sterling is a fixture in the team; Ibe looks like he'll become a regular, and Ojo, Teixeira, and Sinclair are knocking on the door.
* If the latter three make it, that'll be FIVE young attacker players breaking into the first team in the space of 2-3 years, which is more successes than the preceding 25-years.
Realistically, the odds are against Ojo, Sinclair, and Teixiera becoming first-team regulars, and the probability is that at least one of them will go the same way as Suso, Alberto, and countless others over the years.
However, if only one of the three becomes a first team regular, that's still a marked improvement over the historical black hole of attacking player development at Anfield, so here's hoping Ojo is good enough to make the grade.
Author: Jaimie K
Can't see Texiera making it. Fingers crossed on the other two.
ReplyDeleteIs there actually any decent evidence that Sterling is a 'raging mercenary'? Serious question.
ReplyDeleteYes, actually more than decent evidence. Maybe thats what BR call would call "outstanding". Being offered 130 K a week and him contemplating other 'options' is not enough?!!!!'
ReplyDeletesold RS for depay, we still have the good quality on reserve such as OJO, Canos, sinclair ext
ReplyDeleteWhere is this 130k figure coming from?
ReplyDeleteLast read in Guardian
ReplyDeleteThis guy is really good.
ReplyDeleteYea but is that actually evidence? Has he really been offered that much, and is he actually considering his options? I've not seen much apart from paper talk.
ReplyDeleteJust because he's not black... ;)
ReplyDeleteApparently he wants 150K, so you can look at this two ways. Either:
ReplyDelete-Sterling should just be happy they offered even 100K
-Johnson has been getting around 150K, and Sterling has been majorly outperforming him for a couple of years
I look at it the first way, but I don't think that using the age argument is justified in this scenario though: if he's good enough, he's old enough. Do you ever hear people equally argue that showbiz stars like Lorde and Justin Bieber don't deserve tens of millions just because they're quite young? For some reason, society only applies this attitude to sport.
My issue with him getting 150K revolves around the fact that he simply doesn't deserve it performance-wise, not age wise. He had one great half season last year, and he's since been up and down this season. I really couldn't classify that as worthy of 150K in wages. 100K probably, but no, not 150K.
While I've been dismissive of the supposedly damaging ramifications of Rodgers' overpraise, calling him the best young player in Europe was probably a bit stupid from a contract negotiating point of view, since it gives Raheem's manager way too much bargaining power. His normal phrases like 'potentially world class' however just do not fly at the negotiation table. That phrase doesn't provide any bargaining leverage because it doesn't actually suggest that the player has achieved anything.
He wants the best deal he can possibly get at Liverpool. Until he actually leaves for another club for more money it's a pretty ludicrous conclusion. At the moment all he's doing is letting his agent get the club to pay him as much as they possibly can. He's then gone and asked to put the negotiations aside and concentrate on football, which is entirely sensible, but nothing from JK on that as it doesn't suit the agenda.
ReplyDeleteI don't begrudge Sterling and his agent working over the club for a better deal. If someone offered you a job for a certain amount of money but you had a pretty good idea that they were ultimately willing to pay you more, aren't you a bit of a mug for accepting the first offer? Liverpool are obviously willing to pay more than they first offered, otherwise why are they still talking?
Well said
ReplyDeleteSterling won the European Golden Boy award so the title of best young player had been bestowed upon him before Rodgers said anything like that.
ReplyDeleteThe reason Justin Bieber doesn't 'deserve' to earn as much money as Eric Clapton is because JB is exponentially less musically skilled. To me, Sterling simply isn't good enough yet to justify 150k a week. Nothing to do with age. Jaimie is right; Sterling's simply not done enough in the game to warrant the wage of a top, top player. To paraphrase the ever-humble Zlatan Ibrahimovic: "Even I had to go through the ranks".
ReplyDeleteHaving re-read your whole piece, I think I agree with you, which makes this comment spurious, but I will post it anyway.
I heard it was £300k and he turned it down flat
ReplyDeleteThe galaxy journalisto
ReplyDeleteIt was a spelling error it should have been £30Kj
ReplyDeleteThese people are sitting in on his negotiations and have his phone tapped so they know and if they don't they canalways make it up simples
ReplyDeleteTexiera is older than the others and injury prone.
ReplyDeleteClearly since Johnson got his £150K even more money has flowed into the game so it is only fair that players wages should be reduced. The shareholders who do such sterling work deserve the lions share
ReplyDeleteNo he should follow his vice Captain;s example and just take what he is offered. Oh wait........
ReplyDeleteA top top player is on £300K plus. Hell it has already been said on here that Johnson is on £150K. Not saying he deserves £150K but £100K is barely enough to cover his hairdressing costs
ReplyDeleteI agree with this, and many people involved sound confident that Sterling is going nowhere despite the contract issues, so I'm not really worried anyway.
ReplyDeleteFrom the looks of it, Sterling's agent isn't really doing him any favors either. Bad advice rather than bad character to me.
Sinclair might be on the bench today. Balo is out with an illness so there is an opening in the squad.
ReplyDeleteYou can add Canos to the list, not quite the same style as Ojo but hopefully will give Lallana & Markovic a run for their money in a couple of years
ReplyDeleteAgree his performance does not deserve top dollar relative to other established players. When he is consistently performing at a high level for a season or two then yes pay him. 100k for potential is fair at his stage of development.
ReplyDeleteYes. I hate whitey.
ReplyDeleteAnd white. Yuk.
ReplyDeleteI heard he wrote that figure on a peace of paper, spat on it and threw it directly in John Henry's face. I am pretty sure all of that is absolutely accurate.
ReplyDeleteWord is he is getting bad advice. Sterling is shelving this contract until the summer. The negotiations had been ongoing for a couple of months. The offer early was of another twenty to thirty grand a week increase. That's about twenty weeks before they negotiate again from when they started. Sterling may have missed out on four hundred to six hundred thousand pounds with no guarantees of increases once they start again. His agent is clearly a div
ReplyDeleteWell, the hairdressing point swings it for me. Raheem always plays better with a clean scalp.
ReplyDeleteAlthough... Stevie G is on about 150k... Don't tell me you've been reading ol' whiskey nose ;) I jest
lets just hope he DOES NOT FOLLOW IN STERLINGS FOOTSTEPS REGARDING PERSONAL DEMANDS.... i read that he is wanting 150 000 k a week? Really man for what? what has he done to deserve that and then on top of that sterlings camp is using rodgers over praise of sterling to justify the amount... i hope we drop him into the reserves and then sell him in the summer We are LFC and no player is bigger than the club...
ReplyDeleteAnd yet Biebs, if he has a good agent, negotiates the right deals and does sensible things with his money will financially eclipse Clapton in a fraction of the years his senior partner required. Even if you adjust for inflation. It's not so much the talent or what they deserve, it's the market. Sterling plays football in a market where TV rights alone are worth billions. He'd be quite foolish to accept an offer when his agent correctly advises him that the club is capable and willing to pay more.
ReplyDeleteI mean just put yourself in that situation. Imagine someone is negotiating your salary for you. It's not a stretch, if you're an I.T. contractor then most of the work you'd get would be via an agent. Now let's say that agent tells you that a contract job position is offering 500 quid a day BUT he's got the inside word that at least two other contractors have gotten more than that. He tells you to register your interest but hold out a bit, they'll come back with a better offer. Now also imagine that you don't even need this particular job offer, you'd easily get a better one at another company in a heartbeat. What are you going to do? Tell the agent that 500 quid will do just fine thank you very much? Now, I don't know you, maybe you would. Nothing wrong with that at all. But I suspect it's not the case. I'm guessing you'd listen to the agent (whose job it is to know these things) and hold out for a better offer.
I read a page a day every morning I am as regular as clockwork ;-)
ReplyDeleteThink we'll add Flanno soon to that list. We already would have had he not been injured..
ReplyDeleteGood idea read and wipe
ReplyDeleteAny player that was not born in Liverpool(UK) as a fan of our great club that is trying to squeeze as much much money from our owners can not be considered as mercenary in my opinion..
ReplyDeleteElaborate please? Henderson refused an offer?
ReplyDeleteYou mean apart from the camo gear and the ak47 : )
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Buying Depay for 20 and selling Sterling for 40 looks like no brainer to me...
ReplyDeleteSo the rumour goes.
ReplyDeleteWhen?
ReplyDeleteSurely a mercenary has to have played at a few clubs? If not he is just an employee.
ReplyDeleteRecently. In a couple of papers. All over the internet.
ReplyDeleteAlso why I don't like you. Much better when you were grey.
ReplyDeleteApparently. I think him and Sterling have both shelved talks til the summer however I remember Hendo saying months ago that he and Raheem didn't mind waiting til the summer before sorting out their respective contracts so I wouldn't read too much into it
ReplyDeleteIbrahimovic is a prime example of one as his biggest dream was to go to his next club, but I stopped even thinking about it that way as foootball is long way past playing for the sake of playing..
ReplyDeleteNot my internet...
ReplyDeleteExactly. A mercenary would be saying to his agent to find out how much he could earn by moving. Sterling could undoubtedly earn more by leaving but there's no suggestion he wants to leave
ReplyDeleteOne of the best. And he was right..
ReplyDeleteHe's just been loaned to Wigan has he not?
ReplyDeleteHe has.
ReplyDeleteMatch of the season today..
ReplyDeleteYea man huge game. Chance to put a bit of daylight between ourselves, Spurs and Southampton. Need to stay hot on United's heels too. My Sky is on the blink too so I'll have to go to the pub to watch it
ReplyDeleteThought so
ReplyDeleteMe too, and that means no sound unfortenatelly..
ReplyDeleteAnd Ibe is cup tied
ReplyDeleteThanks for clearing that up, I had been wondering...
ReplyDeleteUsually I only have to go to the pub to watch the games that are on BT sport and then I'm glad there's no sound so I don't have to listen to Michael Owen
ReplyDeleteMy point precisely. Henderson is in the same position as Sterling yet gets none of the vitriol or criticism.
ReplyDeleteMakes you wonder what drives the reporting and why people are so willing to latch on to Sterling but Henderson gets a free pass
It would be best not to believe all the media hype around Sterling's contract situation. His current contract runs till 2017 so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. I am sure by the start of next season his contract will be signed sealed and delivered.
ReplyDeleteI like your internet.
ReplyDeleteGus Poyet been sacked
ReplyDeleteFalcoa went to the great sporting institution and tax free principality of Monaco. He said it was his dream to play for Real Madrid. He signed for United who offered him ridiculous money. He said it was his dream to play for United. When questioned about this he said "I have many dreams". This is a Mercenary.
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame hey? ;p
ReplyDeleteInternet the puppy up if you don't want to go the pub. You may find an american site instead of BT. You may have to deal with Phill Neville though who is worse than Owen.
ReplyDeleteNot the biggest shock. Not after the weekend.
ReplyDeleteWho are you and why have you replaced our Logan with a positive person?
ReplyDelete...and that is why BR needs to go!
ReplyDeleteFeeling slightly nervous about the match tonight. Swansea are no pushovers at home. Hopefully we come away with the 3 points.
ReplyDeleteI get a bit nervous before every game.
ReplyDeleteI have never been negative about Sterling ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd neither is to blame really..
ReplyDeleteIf he steps it up and plays his part in us winning the FA Cup and a CL place then he just might be in a stronger position to negotiate ! Otherwise .......
ReplyDeleteWho Knew that it was Borini keeping him in a job?!
ReplyDeleteHave a drink every time you see Voldemort.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot compare GJ and Sterling as Liverpool is in the process of changing the way the NEW contracts are to be drawn up . Lower wages with better performances bonuses.
ReplyDeleteTo many under performing players on high wages .
I have never said anything bad about Sterling. Even with all the rumours of him wanting to become our highest paid player. He is probably our best player and most clubs will line up and flash the cash...
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling nervous about EVERY match from now on ....... Slip ups are not an option !
ReplyDeleteHahaha nice one- yet they drew and beat Ski- and then the 8-0
ReplyDeleteMy mate (a Swansea fan) convinced me Shevey did that hands glasses thing as an impression of that Pale man monster thing from Pan's Labyrinth.
ReplyDeleteYeah but you didn't end the post with something about Rodgers being a fraud or whatever it was you kept saying. I like it. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteSame here muchacho.
ReplyDeleteFraud
ReplyDeleteJaimie is there any chance of putting a glossary of terms that lead to a post going to moderation? I now know that b o r i n g is one. Just found out that f r a u d is another.
ReplyDeleteOh yea I'm gutted
ReplyDeleteIt is a very strange word filter. N e g a t i v e seems to be another word that gets caught by it.
ReplyDeleteSilly. It get's on your nerves when you write a whole post and the worst thing you say is Chelsea play b o r i n g football and it doesn't get passed mod. I wonder if posters are valued more than visitors?
ReplyDeleteThe Arsenal and Chelsea away matches are not points we should be banking on so pretty much 8 out of ten wins to reach 75 points and I reckon we will finish 4th.
ReplyDeleteLose tonight and then UTD will be licking their lips...
i've always been like that for as long as i remember
ReplyDeleteShelvy himself said it was a banter with his brother who apparently doesn't see so well..
ReplyDeleteI prefer the other one. Away with your facts, orme.
ReplyDeleteFake negabore - just thought I'd try it
ReplyDeleteBorative.
ReplyDeleteYeah he told me that after I had been duped for long enough.
ReplyDeleteYeah, just found out.Maybe Brannagan might come in.
ReplyDeleteSee just make up new words and stay one step ahead of the game - you may sound like a willybonce but you still get your point across
ReplyDeleteYeah come to think about it, me too probably. Some games I can have a little turn in my stomach even not thinking about it. Big games that is.
ReplyDeleteExactly
ReplyDeleteWillybonce? Isn't that Australian for pram?
ReplyDeleteYou can't simply say "I had a dream" and expect to get treated like a hero these days.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes have to read two pages of Ferguson's autobiography
ReplyDeleteDoctor King? Biggest merc of them all.
ReplyDeleteUnless we dish out a first half hiding, I can't see any game time for any of the kids. Just to be involved in the first team squad will be good experience for these lads though
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love the idea (and willybonce) I have no idea what words will trip the alarms. We need a glossary.
ReplyDeleteUnless Gerrard's on the pitch... ;-)
ReplyDeleteToo soon...
ReplyDeleteWas afraid of that.
ReplyDeleteHe did try to list all the banned words once but it went for moderation and never came out ;-)
ReplyDeleteClassic example of a 'factoid' (in Sterling's case), where something is repeated so often that it becomes accepted as fact, regardless of actual validity. I doubt anyone knows the true nature of sterling's contract negotiations except Sterling, his agent, a few members of club hierarchy and of course 50+ years supporter.
ReplyDeleteIn Hendo's case, maybe the general lack of fuss is because he just isn't as interesting to the media or your average supporter.
No, you are (IMO) in denial, like so many other LFC fans. You clearly haven't read Rodgers' comments over the weekend.
ReplyDeleteAh, I see. So a player is not a mercenary if he holds his own club to ransom buy demanding obscene wages. Gotcha.
ReplyDeleteRansom? Holding out for the best deal he can get? Obscene? Less than less effective players in the team earn?
ReplyDeleteI'm not happy with it either but we are talking about a ridiculous world of money and Sterling has not yet changed clubs for the highest bidder just yet.
Exactly - even when he is on the pitch !
ReplyDeleteDoubt if LVG can feel his ;-)
ReplyDeletelook out Ashley Young here comes a flock of birds
ReplyDeleteApparently he's being offered new contract- nice one
ReplyDeleteNo but my point is if he was motivated purely by money, he would be angling for a move as he could undoubtedly earn more elsewhere
ReplyDeleteI agree, I'm not happy about it either, it's a despicable amount of money to be paying kids but it is what it is, that's the market. At the end of the day however, the players don't set the market value, the club's do.
ReplyDeleteI've long been an advocate of a salary cap and a cap on how much you can spend on one player. Something like 100k a week tops and a maximum transfer fee of 50 million or something. Then you might see some loyalty.
Don't think it would work legally though, however the law doesn't seem to apply to FIFA in any other aspect so why not ,
Haha
ReplyDeleteI'm seemingly constantly nervous nowadays, it's too close for my heart, and liver to take. I also keep checking the league table every few hours, every day....in case it changes I can only assume, I'm not sure why.
ReplyDeleteshhhh don't say s**p until after the Chelsea game.
ReplyDeletewillybonce....how on Earth did that made up word escape moderation!!!
ReplyDeleteBecause It's a legitimate medical term I guess;'-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not comparing them at all, I was just saying it's an alternative viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I forgot about that, thanks for adding that. Maybe he was justified in saying that after all.
ReplyDeleteHa, if you mean what I think you mean, then you are putting the pages to good use ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou're right, of course. Sterling and his agent have every right to play the market for the biggest salary he can get. Perhaps what upsets me is that this points to a bigger issue where money rules, and clubs can't afford to hold onto their best players unless they pay the silliest wage.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool can't exactly cry about being victims of this - we're near the top of the rich-kid pile - so I suppose this is just the shoe being put on the other foot.
Maybe I can phrase my argument this way: if Sterling and his agent have wind of a 150k offer from another club, I wouldn't begrudge him a move. If I was Ian Ayre, I'd swap the Harley for a Triumph and decide that, in fact, Sterling is not quite as good as Neymar and that a silly wage (beyond 100k a week) could realistically be spent on a better player. Pogba is on 70k, for example, and Reus' new contract I believe is in the region of 150k. Pity, but I'd only be willing to spend that kind of cash on someone that has been a bit more consistently brilliant than Sterling at this stage of his development. If he continues to improve, then sure, give him another raise. At the moment, 150k would be extortion - and fair play to him if he gets it right.
I'd probably agree with that. Part of the confusion in all of this, this is just my guess, comes in that Liverpool are pushing for a performance based contract. Ian Ayre talked about this recently. In that instance perhaps what Liverpool want Sterling to take is a 75k base contracts with performance incentives that go up as far as 150k. You could imagine there would be a lot of wrangling about those conditions and Sterling, really just a young kid who likes playing football, probably doesn't have the time required to sit down and really understand the nuts and bolts of it. And he kind of has to, his agent can't entirely do that for him. Only Sterling can be the one to say that he's happy to link his pay to his own personal abilities. Hence why it would take some time and maybe why Sterling has said he wants to leave it to the end of the season.
ReplyDeleteIn that instance would you be more convinced? Sterling would only get his 150k if he actually performs. Most of the criticisms seem to be around that i.e. he just doesn't deserve that big money. But if he has a contract that is written as such then it would be hard to argue. If he gets paid the top amount it would ONLY be because he deserves it. For me that's the right way to go about it. I'm guessing that Sterling and his agent are reluctant to go for that kind of deal.
Ah I see, so I could get away with erectile dysfunction then hopefully.....may have revealed more of myself than intended there.
ReplyDeleteTaking your example of Pogba (the 2013 European Golden Boy)... Arguably he has not been performing as well as Sterling (?)... If he moves this summer - to Man Utd/Arsenal/Man City/
ReplyDelete