12 Jun 2015

New Update: 'Extraordinary' €23m star responds to 'Liverpool' rumours and confirms transfer to Anfield is unlikely

New reports today suggest that Liverpool have reached an 'agreement in principle' to sign Inter Milan midfielder Mateo Kovacic, but according to the man himself, there's very little chance of him leaving the San Siro this summer.

Earlier today, Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato claimed that:

* Liverpool have reached an agreement with Inter to sign 'extraordinary'** Kovacic.

* The transfer fee is €23m plus appearance-related add-ons.

* A Liverpool 'representative' will be in Italy tonight to watch Kovacic in action for Croatia.

When asked last night about Liverpool's interest, however, Kovacic seemed to contradict reports of an imminent Inter exit. He told reporters:

“Liverpool? I signed a contract to 2019, but you never know in football. At this moment I can say that I am 100 per cent staying at Inter".

Inter boss Roberto Mancini also ruled out a transfer. On Wednesday, he noted:

“I think he [Kovacic] will stay at Inter. I don’t think there is anything going on with him regarding a transfer.”

As always, in the hierarchy of evidence, actual comments from players/managers always (IMO) hold greater weight that mere speculative press reports, and in this case, I'll take Kovacic's comments over an opportunist newspaper story.

If things change, though, I'm still not thrilled about the prospect of Liverpool paying close to £20m for yet another promising young player who's barely out of his teens.



Kovacic may be highly-rated, but so was Lazar Markovic, and look what happened. If the Reds are going to send €23m+ on a new first-team midfielder, that money should go on an established, experienced player who is more likely to come in and make an immediate impact.

That said, Adam Lallana fits that description, and he massively underwhelmed in his first season, so clearly, there are no guarantees...

** For the millionth time: if a quote is in RED it means it's a link that comes from another source. In this case, it's not ME saying Kovacic is 'extraordinary', it's Roberto Mancini.

Author: Jaimie K


81 comments:

  1. Well, Metro and Express are now reporting that Kovacic is our 4th deal of the summer, at 16.6M. Don't believe anything at this point, both for and against the deal.

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  2. I hope we sign him, looks a fantastic player to me and much further along the road than Marko whom I think we did overpay for, nevertheless it's too early to make an informed judgement on Marko' LFC career and I still think he'll come good.
    Somewhere around £20million I think is probably a fair figure for Mateo any less would be a bargain for me, If we can get this deal done then we will have started to show some real intent to get quality players this summer, fingers crossed for me.

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  3. Why would he leave Inter to join Liverpool. There is no upside

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  4. Well there is, - he would be a Liverpool player - massive upside for the lad.

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  5. I still don't get our thinking in signing Kovacic when we could be signing Roberto Firmino instead. Firmino is much more suited to our system, can play anywhere across the front three, and he has better end product! Where is the downside in getting Firmino because I can't see one; and he will be even cheaper than Kovacic while being a near finished product.

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  6. We could be after both, don't forget that we probably have to initiate talks with more than one of our preferred targets at a time, I'd rather we did that than just go after and not get a 'Sanchez' equivalent this time round.

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  7. But Firmino should be our first choice attacking target as he is the more experienced, and better, option whereas Kovacic should only be a backup for our top transfer target. I don't see any reports about Firmino joining so I'm quite worried that LFC are trying to replace Gerrard with Milner and Kovacic when he doesn't need replacing. With Gerrard gone we should now prioritise a dedicated defensive-mid and an attacking mid, which Firmino would provide. But unfortunately it seems that we are targeting Kovacic because he is versatile enough to play as an attacking midfielder and a deep lying playmaker but he is not a defensive midfielder like we need.

    Possible options for DM: Gonalons, Illaramendi, Clasie and De Jong
    One of those would do it; Gonalons and Illaramendi for our top two targets in that position, and Clasie as an under-the-radar alternative. De Jong from AC Milan can be a stop gap solution if we don't get our top three targets.

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  8. Get Kova release Skrtel and we're on our merry way

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  9. From an unbiased perspective there won't.
    Europa league? Seriously? ?

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  10. He'd be playing in a much more exciting league, for starters.

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  11. I'm totally with you on us needing a quality DM, although obviously we hope that Lucas stays and continues to play as well.
    What I'm getting at is don't assume that LFC head honchos are not looking at Firmino and the others you list: you could say if this transfer window they repeatedly threw a net over many quality players some may slip through, - what I'm saying is lets not throw back the ones that we manage to land the first time round in the hope we will eventually get the others - for we may run out of time again and end with an empty net.
    Shockingly bad analogy but I mean we should be happy if early on we sign a great player which IMO Mateo is.

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  12. diffetence between him and markovic is he looks real quality and looks as though he has an end product, markovic looked average before he can and his finishing is poor

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  13. But, as a fan of the best Club in the world bar none, I think it should boil down to more than just the facts and figures of who's in what tournament and who pays what wages.
    Granted they'll be thin on the ground but why shouldn't there be players out there still, who would want to become biased in Red the same as you and I, at the end of the day, simply -
    We are Liverpool.

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  14. Kovacic extraordinary? Jaime ? Over gros

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  15. Watched him quite a few times playing for Inter and never been impressed. Will be another wasted £20m and we seem to have a habit of buying players none of the top english teams would even consider!

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  16. That is Roberto Mancini's description, not mine. Click the link and you'll find Mancini's statement.

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  17. Inter finished 8th in the Serie A. We finished in Europa. Clearly a step up...

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  18. Why would a representative be going to watch him if we've already agreed to buy him?

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  19. and earn more money !

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  20. Inter have won the CL in the last 5 years and won 5 league titles in last 10 years - Liverpool hav'nt won in 25 years and realistically cant win in next 3-5 years

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  21. I thought Liverpool supporters where loyal ?

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  22. Free holiday ? they call it scouting ?

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  23. Of course we are, we just want whats best for the club and want our club to go forward instead backward. Thanx Skrts for everything but it is time to move on

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  24. Okay, so next season we're going in with 1 quality CB, 1 flop CB, and a 34 year old washed up Kolo Toure? Sounds like a plan!

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  25. Jensen Huddleston5:02 pm, June 12, 2015

    So what your saying is rodgers has no control or input on any of our transfer activity? Do you really feel he is just sitting back and waiting for the owners to bring in new players without him offering any input? Why stay under these circumstances and if this is the case? I just don't buy it. We will be doing a lot of supporting LFC when they lose since it seems everybody is accepting our current place and mediocrity. Three signings thus far and not a single difference maker and onky one will challenge for that first team week in and week out. Using your logic, rodgers will stay forever since he is the owner's puppet and they can just pull his strings.

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  26. Personally I think Lovren will settle down well. But I don't think we should be counting on that. That will still leave us with just 2 starting quality CBs, an old goat, and possibly Ilori who's untested.

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  27. Get a decent back up who can play a high line and in a back four and we're good. We have written off Lovren way to early, the boy is simply eager to please

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  28. They also nearly bankrupt.


    The club has been up for sale for a few now but cant find any buyers due to the level of debt they have.


    This is the main reason why the FFP rules have been relaxed, because of teams like Inter and Milan are unable to find new owners due to the level of debt they currently have.

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  29. John Toshack cannot understand how B R can carry on after his 2 mates sacked - says we are never going to improve if this is the case

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  30. I agree with your hopes regarding Lovren and Sakho but feel it would be madness to get rid of what is currently our best defender, premature at minimum.
    I would of kept Agger though too, although he was mainly injured I just don't think we're that hard up that we need to be releasing our more experienced players all the time - should of got our act together a bit sooner with Gerrard's contract too.

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  31. Falcoa or Tevez = or both please

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  32. Wouldn't mind Tevez but will pass on Falcoa.

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  33. Since we're sucking up all the free-transfer mediocrity going at the moment, I was wondering what everyone thought about Micah Richards?

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  34. Money on Falcao going to Chelsea

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  35. Might as well.

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  36. Haha, but seriously at 26 he's still got some years left in him, could do a job for us if he could stay fit. Not sure how he got on a Fiorentina though. I guess there must be a reason why Villa are the only team linked with him at the moment.

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  37. I'd keep Skrtel only as back up or rotation but never a starter, he just cannot play in the tactical set up Rodgers demands. But I dont think Skrtel would agree to that and maybe the club is cutting their loss by offering that "unacceptable" contract, or they want to sell him fast while he has some value. He had plenty of time to prove himself yet throughout all his tenure Liverpool leaked goals- and yet we're ready to bury Lovren after one bad (mediocre) season- hypocritical in my view

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  38. With you on the Lovren bit and you won't find any previous posts from myself writing him off.
    I'll be the first to admit that I'm not as savvy at assessing players as many on here, likely including yourself but the way I've viewed Skrtel the last few seasons is this: lots of others faffing around like headless chickens around him whilst trying to overplay things and Skrtel being the only one who regularly, tackles, heads, intercepts and clears the ball - the basics if you like.
    I get what you're saying about him not fitting Brendan's style and in fairness trying to do so is probably what's made an ass out of the others, but I still think we should retain his services, at least until the others reach the required level.

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  39. Muhammad Ibrahim5:47 pm, June 12, 2015

    I sooo, want us to get this guy and have been for the last 3 seasons or so. He can actually move forward with the ball from midfield and seems to have an eye for a pass.




    We need a real CMD. Lucas needs to go. I propose we try and get William Carvalho or Johannes Geis

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  40. Firmino was ideal option last summer. Now are more clubs after him, He was mentioned a few times but maybe he decided (like Costa) to stay and fight for his place in teh great Hoffenheim team?!

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  41. Well they need something to keep the site running. Even Jaimie has ads on his site. Do any one of us pay him directly to keep Liverpool Kop running?

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  42. Well they need something to keep the site running. Even Jaimie has ads on his site. Do any one of us pay him directly to keep this site running.

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  43. Toure an old Goat? Imagine how his son will look? My bad!

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  44. Agreed! He is a decent defender, but he's only that- excells at basics, but that is not what is required here in Rodgers plan. I would keep him in rotation system he earned that in my view, but if a good offer comes along then we should act in my opinion.

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  45. John Toshack is 100% correct.

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  46. He didn't get much game time. \He played well but they switched formations and there usual right back was selected ahead of him.


    To be honest considering he is on a free he is worth a punt

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  47. I wouldn't say he even excels at the basics. How many times has Skrtel been bullied.


    Considering his size you would think that he should be able to handle big strikers but every time he comes up against a target man he loses.

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  48. We are but most of us are not blind.

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  49. They were....once

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  50. Inter were bought 2 years ago by Erick Thohir - net worth $25 billion - do you even think before posting?

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  51. Bud im not trying to run down Liverpool but honestly I watch a lot of both clubs and Inter have a bunch of young players like Icardi, Shaqiri and Kovacic who have huge potential(plus by far the best youth academy in Italy) - Liverpool have only Coutinho really . If Liverpool are honestly holding out for 50 million for Sterling they should pay the same for Kovacic

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  52. John Henrys net worth is $1.1 billion by the way....

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  53. He does pretty well against Costa for example and don't forget many times it seemed Brendan had tasked one of our smallest players to mark the oppo's biggest so I have to cut Martin a bit of slack.
    Also, although (like the rest of the team) he didn't do too well season just gone - he's generally about our only decent aerial threat from set pieces - the other being Gerrard and maybe I'm way off the mark but I think he still has a part to play.

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  54. Sounds a decent appraisal, I would just like to be sure we have an upgrade in place, settled and playing well before he moves on, maybe if we're made the sort of offer we can't refuse... but then I don't see that happening; let's just be careful not to undervalue his services before it's too late. As you say, rotations the way forward.

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  55. That's a fair point mate, I went too far. Bogdan's had injury troubles and has fallen out of favour now and again it's true. But I reckon he's an upgrade on last year's No. 2 and I'm happy with the signing, especially as it leaves funds available for elsewhere in the team while bringing in a realistic option at GK.

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  56. Inter are very close to being in Europa League - good chance Sampdoria are gonna get thrown out - but that will have no effect on transfer.

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  57. Yes very close in a weaker league if some teams get thrown out versus being there if everything goes the wrong way, iin a far more competitive league.
    I am very biased about Liverpool but no way in hell there is any argument in Inter being a better team or club at any given moment.

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  58. Alright David, I'll give you my prediction if you promise to start putting paragraph breaks in your posts :)

    Cut a long story short, between 3rd and 6th, and because I am a glass-half-full man (literally a half-full glass in front of me right now) I'm going to say 4th. I don't think there's going to be much to choose between us, Man Utd (stability issues, esp. if De Gea goes), Man City (on the edge of falling apart if Aguero decides to pull the plug), Spurs (similar situation to us but not quite the quality throughout when everyone's fit and the manager isn't as good imo, too conservative). All sides with some good and some bad points who will be streaky over the season just like this year.

    Arsenal have hit a good spot -- Sanchez, Oezil, Ramsey, Koscielny, that spine looks the business to me -- and have the crucial factor of stability. Chelsea are a power house. Ivanovic, for me, is the best player in the league. So I'm putting places 1 and 2 beyond us barring major change.

    The thing with Liverpool is, when we get momentum and things gel, our support and the *feel* of the club, the belief that its traditions can breed in players, sometimes carries us to places our players shouldn't legitimately get based on ability alone. So we are more unpredictable than the others to some degree. If we start the season well and Rodgers can feed the fire, as he's shown he's capable of in the past, then we can be a force. I'm sure we'll be stronger than this year, which was unique. Not fun was it.

    I don't see Southampton, Stoke, Swansea, Villa etc as threats at all. If you start to take the kind of critical eye that LFC fans reserve for their own team to those clubs, we're clearly a level ahead, not least in terms of our *approach*, the way the coach prepares the team and looks to win every game, which is as it should be. None of those clubs can say the same, can they. We have the quality, stability, and structure to meet our goals.

    My predictions for the last 3 seasons were 5th, 2nd, and 4th. I won't be shy when August comes around, I promise, but it's still to early to guess when the other clubs are still to even *start* their transfer business, so I'm not going to put my money down yet. But I don't think a club with Coutinho, Lallana, Henderson, Sakho, Sturridge, which has stability and adopts attacking tactics, is going to be getting dragged into mid-table. But I don't believe we've got the pure class and depth throughout the squad to challenge Chelsea and Arsenal this year.

    Consider yourself enlightened my padwan! ;)

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  59. As a starter, he did really good for Fiorentina, but as a sub he played a lot worse. With his strength and athleticism I think he still fits well in the Premier League, and I would like to see him here.

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  60. Doesn't say anything. He's got 100 first team appearances. He's a decent player.

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  61. Wants to stay in London.

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  62. We see eye to eye about him- which makes me wonder what would happen if Sakho remained fit all season and Lovren grew a pair before Christmas... maybe we played Skrtel a bit too much?

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  63. I promise to put paragraph breaks in for you if your pedantic self so desires, my little helmeted friend as it does make it far easier to read point taken.


    In my opinion I would put Liverpool more in the 6th or 7th position at best, so we are not that far apart in our estimation, I feel it will only be as a result of Rodgers signings failing to make the grade once again, coupled with Rodgers inability to handle pressure when it comes down to that final hurdle.


    I hope with all my heart Robo I am proved wrong as our club is more important than yours or my own opinion, if Rodgers stays and delivers I wouldn't have a problem eating humble pie as I am humble enough to eat it mate.


    On a different note though Robo I am off on my holidays tomorrow so we will continue our discussion when I get back home, as I have loads of packing to sort out, along with trying to show my teenage nephew how to use a washing machine, hopefully we will have signed a couple of players that might make me feel a little more optimistic about the new season by then mate.

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  64. Maybe, he did seem to stake his place fairly on merit though. Come the new season I presume whomever the manager is will show us his true hand again, will be interesting as ever.

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  65. Have a good break chief!

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  66. I just hope all our CB's are healthy and complete the pre-season, that aspect is very important in my view

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  67. What I think is that Rodgers is a young and ambitious manager who has been given one of the best footballing jobs in the world.


    He totally believes in his own abilities which a lot of top managers do, however he does make mistakes and we'll need to see how quickly he can overcome them.


    I think he has an input in transfers but is working within a structure laid down by the owners, and I understand one of the reasons he kept his job was because he agreed to follow this structure.


    A more successful manager like Klopp wouldn't work like that but I think Rodgers will do whatever it takes to be a success at Liverpool.


    My slight concern is not Rodgers the coach but Rodgers the manager as he does seem to change some things more than he needs to , also I think Ian Ayre is our main problem as we do seem to struggle to complete deals, look at the players Chelsea and Man U have snatched from under our noses.

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  68. I wonder will we ever find out why the brodge went to Rome...

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  69. Are you seriously suggesting we get rid of all those players, even the ones who have not even put on the shirt?

    Sturridge is a concern due to injuries, however I would keep him but needs to be played as a 2, Ings would be a good partner as would do a lot of the work around him.



    We do however need one more striker , hopefully with a little more experience. When I did look at our players I would agree that we could sell around 10 players and get around £65m and that would not include Sterling, if we could reinvest 75% of that in 5 players that would put us in better shape.

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  70. To make sure we rule ourselves out of the running for Pjanic's signature.

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  71. This is so biased, pure angry clickbait, for shame for even reading

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  72. Well goodluck next season. The team lacks a good set piece taker and still we re not in the hunt for one. Just busy buying freebies and costly under average players. If kovacic deal is taking too long to complete while not go for cabaye instead could be cheap and a very good option in my opinion. Might even be better than kovacic.

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  73. He may be better than Jones, but I think people are mainly underwhelmed because they wanted a proven goalkeeper to replace Mignolet. Funds would need to have been invested into that, but it probably would have been worth the investment.

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  74. Ad revenues...


    There are subscription sites out there that claim to have well informed links to the club, all I see on this rumours site is un-referenced material to a whole bunch of rumours, already made public weeks and weeks ago.

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  75. I raised the point because a lot of people (such as Logan, and it's not in any way a criticism, just observation) seem to just live off the stuff and take it as gospel. From my quick flick through all I saw was un-referenced and poorly edited rumours to transfer links the tabloids/new media picked up weeks ago. I know the site is called Liverpool-Rumours, but I'm just saying.

    Logan used a post with no factual backing whatsoever to further his ephemeral tirade against the club. It doesn't make much sense.

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  76. Newspapers may pick some of the same rumours weeks beforehand, but the aim of the site is not necessarily to get the first scoop. 90% of the activity is actually the editors responding to inquiries. A big part of the website's role is confirming whether rumours found in the media are true or not. I also believe there's a reason why they don't reference most of their stuff. As for being poorly-edited, I don't really know what you mean...

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  77. Totally agree! The owners are shopping at the bargain basement purely because of the redevelopment of Anfield, this will have an impact on our resources! Everyone that is hating Rodgers need to get real, it's the hierarchy of the club that run the show!

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  78. I agree there is deadwood that needs moving and yeah we have to trust Rodgers as he's not going anywhere for the moment...let's not forget the good old transfer committee either, even if we had got Ancelotti or Klopp the club would still sign second rate European players that no one has heard of (e.g. Markovic, Aquilani etc).

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