25 Jul 2015

Allen-Killer? Liverpool chase 'terrific' £16m powerhouse who 'had contact' with LFC. Transfer priority?

Last season, ex-Red Danny Murphy urged Liverpool to sign Newcastle star Moussa Sissoko, and new reports this weekend suggest that Brendan Rodgers is once again interested in signing the combative midfielder.

According to Foot Mercato today:

* Liverpool are interested in signing Sissoko, who is allegedly available for £16m.

* Spurs are currently favourites to seal the deal, and have already submitted a bid.

In an interview this week, Sissoko hinted that a move may be on the cards. He told reporters:

“With a year until the Euros, I shouldn’t change club, but I want to play for one of the biggest clubs...in the Champions League, which we don’t have at Newcastle.

"One day or another, my time will come. But in any case I see myself staying in England."


When asked in January who Liverpool should sign to replace Steven Gerrard, Murphy told the Daily Star:

“Moussa Sissoko and Morgan Schneiderlin are the two players Liverpool should go for. Sissoko is a box-to-box midfielder, who has looked absolutely terrific since going centrally".

Schneiderlin is off the table now, but Sissoko is still a possibility, and if Rodgers had made different choices in 2012, the Frenchman would already be a Liverpool player.

I argued repeatedly for LFC to sign Sissoko, and prior to his move to Newcastle, the France international was heavily linked with a move to Anfield:

Jul 2011: Sissoko revealed that he was flattered to be linked with Liverpool.

Apr 2012: Speaking to reporters after Toulouse's defeat to Montpellier, Sissoko told reporters: "I've had contact with English clubs, notably Liverpool"

Aug 2012: Sissoko issued a 'come and get me' plea to Premier League clubs: "I want to grow, and the English Premier league attracts me first. My profile might interest some clubs, but if I want to leave Téfécé I know I still have to work for it"

Sissoko cost Newcastle United a sickening £2.2m. The same summer, Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for Michu, who ultimately signed for Swansea in £2m deal.

I'm loath to make this next point because it'll make me feel sick, but the reality is this: Liverpool could've had Michu and Sissoko for a combined total of £4.4m. Instead, the club, in its infinite wisdom, decided that £26m on Joe Allen and Fabio Borini represented better value for money.


Ladies and gentleman of the jury! I implore you: Michu and Sissoko or Allen and Borini? It's an absolute no-brainer; and in the history of no-brainers, this is the most obvious no-brainer of them all...except, of course, in the minds of those who (seemingly) have no-brain (for transfers).

But I digress...

£16m? At first glance, that seems a bit steep, but comparatively speaking, it's probably a fair fee for an experienced, international, who's Premier League-proven, and rarely injured. Right now, though, Liverpool are oversubscribed in the central midfield department, and if he signs, Sissoko may struggle for game time at Anfield.

Milner and Henderson will almost certainly play most games; Joe Allen is in-talks over a new deal, and if Lucas stays, Sissoko will face unhealthy competition for a place in the team, which isn't conducive to his stated goal of making the France team for the Euros.

Additionally, Sissoko states that he wants to play in the Champions League, which immediately seems to rule out a move to Anfield.

To be honest, I'd rather have Sissoko than James Milner, but Brendan Rodgers is a Milner fan-boy, and I can't see the Sissoko displacing the Englishman in the team.

Asier Illarramendi is reportedly available for a similar price - given the choice, which of the two is the better deal for Liverpool?

Author: Jaimie K


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