16 Sept 2015

Transfer Stunner: LFC legend talked to 'world-class' €43m playmaker about 'signing for Liverpool'.

In March, Liverpool legend Ronnie Whelan urged Liverpool to make an improbable attempt to sign German superstar Toni Kroos, and according to Reds hero Steven Gerrard, the club actively tried to sign Kroos prior to his move to Real Madrid.

In a column for The Herald, Whelan bemoaned Liverpool's 'squad depth', and noted:

"I would love to read that Tony Kroos has decided to come to Anfield. It would be fantastic to see a class act like that set up camp on Merseyside".

Liverpool were linked with Kroos (who's now worth €43m according to CIES Football Observatory) throughout 2014, and in his new autobiography, Gerrard confirms:

"Brendan asked me to talk Kroos into signing for Liverpool. We both admired [him], and we had a nice little exchange of texts [but] he would soon sign for Real Madrid.  I said well done and good luck."

Signing a players like Kroos - hailed by Rodgers last season as a 'world-class player - remains a pipe dream for Liverpool, for the following reasons:

* Rodgers doesn't have the profile or the pulling-power to attract Europe's elite players. The failure to sign Sanchez, Costa, and countless others are examples of this.

* For the most part, Rodgers is a good coach in his own right, but the brutal reality is that he hasn't achieved anything to make elite players sit up and take notice.

* Liverpool's main rivals are managed by Mourinho, Van Gaal, Wenger, and Pellegrini, all of whom have the requisite profile/aura/track-record to attract the best players in Europe.

* Liverpool have failed to qualify for the Champions League in FIVE of the last SIX years, and this is a negative when trying to attract the best.

* Even with Champions League football, Rodgers failed to sign top class, internationally renowned players, which suggests that Europe's elite aren't interested in playing for him.

* With Gerrard gone, Liverpool have no world-renowned stars at the club. I doubt the cream of Europe are jumping at the chance to play alongside Lovren, Lallana, Henderson, and Milner.

* On top of everything else, Chelsea and Arsenal have the major advantage of being based in London. This is not always a deciding factor, but it is something that can make a difference.

There is, however, one surefire way for for Liverpool to attract the world's best players: money. If the Reds offer bigger salaries that any other club, then the mercenaries will come running, but that is not a sustainable transfer policy.

On the plus side, it's heartening to know that Rodgers has the ambition to target the world's best players. Some fans have ridiculed him for using Gerrard, but who cares? The manager should utilise anything at his disposal to improve the team, and if that means drafting in a club legend to attract players, then so be it.

Rodgers is sh^it outta luck now, though. With Gerrard no longer at the club, who can he use as his transfer go-between?

MILNER: "Hi, Edinson? It's James Milner from Liverpool. How's it going?".

*Cavani hangs up the phone*

Author: Jaimie K


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