• You may have to login or register before you can post and view our exclusive members only forums.
    To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Another creative midfielder -Ivan Rakitic

Forums Unread posts
Status
Not open for further replies.
Here you go...

http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/0...-12m-bid-for-sevilla-midfielder-ivan-rakitic/



Exclusive: Liverpool Prepare £12m Bid For Sevilla Midfielder Ivan Rakitic

by Mark Brus June 3rd, 2013
Comments​
3​

Rakitic.jpg

Reds to add Croatian playmaker Ivan Rakitic as Brendan Rodgers eyes creativity from midfield.
Liverpool are preparing a bid of £12million to land Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla this summer, CaughtOffside can reveal.
Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to enter the transfer market for a creative midfielder this summer, and was believed to be targeting a return for former Liverpool favourite Xabi Alonso, now at Real Madrid.
However, despite it being thought that Alonso might be sold in a summer clear-out at the Bernabeu this year, he has pledged his future to the club and does not seem to be available.
With the signings of Joe Allen from Swansea and Nuri Sahin on loan from Real Madrid failing last summer, Rodgers is still keen to add a quality playmaker to his midfield, and has identified Rakitic as a player who could be the solution to his side’s problems.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season in La Liga with Sevilla, scoring 8 goals and providing 10 assists from the middle of the park. Rakitic has 51 caps for the Croatian national team, and has previously impressed as a youngster during his time at Swiss side Basel and in the Bundesliga with Schalke, before moving to Spain in 2011.
Although Sevilla only finished 9th in La Liga, only world class players such as Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Mesut Ozil, Cesc Fabregas, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo managed more assists than Rakitic in the Spanish league this term.
He has found himself linked with Serie A side Lazio, who themselves might be in the market for a creative midfielder, with Manchester City said to be monitoring their star player Hernanes for a move this summer.
Liverpool have also been linked with Ajax star Christian Eriksen, though he has recently suggested that he would favour a move to Borussia Dortmund, where he would be able to play further up the field as a replacement for star player Mario Goetze, who has been confirmed as joining Bayern Munich next season.
And with Liverpool already having the likes of Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Jonjo Shelvey filling the roles behind the main striker, a more deep-lying player in the Alonso mould to play alongside Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva is more of a priority for Rodgers, making Rakitic a promising-looking candidate.
The Sevilla star has inevitably been compared with Real Madrid and former Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric, his international team mate, and if he can have the same kind of impact as his compariot did in the Premier League, then he will prove a very good signing, especially at just £12million.
He may not be the only Sevilla player heading to England this summer, with Spanish winger Jesus Navas widely expected to join Manchester City.
 
Great player, should've picked him up from Schalke, he went for cheap! would be good signing at 12m
 
Looks like we're definitely set to add at least one mid, I guess it depends who we want. There's quite a bit of talent out there which we can entice and pay for.

Would be happy to have Rakitic.
 
I didn't see him much lately, but I read that he slowed in his progress and looks like he won't quite fulfill his potential. So I would say stay away.
 
Ivan Rakitic has refused to comment on links with Liverpool, but has confirmed that he is happy at Sevilla and that the club have asked him to stay.

The Croat is linked with an exit this summer, with Premier League side Liverpool yesterday suggested as preparing a €12m bid for the creative midfielder.

“I am motivated and happy at the club, despite the situation, when looking at everything altogether, being not that good,” Rakitic told Sportske novosti today.

“The club has asked me to stay and they want to build with me a new team.

“First, as I have said, I want to see what reinforcements they bring in. We have a quality team that can do better than this season.

“There is a grain of possibility that we can play in the Europa League. We are not at our strongest right now because two pillars of the team, Andres Palop and Jesus Navas, have left us, they had been important at the club for years.

“We must find replacements for them. Of course our game will change, as we had based a lot of it through Navas and his speed.

“I believe in the Coach, who says he has a few ideas.”
Click to expand...
 
We're always making/preparing/lining up/considering a bid for random players according to the Press here aren't we?.

I suppose if you link us to enough players someone's bound to be right aren't they.

Have any of these players been seen sufficiently by anyone on here to be considered worthwhile?
 
Sevilla's Ivan Rakitic has been linked with Liverpool, but he's happy where he is.

“I am motivated and happy at the club, despite the situation, when looking at everything altogether, being not that good,” Rakitic told Sportske novosti today.

“The club has asked me to stay and they want to build with me a new team.

“First, as I have said, I want to see what reinforcements they bring in. We have a quality team that can do better than this season.

“There is a grain of possibility that we can play in the Europa League. We are not at our strongest right now because two pillars of the team, Andres Palop and Jesus Navas, have left us, they had been important at the club for years.

“We must find replacements for them. Of course our game will change, as we had based a lot of it through Navas and his speed.

“I believe in the Coach, who says he has a few ideas.”
Click to expand...
 
Just came across some interesting La Liga stats:

Chances created (inc assists)

Sevilla: Rakitic 100, Navas 76, Reyes 59
Atheltic Bilbao: Susaeta 66, Gomez 56, Iraola 39
Atheltico Madrid: Koke 80, Gabi 40, Turan 38
Barcelona: Fabregas 50, Messi 45, Iniesta 44
Betis: Benat 61, Castro 44, Molina 30
Celta Vigo: Aspas 69, Krohn-Dehli 52, Fernandez 33
Deportivo: Pizzi 94, Valeron 61, Gama 42
Espanyol: Verdu 59, Garcia 44, Wakaso 32
Getafe: Barrada 60, Leon 59, Castro 48
Granada: Torje 36, Nolito 35, El-Arabi 33
Levante: Michel 55, Barkero 30, Rios 25
Malaga: Joaquin 86, Isco 43, Eliseu 26
Mallorca: dos Santos 61, Victor 55, Pina 28
Osasuna: Armenteros 71, Cejudo 46, las Cuevas 26
Rayo Vallecano: Trashorras 87, Dominguez 43, Piti 37
Real Madrid: Ozil 91, Ronaldo 62, Modric 56
Real Sociedad: Preto 58, Vela 54, Griezmann 37
Real Valladolid: Ebert 47, Oscar 41, Ramos 38
Real Zaragoza: Apono 54, Montanes 44, Rodriguez 43
Valencia: Costa 45, Banega 42, Parejo 38
Click to expand...
 
Instead of focusing on the numbers purely, I was actually looking at the dependency of the team on the players or how big a part they play in the team's attacking play. Otherwise it'll mean he's 2 times better than the likes of Fabregas! 😛 For example. Valencia's player contributions are fairly even, as is Barca's.
 
Binny said:
Instead of focusing on the numbers purely, I was actually looking at the dependency of the team on the players or how big a part they play in the team's attacking play. Otherwise it'll mean he's 2 times better than the likes of Fabregas! 😛 For example. Valencia's player contributions are fairly even, as is Barca's.
Click to expand...
Why didn't you just put up a YouTube vid? Much easier 😉
 
redhorizon2 said:
Why didn't you just put up a YouTube vid? Much easier 😉
Click to expand...


Cos' personally I'm not that keen on him. 🙂 Just as some mentioned by some other members, thought he would've been a more interesting signing when he left Schalke. Happened to come across the stats while reading on Aspas and also as netizens were trying to make a commotion over how worthy Navas (0 goals 6 assists) is - comparing his stats to those of Ratikic (8 goals 9 assists).
 
6 league appearances 3 goals 2 assists
[article]1st league assist


2nd league assist (from corner)


1st league goal


2nd league goal (from penalty)


3rd league goal (from free kick)
[/article]
5 Europa League (inc. qualifiers) apps, 2 goals, 4 assists
[article]1st Europe League assist (@0.34)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i1lfhXePbU

2nd Europa League assist (from corner, @1.27)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwtnEWnAfXM

3rd Europa League assist (@1.10)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeOgwIerOVs

1st Europa League goal (from free kick @1.43) and 4th assist(@3.48)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maDRjKOUtzU

2nd Europa League goal (@0.44)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5X2WQ7JeOA[/article]
 
Scored the winner in extra time for Sevilla vs. Almeria yesterday.


8 league appearances 4 goals 3 assists
 
I would still stay away. He is now flourishing as an undisputed leader of a mid-table team in Spain, a team who sold their best players last summer, but here he would be in a totally different situation.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

the count
  • Locked
The future according to CFG
Replies
11
Views
2K
manwithnoname
manwithnoname
Dirkus_Circus
  • Locked
The Plastics Loan Lunacy
Replies
1
Views
669
ILD
ILD
hamstrung_pigeon
  • Locked
Why Man City should move for Jesus
Replies
3
Views
730
Markeh
Markeh
Frogfish
  • Locked
Transfer Rumours
173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181
Replies
5K
Views
385K
Fabio
Fabio
Sheik Yerbouti
The Big Interview
Replies
8
Views
2K
Ijg
Ijg
Back
Top Bottom