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Liverpool agree a deal to sign Malaga playmaker Manuel Iturra

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6TimesaRed

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Liverpool are understood to have agreed a deal to sign Malaga playmaker Manuel Iturra on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to talkSPORT.
The Chile international has been in impressive form this season for Malaga and helped them qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in the clubs history, with the La Liga outfit looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Porto on Wednesday night to reach the quarter finals.
However, Iturra is out of contract at the end of the season and he’s been strongly linked with a move to Anfield in recent months, and it seems he’s now set for a move to Merseyside with talkSPORT citing reports coming out of Portugal and Italy that suggest the 28-year-old has now agreed terms over a free transfer move to Liverpool at the end of the season.
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Liverpool have been enjoying some excellent form of late and moved to within striking distance of the top-four after beating Tottenham 3-2 on Sunday, and Brendan Rodgers may be hoping a couple of key signings this summer will turn his side into title challengers once again next season and it appears Iturra could be his first signing of the summer if these reports are to be believed.
 
Liverpool target Manuel Iturra was in Champions League action last night.
News broke earlier in the week from the continent that Liverpool are trying to sign Manuel Iturra from Malaga.

The 28-year-old midfielder will become a free agent in the summer and one report even claimed a deal had been tied up, although there has been no verification of this.
Iturra hails from Chile and is a defensive midfielder in style, who could compliment Lucas.
He was in action for Malaga last night, playing a part in their Champions League comeback win over Porto.

Malaga overturned a 1-0 first leg deficit to win 2-0, and Iturra played his part. He provided the pass for Spanish sensation Isco to net the first half goal, before Manchester City loan man Roque Santa Cruz came off the bench to score the winner.

He was extremely effective in breaking up the Porto attacks, making four tackles and five interceptions, in a midfield partnership with French veteran Jeremy Toulalan which provided the base for Malaga to go on and win the tie.

His display certainly impressed a number of Spanish fans, we have translated their Tweets so you can see what they were saying about him... (bear with it slightly...)

@Gubetu9: The Malaga huge! That match and that goal by Isco! Tireless Iturra and Toulalan
@nesarbas8: Amazing what of Málaga, with special mention to Toulalan and Iturra
@albertoherreraF: That match of Iturra and Toulalan. Iturra is a monster.
@pablovvt95: The Iturra is the new Gattuso
@joanever6: Toulalan and Iturra run run run run run and more
@meruelo11: Toulalan and Iturra AWESOME. What power, what physical waste ... and ability to choose almost always the best pass.
@manolothai: Just say Toulalan and Iturra are warriors, last minute teeth bared that big puff ..
@enricmontero7: Iturra is the miniature version of Busquets. Is everywhere the guy cuts it all! He's done a real great game ...
@alfonso_verdugo: As has revived Iturra in Málaga, has been a mainstay of the team. I hope he stays there for a long time.
@castro_boqueron: Iturra and Toulalan no comment ... leave everything on the field!
 
No idea, but he definitely fits the experinced player, defensive midfielder role, we so desperately need
Do we have and ITK's about who know about this fella ?
 
But, this sounds very promising. Experienced player in the engine room.

I can't watch this blatently at work but here is an obligatory YouTube:

 
I hope this isn't true. I've seen Malaga maybe 4 times this season and if he's the player I'm thinking of (looks like a gypo) then he's' not very good.
He's probably out of contract for a reason.
 
Mors said:
He is defo NOT better than Lucas btw and plays a similar role.
Click to expand...

Could be argued that he is being acquired to bolster players who can play in that position. If Lucas gets injured again, we don't want to have to try and shoe horn in a player who cannot play there effectively. If Spearing is off then he could be a replacement for him?
 
Brizzle said:
Could be argued that he is being acquired to bolster players who can play in that position. If Lucas gets injured again, we don't want to have to try and shoe horn in a player who cannot play there effectively. If Spearing is off then he could be a replacement for him?
Click to expand...

Hendo? Not ideal obviously, but he can do a job.
Like you said, IF we're signing him, maybe it's only as cover. But lets hope we're only paying him as pennies.
Surely the gaffer would want to buy a decent DM? Maybe he thinks he's not going to have the budget with the other areas he wants to sort out.
I guess this is similar to the Doni signing. Just cover incase of a disaster.
 
Yeah I agree with Mors. Haven't been impressed whenever I've seen him play. I think Camacho is a better player of the two but at the moment Pellegrini seems to favour Iturra. Anyways, very underwhelming and I hope either it's agent talk or I'm wrong.

And Jono, has a few goals in him? No he doesn't.
 
He is signing (if true) as a cover for Lucas. He is a starting player of a team of CL quarterfinalists. We currently lie in 6th place of a league that has not produced a single CL quarterfinalist this year.

Our fans are too cocky at times. Every signing has to be a Mascherano or an Alonso? For fuck's sake.
 
We definitely need cover for the defensive midfield position. The issue with this signing is that it relies heavily on Lucas returning the form he was showing before he got injured. If that doesn't happen then we're going to have two reasonable players, but nobody brilliant, in a position which is, I think, essential to have quality in for this system to work.

If it were me, I'd invest heavily in CB and DM this summer and leave everything else unchanged.
 
It's Xabi. Fuck the rest.
Seriously though, it's always interesting to see new signings well except *cough*.

Asked my Chilean friend about him and his response was, "who?".
 
rurikbird said:
He is signing (if true) as a cover for Lucas. He is a starting player of a team of CL quarterfinalists. We currently lie in 6th place of a league that has not produced a single CL quarterfinalist this year.

Our fans are too cocky at times. Every signing has to be a Mascherano or an Alonso? For fuck's sake.
Click to expand...

Oh please. If our CM was good enough at the moment then I wouldn't mind signing someone just as cover. I think its one of the areas that need strengthening the most so that's why I'm underwhelmed by this link. We need to sign a quality CM who pushes someone from the current setup to the bench.
 
Lucas is a "quality" CM. He is playing at maybe 60% of his level now and still holding his own. Nobody complained about our DM position before he got ruptured his crusicate.
 
rurikbird said:
Lucas is a "quality" CM. He is playing at maybe 60% of his level now and still holding his own. Nobody complained about our DM position before he got ruptured his knee.
Click to expand...

A matter of opinion. While Lucas was a much improved player before his injury I never thought he'd be a good enough starter for a team challenging for top places. Also in my opinion he isn't the perfect fit for the current system. We need more pace and power in midfield.
 
Der Alte said:
Oh please. If our CM was good enough at the moment then I wouldn't mind signing someone just as cover. I think its one of the areas that need strengthening the most so that's why I'm underwhelmed by this link. We need to sign a quality CM who pushes someone from the current setup to the bench.
Click to expand...

We aint going to get a marquee Champion league quality signing as well we are not in the Champion league, and probably wont qualify any time soon. Things will get even worse if we fail to qualify for Europe.

So realistically these are the type of signings we will have to go for..

As someone said earlier.. he most likely will be cover for Lucas..
 
RedNinja said:
We aint going to get a marquee Champion league quality signing as well we are not in the Champion league, and probably wont qualify any time soon. Things will get even worse if we fail to qualify for Europe.

So realistically these are the type of signings we will have to go for..

As someone said earlier.. he most likely will be cover for Lucas..
Click to expand...

Do you think Sturridge and Coutinho are Champions League quality?
 
Der Alte said:
Do you think Sturridge and Coutinho are Champions League quality?
Click to expand...

Cast off's their parent clubs didn't want

Sturridge maybe, Coutinho.. impressive so far but, far to early to tell. But they are both young and will have the time to be moulded into decent players..
 
RedNinja said:
Cast off's their parent clubs didn't want

Sturridge maybe, Coutinho.. impressive so far but, far to early to tell. But they are both young and will have the time to be moulded into decent players..
Click to expand...

Europe or not we are going to be a more attractive option than we have been for a while for many players next summer. If we have the money we can find the right players to improve the team. Sturride and Coutinho are examples Rodgers can do just that and I believe/hope we have a bigger budget this summer.

Anyways, I've said what I needed to say. We need to improve CM, Iturra doesn't improve it => underwhelmed.
 
If we do go ahead with this kind of signing - whether it's Iturra or not - it kinda implies that Rodgers isn't going to focus his funds on the midfield in the summer and sees the existing group of midfielders as good enough. I don't really share that viewpoint but if we do end up seeing a huge improvement from Allen and Lucas next season perhaps he'll be proven right.

I've said a bunch of times recently that one of the biggest decisions Rodgers has to make is whether he's going to stick or twist with Allen (and perhaps you can throw Lucas into the mix too). If Allen has indeed been struggling with injury this season and Rodgers is going to stick with him, I guess there is little point in spending 20M on another midfielder.
 
We wil have a limited budget, so I think the main focus has to be the defence and a striker.. Although i'd argue a DM/ playmaker is required.. which is what you will be getting here if signed.. If thats the case then Rodgers will probably see that as Job Done in regards of the Midfield.
 
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