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Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez could sell quartet to balance books

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KingDing

KingDing

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Rafael Benítez may be forced to part with as many as four senior international squad members in the January transfer window as he attempts to trim Liverpool’s wage bill and balance the Anfield books.

Ryan Babel, Andrea Dossena, Andriy Voronin and Philipp Degen will all be sacrificed should suitable offers arrive, even though there are currently no guarantees that Benítez will be granted the revenue generated by their departures to reinvest into the Liverpool team.

The Spaniard has seen his team’s Premier League and Champions League challenges falter under the weight of an extensive injury list, highlighting the paucity of resources available to him after two consecutive summers of little net outlay on the playing staff.

Yet the financial restrictions at Anfield are such that Benítez will be forced to endure the last six months of the campaign with a squad depleted still further unless he can find suitable reinforcements on loan.

Dossena, an £8 million signing from Udinese last year, has found his playing time severely restricted by the emergence of Emiliano Insua as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back and will return to his native Italy in January in the hope of securing a place in Marcello Lippi’s World Cup squad.

Napoli, who came close to signing him in the summer, remain interested, but the club’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, is unwilling to fund a permanent deal until next summer. It is likely Liverpool would have to make a contribution to the player’s wages should he agree a loan return to Italy.

Voronin, though he has signally failed to impress in England, remains well-regarded in Germany after an impressive loan spell with Hertha Berlin last season, and several clubs are believed to be ready to offer him a return to the Bundesliga.

Degen, too, a free transfer signing from Borussia Dortmund, is likely to head to Germany in search of the regular appearances which would guarantee him a ticket to South Africa. Both are believed to be on around £40,000-a-week at Anfield, a figure most German sides would struggle to match.

Babel insisted earlier this week that he sees his future at Anfield but the Dutch international has also admitted in the past that he would consider a return to his old club Ajax to safeguard his World Cup place, though any such move is unlikely to be permanent.

Benítez will be hoping several of his highly-regarded youngsters will be able to fill the breach, though uncertainty continues to cloud the futures of Nathan Eccleston – the young striker recently handed his first-team debut – after he rejected a contract extension last week amid reported interest from several Premier League clubs, and Lauri Dalla Valle, a Finnish prospect believed to be discontent with his lack of progress through the club’s ranks.

The Liverpool manager, though, will at least be able to count on Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger for Saturday's crucial game with Manchester City, with the return of his captain particularly pleasing. “The second injection [in my groin] seems to have done the trick,†said Gerrard. “I’m feeling a lot better, a lot stronger and now I just have to get my match sharpness back.â€
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I wouldn't shed any tears over those 4 going.
 
Yes but we shouldn't be having to sell players to "balance the books". That's a seriously worrying sign. What happens when we have no chaff to get rid of? Start selling our good players to balance the books? A la Leeds ?
 
I don't recall Ecclestone rejecting a new contract (news to me). Is he or LDV really any good to make the next step with the first team?
 
[quote author=mr_moo link=topic=37253.msg991084#msg991084 date=1258534009]
I don't recall Ecclestone rejecting a new contract (news to me). Is he or LDV really any good to make the next step with the first team?
[/quote]
Yes he did reject a contract, heard he was unhappy here or summat. The one time I saw Ecclestone play in our first team, he looked lively. Hardly anything to go by though. No idea bout LDV.
 
[quote author=rage link=topic=37253.msg991100#msg991100 date=1258536976]
how about the truth? - we're selling them because they're shit first and foremost.
[/quote]

And what about the money we get for them, where does that go Rage?
 
Exactly. Sell them by all means but use them to invest in new players. We seem to be selling more in player value than is purchased and that doesn't bode well at all.
 
Dossena- we have Aurelio and Insua. Not too good...Aurelio is injured all the time and Insua isn´t there yet (and perhaps never will be) but they are better options as things have turned out. Sell.

Voronin- we have Torres and N´gog and perhaps we could give a youngster a chance. Sell.

Degen- Johnson and Kelly and Carragher. Enough said. Sell.

Babel- Hmm...Riera is injured, Benayoun is much better to the right and Aurelio is injured/a lb. But then again: Babels been shit most of the time. I guess we will sell him at the end of the season if not in January. Do we have a youngster that deserves a chance? Keep?
 
If we sell those 4 players, we need to bring 2 in. One attacking midfielder that can play on the wing and a striker.
 
We'll be lucky to shift one of them.

Where are the offers going to come from?
 
TBF we could see offers from their homelands for Dosser and Babel, and from Germany for the other two. Doubt much cash will be involved though.
 
And whatever cash is gained from sales should be reinvested in the team. We need another striker at the absolute very least.
 
If we are selling these four losers in order to raise funds for another player or two then I'd be all four it. If we are just selling them and then having to make do with our current squad minus these then its a less attractive prospect.

Dossena is no loss at all. We do have other players at left back (neither of whom are great but neither is he) and there does appear to be clubs willing to take him.

Degen actually doesn't seem as bad as I thought he would be (he couldn't possibly be) but what's the point of having back up that is even more unreliable as the first choice?

Neither of these would be much of a loss and probably wouldn't even need replacing

Voronin and Babel, that's a different matter. Voronin is rubbish and Babel is unreliable and generally not effective, though he does have his moments. The problem is that getting rid of both would leave us with an injury prone Torres and a patchy N'gog up front. Noone else.
That said I would quite happily trade the pair of these for one decent striker.

The part about the young players not wanting to stay is a big concern. If I remember correctly there were stories a while back about another Premiership team being in for LDV and from what I have seen he looks a great prospect. I can't think of a situation before where we have had young players leaving because they see no way into the first team, normally they hang around until they drift out on loan and end up at lower division clubs for small fees. It would be a worrying development
 
Re: Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez could sell quartet to balance books

Clearing out the dross would be a good motivation for the younger players, though.

I started a thread last year about why would a young player choose us over any other relatively big club, and nobody could provide an answer. We're just not that attractive because our record has been piss poor in recent years and this managers likes to plug the gaps with experienced but crap players, instead of relying on youth.

Given his radical overhaul of the academy and system, it would odd if he didn't see these financial pressures - worrying though they are - as a way of testing out more young players in the first team squad.

I'm not sure if Benitez overhauling the academy was because of a long term ambition to do so, or he pre-empted the above scenario and wanted to be damn sure the players coming in were up to scratch.
 
[quote author=Richey link=topic=37253.msg991221#msg991221 date=1258547144]
If we are selling these four losers in order to raise funds for another player or two then I'd be all four it. If we are just selling them and then having to make do with our current squad minus these then its a less attractive prospect.

Dossena is no loss at all. We do have other players at left back (neither of whom are great but neither is he) and there does appear to be clubs willing to take him.

Degen actually doesn't seem as bad as I thought he would be (he couldn't possibly be) but what's the point of having back up that is even more unreliable as the first choice?

Neither of these would be much of a loss and probably wouldn't even need replacing

Voronin and Babel, that's a different matter. Voronin is rubbish and Babel is unreliable and generally not effective, though he does have his moments. The problem is that getting rid of both would leave us with an injury prone Torres and a patchy N'gog up front. Noone else.
That said I would quite happily trade the pair of these for one decent striker.

The part about the young players not wanting to stay is a big concern. If I remember correctly there were stories a while back about another Premiership team being in for LDV and from what I have seen he looks a great prospect. I can't think of a situation before where we have had young players leaving because they see no way into the first team, normally they hang around until they drift out on loan and end up at lower division clubs for small fees. It would be a worrying development
[/quote]

Agree with all that. The other lesson I drew from that article is the true price of Bosman signings. £40k a week for players who have hardly played, and now we'll probably have to pay half their wages just to get them out on loan to someone else!
 
[quote author=KingDing link=topic=37253.msg991301#msg991301 date=1258553923]
Didn't Fulham have a bid rejected for LDV in the summer? Sure I read that somewhere.
[/quote]

Yes, I think so.
Apparently he handed in a transfer request too.
 
[quote author=Richey link=topic=37253.msg991221#msg991221 date=1258547144]
Voronin and Babel, that's a different matter. Voronin is rubbish and Babel is unreliable and generally not effective, though he does have his moments. The problem is that getting rid of both would leave us with an injury prone Torres and a patchy N'gog up front. Noone else.
That said I would quite happily trade the pair of these for one decent striker.
[/quote]

Great post Richey, I agree with all of it.
I would love to see us use the cash from sales for player purchases, as would we all.
But there is no way the yanks will let that cash be used for the sqaud.
 
[quote author=Stu link=topic=37253.msg991357#msg991357 date=1258558117]
[quote author=Richey link=topic=37253.msg991221#msg991221 date=1258547144]
Voronin and Babel, that's a different matter. Voronin is rubbish and Babel is unreliable and generally not effective, though he does have his moments. The problem is that getting rid of both would leave us with an injury prone Torres and a patchy N'gog up front. Noone else.
That said I would quite happily trade the pair of these for one decent striker.
[/quote]

Great post Richey, I agree with all of it.
I would love to see us use the cash from sales for player purchases, as would we all.
But there is no way the yanks will let that cash be used for the sqaud.
[/quote]

I fear you may be correct mate. In which case, however poor or unreliable they are you have to question the wisdom of getting rid of them. It will only weaken us.
 
[quote author=Richey link=topic=37253.msg991221#msg991221 date=1258547144]
Voronin and Babel, that's a different matter. Voronin is rubbish and Babel is unreliable and generally not effective, though he does have his moments. The problem is that getting rid of both would leave us with an injury prone Torres and a patchy N'gog up front. Noone else.
That said I would quite happily trade the pair of these for one decent striker.

[/quote]

I'd trade them both for some magic beans
 
[quote author=Richey link=topic=37253.msg991360#msg991360 date=1258558355]
[quote author=Stu link=topic=37253.msg991357#msg991357 date=1258558117]
[quote author=Richey link=topic=37253.msg991221#msg991221 date=1258547144]
Voronin and Babel, that's a different matter. Voronin is rubbish and Babel is unreliable and generally not effective, though he does have his moments. The problem is that getting rid of both would leave us with an injury prone Torres and a patchy N'gog up front. Noone else.
That said I would quite happily trade the pair of these for one decent striker.
[/quote]

Great post Richey, I agree with all of it.
I would love to see us use the cash from sales for player purchases, as would we all.
But there is no way the yanks will let that cash be used for the sqaud.
[/quote]

I fear you may be correct mate. In which case, however poor or unreliable they are you have to question the wisdom of getting rid of them. It will only weaken us.
[/quote]

Exactly.
I thought Rafa would have used this injury plight to play a few guys from the reserves. Get a look at them in the first team and what have you. Instead we have to suffer Voronin and Babel.
 
Well I guess if you consider N'gog to be a reserve then he has got in ahead of Voronin and Babel, but beyond that there doesn't seem to be any other attackers who Benitez has a lot of faith in at the moment
 
[quote author=rage link=topic=37253.msg991100#msg991100 date=1258536976]
how about the truth? - we're selling them because they're shit first and foremost.
[/quote]

Exactly.
 
[quote author=drizzt link=topic=37253.msg991440#msg991440 date=1258564026]
[quote author=rage link=topic=37253.msg991100#msg991100 date=1258536976]
how about the truth? - we're selling them because they're shit first and foremost.
[/quote]

Exactly.
[/quote]

Well not really 'exactly' at all is it?

Yes they are shit but that's not the main reason we would be selling them in January (if we are). They would be sold for some kind of financial reason
 
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