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Masherano's replacement

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It's rather shocking that we've lost 19% of the league games in which he's played. Can that be right?
It would mean we lose > four times more games when he's in the team.
 
[quote author=grjt link=topic=41162.msg1144077#msg1144077 date=1280328769]
[quote author=H link=topic=41162.msg1144067#msg1144067 date=1280328327]
you want us to be paying scott parker 80k when he's 34 years old??
[/quote]

"Hi Scott" *bats eyelids* "we realise West Ham are currently negotiating a 5 year deal with you, but how would you feel about a 2 year deal on less than youre on now? Stick it where? Oh..."
[/quote]

So that's a Yes? Cracking idea.
 
[quote author=Farkmaster link=topic=41162.msg1144128#msg1144128 date=1280335500]
He tends to play in games against more difficult opposition.
[/quote]

Did Rafa drop him against weak Premiership teams? I didn't realize.
 
Anatoliy Tymoschuk – The Ukrainian has endured a nightmarish time in Germany with champions Bayern Munich and with manager Louis Van Gaal going on record as stating that the holding man would be best served looking elsewhere for first-team football, going on to highlight an impenetrable route into the first team of the partnership of club Captain Mark Van Bommel and the in-form Bastian Schweinsteiger, and it would appear on the surface of things that a deal can be done, and cheaply to boot. The 31 year old would most probably only be a stop gap option, due to his age, but it would seem from what Van Gaal has stated that he’d be available either on loan or for a lot cheaper than the £12m that he cost Bayern last summer. Brutal in the tackle, a fierce competitor and a leader with a wealth of experience, the scrappy midfielder could be an able replacement for Mascherano, for the time being at least and he was instrumental in Zenit St Petersburg’s 2008 UEFA Cup win. One concession I would make to any such deal though, would be that he arrives with at least one other central midfielder so as to enable a sharing of the burden.
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Sulley Muntari – Another player on the fringes of first team action at the current club, Sulley Muntari also has experience of the Premiership after thriving at Portsmouth in happier times for the club in the 2007/8 Premiership season. Sold to Inter Milan for around £13m in the summer of 2008, after an initial bright start in his first season in Italy, he found first-team opportunities harder to come by at the European champions last season with the arrivals of Thiago Motta and Wesley Sneijder pushing him further down the pecking order. A combatitive midfielder to say the least, it’s safe to say that the Ghanaian midfielder isn’t scared to put his foot in, and whilst this is a commendable attribute, especially when replacing a player such as Mascherano, he lacks positional discipline and has a penchant for getting into bother both on and off the field. He has the ability to play holding man role, although not in the same manner as Mascherano and with a point to prove, in a league he excelled in and suits his natural game, it could be a win/win situation. He has been rumoured to be used as a makeweight in any potential deal involving Mascherano to Inter, and as long as the club get 20m as well as Muntari, then a move for him would represent a sound piece of business and at just 25 years of age, he could be signed with a long-term vision in mind, something which you could hardly boast of his rivals mentioned above so far.
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Lassana Diarra – The former Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth midfielder’s future at Real Madrid looks uncertain. Jose Mourinho has an array of midfield talent at his disposal and it is questionable whether Diarra features in his plans. He spent the second half of last season mainly on the bench, and although there is a possibility that he will recover his first team place under Mourinho, it is likely that Real will listen to offers. Out of the five listed here, he would be my favourite to replace Mascherano if he was available. Firstly, he is 25 and has many years left ahead of him, and secondly, most importantly, he has abilities in both the attacking and defensive third. A solid tackler, Diarra also has a range of passing that will benefit any midfield. With the sale of Mascherano for a sizeable amount, Diarra’s transfer fee should not be a problem. The only small problem could be the revelation that he possesses asthenic syndrome, a type of sickle-cell anaemia which affects the shape of red blood cells. It was only discovered during altitude training for this year’s World Cup and he had to miss out on the tournament to recover. It shouldn’t have any long term affect on his career though.
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Ever Banega – The young Argentine has emerged to be a very effective midfielder over the past year for Valencia. Bought for a hefty €18million back in January 2008, the young player failed to settle in Spain in his first year and half, and became somewhat of a rebel with his constant breaches of discipline. He was loaned to Atletico Madrid for the 2008/09 season with an option to buy, but his indiscipline meant the Madrid declined to take up their option to purchase the player. Last summer was make or break for the player, and it was rumoured that he was to be loaned out to Everton. The player however knuckled down for pre-season training and proceeded to impress coach Unai Emery who included him in a Europa League match which made him cup tied for any other club. He became an important member of Valencia’s starting eleven last season, impressing greatly in a holding midfield. The player is however more similar to Xabi Alonso than Mascherano with his raking long diagonal balls and his ability to control the pace of play with his passing. He could be available quite cheaply though because of Valencia’s financial situation.
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Scott Parker – The English option on the list, Roy Hodgson may opt for an Englishman to replace Mascherano in the squad and improve the squad’s home grown quota for the forthcoming season. Parker had an impressive season for West Ham last season as the London club struggled and Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan has said he would be the only player not up for sale this summer. It hasn’t stopped speculation that Roy maybe interested in the player. Like Banega though, Parker would not be a like for like replacement for Mascherano; he can play the holding midfield role but his strengths lie in passing and creating chances for others. He can tackle but he would not be a player who would solely be there to protect the back four from opposition attacks.
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Christian Poulsen – Certainly the cheapest option on the list, Poulsen would be best described as solid if not spectacular. The central lynchpin of Sevilla’s two UEFA Cup triumphs, the Danish midfielder was transferred to Juventus two years ago. He has however struggled to hold down a first team place at the Italian club though as former red Momo Sissoko has more often than not taken his place. Recent speculation has suggested that Juve are prepared to offer cash plus Poulsen for Daniel Agger, but any such deal should be rejected in favour of a direct cash deal for Poulsen. Most likely available for £6million, Poulsen would be the option to go for if Roy is looking for a short term fix; somebody who is solid, reliable and could do a job for the team.
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Tiago – The former Chelsea midfielder has been strongly linked with a move back to the Premiership this summer after being frozen out of Serie A giants Juventus’s plans. He was sent on loan to Atletico Madrid last January, where he was able to start 18 league games and compete in the Copa Del Rey final. He was also a rare bright spark in a faltering Portuguese campaign at this summer’s World Cup and he has an excellent range of passing. What may count against him are his former ties with bitter rivals Chelsea and a certain blatant handball. At 29 years of age, Tiago has had a long and pretty distinguished career but he’s not a commanding presence in the middle of the park, which is what is needed at this present time, and any move for Tiago is in all likelihood, is only destined to be a short-term switch.
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Gilberto Silva – Speaking of short-term switches, former Arsenal enforcer Gilberto Silva has been strongly linked with a return to our fair shores. At 33 years of age, 34 in October, Gilberto is no spring chicken, and if memory serves me correctly, he was truly awful in his final season at Arsenal, lacking the engine to get around the park anymore, as well as being poor in possession and constantly dragged out of position, so it’s no wonder he swapped the hustle and bustle of the Premiership for the sunnier climes of Panathanaikos in Greece, and with it, assured Champions League football and semi-retirement. Gilberto to his credit, did look decent at this summer’s World Cup, and would most definitely represent a cheaper option, but a move for him smacks of a lack of ambition, a regression and just the sort of signal the club doesn’t want to send out a week after clinching the signing of Joe Cole. Swapping Gilberto Silva for Masceherano is like swapping an Aston Martin for an Austin Allegro, and the thought of two clueless Brazilians operating in Liverpool’s engine room next term is enough to turn even the hardiest of stomachs.
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Esteban Cambiasso – This is certainly a long shot this one, but if we were to do a deal with Inter Milan for Javier Mascherano, I don’t think it would hurt if Liverpool asked whether Cambiasso could be added as part of any deal. Although he wasn’t picked for the World Cup by Diego Maradona, the 29 year old had a superb campaign last season helping Inter to the treble. Like Diarra, he can be just as affective in the final third as in his defensive duties, tackling well in his holding midfield role while scoring a few important goals for his team. Most likely Inter will refuse to sell the player but it would be an excellent addition to the squad, if a deal was possible.
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Felipe Melo – It’s a sad indictment of the Juventus’s board’s planning that three of their central midfielders occupy this list, and that all the club are willing to listen to offers for all three of them. Melo was having a fine World Cup with Brazil this summer, putting a terrible first season with his new club behind him, where he was unofficially voted the worst player in Serie A last term after receiving the Golden Bin award, until the quarter-final defeat to finalists Holland. Melo scored an own goal and then, much like his manager and the rest of the team it has to be said, proceeded to lose his head and was sent off for a shocking stamp on Arjen Robben. The occasion got to him and he was shown up as being mentally fragile. He is being seen as symptomatic of his current club’s ills and to an extent has been used as a scapegoat for their recent failings, and while harsh, he has more than played his part in his club and country’s respective downfalls this year, and so the Turin club are once again willing to cut their losses on the former Arsenal target with Juve director Bepper Marotta stating that the club are “carefully evaluating the situation and will listen to any offers that come in.†Signed from Fiorentina last summer with a burgeoning reputation for a hefty fee of around the £22m mark, Melo has seriously disappointed and could be available for as little as £10m. Melo has a intimidating physical presence and although not the best on the ball, he can retain possession effectively while providing a decent shield in front of the back four. At 27 years of age, a move to a different league could benefit Melo, but whether it should be at Liverpool, I’m not so sure. The club, although undoubtedly in dire financial straits cannot afford to turn itself into a rehabilitation centre for formerly decent players, and perhaps with Melo at least, it’s a deal they should stay clear of for the time being, as he may find the pace of the league difficult to cope with.
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Gokhan Inler – The 26 year old Swiss international midfielder is not your archetypal holding man, and can be seen as less of a destructive Mascherano sort, but more in the mould of a Xabi Alonso. The Udinese man’s reputation has sky rocketed in recent seasons after forcing his way into the national team set up after some great form in Serie A. The Swiss national side are famed for being stringent in defence after they went the whole of the 2006 World Cup without conceding a goal, and they carried on this rich vein of defensive form at this summer’s World Cup and they managed to concede just the one goal this time around with Inler operating and pulling strings from the middle. He wouldn’t come cheap, and the rumoured former Arsenal target could cost up to between £12-15m, but at 26 years of age, he’d make a sound investment for the long term.
 
[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=41162.msg1144156#msg1144156 date=1280342273]
Good read that.
[/quote]

Yeah, really good read. Should have had Asamoah on it too though.
 
Same typa ting from GOAL.com



Liverpool Debate: Which defensive midfielder should Liverpool sign to fill Javier Mascherano's boots?
Who should replace the Argentine in the Anfield engine room?
By Eliot Rothwell
27 Jul 2010 14:05:00
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Teams
Liverpool
Players
Roy Hodgson
Javier Mascherano
With the tenacious and tough-tackling Javier Mascherano increasingly expected to leave Liverpool before the season starts, with a move to European champions Inter considered the most likely, newly-appointed Reds manager Roy Hodgson will have to move quickly to fill an Argentine-shaped hole at the base of Liverpool’s midfield.

With that in mind, Goal.com UK has decided to look at the best midfield enforcers who could be available to buy this summer.



THE CHALLENGERS



Ever Banega

Club: Valencia
Age: 22
Nationality: Argentine
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
One year ago even Valencia didn’t want Ever Banega. They had shipped him out on loan to Atletico Madrid — and Atletico responded by shipping him straight back to the Mestalla. A summer and a season later and Banega is a prized asset for the Spanish club. The Rosario-born midfielder made 37 appearances last season, scoring two goals.

His quick, yet accurate, distribution and combative tackling made him a favourite with fans of Los Ches and Liverpool supporters may be hoping that with one Argentinean heading out, another Argentinean may be coming in.

Anthony Annan

Club: Rosenborg BK
Age: 24
Nationality: Ghanaian
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
The combative midfield player rose to prominence during Ghana’s inspiring World Cup campaign, impressing scouts worldwide with the physical prowess needed to match the technical ability that the 24-year-old midfielder possesses.

Annan, however, is seen as a controversial figure in Norway, where his exploits at club level have led receive criticism from pundits and journalists. There have been incidents of alleged kicking, hitting and even biting opponents that have left a sour taste in the mouth of his supporters.

Steven N'Zonzi

Club: Blackburn Rovers
Age: 21
Nationality: French
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
The 21-year-old midfielder was a mainstay of the Blackburn side last year as Sam Allardyce’s men greatly improved on the previous campaign. N’Zonzi made 33 appearances for Blackburn and impressed in displays against Manchester United and Chelsea as Rovers, typical of an Allardyce team, proved hard to beat.

A wildcard option, but a player who enjoys a growing reputation in the English game.


Christian Poulsen

Club: Juventus
Age: 30
Nationality: Danish
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
Boasting an illustrious career featuring spells at Schalke, Sevilla and Juventus, Poulsen is no stranger to high-pressure environments. However, at 30 the midfielder may be approaching his twilight and Liverpool may be seeking a player that can make the defensive midfield position his own for years to come.

Hodgson’s past experiences in Scandinavia may help the Danish midfielder’s chances, along with Juventus' willingness to offload the veteran.


Mahamadou Diarra

Club: Real Madrid
Age: 29
Nationality: Malian
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
The former Olympique Lyonnais midfielder proved a key asset to Fabio Capello’s title-winning Real Madrid team, but the Mali captain has fallen out of favour at Real Madrid since the departure of Capello’s successor Bernd Schuster and may be available at a knock-down price should Hodgson covet the 29-year-old midfielder.


Lee Cattermole

Club: Sunderland
Age: 22
Nationality: English
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
A favourite of Steve Bruce, who has signed him twice, the young midfielder has quickly established himself in the Sunderland side after a successful spell at Wigan. Cattermole is known for his gutsy performances but has a tendency to let disciplinary problems get in the way of playing football.

A somewhat unpolished gem, Hodgson may seek to make the Stockton-born midfielder a future Liverpool and England stalwart.


Scott Parker

Club: West Ham
Age: 29
Nationality: English
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
A favourite of the West Ham fans, Parker regained his form last year to steer the London club away from the relegation zone. A number of impressive displays, marked on occasions by some equally impressive goals, did enough to convince Fabio Capello to include the 29-year-old in his preliminary World Cup squad — although the midfielder did not make the final cut.
A hefty asking price from West Ham may dissuade Hodgson, especially in light of Parker's failed spell with fellow Premier League big-hitters Chelsea..



Kevin-Prince Boateng

Club: Portsmouth
Age: 23
Nationality: Ghanaian
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
The German-born Ghanaian midfielder caught the eye towards the latter stages of Portsmouth’s doomed Premier League campaign and built on impressive FA Cup performances to guide Ghana to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Looking likely to leave relegated Portsmouth — and at a cut price at that — Liverpool may see the midfielder as a quick-fix to the midfield problem as any move to Germany looks unlikely due to the backlash from the tackle on Michael Ballack in last season’s FA Cup final.


Steven Defour

Club: Standard Liege
Age: 22
Nationality: Belgian
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
The stand-out performer in the Standard Liege side that won the Belgian League for the first time in 25 years in 2008, Defour is a classy midfielder with a skilled footballing brain.

Appointed Standard captain at the age of 19, Defour is no stranger to the weight of expectation but with links to Manchester United and Real Madrid, Liverpool may have to fork out a princely sum to capture the midfielder.


Moussa Sissoko

Club: Toulouse
Age: 20
Nationality: French
Passing:
Tackling:
Energy:
Any rangy midfielder that comes out of France is instantly likened to Patrick Vieira, but the 20-year-old Sissoko may just turn out to be the successor to the current Manchester City man's crown.

A combative midfielder with a good passing range, Sissoko has captured the attentions of a number of Europe’s top clubs, but with Toulous president Olivier Sadran insisting that Sissoko is going nowhere, it may just be a season too early for the Frenchman.
 
Since City are having a clear out how about taking Patrick Vieira on for a season? He would only cost a million or so and be a good cheap option, if he would take a big wage cut for the chance of 1st team football.

34 isnt that old.
 
[quote author=Mistadobalina link=topic=41162.msg1144323#msg1144323 date=1280365577]
Since City are having a clear out how about taking Patrick Vieira on for a season? He would only cost a million or so and be a good cheap option, if he would take a big wage cut for the chance of 1st team football.

34 isnt that old.
[/quote]

did you see him play last season, there was one match towards the end of the season that just showed his footballing days are over. I can't remember who they played, it might have been tottenham, but he managed about 10mins of movement before he was absolutely wrecked and i think he was taken off at half time.

the early bbc gossip:

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson wants Aston Villa's Bulgarian midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, 30, to replace Javier Mascherano at Anfield and is ready to offer £7m.

West Ham have offered midfielder Scott Parker £20m to stay, but he wants to leave to play European football.

still fancy parker and its a bit encouraging to hear he might want to go.
 
[quote author=Markeh link=topic=41162.msg1144326#msg1144326 date=1280366159]
[quote author=Mistadobalina link=topic=41162.msg1144323#msg1144323 date=1280365577]
Since City are having a clear out how about taking Patrick Vieira on for a season? He would only cost a million or so and be a good cheap option, if he would take a big wage cut for the chance of 1st team football.

34 isnt that old.
[/quote]

did you see him play last season, there was one match towards the end of the season that just showed his footballing days are over. I can't remember who they played, it might have been tottenham, but he managed about 10mins of movement before he was absolutely wrecked and i think he was taken off at half time.

the early bbc gossip:

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson wants Aston Villa's Bulgarian midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, 30, to replace Javier Mascherano at Anfield and is ready to offer £7m.

West Ham have offered midfielder Scott Parker £20m to stay, but he wants to leave to play European football.

still fancy parker and its a bit encouraging to hear he might want to go.
[/quote]

To be honest I dont know how far his legs had gone, just trying to think of cheap options.
 
[quote author=Mistadobalina link=topic=41162.msg1144327#msg1144327 date=1280366837]
[quote author=Markeh link=topic=41162.msg1144326#msg1144326 date=1280366159]
[quote author=Mistadobalina link=topic=41162.msg1144323#msg1144323 date=1280365577]
Since City are having a clear out how about taking Patrick Vieira on for a season? He would only cost a million or so and be a good cheap option, if he would take a big wage cut for the chance of 1st team football.

34 isnt that old.
[/quote]

did you see him play last season, there was one match towards the end of the season that just showed his footballing days are over. I can't remember who they played, it might have been tottenham, but he managed about 10mins of movement before he was absolutely wrecked and i think he was taken off at half time.

the early bbc gossip:

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson wants Aston Villa's Bulgarian midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, 30, to replace Javier Mascherano at Anfield and is ready to offer £7m.

West Ham have offered midfielder Scott Parker £20m to stay, but he wants to leave to play European football.

still fancy parker and its a bit encouraging to hear he might want to go.
[/quote]

To be honest I dont know how far his legs had gone, just trying to think of cheap options.
[/quote]

i hadn't realised how far gone he was until i saw it a few times, gilberto silva still looks alright but i think he said recently he was happy where he is.

flamini might be cheap but hes contracted for another couple of years so maybe not. Senna and Mahamadou Diarra only have a year left on their contracts i think, so that puts their prices down
 
Senna was awesome in Euro 2008. Really classy player, but another 34 year old. There are not too many who can pull off a gary mac.

Plus I doubt he would be up for a move to England at such a late stage in his life with kids schooling etc.
 
Flamini
Inler
Cambiasso
Diarra
Melo

id be happy with 1 of them

Add kevin prince to that, i would put him high up that list
 
Kwadko and we can maybe manage a 4-4-2 we need some CMs in if we are to play that formation that we will play.
 
With Defour, Assamoah, Anan, Cattermole, Sissoko, Banega etc all options, there's NO excuse for us not replacing Masher with a young improving type who'll be here for years to come.

We can always pick up a Senna/Silva older back-up on the cheap.
 
According to press reports in Belgium. Roy Hodgson will be attending the season opener (friday) between Standard de Liege and Zulte Waregem.


Oohh, I like this. Defour would be ace.
 
[quote author=Hansern link=topic=41162.msg1144549#msg1144549 date=1280405574]
According to press reports in Belgium. Roy Hodgson will be attending the season opener (friday) between Standard de Liege and Zulte Waregem.


Oohh, I like this. Defour would be ace.
[/quote]

Id love defour at liverpool, always grew to become amazing in football manager 😉
 
Liverpool interest in Poulsen
Italians claim Reds have been in touch regarding midfielder

By Nadia Carminati Last updated: 30th July 2010


Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta claims that Liverpool are considering a move for Christian Poulsen.

The versatile defensive midfielder played all three of Denmark's matches at this summer's World Cup, but he has struggled to feature regularly at club level.

Poulsen was not involved in Juventus' 2-0 win over Shamrock Rovers in Europa League qualifying on Thursday night and his omission has added to rumours that he is set to leave the Italian club.

The 30-year-old has long been linked with English clubs and Marotta has said that Liverpool, who could be looking for a replacement for Inter Milan target Javier Mascherano, have been in touch.

"Liverpool have shown interest in Poulsen," Marotta told Mediaset after the victory against Shamrock.

Illogical

"But the fact that he did not play in this game is only due to a technical decision."
 
Poulsen for Mascherano would be the exactly sort of thing I expected this summer.

-sigh-
 
Let's hope Roy likes what he sees when he scouts Defour tonight.

If he's available for 12 mill £, then that would be the perfect replacement for Masch.
 
What happened to Manuel Fernandez? Where does he play now?

I thought he did well when he was at Portsmouth and later at Everton.
 
[quote author=kingjulian link=topic=41162.msg1145641#msg1145641 date=1280500355]
What happened to Manuel Fernandez? Where does he play now?

I thought he did well when he was at Portsmouth and later at Everton.
[/quote]

It's all very complicated, but he's at Valencia at the moment.

Inter tried to buy him in January but he failed a medical.
 
Let's hope that...

Four%20Tops.jpg


...Roy's wanted list.
 
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