Transfer Rumours

[Best Believe It]

Establish ourselves as a permanent fixture ? No, won't happen. With City, Chelsea, Arsenal and United it's going to be at least a 5-way battle every season.

Yeah but with Chelsea, Man City and to a lesser extent Arsenal there is an expectation amongst the world of football in general (I'm talking about players and agents here) that they'll be up there every year. We won't be thought of in the same way until we have three/four top four finishes in a row, and start progressing a reasonable distance in the European Cup on a regular basis.

 

[peterhague]

Establish ourselves as a permanent fixture ? No, won't happen. With City, Chelsea, Arsenal and United it's going to be at least a 5-way battle every season.

City might not be around at that level for ever. Very much depends on FFP. They've invested most of the money they've spent to now pretty badly.

 

[Judge Jules]

Fucking laughable that people are now questioning Rodgers' coaching ability. What he achieved last year was absolutely extraordinary. Suarez is brilliant, but the squad as a whole is fucking MILES behind City's and Chelsea's and a good way behind Arsenal's.

Anyone would think Suarez was fucking Pele or something. City had Silva, Toure, and Aguero, all much better than the next best attacker in our squad, and we pushed them all the way.

There might be a slight regression as the team is reshaped and while the young players mature, but as long as we get the right players in Rodgers will mould them into something brilliant.

Very much agree with the final paragraph - not with the first two, which to my mind are overcooked, but the last para.is on the money IMO.

 

[Mystic]

A season doesn't make a manager though. We're in the most competitive league in the World with 6 or so teams that can be there or thereabouts. I hope we don't get Spurs-esque and end up trigger happy because it takes a while to adjust to life without Suarez.

If we capitulate then we'll assess how and why, I'm sure, but you know, if we go from 2nd to 4th or whatever, it's hardly disastrous, the main thing is we try to maintain our level and CL football.

Maybe next season isn't what a mean, more so how he deals with the loss of Suarez. This team is now 100% his.

 

[Mystic]

Fucking laughable that people are now questioning Rodgers' coaching ability. What he achieved last year was absolutely extraordinary. Suarez is brilliant, but the squad as a whole is fucking MILES behind City's and Chelsea's and a good way behind Arsenal's.

Anyone would think Suarez was fucking Pele or something. City had Silva, Toure, and Aguero, all much better than the next best attacker in our squad, and we pushed them all the way.

There might be a slight regression as the team is reshaped and while the young players mature, but as long as we get the right players in Rodgers will mould them into something brilliant.

Keep your hair on, I wasn't questioning his coaching ability, just saying that next season/dealing with the lose of Suarez will be his chance to show he's one of the very best.

 

[localny]

Morientes.

He was great eh?

yeah, I'd rather buy a suarez on the way up than an Ya Ya toure on the way down..

 

[Oncy]

Im not being negative at all. Im concerned that we are losing someone of Suarez calibre and the replacent might be Bony.

If we go out and sign a Reus, Griezmann, Higuain, Benzema type of player then fine I dont think you can do anything then but say well done and hope it works out.
But if you replace Suarez with Bony and a Belgian kid, well you will ultimately get what you deserve.

No panic yet though, the Bony, Lukaku links could be bullshit and we could be working on Falcao for all i fucking know.

 

[Lippy]

Im not being negative at all. Im concerned that we are losing someone of Suarez calibre and the replacent might be Bony.

If we go out and sign a Reus, Griezmann, Higuain, Benzema type of player then fine I dont think you can do anything then but say well done and hope it works out.
But if you replace Suarez with Bony and a Belgian kid, well you will ultimately get what you deserve.

No panic yet though, the Bony, Lukaku links could be bullshit and we could be working on Falcao for all i fucking know.

A lot felt the same when Torres left and Suarez was viewed as an unknown quantity though. Markovic could be awesome for all we know or we could pick up the next unknown big thing. Who knows?

 

[cloggypop]

I don't see Bony as a straight replacement for Suarez but he will help out with a load of goals.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Fucking laughable that people are now questioning Rodgers' coaching ability.

I haven't - I just think the task this year to finish top 4 will be far more impressive (if achieved) than finishing 2nd last year.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

A lot felt the same when Torres left and Suarez was viewed as an unknown quantity though. Markovic could be awesome for all we know or we could pick up the next unknown big thing. Who knows?

I like your optimism. A bit harsh on Suarez considering many of us (including you I think!) were very happy to land him.

 

[Oncy]

I love Sturridge, so its alright. Sturridge will lead the line beautifully.

Our front four even without Suarez is pretty awesome

Sturridge
Sterling-Coutinho-Lallana

Just would like a bit of proven class to back that up.

What i would say is Coutinho often found himself out of the team last season to fit Suarez and Sturridge both in the side, if we revert to one up front then we most definately have room for a lot of creativity behind that.
Markovic, Suso, Sterling, coutinho, Lallana....cant really argue with that, options, depth, and bags of potential.

Then deeper we have Can, Lucas, Gerrard, Allen, Henderson
This is also good and has depth.

So really I dont have much to be unhappy about.

Heres the thing. Sturridge will need to be fit all season.
I would not like to rely on that.

 

[dmishra]

I cringe every time someone mentions Griezmann as a potential big money signing.

He's the new Gaston Ramirez.

 

[Oncy]

I cringe every time someone mentions Griezmann as a potential big money signing.

He's the new Gaston Ramirez.

6
7
8
11
23

Thats his goalscoring the last 5 seasons
Ages 19,20,21,22,23

Gaston Ramirez has scored 30 goals his entire career.

Now i cant say i ever saw Ramirez play before he signed for Saints. Ive watched Griezmann a lot.
Hes a cracking player. His star is still rising and hes proven his class in a top league.
I would LOVE to sign him.

 

[Oncy]

 

[Oncy]

Hes fucking sick Dmish. Pace, power, skill, vision and end product.
Honestly theres no one i want more.

 

[dmishra]

6

7

8

11

23



Thats his goalscoring the last 5 seasons

Ages 19,20,21,22,23



Gaston Ramirez has scored 30 goals his entire career.



Now i cant say i ever saw Ramirez play before he signed for Saints. Ive watched Griezmann a lot.

Hes a cracking player. His star is still rising and hes proven his class in a top league.

I would LOVE to sign him.

La Liga is probably the easiest top league to score in. Italy and England are much harder. So I won't be quick to judge a La Liga player's ability to translate to the PL purely by his goals.

Freddie Kanoute, who was just above-average in the PL, used to spank them in La Liga. Arsenal reject Carlos Vela has scored 40+ in his last 3 seasons. Soldado used to be a goalscoring machine in Spain, and turned out to be a complete dud in England. You get the drift.

I've seen him Griezmann enough. I'm not saying he's shit or third rate. He's just not going to be world class or even in the tier below. Spunking 20 million on him would be a disaster.

If you want a comparison, I've made it before - he's a rich man's Morten Gamst Pedersen (who btw scored 46 goals in his 8 years in the PL).

 

[Oncy]

Time will tell I guess.

 

[peterhague]

Griezmann looks pretty good to me. Maybe a bit lacking in flair but probably makes up for that with goal scoring and really excellent technique. He wouldn't be my choice particularly but it seems unlikely that all those people who rate him highly are wrong.

 

[Frogfish]

Griezmann highly unlikely too.

PSG 4/6 Monaco 3/1
Liverpool 5/1 Real Madrid 12/1

 

[Frogfish]

Reus is more interesting .. but still unlikely !

Liverpool 7/2 Manchester Utd 5/1
Arsenal 8/1 Barcelona 14/1
Chelsea 25/1 Juventus 25/1
Real Madrid 25/1

 

[Frogfish]

Pedro Rodriguez is coming in :

Liverpool 7/4 Arsenal 7/2
Manchester Utd 7/1 Manchester City 10/1

 

[Frogfish]

Draxler .. not so much :

Arsenal 1/2 Bayern Munich 7/2
Manchester United 8/1 Chelsea 12/1
PSG 20/1 Liverpool 22/1

 

[Frogfish]

Higuain still looking the most likely 'Galactico' :

Barcelona 3/1 Liverpool 4/1
Arsenal 12/1 Manchester Utd 18/1

 

[Frogfish]

Many will be happy with these odds for Lukaku :

Everton 8/11 Wolfsburg 4/1
Atletico Madrid 6/1 Juventus 8/1
Liverpool 10/1 Arsenal 12/1

 

[keniget]

If you want a comparison, I've made it before - he's a rich man's Morten Gamst Pedersen (who btw scored 46 goals in his 8 years in the PL).

Why Pedersen of all players?

 

[Frogfish]

Not much chance ony Twitter Benzema to Liverpool rumours coming true either :

Arsenal 7/4 PSG 4/1
Monaco 11/2 Chelsea 8/1
Liverpool 8/1 Juventus 12/1

 

[Frogfish]

But we're not yet out of the running for James Rodriguez - the dream lives on !

Real Madrid 1/6 Manchester Utd 8/1
Manchester City 14/1 Valencia 16/1
Barcelona 18/1 Chelsea 20/1
Tottenham 20/1 Juventus 25/1
Napoli 25/1 Arsenal 33/1
Liverpool 33/1

 

[Frogfish]

Lovren's odds keep shortening, so no smoke without fire ?

Liverpool 1/5 Arsenal 6/1
Tottenham 8/1 Manchester Utd 18/1

 

[Frogfish]

YaYa looking a bit of a forlorn hope too :

PSG 7/2 Barcelona 10/1
Real Madrid 14/1 Liverpool 16/1