Poll Would you sell Lucas?

[rubans]

You have still yet to say as part of your argument, who we should sign that could replace Lucas for 8-10 million and willing to come to a 7th placed team.15 million last season got us Allen in his position so not really 100% confident we can get someone better for the money and call me cynical.
I'm not saying replacement should sit in the reserves either, if he's good enough and we can afford him then why not. All I'm saying since the context of this thread is about "how much we can get for Lucas", we shouldn't sell unless we really have to and to me 8-10 million is not enough to throw a player who has been out 18 months before returning and is settled, only fellow brazillian to Courtinho and a good mentor, 24 yrs old, going with Brazil to their home world cup. I think he's a good player also on top of the other factors.

 

[Judge Jules]

You have still yet to say as part of your argument, who we should sign that could replace Lucas for 8-10 million and willing to come to a 7th placed team.15 million last season got us Allen in his position so not really 100% confident we can get someone better for the money and call me synicla.
I'm not saying replacement should sit in the reserves either, if he's good enough and we can afford him then why not. All I'm saying since the context of this thread is about "how much we can get for Lucas", we shouldn't sell unless we really have to and to me 8-10 million is not enough to throw a player who has been out 18 months before returning and is settled, only fellow brazillian to Courtinho and a good mentor, 24 yrs old, going with Brazil to their home world cup. I think he's a good player also on top of the other factors.

I don't know who we should sign instead (that's the job of our scouts, the transfer committee and the manager), which is why I'm not saying we should get rid regardless. However, your previous post still doesn't stand up. You described selling "a young player with 5 years left on his contract" for £10 mill.as "desperate" without any reference to that player's quality, and you're still saying the same thing in this post above. IMO that's far too simplistic. As for Lucas' quality: if you really think he's worth more than £10 mill, you and I clearly wouldn't define the word "good" in the same way.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

I don't think we could get someone as good as him, at what he does, for the price we'd receive for him. So have to keep him.

 

[Judge Jules]

If I agreed with your premise, Gerry, I'd agree with your conclusion, but I don't agree with either.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

If I agreed with your premise, Gerry, I'd agree with your conclusion, but I don't agree with either.

Well then, I'd have to see examples, because I don't see any. I'm sure there is, there's always better players for cheaper, but I can't think of many that would actually be as effective.

I still think a lot of people underestimate the job that he does, so that's really what this will boil down to.

 

[Markeh]

We dont need both him and Allen they are too similar, decent fee and I'd be happy to move him on. $10m plus would be a fair price

But Allen was shite at playing as the holding midfielder!!

How have we gone from needing backup for Lucas to getting rid of him with no obvious replacement being available?

If we get rid it has to be for very good money with a very good replacement available.

 

[Woland]

We wouldn't get someone as good as him? Based on what? He's the shittest player we've ever had in the side for that long in such an important position.

When I think back at players I've seen play in that position, from Souness, Wark, Molby, Mcmahon, McAllister, Hamann, Masch etc... I mean he's just fucking shite. He's not on the same planet as any of them. He can't pass, he can't tackle, he's slow to run, slow to think, he's just fucking bollocks.

It's not about getting 6 million for him and replacing him with another heap of shit. We're fucking Liverpool. One of the top ten richest clubs on the planet, under performing for years, not because we haven't had the budget, but because we spent the money on overpriced wank in positions we didn't need while Lucas festered in the middle. The forward line looks ace for years to come. The wings have got experience and some ace kids coming through. The fullbacks are good enough. We need a couple of good centre halves and most importantly, they should get the chequebook out and spend serious dough on the problem area in the side, DM, coz this kid is fucking shite.

 

[Judge Jules]

Gerry: it will, and (at the risk of repeating myself overmuch) I'm not saying we should move Lucas on regardless - there does need to be a plan for replacing him, whether it be via a signing or a change of formation, before we let him go. Where we'll have to agree to differ is on the question whether we'd get enough for him (a) to reflect his quality as a player and (b) to ensure we can adequately replace him. You think we wouldn't - I disagree. Hopefully Rafa can persuade Napoli to come in with a big enough offer to make this a live issue.

 

[red_maradona]

we have a lot of central midfield players.

So the question is: do you sell to reinvest the money in a like-for like replacement or elsewhere (like attack). If the latter, yes we should sell, if the former no. The odds of finding someone as good for the money we will get is not high.

 

[dmishra]

I would be delighted if we sold Lucas for big money. I don't expect any club will pay more than 8 million for him. For the record, I'd sell at that price as well.

 

[Judge Jules]

we have a lot of central midfield players.

So the question is: do you sell to reinvest the money in a like-for like replacement or elsewhere (like attack). If the latter, yes we should sell, if the former no. The odds of finding someone as good for the money we will get is not high.

Disagree, for two reasons. One: he's just not *that* good. Two: because of that, it shouldn't take silly money to replace him with someone better.

 

[Silver Sean]

I think it's safe to assume that the fact he is continually picked by every manager that comes through the door suggest he offers more to the people who work in football every day than those of us who change exhausts/wait tables/attend pointless corporate meetings/pick up a gyro every week.

One thing that I'm certain of is that if we are going to play this fluid attacking style we need an absolute beast/destroyer in front of the back four so the front players have a licence to attack.
Is Lucas good enough, possibly not, but we'll have fuck all say in the matter.
I'd have Mascherano back myself.

 

[Woland]

Yeah he's played regularly for all the managers who've got us to the heady heights of qualifying and almost qualifying for the Europa league for the past few years.

We were one of the best club sides in the world when we allowed Alonso and then Masch to leave and didn't replace them. Now we're shit. The defence didn't change. The forward line looks better. It's pretty fucking obvious what the problem is.

 

[mark1975]

I think it's safe to assume that the fact he is continually picked by every manager that comes through the door suggest he offers more to the people who work in football every day than those of us who change exhausts/wait tables/attend pointless corporate meetings/pick up a gyro every week.

Well it's fair to say over the last few windows he's been the 'only' DM we've had at the club, with more pressing areas of concern for those respective managers. He does a job and does it ok, last season he had a great spell, but that was amongst what's generally been a hit and miss career with us, but we've got away with using him because he does a job. Hodgson, in fairness, tried to bring a DM in so he obviously wasn't overly convinced, Rafa utilised him in a ridiculously introverted midfield two alongside Masher (which was at times horrendous), and Kenny/Rodgers have had no one else to turn to (bar Spearing, who's clearly not good enough). I wouldn't be suprised to see someone come in, and if someone like Rafa is willing to pay over the odds for Lucas then we should seriously consider it.

 

[mark1975]

Yeah he's played regularly for all the managers who've got us to the heady heights of qualifying and almost qualifying for the Europa league for the past few years.

We were one of the best club sides in the world when we allowed Alonso and then Masch to leave and didn't replace them. Now we're shit. The defence didn't change. The forward line looks better. It's pretty fucking obvious what the problem is.

Well yeah, but it's not the 'only' problem, central midfield is gash and imbalanced, and Glen fucking Johnson is a pile of shite, alot's coincided with his signing, and the loss of Sami too.

 

[Markeh]

If good holding midfielders were easy to find Mikel wouldn't get a kick at Chelsea, City just spent £20m on Javi Garcia who looks shite. It's not a trivial matter to find someone better than Lucas.

 

[mark1975]

If good holding midfielders were easy to find Mikel wouldn't get a kick at Chelsea, City just spent £20m on Javi Garcia who looks shite. It's not a trivial matter to find someone better than Lucas.

I agree, because the issue usually becomes that everyone wants everything from one. You've got to be positionally brilliant, have bundles of energy to cover every blade of grass, you need either be aggressive or an excellent reader of the game and THEN you have to have the technical ability to justify your inclusion in an attacking, pass and move side. That shouldn't mean we shouldn't be on the lookout though!

 

[Markeh]

I agree, because the issue usually becomes that everyone wants everything from one. You've got to be positionally brilliant, have bundles of energy to cover every blade of grass, you need either be aggressive or an excellent reader of the game and THEN you have to have the technical ability to justify your inclusion in an attacking, pass and move side. That shouldn't mean we shouldn't be on the lookout though!

What we actually need is a time machine or cloning process that gives us a 20yr old Steven Gerrard again.

We should be on the lookout for better, I've been concerned about Lucas's form for a while but we should keep hold of him until we are certain we can live without him.

 

[Woland]

Yeah we don't want to risk this whole being 7th thing.

I mean we're only just a bit worse than Everton. It's not that bad. Keep him.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Nobody wants to stay seventh.

I'd replace all four of our defenders before Lucas, I think they're all average/poor.

 

[Markeh]

Yeah we don't want to risk this whole being 7th thing.

I mean we're only just a bit worse than Everton. It's not that bad. Keep him.

Yea fuck it nobody uses squads these days we should sell everyone and head into the new season with 11 amazing players.

 

[Red Astaire]

Nobody wants to stay seventh.

I'd replace all four of our defenders before Lucas, I think they're all average/poor.

Part of that statement does have an element of truth to be fair. I would replace Lucas first though and it appears we are revamping the back four a little anyway.

 

[ILD]

Could we pinch Gustavo from Bayern? He has fallen down the pecking order this season it seems.

I'd happily keep Lucas but I can see Rafa paying 10-12 million for him. We should consider it if it means we can sign a beast CM.

 

[King Binny]

It remains to be seen though how much of an impact Rafa has on transfer decisions, seeing that Napoli has the usual continental roles of Managing Director (Andrea] Chiavelli) and Sporting Director (Riccardo Bigon) working on signings.

 

[Buddha]

Could we pinch Gustavo from Bayern? He has fallen down the pecking order this season it seems.

I'd happily keep Lucas but I can see Rafa paying 10-12 million for him. We should consider it if it means we can sign a beast CM.

That's a good shout. He looked a player of real promise last year.

 

[Fallon]

I like Lucas, but I'd take £10M for him without much hesitation as I do think we can get a better plater for the money.

 

[Judge Jules]

It remains to be seen though how much of an impact Rafa has on transfer decisions, seeing that Napoli has the usual continental roles of Managing Director (Andrea] Chiavelli) and Sporting Director (Riccardo Bigon) working on signings.

I was just thinking that. How long will it be before Rafa begins to fret under the restrictions of having to work within this system?

P.S. "Riccardo Bigon" sounds like a porn star.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Good luck Rafa. Sweep stake on how many days before he moans about how much money he has to spend?

 

[jexykrodic]

Good luck Rafa. Sweep stake on how many days before he moans about how much money he has to spend?

I reckon he should think twice before he complains about anything at Napoli.

He may wake up one morning to find a bloodied horse's head in his bed.

I'd be especially careful if one of the club's representatives calls around for dinner and you complain and he says he must leave quickly to report any bad news to his boss immediately.

 

[Leo]

I'd sell Lucas but then I again I'd sell the spare pair of sheers I have in my shed if someone would buy it.