The Official Liverpool FC Thread [Vol 12]

[m3sye]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transf...

"People within the 25-year-old midfielder's entourage are pointing the finger at Barcelona for manipulating their client"

"The player and his representatives are ready to admit defeat and will look to talk to key #LFC figures to smooth over the summer's events."

well done FSG for holding firm on this - i expect back in squad for sunday - has to get on with it now, play for world cup and hope if he has a blinding year maybe barca come next year

[700BHP]

m3sye said:

"People within the 25-year-old midfielder's entourage are pointing the finger at Barcelona for manipulating their client"

What a load of old pony. You have to allow yourself to be manipulated. No-one forced him to do anything.

Poor little Phil simply had no idea what he was doing, as he was under the influence of the nasty men from Barcelona.

Pull the other one.

[Einion Yrth]

m3sye said:

"People within the 25-year-old midfielder's entourage are pointing the finger at Barcelona for manipulating their client"

I read this as, "That 2@ Joorabchian needs a bloody good kicking."

[Pommygranite]

Einion Yrth said:

m3sye said:

"People within the 25-year-old midfielder's entourage are pointing the finger at Barcelona for manipulating their client"

I read this as, "That 2@ Joorabchian needs a bloody good kicking."

I read it as 'PC knows he's not going anywhere, his agents completely ballsed it up, he's now in damage control and wants to save face and his agent knows he needs to get back in the clubs good books so PC doesn't get the Sakho treatment'

[Chris Stott]

700BHP said:

m3sye said:

"People within the 25-year-old midfielder's entourage are pointing the finger at Barcelona for manipulating their client"

What a load of old pony. You have to allow yourself to be manipulated. No-one forced him to do anything.

Poor little Phil simply had no idea what he was doing, as he was under the influence of the nasty men from Barcelona.

Pull the other one.

Hmmmm... Coutinho's 25 and never been through something like this. His agent/advisers will have been (in other transfers). I would expect his team will have had a big influence over his behavior.

If he comes back with a good attitude and plays well I don't think there will be any negative reaction from the fans.

[jammy-git]

m3sye said:

This is the thing, if we had added the 2 we wanted this year we really would have been in the mix, if we stay as we are we will fall up short when injuries kick in ...

As for Kovacic, if a decent offer came in for a guy who is benched he would be off (he would want to go, he is hardly ever played)- he would be anything but cheap though, they paid about 25m for him I bet even though he is not playing they would want 40m for him....

I agree, it's an opportunity missed to pull ahead of some of our rivals. But it could be worse, they could have all pulled ahead of us.

I bet Real want more than £40m for Kovacic. They wanted 70m EUR for Morata and they wanted to sell him. I'd bet it would take £50-60m to tempt Real to sell someone Zidane wants to keep.

700BHP said:

jammy-git said:

700BHP said:

jammy-git said:

Zidane is already one of Real's most successful managers. I'd say he holds a fair amount of power within the club and what he says is very relevant.

So because Zidane tells you to, you waste your career on the bench, when you'd be a certain starter pretty much anywhere else?

Real and Zidane have to agree to sell him first. He has a contract until 2021!

Of course but it's hard to keep a player who isn't even playing for you but would get first team football elsewhere easily.

Southampton, Leipzig and Liverpool disagree.

Real will always play plenty of games a season, they're virtually guaranteed to play in every competition they're eligible for. Zidane has been rotating the squad somewhat so Kovacic will get playing time, just not as much as he'd like.

[type-r]

Exactly. Same as with Suarez. Although he was given guarantees about being sold the following summer.

[700BHP]

VvD, Keita and Coutinho are those clubs main men. Kovacic isn't even close to that.

As for his value, I've read Madrid turned down a €70M offer from Juventus for him, which would scupper our interest I reckon!

[Einion Yrth]

Pommygranite said:

Einion Yrth said:

m3sye said:

"People within the 25-year-old midfielder's entourage are pointing the finger at Barcelona for manipulating their client"

I read this as, "That 2@ Joorabchian needs a bloody good kicking."

I read it as 'PC knows he's not going anywhere, his agents completely ballsed it up, he's now in damage control and wants to save face and his agent knows he needs to get back in the clubs good books so PC doesn't get the Sakho treatment'

I think we are broadly in agreement; I focus merely on what I perceive as his agent's attempts to whitewash his own involvement in the matter.

[700BHP]

Exactly.

Move didn't work out. Liverpool are more resolute than we believed. Now let's blame it all on Barcelona. Me and Phil are total innocents in this whole unfortunate business. We were duped.

Utter bks.

[jammy-git]

700BHP said:

VvD, Keita and Coutinho are those clubs main men. Kovacic isn't even close to that.

Now that's irrelevant. If a player a) does not have a release clause and b) has a long contract with a club then the club holds all the power and it's up to the club to decide whether to sell or not.

[700BHP]

jammy-git said:

700BHP said:

VvD, Keita and Coutinho are those clubs main men. Kovacic isn't even close to that.

Now that's irrelevant. If a player a) does not have a release clause and b) has a long contract with a club then the club holds all the power and it's up to the club to decide whether to sell or not.

It's not irrelevant at all.

Clubs will fight harder to keep their main men than a bench warmer.

There will be far more uproar and bad feeling towards a club from fans for the same reason.

That bench warmer can point to the fact he's not getting games as the reason to move, a talismanic player can't use that excuse.

We aren't going to agree on this, so there's no point labouring it all day.

As for the player himself, Kovacic's game seems similar to Keita's. Driving runs forward etc. He'd be an excellent addition even if we retain Coutinho.

VvD and Kovacic before the end of the window? Now that's irrelevant because it's highly unlikely to happen!

[RedTrident]

type-r said:

Exactly. Same as with Suarez. Although he was given guarantees about being sold the following summer.

I don't remember Suarez refusing to play. Do you?

[jammy-git]

RedTrident said:

type-r said:

Exactly. Same as with Suarez. Although he was given guarantees about being sold the following summer.

I don't remember Suarez refusing to play. Do you?

From what I remember the Arsenal saga was over before the beginning of the season. He was also away on international duty (IIRC) so training wasn't an issue either.

[Adam B]

jammy-git said:

700BHP said:

VvD, Keita and Coutinho are those clubs main men. Kovacic isn't even close to that.

Now that's irrelevant. If a player a) does not have a release clause and b) has a long contract with a club then the club holds all the power and it's up to the club to decide whether to sell or not.

Correct, but if Barca offered £50M for Can would we have fought like we did for wee Phil - of course not

[RedTrident]

jammy-git said:

From what I remember the Arsenal saga was over before the beginning of the season. He was also away on international duty (IIRC) so training wasn't an issue either.

I'm relieved it seems that Coutinho is staying. The quicker we re integrate him into the team the better. This is not now a time for pride. I'd rather we be pragmatic. One of the most successful teams in the world wanted our star player, we are lucky to have him.

Perhaps FSG can actually get their people to concentrate on what this window was actually meant to be about.... 200 million war chest was it? Perhaps it was in rupees.

[m3sye]

Pommygranite said:

I read it as 'PC knows he's not going anywhere, his agents completely ballsed it up, he's now in damage control and wants to save face and his agent knows he needs to get back in the clubs good books so PC doesn't get the Sakho treatment'

Correct - totally how I read it

[Adam B]

RedTrident said:

I'm relieved it seems that Coutinho is staying. The quicker we re integrate him into the team the better. This is not now a time for pride. I'd rather we be pragmatic.

agreed, would like the same approach on Sakho TBH

[type-r]

RedTrident said:

type-r said:

Exactly. Same as with Suarez. Although he was given guarantees about being sold the following summer.

I don't remember Suarez refusing to play. Do you?

He was prepared to hand in a written transfer request and take the issue to the Premier League to force his exit. Ultimately, it was only because the so-called £40m exit clause was for one reason or another not legally enforceable that he and Arsenal eventually backed down.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/06/l...

And who said anything about Couthino refusing to play?

[TTmonkey]

He's blown his chances. Want away player looking for glory, should never play for the club again I say put him in the reserves and punish him for daring to want to play for a club he's probably dreamed of all his life. How dare he try turn his back on the most loyal club in the world. He's dead to us.

YAWN or something.