Why Liverpool shouldn’t pay £15m for Joe Allen

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So, Fabio Borini is finally a Liverpool player and the Reds’ transfer window is now properly underway.

No sooner than the Italian forward formally dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s, a whirlwind of speculation began to form on Twitter as fans became keen to get another player or ten through the door.

Two names were the most visible in that whirlwind: Joe Allen and Clint Dempsey. Dempsey, the versatile American forward currently of Fulham, seemed to split opinion. Allen, however, seemed to excite the majority of Liverpool fans based on his performances for Brendan Rodgers’ Swansea side last season.

After Rodgers arrived at Anfield, pretty much every media outlet in the country ran with the story that the former Swansea manager had a gentleman’s agreement with the Welsh club that he would not return to “raid” the team for any of his ex-pupils. Going by the latest reports, that agreement seems to have gone out of the window. For those of you that haven’t seen the aforementioned reports, apparently the score is that Brendan is very interested in the 22-year-old midfielder although Allen is reluctant to leave and Swansea are even more reluctant to sell but a £15m bid would probably be enough reason to do a deal.

Joe Allen is a fine young player and his performances last season matched those of his club as Swansea brought a breath of fresh air to the Premier League. But, should Liverpool be paying £15m for him? No.

Now before you close the page, leave an angry comment or give me abuse on Twitter, please hear me out.
Still here? Good.

Joe Allen reminds me of Jordan Henderson, albeit a smaller and slightly nippier version. Both players move the ball well, are economical in possession and possess a great engine. Last summer, Liverpool paid £16m for Jordan Henderson and were castigated for it. I think that Henderson is currently a better player than Allen, though obviously I might be slightly biased and I’ve seen more of the former. Both players are the same age and if you were to factor in the add-ons and other clauses, the fee for Allen would probably end up being very similar to the fee paid for Henderson. As I’ve said, both players are in the same mould as central midfielders who are perfect for Brendan Rodgers’ ideal style of play but with the other options we already currently have is it worth spending £15m on Allen?

Alberto Aquilani has returned from his loan spell in Italy and it looks like he might be staying too. Aquilani is also a similar player to Allen, although again I would say that the Italian is better than the Swansea man. Aquilani was signed from Roma in 2009 for £18m but for whatever reason, didn’t play much in his first season at Anfield and was shipped out on loan almost immediately after Roy Hodgson took over in 2010. He returned for the pre-season of 2011-12 but was loaned out again, this time by Kenny Dalglish. He impressed in both loan spells back in Serie A for both Juventus and then AC Milan, showing the quality he has as an important player for two of Europe’s biggest clubs. I imagine that if we bought Allen, either Aquilani or Charlie Adam would be sacrificed. If I had to put money on either, I’d say Aquilani would be the first one out because I doubt he’d be willing to sit on the bench. I’m assuming Allen will be a regular starter because of the fee Rodgers is reportedly willing to pay for him.

Aside from the huge fee we’d be paying for a player as inexperienced as Allen, another disadvantage would be that his signing would likely stall the progress of the talented young midfielders we already have at the club. Jordan Henderson is one that I’ve already mentioned but Jonjo Shelvey and Jesus “Suso” Fernandez shouldn’t be forgotten about either. Shelvey impressed in what limited appearances he made last season and deserves a lot more playing time this season. Suso has recently earned many an admirer for his performances in the Spanish Euro u-19s winning side this summer. With every young midfielder we sign, we are only going to continue to reduce the chances these two extremely talented youngsters will get to break into the first-team properly. Though these are two obvious choices when one makes this case, there are even more talented midfielders that have the potential to break into the first team set-up sooner rather than later. Look at Joao Teixeira, Conor Coady and Kristian Adorjan for example.

Of course, maybe the fee won’t be £15m as the media are reporting but why would Swansea sell for say £10m if neither the club nor Allen are especially open to the move? It’s not just the fee that I’m against though, as I’ve mentioned in this article. There are other things that would be a side-effect of this signing, such as needlessly spending money on areas in the team that don’t need improving as much as other areas. For example, the winger and forward department. The fact it would limit the progress of some of the talented reserve and u-18 players we have at our disposal makes me uneasy too, especially after the outstanding work that those involved with the club’s youth development have put in over the last few years.

It must be said though, that if we do sign Joe Allen, he will have my full backing regardless and he should have yours too. He is an exciting young player and Brendan Rodgers already knows him well so obviously trusts him enough to make the step-up to a massive club this early in his career.

What do you make of Joe Allen or Liverpool’s current midfield options? Please leave a comment below or tell me directly on Twitter @DanWRobinson.

41 Comments

  1. I think ur right in that we dont really need a player in that position, I would like to see the fringe players push for a starting place.
    I think BR might let adam and spearing might go ( although adam suits his style), would like to see aquilani stay and truly prove himself.

  2. i agree with this , i think that suso will be a very good player if brendan gives him the chance , but i think aquilani is by far the most creative midfielder we have in the squad , we also have adams and cole who would be good backups for aquilani , there would be no reason to go for allen. on the other hand i would welcome dempsey to the squad as he is a player who can score goals when needed and it will give the manager many options to choose from , having carroll suarez dempsey and borini sounds quite good to me

  3. Dan hi,….’Henderson is currently a better player than Allen’…The only way this is true is if you really apply the term currently…neither of them are playing right now!!!?
    If you measure them statistically over the last 2 seasons Allen is head and shoulders above Henderson, being the 4th best passer in Europe last term.
    Henderson (to paraphrase John Lennon) isn’t even the best passer at Liverpool!

  4. He’s a different player to Henderson. Jordan is a player who looks most comfortable with getting the ball and passing it off. Allen is someone who runs with the ball and makes openings.

    I don’t see how it harms anyones chances either:

    -It’s a 3 mid system,that requires at least 6 central midfielders.
    -Henderson will likely play back up to Lucas,note Rodgers talking about remodelling him.
    -Shelvey will likely play back-up to Gerrard, the Sigurdsson role being something he’s natural in.
    -That would leave a dynamic role available, Allen being perfect for that.
    -Others fill different positions. Take Suso, he’s spent the majority of his time as a RW/RAM during his time at Liverpool and for Spain. Allen signing would have little impact.
    -Teixeira is one for the future; he’s just back from injury and needs an adaptation spell before we can even consider him.
    -At the end of the day look how Barca integrate youth. They don’t neglect quality nor do they neglect their talent. Players need to show fight to oust better players,it’s how you find the right players long term.

    Allen will be an excellent signing, and the type of player this club should have been looking at for a while now.

  5. Tbh your right… I rather pay 1 million more and get ramirez 21… An has a goof vision and can score goals :)

  6. Don’t think we will pay 15 million for Allen. Think he does want to come though because he knows the option is there for Champions League in the future as well as his familiarity with the manager who gave him his big break. It must be a juggling act with the wages and transfer fees of the different players for Rodgers to meet the budget for the team.

  7. I agree. In a 4-3-3 formation, 2 of these midfielders will always be Lucas and Gerrard when both are fit. That already leaves Henderson, Aqualani, Cole, Adam, Downing, Shelvey, Spearing, Suso and Coady fighting for the one remaining place! No wonder Maxi left…

  8. “Henderson is a better player than Allen” – That’s got to be the funniest thing I’ve heard this transfer window. Are you Henderson’s agent or something? My mum who is 86 is as good as Henderson was last season. He almost scored with screamer in our first league match and it was warp speed downhill for the rest of the season

  9. I understand what you are saying but if the reports are right about Rogers wanting the ball back within 6 seconds of losing it then that means you are going to need a high tempo midfield full of energy and commitment to win the ball back not sure Charlie Adam or Alberto Aquilani would fall into that category, and if Rogers feels Joe Allen is the man to provide that then let’s go for him.

  10. Completely agree. We have too many midfielders already- Aquilani has superior experience and attacking threat, Henderson can be coached to play safe frequent balls all day, he passed sideways and backwards almost all last season anyway, and has at least the same engine as Allen. We jump too often on the basis of one good season- Think Charlie Adam/ Stuart Downing for instance.
    We should forget about more holding/continuity players and take the £15m from Allen , add the £10m for Dempsey, and go for the likes of Llorente or Jovetic, attract with promise and big wages, then down a level to someone at De Yong’s level if the big guns turn us down. And keep Andy Carroll- Too big a loss, too likely to develop into a player who we couldn’t susequently afford. Think about it- Which £20m forward have we been in for? None. Out of our league, so why not add another quality wide man/ Striker and have 4 good options assuming we discount Bellamy. Give Sterling/Suso etc real chances, and look to get back amongst the transfer elite next year or the year after that.
    Who knows, perhaps we’ll have a right good go next year, but relistically, we can challenge the top 4 places only if we keep our heads

  11. What a crock!! We are in an extra competition this season with the Europa League. That will require 20 odd extra games to win compared to last season and we will need two full teams to get through the season. What better way to blood the younguns than to let them play in the Europa League and the Carling cup so they get experience of both English and foreign opposition. There is also the next gen league and the reserve league for them to gain experience too. You can’t just throw a load of kids in to the premier league unless of course you throw them all in together and drop the experienced players otherwise there will be anarchy. There is a longer term plan than this season so those youngsters will get their day but we also need to remain competitive in the League to maintain European football. They will get more chances than Dalglish ever gave them and they will benefit from Rodgers approach to tactics and posession far more.His background is coaching youngsters unlike Dalglish who ignored them largely and left it to Mike Marsh to look after them and, Radolpho Burrel. He gave John Flanagan one game, he made one mistake and got destroyed for it and unceremoniously dropped. Charlie Adam on the other hand who was experienced played awful for most of the season until he thankfully could no longer be picked, got away with poor performances week in week out because he was a Dalglish signing. If you are good enough you are old enough is what Brendan Rodgers told Raheem Sterling last week. And don’t tell me two appearances of 7 and 8 minutes was blooding Sterling by Dalglish at the end of last season, that was merely an attempt to tell him to keep his mouth shut and stop moaning. Allen has premiership experience even if it is only a season, and Arsenal have paid up to £15 million for Oxlade-Chamberlain who was only 18 and had no experience at all. Look at him last season. In the right hands, in the right environment and with the right support a player can be improved beyond his current level quickly and the fee is therefore never thought of. Only if a player falls down does the fee get spoken of. £15 million is peanuts, you know it and so does everyone else these days. All of this has become a finacial issue because of the money Dalglish wasted on players and wages last season and the window at the end of the previous season. Rodgers has the right to pick the players he wants not the ones he has inherited!When Dalglish finished 8th with his investment last season people wanted him to have another season and wanted him to be given more money. Your article is a waste of paper.

  12. Whats with this obsession in midfield.
    We have people sniffing about our defenders in Spain, yet we’re not sounding out any possibles incase Skrtel or Agger get bamboozled by the tapping up machine, that is** Barca/Madrid.
    What we need is a very top top player up front, to work alongside Suarez, and Borini if we play 2 up and Luis in a Ronaldo role for United coming in from the wing on diagnals.
    We’ve got creativity sewn up in midfield with Aqua Gerrard, Lucas is coming back, we have Suso who should be in the side NOW rather than half way through next season disrupting partnerships that’ll form pre season, Sterlings already featured in fits n starts, but should be on the bench every other game until his full inclusion.
    We have Morgan almost ready to burt into the first 11.
    But!!!!, for the purpose of momentum amongst the squad, and for morale and an over all feel good effect, the owners should be eyeing up a massive bid for Cavani or Tevez Or jovetic, A creator and both a finisher.
    Playing “the rodgers way” is fine from the back through midfield, but short passes mean little when the striker needs the ball to his feet to do “his thing”.
    Luis runs from midfield into the box, thats what he does well and why he’s so coveted.
    But we need a cavani to pass it to when theres space through the middle as Borini is more like Suarez.
    Id be happy if we gave up on Dempsy and Allen and bid 35 mill+ for Cavani or Jovetic, IF that was our only signings.
    Borini and Cavani were what we lacked last season.
    Dempsy and Allen feels like Dalglish all over again, getting pumped by mid table prem clubs for average players while top of the table pay 35+ for hazard.
    Just my 2pence worth…

  13. I hope we sort Carroll’s situation out to boot, him being at the club is preventing the owners from bidding big bux on a top striker like I mentioned previously, he wasnt what we needed under kenny, and he’s not what we need now, Id rather write off 15 mill and let him go for 20, then use that and more to Nab Cavani who looks to be vieing for a move out of Italy, then we can completely adapt to Rodgers style, for when ever carroll’s in the side those who were in the team before Rodgers arrival will always fall back on lobbing it up the pitch as a last resort.
    If we’re adopting the new ideology, we need to do it 110%, which means the letting go of those who will affect that style of play.
    Apologies for an earlier typo lol BURST*!

  14. Rodgers will play a midfield trio, with 1 DCM and flexible 2 CMs on either side up top in an upside down triangle formation. Joe Allen can play both in the CM role as Rodgers would like and as a better back up to Lucas in the DCM role than Henderson. So it will be Lucas (DCM) and then Allen (CM) and Gerrard (CM). Rodgers needs to rely upon players that can make the tiki-taka style work ASAP and with Joe Allen’s pass completion rate in relations to the areas of the field he roams in makes him a key buy. You are right in saying you are biased towards Henderson because you’ve seen more of him play. But you don’t have to see much of Joe Allen to see that he would be a better, quicker fit for Rodgers’ style than Henderson. Aquilani would not move, because if he leaves, he will only want to return to Italy and there is no Italian team that wants to pay for him – simple as that. I think Aquilani will be rotated with Gerrard and Joe Allen, with Henderson being rotated with Lucas and Joe Allen. If Lucas is injured I’m sure Allen would play the DCM role. Spearing, Charlie Adam and Downing in that order are most susceptible for the chop. I can see Shelvy and Suso in the squad with the former getting more games than the latter. I actually think it is an astute move. This may be hardest on young Coady in the medium to long term, but hopefully the manager would be able to manage that potential problem.

  15. Hi guys, thanks for the feedback.

    LFC4eternity – You’ve got to remember that Allen was playing in a possession based team last season so that stats might be misleading in some cases. I remember at one time last season Leon Britton was second only to Xavi as one of the most accurate passers in Europe and according to stats, Mark Gower was the most creative player in Europe. Context is key.

    Joshua – Allen is a central midfielder. Always has been.

    LFC Spartacus – You make a good point about the Europa League and Carling Cup.
    – I’m not saying throw a team full of kids straight into the Premier League. Never even came close to saying that.
    – £15m isn’t peanuts. Especially when we’re not the richest club around.
    – I didn’t write this on paper. I typed it on Microsoft Word.

  16. Yes, Allen was a far better performer than Hendo last season, but we’re not comparing like-for-like. Hendo spent much of the season on the right of midfield for a start, not his best position. In addition, Hendo played under Dalglish and so it is feasable that under Rodgers, Henderson could improve immeasurably. Allen achieved such excellent passing stats in part due to the impressive style of football Rodgers employed. If you transferred those tactics to Liverpool, it is entirely plausable that Hendo could achieve better passing stats.

    However, the realy point here is whether we need another centre midfielder. In my view, that answer is ‘no’. Whilst Allen would improve our options, there are more pressing issues in our team to remedy before the start of the season. For a start, we’ve just lost Maxi and Kuyt. We need to replace those two. Borini, it appears, is here to replace Carroll – or so it seems. So perhaps we would be better off signing players with creativity in the forward positions instead of a central midfielder. After all, it’s not as if we have the money to do both.

  17. Quite agree with LFC SPARTACUS there,to be frank,I think KD is largely responsible 4 what liverpool is experiencing at d moment. Kenny Dalglish’s transfers,tactical approach,media relationship,man-management,academy management, all ranked below par,which culminated in sending LFC down d drain. Certain players that came in last year will surely flourish under BR this coming season. I think d failure of most players last season was mainly down to poor managerial and tactical approach. We all saw what Henderson did at sunderland,without which LFC wouldn’t have forked out £16m or there about for his services. Watching him closely at the beginning of last season,u would see some promises,but as the season went on,both he and Adam steadily began to disappoint,much to the frustration of the Kop faithfuls. See the way Kuyt was frustrated out owing to the desire of Dalglish to give Henderson much playing time to flourish,coupled with an over-reliance on Suarez,even Enrique that started the season with a bang,ended up disappointing to my dismay. Branden Rodgers deserves to be given a fair deal of time and support to institute his philosophy into LFC,cos the amount of funds Dalglish was opportuned to spend(which obviously he spent terribly) will not be made available to him. If one thing is clear though,it is that the present owners have LFC at heart,compared to their predecessors,same way BR has a long term plan in place compared to Dalglish,whose sentiments became his biggest un-doing. So whatever player BR thinks will move the club forward, he should go for it,afterall the players linked are still below £18m and less than 23 years of age(Dempsey exempted) so I think it still makes a great deal of sense as they still have time to grow into BR style and still represent a fair deal in the future(Lucas).

  18. Lazy journalism….Allen is similar to ,and Aquilani is much the same….no theey`re not the same.Henderson is better than Allen (because you`ve seen more of him???). Does that mean he`s better than Xavi or Iniesta because you`ve not seen them play as much???Why make up £15m??Do you know really know if Allen wants to join LFC?? I don`t. If younger players are going to get in the first XI they will fight their way through whoever is there.The players you mentioned might all be in the championship or leagues 1 & 2 in three years, who knows?

  19. No doubt the price for Joe Allen seems high. But that is the release clause in the player’s contract. Joe is certainly better than Jordon Henderson and is a pass master. The Ticki-taka play was orchestrated by Joe Allen at Swansea last season. So if Bradon wants to bring him in I will go along with that. Just because Kenny and Commolli wasted a huge amount of funds on Henderson, Downing, Adam and Carroll, it doesn’t mean that the players must be used and no other players must come in. These players had a whole season to get their act together but flopped. Either the all collectively improve over this season or they will find themselves pushed throughnthe exit door. The new manager must be allowed to bring in some players who are used to his passing style to help the other players fit in to the kind of play he expects.

  20. I think Allen service is not needed,there are sound and experience creative mielfiders like Aquilani.BR use that 15million 4 a sound and sharp Striker,also we need left back defender so that there be competition,i believe that will go a long way to ginger Jose towards huzzling.

  21. My 3 midfielders in the SXI: lucas, aquilani, gerrard; subs: allen, henderson, cole… shelvey on loan, adam and spearing arent good enough for lfc, fact

  22. Spot on I totally agree with you I think he is a player who could fit well with BR plans but for 15 million we could buy better

  23. Lol,LFC SPARTACUS didnt mean ‘waste of paper’ in the literal sense,lol,it was just a figure of speech.
    The article is good and well articulated and I concur that we dont need Allen.However sayin Hendo is better than him is extremely biased.The reason we dont need Allen is cos the likes of Aquilani,Joe Cole,Shelvey,Gerrard,Suso et al fully cover that area.
    That £15m should be used to sign a striker or add £10-15m more to that to get a £30m marquee striker and I dont mean a Carrol type of £35m striker.That brings me to Carrol himself,the sooner he’s sold the better.I’d take £15m for him,Kenny really messed up here and I dont expect us to recoup much from Carrol.Keeping him might be detrimental if anything.
    Adam and Downing should be sold as well even @ a loss,£15m would do it for me.
    I’d give Hendo a chance and see what he do.
    I truly hope B.R raises £30m odd from Carrol and get Lewandoski/Llorente/Falcao/David Villa(not for more than £15m as he’s quite old).

  24. What’s saying Aqua is still going to be here in September anyway? We are in 4 competitions this year, the whole squad will be utilized. Joe Allen will be a great addition & if Rodgers see’s him pivotal to the way he wants the team to play, so be it. Managers from all walks of life take there staff with them to the pastures new, this shouldn’t be any different. As for Henderson, the criticism is unjust, people build up an idea of how they think somebody should play (in this instance, Hendo was suppose to be the next Stevie G) but in reality, that was harsh on the lad. He has more attributes suggesting he will become more of a Lampard type player than a Gerrard. Jonjo Shelvey has far more comparisons with Stevie. Joe Allen on the other hand is a totally separate ball game and adds a different dimension. Lets believe in Brendan’s total football approach YNWA

  25. Actually, I agree with your article, good points.

    First of all, I also don’t think Allen, compared to Henderson is that good & definitely Acqua a far better player than either of them. Allen’s passing success or accuracy to some extent is a bit misleading because, Swansea plays a sort of possession based game with too many squire passes; don’t think he has put that many quality defense splitting through balls like the top CMs had created.

    Also, Allen reminds me of C Adam, once a contender for team of the season, playing for Blackpool, proved to be the biggest fish in a small pond. Playing for mid table clubs is easy because, the opposition gives you lot of space & you can counter attack against top teams. Problem starts when you play for top half teams, teams that needs to break down packed defense & play to win away.

    We have too many central midfielders now, but apart from Lucas, SG & may be Acqua, there is hardly any quality. I don’t think Allen ‘ll add much quality to this squad. If we go for a CM, it should be someone as backup of Lucas & quality, someone like De Jong, Ma’Villa or Cissokho. Among the young groups, I presume there are at least 3/4 boys who can be as good as, if not better than Allen in few years time.

    15mn is big money & I have a feeling that, like in ’11 Jan or Jun, the way we were sort of blackmailed for Carroll, Henderson & Downing; Swansea is trying to bullying us out. If we are to pay obnoxious amount, it should be for proven quality, so that there is a good resale value. Apart from Luis, neither of KD’s purchase ‘ll struggle to recoup even 40% of the purchase value is less than 1 year. Imagine, even after massive improvement, we are struggling to get offers beyond 15mn for Carroll, what his actual value could have been when we paid 35mn? Swansea is trying to take advantage of similar situation.

    I am not sure if Allen is a “Home Grown”, or not. If not he shouldn’t cost more than 5-6mn; if yes still I won’t pay more than 8-9mn. However, my first choice ‘ll be some technically superior & speedy wingers, someone like Ramirez or James Rodrigues.

  26. Though joe allen is needed becuz he is a type of Xabi Alonso….he wins the ball and also passes well,but i believe we majorly need a poacher and the money can be used to get a gud striker like(lewandowski,luuk de jong,llorente) and the 1st two won’t cost more than 13million

  27. The way i look at so called squad depth which is what we are still struggerling to build as well as have quality in every single role and position within even the 1st team!.

    Out – kuyt & Maxi, – those huge wages have been saved, add those two wages demands up and take them form the wage bill then with there ages taken into account then thats great business.

    Its not great business however if we are even failing to either bring in better younger players or even players of the same level.

    For me id like to see;

    DOWINING – OUT
    ADAM OUT –
    WILSON – OUT
    BELLAMY -OUT

    downing, if we could get aorund 8- 9 mill would be gone tomorrow.

    adam, is never going to be better then even aquilani, allen(if we get him or lucus, gerrard, even henderson, adam just is not fit enough and not talented enough, i think all along he was brought to be a squad player and that is what he is at best!

    wilson, another young kid, that has had 2 years to come around, ex rangers player, ,might be talented up there but not herem i have watched him many times and we have others like coates, that are better, he is not very good at all to be fair.

    bellamy, to much talk about wanting to go back to cardiff, well go then, he is getting on now, looks to be able to play not even 1 game in 8 days now, what good is that to any wage bill, we are not getting value from the amount of games he cant not play, id free up the team and let him go.

    BRING IN & BUILD DEPTH AND ADD QUALITY IN YOUNGER BUT MORE TALENTED PLAYERS THAT COME IN A REPLACE BELOW;

    KUYT = BORINI.
    MAXI = GASTON RAMIREZ.
    ADAM = ALLEN
    BELLAMY = ADRIAN LOPEZ ALVAREZ
    WILSON = WE ALREADY HAVE COATES AND MANY OTHERS, SAVE WAGES.
    DOWNING = WALCOTT

    THATS OUT 6 PLAYERS AND BRINGING IN 5 BETTER, YOUNGER, QUICKER FOOTBALLERS ALL WITH VALUE TO ADD ON THERE CONTRACTS AND WAGES.

    If the owners actually want to spend rather then keep using player sales money and freeing up this much talked about wage bill, then id like to see another winger striker here also but thats far to much to even think aboout with these in charge!!!

    if we cant do the above then this club really has seen better days!! and we all know it.

  28. Bringig in Allen would be the biggest mistake of BR in his early days.He should take a lesson or two from wha

  29. I’m asking the webmaster to remove my earlier post please.
    ————————————————————
    Bringing in Allen would be the biggest mistake of BR in his early days.He should take a lesson or two from what Happened to Dalglish.When you pay a high fee for a signee you are under mandatory to use him most of the time and it appears that there’s no room already in our middle of the park area for someone like Allen,it’s already overcrowded.

    However splashing £15m on a pacy winger or a fourth classy attacker would be handy.

    Actually we must get rid of mid-fielders such as Spearing and Adam to make room for a genuine holding midfielder,a ruthless tackler if we are willing not to let the other sides dominate us so easily.

  30. adam – out
    downing – out
    wilson – out
    jones gk – out
    aquilani – out
    kuyt – gone
    maxi – gone
    carroll – out

    aly cissokho – in
    gaston ramirez -in
    joe allen – in
    iker muniain – in
    adrian lopez – in
    tello – in

  31. Watching that game last night.-

    Better attitude from most of the players.
    Better past and move, already in very early days you can tell wht rodgers wants and he will get it, looking btter already.

    players who i dont think are good enough and not up to the high tempo and who are just not going to cut it are;-

    adam,- to slow, still giving away stupid free kicks, dead balls get worse and he is so unfit its crazy as a paid up pro.

    aquilani, – im sorry but for hi 95 k a week and his good looks that all about waht he is, he does nothing, plays the ball simple, but has np pace, cant beat people, does not look fit, does not look up for it and his passing is not better than gerrards, lucus or even spearing, get rid.

    joe cole, – want him to be that player he was about 4 years ago, but he is all done, he is finished, he looked dreadful, just because he had a few nice touches, you need more than that for 90 – 100 k a week. we should say enough is enough now, and save the wage bill.

    krisztian adorjan, – not going to cut it, get rid.

    danny wilson, – will you just leave, thsi guy is so over rated as a so called young player, not that he is that young anymore, he is now 22, think what coates has done at 21 and then you look at how bad this player is, get him out.

    eccleston, – morgan moade him look slow, the passion that young morgan showed was a joy to see, he may not be as tricky as eccleston but eccleston attitude is very poor, stearling, suso, pacheco are all better in the final 3rd, sell him now.

    Gulacsi gk, – dreadful, sell him, jones is better and doni is ok, but doni looks like he is going back home to brazil so he is going too.

    Doni, gk, – sell him getting to old and wants to be at home in brazil,

    sterling, suso, pacheco, robinson, flanagamn, sama, wisdom, morgan, should all be part of the set up while sending them on loan is pointless they need to stay and get into the way rodgers wants it. be a part and help out in the europa league leaving the whole team fresh for the league push. They will all get many games in carling cup and fa cup and europa wo why sen them on loan! cant work that one out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  32. In the last 5 years, Liverpool managers had spent big money for poor players. But, the worst it was Dalglish. So stupid manager. How on earth to spend 75 millions pounds on 3 poor players? And now, Rodgers is willing another mistakes. He already did one: Borini for 11 millions pounds. Luuk de Jong it was o much better optinon for 12 millions pounds.
    Out:
    Agger to Barcelona= 15 m £
    Skirtel to Man City = 20 m £
    Downing = 10 m £
    Joe Cole = 3 m £
    Henderson = 10 m £
    Adam = 7 m £
    Aquilani = 5 m £
    Spearing = 4 m £
    Carroll = 20 m £
    Total = 94 m £
    In:
    Papadopoulos from Schalke = 10 m £
    Gouweelew from Heerenven = 4 m £
    Strootman from PSV = 10 m £
    Maher from AZ = 7 m £
    Holtby from Schalke = 7 m £
    Susaeta from Bilbao = 7 m £
    Jovetic from Fiorentina = 22 m £
    Zaha from Palace = 8 m £
    Adam Johnson from City = 10 m £
    Total = 85 m £
    9 m £ profit.

  33. As someone said earlier we need 6 top class central midfielders if we are going to play Rodgers 4-3-3 formation.i wouldnt be opposed to signing allen but i think it may spell the end of adan and spearing.i think it will be lucas, gerrard and allen with hendo, shelvey and aquilani rotating depending on injuries or if a different approach is required. We have borini and suarez for up top and downing for back up on the wing or inside forward position rodgers seems to favour.i fully expect dempsey to be added to that so i would expect another 2 inter changable forwards to sign (3 if carroll does leave)

  34. You might be right. If Shelvey and Aquilani are still in Liverpool at the end of the transfer window. But I can’t see that happening.

    I am almost sure Shelvey will go on loan – he need matches, week in and week out! Aquilani is obviously not 100% commited to LFC. Hope I am wrong – he is a good fine player – but does anyone really believe he will stay?

    That leaves us ( in a expected 4-3-3 lineup) with Gerrard, Lucas, Hendo, Adam and Spearing as remaining options for the three mf pos. Ok, maybe we can add Suso & Pacheco – and maybe one of them can really push on for a place in the starting eleven. But it is rather unlikely isnt it?

    Allen, to me, seems like the perfekt fit. In my book neither Adam nor Spearing should be considered more than back up alternatives. Suso & Pacheco as merely fringe figures this season (Suso’s time will come). Meaning, we only got three really solid midfielders: Gerrard, Lucas and Hendo. That’s not good enough! We need a player like Allen. Not sure he’s the best value for money we can get. But he is young, talanted, versatile and has already proven himself in the Premier League (he will be an asset from day one).

    If not Allen then we can only hope Aquaman delivers all season!

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