Tony Evans slams Liverpool’s James Milner signing and what it represents

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Tony Evans, the football editor of The Times, has launched an extraordinary Twitter rant against Liverpool and James Milner, criticising both the signing itself and what it represents in terms of our owner’s motives.

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The signing of Milner was officially announced by the Reds earlier today, with a medical all that stands in the way of the England international from completing his move to Merseyside at the start of next month.

Evans’ comments – which were spread over the course of 17 increasingly ridiculous Tweets – make several plausible points, such as our less than impressive transfer record under FSG and Brendan Rodgers. However, his argument appears to be otherwise flawed.

For one, he draws the comparison between Milner and Joe Cole, who was also signed on a free contract but failed to make an impact at Anfield. Thankfully, the lack of a transfer fee should be the only similarity. When we signed Cole, he was on the downturn, struggling to retain his place for both Chelsea and England. In contrast, Milner has been a regular for club and country over the last twelve months – so much so that City were prepared to offer a £165,000-per-week deal to keep him (via the Mirror).

Evans suggests that City would have been able to keep him if they truly wanted to, but as has been reported all along, it’s football rather than financial gain that motivates our first new signing of the summer window (via The Telegraph).

He adds that this signing represents the return of short-termism from our owners and goes against Brendan Rodgers’ wishes. He’s wrong on both accounts. As The Telegraph reports, Rodgers has requested marquee signings with experience that can compliment our younger players. Plus, surely even the most simple of individuals can understand the need for us to replace the likes of Steven Gerrard with a player of proven quality.

Evans is essentially attempting to write Milner off before he’s even arrived – despite claiming to ‘like him’ in his opening line. Unlike Evans, we welcome James to Anfield with hopeful expectation – let’s make sure you prove him wrong!

For those that are interested, you can see Evans’ quotes in full below:

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