Liverpool FC Forum

[akumaface]

TO be brutally honest, there is zero chance for us to win the league if Spearing and Lucas are to replace Xabi....It is really hard to find someone like Alonso. He is excellent in his positioning, very intelligent player, good at protecting the ball and passing, very tough and do not shine away from challenges. The only thing he lacks is speed really. I can't really think of a player who can do what he does. Of course Gerard would have no problem in this role but don't know if wanted to go back to the central role with the success that he had this year. If we can get a top forward that can play behind Torres, we still need to find a backup for the CM role....Tough job ahead for Rafa.

[redsince2001]

alonso is off by the looks of it.

[Madmax]

alonso is off by the looks of it.

Yeah seems like something is happening..

Real will delay the deal at the moment

Link

[Toffeehater]

FFS , if thats true , rafa should make them pay every cent of the 35 million upfront , 20 to 25 million could be spent on de rossi , and the rest for a winger ala silva

[Sean]

Lets face it.  If Alonso and Mascherano go, we are back to square one.  We will have to rebuild.  From having a settled squad we will be forced to rebuild.  New faces, no matter how good will take time to settle.  We can forget landing the title next season.

[metalhead]

I'd look at a couple of players like Jao Moutinho of Sporting, who is a quality footballer.

Another would be De Rossi, who is an excellent player, tidy in possession, tactically and positionally excellent, can pass, carries the ball, can tackle, man marks superbly, and fairly good in the air.

OR

we can give LUCAS a chance

[aCe']

IF they both go.. id expect us to get quite a bit of money for both... id use that all that money to make a bid for Villa and Silva...
We can then use what we have now + what we could possibly get from selling Babel, Voronin, Leto, Dossena..etc to make a bid for a good holding midfielder to play alongside Gerrard in the middle...

[Madmax]

If both do go i feel we will become more of an attacking/fancy footy side but teams will break us down from the middle... The strong pairing of macha and alonso is difficult to replicate.

[Scottbot]

It's starting to look like a matter 'when' instead of 'if' Xabi goes and I'm still racking my brain on who we could get to replace him. A few posters think there is a possibility of us dropping Stevie back and going after David Villa but it's simply not going to happen, not in a million years. I still think Rafa will look to bring in a straight replacement from the continent.

I've said it before but i'd love to see us go after someone like Jack Collison at West Ham. This kid is gonna be a hell of a player, he's big, strong, skillful, a good passer and strong in the air. VERY different to our Xabi but I really don't think we're gonna get a 'like for like' player. Unfortunately we aren't likely to go for a player like this unless he has an absolute dynamite season and consequently, his value soars into the stratosphere.

[Scottbot]

From the Times......

July 14, 2009

The men who could replace Xabi Alonso at Liverpool
Liverpool will permit Xabi Alonso to leave if he publicly expresses his desire to join Real Madrid and it remains to be seen whether or not Rafael Benitez will seek out a like-for-like replacement for the stylish Spanish midfielder.

The great irony is that Benitez would now actually love to keep Xabi Alonso, despite trying to sell him last summer in an attempt to fund a move for Gareth Barry. With Barry joining Manchester City, Benitez is forced to look elsewhere to boost his side's title prospects.

If the Liverpool manager is shrewd he could re-invest the proposed fee of about £32 million in a midfield replacement and other potential targets. Here are five men who might be considered as replacements for Alonso in Liverpool's engine room next season:

Wesley Sneijder
Alonso's likely arrival at the Bernabeu may well see Sneijder nudged towards the exit door. Florentino Perez is looking to offload some of Real's Dutch contingent, including Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Rafael van der Vaart and Royston Drenthe. Sneijder is an excellent ball player, but more mobile and adventurous than Alonso, whilst having an eye for a goal. The Dutchman's versatility would appeal to Benitez who is no stranger to rotating his side.

Michael Johnson
He is Manchester City's forgotten midfield man thanks to injury but remains one of English football's brightest prospects. Benitez is reportedly a fan and there have been quiet comparisons between Johnson and Steven Gerrard in terms of their athleticism and all-round ability. Johnson may be considered a risk, but if he is still available for the reported £8 million Newcastle were prepared to pay for him in January, he could prove a snip. Equally important is the fact that this would release further funds for Benitez to put towards another major transfer target, ie David Silva.

Sulley Muntari
The Ghanaian was linked to Liverpool during his stint at Portsmouth and still has many admirers in the Premier League. Athletic, committed and tenacious, Muntari doesn't possess Alonso's range of passing but is certainly an effective midfield enforcer. However, it remains to be seen if he could be prised away from Jose Mourinho's clutches.

Steven Defour
Whilst he appears to be one of Everton's main transfer targets this summer, it wouldn't be the first time Benitez has hijacked a move by the Toffees - Mohamed Sissoko, anyone? Defour was Mouraine Fellaini's midfield partner at Standard Liege. Considered the golden boy of Belgian football, Defour has long been linked with a transfer to either La Liga or the Premier League and, at the age of 21, represents a good investment. He is a creative playmaker with an impressive work rate and therefore a potential fan favourite at Anfield.

Miguel Veloso
The Portuguese midfielder has been looked at by Arsenal, Manchester United and Bolton in the past, but no move has yet materialised for the 23-year-old. Veloso is a youthful yet experienced defensive midfielder who can also provide cover at centre back. He is from the 'Michael Carrick' mould of holding midfielders, with good positional sense and an eye for a pass.



I don't know about the others but Johnson would be an interesting shout, I know Benitiez is rumoured to like him.

[bigmick]

Jack Collison? Michael Johnson? Don't SOUND like the type of young players we'd be signing to me Scott

[NANNY RED]

Whos that lad who plays for Porto, im sure its them , hes good

[bigmick]

Whos that lad who plays for Porto, im sure its them , hes good

Ah yes, he'll be far more likely I think.

[Scottbot]

Jack Collison? Michael Johnson? Don't SOUND like the type of young players we'd be signing to me Scott

Collison will be a cracking player mate, if he can stay fit that is! Or he might be my Robert Earnshaw, everyone has to have to have one!! Same applies to Johnson who was looking like a cracking little player 12 months ago, just saying it might be worth a gamble on one of them rather than selling Xabi for 30 mill and spending 20-25 mill on his replacement. I just don't see the point in tryting to replace Xabi like for like now that the most obvious candidate (Barry) has gone to City.

[Alex G.]

Hleb from Barça?