Liverpool FC Forum

[LFC #1]

I belive he wants Cl football, now we are all but assured of it I think he will stay.

[madred]

Quimby it was Kenny Dalglish that sold John Aldridge and not Greame Souness.

[bRy]

Owen moving may not be such a bad thing as a lot of people predict, esepcially if we get someone quality in return plus cash. He's only 24 and there's a possibility that he could return in a few years time. In the mean time I'd be happy to acquire a substantial cash benefit plus a player of Morientes' calibre, particulary him as he is good in the air and boasts a great presence on the pitch, something I think we've lacked in a striker for awhile.

Another positive if Owen does leave is that at least he's going abroad therefore will develop another side to his game and won't really have the chance to score against us or the possibility of a rival of the club snapping him up (ie Alan Smith leaving Leeds for rivals Man Utd)

[Quimby]

At least every party will get something. I was far more shocked when Souness gutted our side by selling Beardsley, Aldridge etc. That was a black period in our history that we still haven't fully recovered from.

a opnion I have voiced several times here quimby....he destroyed us

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I actually know Liverpool fans who thought Souness was a good manager. My mistake about Aldridge - maybe I'm trying to blame everything on him (starting with World War II onwards).

[charwell]

Firstly I thought Souness was hard done by as he inherited an ageing team who were declining rapidly and Kenny knew this. His merits as a manager are often over looked due to his ill advised article in the Sun. I believe he was doing the right thing in having a clear out but he went about it the wrong way and put too many noses out of joint.

Re Owen, interestingly we have a higher win ratio (50% v 48%) when he is not in the team. Maybe we rely on him too much and quite simply he is not the player he was. Food for thought.

[azriahmad]

Quote (charwell @ Aug. 12 2004,00:15)

Re Owen, interestingly we have a higher win ratio (50% v 48%) when he is not in the team. Maybe we rely on him too much and quite simply he is not the player he was. Food for thought.

Interesting info. I'd lost track of looking at statistics after Houllier threw in his garbage reasoning based on some "statistics"...

Owen had been stalling at signing a new contract. I think Rafa now had had enough of this nonsense and he has decided to not cup tie him so that we can get the max value from any transfer for him. Liverpool is just trying to protect its own interest.

I don't know what more Owen wants. Perhaps it is a dream for him to go abroad and improve himself but Mardid does not seem to be plausible because there is the matter of them having a dream srtike-force with Ronaldo, Raul and Morrientes and are really exposed in midfield without a good covering/holding midfielder. Viera is the obvious no.1 target, Owen is perhaps just a squad player/rotation player for them.

[whitehouse]

great post that alot of sense in it

[azriahmad]

This is an extract from a report in the Independent Online:

Morientes and Eto'o complicate Owen's journey to Madrid
By Jason Burt
12 August 2004


Michael Owen's proposed move to Real Madrid was thrown into confusion last night as both of the strikers who have been touted as makeweights in the £25m deal suddenly became unavailable.

Owen has surprised Real's directors with his desire to leave Liverpool, but the Anfield club's new manager, Rafael Benitez, had been hoping to land Real's Spanish international striker Fernando Morientes, plus £10m, in return for the 24-year-old England striker.

However Morientes ­ who has impressed Real's new coach Jose Antonio Camacho ­ came on as a substitute in Real's Champions League qualifier away to the Polish champions Wisla Krakow last night. Morientes in fact scored both Real's goals in a 2-0 win, and that means he is ineligible to appear for any other club in the competition this season ­ immediately ending Liverpool's interest in him.

At the same time Samuel Eto'o, who might have been an alternative to Morientes as a makeweight in the Owen deal, was finalising his move to Barcelona. The deal, worth an estimated £20m, was due to be announced today. Eto'o is jointly owned by Real and Real Mallorca and the former had been keen for him to leave La Liga and move abroad. However Barcelona have pursued the Cameroon striker all summer and he was agreeing terms last night.

The £10m windfall for Real from that deal may encourage the Spanish club to continue their interest in Owen, for whom they would have to pay around £20m. Real made a genuine inquiry last season ­ which was followed up with one during Euro 2004 ­ but expected to be rebuffed as Owen was due to agree a two-year extension to his deal with Liverpool.

Talks on that broke down before last weekend and Owen's advisers, the sports agency SFX, used the opportunity to notify Real of his availability. A highly-placed Real source said yesterday he was surprised at the enthusiasm shown by Owen for the move.

At the same time the player's relationship with Benitez has not been as good as expected, considering Owen was among those who had recommended the Spaniard as a replacement for Gerard Houllier. It is thought that Owen has found Benitez ­ who has already moved on 12 players from the squad ­ too abrasive.

Liverpool, are now keen for Owen to move. The club feels it has done all it can to persuade him to extend his current contract, which has just 10 months to run, and has concluded that the cash from selling him would fund wholesale rebuilding.

Who wants the move to happen more, or rather who has intigated the move more? From my point of view, it seems that Owen's side has pushed Liverpool to make sure he is available for the move without any cup-ties so that his value is as high as possible.

[LFC #1]

I think it is pretty simple really, Owen wants to be playing CL football, and if we don't qualify (which we are almost assured of now), he'll leave. Therefore he didnt play because:

1) He doesn't want to be cup tied and Liverpool then not 2 qualify, and then he can't play Cl for his new club.
2) If he is cup tied, and we sell him, his value will be depreciated.

Now that we have basically guaranteed qualification, I think Owen will sign an extension to his contract, and if we underperform again this season he will leave.

[azriahmad]

Fair comment, LFC#1. none of us really knows what is inside his mind, only he alone knows that and his handlers. As fans, especially as fans who value him, we get nervous when the negotiations on the contract extension becomes more protracted and gets dragged on instead of being concluded. We all hope for the best for all parties, any way it turns out.

For me, the club is bigger than any one individual and no individual can claim to have made the club or has the single largest influence.

My only worry is the human factor in all of this. Liverpool has tried to offer him the best possible contract. He has been stalling for whatever reason. I worry that there will not be any forthcoming interest which is worthwhile for Liverpool yet at the same time, Benithez and company has grown weary of Owen's and his handler's stalling tactics. If this happens, it will be the breaking point. Even when he finally decides to stay, they don't want him anymore and things start to become acrimonious.

What happens then? Owen will dig in and wait for the end of his contract and go on a Bosman. I shudder to think about this but the way it is going, looks like one possible outcome.

[LFC #1]

Fair comment, LFC#1. none of us really knows what is inside his mind, only he alone knows that and his handlers. As fans, especially as fans who value him, we get nervous when the negotiations on the contract extension becomes more protracted and gets dragged on instead of being concluded. We all hope for the best for all parties, any way it turns out.

For me, the club is bigger than any one individual and no individual can claim to have made the club or has the single largest influence.

My only worry is the human factor in all of this. Liverpool has tried to offer him the best possible contract. He has been stalling for whatever reason. I worry that there will not be any forthcoming interest which is worthwhile for Liverpool yet at the same time, Benithez and company has grown weary of Owen's and his handler's stalling tactics. If this happens, it will be the breaking point. Even when he finally decides to stay, they don't want him anymore and things start to become acrimonious.

What happens then? Owen will dig in and wait for the end of his contract and go on a Bosman. I shudder to think about this but the way it is going, looks like one possible outcome.

it is worrying azriah, we just want to know what is going on.
No doubt th club is bigger than the individual, don't think that is th case here, but if Owen doesn't want to be here, then we should sell him.

I understand him stalling, he is a great player and wants to b competing at the highest level, which unfortunately LFC hasn't done for the last couple of seasons.

If he stays it will be good, but if he wants out sell now, so we get the maximm fee possible. I don't think it will turn into a McManaman situation, where he left on a Bosman, Owen will either:

1. go now, which is looking less and less likely
2. sign a new contract and see wehat happens this season.

IMO, Owen will do the latter, and if we underachieve again this season he is out the door as i Stated b4.

[RedorDead]

I disagree - I think Owen signing a new deal is currently the least likely thing. He will either leave now in some weird complex player swap and money deal to Madrid or he will not sign and play for us and sign a pre contract agreement with Madrid in January and be their's for free next season, I really think he could do that. I read on another string that someone thought Owen was Liverpool through and through....that is b*ll*cks...he was an Everton fan all his life, his whole family is Everton, he hasn't looked bothered about the red shirt for two seasons. I just pray to God that we can sell him now for a half decent amount and then move forward and build and grow and reclaim the championship and shove it in the faces of our french, scottish and russian rivals!!!! Come on you Reds!!

[LFC #1]

he has said Liverpool is a big part of his life ever since he joined him whwn he was 13, he may not want to play for us anymore, but i sincerely doubt and hope he doesn't do a Mcmanaman.

[RedorDead]

Mate, I hope not too, we need the money...all I am saying is be prepared for the worst.
I see one of three outcomes: Sign and play, Leave now for cash or leave in May for free. If I look at everything i read and hear the one that seems the least likely to me is sign and play...which just leaves the question "When is he going to leave?" It has to be right now or teams aren't going to want him. Somone posted earlier "he's worth more than 4mill" actually...right now, he isn't. He is free to talk to anyone at all in January, that is only 4 months away. Madrid can survive another season and save themselves £25mill I think...so we need to sell him asap or the dreaded Bosman is going to happen.

[LFC #1]

which just leaves the question "When is he going to leave?" It has to be right now or teams aren't going to want him. Somone posted earlier "he's worth more than 4mill" actually...right now, he isn't. He is free to talk to anyone at all in January, that is only 4 months away. Madrid can survive another season and save themselves £25mill I think...so we need to sell him asap or the dreaded Bosman is going to happen.

don't believe evrything you read. 
I have said a number of times i believe he will sign now, and if we have a poor seaon will leave next season.
But if he wants to leave, we have to sell now, because losing one of our most talented players perhaps ever for free would be ******.