Liverpool FC Forum

[RAFABENITEZ]

EUROPEAN champions Liverpool are threatening to end any hopes Middlesbrough have of keeping Bolo Zenden on Teesside next season. 

The Reds are believed to have already held preliminary talks with the Dutchman and the player has been left encouraged by negotiations.
 
It is a surprise move from Liverpool that could leave Boro searching for a new midfielder as they look to improve on last season's seventh-placed Premiership finish.
 
Zenden is out of contract at the Riverside Stadium and has turned down the club's offer - citing concerns over certain conditions and his agent and father, Pierre, went as far as to label it unacceptable.
 
Nevertheless, Boro chief executive Keith Lamb and manager Steve McClaren have both stated their confidence that an agreement can be reached.
 
But Liverpool's emergence as rivals for his signature look to be seriously casting doubt over Boro's claim for his signature.
 
Zenden has never been one to try to hide a desire to play at the highest possible level and has stated time after time that he would love to play in the Champions League again.
 
And, although Liverpool's place in the world elite club competition remains in doubt, their success in the competition in Istanbul last week makes them an attractive employer.
 
It was prior to the Anfield club's historic success in the Champions League final against AC Milan that first negotiations are understood to have taken place.
 
But nothing has been signed and a Bosman free signing to Liverpool is certainly not guaranteed to take place.
 
The fact that Zenden will cost nothing is appealing to Benitez, even though the Spanish boss does have millions to spend following the European Cup triumph.
 
PSV Eindhoven, the Holland international's first club, had previously explored the possibility of signing the 28-year-old but have realised they are not in a position to match his pay demands.
 
Since leaving PSV in 1998 he has gone on to play for Barcelona, Chelsea and Boro and all of those have been willing to pay him lucrative terms.
 
That is something PSV are unable to match and why Liverpool, armed with the cash they would save on a transfer fee, would be best positioned to land him.
 
Zenden, signed on a free transfer from Chelsea last summer, has become a fans' favourite in the North-East after scoring eight goals last season in Boro's push in the UEFA Cup and Premiership.
 
Meanwhile, Boro winger Stewart Downing will today have an exploratory operation on the injured knee that led to him withdrawing from the England squad.
 
Downing's problem could not have arrived at a worse time with so many big names out of the trip and debutant Kieran Richardson starred on the left side against the United States scoring two goals on Saturday.
 
The damage is not thought to be serious but a specialist will carry out an arthroscopic investigation today.
 
Manager Steve McClaren, Sven-Goran Eriksson's assistant in the States, remains hopeful that Downing will be back for the new campaign in August.

[LFC #1]

For sake, does anybody learn anything! This is what is just being talked about, posting new topics which are just baseless rumours, with no opinion added on the issue, just a cut and pasted article.

St mick, why did you bother with the rumours thread anyway?

[bigmick]

I think he's absolute garbage to be totally honest. I've seen him play a couple of times in the last season or so and he's never once done anything to convince me that he's in football for any other reason than to stash as much cash as possible before packing it in.
I'm not going to sit on the fence here, I think he's exactly the sort of player we should avoid at all costs. Tripe, and I wouldn't pay him in chocolate buttons.

[Pablo_Escobar]

1. It's already been posted.
2. It's rubbish - Zenden is a reject of Chelski and a weak player
3. Why don't You say Your opinion when You post something, rather than paste the whole article. ??

Stu, I'm beggining to notice Your point of view.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Bit over the top on Zenden I think. His not a great player but is decent, would do at least aswell as Riise on the left.

Give him a consistent run on the left of midfield and he will be quiet productive in goals and assists. Wouldn't be the end of the world if we gave him a short contract. But I think its just agents trying to get him a good contract either at Middlesbrough or another club.

[RAFABENITEZ]

kk lighten up guys:p

[JBG]

Zenden isn't a bad player and at times looked very good in his new central midfield role, but I don't think he's what we need.

[7_Kewell]

I think we are going to be linked with every man and his dog this summer...just have to wait and see.


but be wary of reports that contain the words "believed"

[joependo]

True he is not the worst player in the world but we should want to avoid him.He has not got the qaulity of Alonso,Gerrard,Hamman or any of our central midfielders.So Liverpool avoid him please let him go to any other club just not ours.

[LFC #1]

He has not got the qaulity of Alonso,Gerrard,Hamman or any of our central midfielders.

pointless argument, as he is a winger.

[mike72]

Zenden is in talks over a new contract with Middlesboro and he wants more than they are currently offering....coincidence? 

[joependo]

Yeah but lfc1 he is playing Central Midfielder for Boro and so he does not have the qaulity of Garcia,or riise

[LFC #1]

his best position is as a wide player on the left, and i agree he wouldn't add anything to the sqaud at all.


The rumour is a load of bollox anyway.

[115-1073096938]

Oh no!!!

Another thread thats already been done.

Its a also a rumour, so why not put it in the rumour thread?

I know... because you want to ruin a perfectly good football forum. What a f_u_c_kwit.

[LFC #1]

Harsh stu, but....