Liverpool FC Forum

[RAFABENITEZ]

This summer i feel we will need  to make some crucial signings which will determine whether or not we challenge for the holy grail or whether we face another `race for 4th'. Below i have summerised each departmnt and how i think we should alter.
Goalkeepers
I think we need to ofload Dudek as he is past his best and makes far too many mistakes. Chris Kirkland should be loaned out or sold. I would prefer to see him loaned out as he needs games to prove his potential but we cant risk our season on him. I think we should look to bringing in either Kiraly from Palace or Robinson from Spurs; but Robinson would probably cost 10m so hes out of the question.
Defense
We are without doubt weak here and need an injection of pace here. I think  has improved alot this season and should be kept, but only as a squad player. Sami has another year or two in him but is far too slow, he could do with a good stand in. I would opt for Ledley KIng but like Robinson he would probably cost 10million or more. Matthew Upson would be a good alternative as would Olof Mellberg or Phillip Mexes of Roma. Two other Rom defenders who would walk into our team are Matteo Ferrari and Christian Chivu, i dont have any idea how much any of these three would cost but since Roma are in debt maybe they value them at 5million each?
A brilliant attacking left back would be Julian Gray of Birmingham, he is strong, big, fast and can take on players, he also had Christaina Ronaldo in his pocket at St Andrews this season. I think Finnan is a decrent squad player, as is Josemi but maybe we could look at Glen Johnson? he isnt playing at Chelsea.
Midfield
I think Didi is on his last season with us so we could do with a bit of cover for him. I think against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manure we should play the 4,5,1 cum 4,3,3 that Chelsea play as it is defensivley superior t a 442. Assuming Stevie stay we should sign Papa Bouba Diop from Fulham, i would say he was the best midfielder on the pitch on Saturday and he is very good physically and athletically. He also gets a few goals and can break the play up ala Vieria. In big games along side Alonso and stevie he would be brilliant. I think he would cost around 4 million and i urge you all to pay attention to his games for Fulham. He is vastly under-rated. Another player i wouldnt mind us having is Scott Parker, he is a good ball player and can put his foot in.He would cost around 5m? I think we should also look at Benoit Pedretti of Marsaille. Another option could be Owen Hargreaves of FC Bayern, he would probably cost around 5m. In the attacking midfielders i think Luis Garcia can become one of our most influential players.His skill is top draw and he just needs to be a bit more consistant. Harry Kewell should be given another season to prove his worth. If he gets back to his Leeds days agian he could just inspire us to title19. However, if players are brough in in this department we should look at SWP from man city, but hed be in the 15m range so maybe we wont pay that. Another option would be Rafael Van der vaart from Ajax, he hasthe talent to be twice as good as Robben and he should be considered by Rafa. Wesley Sjneider from Ajax is also a great talent, they would both be valued at around 10million. We could also look at Vincente from Valencia but we dont really need a Left sided midfielder with Riise, Kewell and Garcia.
We could also look at Martin Petrov from Wolfsborg, he is a tricky winger who plays both left and right. Jerome Rothen is another player i would love to see us sign but he plays left side and would cost about 10million.
Attack
After the signing of Morientes i think we are alot more respectable up top. When Cisse returns i think him and Moreintes will be our fron two, with Milan on the bench, but theyll probably be rotated. If anyone has to come in though id liketo see JermainDefoe or Carlos tevez of Corinthians brought in . They would both be valued at aroun 15m so it depends how much we have to spend. And finally, call me ambitious but we could also look at Del Piero and Francesco Totti. Del Piero has hinted he would move to England and he isnt starting all the time for Juve, but wed have to cough up at least 15 mill for him. Totti will leave Roma this summer, they arent gonna get in the champions league so hel be off. But wed be looking at at least 20mill so unless we offer them some kind of exchange and money it looks unlikely.

[Igor Zidane]

its a very interesting post you are obviuosly pretty knowledgable regarding players you would like to see us sign,but without wanting to sound condiscending we havent got that kind of money to spend on players as far as i know .We would have to sell gerrard and some others to go and spend 5mill here and 10 mill there.I think there will be comings and goings in the summer ,but not on a drastic scale.welcome any way.

[115-1073096938]

Great post!

[woof woof !]

This summer i feel we will need  to make some crucial signings which will determine whether or not we challenge for the holy grail or whether we face another `race for 4th'. Below i have summerised each departmnt and how i think we should alter.

Thats your smmary but you offer no credible solutions .

You say
Goalkeeping."Off Load Dudel, Loan out Kirkland " relace them with Kiraly from Palace     or Robinson from Spurs ,you then rule out Robinson as he would be to expensive.
Defense
Your throw a lot of names about ,King ,Upson,Mexes but again no credible solution .Although I concur that a long term replacement for Sami is required and Ledley King is a good shout I can't for the life of me seeing Spurs letting him go for a figure we could afford .
Midfield
Christ are there any players you haven't mentiond ? 
Attack
Defoe ?
And I was just beginning to take you seriously.
No way will Spurs let Defoe walk and if they did no way could we afford the asking price.And as for Del Piero ,Totti  !!!

Sorry mate ,your intentions are good but get yer head out the clouds ,how much money do you think we have ?
This isn't Pro Evo Soccer

[crazyhorse]

In regard to Totti - i think he may be out of contract in the summer.

But i think an important point to note is the signing of a world class and world known player such as Morientes. He can bring so much more to the club, and once you start to attract players of his calibre it becomes easier to attract more - and keep the ones we already have like our captain.

Totti i think would go on to of the more currently "fashionable" clubs within europe such as AC milan or Real and Del Pierro is already at what he would consider as the biggest club in Europe already.

In defence i think we would be hard pressed to sign anyone from the domestic scene with any real clout, people like Ledley King are going to be too expensive and Rafa will almost certainly have his eyes on players he knows better from Spain. Pace is what we need but as i see it we need cover for Finnan and at least one other quality full back - AND two centre backs - one for the first team and one as cover. Carra and Hyypia need competition for their places - at the moment there is none.

Midfield - centrally with no injuries we look good but there is no depth as we now see with Biscan muddling through and others out on loan. The key is holding onto Gerrard - if he goes in the summer the whole team will in some ways have to be dismantled and rebuilt as he is the pivot of the entire side. I would personally like to see a good passing central midfield player who can pass and move in the tradition of a Souness or Mcmahon and a right sided player - Wright Phillips would be the dream siging but again without investment we cannot afford him.

Things are not all bad and everyone has had their two pennyworth. With the squad we have we are good enough for fourth - i suppose what is above is part of what I think we need to go higher next season.

[RAFABENITEZ]

The Defoe deal could be done, as could the Totti or Del Piero deals. But only if Stevie ever leaves( god forbid).
As a matter of fact i play Pro evo soccer. Im quite good. 6 star.

[stmichael]

del piero's past it. he'll probably end up at boro or somewhere.

totti can't be out of contract. roma wouldn't let the best player they have leave on a free. he's one of the most overrated players in the world anyway.

as for defoe, the only english club who can afford him are chelsea.

[The Ace1983]

I've gotta agree with woof on this one dude. If we're just talking about players we want then can I have Totti, Ballack, Puyol, Ronaldhino, Shevcenko and Carlos? I know what you're saying, and I appreciate it, but you're in dreamland here. Unless we get a serious cash boost, I gotta say that we won't sign any of these players.

[RAFABENITEZ]

We spent 30m+ last season, this year we are in the champions league last 16 and in a cup final, and we`ll get 4th  again. So why shouldnt we have alot of money?

[crazyhorse]

del piero's past it. he'll probably end up at boro or somewhere.

totti can't be out of contract. roma wouldn't let the best player they have leave on a free. he's one of the most overrated players in the world anyway.

as for defoe, the only english club who can afford him are chelsea.

Del Pierro is not past it - he is not even 30 yet!

(i hope i am not talking s   h   i   t   e  here)!

[A.B.]

We spent 30m+ last season, this year we are in the champions league last 16 and in a cup final, and we`ll get 4th  again. So why shouldnt we have alot of money?

You do realize that we've lost 20 million this year and that not all money goes into the transfer window

[banana]

This summer i feel we will need  to make some crucial signings which will determine whether or not we challenge for the holy grail or whether we face another `race for 4th'. Below i have summerised each departmnt and how i think we should alter.
Goalkeepers
I think we need to ofload Dudek as he is past his best and makes far too many mistakes. Chris Kirkland should be loaned out or sold. I would prefer to see him loaned out as he needs games to prove his potential but we cant risk our season on him. I think we should look to bringing in either Kiraly from Palace or Robinson from Spurs; but Robinson would probably cost 10m so hes out of the question.
Defense
We are without doubt weak here and need an injection of pace here. I think  has improved alot this season and should be kept, but only as a squad player. Sami has another year or two in him but is far too slow, he could do with a good stand in. I would opt for Ledley KIng but like Robinson he would probably cost 10million or more. Matthew Upson would be a good alternative as would Olof Mellberg or Phillip Mexes of Roma. Two other Rom defenders who would walk into our team are Matteo Ferrari and Christian Chivu, i dont have any idea how much any of these three would cost but since Roma are in debt maybe they value them at 5million each?
A brilliant attacking left back would be Julian Gray of Birmingham, he is strong, big, fast and can take on players, he also had Christaina Ronaldo in his pocket at St Andrews this season. I think Finnan is a decrent squad player, as is Josemi but maybe we could look at Glen Johnson? he isnt playing at Chelsea.
Midfield
I think Didi is on his last season with us so we could do with a bit of cover for him. I think against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manure we should play the 4,5,1 cum 4,3,3 that Chelsea play as it is defensivley superior t a 442. Assuming Stevie stay we should sign Papa Bouba Diop from Fulham, i would say he was the best midfielder on the pitch on Saturday and he is very good physically and athletically. He also gets a few goals and can break the play up ala Vieria. In big games along side Alonso and stevie he would be brilliant. I think he would cost around 4 million and i urge you all to pay attention to his games for Fulham. He is vastly under-rated. Another player i wouldnt mind us having is Scott Parker, he is a good ball player and can put his foot in.He would cost around 5m? I think we should also look at Benoit Pedretti of Marsaille. Another option could be Owen Hargreaves of FC Bayern, he would probably cost around 5m. In the attacking midfielders i think Luis Garcia can become one of our most influential players.His skill is top draw and he just needs to be a bit more consistant. Harry Kewell should be given another season to prove his worth. If he gets back to his Leeds days agian he could just inspire us to title19. However, if players are brough in in this department we should look at SWP from man city, but hed be in the 15m range so maybe we wont pay that. Another option would be Rafael Van der vaart from Ajax, he hasthe talent to be twice as good as Robben and he should be considered by Rafa. Wesley Sjneider from Ajax is also a great talent, they would both be valued at around 10million. We could also look at Vincente from Valencia but we dont really need a Left sided midfielder with Riise, Kewell and Garcia.
We could also look at Martin Petrov from Wolfsborg, he is a tricky winger who plays both left and right. Jerome Rothen is another player i would love to see us sign but he plays left side and would cost about 10million.
Attack
After the signing of Morientes i think we are alot more respectable up top. When Cisse returns i think him and Moreintes will be our fron two, with Milan on the bench, but theyll probably be rotated. If anyone has to come in though id liketo see JermainDefoe or Carlos tevez of Corinthians brought in . They would both be valued at aroun 15m so it depends how much we have to spend. And finally, call me ambitious but we could also look at Del Piero and Francesco Totti. Del Piero has hinted he would move to England and he isnt starting all the time for Juve, but wed have to cough up at least 15 mill for him. Totti will leave Roma this summer, they arent gonna get in the champions league so hel be off. But wed be looking at at least 20mill so unless we offer them some kind of exchange and money it looks unlikely.

Goalkeepers: We have just signed Carson and we still have Kirkland and Dudek. If we should sign another goalie he must 1) be much better than Carson, Kirk and Dudek 2) only be signed after or if we sell kirk or Kirk + Dude. After all there is only room for one goalkeeper in a team. Kirkland should be sold nevertheless as he does not have the skills or physique to play at Liverpool.

Defense: I do not think any of your options are realistic. We might end up with a Titus Bramble disaster if we followed your advice. Glen Johnson is not what we need. He is Bramble in disguise. Let's go for Richard Dunne eh?

Midfield: Again we have 10 central midfielders in our squad. And if we acted on your advice we would end up with 10 more. Parker? No better than Murphy and a waste of money. Never won anything or dominated a football game. A fringe player at Chelsea. Hargreaves is probably no different from Garcia physically and a no-go. Diop is actually a decent alternative and value for money, i give you that. But the REAL problem does not lie in the center of the park. We need wingers. Both left and right. That should be our priority. You mention some wingers but hey, what's the point? There will be no more signings for several months and things happen pretty quick in football. Some players will fall out of fashion and some will become the next big thing. Let's wait and see. Signing players with big names and big reputations is not the first best way to success. I think Rafa Benitez is all about 1) team work and 2) brains Alonso, Pellegrino and Morientes fit this bill perfectly. They are all real good hard working team players with good brains. They do not run around like headless chickens and they give 100% for the team day in day out. This is what we are looking for or what?

Attack: Why bother? Let's see what happens to Cisse first. And why TF do you mention that Llama Totti? We have one Llama here already (diouf) isn't that enough? This is not a circus kid.

Conclusion: Get back to championship manager

[A.B.]

Pellegrino? Banana are you being serious? The only reason Pellegrino was signed was to cover Carra and Hyypia in case they get injured. He's not a long term solution, both he and Rafa know that.

[banana]

Pellegrino? Banana are you being serious? The only reason Pellegrino was signed was to cover Carra and Hyypia in case they get injured. He's not a long term solution, both he and Rafa know that.

He is not first class. He is not young. He is not more pacy than Hyypia. Still he is a good team player with brains. He has won a lot of throphies and is a tactical mastermind if I understand Rafa correctly. He has a lot to offer still. In particular, he could be very useful in teaching the younger players a trick or two. That's all. I'd rather have him than the Titus Bramble's and Richard Dunne's that is for sure.

[bigmick]

My feeling is that the close season will see a major overhaul as Rafa begins to structure the club in his own fashion. I've been saying for some time that I think Stevie will leave, and the comings and goings will be far-reaching as Benitez tries to plug the huge gap.
Some of the possibilities discussed are realistic, some not so but with the end of the season so far away and Rafa's preference for La Liga, any talk of the likes of Diop (though a very good player in my view) are way wide of the mark. Chances are we'll ship out a lot of dead wood and bring in some top players from Spain on the cheap. Forget King and Defoe, we aint got the cash I'm afraid.
One last thing, is there any chance at all that one or two can refrain from ruining every thread with slanging matches. It's just a bit boring to the extent that half the time you can't be bothered to post.