Liverpool FC Forum

How the big movers will shape up


Former team-mates and coaches give the inside line on the new season's big transfers

Friday August 12, 2005
The Guardian

Peter Crouch
Southampton to Liverpool
£7m


Former Southampton striker Kevin Phillips, now with Aston Villa:

Peter's come on in leaps and bounds in the last six months. When he first came to Southampton he didn't win as many balls in the air as he should, but he worked on that and I don't think anyone can outjump him now. He felt he was so tall he didn't need to jump but he did a lot of leg weights, got much more power and was able to jump a lot higher.

For a fellow his size he's got phenomenal, quick feet and his all-round game is very good, including his finishing. In training at the back end of last season he was scoring for fun - not just headers but with his feet.

He's at a club where he'll carry on improving but he needs to play week-in, week-out. He wasn't a regular to begin with at Southampton but when that changed he came on brilliantly. I'm sure Peter will do very well if Liverpool play to his strengths.

Southampton used two or three systems and he adapted to them all. He's a great target man and the only thing he's not going to do is run the channels because he's not got the pace of Djibril Cissé.

Yakubu Aiyegbeni
Portsmouth to Middlesbrough
£7.5m


Former Portsmouth goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, now with West Ham:

Yakubu plays to his strengths: he is quick, strong and hard to get off the ball. He's already shown that he's very talented and a real handful. The one department he can improve is his finishing but he's got a fantastic work ethic and I think Steve McClaren will bring the best out of him.

He is most comfortable in a 4-4-2 because he prefers to play with a partner - at Portsmouth it was with Lomana Lua-Lua. Sometimes when he's on his own up front he looks lost. He needs somebody to help him out and attract some of the attention, but he's very good at holding the ball up.

Off the pitch Yakubu's fairly quiet and tends to keep himself to himself. He's not flashy or big-headed and he's easy to get along with. He's very down to earth and will fit easily into any dressing room.

Alexander Hleb
Stuttgart to Arsenal
£10m


Stuttgart defender Fernando Meira:

I'm convinced Alex can be one of the best in the world in his position, as good or perhaps better than Cristiano Ronaldo. There's not much between them. Alex can shoot with both feet, go past players with ease, is very quick and technically as good as it gets. And he's always willing to improve.

He can get better in the air and in front of goal. He's great at playing the final pass but should score more goals.

I saw him play on the left for Arsenal against Porto. He's very good on the wing, when he can pick up the ball and make things happen, but his ideal position is in the centre, behind two strikers.

Park Ji-sung
PSV Eindhoven to Manchester Utd
£4m


PSV forward Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink:

One of Park Ji-sung's strongest points is his energetic and dynamic way of playing. He is tireless, and in great physical shape throughout the season. After he left we said: 'We won't miss just one player, but one and a half'. He drives opposing players crazy with his technical skills and drive.

It will be easier for him to adapt in Manchester than when he arrived in Holland because he is now used to the western culture and way of life. He was still young when he came to PSV and came to a different world with a different language.

But he's an open-minded guy. He is relaxed and loves a good joke. We had great laughs with his parents too.

He will feel pressure because not only South Korea but the whole of Asia is watching his every step. You can't underestimate that, but I'm sure he'll deal with it.

Asier Del Horno
Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea
£8m


Athletic Bilbao right-back Javi González:

It's not such a jump from Basque football to the Premiership as it would be for players from the rest of Spain. Athletic are an English-style club, but without that meaning a rejection of quality football.

Asier's a very attacking full-back, but that's not the only thing he brings to the team. I'm sure Chelsea's scouts will have seen a whole series of qualities in him: he crosses the ball very well, he's dangerous from set plays, he can defend and scores a lot of goals. I'm confident that he can adapt to England: he's tough, he'll be surrounded by good footballers, and he has a manager who really looks after his players - everyone who has worked with Mourinho says that.

Mohamed Sissoko
Valencia to Liverpool
£5.6m


Valencia centre-back David Navarro:

What Sissoko has more than anything else is a great future. He is very, very strong physically and since the day he arrived at Valencia he never stopped improving technically.

He will suit the English league perfectly because he is very powerful, strong in the air and goes in to tackles really hard. You also know, when you play alongside him, that he's going to be active from the first minute to the last, breaking down the other team's attacks and getting you going. It's a real shame to lose him as a player and as a person - he's a very open, very happy bloke and I'm sure he will make himself very welcome in the Liverpool dressing room.

Per Kroldrup
Udinese to Everton
£5m


Last season's Udinese coach Luciano Spalletti, now at Roma:

We were playing with a three-man defensive line when I was at Udinese but Kroldrup, left, can do even better by playing central defender in a back four. He is strong in the air and I don't think he will have problems adapting to English football.

Kroldrup is a very good guy with a strong character. After a few seasons in Serie A he earned experience, confidence and is now more aggressive.

Scott Parker
Chelsea to Newcastle United
£6.5m


Chelsea assistant manager Steve Clarke:

I imagine Scott will do very well at Newcastle. He was a top player at Charlton before he came to us and worked very hard at Chelsea, even though he didn't manage to break into the team on a regular basis.

His key strengths are his tenacity and his passing ability - that's what makes him stand out and why he was young player of the year two years ago.

Scott was very popular in the dressing room at Chelsea, and even when he was injured he'd always be there wishing the lads good luck beforehand. His attitude and temperament are perfect.

Everybody says he was a big disappointment at Chelsea but you have to remember that from just before Christmas onwards he was injured. Just as he was forcing his way into the manager's thinking he broke his foot and then when he tried to make a comeback from the injury it refractured so it effectively finished his season.

Edwin van der Sar
Fulham to Manchester United
£1.5m


Fulham goalkeeping coach Dave Beasant:

Ed will be one of United's best signings and I really believe that he can fill the gulf left by Peter Schmeichel. He is the best goalkeeper in the Premiership and one of the best in the world.

He's got this aura about him and is a big lad at 6ft 6in. He's not as vocal as Schmeichel, who would castrate people if they didn't do as they were told, but Ed does it in different ways, and if he's not happy he will let you know.

He makes saves that other keepers don't. Some keepers when they dive don't use the full length of their body but Ed does - he dives in straight lines and keeps his body almost horizontal.

Ed's also a great professional. Normally at the end of a session the sub or youth keeper gets battered by forwards who just want to smash the ball in the back of the net, but Ed stays out there because he still wants to learn and improve even at his age.

He wears some dodgy clothes and the boys would hammer his gear at Fulham but he's prepared to go along with fun like that - I'm sure the ridicule will continue at Manchester United.

José Reina
Villarreal to Liverpool
£6m


Villareal midfielder Santi Cazorla:

Pepe, left, is a great goalkeeper, as simple as that. He's very big, dominates his area and, above all, he's very quick: his reactions are good, he reads the game well and his distribution, his ability to launch fast counter-attacks with his throwing or kicking, is excellent. He has no weak spots.

He has the mentality to succeed. He was forced to leave Barcelona but it didn't sink him and he proved himself at Villarreal. The change in style in England won't matter - for a goalkeeper there's not much difference from one league to the next.

Shaun Wright-Phillips
Manchester City to Chelsea
£21m

Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce:

I'd love him to do well and, with no word of exaggeration, I think he will go on to be a world star now. If he doesn't, we will have a nibble at getting him back on loan because I know our fans would love him back here.

There shouldn't be any question about whether he will do well for Chelsea. People talk about the £21m price tag and if it will affect him but he isn't the type to be bothered by pressure. He just wants to go out and play football, like a kid wanting a game on the park.

I could go on all day listing his attributes - his mentality, his talent, the way he is as a man; everything about him I like. He's quiet in the dressing room and certainly more reserved than his brother Bradley, who seems to take more after his father Ian. But he's a popular kid.

Most of all, he's a terrific team player. He's got fantastic individual flair and his pace could frighten any defence but in his heart he knows that the team is the most important thing.