The number of Frenchman linked with Liverpool in recent weeks has been quite astonishing. In my estimation we have gone into double figures and it has gone into overdrive since the appointment of Damien Comolli as Director of Football Strategy.
One of the most persistent rumours however has seen the Reds being linked with Lille defender Adil Rami. Rami had been linked with Liverpool over a year ago, but a move for the 24 year old has only re-surfaced in recent times, as Roy Hodgson and Liverpool scouts have watched Ligue One side Lille in the past few months. The Reds have also been linked with Lille’s Eden Hazard and Gervinho but the need to buy another centre-half has taken on some more urgency after the news that Jamie Carragher will be sidelined for a few months. So who is Rami?
A Frenchman, of Moroccan descent, he was born in Bastia on the island of Corsica. He moved to mainland France to the southern coast town of Frejus as a young boy and began playing in the youth ranks of Amateur side ES Frejus. He rose through the ranks of the club until he started playing for the first team in 2003. At this time, football was just a hobby for the young Rami and to earn money he worked for the City Hall maintaining hygiene standards on the roads of Frejus. After starting out as an attacking midfield player, he was converted to a defender, which paid dividends as he was offered a trial by Lille.
He trained with the Ligue One club for over a week and he impressed the coaches enough to be given a youth contract. Frejus were paid a nominal fee for his transfer and Rami started the 2006/07 season in Lille’s reserves. It didn’t take long however for the youngster to get into the first team. With a few months left of his first campaign at Lille, he was promoted to the senior team by First Team coach Claude Puel, who subsequently gave Rami his debut against Auxerre in a league match. He started his second successive match the following week against Rennes and Rami was offered a professional deal in the summer of 2007. Given the number 23 shirt and promoted to first team duties, Puel declared at the start of the 2007/08 campaign that Rami would be a regular fixture in the starting eleven.
Despite an early setback after damaging knee ligaments which kept him out for a few months at the start of the campaign, Rami played 27 matches in total in his first season and impressed with his physical presence and imposing stature, winning aerial battles at the back against more experienced strikers while also being a threat in the opponent’s penalty box at set-pieces. Rami has so far racked up 131 appearances for Lille, scoring nine goals in three season, but it took him until August this year to make his debut for France.
Although called up by Raymond Domenech in March 2008, and just missing out on the 23 that went to South Africa, Laurent Blanc was the manager that gave Rami his first cap for France. He played alongside Philippe Mexes against Norway in his first match in August and has played four subsequent qualifiers alongside the Roma defender. It has been subsequently reported that Lille have slapped a £12million price tag on the 24 year old, and it will be interesting to see whether Liverpool will bid for the defender in January as they look to reinforce the centre of their defence.
Follow us on twitter @live4Liverpool
Live4Liverpool is recruiting columnists. For further info contact the site editor at editor@live4liverpool.com
This week it is former Liverpool WAG Claudine Keane.
llllllllllllllllllll
CLICK ON THE IMAGE OR HERE TO SEE CLAUDINE KEANE’S GALLERY
Mr Tully, if you watch Liverpool and watch them well.
You will see that we are waisting money on so called young talent that we are going to wait maybe years for that so called talent that indeed is a waist of young talent to improve.
Liverpool are well out of quality on the following positions and areas of the whole team need looking at and quickly;
centerm mid, when lucus and raul don not play we look like we are trying to walk as slow as we can can, spearing is better than poulsen, but the waht else do we have, please do not tell me of jonjo shelvey who looks like he is one paced at best! what another waist of nearly 2 million pounds.
the left side is so bad it’s to long to even write about! joe cole has showed he can not play down the flanks. babel is crap down the left and has not had any good games when played their, maxi is our best bet and he is close to 32 years of age and can not run passed a man! aurelio is never fit, if so is miles better than another waist of cash in that mug konchesky! we need a new left side partnership like mata and coentrao, but do not tell me that the left side is not in need of injection of huge quality.
jovanovic is hot and cold and while he never hides, he is not the 1st choice that any other top flight side would have in their first 11.
the frontman situation is a disgrace, for nearly 4 transfer windows we have failed to add even a replacement for torres and or a player that can even play with torres. ngog just isnt the man we need, good for the 3rd choice but you telling me he is the man to replace or even stay up top with nando?
babel isnt that man either, says he likes playing up front but what does he do when he gets the chance, he runs out wide,- dear god!!!!
this team- squad needs major investment now and before we even get to center half we needs positions sorted well before that.
kelly is getting there, bit like a new stevie finnan, wilson will be ok but not for a club like liverpool, sell him on, soto, whenever he comes in you have to say he does ok, should never be fisrtc choice but great team man to have about.
agger needs to be sold unless he can pretty much start standing on his feet never mind putting his boots on, is he ever goingto get fit for his money that we pay him for????
skrtel is the man, carragher has not passed it at all, slow as he is, he is still for me just about doing it, but for not much longer.
7 players at least are needed to even start coming again and to even start thinking that liverpool would be trying to get at least back into the top four, untill we see at least 5-7 new players then its just not going to happen, and i have the right to judge, i have followed and loved and have been a fan for over 20 years?
so talking about a new center half is really not what we need, your head lines should be LIVERPOOL NEED TOTAL NEW INVESTMENT
you need a hobby
our main priority for jan transfer window shud b a striker and at least one genuine pacy winger…
striker shud b a target man, maybe someone like andy carrol who wud complement well with torres..
and we shud get at least one winger who is pacy, can beat a man, can run down the flanks and get crosses in…luk at tottenham, they have two pacy wingers in bale and lennon..
I second that Stan
Just cause Carra’s out for three months doesn’t mean we need a new centre back. We’ve got Soto and Skrtel right now and also Wilson who can do the job against lesser teams. And also, Agger will be back before Christmas, meaning we will have four fit centre backs. Hodgson can even recall Ayala from Hull and I’m quite sure he’s up to the task as seen last season. So instead of wasting money on another defender why don’t we get a quality striker and a pacy winger which we’re in desperate need of.
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!