I remember putting up a quote on the site from John Aldridge’s column in the Liverpool Echo a few weeks ago in which he named the targets the Reds should be going for this summer. In it he named Gary Cahill, Jose Enrique, Ashley Young and Charlie Adam as primary targets. Conspicuous by their absence were any players who plied their trade outside the Premier League. Again, not long after, I heard Phil Thompson on Soccer Saturday state he hoped the Reds went for players who were proven in the Premier League rather than going for players such as Eden Hazard.
I think like a lot of football fans, I have a problem with this sort of attitude for I believe Liverpool should go after players whose ability should take precedence over which nationality they come from or which league they play in. This debate has of course sprung up again in the news the Reds have bid £13million for Jordan Henderson. A good player, proven in the Premier League, and widely regarded by critics as having a bright future, the question becomes whether he is worth the money we would have to pay for him, and whether he would live up the hype given to him by the English media.
Of course you have to pay a premium for young English players, firstly because they fit into the home-grown quota system, and secondly no English club likes letting their brightest young talent go. You don’t have to look too far in the £35m paid for Andy Carroll to be aware of that fact. Still, the question becomes, could the Reds find a cheaper player abroad who is just as good, if not better?
There are people on both sides of this argument, those like Aldo and Thommo who believe British is best because they are already suited to the Premier League, while there are others who believe the English media over hypes certain players, and that we would be better off spending our money abroad on players who have no reputation in this country, but could potentially be world beaters if treated in the right way. I say I am more in the second camp, than the first, but I have said already in this article, it doesn’t matter as long as they are good enough.
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If it were up to the kind of minds that think british is better we would not have bought Suarez, Alonso, Torres (in his first two seasons), and so on. Look what happened when we signed Cole, (proven premier league exp), Konchesky (need I say more). If they are good players, they are good players.
I definately agree with this article £20 mil for who…? I dont even think henderson is considered one of the best young English talent? He couldn’t even tie wilshere shoe laces. That’s the kind of calibre players LFC should be going likes of young or wilshere etc… not some half decent youngster if that. Hazard is twice the player or even Matta for that matter.
Spot on article. Enlish players are hyped-up by the Media and totally overated by their price-tag. I think that Aldo and Thommo are totally wrong in their thinking of british is best, might have been the case in their time of the 70’s and 80’s, but definitly NOT NOW,foreign players have improved our football by leaps and bounds. I, one of many, would rather go and watch the likes of SUAREZ, AlONSO, TORRES and so on, than Henderson,Adams,Konchesky and their like’s, wouldn’t anyone???, especially at the current ‘Match Entry’ prices.
I’d rather pay say £20m on a young player who has proven himself in a top division in another country rather than a young player who ‘may’ have stood out in a lower division.
The problem with older apparent xenophobia is that they see things the ‘Liverpool way’ that was there when they were young, or playing for the club, but times moved on. Time has passed when the majority on the successful teams are made up of British players. There aren’t that many around that are good enough, and paying over the odds for the ones that are around, doesn’t make them any better. 🙁
We have to buy british to conform to uefa rules. Why are people still going on about hazard? He’s got champions league football next season and would not cone to us. Remember the last major purchase from france(cisse) didn’t exactly work for us did it?
the manager, comoli and owners seem to have a decent transfer policy unlike the hicks rafa and woy so pls be @ ease
If a player is good enough he’s good enough. Simple. Who settled in fastest, Suarez or Carrol, or Robbie Keane?
what a reason.. why must get adam??? NOOOO !!! .. from 6 million we flush for him… i think liverpool better top-up for downing..its more realistic..
Kenny and Comolli should stop being so stubborn and short-sighted in favouring British talent when there’s a plethora of foreign talent out there. There is no doubt that the English media over hypes domestic players. Carroll was clearly way overpriced and this was partly because he is English while 20m for Henderson is even more of a joke. There are plenty of foreign talent out there who are just as good, if not better, who will cost much less. Liverpool should not pay over the odds for players like Carroll and Henderson. With 20m, the club can look abroad and bring in a few young foreign talents instead of wasting it on an overrated Henderson. The current crop of foreign youngsters like Pacheco and Suso should be given more chances in the first team and the money available for transfers simply should not be wasted on overpriced and overrated English guys.
I havnt seen enough from henderson that proves hes worth 20mil id rather we doubled that and made a crazy bid for schweinsteiger or the likes
Whether they are from jupiter or pluto, it does’nt matter. Get quality players. We already have enof english lad in the reserve to fill d home grown quota.
Imagine 20m for suarez & aston demanding 20m for downing, its insultive.