IT is one of those rumours which has persisted since the summer and appears to be building up quite a head of steam as the player progresses rapidly for Derby County and interest builds from Liverpool’s rivals, but reports on Sunday morning suggested that Liverpool have jumped to the top of the queue as Hughes is currently preferring a move to the Reds.
Should that progress continue though, it is likely that Liverpool’s rivals for the youngsters signing may become more threatening with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Barcelona all reportedly keeping their eye on the young Derby midfielder, and with the spending power the likes of those have it would be difficult for Liverpool to match any bid or wage offers.
One thing Liverpool do have on their side however, is the ability to offer almost immediate first-team football. A move to any of the big spenders in the league, or in Europe, would no doubt be more lucrative but you can only hope his advisers have his best interests at heart and realise that the financial incentives will come in future but his progress is more important right now.
All of that aside, my own question is: can Liverpool really justify spending – potentially – upwards of £15 million on an 18 year old unproven at the top level?
We’ve seen it occur so many times over the years, and there are so many cautionary tales that spending big on a young player often seems like the biggest risk you can take.
Even spending big on an established Premier League player often doesn’t work out, as we’ve seen with the likes of Stewart Downing. A player may well be head and shoulders above his fellow players at a smaller club but once he gets to a big club he more often than not looks decidedly average by comparison.
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Brendan Rodgers, and particularly FSG, will likely try to negotiate a lower valuation for Hughes, and rightly so. As paying that sort of money for a player with barely 50 lower league games to his name is, quite frankly, a joke and if the Football Association are so appalled at the state of the national game and the lack of Englishman playing for the first teams of big clubs then they may want to address the ridiculous fees smaller clubs usually demand for young, players with potential.
In the end, it is that potential that you’re paying for and the club really needs to ask: can we afford the risk? The short answer is obviously no, and unless we can afford to invest in Hughes potentially becoming a great Premier League midfielder and simultaneously invest the same amounts in the first team then I’m afraid we’ll just have to accept missing out on Will Hughes.
Liverpool are not currently in a position to gamble large portions of the transfer budget on 18 year olds that may be world class in 3-4 years. Without Champions League football, we’ll never reach that position again either. Which is why I think it is key for Brendan Rodgers to look to players that can go straight into the first team in January and make an immediate improvement to the team.
This season is all about the Champions League push. If we can make a sustained ‘challenge’ for the Premier League title, then even better but we have to be back amongst the ‘big boys’ again and that means that any significant investments in playing staff have to go toward making the first team better. And unless Hughes is going to go straight in and make us a better side overall, then I think we’ll just have to look for ready-made, top-class players.
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Yes
Talk about arrogant…
“the ridiculous fees smaller clubs usually demand for young, players with potential.”
You give us Liverpool fans a bad name. Derby are a big enough club in their own right and deserve to request a fee they think he’s worth, as any club (including us) would do.
You must be joking
rodgers plz,,,,,bring back alonso and sign this guy hughe for us,,,if we ever miss on signing hughe,,definitely, we must regret it.
championship player at best look at shelvey in lfc,look at zaha in manure look at powell,these are the players that were highly rated in the championship.Why not Berahino or Barkley or even give Allen and Alberto a chance.My own is no excuse now cos if we don’t make CL this season Br u must go.Will hbp and anger kill me bcos am supporting lfc.Make us fans proud not angering us.
Hi derby fan here,
I had to chuckle at this article. It started off so good, but suddenly changed.
Look, Will Hughes is in a different class. He is and has been our best player since Nigel Blooded him last year. You have mentioned ‘potential’ and Will proving himself, well he is already a very good player, any improvement you get will make him an incredible player.
Look at the likes of Theo Walcott, was he young and had ‘potential’ at the time. Would you buy him for £5 million now?
There has been many young flops yes, but that’s just football, some signing are great, some not. But what’s then answer? don’t sign anyone in case they don’t work out?
Here’s a suggestion, leave him with us (Derby) and we will be happy. We don’t want the money, we don’t want him to go and even if you offered £30 million, I know the club would take it, but most Derby fans would want him to stay.
Amen.
Long in the tooth Rams fan here who used to stand on the Kop when at college in Aigburth as I just love good football. Married an Evertonian which I suppose shows a lack of judgement!!! This kid Hughes is as good a player as any I saw playing for either of our respective superb sides of the seventies and since. I’d suggest that at the money that is being floated on the media he is a good buy. He just has everything balance, vision, passing ability with both feet and rarely seems to get knocked off the ball even in the brutal championship where refs don’t protect him. But as the other Rams fan stated we’d love to keep him and in the passing side that Nigel built here he would continue to improve. We have several top class kids coming through into the main team but this boy is pure talent and I know I am going to continue to enjoy watching him play if not for you then for some team with the necessary vision.
Your having a laugh?!
The reason that “smaller clubs” stick large price tags on good young English players like Hughes is stop clubs like Liverpool etc just steam rolling in taking all the best English players from their local clubs for next to nothing!
What about developing your own instead?! Then the English game would be in a lot better shape than it is!!
What a stupid article! To say that the FA should look into “small” clubs trying to get a high price for their players, is ridiculous! Clubs do this to survive! We can’t all rely on millions of armchair fans to fill our coffers! Also if your saying £15 million is too much for potential, then why can Liverpool have an advantage through offering him first team football? If he’s potential then by definition he’s not good enough for the first team??? Utter nonsense!
Haven’t seen him play but clearly the derby fans rate him and want to keep him. He is a liverpool fan so that maybe gives us a head start trying to sign him. 15m is a lot but seemingly we don’t have a problem offering 17m for koke who may not adapt to england due to language problems etc. Why do we baulk at paying top dollar for top english talent? He is clearly talented so why can’t he become a top player in the epl? Pay the 15m and sign him up I say
As ridiculous as the article may be, the fact that he’s english wouldnt make me pay £10m let alone the quoted fee. England is a place to be if you are looking for mediocrity.
What a turgid article. At no point is the title question – “Is Will Hughes good enough to warrant this expense?” – actually addressed. You barely even mention the kid. Utter dross.
Can the author please remember the “smaller clubs” asking for “rediculous” money for their players should Madrid come in for Suarez in January or next summer? Obviously as they’re a bigger club than you Suarez should be sold to them at whatever price they want to pay. On Hughes though – this is obviously written by someone who has never seen him play. I genuinely hope he goes somewhere else now and would like to see a follow up article when he’s a first choice in the England midfield in the next 2-3 years.
No Wil Hughes is not worth that price and club should not go for him at all, If that was going to be the case. we should have kept shelvey as in all honesty the price we sold him to swansea for was peanuts. And to make things even worse, we brought in J Allen for 15M.
J Allen and Henderson are both descent players, but none of them are world beaters. And both of them are alot better than Hughes at moment
Our club does not have 5 more years to waste on trying to get back in champions league, if we are to get back in champions league it has to happen in the next two years.
And when we get back in champions league, i am hoping and praying we are a force to be reckoned with like we used to be in Europe under benitez. Club now have a different football philosophy but if the club get better classier players, then when they get back in Champions league.
Club are not in it for the sake of it like Arsenal and Man City have been for last two years, i hope we are in it to win it.
And in all honesty : the likes of Alonso, Carrick, Gerrard,Iniesta, Lampard, Xavi are coming to an end.
Whilst the likes of Barkley, Cazorla, Coutinho,Draxler, Eriksen, Gustavo,Herrera, Isco, Mata, Modric, Oscar, Ozil, Paulinho, Ramsey, Silva, Thiago and Wiltshire will start to flourish and take over.
How long do you think it willl take Wil Hughes, J Allen and J Henderson to get to the class and quality of most of the names above? How long has it taken Henderson to become a descent reliable player? He is still no world beater but he is improving.
Koke(21) Of A Madrid is for now and future would cost club 14-21M
B Etxebarria(26) Of A Bilbao is for now and next 3 years. Would cost club 12-16M
These two class creative offensive centre midfielders would replace Stevie Gerrard, as at moment J Allen and Henderson are not good enough for B Rodgers to even give S Gerrard a rest let alone replace him.
Koke(21) and Etxebarria(26) are both mobile, class, creative , offensive centre midfielders with goals in their locker: Both are forward thinking and both offer more class, creativity than Allen and Henderson in centre of Park.
There is no point the club trying to bring Wil Hughes to club when we let a a descent good player( J Shelvey 21) who is better than Hughes at the moment leave at the start of the season for peanuts.
We need to bring in better quality to club to compete with Allen and Henderson for next 2-6 years and Wil Hughes is not better than either of them at the moment.
But Koke(21) And Benat(26) are both better technically and individually than Allen and Henderson Now, we would only need them to adjust to the speed and physicality of league. But If Arteta, Cazorla, Coutinho,Eriksen,Hazard, Mata, Nasri, Oscar, Paulinho and Silva have adapted to the league.
I see no reason why Koke(21) Or Benat(26) would not be able to adapt, they have the class and quality to succeed in any European country.
He is overrated and overpriced. Why not save the money and develop our own academy lads.
Take this sh*tyy article off your homepage. Sick of seeing little Willy hughes ugly mug everytime i scroll down the page.