Standard Liege striker Milan Jovanovic has confirmed he is set to join Liverpool after his contract expires next month. He stated in Belgian newspaper Sporza that the sacking of Rafa Benitez will not affect his pre-contract agreement with Liverpool:
“I will not break my contract because Benitez has left.”
The deal still hasn’t been confirmed by Liverpool and there have been rumours that Inter Milan may hijack the deal but this statement from Jovanovic seems to reinforce the belief that he will be joining the club after the World Cup. If he does have a pre-contract agreement like he says, he will join the club when his current contract expires with Standard Liege on 30th June.
With his current form, he could also prove to be a bargain signing. After a solid game against Ghana, he was fantastic against Germany yesterday. Finding himself in some space in the German penalty box, he controlled a knock down from Birmingham City’s Nikola Zigic and hammered home a finish to put Serbia in a shock 1-0 lead over the Germans. His celebration saw him jump over the advertising hoardings into a moat between the pitch and fans to celebrate with the Serbian supporters. He certainly showed his colourful personality which he has been renowned for during his time in Belgium.
His contribution to the match did not end there though as after excellent play by Milos Krasic on the right hand side, the winger passed to Jovanovic who fired a placed shot against German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s right hand post. Let’s hope we see more of the same when he puts on the red shirt of Liverpool. An extremely versatile forward, Jovanovic can play either up front or on the wing. He maybe utilised out wide next season if both Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera leave the club as expected.
He is most potent however, as a striker, and could be an excellent partner for Fernando Torres if the Spanish striker chooses to stay at Liverpool. The 29 year old does not rely on his pace as a striker (although he is quick). His good footballing intelligence and abundance of skill means he enjoys playing deep and getting involved in midfield, linking up play behind a target man striker. At Standard, this has regularly been either Igor De Camargo or Dieumerci Mbokani who are both direct in their style of play like Torres, and this should hold him in good stead when trying to build a partnership.
Certainly a late developer, the left-footed forward only made his debut for Serbia back in 2007, but he has an impressive record at international level, scoring 10 goals in 28 appearances, with the latest coming against Germany yesterday. If he continues to play like he did against the Germans, I think Liverpool fans will be very happy with Rafa Benitez’s last signing as manager.
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Football FanCast writer Oscar Pye-Jeary documents his time in South Africa following England in the 2010 World Cup. (England v USA).
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