Liverpool’s Mascherano dilemma finally appears to be close to a resolution as the club announce on the official website that they have accepted a bid from Barcelona for the Argentina captain:
“Liverpool Football Club have agreed terms for the transfer of Javier Mascherano to FC Barcelona. The Spanish club have now been been given permission to speak to the Argentine player.”
It is as yet unclear what fee has been agreed between the two clubs, although Guillem Balague (who admittedly doesn’t always provide the most accurate information) claims it is £16 million intially, with a further £6 million in performance-related payments. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool have compromised their original valuation of the player due to pressure from Mascherano and Barcelona and the need to sign new players before the transfer window closes on Tuesday. Certainly, Mascherano’s refusal to appear in the Manchester City game seemed to indicate he had played his last game for the club. Some Barcelona players were attempting to further force the situation by getting involved and creating yet more media exposure, much as they did with Fabregas earlier in pre-season. Lionel Messi’s appeal to Liverpool to act ‘humanely’ in the matter was particularly distasteful, considering Mascherano is a professional footballer and millionaire; and considering we resurrected his career when he was languishing in West Ham’s reserves.
Mascherano is a fine player. He is one of the best players of the world – in his specific role. But Liverpool don’t need individuals who don’t want to be here. Liverpool is a special club. Any player, regardless of their talent and profile, have to be proud to put on that red shirt; they have to love the club. Mascherano and his family were unhappy living in England, and in the Liverpool area. I would argue that the truly great players – the Liverpool legends – have not only flourished on the pitch whilst at Liverpool, and been cherished by the Anfield crowd, but have demonstrated a true understanding of the Liverpool people and been assimilated into city of Liverpool, into it’s culture and folklore. They have become heroes not only for their ability, but for their respect and love for the identity and character of the people here. Jamie Carragher recently chose his top ten Liverpool team mates on a LFCTV feature. Many of the players he selected were those who had embraced the city and taken it to their hearts, whether they were British or from overseas. The likes of Didi Hamann, Sami Hyypia, Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres have shown that they care about the city and the people of Liverpool: a city with so much football history, but also a place where football is so alive and vibrant (Carragher explained that Hamann has more friends in the city centre than he has!). On arriving in Liverpool, Joe Cole explained how overwhelmed he was by the enthusiasm and passion he encountered here compared to London. Liverpool is a unique club and a unique city. And I believe that Mascherano’s transfer away from the club and the city is more his loss than ours.
Of course, the money from the transfer needs to be reinvested in the squad. We need new players, but not necessarily someone to compensate for the loss of Mascherano. Rather than his depature being just a negative situation, perhaps this can be an opportunity to be imaginative and innovative. We have already signed Christian Poulsen, so I would like see more creative additions to the team. A striker and a left-back are a priority, of course, but with the loan move of Aquilani to Juventus (which I am still disappointed about) another attack-minded player with vision and flair would be welcomed by most fans. Liverpool have always been disciplined and organised under Houllier and Benitez, but we have sometimes lacked genuine width and spontaniety. If there is still time in this window (and Roy is allowed to spend the money of course) perhaps we could, eventually, see a new philosophy and a new dimension to Liverpool’s play. It won’t happen immediately (as the Manchester City game and, to some extent, Trabzonspor game on Thursday night showed, there is still much work to be done) but I hope that we see a different Liverpool in the future.
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WE WILL ONLY be moving forward when a new player comes into replace and make up the numbers for mascherano. when i say make up the numbers, it has to be quality. but we are short up front big time, short at left back but with konchesky coming in, while nothing great with that move he will at least give aurelio a breather, becasue aurelio is far the better footballer. however funny that it is, konchesky will be good for liverpool he is a 7 out 10 player like finnan, runs all day and can defend at best so i am ok with this deal.
we will have gerrard, poulsen, lucus if he stays, shelvey( to young and not good enough yet), meireles for the center. for me it would be better to sell lucus and while we are bedding in poulsen and meireles we might as well bed in another midfielder in scott parker which would be great if we can bring in a player like him, that really does leave gerrard to rest and play him in the team where its suits us.
my team would be; FOR THE PREMIERSHIP
REINA
KELLY CARRGHER AGGER KONCHESKY
KUYT PARKER MEIRELES
COLE
GERRARD TORRES
Sound logic from Simon but we wont get Parker so I reckon Poulson will be a regular but we desperately need a really quick winger/ striker. Finally as this ownership saga rumbles on I have a horrible feeling that Hicks will yet still manage to get some daft american bank to refinance the debt – hope I am wrong but dont dismiss it – newspapers have no more idea than us
if meireles does come in then i don’t think we need any more CM’s, it’s still width we are lacking, kuyt will never be a winger in a million years! I think 2 very ‘getable’ players are the wigan pair of charles insomnia and rodellega, the latter comfortable on the wing or just off the CF.
Of all the players linked, i think the versatility of ruiz would be the better option.
still very disappointed that roy ruled out a bid for turan
We don’t have the money for Parker Meireles, Diarra, Carlton Cole or and other striker, if mondays game showed us anything is that we need natural width not Kuyt n Jovanich as wingers n service for our attackers. Woy prefered choice is 4-4-2 which we cnt currently play without natural wingers, he said he would have played 2 holding midf against City but Mascherano spoilt itby not playing, oh well its going to be an interested few days until the door is slammed shut……YNWA
Sign Ashley Young for £18m ,Raul Meireles for £10.7m, Paul Konchesky for £4m and maybe Luis Fabiano for £14m, granted unrealistic but these are the players that will get us back to where we need to be Sevilla would lose Fabiano for free from January if they dont sell so they will have to accept less than his £23m release clause, that is a total of £46.7m, we will raise £4.5M from Insua to Genoa, £9m from Babel to Birmingham and £20m from Mascherano to Barcelona also Dalla Valle,El Zhar,Nemeth and Kalicnic are all on there way out of Anfield and are expected to raise around £5m between them. That is £38.5m raised and £46.7m , thats only around £8m and we must have made a profit of around £5m so far this transfer window after selling the likes of San Jose, Riera ,Benayoun,Cavalieri etc. but the only thing that really annoyed me was loaning Aquilani out either sell him and use the funds to buy a replacement or keep him we are screwed if Cole and Gerrard get injured we will have no back up attacking midfielders.
We really need two world class wingers for both left & right side and a striker (and off course they have to be younger than soto), maybe roy & his scouts should play football manager to find them all :D…. “once a reds always a reds” -YNWA-
ok i understand what your saying in some way but your starting 11 is missing glen johnson for starters secondly we would lose everything gerrard is about by playing him upfront so that wouldn’t make any sense at all his best position is CM or just behind nando….. thirdly the formation you have pick would leave us no width at all which has been our problem for years now…. we need 2 or 3 really quick attacking players someone who can spray the ball about like alonso done for us( the man that links everything together) konchesky wwill do a good job for us so it wont be a bad deal for the short term…. anyways i think roy is doing a good job sorting us out it was always going to take more than a few signing but we are making the right steps (maybe aqua the only bad choice in my eyes)
Well with the capture of Miereles Mascherano’s intensity maybe missed but this guy is a ton more creative.
I think if Roy is able to spend the transfer kitty and Lucas is to be sold, i would like to see Ruiz and Toivonen bought in, even Huntelaar is a massive possibility if we don’t get Toivonen with latest news at his club in Italy.
Sounds a lot to ask with so little time left.
well said tot agree abt moving on we defo need 2 quick wingers i dnt know who the name of that winger who gave evra the run around in the world cup but he was lightening quick wudnt mind him as a rte winger and nzogbia 4 the left side we wud then have natural width on both flanks and start giving opposition thngs 2 worry abt
Who the F##K is Mascherano ?????????