Reports over the weekend have linked Liverpool with moves for both Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia and Tottenham’s Nico Kranjcar. The Times has linked us with the Croatian while various sources have linked N’Zogbia with a move to Anfield. They are certainly players who play in the position we desperately need, wingers, but do either have the required quality to be Liverpool players?
I think I won’t be the only one to say that Liverpool being linked with such players is disappointing. Whether there is any truth to these rumours or not, the club could be looking at players who are not targets for the top teams in the Premier League or in Europe. N’Zogbia for one rejected a move to Birmingham City last summer as the Blues couldn’t match the French wingers wage demands while Kranjcar has been a reserve for Tottenham since the emergence of Gareth Bale on the left wing for the London Club. A player chased by Birmingham and a reject of Spurs could be harsh ways of looking at the two players. Although it must be said there has to be some realism when it comes to players Liverpool can sign in January. If NESV does give the manager a sizeable transfer budget to restructure the squad, I would much prefer for us to spend £12-15m each on two quality players rather than smaller sums on five or six average players.
The latter approach does however seem to be the policy of Roy Hodgson who said after Liverpool’s win against Bolton Wanderers that the Reds are looking at “five or six” players. N’Zogbia (valued at £9m) and Kranjcar (valued at £4-6m) would certainly fit the bill of going after less pricey targets. But are they just average players who merit their low asking prices?
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What part of Roy Hodgson’s statement that “we don’t play with wingers” don’t you understand?????
What do you expect from Roy Hodgeson. They’re on the higher end of his scale.
maybe roy said that about the wingers because he inherited a squad that had no wingers. He had Damien Duff playing for him at Fulham who was an integral part of his Fulham team. As regards wingers, we should use Johnson on the right-wing and Dan Agger on the left-wing.
Good idea about johnson, but really playing a centre back at left wing?? i dont think that’s a great plan.
am still not comfortable with the likes of NZOGBIA and KRANKJAR because there are alot of wingers in europe who can even do more than this guys ROY is talking about,i believe the manager knows the areas they are having probem in the team so if he is the manager to make the buying he go to other clubs in europe and bring in top quality players if ROY and the owners want to bring back LIVERPOOLFC to the winning ways as it was before,but am still very much doubt in ROYS ability of turning LIVERPOOLFC to that winning ways they are talking of.
Two average Premiership players with a rumoured value of £17.5 million between them, is the world gone mad.
If NESV gave Hodgson the money to make these transfers happen I think they are even madder than Hodgson appears to be. And I already think Hodgson appears to be insane.
Completely agree with corballyred here. We bought El Nino for 20 million and you see what he did for us, then we bring in Aquilani for the same amount and he becomes a flop. Honestly, we were offered lisandro Lopez and we go for N’zogbia. It IS the world gone mad! I think we need completely new back room staff.
YNWA
Someone like vucinic or podolski that can play wide ior up front perhaps and kill 2 birds with one stone, failing that someone who could offer cover left wing or left back like denthre or belhadj, or consider that pienaar and affelay are almost out of contract and turan is a special talent worth paying big money for, with all that in mind is it sensible to pay the kind of fees mentioned for N’zogbia and Kranjar?? Computer says no.
My god; I seriously hope this doesn’t happen. Roy has got to set his sights higher than this. We won’t get anywhere under this manager with his mentality as it is I thought Kenny was supposed to be advising Hodgson on transfers? He can’t possibly have sanctioned these (if it’s true).
Ridiculous, Roy has to go, we’re better off bringing in Mourinho with 20 million of the 30 million we apparently have than spending any of that money of the players Hodgson is interested in. Let’s have him out.
YNWA
In reply to rod about Agger on the left wing, I said this because of the following reasons. Agger started out his career as a striker. Agger as we all know has a fantastic shot but to utilize this when playing as a centreback he has to move up to 35 yards from the opposition goal to take a shot-this leaves too big a hole if the opposition counterattacks. 2 seasons ago agger set up an equalizer for Kuyt in a 3-2 home win against Wigan by waltzing past Lee cattermole and moving into Wigan’s box to the end line before cutting the ball back for Kuyt to score. However, earlier in that game Agger was dispossessed outside his own penalty area by Amir Zaki who fired past Reina to give Wigan the lead. Agger does not have the instinct to be a defender. He cannot tackle, he is not fast enough and is poor in the air defensively. However, he is surprisingly good in the air offensively and would be a useful option to head back towards the penalty spot or across the six yard box a cross from johnson’s wing that would go beyond the far post-drawing the opposition goalie into a mistake like Tim Howard made for everton against spurs two weeks ago. Remember that Gareth Bale up to the end of last year could not get into Tottenham’s team because he was only a fairly mediocre leftback-but when injuries dictated Redknapp into making Bale take up the leftwing slot he became a sensation.
Dude, I first thought it was a joke but you seem quite serious about it, aren’t you.
saying that agger should play on left wing because he’s not fast enough to be a centreback? come on….and also winger is the last position where their aerial skills are used during a normal play.
i like Kranjcar and N’zogbia.i prefer Ashley Young actually.i think the 5 or 6 problems Roy finds in this liverpool team are:(1)we dont have a proper left back,(2)we dont have a partner for torres,(3)we need squad depth for some other places,such as left-right back,defensive midfielders,…etc.
My dream Liverpool squad:
Reina
Johnson Kyrgiakos Agger Cissokho
Gerrard Meireles
Maxi J.Cole A.Young
Torres
or 4-4-2
Reina
Jonhson Kyrgiakos Agger Cissokho
Gerrard Meireles
Maxi J.Cole
Torres Aguero/Lisandro/Bent/Gomez/..
We definitely need a new left back,cauz Konchesky and Aurelio suck BIG time.I would also like Alou Diarra at Liverpool,very underrated player.Ashley Young is young,talented and home-grown.another striker is also a top priority.hope we buy some players cauz the team right now needs a hell of improvement.also Mexes’s name was heard in the press and he is also a very good player.
very 1st problem is the person who stated this dear Mr.Roy. If we are able to sort this we will be challenging again.
1) We do have two left backs in Konchesky and Aurelio 2) We do have a partner for Torres cause the Torres-Gerrard partnership proves to be the most effective just that Hodgson doesn’t seem to realise it
If you’re gonna use the gerrard partnership you need deep midfielders who can use the ball better than lucas and poulson, you’d have to sort that out first, but Torrese does like to play as the only out and out striker i agree, support from gerrard and wide areas with someone supplying bulletts from deep and we’re in buisness, we should use the German world cup formation it’s perfect for our players.
Hazard and Turan are the names we should be linked with. Woy said he wants to compete with the likes of Barca & R Madrid when it comes to signing players so does he think that these two stand a chance of playing for them? Roll over Woy and lets get a gaffer with some balls in pls….
Kranjcar i dont mind having will be an asset Nzogbia is a liability not worth it.
The bloke who said agger should play left wing and the tried to justify it should be banned from this site in fact should be banned from commenting on any football matters. FOOL.
DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.CORBALLYRED, YOU ARE RIGHT! WE HAVE JOVA,COLE & BABBEL.GIVE THEM GAMES. IF WE WANT WINGERS, GET AFFELAY N TURAN!INSOMANIA & CRACKED CAR WE DONT NEED.
In reply to Jason, where is the evidence to suggest that Agger is a top class centreback? What qualities do you think a top class centreback needs to have to play in the premiership? I suppose you will quote the number of caps Agger has for Denmark, but remember that Poulsen has also a lot of caps for Denmark, but surely you do not rate Poulsen? One of Agger’s most particularly impressive performances at centreback for Liverpool was as part of the defence that conceded 4 goals to Andrei Arshavin in the 4-4 draw at Anfield 2 seasons ago. I suppose also that you are one of those who thinks Agger and Skyrtel would be a dream centre-back partnership. Do you think as an example that Harry Redknapp was wrong to move Gareth Bale from leftback to leftwing? Do you think that Liverpool would be wrong to move Glen Johnson from rightback to rightwing? Do you agree that Agger has a great shot and if so wouldn’t it make sense to get him into range near the opposition goal not 80 yards away at centreback. Agger himself said in a magazine article last year that he would love to play in an attacking role. Also, lighten up, we do live in a democracy, people are entitled to have different views on soccer. You are entitled to your view but their is no need for insults.
I would take N’zogbia but never Kranjcar. Speedy winger, can play on both wings and has a great left foot. Would get him but no more than 10 million.
Kranjar plays centre and he competes with van der vaart. That’s why he is a benchman. He is a world class player with a bargain price. Get him! Nzogbia is also a good player. But pogrebnyak and Wright-Philips is not good enough. I want Mario Gomez as target player!
Kranjar also competes with moderic there and with bentley, lennon, bale and co in the wide area where he can also play, he aint a bad player but with that many people ahead of him at spurs who we should at least be on parr with we gotta be looking at better players.
i agree on RF…hazard n turan is the players to help up liverpool.EDEN HAZARD WHAT A TALENTED YOUNGSTER,WHAT A SKILL N FASTNESS.HE WOULD BE A PERFECT GUY ON OUR LEF WING.M SURE HE CAN DO THE SKILL ,WHICH TORRES DID 2 MAXI IN AS WEEKS BOLTON GAME.HUHUHU.BT HAZARD WORTH 19.5MILLION.ANY EDEN HAZARD FANS HERE
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I want to see Fabio Coentrao, Ashley Young, Lassana Diarra and a quality centre forward
What sort of message does that send to the rest of the premiership? No wonder no one fears us anymore. We need to start pinching the best players not the fringe players.
I will get these players they are a great asset for Fulham err err i mean Liverpool.