The Tuesday Transfer Column - Who’s Leaving Liverpool? | Page 2

Alberto Aquilani – Every Liverpool fans’ favourite agent Franco Zavaglia has been talking again. With a prospective move to Juventus for ‘Aqua’ having fallen through, Zavaglia has re-iterated his clients desire to have stayed in Italy. He told Radio Sportiva:

“Alberto’s thoughts were to stay in Italy, but this was not possible. I don’t know if there is a chance to go back to Italy during this transfer window, it’s a shame our players leave Italian football”

Said the man who arranged Aquilani’s initial transfer from Italy to England.

All is not lost for Aqua however, as Aquilani’s attention hogging agent stated:

“Liverpool are an important team and I think he can win the Premier League. The objective [at Anfield] is Champions League football”. Goal.com (07/07/11)

Various reports have claimed that Sunderland are showing an interest in Aquilani, although there seems to be little substance behind these claims. A report in Football Italia (10/07/11) has since claimed Fiorentina are interested in a loan move for Aquilani, but then stated the following day (11/07/11) that Fiorentina cannot afford to cover his wages.

For once, Zavaglia has been quick to dispel talk of a transfer, commenting to Tuttomercatoweb.it:

“His [Aquilani’s] future for the time being is at Liverpool. The player will remain there. With Fiorentina there are no negotiations in place, I have not even been approached by them. They are just rumours.” The Post (11/07/11)

It appears that Alberto Aquilani could well be fighting for a place at LFC next season. Whatever about the manner in which his agent conducts his business, the addition of a 27 year-old Italian international midfielder to our squad for next season could potentially be a real boost to the team. Aquilani, if he remains would be essentially a new signing for Kenny Dalglish, who could possibly coax the best form from the talented ball-playing midfielder. There’s a long way to go in the window yet, however.

Tom Ince – Sky Sports (08/07/11) reports that exciting young left-winger Ince is being chased by Blackpool, who want a loan deal for the player. However, the report also claims that Fulham are interested in a permanent deal. The Blackpool Gazette (09/07/11) has since claimed that Blackpool are looking for a permanent deal if possible.

Whilst not as hyped as the likes of Sterling and Suso, I have been impressed with Ince when I have seen him in action and hope that he stays, a loan would suit all parties however and would consolidate what could become a good working relationship with Blackpool following the signing of Adam. Ian Holloway could really help such a player to develop – whilst instilling good passing footballing principles into the youngster. Look out for him in the Championship if he does make a move, he could be a real star there.

Gerardo Bruna – Also a left-sided midfielder, although more capable in a central role than Ince. Bruna has also been linked with a loan move to Blackpool according to Sky Sports (18/07/11). The 20 year old Argentinean-born midfielder is something of a set-piece specialist and may be seen as a good option as Ian Holloway as he seeks to plug the gap left by the departures of Charlie Adam and David Vaughan. Having already signed former Man Utd midfielder Bojan Djordjic, the capture of Bruna would add extra midfield options to the Blackpool manager.

As with Ince, The Blackpool Gazette (09/07/11) has since claimed that Blackpool are looking for a permanent deal if possible, whilst Click Lancashire (09/07/11) claim that talks are ongoing for the duo. A report on lfconline.com (11/07/11) goes a step further, claiming that season-long loan deals for the pair have been agreed – if the players agreed personal terms – quite what personal terms would need to be agreed for the transfer of players sent out on loan remains to be seen however. Perhaps they want assurances over first team opportunities they will have if loaned out? Watch this space.

Dani Pacheco – Also linked with a loan move to Blackpool according to The Mirror (08/07/11). The report also states that contrary to earlier speculation, Jonjo Shelvey will not be joining the club on loan.

Christian Poulsen – Poulsen’s representative, Jorn Bonnesen, claims he and his client are in the dark over Liverpool‘s plans [whether Liverpool want to keep him or sell him this summer]. He told Onside.dk when asked if they knew about Liverpool’s plans:

“No, we do not. Now we wait and see what happens.” SkySports (08/07/11)

Raul Meireles – The Mirror (09/07/11) reports that Meireles has been given permission to speak to both Juventus and Inter Milan with a view to a £12m move. Meireles himself has however dispelled such rumours today as when asked if he would still be a Liverpool player this coming campaign, on the club’s pre-season tour of China, he replied: “Of course.” SkySports (12/07/11)

That’s all the rumours on potential outgoings from the club this week. The signing of Charlie Adam has coincided with the busiest week of the summer thus far as regards to prospective sales and loans of LFC players. That Liverpool have been reluctant to match Aston Villa’s asking price of £20m for Stewart Downing, despite having offered £15m has not gone unnoticed, nor is not without good reason. The wage bill at Liverpool is severely bloated with many fringe players (and some who are not even fringe players, such Degan, Jones and El Zhar) on highly paid contracts. This sorry state of affairs is the legacy which Dalglish has inherited as a result of severe mismanagement over the last few years.

The importance of clearing out dead-wood from the squad this season cannot be understated – as any money gained will go towards signing new recruits for next season. If Liverpool’s huge wage bill is not brought under control this summer, it may severely restrict our ability to invest in the transfer market. Getting rid of big earners who have made small contributions to the side could make all the difference in terms of giving Dalglish the financial backing/spending power to build the side he wants – A side which fans will be hoping is good enough to bring Liverpool back into top-four contention in the coming season.

A failure to offload such overpaid players as the summer progresses could cause us to miss out on the one or two additional quality signings we may need before the 11/12 season begins. If an extra £20m-£40m is generated via sales (or perhaps more in relation to fees and wages combined) for Dalglish to reinvest in the squad, it could make all the difference next year.

Additional sales could mean the difference between getting another player of Suarez’ class and quality – or not. An extra £20m-class player or two would certainly not go amiss. The more spending power we have, the better.

Again, I hope you enjoyed reading this edition of the TTC. Be sure to check back here each Tuesday for the weekly review of transfer speculation on outgoing players at LFC. By next Tuesday (19/07/11) – there may be more concrete developments to report as the squad takes shape for next season.

As always, any feedback or suggestions are always welcome. Thanks for reading! Any ideas, comments or suggestions can be sent to barryjourno@hotmail.com

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