IN the run up to Liverpool Football Club’s pre-season tour of North America, which is due to begin with a match against Toronto FC on July 21st, new manager Brendan Rodgers appeared before the press at Anfield this lunch-time and Live4Liverpool.com was there in attendance.
At the press conference Rodgers was joined by members of the first team squad, local lad, Jay Spearing and, Brazilian, Lucas Leiva.
Lucas is, of course, recovering from an injury to his cruciate ligament sustained against Chelsea last year. When asked whether he will be fit for the start of the Reds’ campaign Lucas replied that, although it was too early to be sure, he was working everyday to be ready. In a quote that will have been warmly welcomed by all fans of the club, the midfielder confidently stated:
“I will be back at the same level as I was. I just have to be patient.”
Rodgers was, unsurprisingly, quizzed about likely transfer activity and his responses on this subject were honest, measured, re-assuring and interesting all at the same time.
“When you become a Liverpool player, it is a way of life. I want players that are hungry to succeed,” said the Northern Irishman.
“We haven’t got a wheelbarrow full of money, certainly not the kind of amounts that some people seem to think.
“There are only a few players who could come here and improve the squad that’s why it makes me laugh when I see the number of players that we are linked with.
“I won’t be making lots of changes….maybe three or four tweaks.”
When pushed on where those “tweaks” might be made and who any possible targets may be, Rodgers replied:
“The situation is very simple. I will never talk about targets or players linked, that’s not something I like to do.”
However, what the new boss said next is likely to be of most interest to all Liverpool fans out there, waiting to hear real news about summer signings:
“We hope there will be signings before we leave [for N. America]. Hopefully we can close out one deal this week, maybe two.”
Music to the ears of most LFC fans, who have waited anxiously for some concrete indication of impending arrivals. As to who these newcomers may be, well that remains unclear. Rodgers and Liverpool have done a fantastic job in keeping all negotiations behind closed doors and away from the press, in Britain at least. News emanating from abroad over the weekend regarding a deal being done for Gaston Ramirez however, has proved wide of the mark. Until any new signings are officially unveiled though, we remain in the dark.
You can catch Neil on Twitter @Neil1980 or on his blog http://itsallinthegameblog.wordpress.com/
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Watever u do ramirez and adam johnson shld be the first targets huntlar or de jong followed,dempsey @ the right price only cause he is aleady old
huntlaar and a johnson will never be signed by rodgers. johnson only has his directness to offer which is no good to a team that plays possession football. huntlaar has tried and failed in stronger leagues also he is like 28/29 to old.
+1
Whoever Rodgers decides to bring into the club I sincerely hope that they have more capability than the overpriced flotsam KD bought.
I love Rodgers’ ability to deal with press questions so far. All his answers are concise and honest; which leave very little for the media to twist or abuse. I’ll be very interested to see how the football side of things pan out. I hope the fans give him the time that’s required to make his mark. For me though, we should still see an noticeable solid improvement early on.
Whoever we go for that is decent will reject us and go to somebody else, see Gylfi…..therefore I have an ingenius idea, why dont we sign a heap of crap for whatever the clubs want for them, we will buy british so that the press get behind us, and we will have no problem signing them as nobody else wants them….im thinking 20mill on one, 35 mill on another and then sign a winger who has been terrible all career for another 20 million.
YAWN!!!
Loving Brendan Rodgers style, the press haven’t got a clue, just like when Rodgers got the job………….nobody leaked anything!!!
Do hope it’s Ramirez this week and not Dempsey or Davies
I really hope it too, Dempsey and Davies are another Downing
Hope is ramerize, pls sign him 4 us.
make him be ramirez abeg ooo,BR abeg o.ramirez YNWA
Hope it is Stevan Jovetic, .. Followed by Gaston or James Rodriguez/Younes Belhanda
If BR chooses his favoured 4-2-3-1, it would be awesome to see
SUAREZ
Ramirez. Jovetic Gerrard
Rodriguez
Belhanda…
In a more offensive line up he could go 4-1-3-2… Replacing a holding midfielder with Carroll.. It would mean we would only have to have 2 major buys,. Henderson and Lucas would obviously be choice of Defensive Midfielders… And Cole, Maxi, Bellamy, Aquilani,Suso, Sterling & Shelvey would provide class cover when required, may even get some money in if anyone wanted Downing, Adam, Pacheco, Spearing and Ecclestone..
I think we may have been interested in Esteban Granero, as he seems ideal for the left sided holding midfield role- we shall have to wait and see!
Borini from Roma is the rumour ..£9m seems a hell of a lot from a player who’s total output is 49 games 16 goals. 21 years of age, worked with BR at Chelsea & Swansea. Guess this is third striker ? Reported that Rodgers said no large pot of transfer funds so no Jovetic, Huntlaar or A.Johnson
Agree with bash. Get in Ramirez jovetic Rodriguez but also ander Herrera. No time for sentiment- we are adrift. Recoup over the next three windows on downing Adam spearing cole and aqualani. If these don’t produce by Xmas we are in for another torrid season .
It’s Borini, Chelsea’s reject.
Another bad season ahead, all the§e players are just decent, the best of the bunch Gylfi has gone to spurs because we refused to up the wages swansea were going to pay …40k . All last seasons flops are getting paid much more. And we are made to believe that we will be playing like barcelona next season !!!
Its Borini and dempsey this weekend.. for ramirez its uncertain..maybe next week or before 31 July…