Summer transfer rumours, speculation and out-and-out b*ll*cks.

[Redman]

The only possibility I can ever see City going in for Bent is if they drop out of the top-4 and have to accept a lower standard of player. A bit like Liverpool are having to do.

If struggling to score, ANY side will spend money on a bloke as proven as Bent. Heck, Liverpool spent 35 on Carroll, Man City 19 on Santa Cruz, Chelsea 50 on a Spanish girl who has not scored for years. Bent may not be a great footballer (he is decent) but he is one hell of a goalscorer, and that will always be attractive to a top 4 side.

I don't agree, I'm afraid. Bent's always been prolific and top-4 sides have had the best part of a decade to sign him up. There's a reason why they haven't. And that's good news for you, I reckon.

[ROBBO]

Agree with Paulie, players usually leave for the money or ambition. Arse players are wanting out because although a good side they have won nothing for quite a while and they are wanting to go to aguably better sides.
Clubs sell players all the time when the players don't really want to leave so i have no problems with players wanting to move on, it all comes down to how much ambition Randy has left.

[Karl Bridges]

If Bent scores a load of goals, it should mean we've done quite well. Maybe we would be on an upward trajectory and look more of a viable option to succeed. Looking at it a more positive way.

[VillaAlways]

Not saying I like it, just pointing out than when a player wants to leave even teams in the Champs league, paying bigger money struggle to hold onto their players.

I appreciate that, but we've sold our best player every summer for the last three years, and now look like we're achieving a double whammy of two in the same summer. We're not even selling this one to a CL side, either, it's to Liverpool, who are living on past glories.

As I said above, make the players feel like we're going places and you've got a better chance of holding on to them. We've patently failed to make even the supporters feel that of late, so God only knows why the players should feel any different.

I say this as one who has been soundly behind the board in pretty much everything they've done until relatively recently, but all that good will and momentum of the first four years has now been utterly pissed away in the last year.

Do you think for a nanosecond we'll be holding on to Darren Bent, for example, this time next year if he has a decent season? Imagine what he's going to think if we sell Young then Downing shortly after. What does that tell him about the ambition of the club?

Depressingly spot on

[Greg N'Ash]

Bent's as good as gone if he carries on in similar vein to last season. Get used to it. If AM joining didn't tell you how the clubs priorities have changed then nothing will

[Karl Bridges]

The facts are these Barry & Milner left to double their money and are now CL footballers. Ashley Young left to play for one of the most successful teams in the world and earn more money. Liverpool may not be the team they were but their name is famous throughout the world, not many of our players would say no to them bar Luke Young obviously. For me Downing is not worth £18m but Liverpool have set the bar by paying ridiculous fees for two players with potential, for a fully fledged international player they need to cough up the reddies and let's move on.

[Redman]

nah Dave. They're being wankers. They fucked it all up and set the transfer market bar really high by paying what they did for Henderson. If they honestly think Downing is worth that much less they're off their heads. Downing has 2 years left on his current deal, is our player of the season, has proven his PL worth, is a regular in the England squad and is still only approaching his peak. Henderson is a good player but in all honestly is mostly potential.

Pay up or fuck off is the simple answer, and say what you want about Randy/Faulkner they haven't let us down at all when selling our better players.

Presumably they should just phone up Faulkner and say "whatever you want for Downing, we'll pay it - who shall we make the cheque out to?"

They're trying to get the best deal for Liverpool, hopefully we're sensible enough not to let them. It's hardly worth getting uppity about.

Good post.

This is what negotiating is all about, isn't it?

By the way - Kenny won't have anything to do with any offers - he just wants the player.

[pauliewalnuts]

By the way - Kenny won't have anything to do with any offers - he just wants the player.

Ah, bless him. King Kenny. He rises above such squalor.

[tarzansbrother]

nah Dave. They're being wankers. They fucked it all up and set the transfer market bar really high by paying what they did for Henderson. If they honestly think Downing is worth that much less they're off their heads. Downing has 2 years left on his current deal, is our player of the season, has proven his PL worth, is a regular in the England squad and is still only approaching his peak. Henderson is a good player but in all honestly is mostly potential.

Pay up or fuck off is the simple answer, and say what you want about Randy/Faulkner they haven't let us down at all when selling our better players.

Presumably they should just phone up Faulkner and say "whatever you want for Downing, we'll pay it - who shall we make the cheque out to?"

They're trying to get the best deal for Liverpool, hopefully we're sensible enough not to let them. It's hardly worth getting uppity about.

Good post.

This is what negotiating is all about, isn't it?

By the way - Kenny won't have anything to do with any offers - he just wants the player.

This is what tapping up is all about.

[pauliewalnuts]

The facts are these Barry & Milner left to double their money and are now CL footballers. Ashley Young left to play for one of the most successful teams in the world and earn more money. Liverpool may not be the team they were but their name is famous throughout the world, not many of our players would say no to them bar Luke Young obviously. For me Downing is not worth £18m but Liverpool have set the bar by paying ridiculous fees for two players with potential, for a fully fledged international player they need to cough up the reddies and let's move on.

We need to say no. We're in a position to say no, and that is what we should be doing, otherwise we might as well give up all pretence of not being a selling club.

Incidentally, General Krulak said Milner was offered a deal which matched what Man City were going to pay him. I also doubt Downing will be earning much more (if any) at Liverpool than he is here.

The fact is that the more we disappoint, the more we accept lowered ambition and floating around mid table, the greater the number of clubs who will be able to prise our best players away.

The last few years, I've always thought that our owners, for all the mistakes they may have made along the way, had a clear plan about what they wanted to make us, and where they wanted us to go. Now it seems that we're set for floating around mid table and making excuses for flogging our best players.

[VillaAlways]

By the way - Kenny won't have anything to do with any offers - he just wants the player.

Ah, bless him. King Kenny. He rises above such squalidness.

Hail the King Kenny............TWAT!!!!

[tarzansbrother]

The facts are these Barry & Milner left to double their money and are now CL footballers. Ashley Young left to play for one of the most successful teams in the world and earn more money. Liverpool may not be the team they were but their name is famous throughout the world, not many of our players would say no to them bar Luke Young obviously. For me Downing is not worth £18m but Liverpool have set the bar by paying ridiculous fees for two players with potential, for a fully fledged international player they need to cough up the reddies and let's move on.

We need to say no. We're in a position to say no, and that is what we should be doing, otherwise we might as well give up all pretence of not being a selling club.

Incidentally, General Krulak said Milner was offered a deal which matched what Man City were going to pay him. I also doubt Downing will be earning much more (if any) at Liverpool than he is here.

The fact is that the more we disappoint, the more we accept lowered ambition and floating around mid table, the greater the number of clubs who will be able to prise our best players away.

The last few years, I've always thought that our owners, for all the mistakes they may have made along the way, had a clear plan about what they wanted to make us, and where they wanted us to go. Now it seems that we're set for floating around mid table and making excuses for flogging our best players.

Paulie I don't think we will sell him and I also don't think Liverpool will pay £20m plus.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

I know we have heard nothing from Downing. But if all reports are true, would love to know why he is so desperate to leave.

1/ He has been tapped up ?

2/ He has seen the appointment of Houlliers replacement. And thought. No
    ambition ?

3/ Straight wages increase ?

[Redman]

The facts are these Barry & Milner left to double their money and are now CL footballers. Ashley Young left to play for one of the most successful teams in the world and earn more money. Liverpool may not be the team they were but their name is famous throughout the world, not many of our players would say no to them bar Luke Young obviously. For me Downing is not worth £18m but Liverpool have set the bar by paying ridiculous fees for two players with potential, for a fully fledged international player they need to cough up the reddies and let's move on.

This is why I've always felt this deal would be difficult. Liverpool have overpaid for players, yes. But they've overpaid on their terms, to a certain policy.

Downing is not the equivalent of Henderson and Carroll which is why Liverpool won't overpay. If we were talking about Albrighton, it might be different.

[Brend'Watkins]

If Downing wants to go then it's £20 million + we send him away in the same condition we brought him in, the ungrateful scared of making a tackle little shit that he is.